I vaguely believe there’s some value in seeing art regularly and this past Saturday I vowed to find out exactly what it is. At the Fondacion Miro, I checked out the work of Barcelona’s most famous surrealist painter, Joan Miro and developed my thoughts on the art of seeing art:
1. Go see art alone
Although it’s loads of fun to point and giggle at strange imagery with a friend, go together and you’ll miss out on the big picture. I watched a video of Miro’s 75th birthday celebration in the company of an English couple necking. Although the juxtaposition of events was quite striking, I found myself oddly distracted…
2. Art set among nature is a good idea.
The Fondacion Miro is located in Parc Montjuïc, a site worthy of visiting all on its own. Something about walking amongst trees and grass just makes you more predisposed to taking in art. After enjoying Montjuïc park, I entered the gallery in a calmer state. My hyperactive little mind had slown down. I felt contemplative. I slowly wandered through the rooms, taking in the vivid colors, organic forms and thinly drawn black stars, letting their rhythms and colors suggest things to my subconscious.
3. Please refrain from taking pictures
In my elevated state, I was especially sensitive to the other gallery vistors swarming around me like mosquitoes on a damp summer’s evening. Clicks and flashes were constant. What is it with taking pictures of pictures? Now that everyone’s got a digital camera, I guess they’re storing the artwork to view at a later time. Things got absurd when a man showed me a picture of myself looking at a Miro canvas, and asked if this was okay. Now, really what other choice did I have but to say yes, and to admire the way my turquoise hoodie contrasted with the blue of Miro’s dreams?
4. Read the artist statement.
If you don’t have the budget to afford either the guided tour or the headphones, do take the time to read the literature the gallery provides. Sitting in a dark, empty room, staring at huge video screens of green leaves blowing in the wind, I was happy to read that Chilean artist Carolina Saquel’s exhibit “Disaster is Yellow” is inspired by Miro’s “reflection on the pictorial space” and was quite certain I now had a much deeper understanding of art, Miro and nature than the three punky guys sitting cross-legged with their face right up to the screens, obviously under the influence of more than one kind of green.
This article was published Monday, June 9, 2008.
