A Change Of Heart About Joan Miro

The last time I viewed the later work of Joan Miro, currently on display at the Denver Art Museum, I didn't like it at all, and mentioned that on this Blog.  However, this past Friday night I stopped in to look at it again during the museum's monthly Last Friday event, and I actually liked it.  The colors of his paintings are bright and cheerful, and you can actually recognize the human forms and other objects in his abstract work. Much of his art seems to be quite whimsical and humorous.  Evidently, for me at least, whether I like a piece of contemporary artwork or not often depends on my mood, and even on the day of the week I look at it.  And that leads to an important piece of advice.  Do not buy an expensive piece of art on a Friday.  You might hate yourself for it by Monday morning.

The Secret Room

I took the above photograph  on the 7th floor of the Denver Art Museum's Ponti building this past Friday. The building resembles the French castle featured in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and I have always been fascinated by the stairway that can be seen through the curtained window in the photo.  It seems to be guarded by a lone Indian and goes who knows where?  How do you get to it? The window itself seems to be sealed.  Perhaps it leads to the boardroom where the trustees meet, and can only be accessed via a secret door.  Is that where they approve purchases of some of the contemporary art pieces that you look at and scratch your head over?  No wonder they meet in a secret room.

The Hail With It!

I am taking my car in tomorrow to repair the hail damage that I sustained three weeks ago, but the problem is that it is still hailing here in Denver.  I took the above photograph just last week, looking out the door of the store where I work part-time in the evenings.  It was still another significant rain and hail storm.  What if I get my car repaired and it is damaged again?  Will this be a monthly occurrence?  Will the insurance company keep paying?  The mind boggles.  On a completely different subject (my mind tends to wonder like that these days), the place where I work part-time in the evenings sells hula-hoops, Duncan yo-yos, kites, White Castle hamburgers, and even Brylcreem ("a little dab will do ya") for God's sake.   It is like going back to the South Side of Chicago in the early 1960s.  For better and for worse, I might add.

Untitled Final Friday

Last night was Untitled Final Friday at the Denver Art Museum, and photography curator Eric Paddock and historian Patty Limerick were there to discuss the new photography exhibit Alec Soth: Colorado Dispatch. The photos are mainly portraits taken in Colorado over a two week period, and were described by Paddock as a cross between Diane Arbus and Richard Avedon.  I enjoyed both the photos and the talk, but I do have one question.  Each month Untitled Last Friday has a title.  Last night it was Habitat.  What's  the deal with that?

Summertime!

The heat is on here is Denver, and summer has arrived at last.  However, the pool at my condo is still closed, I know not why.  Therefore I am featuring a photograph of my mother Mary (on the left in the photograph) and her lifelong friend Peggy, taken when they were both young and at the beach along Lake Michigan.  I don't know if the photo was taken at Rainbow Beach on the South Side of Chicago or at the Indiana  Dunes State Park, but regardless, it definitely conveys fun in the sun. And to my condo's Homeowner's Association, I say "Open the damn pool!"

Mystery Door

I walked through downtown Denver last Sunday looking for Summer Solstice celebrations, but found none.  I did spot the entrance to a building that looked like it might have some pagan possibilities, but there was no sige either on the door or the building itself saying what exactly what it was.  I did notice, however, that they took MasterCard, Visa, and Discover.  I suppose only the true in-crowd knows what the place is and what goes on there.  After careful consideration, I  decided it was a skip.  Perhaps next weekend.

Big Doings At DU

I walked across the University of Denver campus the other night, and the place was hopping.  Not only was a debutante ball going on in a tent on the Campus Green (see photograph above), but inside the Ritchie Center (the building in the photo with the lighted tower) some guy named Bernie was campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in front of a packed audience. So many people showed up to hear him speak that the university had to open up the Lacrosse stadium for the overflow, and televise the speech on the outfield  screen.  I later found out that the candidate who was speaking was Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont.  I listened to his speech, and he seemed to have a lot of good ideas, but he did not explain how he would get his policies through Congress, given today's intensely partisan atmosphere, let alone pay for them.  I personally feel we need politicians that really care about the American people and who are willing to compromise to achieve their goals.  Lots of luck with that.