Art and Amys

Saturday was the day for art. Having head from my boss the day before that there was a special exhibit at the National Gallery of Art and having seen an advertisement for the photography collection of Elvis at 21 at the National Portrait Gallery, I made plans to see these exhibits.
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At the National Gallery of Art, I walked around and saw many of the gallery’s most famous pieces, including the da Vinci I had seen while in D.C. last fall. This time, I took the time to read the panel about the artwork and realized that it was double-sided. Then, I made it down to the Chester Dale Collection, which I loved! I have always been drawn more to artwork that is rich in its color and contrast, so much so that it appears almost overexposed or oversaturated. And this collection was filled with such artwork. There were cartoon sketches by Van Gogn, a oil painting on cardboard – yes, cardboard – Picasso, Renoir, and nearly 100 more.
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At the National Portrait Gallery, before getting to the Elvis exhibit, we were able to see one entitled “Hide and Seek,” which included artworks highlighting aspects of life that would otherwise remain in the shadows. There was a self-portrait of a woman who, weighing nearly 300 pounds, laid naked next to a puddle in an attempt to make the statement that although she, in many ways, stands out, is still a part of nature and the world around her. The was also a disturbing photograph of a man who, according to the paragraph next to the painting, had just died. His eyes were wide open and he lay, lifeless on a bed with a tape recorder next to him. Apparently, his friend had taken the picture of him after he had died and having set his recorder next to his body. Another disturbing one was a silver platter that had on it a thick painting that resembled Francisco de Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son. Upon reading the description, this piece had been done in remembrance of the artist’s friend, who had died of AIDS. To create it, the artist had mixed his friends ashes with nail polish, creating what was now on display on the silver platter.
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Perhaps the most challenging artwork was the pile of candies laid in the corner of one of the rooms. Each was wrapped in bright-colored wrapping. I had initially passed by the piece, chalking-up its presence in an art gallery to a wave of contemporary art that, in my mind, was off-the-wall and lacked not only the artistic talent of older art forms, but also lacked articulate, meaning. I couldn’t have been farther off. I saw a warning sign that stated that consumption of the candy may be a choking hazard. This is what initially stopped me. I thought to myself, “Wait, why would this be here? Aren’t you supposed to leave the artwork alone?” So I went back to read a bit about the painting.
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The artist’s lover had recently died of AIDS. The 175 pounds of candy was meant to symbolize his partner prior to his illness. According to the description, everyone is invited to take a candy, to enjoy the sweetness of the artist’s relationship with his partner. But as the last of the sweet disappears, the viewer is to realize that they were quietly aided in the death of his partner, allowing the gay community and AIDS to be pushed to the side and ignored.
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Then, we made it to Elvis’ exhibit, seeing pictures of him on tour, with his high school sweetheart, and of him on stage – with a hound dog (which made my seriously miss Buddy and Basil)! Being 21 myself, I couldn’t imagine living a life like that right now.
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Then, we made our way to Two Amys. And for the second time, I fell in love with food. We got the bruschetta, warm olives, pizza, and I ordered a bottle of wine. As a first-timer, I didn’t know why she was explaining to me that she had opened it at the bar – because they have had bottles of this wine explode upon opening – or why she had poured a little into my glass to see my response. But no matter, I picked up on my cues quickly, and soon we were enjoying a great – my first – bottle of wine.