a little sunday art

I didn't realize there was an art show going on at the Vancouver Art Gallery until today. It's the first time I've been in the gallery, which is the (I'm not sure what type of architecture it is), it's the one that looks like a museum. I just did some Wikipedia-surfing and I think museum architecture has its own classification. But back to topic, the current main exhibit is Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The majority of the works are of more modern (1800-1900s) paintings, and sculptures.

I've been meaning to take a look at these types of works for a long time, but never really had an opportunity to. I had a good introduction to the majority of the painting movements. Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism, Modernism, Surrealism, and I'm missing some of the smaller movements. It does make a difference seeing these works of art in real life. You can't truly appreciate the skill that goes into creating these paintings without seeing the imperfections and the subtleties of the strokes and the unevenness of the oil on the canvas or whatever each artists medium of choice. Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rodin, and Dali. These are the major names that come to mind, and I finally see truly how different each of these major figures played in advancing modern art. It's a little elitist, but I have to admit, that not everyone will be able to understand or appreciate fine art. I'm not quite at that stage either, I'm still learning how to appreciate it.

The one piece that probably intrigued me the most was Salvador Dali's "The Dream". I was thinking of buying a print from the gift shop, but I couldn't perceive the shock I experienced from seeing the actual painting. The colors and hues are so vibrant, while they don't look the same on printed material. The subject matter interests me as well since it's about dreams, but it wasn't what primarily caught my interest. Just the stark contrast and vibrant hues with an oddness that defines surrealism. It speaks on a very philosophical level.