Go visit this website!

There are a couple of reasons why I'm reccomending visiting dohiyimir. Firstly, there's some really great photograhy and promoting artists is something I need to do more of as this is sort of an art blog. When I feel like writing about art anyway, which I don't always but that's not the point. There's also great articles and a smattering of politics.

But mostly I'm linking because this blog's creator is a friend of my brother's. I'm not going to get into the recent nastiness that my family has been subjected to, suffice it to say that I'm spitting nails here. Anyway, the flip side to all this is that it is in circumstaces like this when you find out who your friends are. And NTodd, among others, has been a good friend. So it's my way of saying thank you.

(note: Blogger seems to be squirrly at the moment, so an addition to the blogroll has to wait.)

Movies about art

I have to admit it. I really enjoyed the book: "The DaVinci Code" and am looking forward to the movie. But not so much for the plot, which I found fun, but that's about it.

It's because of the art. This is a book about PAINTING. Yeah, there's the whole theology part and that sort of thing, and while I enjoy a good conspiracy theory as much as the next person, it's not, for me, what makes the book and movie so COOl. It's about ART!!!!!

According to the movie's press, they were able to shoot in the LOUVRE! No one does that! I remember reading the book and the thing that struck me about the whole thing was that I can't remember ever seeing art in this sort of context before. When are art historians cast as big heroes? I had the urge the entire time to review my Renaissance notes from undergrad and thinking that as an art teacher how cool is this to have a pop-culture link back to my subject? Imagine the cool projects on symbolism and representation that can come from this?

So that's why I'm going to see the movie. It's about ART and it's set in the LOUVRE. All controversy aside, I think this is the coolest thing EVER!!

Munch

I recently had the time to go back and read the NY Times articles that I've been saving and came across this one regarding the fate of the thieves who made off with Munch's "The Scream" and "Madonna" a few years ago.

Art theft is something I've never really understood. Particularly pieces as famous as these. I mean, what can they possibly DO with them? Hold them for ransom? Keep them in a private vault and never look at them? It's not as if the coast will ever be clear enough to sell them. Maybe it's one of those power trip kinds of things: "I have something special and I'm not telling where it is. So there. And YOU can't look at it, even though it's really cool."

I'm certainly upset that the paintings are missing. Munch is one of the big influential artists for me, and visiting the Munch Museum in Oslo is one of my dream trips. Not that I'm not grateful that the thieves were caught and prosecuted, because I am. But thefts of this sort are cruel. Art needs to be seen, not hidden away, and certainly not damaged.

Here's hoping the paintings are returned unharmed.