night falls over kortedala (jens lekman)
This is a fun album. Very lush. Overall I'd say the positives and the negatives both come out of the syrupyness of this record- incredibly sweet, lush melodies and confessional, emotionally expressive lyrics- but sometimes pushing the envelope, a little too sweet, a little too busy. Jens has a fun sound on this record, a sort of 1970s European/Disco retro sound- flutes, strings, high brass- with that perfectly clear, warm voice.
The second half of the record is charming and okay, but the first half really unleashes a powerful string of fun, poppy, successful songs, rich with sound. After a pleasant but imposingly melodramatic first track, the meat of the album follows- "Sipping on the Sweet Nectar," a fun, upbeat track driven by the brass; "The Opposite of Hallelujah," perfectly charming; "A Postcard to Nina," a cute track with a lovely balance of romantic ballad, comedy, and the upbeat swing of a brassy chorus; "Into Eternity," a sweet, lovely, fun ballad; and "I'm Leaving You Because I Don't Love You," perhaps my favorite track on the album, very pretty, that dancingly upbeat piano, a striking contrast to the vocals. “I'm so sorry I couldn't love you enough…" damn.
After that row the songs maintain their lushness and general tenor, but they just don't engage me at quite the same level. I did enjoy the late track, "Kanske Ar Jag Kar I Dig," fun vocal styles, a fun beat, altogether just arranged well.
Although the busy, upbeat tracks are a lot of fun, there's something about the slightly simpler, melodic sadness of "I am Leaving You…" and "…Hallelujah" that appeals to me, and I recall hearing at least one other Lekman song in that vein, and I'd be interested to hear if he's made other records that approach more of that sound.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
album #86
led zeppelin iv (led zeppelin)
Funny thing about this record- many months ago I wrote a pretty smart, interesting review, which I lost because of an internet flub, which made me so furious that I ended up (accidentally) breaking my computer. It's not like this has left any lingering emotional issue, but it has put me in the mood to not write or think about this album for very long. A neutral negative vibe.
The first half are mostly pretty huge, famous songs, but I generally preferred the second half. I like their heavy, loud sound. This is a group that really thrives on rhythm- often the sounds of the drum and the bass are just as interesting to listen to as the vocals or the guitars. Generally I'd say the vocals are my least favorite aspect of the work, but I'm okay with them because they fit the tenor of the music. That's probably the main thing about Zeppelin, as far as I understand them- that harmony of the individual parts, the nice unity of the various elements.
Favorite tracks: the chain-gang heaviness of "When the Levee Breaks"- damn, that's a dusty song. "Misty Mountain Hop" and "Four Sticks" both have a good sound to them, the former more upbeat, the latter more driven. "Rock & Roll" is a fun one too, and of course "Stairway to Heaven" has a good sound to it. But my favorites are really those first three.
Good, heavy, rhythmic sound. I wouldn't mind hearing more of their work.
Funny thing about this record- many months ago I wrote a pretty smart, interesting review, which I lost because of an internet flub, which made me so furious that I ended up (accidentally) breaking my computer. It's not like this has left any lingering emotional issue, but it has put me in the mood to not write or think about this album for very long. A neutral negative vibe.
The first half are mostly pretty huge, famous songs, but I generally preferred the second half. I like their heavy, loud sound. This is a group that really thrives on rhythm- often the sounds of the drum and the bass are just as interesting to listen to as the vocals or the guitars. Generally I'd say the vocals are my least favorite aspect of the work, but I'm okay with them because they fit the tenor of the music. That's probably the main thing about Zeppelin, as far as I understand them- that harmony of the individual parts, the nice unity of the various elements.
Favorite tracks: the chain-gang heaviness of "When the Levee Breaks"- damn, that's a dusty song. "Misty Mountain Hop" and "Four Sticks" both have a good sound to them, the former more upbeat, the latter more driven. "Rock & Roll" is a fun one too, and of course "Stairway to Heaven" has a good sound to it. But my favorites are really those first three.
Good, heavy, rhythmic sound. I wouldn't mind hearing more of their work.
album #85
everybody (the sea and cake)
I instantly loved this album. So many great melodies, in that casually sweet Sea and Cake style. Pleasant, pretty listening, but there's still a punch to a lot of it, it feels more direct somehow than The Fawn, in a way that I like.
"Up On Crutches" opens the album with a great surge of dramatic pop energy- about as dramatic as this sighing, mellow band gets. "Too Strong" immediately follows, probably my favorite song on the record. A jangling, glowing stroll of a song, great melody. I still enjoy "Coconut," a sweetly calm, driven, chill song that takes me back to the '08 campaign season- the song that made me get the album. In fact, this qualifies as a successful example of a record that I really enjoy beyond my initial favorite track- I haven't always been so lucky this year.
The second half of the record is a little less distinct, but still has some winners. "Exact to Me" is just plain good, and "Introducting" wins me over with just the slightest, sweetest shrug of a guitar riff.
Altogether this is totally my type of band and I'll probably check out at least one or two more of their records.
I instantly loved this album. So many great melodies, in that casually sweet Sea and Cake style. Pleasant, pretty listening, but there's still a punch to a lot of it, it feels more direct somehow than The Fawn, in a way that I like.
"Up On Crutches" opens the album with a great surge of dramatic pop energy- about as dramatic as this sighing, mellow band gets. "Too Strong" immediately follows, probably my favorite song on the record. A jangling, glowing stroll of a song, great melody. I still enjoy "Coconut," a sweetly calm, driven, chill song that takes me back to the '08 campaign season- the song that made me get the album. In fact, this qualifies as a successful example of a record that I really enjoy beyond my initial favorite track- I haven't always been so lucky this year.
The second half of the record is a little less distinct, but still has some winners. "Exact to Me" is just plain good, and "Introducting" wins me over with just the slightest, sweetest shrug of a guitar riff.
Altogether this is totally my type of band and I'll probably check out at least one or two more of their records.
Friday, October 23, 2009
album #84
the fawn (the sea and cake)
I like these guys, a good deal. Very chill music… sweetly melodic, laid back, interior pop with a touch of jazz. They're jams, really. Subdued, melodic jams. Sometimes they blur together a little- there is such a consistent, subdued tone that one has to really focus in and listen to recognize the lovely, intricate differences from piece to piece- without that focus, the album flows together as nondescript, pleasant background music.
About half the tracks, after several listens, have still not ascended from the level of nondescript and pleasant… there are songs that I simply don't remember how they sound, they're just nice. In general, the tracks I enjoyed maintained that gently driven, rhythmic, melodic pace, but they found a hook or a movement to take things to a really nice place… for instance, "Sporting Life" has this endearing touch of high synth to really lock a nice sound into place (really reminds me of the Postal Service), and "Bird and Flag" is driven by a nice, crisp, light guitar (at the start, it really sounds like the Smiths). My very favorites are "The Ravine," this beautifully relaxed yet driven song, a quiet sense of magic or discovery in the movement of the music; and "Civilise," which somehow carries in its sound the plaintive warmth of a 90's love song, with a rich jazz influence.
I like these guys, a good deal. Very chill music… sweetly melodic, laid back, interior pop with a touch of jazz. They're jams, really. Subdued, melodic jams. Sometimes they blur together a little- there is such a consistent, subdued tone that one has to really focus in and listen to recognize the lovely, intricate differences from piece to piece- without that focus, the album flows together as nondescript, pleasant background music.
About half the tracks, after several listens, have still not ascended from the level of nondescript and pleasant… there are songs that I simply don't remember how they sound, they're just nice. In general, the tracks I enjoyed maintained that gently driven, rhythmic, melodic pace, but they found a hook or a movement to take things to a really nice place… for instance, "Sporting Life" has this endearing touch of high synth to really lock a nice sound into place (really reminds me of the Postal Service), and "Bird and Flag" is driven by a nice, crisp, light guitar (at the start, it really sounds like the Smiths). My very favorites are "The Ravine," this beautifully relaxed yet driven song, a quiet sense of magic or discovery in the movement of the music; and "Civilise," which somehow carries in its sound the plaintive warmth of a 90's love song, with a rich jazz influence.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
album #83
never for ever (kate bush)
I really liked this one a lot. Certainly more than Hounds of Love, and possibly more than The Kick Inside.
The songs can get startlingly dark- two of my favorites, "Babooshka" and "The Wedding List" deal with infidelity and a pretty intense revenge killing, respectively. In addition to those two, my favorites: the gentle, dreamy ramble of "Delius," the musicalesque "Blow Away (for Bill)," and perhaps my favorite Kate Bush song, the wistful, slow-yet-catchy "Army Dreamers."
It's altogether that classic Kate Bush formula- dreamy, melodramatic, nice intersections of pop and a vaguely operatic frailty. Her music always makes me picture a foggy English dreamworld. And her best stuff is invariably pretty darn catchy. In my year-long search for 'my' Kate Bush album, this probably will stand as the winner.
I really liked this one a lot. Certainly more than Hounds of Love, and possibly more than The Kick Inside.
The songs can get startlingly dark- two of my favorites, "Babooshka" and "The Wedding List" deal with infidelity and a pretty intense revenge killing, respectively. In addition to those two, my favorites: the gentle, dreamy ramble of "Delius," the musicalesque "Blow Away (for Bill)," and perhaps my favorite Kate Bush song, the wistful, slow-yet-catchy "Army Dreamers."
It's altogether that classic Kate Bush formula- dreamy, melodramatic, nice intersections of pop and a vaguely operatic frailty. Her music always makes me picture a foggy English dreamworld. And her best stuff is invariably pretty darn catchy. In my year-long search for 'my' Kate Bush album, this probably will stand as the winner.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
album #82
sky blue sky (wilco)
This is a pleasant album. Chill. There's a real bluesy energy to it as well- a nice mix of mellow, melodic songs, and more searing, bluesy laments ("You Are My Face," "Side With The Seeds," "Hate it Here.") Everything is generally good, but I'm not in love with much of it. There's a nice, throwback vibe to it, something '70s about that low key, folk rock sound.
Two standout tracks: "Impossible Germany," with a very sweet, tight, melodic guitar driving a generally nice, low key, lovely song. And my favorite, "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)," a really beautiful, sad, sweet song, driven by lovely piano and a light, mournful twinge of guitar.
Philosophically it was interesting album as well. Near the end I liked these lyrics: "And if the whole world’s singing your songs/ And all of your paintings have been hung/ Just remember what was yours is everyone’s from now on"- the self aware dilemma of the artist giving his product to the world… truly a fascinating and difficult issue, the personal becoming the public.
This is a pleasant album. Chill. There's a real bluesy energy to it as well- a nice mix of mellow, melodic songs, and more searing, bluesy laments ("You Are My Face," "Side With The Seeds," "Hate it Here.") Everything is generally good, but I'm not in love with much of it. There's a nice, throwback vibe to it, something '70s about that low key, folk rock sound.
Two standout tracks: "Impossible Germany," with a very sweet, tight, melodic guitar driving a generally nice, low key, lovely song. And my favorite, "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)," a really beautiful, sad, sweet song, driven by lovely piano and a light, mournful twinge of guitar.
Philosophically it was interesting album as well. Near the end I liked these lyrics: "And if the whole world’s singing your songs/ And all of your paintings have been hung/ Just remember what was yours is everyone’s from now on"- the self aware dilemma of the artist giving his product to the world… truly a fascinating and difficult issue, the personal becoming the public.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
album #81
red, yellow and blue (born ruffians)
This is a really good album. These guys have a great energy and a sound that feels both unique and vintage. Their signature traits, as I see it, are those tight, rocky, rhythmic strikes of the guitar; the chanting interplay of the vocals. This album really reminds me of those punk/new wave bands of the late 70s, early 80s, like Blondie and Television. The jagged, creative guitars, the nasally vocals, a style that feels somewhat minimalistic but still creative and ambitious.
A lot of good ones on this record. I love the rollicking, sea-chantyesque energy of "Barnacle Goose," the upbeat, straightforward classic rock/bass pulse of "Hummingbird," the lovely vocal interplay in the latter half of "Little GarŸon," the fantastic pulse- slinging, clanging, controlled yet driven- of "Badonkadonkey," the Weezeresque clanging, vaguely subdued, romantic jam of "Foxes Mate for Life," and the inviting, energetic refrain of the finale, "Kurt Vonnegut."
Good listening. Quick, rhythmic, spare but engaging. Fun stuff.
This is a really good album. These guys have a great energy and a sound that feels both unique and vintage. Their signature traits, as I see it, are those tight, rocky, rhythmic strikes of the guitar; the chanting interplay of the vocals. This album really reminds me of those punk/new wave bands of the late 70s, early 80s, like Blondie and Television. The jagged, creative guitars, the nasally vocals, a style that feels somewhat minimalistic but still creative and ambitious.
A lot of good ones on this record. I love the rollicking, sea-chantyesque energy of "Barnacle Goose," the upbeat, straightforward classic rock/bass pulse of "Hummingbird," the lovely vocal interplay in the latter half of "Little GarŸon," the fantastic pulse- slinging, clanging, controlled yet driven- of "Badonkadonkey," the Weezeresque clanging, vaguely subdued, romantic jam of "Foxes Mate for Life," and the inviting, energetic refrain of the finale, "Kurt Vonnegut."
Good listening. Quick, rhythmic, spare but engaging. Fun stuff.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
exhibit #5
Kandinsky (the Guggenheim)
I like Kandinsky but it's difficult to write too thoroughly about his work because his abstractions are hard to distinguish by words. His work is less about analysis and more about the instant sensation. I can't remember many of these pieces just by what I wrote about them, but I know I liked them.
[I'll finish adding links later this week]
Near the beginning of the exhibit the Edwin R. Campbell panels are on display- these pieces, from an interior design commission, are on loan from MOMA, and I've seen them and admired them before. They're the pieces most likely to have been seen before, by the casual NYC museum goer- a clever, warm way of introducing the exhibit.
It's mentioned that Kandinsky sought to find freedom from nature, “as in music”… interesting. True. Music creates sounds and rhythms that exist nowhere else in nature- art meanwhile, so much of it is just a reproduction of what we see. “Music could elicit a response without a recognizable subject”… very well phrased. Why do some arts work in this form and others don't? Abstract theatre, after all, is annoying, and abstract writing seems impossible… some arts, to succeed as art, must demonstrate empathy and reflect on the conditions that humans experience. Others are free to roam. What separates them?
Riding Couple- beautiful; rich dark blues, the glowing Russian city in the background.
A few references to the Fauves- who were they, what is this school?
He was pretty spiritual, I didn't know that.
One of his works from 1908/1909 reminds me of Gaugin (Landscape near Murnau with Locomotive)- big, flat, sweetly simple planes of color.
Blue Mountain… love it. Very pretty one. This looks like a transitional phase between his somewhat more literal early works, and his famed abstracts later on- horses, trees, but big, bright, strange color. “This is the time in art when colors stops being descriptive and becomes more about expressing emotion”- tour guide, overheard. I like that analysis.
The canvases are getting bigger, stranger, more beautiful… I thoroughly like “Improvisation 4”- dark blue and greens rules the middle, a glowing, peach sunset sky on the right.
Picture with an Archeron loan from MOMA, a great one.
Some of the improvisations are a little childlike… they're nice, but the colors seem a little less inspired, the lines a little too foggy… Sure he's experimenting, but I like his busier, more deeply colored pieces.
“Theosophical thought”- I like the expression, I get the gist of this concept, but it would be interesting to look up and read into it.
Impressions, improvisations, and compositions… I like Kandisnky's definitions and I wonder how I could apply them to my own artistic endeavors.
Look up Phalanx artist's association, and Gabrielle Munter. (It's interesting to notice that Kandinsky really began focusing on art in his early 30s, and his breakthroughs came in his 40s…)
I like Improvisation 19, a field of purple and blue, with some red and yellow figures in the lower left. Black lines defining the figures.
I like Picture with a Circle- before, the colors seemed pretty but a little amateurish, childlike, like's he's figuring it out. This is the first work where the colors truly blend in a beautiful fog. According to the tour guide, “this is the first non objective painting”- ¨no subject at all- Painting with a Black Arch- fantastic as well. Now we're in a Kandinsky phase that I really like, the oily, foggy, dreamlike blend of color.
Improvisation 27 (Garden of Love I)- not super beautiful in the color (yellowish, brownish, with some blue and red) but blended quite beautifully. According to the time line this piece was originally bought by (somebody influential- Alfred Stieglitz, perhaps?)
I Really love Small Pleasures- beautiful color, beautiful blend… 1911-1914, I love these years.
Sketch II for Composition VII (1913)- absolutely beautiful, bright, dreamy color. “Improvisation 35”- beautiful. WOW- black lines, it's like inverse fireworks. Bright, bold spots of color, with an intricate layer of line drawings bursts on top. Absolutely magnificent… we are really in Knockout territory right now. “Light Picture” is also fantastic.
Painting with Red Spot- awesome.
Interesting… he was highly influenced by the German art world, and forced to leave when WWI began- an artist's life caught in world history!
His 1916, 1917 works start to look a little grayer… perhaps wartime malaise?
He seems to be a figure in the early years of the Russian Revolution (1918-1921). Crazy.
His definitions of shapes are pretty interesting; triangle= active and aggressive, square= peace and calm, circle= spiritual and cosmic. It's true- the triangle will always point in a direction, imply a demand; the square can sit sturdily in place, content. And of course, the circle is unified and unbroken.
I really like Circles on Black, it's like an explosion of the moon. Here in the 1920s we start to see Kandinsky get more linear and angular and geometric- the pure, foggy explosions are now more defined- still abstract, but now with precise, shapes (not meaning precise geometric shapes- but with definable line.)
Kandinsky had such an interesting life… lots of famous artists friends, and interactions/confrontations with all sorts of political/historical currents… he worked with, taught at Gropius' Bauhaus during Germany's lose n' crazy Weimar era… and the Nazis really disliked his work. The Bauhaus closes for good in 1933, when Hitler takes power… fascinating story, I must look into it.
Blue Circle, good one. In the Black Square, super geometric/ abstract. One Center- gorgeous, it looks like a snow globe that predicts the future. “Yellow Red Blue,” “Composition 8”… Ah, I really enjoy “Light”- a smaller canvas but very pretty, a bright aqua sea background, an intricate red/orange instrument in the foreground. I love “Accent in Pink,” the deep purple background, the golden brown diamond, the bright pink circle among a field of darker circles.
His twilight years in Paris… lighter, softer color, biological motifs, experimentations with materials… I like the sand and pigment look, I'm kindof in the mood to try it.
He lived in Nazi occupied Paris- wow. The city was liberated in the last few months of his life, when he was essentially ill and bedridden. What a history!
“Movement I”- beautiful. The constellations of a deep brown night sky. Compellingly intricate. Looks like space, according to a 1970s filmstrip.
“Thirty”- amazing. Chessboard squares of black and white, with symbols that look like the alphabet of an ancient, or alien language (or symbols that Led Zeppelin would use).
“Upward” looks like a 1980s Science textbook cover- and I don't mean that in a derogatory way.
“Around the Circle” looks like the glowing pastel contents of a magic box, emptied on a Billiards table.
I enjoy “Sky Blue”… it's rather whimsical, all these strange, bright creatures, falling/hovering in the sky… it's almost like a parody or a parallel to that Michaelangelo painting of the saint getting torn about by hideous, flying demons.
His final years have a linearity and a whimsy to them. Figures that seem like little amoebas or creatures, floating about, interacting with the work.
Overall- the interactions of his life with political history are utterly compelling, and it's cool that his stylistic evolutions are so distinct. Now I feel like, when I see a Kandisnky, right away I'll know in which phase of his career he painted it, that's how distinct the phases get. A cool, lovely exhibit .
I like Kandinsky but it's difficult to write too thoroughly about his work because his abstractions are hard to distinguish by words. His work is less about analysis and more about the instant sensation. I can't remember many of these pieces just by what I wrote about them, but I know I liked them.
[I'll finish adding links later this week]
Near the beginning of the exhibit the Edwin R. Campbell panels are on display- these pieces, from an interior design commission, are on loan from MOMA, and I've seen them and admired them before. They're the pieces most likely to have been seen before, by the casual NYC museum goer- a clever, warm way of introducing the exhibit.
It's mentioned that Kandinsky sought to find freedom from nature, “as in music”… interesting. True. Music creates sounds and rhythms that exist nowhere else in nature- art meanwhile, so much of it is just a reproduction of what we see. “Music could elicit a response without a recognizable subject”… very well phrased. Why do some arts work in this form and others don't? Abstract theatre, after all, is annoying, and abstract writing seems impossible… some arts, to succeed as art, must demonstrate empathy and reflect on the conditions that humans experience. Others are free to roam. What separates them?
Riding Couple- beautiful; rich dark blues, the glowing Russian city in the background.
A few references to the Fauves- who were they, what is this school?
He was pretty spiritual, I didn't know that.
One of his works from 1908/1909 reminds me of Gaugin (Landscape near Murnau with Locomotive)- big, flat, sweetly simple planes of color.
Blue Mountain… love it. Very pretty one. This looks like a transitional phase between his somewhat more literal early works, and his famed abstracts later on- horses, trees, but big, bright, strange color. “This is the time in art when colors stops being descriptive and becomes more about expressing emotion”- tour guide, overheard. I like that analysis.
The canvases are getting bigger, stranger, more beautiful… I thoroughly like “Improvisation 4”- dark blue and greens rules the middle, a glowing, peach sunset sky on the right.
Picture with an Archeron loan from MOMA, a great one.
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Some of the improvisations are a little childlike… they're nice, but the colors seem a little less inspired, the lines a little too foggy… Sure he's experimenting, but I like his busier, more deeply colored pieces.
“Theosophical thought”- I like the expression, I get the gist of this concept, but it would be interesting to look up and read into it.
Impressions, improvisations, and compositions… I like Kandisnky's definitions and I wonder how I could apply them to my own artistic endeavors.
Look up Phalanx artist's association, and Gabrielle Munter. (It's interesting to notice that Kandinsky really began focusing on art in his early 30s, and his breakthroughs came in his 40s…)
I like Improvisation 19, a field of purple and blue, with some red and yellow figures in the lower left. Black lines defining the figures.
I like Picture with a Circle- before, the colors seemed pretty but a little amateurish, childlike, like's he's figuring it out. This is the first work where the colors truly blend in a beautiful fog. According to the tour guide, “this is the first non objective painting”- ¨no subject at all- Painting with a Black Arch- fantastic as well. Now we're in a Kandinsky phase that I really like, the oily, foggy, dreamlike blend of color.
Improvisation 27 (Garden of Love I)- not super beautiful in the color (yellowish, brownish, with some blue and red) but blended quite beautifully. According to the time line this piece was originally bought by (somebody influential- Alfred Stieglitz, perhaps?)
I Really love Small Pleasures- beautiful color, beautiful blend… 1911-1914, I love these years.
Sketch II for Composition VII (1913)- absolutely beautiful, bright, dreamy color. “Improvisation 35”- beautiful. WOW- black lines, it's like inverse fireworks. Bright, bold spots of color, with an intricate layer of line drawings bursts on top. Absolutely magnificent… we are really in Knockout territory right now. “Light Picture” is also fantastic.
Painting with Red Spot- awesome.
Interesting… he was highly influenced by the German art world, and forced to leave when WWI began- an artist's life caught in world history!
His 1916, 1917 works start to look a little grayer… perhaps wartime malaise?
He seems to be a figure in the early years of the Russian Revolution (1918-1921). Crazy.
His definitions of shapes are pretty interesting; triangle= active and aggressive, square= peace and calm, circle= spiritual and cosmic. It's true- the triangle will always point in a direction, imply a demand; the square can sit sturdily in place, content. And of course, the circle is unified and unbroken.
I really like Circles on Black, it's like an explosion of the moon. Here in the 1920s we start to see Kandinsky get more linear and angular and geometric- the pure, foggy explosions are now more defined- still abstract, but now with precise, shapes (not meaning precise geometric shapes- but with definable line.)
Kandinsky had such an interesting life… lots of famous artists friends, and interactions/confrontations with all sorts of political/historical currents… he worked with, taught at Gropius' Bauhaus during Germany's lose n' crazy Weimar era… and the Nazis really disliked his work. The Bauhaus closes for good in 1933, when Hitler takes power… fascinating story, I must look into it.
Blue Circle, good one. In the Black Square, super geometric/ abstract. One Center- gorgeous, it looks like a snow globe that predicts the future. “Yellow Red Blue,” “Composition 8”… Ah, I really enjoy “Light”- a smaller canvas but very pretty, a bright aqua sea background, an intricate red/orange instrument in the foreground. I love “Accent in Pink,” the deep purple background, the golden brown diamond, the bright pink circle among a field of darker circles.
His twilight years in Paris… lighter, softer color, biological motifs, experimentations with materials… I like the sand and pigment look, I'm kindof in the mood to try it.
He lived in Nazi occupied Paris- wow. The city was liberated in the last few months of his life, when he was essentially ill and bedridden. What a history!
“Movement I”- beautiful. The constellations of a deep brown night sky. Compellingly intricate. Looks like space, according to a 1970s filmstrip.
“Thirty”- amazing. Chessboard squares of black and white, with symbols that look like the alphabet of an ancient, or alien language (or symbols that Led Zeppelin would use).
“Upward” looks like a 1980s Science textbook cover- and I don't mean that in a derogatory way.
“Around the Circle” looks like the glowing pastel contents of a magic box, emptied on a Billiards table.
I enjoy “Sky Blue”… it's rather whimsical, all these strange, bright creatures, falling/hovering in the sky… it's almost like a parody or a parallel to that Michaelangelo painting of the saint getting torn about by hideous, flying demons.
His final years have a linearity and a whimsy to them. Figures that seem like little amoebas or creatures, floating about, interacting with the work.
Overall- the interactions of his life with political history are utterly compelling, and it's cool that his stylistic evolutions are so distinct. Now I feel like, when I see a Kandisnky, right away I'll know in which phase of his career he painted it, that's how distinct the phases get. A cool, lovely exhibit .
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