This is cool. http://www.hottowncoolcity.org/ You can download the teaser trailers from there and even add your own stories. Really interesting stuff. The movie opens at River Oaks next Thursday.
I went to the Menil the other day while I was waiting on my sister to get out of her class at the French Alliance. Ugh, I can't stand modern art. It was interesting to see some pieces by well known artists, but when I walk around and look at a frame with pieces of cardboard wood attached to it with a really bad paint job slapped on, I just can't find any part of me that takes it seriously. The film looks interesting though and I hope to explore some of the interesting spots on the map.
Felix's on Montrose at Westheimer is on the list!!! there is an old book there where guests sign in from time to time and comment on the food. my parents went on dates there, and you can turn back the book to the 50's and see where they signed in. i love that. it's right across the street from ruggle's.
The Menil, like most small museums and galleries, is about who is there at the time. Smaller places have fewer permanent exhibits and showcase a lot of travelling works, so you really have to go at a time when the things there are of interest to you.
They're actually getting ready to do some renovation work on it. They've had something like 5000 vintage beercans donated. Anyone interested in doing a little work can volunteer through the Orange Show's website.
Sadly, I think it comes down to you just not knowing what you are looking at and that's ok, at least you didn't have to pay to enter. The Menil is always free.
rockHEAD, that's what I always tell myself when I look at modern art : "I don't know what the hell I'm looking at!" Seriously, though, that's a cool site.
There you go - the majority of the time when people say they don't like modern or contemprary art it is because they don't understand it. That is part of the problem, really, art became too insular and self-referential such that if you do not have a good class on it it is impossible to "get it". Unlike previous eras of art, m & c is often intentionally ugly or "non-artisitc" in presentation to be enjoyed by someone who doesn't understand everything going on. Not so when you look at a Turner or a Velazquez. My goal is always to at least get people to understand what is going on. Then they can still dislike it but they can really know why and respect the effort or statement. Regardless, the Menil is a gem for our city. Not only because it houses a superb collection of modern, contemporary, and african art (decent ancient for such a small museum) but the building is Piano's greatest achievement in the museum world.
I understand abstract art. I know most of the theory behind it, depending on the painter. I know the history. I understand why some people consider it great art. I 'get it', but I just don't like it - I think it's garbage. I think random artists could have been chosen by the critics/dealers who decided to make themselves money and dissertations by propping up painters with little talent. Rothko, Twombly, Pollock - each one could have been anyone. This isn't to say that abstract art doesn't affect me. But the only thing one appreciates in modern art is what one puts into it. A person capable of being genuinely affected by a Rothko (and yes, the 'genuine' part is very important) is just as capable of being affected by rust swirls on an old railcar, or oil rainbows in a mud puddle. So, why put a name on a piece of modern art? Here's why: Without an 'artist', no art critic can make a name for himself by being the first (or most sycophantic) to appreciate the 'revolutionary' art, no art dealer can sell paint splatters on a canvas to rich knobs for more money than most people pay for cars, and no college-educated people can make a show of how cultured they are by saying, "Oh, Twombly is just AMAZING, don't you think?" It irks me when people consider appreciation for abstract art as a sign of a person's highly developed sense of aesthetics, or a person's degree of understanding of art and culture. And, accordingly, views the lack of appreciation for abstract art as an absence of 'understanding' or a developed sense of aesthetics. It used to be that there was this stereotype of backwoods rednecks looking at a piece of modern art, picking the underwear out of their buttcrack, and saying, "Uh...duh...it just looks like grandma's kleenex." Now, the alternate stereotype I propose, is the wine-sipping, pinky out, turtlenecked and spectacled ninny who has no real sense of the value of art but will insist on being recognized for their impeccable taste in it, "Oh, look how VIOLENT that Pollock is, it's like he put his SOUL on the canvas! FABULOUS!" Not really a fair characterization, is it? The next time someone chides me for 'not getting it' when I say I don't like abstract art, I'm not going to argue. I'm just going to pee in their wineglass, rape their miniature poodle, and go home to watch Nascar. RANT OVER! RETURN TO THREAD ... NOW: I miss Houston terribly. I truly, truly do.
Is this movie old? I've seen it before...or something so close it completely resembles it. The show I saw had the Aurora Theatre and the guys with the watermelons. It had something also to do with the ArtCar parade and The Orange Show!! This seems done already!!!! Weird!!!!
I suppose that rant was directed to (or inspired by) my post? If so, that is fine. Not quite what I was saying but that is not important. Incidentally, I would guess that if you do know something of AbEx (you spoke of abstract and modern but you talked about AbEx artists so I will just keep it in that arena) then you telling someone you didn't like it would be different than just superficially saying "It sucks - end of story" so I do not see why someone would chide you. PS - Twombly sucks - end of story.
don't talk back!!! i prefer other mexican food in town too...but felix's is an institution. as a kid, my family used to go there nearly every sunday after church, together.
Looks like I have started a thread derailment. I didn't say the Menil was bad btw, just that I didn't like some of the works I saw. Particularly the kind of stuff I was describing.
