Remedios Varo- Art Institute, Chicago
Kerry James Marshall & The Ideals of Feminism
In a rare public appearance Kerry James Marshall briefly discussed his painting ‘Still Life with Portrait’ featuring Harriet Tubman and her husband John. He stated he painted the portrait because he wanted to show her feminine side. A male perspective seems to always default to a woman in a dress and her hair in flowers. What is wrong with the mainstream imagery that we are familiar with? She should be praised regardless of any visual we have of her.
‘Still Life with Portrait’ Kerry James Marshall, 2015
THE IMAGE ITSELF IS NOT AN IDEA. IT CANNOT ATTAIN THE TOTALITY OF A CONCEPT, NOR CAN IT BE A COMMUTATIVE SIGN LIKE A WORD. ITS IRREVERSIBLE MATERIALITY – A REALITY THAT HAS BEEN DETACHED BY THE CAMERA – EXISTS IN A WORLD OPPOSITE THAT OF LANGUAGE, AND BECAUSE OF THIS IT SOMETIMES PROVOKES THE WORLD OF LANGUAGE AND CONCEPTS. - PROVOKE
Film Update
I managed to get around to developing several rolls of a film. What a total disaster. 3 rolls ended up being blank and the rest of the photos were 'eh' at best.
My attempt of taking photos at a show with low-lighting was also a bust. A friend suggested I keep a film diary of what photos I took on each roll to keep track. Good idea but the thought of keeping track of what potential photos I missed out on does not sound appealing. Regardless, I am doing it anyways. Here is one photo from fountain downtown that I seem to enjoy. The experiment has been exhausting but I am digging results.
Paris
Paris is a gloomy place. Photogenic, but gloomy. The atmosphere is rather eerie and it is anything but romantic.
The first city in Europe Americans will name is Paris. You can thank 'We will always have Paris' and 'American in Paris' for that. I could fall in love with the city if it was my first European stop, but being a seasoned traveler that was not the case.
The French are not rude, they are just obsessed with being French. It was surprising they are not curious about any visitors and their English skills are very limited. Very polite but again, no interest in speaking English or learning about you.
Another thing - want to take their picture? No, thank you. Be sneaky and be prepared to be confronted by someone who catches you. I did not find myself in that situation and I hardly took any photos. Paris is such a love/hate relationship. I did not get that warm feeling but perhaps on another visit. I will come back to visit the Paris Opera. Paris, I am bored with you but I am not done with you.
