I was sitting at work, catching up on a few articles when I came across a video Imagining America: Icons of 20th Century American Art. The video was well done, with compelling interviews and it drew me in. I watched the entire thing. There was one part where someone described his visit to the Robert Smithson work Spiral Jetty, 1970. This environmental work is not easy to reach; it is not located close to a major city, the road there is unpaved and when you arrive at it finally, there is no guarantee that the jetty will even be visible, it could be under water. Listening to someone else's description of making the trek to see this work made me realize, part of the piece IS the journey to see it. All I could think of afterward is "How can I get my husband to agree to get in an SUV and drive over a bumpy gravel road for hours to see this?" It started me thinking about other vacations and travel, within the United States and abroad, where I have seen something that reminded me of the work of an artist, specifically visited a site/house/city because of the tie to an artist, and the long list of "places to go and see" that populates my head and my moleskine.
Art isn't just about a painting on a wall, or a sculpture outside a
building, or even a temporary drawing on a wall in an empty lot. It is
more than what the artist physically creates, it is the idea/ideas that sparked their creation, and how that idea formed, from their environment, to their friends, to their entire life. This ability to delve into almost any topic through art is what drew me to a career in art museums.
So this Gardner chica....many of my past, present, and future visits are tied to the unknown
hours I poured over the book Art Through the Ages, originally by Helen Gardner. My edition was edited by Fred S. Kleiner, Christian J. Mamiya, and Richard R. Tansey.
Anyone who has taken an introductory art history course, or any of their
friends, is familiar with this or a similar art historical survey book. Think of the textbook
you had for any other survey class, they need to provide a lot of data
to give an overview of the topic. This one covers Pre-historical cave
paintings through Andy Warhol WITH PICTURES! Yes, all of my college
texts were picture books, part of why I loved my major so much. But
from this massive book, I began and continued delving through the
history of a people through its art. One of the requirements for my Art History MA was a comprehensive exam
that covered the entirety of western art history. The best way to study for an exam like this is to outline! So I basically
read the 1137 page book cover to cover then compared my notes with a classmate who read
another art history survey to make sure we didn't miss anything. That was a lot of art.
Through a constant effort to see and experience new things, and through visits to museums in almost any city I visit, I find myself drawn not only to viewing a work of art in a book, but going to the museum to view it in person, visiting the artist's house or studio, and going to the place where they set up their easel, all to understand in greater detail how the work was created and, through experience, soak in these tiny fragments of art history. Thankfully, I married an incredibly patient and
understanding guy who, loves "doing stuff" and I have a wonderful network of friends and family who are always up for an adventure. This blog is meant to be a chronicle of my search to go beyond the pages of Art Through the Ages, my "journey" including how we got there and even where we ate on the way. These are not meant to be a guide of how to visit some of these places, just a description of how I did it and if that inspires someone else to try to go as well, all the better. Even if my trips aren't yet as strenuous as the one to Spiral Jetty will be, figuring out a foreign subway system or finding a quick meal on the way to a museum is just as much a part of the journey.
Gardner's page 1100 (Smithson)
