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07/19/2007: "Beauty Deceives"
Where I am right now the world still seems whole. Or at least as whole as it might have been, or appeared to be, when I was a child. Here it is still possible to feel that life moves at a pace you can keep up with without falling out of balance. I come every year with my family to be with my in-laws and to share this ‘rhythm’ and this feeling of care-free spaciousness with my wife and daughters. Muensterland – just about half-way between the heavily industrialised Ruhrgebiet and Hannover. Farmland basically, interspersed with forests and small villages, some idyllic, some less idyllic but not too out-of-place, crisscrossed by secondary roads and paths ideal for cycling. Motorways pass through, canals with heavily laden barges, but the Germans know how to build their Autobahnen without making them overly conspicuous, and the rhythm of barge-life takes you back in time.
The scenery doesn’t really move me to paint - too flat: countless cornfields, orchards, ranches geared for horse reeding, those giant windmills that produce an alternative source of electricity and that I, counter to the popular trend, actually find beautiful, in the midlle of a field or shooting out from behind a patch of forest still, I’m not moved to paint them [yet]. But the change of setting stirs the little grey cells that had started to become numb, in a new and different way. Shaking them about, bringing them back to life without the pressure of having to come up with some idea/solution for the paintings I left behind at the studio. If painting were a business, which, for me, it is not, I would say this year’s ‘production’ targets have been reached almost doubled. The break from the studio routine is a welcome one, and yet, at the same time, the new moleskin notebook I brought along is already packed with new ideas and projects I am itching to work on as soon as I get back.
A sale of a painting previous to our leaving allowed me to get a few books, and together with the long bike rides in the morning and afternoon, the ideas I’m discovering in them keep me busy while relaxing. A fantastic combination. I’ve got a copy of Twyla Tharp’s book on creativity; Deepak Chopra´s ‘Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire’ was a newspaper hand-out that synchronicity put in my way [I buy less and less newspaper’s these days], and at the airport I grabbed a hold of Jonathan Safran Foer’s ‘Everything is Illuminated’ and a book that caught my attention ‘The Great Transformation the world at the time of Buddha, Socrates, Confucius and Jeremiah’ by Karen Armstrong.
For an Artist Muenster is ideally situated, especially this year. The City itself is hosting an event that happens only every ten years the ‘Skulptur Projekte’ showing new trends in sculpture scattered throughout the City centre. I’ve been going repeatedly to capture different aspects under different natural lighting [shadows change things so dramatically!], and to try to get the people’s reactions on video. The other major event is no further than a couple of hours away by train, the ‘Dokumenta 12’ in Kassel, and I hope to make it there in the last week of July. I am neither a sculptor nor a follower of the primary trends on show at the Dokumenta, but I wouldn’t skip these opportunities for anything in the world [I look forward to seeing Gerhard Richter’s work as well as this year’s revelation Monika Baer, who in some way signifies hope for those of us still drawn to nature and some level of representation, and I also do not want to miss Thai artist Sakarin Krue-On’s ‘Rice Field’]. It would be impossible, however to see everything that is on offer this summer throughout Germany, I’ll be happy if I manage to take in these two and digest them productively. So, it’s time to get back on my bike and go check if the World is still whole I’ve picked up tell-tale signs that all that glitters is not gold, that the corn-fields are not what they seem, and that something is lurking beneath all this beauty. I close my eyes and try to forget an image my eyes missed but my camera caught scribbled in chalk on the pavement: Achtung! These are murderous fields. Transgenic Corn! I can close my eyes, but how long will I be able to shut down my conscience.
[Unfortunately I won’t be able to respond to comments but I promise to do so
as soon as I am back home.]
Replies: 10 Comments
on Sunday, August 12th, jose said
Thanks mon ami, have a good holiday.
on Friday, August 10th, olivier said
out of subject: Very nice paintings Jose, these moved me out of a surfing time here on holliday. Thanks, bravo jose
on Friday, July 27th, walt said
Guten tag Jose!
Richter und windmills...sounds like a great combination! I´ve really only been to Dresden and Berlin. Frankfort to change trains and planes a few times. But I like Germany, perhaps because I´m half. And I´ve fallen in love with those damned windmills. But then I grew up in Oklahoma where they still had smaller, dust bowl era versions to pump water and generate a little extra electricity out on the prairie. There is an entire ridge with 20 or 30 giant wind mills just across from George Bush´s adopted home town in Texas. Talk about your odd juxtapositions. Wind power in the middle of the West Texas oil capital.
on Thursday, July 26th, jose said
Ellen, the great thing about the sculpture project is that most of it will still be here when you do make it over. Sounds like you're holiday has been rich too.
People, if you read this and you happen to be in the Muenster area for the sculpture project try to find your way to the town of Greven some twenty odd Kms away. There, at the Kunstverein Greven I came upon a stunning installation by Stefan Rosendahl occupying three levels of a Tower: a structure built in conformity with the equation: a elevated to the power of 3 equals 1/8, and covered with citations from D. Judd, C. Sagan and buddhist texts, among others, regarding the concept of Space. A must see!
on Monday, July 23rd, ellen said
Jose-
So nice to get away, especially with family. I left my studio and the staggering amount of work I've completed/am doing recently for a holiday with my daughter and granddaughter. We first went to Boston for the Hopper exhibit. It is one of the best exhibits I've seen. Jam packed with info: everything from drypoint to pen & ink to oils. It was well worth the piece of admission. I was disappointed that the journals Hopper meticulously kept and which were on display were not included in the good quality catalog. We also went to the Isabella Gardner to see the Zorns that I love. Unfortunately the lighting is horrendous there. A visit to thne spectacular Boston Acquarium wrapped it up. We then went to my tiny place in New Hampshire where we've summered for 35 years. I gave a successful pastel workshop at the town building and had the priceless opportunity to show my 3-year-old granddaughter around the area. I, too am itching to get back to my studio, but breaks are important, too. I would love to see all the places you write about, Jose,,,,,someday.....
on Friday, July 20th, jose said
Sorry Andrew, don't know what happened just now, here goes again:
Andrew, you would love this. They have a site: www.skulptur-projekte.de. but i think you might like to check this one out: www.aequivalenz.com.
it revolves around Gustav Metzger's project 'Aequivalenz - Shattered Stones' and I think you will find his concept very interesting especially after the discussions we had regarding your Marco Island Venture.
Take care everybody
on Friday, July 20th, jose said
Markus, ten years ago i missed it, i was busy preparing my exhibition further up in Hamburg and didn't get a chance to come to Muenster. But the great thing about this project is that the significant works remain as an integral part of the city and i got to catch up on some of the older works this time round. still haven't managed to see the whole thing though, the rain hasn't stopped pouring down. Yesterday i managed to walk some 15 km around town from Hauptbnhf. all the way around the promenade, along Aasee and up to the Nuclear Physics Faculty to see Bruce Nauman's 'Square Depression'. It was well worth the effort. So far I found Susan Philipsz's 'The Lost Reflection' the most striking event. I've been collecting footage and and I'll post that once I get home.
Brad, funny you should mention that. Only yesterday i took a beautiful picture of the Stars and Stripes hanging from one of the old buildings in the main square. i keep telling my wife and children they'll love the States if we ever get there because it is so reminescent of much of what is to be seen and experienced here (at least 30 years ago when i was last there).
Andrew, you would love this. They have a site: on Thursday, July 19th, Andrew said
Moving around is good for you, and stops the stagnation that develops even in the most artistic of enclaves. Germany is almost totally unknown to me, having been to almost every country around it, but somehow never stopping there. Those electricity producing windmills you saw struck a chord as I just got back from buying marble on the island of Naxos today, and saw a few off in the distance. At the harbor, Ariadne's arch greets you, and from a certain angle you can see the windmills right through it. What an ironic juxtaposition of the new and the archaic.
The events sound wonderful, and I'm jealous not to be going. Skulptur Projekt...do they have a website? Should be easy to find if they do.
on Thursday, July 19th, Brad Michael Moore said
Jose,
Having a nice day, Germany-way! I found Germany to be a very curious place - the most American of all Western Europe, when I lived there. It's nice to repeat familiar traditions, family or not - they ground us in the pleasure of experiencing the celebration of time - and our place in it - even, if only in our mind.
Brad
on Thursday, July 19th, Markus Kruse said
I am jealous. I saw the show in Munster 10 years ago. It was a hit then... I hope the current one is as good!
