An afternoon of discovery at MoMA

I was at the Museum of Modern Art in New York yesterday to see the powerful collection Georges Seurat’s drawings (MoMA: Georges Seurat - The Drawings. The exhibition runs through January, 2008, and it is definitely worth the trip). He was a master of this form. Working with simply a conté crayon on paper, it is extraordinary to see the nuanced images, particularly the subtle play of light, that he was able to achieve. The Errant Æsthete, a self-described "blog for culturally curious," has an in-depth article about this memorable exhibit. If you are interested in art and culture, you'll probably want to bookmark this blog.

While we were there, we stumbled on an exhibit of sculptures by the African American artist Martin Puryear, and his work is simply wonderful. The sculptures are whimsical and irresistible - I was drawn from one to the next to the next with exclamations of delight!


In fact, there are signs everywhere instructing parents that they must hold their children's hands at all times while in the Puryear exhibit. How many installations are so compelling that the curator has to worry about children not being able to control themselves while in the space? It is that wonderful.

Ladder for Booker T. Washington
Martin Puryear, 1996.
Wood (Ash and maple. 432" x 22.75", narrowing to 1.25" at the top).

Some of the sculptures soar so high into space, I had to wonder where the heck this guy works, that he can produce on this kind of scale? I found it to be a joyful, uplifting experience simply being in the same room as his work.

MoMA has a virtual tour of the exhibition on their website - click this link MoMA.org | Exhibitions |Martin Puryear. Check it out.