Usually I Like the Hirshhorn Videos...

Where: Hirshhorn Museum

When: closing August 12, 2018

As much as I dislike the Hirshhorn, and I dislike it a lot, I usually enjoy the video offerings.  They are funny, or moving or thought-provoking in some way.  So I wasn't dreading my trip this past week to see several videos having to do with the connection between the mind and the body.

The museum is having live performances by these artists over the course of the next several weeks, but I wasn't not sure I'd be able to see any of those, so I thought I'd go for the exhibit of their work instead.  A viewing area is set up on the inner ring of the second floor, with numerous screens and little stands across from each one.  Lots of room for many people to see what's on offer.

I only watched part of one video, but that was plenty.  It was called "Swivel Spot."  It begins pretty weird and just gets stranger as it goes along.  A topless woman sits on the floor, eating peanuts and tossing the shells on the ground, while a man walks around with an enormous tape dispenser, wrapping things in tape.  Another man (who starts out shirtless, but then dons a red shirt, bizarre glasses and a woman's wig) is in the room as well.  When he took off all his clothes, rubbed his backside with some sort of lotion/glue/I don't know what and rolled around in the peanut shells, I decided I'd had enough.

Verdict: Maybe the video I watched makes sense in the end; maybe the rest of the works are terrific, I don't know.  But, life is short, and sometimes, you have to know when to give up on something.

Taking a Glance at the Richter Archive

Where: National Gallery of Art Library, East Building

When: closing August 24, 2018

The National Gallery purchased the George Martin Richter Archive of Illustrations on Art in 1943.  To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of this important resource for artistic scholarship, the Library has put several items from the archive on display.

What appealed to me most was that Richter developed his own classification scheme for his collection.  That's the sort of thing that might appear easy to do, but is in fact incredibly difficult, especially as one's collection grows.  And this collection numbers about 60,000 items.

I also enjoyed seeing a photograph of a bullring in Madrid - included for its architecture.  It's not that I have any interest in bullfighting, but I remember this photograph from a show in 2011, and I always feel proud of myself for recognizing something I've seen before.

Verdict: Worth a look if you are interested in archival collections or the history of the National Gallery's holdings.

How Things Went Viral Before the Internet

Where: National Gallery of Art, West Building

When: closing August 5, 2018

There's a lovely display of majolica (or maiolica) at the National Gallery right now.  A perfect storm of printed images, tin-glazed ceramics created in Italy based on Islamic designs, and an interest in antiquities made the 15th century a fertile time for maiolica.

Printed images made their way to artists who took those pictures and translated them into ceramics.  The images were very colorful (my beef with prints is that they are usually monochromatic), eye-catching and popular.  One artist would see what another was doing and develop his own take on the original print.  The exhibit shows both the prints and the maiolica, so it's easy to see the movement from one medium to the other.

Much to my delight, there were Durer prints in the last room; I love his precision.  Some of that is lost in the ceramic "version," but I enjoyed seeing the transformation nonetheless.

Last week, I saw 19th century selfies; this week, 15th century viral images.  There really is nothing new under the sun.

Verdict: I liked this show; it's interesting and a good size for a lunchtime visit.

Selfies Are Nothing New

Where: Sackler Gallery

When: closing August 5, 2018

Selfies are a modern scourge, but they have historical antecedents.  For centuries, rulers have been using portraits to project an image of themselves to their subjects; selfies are just a way for everyone (high or low) to do something similar.

The Qajar dynasty in Iran knew very well the impact of a picture and used portraiture in the 19th century to demonstrate their power and nobility to their people.  A Turkic tribe who settled in northern Iran in the 13th century, they gradually conquered and united the country.  They ruled from the late 18th to the early 20th century.

In the 1800s, Iran and its traditional Persian conventions were influenced by European techniques in portraiture and by the advance of photography.  The Qajars used both to depict themselves; they managed to mix the old and the new in the pictures they distributed to their subjects.

Also on display is an example of a termeh cloth, a luxurious traditional Iranian handcraft.  Next to the cloth itself are photographs of Qajar rulers wearing termeh.  For an audience (myself included) that may not be familiar with this type of weaving, it's helpful to see an example to better understand the photographs.

Verdict: If you are interested in the history of portraiture or of Iran, check out this small show.

There's No Place Like Home

Where: American Art Museum

When: closing August 5, 2018

The artist Do Ho Suh has lived in several places in his life; unlike most of us, he's taken those places with him when he moves and made them into art.  He has recreated hallways, doorknobs, light switches and other architectural elements from his various residences out of colored fabric.  Most of them are small enough to display on a wall, but the hallways are large enough to allow visitors to walk through them, just as you would walk through an actual apartment.

Setting aside the fact that this is different, and most of the stuff is colorful and engaging,  the show is about home.  What is a home?  Is something as utilitarian as a thermostat part of the concept of home?  What about a decorative doorknob?  Or a wall?  Or a microwave?

Each place that we live leaves an impression on us; we take something of that place with us throughout the rest of our lives.  It might be a longing to return to a place where we were happy, or a desire to get far away from a place that was unpleasant.  But even less intense residences provide us with memories, things we learned, or news we heard when we lived there, or people that we met.

Suh has said that home is an endless passageway with no fixed destination.  I'm not sure what that means exactly or that I agree with what I think it might mean.  I think if one looks back on one's life (and obviously, some of us have more to look back on than others), one can identify places that felt like "home."  One of the pieces on display is a fabric rendition of a radiator; it reminded me of my childhood home, a place that made its impression on me, for sure.

Verdict: The interactive nature of the show reminded me of installations I've seen at the Renwick.  Worth a visit - it's both attractive and thought-provoking.

There's a Lot More Than Peter Rabbit in the Garden

Where: American History Museum

When: closing August 2018

This is a display in the Museum's Library; the day I visited, the whole Museum was pretty quiet, so the Library was empty except for me.  It can be fun to see shows with others, but I really like having lots of space to myself, so this was ideal.

Americans have always been gardeners, whether out of necessity or social status signaling or fun or research.  People have gardened to raise food for themselves, or to show off their beautiful lawns or because they like the feel of the earth between their fingers or because they want to study plants and create new flowers.

I'm happy to say I learned the difference between a botanic garden (a space to practice botany) and an arboretum (a collection of trees).  I was never entirely sure if those were synonyms, but now I know they are not.

I also learned that Michelle Obama was not the first First Lady to face criticism for her White House garden; Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden during WWII, over the objections of the Secretary of Agriculture.  The more gardens, the better, in my view.

Verdict: Informative small show - if you like gardening, this is worth a look.