This art gallery is huge! Three full floors of exhibits and galleries. We began in the basement where there was a modern Aboriginal pieces including totems, dijeradoos, and bark decorated with the styles of the different tribes of Australia. There were also some more modern pieces such as decorated giant bats hanging from a clothes drying contraption (the Hills-Hoist Dryer). It was a very nice and interesting presentation. Well, actually it was slightly boring and I didn't take much from this modern take on Aboriginal art. I did really enjoy most of the older looking pieces and their variation. The Aborigines are very interesting people with a rich history. It is sometimes hard to, but important to separate them from my perception of the Native Americans. They are completely different people with completely different stories and I think in a way I automatically assume I know about the Aborigines because I have studied other Native inhabitants of colonized land. But this is another discussion for another day! Aborigines Art: cool.
We then had a presentation by a famous Aboriginal author in the main lobby of this place and I refuse to spend much time on this. She writes very feminine books about an Aborigines girl moving to the big city and having boy troubles. She talked for much too long, plugged her own books too much and brought up inappropriate things. Moving on.
My favorite part of this excursion to the Gallery was a moment coming up the escalator from the first Aborigines presentation. I had taken a look at some creepy modern pieces and really needed to get out of that exhibit so I was going upstairs to see when the feminist author was going to start speaking. I started to reflect on a trip I took the Nashville art gallery with my sister when I visited her at Vanderbilt. They had some really good Picasso pieces and also an artist who then became my favorite, Cezanne. To speak in "art" terms I like the bright landscapes he does and the distinct brush strokes. I'm not an art major, but let's just leave it at "I like his work". Anyway, going up the escalator the thought that came into my head was "I wonder if they have any Cezanne?". I then noticed a gallery right next to where the presentation was going to be, guarded by a uniformed gallery employee. I asked if we were allowed to go in the exhibit and he somewhat laughed at me. Of course it was open, he was just standing there to look busy. Literally the first piece I turn to on the wall was a simple, broad stroked, cottage scene ( Bords De La Marne ). My jaw dropped! It was a perfect moment in the most unexpected of places. Yes, I am able to have a good time looking at old art in a museum.
I spent the rest of my time looking at some amazing sculptures, a Van Goh, a Monet, and tons of other great paintings. What a collection. For the final course of my extremely fancy and cultural experience, i roamed the ancient china exhibit and looked at some very old Chinese kitchen accessories. Kidding, there was some great art that I know Jordan would have been drooling over. All of it thousands of years old. That concluded my tour and i might have to go back soon. It was only a few hours of a very busy day here in Sydney, but I think they were most worth sharing.
* Today with Demitri we continued our handstand walking, cartwheeling, somersaulting and added front flips on the trampoline onto the mats and also front somersault to landing. We then did the climb the rope, use the rings, crazy Demitri stuff and it was nice and hard. Can't wait to see what happens after four weeks of this! Oh, and he has 3% body fat.
**I also looked up the Cezanne painting i was so excited about. The NSW Art Gallery paid $16.2 million for it in 2008. I'm not sure about the exchange rate, but that's a lot.
Cheers!
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