Dear Art Lover,
I am not an “artists’ artist.” In that I mean that I know very little of art
history, argue with myself on whether I even want to know or want to look at
other artists’ work, especially contemporary, I do not “do labels or
classifications,” or know names or titles of even some of my favorite famous
works of art, etc. In short, I feel
outside of the art world and different from most of my artist friends and
colleagues. For that reason, I
occasionally feel embarrassed about what I do not know in my own field of work
and passion.
My friend Kumiko and I got really lucky
this past Sunday during my visit to Florence, Italy [Firenze]. We were looking for a possible exhibit for an
Italian artist that I know, but really searching for gelato. We never got it since we ran out of time [and
my friend’s exhibit was not one, it was just a one-night event for a product
that was inspired by her work and was over before my visit]. We passed the Museo Marino Marini and saw that it was open. When I lived in Firenze,
I often forgot about this sculpture museum, but sometimes when I was in the
area during open hours, I never could make myself want to pay to see inside.
You see, I just do not like his work. I see the world in triangles, so one might
think that I would like Marini’s sculptures, but I find them too violent and a
bit crude for my taste. And I am not
such an elegant person. I do not believe
that art MUST be sweet or portraying only positive things, but I prefer to find
beauty in it just the same, perhaps in a similar way that storms and volcano
eruptions can be gorgeous to watch, unless you are the recipient of the worst
parts of it. If I want brutality, I will
read the papers.
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| I find it charming that the kid crayons are called "Giotto" |
However, I did enjoy the visit. It just so happened to be free to enter on Sunday,
the first of October, for an event called the “Festival del Disegno.” Disegno or the verb ‘disegnare’
means two things: to draw and to design: Lovely that the Italians see no distinction
in these acts. The festival was for
children and they had long rolls of paper laid out on the ground floor to
permit children to “street paint” on the paper.
Throughout the museum I noted many young adults sitting and drawing the
sculpture or the architecture. It made
for good energy. Kumiko and I took a
couple of shots of each other before heading off to see the rest of the
museum. Those are on Facebook.
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| The black wood thing below the figure in red is by another [guest] artist |
I photographed enough of the pieces to
give you an idea of his body of work.
Some I like alright; some I just really missed feeling any emotion about
whatsoever. I might say that I felt more
confused than true negativity on many.
And I tried to put Marino Marini’s work in the context of what was going
on in his time.
A docent nearby was asked about the red color on
some plaster dancer figures. I was
curious if the artist had applied it in such a rash way or if over time the
pigment had flaked off or something.
Imagine my surprise when she admitted that she had not looked much into
his process or thoughts because she does not care for his art! Hahaha.
One dancer reminded me of Degas’ most famous sculpture; a distant
painting [I did not photograph, but agree with her] reminded her of Matisse’s
flat, but brightly colored dancers in a ring.
We had a fun conversation, but I decided that since the work was only
from 1954 and in plaster (probably kept indoors), it was likely close to its
original form and finish. I decided that his
application of the red was intended to be violent and perhaps was a comment on
the hard physical abuse a dancer will put her body through. But, that was only the kindest idea I imagined
about the sculptures.
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| I found the cobalt blue calming [my favorite color], the horse ok, but no emotion for it |
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| "War" 1959 by Marino Marini |
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| War-one could argue IS an ugly mess |
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| Sculpture titled War - blech |
I will have another blog post about his
drawings, which I found much more interesting. One may see his progression
and the ideas of the artists as they were all changing their aesthetic.
The museum is located not so far from the
Trinita bridge and church, tucked away in a small piazza. The museum was once a church, was de-consecrated,
and redesigned as a public space. Marino Marini lived from 1901 to 1980. I believe the museum was opened in the
mid-1980s and is one of the few museums in Firenze
dedicated to one artist, although they have guest contemporary artists
exhibiting in the gorgeous dark space below ground. Maybe I will show you what we saw there that
day. :-)
Helpful related links:
I am currently working out details to
offer an art workshop, perhaps focusing on anatomy and design for 2-dimensional
media, perhaps create a sort of retreat.
This will be in mid-to-late May 2018 and will be near my home in the
hills of Tuscany, between Florence
and Lucca. If you are interested and want to send me
feedback on what you would like to work on to improve your art or even what you
desire to see in Tuscany,
please contact me. http://BorsheimArts.com/contact.htm
Peace,
Kelly Borsheim, artist
P.S. IF original art, while
affordable, is STILL a bit out of your budget, or the piece you adored has
sold? Or do you like arty things in
different formats, to surround yourself with art? Looking for a gift? See my store online for pillow, phone cases,
shower curtains, towels, tote bags, and yes, even prints on metal, wood,
canvas, and so much more:
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| I rather like this one because the front two legs of the horse seem to belong to the figure above, twisting...interesting dynamic and energetic shapes. |
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| large figure on a horse |
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| figure on a horse |
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