I've been traveling around Italy and soaking up the artistry. My delightful hotel in Florence was still filled (though the main reception rooms were re-done ultra modern) with the original handpainted furniture, reflecting the beauty discovered at every turn.
this sketch has been etched out of the white washed window front
My personal introduction to Magritte was The Empire of Light II, hanging in the MOMA . Hanging next to a Salvidor Dali, I returned over and over again, week after week, in disbelief, trying to absorb the contrast of the magnificently painted blue sky and the lamppost lighting the dark street. The perfection was surreal and impossible to fit into my natural world. Permanently etched into my memory, the effect of this one painting, had such a demanding presence, even though it was a comparatively small work, in the far side of a large room filled with a stunning assortment of art, that I wonder if a whole museum devoted only to this artist, will make the same powerful impression? It will be a different kind of experience (the museum opens to the public in June) and why not, isn't that art?
