So I got dressed up tonight and went out to two gallery openings. I used to go to these things all the time to meet women. And to enjoy and art and to mingle and sometimes they have free food and drinks.
Tonight, first I went to Gallery 3209 in Culver City, CA, and saw some very sincere but to me unrealized paintings by a nice looking woman named CK Lyons. I didn't talk to her, but I liked looking at her more than I liked looking at her paintings.
There were only five or six people when I got there, so it was easy to see the show.
One painting did work for me: a dead matador apparently lying on a beach, with huge flowers in the background. Fairly strong work. The rest seemed somehow uncommitted, as if the artist was groping her way toward something. The show seemed to climax in the one painting I liked.
Here is a link: http://gallery3209.com/?page_id=99
Around the corner, I went to another reception at Corey Helford Gallery. I thought this work was appalling, although the show drew a big crowd.
About a hundred people milled around, hip looking, young. Free hot dogs from a catering truck outside. Two uniformed security guards, and two plain-clothes and very serious looking young men in black suits with those little curly wires going into their ears.
I don't know what they expected. Maybe they thought someone would try to steal this razzle-dazzle crap art. Take a look at this stuff for yourself:
http://www.coreyhelfordgallery.com/#/home/
These paintings are like going to the dentist. They make my teeth hurt.
People make the mistake of thinking that because something is slick and popular and has emotive images that it is good.
My god. I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.
Anyway, that was enough art for me. I boogied on home to have a cerveza Negro Modelo and relax.
It's hard to find good art, like it's hard to find good fiction or poetry. But sometimes the effort is better than sitting at home.
-- Roger
Copyright © 2011, Roger R. Angle
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