Those paying attention in the previous class, VisApp 101, will recall that we briefly and rather perfunctorily surveyed the many ways one might or might not take up an interest in the visual arts, particularly of the “fine art” variety, and the role museums can play in this process. When it comes to fine art, things like paintings and drawings tend to be somewhat fragile, not holding up well at all when subjected to sun and wind and rain and other such vagaries of the weather, which is why enclosing such items within four sturdy walls and best of all, a durable roof of some kind, has always been more than just a good idea.
The more tedious among us might point out that canvas has long been a favored material for tents and sails and other outdoor uses, and oil is the medium to go for when painting a bathroom or other wet environment. So why not hang oil-on-canvas works outside? A provocative idea that’s never been tried, it seems, at least not in a permanent way, and constructing a structure of oil paintings is a concept waiting to be brought to realization. Is it a great idea? Perhaps not but one never knows, do one?
But putting such provocative but cockaminy notions aside for now, another consideration arises from the fact that the finer the art, the more valuable it becomes, making it tempting to thieves of all kinds. It would be the height of foolishness to hang the Mona Lisa or Rembrandt’s The Night Watch on a lamp post at some random street corner somewhere and leaving it at that, no matter how well-intentioned one might be about “bringing art to the people” or some such nonsense. A good museum should not only offer a decent climate-controlled well-lit space (with convenient bathrooms!), but one that is also free of the many distractions of the street and with good security, to boot.
Art thievery has a long and scandalous and somewhat colorful history, and it is likely that the most recent and sensational example of this took place at Boston’s own Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum “in the early morning hours of March 18, 1990” as Wikipedia dramatically tells it. Two guys posing as police officers gained admission and overpowered the guards, tied them up and over the course of an hour gathered up some tasty pieces – we’re talking Vermeer and Rembrandt here, also Degas and Manet and are you impressed yet? – and to this day whatever happened remains a total mystery. A visitor to the Gardner can still see the empty spaces on the wall where the pieces in question once hung, kind of like that curiously-painted red seat 33 rows up in the right-field bleachers of Fenway Park, which marks the spot where Ted Williams, the “splendid splinter”, supposedly hit the longest home run in franchise history.
Okay so maybe that’s an imperfect analogy but you get the idea. And whereas the Gardner heist has been endlessly referenced in novels and TV shows, not to mention a four-part Netflix documentary, and investigated to death by the FBI and various police agencies who’ve found any number of possible links to organized crime as well as the Irish Republican Army (hey, this is Boston!), it has all thus far come to nada nichts bupkus zip, while that seat at Fenway might be available for the next game and will cost you no more than the regular admission. As for that little caper at ISGM, the ten million dollar reward is still yours for the taking, if you can provide the right information to the right people. Face it: aren’t you getting a bit tired of staring at those same old Rembrandts and Vermeers on your basement walls at this point? Just give ‘em back, and no hard feelings. Just kidding! They say one never tires of looking at one’s Vermeers and Rembrandts, but you should know that by now, as it’s been over 30 years.
But this class, VisApp 102, is about none of that, or only in the most peripheral way. It’s still about art, but art of the most durable kind, art that can withstand a bit of weather, be it rain or snow or a bit of wind, though in one case a hot day and in another the incoming tide might do more than minimal damage, but those are special cases. One might also label this art “less than fine”, insofar as it has little value for thieves, or in any case the difficulty of absconding with the pieces in question might be far more trouble than it’s worth. This is not to say that the artists involved are not at the top of their game, and the pleasures available to those who pay attention are ample, indeed.
And one don’t need no stinkin’ museum to savor any of this, just attentiveness and a meandering spirit and an appreciation of all that is visually delightful or curious or intriguing, which might even be something considered ugly by some. Keeping an open mind is key. It helps to live in an urban environment, where the density of people raises the possibility of more potential artists nearby. Cities also tend to sponsor more public art, the occasional outdoor exhibit or more permanent things like murals and the enhancement of public infrastructure that is otherwise mundane and forgettable, like those utility boxes that litter sidewalks everywhere. But great museumless art might be found anywhere if one is paying attention, though if you’re driving a car you might miss a lot while watching out for traffic.
Walking is of course the best way to engage in this pastime, though bicycling opens up broader vistas and opportunities. Biking the suburbs can yield any number of delightful or curious visual surprises; it helps if one is not locked into a rigid “fitness” regimen that demands strict adherence to high average speeds on busy roads, which seems to be the pathetic norm for scads of bikers roaming in organized packs throughout the Boston suburbs, especially on weekends. But I digress.
Some of the artistic expression in question turns up regularly in certain locations around and about the greater metro area, and varies through the seasons. Certain of our rides anticipate these works as a feature, and the yard or roadside spot has become the unofficial exhibit space for the artist (or artists) in question. You never know what you’re going to get. As the images suggest, this can range from what is clearly sculpture to what might be better described as installations (the ponies, well known to fans of ravinginbeantown by now, is the most prominent of these) to what are basically decorated things, painting on buildings and rocks and what might be called “sidewalk furniture”. Some of it could simply be described as yard decoration, a category so common and ubiquitous that to call it “art” risks making this whole discussion meaningless. In the end what one visually appreciates lies strictly in the eyes of the beholder, where the only meaningful measure is delight of one kind or another. There are no grades in this course; it is strictly pass/fail and one can only fail if there is no delight. If one is paying attention the delight is sure to come, sooner or later, which is what appreciation is all about, wouldn’t you say?
