The picture should be fecund.

Paysage, 1974. Acrylic and chalk on canvas. 

I stared at this painting this morning and was overcome. I had to walk away the first time because I was getting tearful and I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the other museum patrons (though, really, isn't that the mark of a good painting if it engenders strong emotion?). I had Jonathan come stand beside me and stare at it and we talked about Ferris Bueller and moved on to the Rauschenberg exhibit. (As an aside, isn't that sculpture The Ancient Incident so perfectly fitting for a therapist?)

But after that, I came back to look at Paysage again. There's so much imperfection there. Blurs and drips and painting over in places and overworking and underworking. This woman was talking to her museum companion and saying something about admiring Miro's "use of color and line" and I thought it sounded so cold and clinical. Can we just talk about how it makes you feel? Some of Miro's works made me nervous and I felt frantic, and sometimes I felt bored and tired, and sometimes I felt inspired and calm and it was all memento mori.

Jonathan and I talked about how he appreciates really intricate art - the carved urns and stonework, the Renaissance paintings where the craftsmanship is incredible and it's clear that it must have taken so long to create. I appreciate art for how it makes me feel, and I tend to be drawn to abstract and modern stuff. I still remember him giving me endless grief for really liking the Reinhardt exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins way back in high school. But we can each appreciate the other's take on art. And it felt like some sort of full-circle experience to check out the Miro exhibit at the Nasher. I spent a good deal of time at the Ulrich when I was little, both when my mom was in college at WSU and when we lived within walking distance and had time to kill (an air conditioned museum with free admission is always a welcome reprieve from the hot Kansas summer). Miro's commissioned mosaic is a prominent feature of the museum, one that I always liked. Today I got to see some of his works up close, to see his handprints and footprints and brushstrokes. Pretty incredible.

The picture should be fecund. It must bring a world to birth. 

Joan Miro