pickIt‘s been 52 days of joy reading this lovely book, reliving artists I already know, meeting some new ones, reconnecting with 3 amazing museums that I visited on trips to Paris and cementing a life long love affair I have had with art and the power it has to inform, move, sooth and challenge. #europacollective
Ch 52: Pierre Soulages Black is a colour. That black is the absence of all colour in art & science is ALWAYS a hurdle to believe. The Dr meets with Mona & Camille a final time, he‘s leaving his practice. He explains that Mona‘s subconscious has attached sight to her shell pendant & every time she removed it she lost her sight. He implored her to remember she has exceptional sight & not be fooled. Last trip to Beaubourg ( upper right) cont‘d
Ch 51: Christian Boltanski Archive yourself. Paul is going to sell the store and Mona is afraid that Mamie‘s archive will be lost ( she is quite rude to her mother). She begs Dadé to store the archive and write about their lives. Perfect pairing with CB‘s ‘The Impossible Life of C. B.‘ ( all three images ) when I looked at the photo on the dust jacket I thought I was looking at panels with quilt-like metallic pieces on them cont‘d
Ch 50: Marina Abramović Separation is an opportunity to seize. Mona‘s word in French class is euthanasia, the class is riveted & the teacher thinks she had help. Mamie was an advocate for dying with dignity right from the beginning. Dadé takes Mona to see MA‘s ‘Boat Emptying, Stream Entering, White Dragon: Standing, Red Dragon: Sitting, Green Dragon: Lying‘ ( upper right) an interactive art piece that you use your whole body to experience cont‘d
Ch 49: Louise Bourgeois Know how to say no. Mona is still mad at her mom but realizes Camille was looking for the Drs report on her sight when she stumbled upon the journal. So Mona summarizes the report for her parents and Camille knows it‘s time to tell the truth about Mamie. Dadé also realizes that Mona has internalized Mamie‘s last message to her “Forget the negative….keep the light forever inside you” cont‘d
Ch 48: Jean-Michael Basquiat Come out of the shadows. The secret is out! Camille reads Mona‘s diary and learns she has not been going to therapy but to look at art with Dadé. Mona is overwhelmed with rage at this betrayal of privacy. So Dadé takes her to see Basquiat‘s Untitled ( upper right and a close up of faces lower right) Basquiat is the most popular artist in the world, with art in every major museum, and images on products cont‘d
Ch 46: Hans Hartung Go like lightning. Mona and Camille go back to the dr, mom is mad! It‘s been a year and she wants answers. Cryptically the dr says he thinks the source of blindness is psychotraumatic and it appears Mona knows it too. Mona and Dadé go to see Mamie‘s favourite painting ‘T 1964-H45‘ ( right) HH, who was significantly hurt in WW2 adapted his painting style using paint spray guns, like with auto painting, cont‘d
Ch 45: Niki de Saint Phalle The future of man is woman. Never has a title been more of a desire! Mona continues to write in her journal to get caught up to present day and all she‘s learned and question how Mamie died. Outside the Beaubourg is the Stravinsky Fountain ( centre and lower middle) with sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle ( colour) and Jean Tinguely ( black), a Bonnie and Clyde of the art world cont‘d
Ch 44: Jackson Pollack Go into a trance. Mona starts school and is dismayed to learn her new French teacher is someone she met with Dadé and stuck her tongue out at ? an ominous start to the new school year? Mona‘s pick at Beaubourg is Pollack‘s ‘Silver Over Black, White, Yellow and Red ( upper right) which makes Dadé happy, he feels “(Pollack)‘s esthetic was actually easier to grasp the smaller the work‘s scale” cont‘d
#EuropaCollective
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