A Love Profound - Art in London and Paris
I think my favorite thing that I have done in Europe thus far is visiting the different museums. Art is a beautiful and uniquely human talent, and these places that showcase it are essential to keeping the craft of the artist alive. Museums and galleries serve the purpose of housing and preserving the memories and visions of time long past, but they also inspire the next generation to push boundaries and take the world into their own hands.
The British Museum in London and The Louvre in Paris were absolutely massive - you could easily spend 8 hours or more in either of these world-renowned places, appreciating the incredible history and craftsmanship of every artifact, painting and sculpture inside. The labyrinthian halls were very easy to get lost in. Thankfully, the British Museum does an excellent job of labeling every single room with a number, in the exact same place, so a PDF map on your phone serves as a perfect guide.
The Louvre, on the other hand, felt far more inconsistent with the room labels, making it harder to navigate. They had a very unique and interactive solution, though. The Louvre partnered with Nintendo to use the New Nintendo 3DS XL©️ as an interactive map and virtual audio tour guide. It even knows what room you’re in and provides directions to all the famous exhibits. As a big Nintendo fan, I was very impressed with this little tourist gimmick.
Now, regarding the art itself - my opinion of the art in these two museums is similar to my opinion of the music of Taylor Swift. I can appreciate the craftsmanship and the dedication to the works of art, but they don’t exactly speak to me. I cannot deny that artists like Taylor Swift and Leonardo da Vinci, for example, have garnered international critical acclaim for their works, and rightfully so. Millions of people view their works every year! But while walking through The Louvre, I got kind of bored near the end, when every single painting was a depiction of Jesus Christ. It was the same guy that I have no attachment to painted on a gilded gold background - many of the pieces started to all look the same.
Enter the Tate Modern in London. This museum houses contemporary artwork from across the globe. I only spent 2 hours in here because I had tickets for the Tower of London afterwards, but I wish I could have spent the whole day there. The museum was situated in a very large building. The large atrium in the center with bridges running across it connected two different sections of the building. The center of the atrium housed a massive sheet made of what I believe were bottle caps. My initial thought of this place was “wow, this place is going to be full of pretentious nonsense.”
I was somewhat correct at the start. It probably doesn’t help that I started in the surrealist and minimalist section of the museum. Some of the surrealist art was very intriguing, though.
Other pieces looked like the drawings of a 3-year-old.
And some of these works were just… nothing??
I’m sorry, but those are white canvases. You didn’t do anything. An art teacher would give you a zero on that assignment.
A notably interesting and less-traditional surrealist piece I saw was a shaky video of different ants fighting over pieces of colored confetti. The sound in the background was various clicking sounds over minimalist music. Very odd, but it made me sit down and watch for a minute.
Some pieces were incredibly unique by way of being blatantly disgusting. One artist from China covered their naked body in honey, let flies swarm all over them, and photographed the event. That one gives me shivers just thinking about it.
There were also multiple instances of poop-like objects.
And then there was just a urinal. Nothing else, just a urinal. The description touted it as a “ready made sculpture” and highly praised this URINAL.
But now, it was time to get a little more serious. My favorite work in the whole museum was called Life of Imitation by Singaporean artist Ming Wong. I won’t be able to do the work justice by explaining it here, so I recommend reading Tate Modern’s description on their website. My interpretation was that it was a commentary on race and gender, and the intersectionality between the two. As someone who holds diversity and gender expression in very high regard, I found this work very intriguing.
I view everyone’s gender expression as a work of art. The way one carries themselves and the clothes they might wear. The way hair falls onto one’s shoulders or curls into unique patterns, or the way a barber has tailored the hair to one’s scalp. A thoroughly worn pair of Dr. Martens versus a shiny pair of platform heels. Rings and necklaces, hair dye and body ink, nails and lipstick. Neutral or flashy, jeans or slacks, muscles or curves?
From the broad, gender-defining masculine and feminine traits we choose embody (and those traits we choose to reject), down to the minute details and quirks that give each person their own unique charm, I believe we are all artists in one way or another.
Not only are we all artists, but we are also art critics. We compliment an outfit or the smell of a perfume or the look of someone’s makeup. We have immediate preconceptions and tease one another based on if they wear a University of Kansas hat or a Denver Broncos sweater. I drink beer, but I don’t like wine. Some people tap their foot to whatever is on the local Top 40 radio station, others dig deep into Spotify’s underground network of tunes for a song just waiting to be discovered. I’ve been to concerts where nobody is dancing and simply enjoying the music, I’ve been to live DJ sets where people are dancing with friends and having a great time, and I’ve been to hardcore mosh pit concerts, with people brutally shoving each other until they fall over, sweating so much that condensation drips from the ceiling, because that’s what makes them feel alive.
I ended my visit to Tate Modern in front of a gallery made by Yoko Ono, wife of the late John Lennon. I didn’t have time to see the exhibit, and it required a paid ticket, but right outside the entrance was a couple of potted trees with white tags hanging from every single branch. The writing on a pillar next to the trees instructed:
I took some time to read the various wishes people had made. Here are some of the wishes I could read in English:
“I wish for good weather so our flight doesn’t get delayed”
“Wishing for good health for my grandparents”
A child wishing for a puppy
Many wishes for the wars in Gaza and Ukraine to end
“I wish for you to smile at the next person you see”
“I wish for no more than we already have”
The collaborative piece of art was very touching - it brought a tear to my eye.
What did I wish for? Well, if I told you, then I don’t think it would come true, right?
Art is everywhere. It’s as basic as a sculpture in a museum. It’s your favorite film. It’s an advertisement covered by graffiti inside a subway station. It could be a blank canvas, or a piece of poop, or a urinal, all in a prestigious art museum. A light pole in a city covered in random stickers. The picturesque view of the Swiss Alps or the Rockies in Colorado. Art can be a collaboration of friends telling a story through a role playing game. It’s this travel blog written by a 25-year-old. It’s a witty conversation with quips and zingers and maybe some flirting. It’s the way a drag queen absolutely slays when it’s their turn to lip sync for their life. It’s as simple as a plate of homemade pasta or like a perfectly crafted five-star gourmet meal. Art is the groundbreaking story or the masterpiece album that makes tears well up in your eyes when you hear it. The random person sitting next to you on a train or in front of you in a Starbucks line - they have a whole life story that could be a work of art. Art is a fundamental and necessary part of the human experience.
Art is everything. I’m really glad to be an artist.
