Palm Springs Art Museum

Upon realizing that I've been out of school for just over a week, I decided that maybe I should emerge from the cocoon of apartment #94 and actually do something with my day other than go to the gym and read books. It is true, I've had the most anti-social week ever, but I have enjoyed the "Melissa time" very much. My days have consisted of going to the gym early in the am, coming home drinking an ENTIRE pot of coffee, checking my email profusely, reading approximately 1 book per day, laying by my pool in the sweltering heat, eating snacks, napping, going to the gym again around 6pm, and then more reading...I know what your thinking, tough life Melissa. It is actually exhausting being this bored. Anyways, not the point of this blog...

I ventured out into the 112 degree heat yesterday in the afternoon to downtown Palm Springs. Back towards the mountain, on a side street resides the lovely Palm Springs Art Museum. I have owned a membership to this place now for 8 months and am just now getting there for the first time. Sad, but true. Surprisingly, this museum proved to be a very positive, and enlightening experience. Even brought me back to my days of Art Camp and the college class I took about art.

I had expected the museum to be inundated with Mesoamerican, American Indian and mainly Western art... Not exactly my favorite style. To my surprise there was a lot of contemporary pieces and exhibits that I truly enjoyed. I've highlighted a few of my favorite pieces below.

Russel Wright glass water pitchers...the whole exhibit was primarily furniture, flatware, and pieces from the 40s-50s. It was entitled, "Living with Good Design" and supposedly defined the time period after WWII where a more relaxed style of living emerged. I thought of my mom when I saw these pitchers. I think she has some similar to this in that china blue color. The whole 50s thing also reminded me of her since she LOVES that kind of furniture and style. Think "Molly" from the American Girls book series! Do I still have that doll in the attic??

A Henri Matisse of course! Not your traditional I suppose as he usually is noted for his still life paintings and broad use of colors. As a leader in the Fauvist movement and a post-impressionist, I find Matisse's work to be quite intriguing. It was also interesting to compare the works of Matisse with that of Van Gogh. I guess you could refer to them as yin and yang of that time period. One composing from nature and the other from primarily imagination.

The museum had an array of impressionist works on display from an anonymous art collector. Renoir to Degas, they had a sampling of them all. Oh how I love Degas and the dancers!! They also had some Manet and Monet, which again made me want to go back to Giverny in France. Such a beautiful place. Interesting thing about impressionism is how different the artists are yet there is a common thread that somehow binds their works together...

Although the impressionists are my most favorite, I do have a special place in my heart for contemporary art. This piece just agreed with me for some reason. Not something I'd hang in my house or anything, but it just made me happy to look at it. It is called Phenomena Wind Off Big Sur. Nothing particularly intelligent to comment on this one, sorry.

"The Big 4" The most intriguing piece I viewed yesterday by far. It was done by Motherwell, who did a series of paintings that were each inspired by the number four. Anybody who ever had to study the work of Carl Jung would know that the symbolism behind the number 4 is immense. Thus the reason this work peaked my interest. I had to read about Jung in several of my psychology classes and upon further thinking today, it in fact bores much application to the science world as well. 4 not only relates to the four points of a compass but also has much representation in dreams but signifies "creative background" or "life producing." The life producing part is what caught my interest in several aspects... Many people/ cultures believe that numbers that are odd are masculine thus those being even are feminine. Four being next to the number 3 (three having many religious connotations) proposes many theories about the completeness of life. The fact that three (representing man) residing next to four (woman) suggests the equality of the two or the ability to pro-create when combined. Interesting that the number of chromosomes in a female are even and the number of chromosomes in a male are odd...coincidence? I think not.

In other scientific matters related to the number four, I can think of a few more...

• The Carbon atom: It's four valences~also the fact that Carbon is the basis for life as we know it, carbon chains....relates directly to the idea of "life producing"

• The fourth dimension: Time as the proposed fourth dimension

• The principle forces of physics: Gravity, Electromagnetism, Weak Nuclear, and Strong Nuclear=4

I know there are more, but I think I've done enough thinking for the day. See what boredom will do to a person! Anyway enjoy the summer solstice today!