Louise Bourgeois, Arch of Hysteria

Louise Bourgeois is a very prolific female artist who started working in the late 1940s and is still alive today at the age of 98. She is quite fantastic and her work is extremely personal. Most of her art is about pain, physical and mental, that springs from her difficult childhood. This work is definitely a part of that, but at the same time it is uncannily beautiful. The form of the pieces is just incredibly striking. And the choice to create the piece in gold is magnificent. It has a feeling of opulence but at the same time is quite terrifying. I think her work is a great example of attraction/repulsion. I think there is just something about the form of the human body transformed into a circle that draws me in. There is something really wonderful about the purity of geometric form. Very Greenbergian of me.

On a related note, I think I might be a formalist. Still a feminist at heart, but I'm realizing my latest works have a real emphasis on form. Even some of my latest post as well.

Anticipation

John is coming in tomorrow and I'm just thrilled. I've been pining; it's ridiculous. It's just been such a long time and I miss him lots.

Sick Day

I absolutely hate being sick. I think it's the worst. It's just incredibly boring to be stuck in bed for days at a time with nothing to do but feel sorry for yourself. And let me tell you, the past few days I've gotten really good at feeling sorry for myself.

On a brighter note, I got an A on my Jackie Winsor paper and I'm really psyched. This is the first semester that I've actually gotten an A on a graduate school paper. That means things are finally looking up, I think. Anyway, now I'm certain that I'm going to work on her for my thesis. Unfortunately, Sascha says that I have to choose between the environmental angle and the feminist angle, which makes me squirm because I'm not sure I can pick one. I think I know that the environmental angle is more original and makes more sense but the I really don't want to drop the feminism because it really is who I am as an art historian, or who I want to be. One article she gave me combines the two in a successful way so I'm going to read it and see if I can somehow do the same. I'll let you know how it works out.

I'm going to spend the day editing the paper so I can use it as a writing sample for internship applications. I also have a cover letter to write so let's hope that somehow gets done as well.

Baby, it's cold outside!

This is my favorite Christmas song. In fact, I listen to it year round. The only thing Christmas-y about it is the fact that it talks about snow. But I love the story. It's great how he looks for any excuse to keep the girl around. Maybe it's just about sex, but I think the sentiment is really sweet. I just want someone that will make excuses to be with me.

Ben Lerman (He Plays the Ukelele)

Going to see Ben Lerman tonight in NOLA. So excited, I can't even tell you. I've never enjoyed musical comedy much before, but this guy is quite brilliant. Will report tomorrow on how the show goes.

Update -- Show was incredible. Really funny shit. Ben Lerman was on his game and had a killer set. I totally geeked out on him after the show and am a bit embarrassed about that now. I think the exact line was: "You're my favorite guest. Everybody probably says that, but I really mean it." Yeah. I was a little star-struck.

Judy Chicago, Dinner Party

Detail: Emily Dickinson place setting

This is a seminal work for the Women's Movement. Even though the ideas that this work embodies are problematic today, I think the piece is really meaningful and beautiful. Visiting the work at the Brooklyn Museum was like going on a pilgrimage and the experience was really spiritual for me. Chicago's goal was to make a work that included women where they were originally excluded. Men had the last supper, but women have dinner parties. The work is essentializing as it boils women down to the one thing that we all have in common, the vagina. She believed that the imagery containing a central core was something that existed with female art for centuries as well as something that modern women could relate to. The Dinner Party represents 39 significant women from history that contributed to the improvement of women's status within each time period. As we move through time, the plates get more and more three dimensional. My favorite place setting is Emily Dickinson's. I love the frilly lace that she uses on the plate.

I really could go on forever, but for this post I really wanted to just outline the merits of the piece, and not its faults.

Virtual Tour

Worst Week

Had a bad week consisting of numerous things that I don't want to share with the blogosphere. (Shocking, I know.) Now I'm just working to get home. Luckily the semester is almost over and by Monday I will be officially done. Really, it can't get here soon enough. I have never been this excited to get to LA in my life.

Paper Writing Wrap-Up

Paper writing marathon/Competition with Jess.

We make arbitrary deadlines and see who has more work done at those points.

So far we are each up $1. But tonight is the final round and the loser has to buy insomnia cookies.

Right now I'm at 2 pgs. for Egypt and 10 pgs. for American. Unfortunately, I have a few more things to add to the American...

And Egypt has way too many footnotes. Debating if I care/how this will affect my grade...