Blog #3: The Tate Modern Exhibition

The Tate Modern Exhibition is one of the best art museums I have visited. The museum currently resides in an old power station that was restored and opened in the year 2000 as the new home of The Tate. Inside the incredible space, patrons can explore four floors of art exhibits, each with their own unique qualities. The museum actually contains ten floors, but only four were available to the public. Within the many halls of the museum, impactful art pieces were abundant.

The first piece that struck me was a series of portraits painted by Leon Golub. These portraits were of General Ernesto Geisel, the head of the military government in Brazil from 1974 to 1979. At first glance, the paintings show an older gentleman from different angels and states of being.

If I hadn’t read the description, I would have never understood the true impact of the piece. As stated on the description of the political portraits, Golub wanted to convey the idea of political powers only wearing the mask of power and in reality, simply being puppets on strings.

The portraits are haunting in the sense that they represent a show of niceties and public approval when underneath the politic smiles and waves lies a parasite feeding off the power given by the puppeteers. It took one simple google search to find out the atrocities committed by General Ernesto Geisel. His treatment of political prisoners as well as protesters was appalling, as shown by the countless examples of torture and executions he imposed on who he perceived as enemies of Brazil. From the paintings, I see a frail man who seems a second away from crumbling into a pile of dust. However, the eyes of the portraits tell a different story.

The second piece I want to discuss is a painting from 1944 titled “Sleeping Venus” by Belgian artist Paul Delvaux.

This painting seems like a bunch of images thrown together on a canvas. Between the temple, the horse heads lining the street, the nude women, and the dress mannequin, it is hard to find a point to this piece at first glance. When I dissected the painting for what it was and learned when and why it was painted, it seemed to come together in one hauntingly beautiful moment. Delvaux painted this piece during the height of World War Two from his home in Brussels as the city was being bombed. He wanted to capture the dramatic image of the war he was currently witnessing and painted “Sleeping Venus.” The temple itself is calm and peaceful while its contents are anguished. Naked women can be seen weeping in the background while Venus, the goddess of love, sleeps peacefully. A skeleton talks to a dressed mannequin. What could this all mean? Delvaux painted this while bombs literally rained down on his city, but for what purpose? Instead of psychoanalyzing this painting, I will choose to listen to Delvaux’s own explanation. He wanted the psychology of the anguished moments in which he was painting to be at the forefront. He wanted mystery, and mystery is what he got. I love this piece as it combines a classical style of art with surrealism in a beautiful and dark way. I cannot explain the complex emotions brought on by this piece of art. I can only articulate its genius.

Until the next adventure,

Dru

  

Sources:

https://doyle.com/specialists/angelo-madrigale/stories/leon-golub-raw-nerve