Today was the day we got to check out the Tate Museum Of Modern Art. I am not a huge fan of Modern Art in general. I think this is due to the fact my exposure to modern art has been limited in scope. Most of what I have seen is on the internet being “memed”. Canvases of white or a single orange line on a black canvas. So I am excited to see what the museum has to offer.
The first piece I have found that really stood out to me was in the Optical illusions section named Supernovae by Victor Vasarely. Many optical illusions can be done and shown over an electronic screen. But this one, was a real life optical illusion. It is a series of black squares across a rectangular grid. It is separated into several sections. The top left is a black “abyss” like section where the white space between the blocks gets thinner and thinner creating a void like effect. The top right is the exact opposite. The space between the squares gets larger, eventually overtaking the squares and leaving a white space. Then on the left it is white squares with black dots in them. From left to right this pattern continues, but the dots get larger and larger until they overtake the white space. But the most important and interesting of this whole that makes it all come together, is the gray dots. Now, these gray dots can see throughout the whole piece. They are seemingly delicately placed just beyond the four corners of each square. But if you try to pick a gray square to focus on. It will disappear. Poof, just like that. You can only see these squares in the peripheral of your vision. How neat!
The second piece I found very interesting was the exhibit called “Number 185”. This is a piece made entirely of Driftwood. Leonardo Drew found these drift wood pieces and then as he described it “weathered it like nature”. He painted and scratched and wore these pieces down much as mother nature would have, and actively does. It is a combination of different textures which gives depth, but also tells a story. Examining the piece it looks like a city on a shoreline of rock next to a vast ocean or lake. The large driftwood suggests structure, closely compact but seems to have some further story to tell than just straight line organization. Where as the “shore line” is made up of evenly sized wood that neatly fits into each slot perfectly.
Theatre in London U of A 