Entrancing Video Art
One of the most compelling reasons to visit the Museum of Modern Art this season is the floor to ceiling video piece on the main lobby wall. Created by Refik Anadol, Unsupervised, is an ever-changing mesmerizing mass of colors and shapes that at times flows beyond the boundaries of the screen. It is abstract in form, dark and mysterious sometimes and, at other moments, a riot of intense color.
Anadol used artificial intelligence and applied it to a database of the complete works in MoMA’s collection. This area of the museum was the most populated with people of all ages the two times we visited.
A Dynamic Collection, 1970s-Present
The Chief Penguin and I spent the remainder of this visit on the second level looking at and liking and not liking some of the stranger pieces of recent art, sculpture, and video.
It’s the centennial of Ellsworth Kelly’s birth and two works of his dominated the first gallery. I especially liked his aluminum paneled work with some colored panels, Sculpture for a Large Wall, which he created in 1957 for the Transportation Building in Philadelphia.
I also liked the brilliance of Spectrum IV which begins and ends with colorful strips of yellow and gold.
Indian artist Shambhavi is represented by a most intriguing metal work, a tree made of scythes saluting the farmer’s work.
To See Takes Time
On our second MoMA visit, we delighted in To See Takes Time, a collection of watercolors, charcoal, and pastels by Georgia O’Keeffe. In several instances, one sees the evolution of a work from early stages to a final version or to a version that is simply presented in a different color palette. These are smaller works showing the diversity of O’Keefe’s interests and reflecting her travels (Maine, New Mexico) and her ongoing fascination with nature.
One surprise is the realistic portrait of fellow artist Delaney.
Bar Food
Buena Onda
Since Cinco de Mayo was this week, it seems appropriate to mention the new Mexican place we tried. (We avoided a crowd by not going on the 5th!) Buena Onda on 1st Avenue is more a bar than a restaurant, with a few tables up front and several booths in the back. It was recommended to us for its tacos by the waiter at Canyon Road, its sister restaurant up the street.
We began with guacamole and margaritas, both very good, and then sampled some gorditas filled with chorizo and peppers and two of their tacos, beef and chicken. Everything was very tasty and fresh so we will definitely return.
Note: Header photo is Pink and Green Mountains No. IV, 1917 by Georgia O’Keeffe.
