City Magic

So, can a woman who loves living in the woods find magic and mystery in the city?  Absolutely! In honor of my 60th birthday, which is today, I spent Thursday and Friday on retreat in Grand Rapids. I took wonderful time to just relax, read, explore, and reacquaint myself with the city.  Odd, maybe, to think of retreating to the city, but one of the things I've promised my soul is that I would more often visit art museums and just take luxurious time there. I spent a whole afternoon at GRAM (Grand Rapids Art Museum), and here is some of the magic and mystery I encountered there.

 This is a wall-sized mosaic. I love the colors, and it always draws me to take time with it.  I forgot to get the artist's name.  But I am repeatedly amazed to get close and see that every single block is made of 2304 dots (48x48) of paint! And there are somewhere between 63 and 80 blocks! (I didn't back up far enough to get the whole thing on camera!) Yikes!

This one, though it is part of the permanent collection, is new to me. I so appreciate three dimensional art, and I especially love the sense of strength and power I feel when pondering Champion of the Spirit. The artist stated that it portrayed the individual overcoming adversity.

Champion of the Spirit 1928 by Ernst Barlach

This painting, Transcendent Presence, intrigues me because of the way the artist has created light, or the illusion of light, with his colors. First I looked for a spotlight causing the bright center. No. Then again thought my camera did something, but no, I had the flash turned off. It truly felt like its name to me. Even looking at the picture now makes me slow down and breathe deeply and just "be" with it!

Transcendent Presence 1966-67 by Richard Pousette-Dart

This Man in Armor looked so real to me. Not just because the artist paints realistically, but because of the realness of the emotion in his face. I looked at him a long time.  He looks so tired to me; exhausted. It seems that he has seen too much of which he may never speak. Strong, yet weary. Pained.

Man in Armor 1996 by Odd Nordrum

There was, of course, much more. Currently, they have an exhibit called "Cities in Transition" with many photographs and paintings depicting the Detroit area over the last hundred years. Powerful work! Saddening, hopeful, nostalgic. And the GRAM building and grounds are artwork too: a serene reflecting pool with waterfall, Rosa Parks Circle amphitheater, and the building is LEED certified green design.
If you want to know more: http://www.artmuseumgr.org/

By the way, ArtPrize 2012 begins mid-September. You may find me in the city again as that is always worth another visit!