h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Apparently the Musée d'Orsay in Paris is being renovated. This has been to my benefit. While the Musée is being done up, a lot of the contents have been sent on the road. The National Gallery of Australia managed to borrow more than a hundred post-impressionist paintings; it's the first time we've had so many Cézannes and Gauguins and Van Goghs in one place. Today I finally got to see them.

There's something to be said for pre-booking tickets, and also for paying a bit more for a ticket that allows entry an hour before the official opening time. We got there at 8:30am, half an hour before the 'premium' ticket holders were to be allowed in; there was already a queue of 'standard' ticket-holders waiting to be admitted at 10am. This queue stretched from the Gallery all the way to the High Court. (By the time we left, the queue had extended past the National Portrait Gallery. That's, um, a fair distance.) There was another queue of people without tickets; they would wait until 10am to buy a ticket and then go back to the end of the queue to wait a few more hours. This exhibition has done phenomenal business. About 400,000 people have already been through the doors, which is remarkable as the population of Canberra is less than 350,000 and naturally not all of the locals are interested.

So, we got in at 9am. I knew the exhibition would be a good one, but I didn't realise just how good it would be. A couple of examples:

Paul Gauguin - 'Tahitian Women' http://www.repropaint.com/Images/Gauguin/007.jpg

I've seen this one in reproduction before, but the amount of life and depth in the original startled me. This image here doesn't do it justice, it lacks the nuances of the painting itself and it doesn't give that same sense of the subjects avoiding the viewer's gaze. This picture tends to get used to illustrate dull treatises on colonialism and oppression in the Pacific; now that I've seen the original I can see that there's more to it than the obvious. This isn't just a picture of Tahitian women, it's a picture of women who are deeply uncomfortable in their foreign clothes under foreign instruction, who are being stared at by a foreigner who is recording their appearance. It's a remarkably subtle, confronting work.

Vincent van Gogh - 'Starry Night' http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Starry_Night_Over_the_Rhone.jpg

I've seen this in reproductions too, but these never do it justice. This isn't a dull, dark piece; it's *luminous*. This painting almost glows as it leaps out of the frame. As it's shown in Canberra at the moment, it's superbly subtly lit. It took my breath away. I've never been much of a Van Gogh fan, but after seeing this hanging alongside a self-portrait and 'Bedroom at Arles' and a few others, I'm convinced. This guy was a genius, it's as simple as that.

Pierre Bonnard - 'The White Cat' http://images.allposters.com/images/EAW/m180.jpg

This one amuses me. It might be a cat in the act of being startled, it might be a cat doing something contortionate as a cat can, but mostly it makes me think that this is a cat as a cat sees itself. Taller, and more dominant and menacing.

The exhibition was supposed to finish on Monday, but owing to demand it's been extended for another two weeks. During its last weekend, the exhibition will be open continuously from 9am on the Saturday to 5pm on the Sunday. I'm considering a return visit at 3am on the Sunday, possibly in pyjamas, just because I can. It'll be nicely surreal.

Once the show ends here it's touring to two more cities. I think they're Tokyo and San Francisco. If you're in either of these places when the exhibition's on - go and see it. You won't regret it. Think how much cheaper it is than a trip to Paris.

Thank you for sharing your joy and thoughts. I enjoyed it. I remember seeing the Gauguin and Van Gogh when I was quite young - but allthough I've seen a lot of Bonnard's paintings, I cannot remember the white cat. I like your thoughts about it.

I wish I've been there and seen them for real with you. I must save and go back to Australia while I still can. .

I'm short of words in English when it comes to express joy, sensations and how your words/experiences affect and alter/supplement my experiences with art.

I find the same lack of abillity to express myself when it comes to music, poetry and good writing as such.

I much practise more.

I mostly wrote this piece to see if I *could* write about Art. I'm never quite sure what to say, and it's never easy to tell if I'm expressing my own thoughts or if I'm only saying what the 'experts' are telling me I should be thinking. I think I've written my own thoughts this time, especially about the cat. I'm glad you liked the piece. (And do come back one day...)

That sounds wonderful, Ivan. Thanks for the links - just don't send any of you in your pyjamas!!

Something very important though - write what you feel, write what you want. Don't feel obliged to write what the experts say you should . Art is like poetry, it is all about the emotions it stirs up in you. If it brings out something different in you than someone else, that's fine.

While I was doing my English Degree, I spent a 6 month poetry module in a small group that included a lass who had read every text book about the poets. When the tutor asked "what did this poem make you think of?" I might say "it reminded me of the feeling on a Sunday afternoon when you remember you're at work on the morning..." at which point that lass would snap "well you're WRONG, he was saying this, because he wrote it when such and such happened!" She'd then flutter her eyelashes at the tutor, who was usually staring at her somewhat ample bosom, and he'd give her better marks.

Maybe you or I might not interpret art or poetry in the way its creator intended, but that doesn't mean it's not a valid view. It's what makes you an individual! Never let anyone tell you otherwise!

I remember my disgust with my English tutor in my first year of university. This dismal dopey creature insisted that we all acknowledge 'Frankenstein' as, first and foremost, a feminist novel with a subtext of the marginalisation of the oppressed. What a load of tosh that was. I'd always thought university was supposed to broaden the mind, not just fill it with received truth (or received crap, in the case of that tutor.)

I dropped English soon afterwards and put my energy into Asian language instead.

So yes, I hear what you're saying Hoggy.

(My ex-tutor has since published a few novels. I refuse to read them.)

What a wonderful description, Ivan. I thoroughly enjoyxed your trip through your words.

Thanks Bel. I shall have to try to see the exhibition again, even if I don't make it to a 3am session. There was a lot to take in.

How lovely Ivan, it sounds wonderful. I'm very ashamed to say that I haven't been to our local museum since it's reopening .... you may just have given me a taste for it ..... although we have nothing to compare with your treasures.

They're not ours, we just borrowed them. I'm sure it's much cheaper that way.

Well I knew they weren't yours Ivan .... but possession is 9/10 of the law ... or someone once told me that

Possession is also theft .... that must have been someone else.


Either way .... enjoy, they're yours for the moment - who owns art anyway?

Well, it does make a change from all the stuff that does belong here; I've seen all of that before, and a lot of it doesn't interest me at all...

Familiarity breeds contempt .... people are always telling me things like that.

I saw on television once some aboriginal artworks and they were beautiful -- I wouldn't mind owning some, I'm sure your museum is full of it.

Yes, there is rather a lot of Aboriginal art in the gallery here, but the best-presented collection I've seen is in Melbourne. That is definitely worth a visit, and I'll make a point of seeing it again next time I'm there.

You've made me feel really guilty about not visiting our re-furbished museum now .... so I'll pay a visit this week while I'm off work - now I need to see it and see if there is any aboriginal art.

Sounds to me like we have some potential reports/crittiques that could well make some nice articles for The Post.

Good idea ST - I think Ivan should get started now while he's on form.

The Melbourne Museum is definitely worth visiting several times.

In our nearby bigger town the council has decided that admission to the Museum of Modern Art, which has a decent collection, and the Museum of Culture (history) is free.

That is very good.

Of course special exhibitions do cost a fee. There was a very interesting one about the impressionist palette in France and Scandinavia. Seeing the paintings together really showed the difference of light in the north of Europe and the south of Europe.

Every year, and recently, the library, the Cultural Museum and the Art Museum, all situated in the Culture House, have an open day with lots and lots of activities.

The children were very exited about making bronze rings - bronze age style - and fitting bits of ancient pottery together. New buildings around Randers has revealed several living places from the bronze age. They had a very good, young archaeologist (sp?) telling interesting stories while the kids browsed over the bits of pottery.

I'm wondering what the next major exhibition here will be. This one will be a hard show to follow. In the meantime, I'll have to be happy with the permanent collection; it's especially strong on Indian and South East Asian art. There are some fabulous pieces on permanent display.

(And no, I won't be writing for The Post. I get paid to write, and I don't want h2g2 to start to feel like w*rk.)

My reason also, Ivan, join the club

I remember seeing some of van Goghs w*rk in Amsterdam many years ago. Also some of the other great masters. The impressionists left a deep impact, the pointilists (sp?) in particular

*Edging sideways into the club*

Seeing spots in front of your eyes, Pierce.