small thought about minimalism

  

I was reading Jeffrey Deitch's  vision for where he wants to take MOCA; and in the article he talks about the 80's "expressive" reaction against Minimalism.  This, to me, easy explanation of both the 80's and of Minimalism seems to be pervasive in a lot of things I read. A lot of people talk about Minimalism as if it was "un-visible"; as if it were lacking in visual and emotional power.  That seems to me to be a misunderstanding of Minimalism;  Minimal art was never lacking in visuality.   I saw a retrospective of Donald Judd's work in the 80's at the Whitney (yes, when museums, for better or worse were practically empty, as Deitch mentions the MOMA being at that time, in the same article) and I realized then how emotionally powerful the work could be.  And compared to some of the things I see in museums today, Minimal art seems positively dazzling!

And in case you forgot: BOYCOTT BP-- and I wish we could boycott the government too...Visualize disaster here

I'm not easily impressed...

...though I must admit that the weather here has been impressive of late...but I digress... 

What really has me riveted is this image I keep coming back to every time I flip through my latest issue of Art Forum 

It's a picture of Herman Nitsch doing what Herman Nitsch obviously must do.  I've never been too interested in the actions of the Vienna Actionists, and I'm still not.  Europeans and their relationship with violence scare me when it is real and bore me when it is aestheticized (watch the video).  But here, with this one still, I'm affected...  

Obama says he will not tolerate pettiness...

which is funny, because he is so petty himself...  Politicians, you gotta hate them...

the inevitable march towards darkness begins...

OMG I lapsed and forgot to mark the solstice by blogging about it yesterday.  Not that it makes any difference in the inevitable shortening of days that will take me into much hated and dark Winter. Overly rational that I am, I still greet solstices and equinoxes with something akin to religious, if not fervor, at least acknowledge- ment. Those days do mark me and I like to mark them.  I totally understand Evo Morales' impulse to declare yesterday as the true new year's day in Bolivia.  Of course what in the southern hemisphere marks the lengthening of days, here only reminds me that all the lushness I see around me at the moment will, much to my chagrin, be gone in a few months...

...Lushness not withstanding; and as much as I hate "text-write", OMG is once again an appropriate beginning for my next sentence. OMG it is motherfucking hot!!!  I leave the global warming debates to those who like to debate that intellectual and political rat's nest of data; all I know is that this is the hottest June I have experienced since moving to this godforsaken place.  The sun is celebrating that which we humans on this hemisphere call summer with a vengeance! 

Well, Happy One Day After the Solstice little life giving star!

The day is now marked and I leave church to go toil under your blaze.