A Visit to the Art Gallery of Alberta

I love visiting art galleries. It is one of my favorite things to do. Typically, I either leave inspired or disappointed, sometimes neutral. I use the word ‘inspired’ when I’ve seen some truly interesting work that revs me up to get into my own studio, regardless of whether the artwork I saw was paintings, sculpture, photography or instillation art, – or – ‘disappointed’ because I failed to connect with the curator’s vision or the work simply didn’t speak to me.

Claude Tousignant, “Gong” 1966, acrylic on canvas, The Double Bind: Conversations Between Modernism and Postmodernism

Art is so personal. It’s okay to love it – just like it’s okay to hate it. Different art forms/artists/concepts/etc. speak to different people, each in their own unique way.

My recent visit to the Art Gallery of Alberta was a mix. The Jack Bush exhibit was fascinating and I learned so much. I’m eager to find a biography of Bush’s life. If anyone has read a good one, please let me know! The Modern/Postmodern show was a bit confusing. The description to differentiate the successive artistic periods was excellent, but I was hoping the visuals exhibited would bring the words to life. Unfortunately, the gallery room was a bit sparse.