At that time there was a massive exhibit in Boston and Cambridge around celebrating an anniversary of The Bauhaus, and I was able to see focused exhibitions that included Kandinsky, Feininger, Klee, Schlemmer, and more. It was heart stopping to me, as I didn't know much about modern era art at that time, and I didn't need to know anything to step inside these amazing worlds and spaces. There was an energy and sense of tone to these works that I simply felt. When looking at a Feininger painting there is a balance between the carefully constructed spaces and the spontaneous application of paint that just gets me. The Schlemmer images are the same. Whimsical yet, not whimsical! And of course, Klee, who produced so many intriguing and fanciful drawings and paintings that other artists are put to shame. It was an eye opening time for sure, and as I hadn't yet attended art school myself. It was a wonderful introduction to how learning about art history -- the thoughts and artistic values of the creators that have come before us -- can open intellectual doors and push us forward to new places. I thank David J. of the band Bauhaus for naming this group such an arty name, and constructing music that ran parallel to the artistic concepts of the early 1900's in Germany. Otherwise, I might have missed it. Living in the Boston area there are many museums that hold original works, including the Harvard art museums and the MFA. We are spoiled here!
The online exhibit featured on Hyperallergic today, derived from a post on the MOMA blog is of the humble postcard. Postcards are becoming unneeded in today's digital world. Seeing this really underlines the new territory artists now inhabit. One hundred years ago the postcard was the way an art show was promoted. Even when I was in art school it was a necessity to have cards printed for exhibits. The mail. Paper. Printing. Simple. A reflection of a nearly a hundred years gone by and postcards are now short-lived graphic files that are sent all over the world without being printed at all. Impermanent. A hundred years from now, what will remain?
Glad to see all these amazing artists in one place today. These postcards are invitations for us all to step back in time and learn from others who were on the creative road we all travel now. I'm glad they took time to send us postcards from their individual journeys.
What will you make today?