Pittsburgh and Pop Art
So, I've learned my lesson. When ordering green tea at dinner soon after arriving in town, don't go along with the waitress when she says 'hot tea?' I assumed she meant 'did I want my green tea to be hot' - but what I think she brought was exactly what I had agreed to...hot (black) tea. The kind with more caffeine. The kind you should not drink at night, but I did mindlessly, because you might then watch the entire Titanic movie, finish a book, and keep reading another, just to try and get sleepy.
The following morning after finally getting some sleep in, I took a relatively easy drive down into the downtown area of Pittsburgh, for a lunch meeting at the Duquesne Club. I asked the front desk before I left the hotel how to pronounce it, since there are some French words, like this one, where I have no clue. (Note, it's "du-CANE") and when you Google it one of the first pairings that pops up is 'Duquesne pronunciation'. I thought if I had to ask for directions on the street it would be best to say it correctly. Turns out I didn't have to....found parking in the most crowded parking garage ever (double and triple parked!) and made my way to this gorgeous building:
For lunch, my host ordered the "Spot" for an entree. A white fish called 'Virginia Spot', I had never heard of it, so of course I then had to try it. When it arrived with a light breading, I was an instant fan. It is a mild white fish with an amazing texture. I looked it up later, and learned it is a short-lived saltwater fish. Yum.
Once the meeting had concluded, I had some extra time in the afternoon, and had already staked out my sightseeing adventure: The Andy Warhol Museum. I wondered what it would be like to visit 7 floors of the same artist. Would it be boring? How much of it would I like and how much would be 'meh'? Answers: Absolutely not. And, Every Freakin' Bit of It/No Meh.
Beyond the iconic Tomato Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe silkscreens, were a staggering amount of art, many styles, all fun, playful, and compelling. If I could describe Andy Warhol's approach to life and art, I would have to say he enjoyed people, their company, and their special beauty. Also, he seemed to enjoy the beauty of objects. I found it to be a very relatable experience, because so much of what he did I've seen: Absolut Warhol, listened to: The Velvet Underground + Nico, and the portraits he did of celebrities and friends are faces I have grown up with. One portrait gallery was stunning in its diversity. An African-American woman. Judy Garland. Older men. Middle-aged women. Chairman Mao. It seemed he just saw the interesting facets of all sorts people and captured them, for a moment. Oh, and he used diamond dust on some of his works. I loved that.
The other unusual experience I had was the absence of angst. Often, when I spend time with art in museums, there are pieces that have a lot of hurt, anger, fear or disgust going on in them. They are the installations that I sometimes find compelling, repelling, but would never, ever want them in my home. With the Warhol works, I experienced playfulness, joy, appreciation for beauty in all its forms, and seemingly darn good technique of all the styles in which he worked, from what I know.
I wasn't supposed to take pictures, but that just incited me to take some, to share with you, because they were different than what I expected. For example, this interactive installation that had a fan, dark blue walls, and clouds made out of silver metallic pillow balloons floating around. Pure joy, this one. I went back a little while later and found two grown men milling around, smiling, and batting the clouds around. Yes, I thought. I know how you feel.
I got teary when I read the program from his funeral, which shared that a special lunch for hundreds of homeless and hungry people in New York were being treated to a farewell meal at the same time as his service - this was a group where he volunteered and helped provide assistance and food.
Finally, the guy took what you and I would throw away...letters, prescriptions, business cards, and packed them all up into hundreds of Time Capsules that they open up at the museum every so often.
Selected contents of one were on display, and it was fascinating. Invitations to lavish parties, fan letters from artists who just wanted to reach out and say hello and how damn hard making art is...and all the other little things in life, are now being shared. Here is an episode of This American Life that explains the Capsule project...I'll never think of Rob Lowe in the same way again.
The following morning after finally getting some sleep in, I took a relatively easy drive down into the downtown area of Pittsburgh, for a lunch meeting at the Duquesne Club. I asked the front desk before I left the hotel how to pronounce it, since there are some French words, like this one, where I have no clue. (Note, it's "du-CANE") and when you Google it one of the first pairings that pops up is 'Duquesne pronunciation'. I thought if I had to ask for directions on the street it would be best to say it correctly. Turns out I didn't have to....found parking in the most crowded parking garage ever (double and triple parked!) and made my way to this gorgeous building:
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| Women were first admitted in 1980. |
Once the meeting had concluded, I had some extra time in the afternoon, and had already staked out my sightseeing adventure: The Andy Warhol Museum. I wondered what it would be like to visit 7 floors of the same artist. Would it be boring? How much of it would I like and how much would be 'meh'? Answers: Absolutely not. And, Every Freakin' Bit of It/No Meh.
Beyond the iconic Tomato Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe silkscreens, were a staggering amount of art, many styles, all fun, playful, and compelling. If I could describe Andy Warhol's approach to life and art, I would have to say he enjoyed people, their company, and their special beauty. Also, he seemed to enjoy the beauty of objects. I found it to be a very relatable experience, because so much of what he did I've seen: Absolut Warhol, listened to: The Velvet Underground + Nico, and the portraits he did of celebrities and friends are faces I have grown up with. One portrait gallery was stunning in its diversity. An African-American woman. Judy Garland. Older men. Middle-aged women. Chairman Mao. It seemed he just saw the interesting facets of all sorts people and captured them, for a moment. Oh, and he used diamond dust on some of his works. I loved that.
The other unusual experience I had was the absence of angst. Often, when I spend time with art in museums, there are pieces that have a lot of hurt, anger, fear or disgust going on in them. They are the installations that I sometimes find compelling, repelling, but would never, ever want them in my home. With the Warhol works, I experienced playfulness, joy, appreciation for beauty in all its forms, and seemingly darn good technique of all the styles in which he worked, from what I know.
I wasn't supposed to take pictures, but that just incited me to take some, to share with you, because they were different than what I expected. For example, this interactive installation that had a fan, dark blue walls, and clouds made out of silver metallic pillow balloons floating around. Pure joy, this one. I went back a little while later and found two grown men milling around, smiling, and batting the clouds around. Yes, I thought. I know how you feel.
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| Space Clouds, Warhol style |
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| These eggs are from the 1980's. I love this piece. What is the blue one in the upper left-hand corner up to? |
Finally, the guy took what you and I would throw away...letters, prescriptions, business cards, and packed them all up into hundreds of Time Capsules that they open up at the museum every so often.
Selected contents of one were on display, and it was fascinating. Invitations to lavish parties, fan letters from artists who just wanted to reach out and say hello and how damn hard making art is...and all the other little things in life, are now being shared. Here is an episode of This American Life that explains the Capsule project...I'll never think of Rob Lowe in the same way again.
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| Pittsburgh skyline |
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