The Virus & the Hirshhorn

That proved to be a longer interruption than I had expected. I spent all day yesterday feeding a hungry child with a very strange stomach virus. I tried to explain that if she didn’t eat as much she wouldn’t have to spend as much time in the bathroom, but like I said, this is a strange virus. Soo, with 5 minute interruptions all day I was not able to finish what I had started.

The truth is my visit to the Hirshhorn needs very little commentary. We saw the “Strange Bodies” installation (they are calling it an exhibition, but as I wrote to my friend Charlie: If It's part of the permanent collection and it's going to be on the wall until an undetermined time in 2010 is it really an "Exhibition?" Isn't it really just "the Museum?") But more to the point it was an interesting grouping of paintings. I have to admit that I was somewhat distracted by my twelve year old’s discomfort with male nudity and the crowd and missed some works that I should have photographed.

John Currin’s painting almost converts me to his work. It is a great painting. Especially seen after one of Lucian Freud’s large male nudes and before Ron Mueck’s very large seated nude man--a little balance to that male gaze. I neglected to post my photo of Philip Guston’s painting. This is the work I spent the most time looking at. I always love his work at the same time that I don’t think I really understand any of it. The paintings often seem so sensitive and yet so blunt, so clear and yet so abstract, and both simple and complex.