art

I went to the Whitney to see the Cy Twombly show, works on paper. I was eager to see his work in chronological order, and there were some beautiful drawings and paintings. Some of it was baffling to me, but much of it is beautiful, with subtle calligraphy and proportion. But I can see how many viewers would find this work incomprehensibly flippant and "unfinished" looking.

But the real surprise, for me, was the Tim Hawkinson show. Amazing; I had not heard much about this artist and what I had seen and read did not lead me to expect what I saw. The show was installed by the artist. Incredible biomorphic hand-made machines; music-machines, and neurotic, obsessive working of images. And the James Lee Byars room of gold-leaf, "The Death of James Lee Byars," made for his own funeral, had me stunned. It is hard to describe the feeling that came over me as I looked at it, in silence.

Here is a link to the exhibitions currently at the Whitney.