Hollywood Boulevard Gave Me What I Deserved

(* There was no image of this piece on the Midway website)

Upon entering the Midway on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, I was surprised. Well, surprised is the best word I can apply to this gallery. I was beyond confused, upset, and completely irritated with myself. As I looked around at the artwork displayed before me, I found I couldn't wrap my head around the concept of what I was seeing. I asked myself, "How can this be considered art?" "What on earth was the creator thinking?" If I was surprised at just that first room, imagine how the second and third rooms made my head feel. I saw giant blue rectangles and flat cardboard sculptures... I saw completely maelstroms of colors and shapes with no defined shape or meaning to them. How could I possibly make sense of it? And then I saw it.

It was a basic white sheet of paper with scribbling on it. Upon closer inspection it was revealed that the scribbling was actual words. Written in graphite in a childish handwriting was "You got what you deserved," and underneath that was, "On Hollywood Boulevard" in something similar to an elegant cursive handwriting. While I still didn't consider this to be art, it really clicked inside my head. As I looked at this piece, I found I could relate to it. I'm a simple person. I don't bother people, and I don't like being bothered by people. I've been told I can be harsh when I need to be, and that I can be brutally honest when I want to. This is what radiated off the paper in front of me that day at the Midway. A brutally honest and harshness, that created a disturbing picture in my mind. The crudity of the writing and the uneven lines and letters helped add to the effect. When I finally found out the history behind this piece, it blew my mind away. The creator simply walked out on Hollywood Boulevard and picked up scraps of paper with writing on them. I was awed to say the least.

I am no conceptual art lover by any means. Sure, these pieces of art that are impressed upon me are called art, and are certainly interesting to look at, but for the life of me, most of the time I can't wrap my head around why it's considered art. I'm simply a girl who views art as being able to re-create an image or object in a new form other than the ones we see through our retinas. The Midway was an entirely new experience to me, and completely confusing at the same time. For me to be awed by something I don't entirely understand altogether is something amazing. This piece really got me.

MIA Exhibition

As curator for the new museum, I, Samantha Basques, am putting a new spin on things and the meanings of the work. Selfishly, I am warping the true meanings of the artists' work, and I am putting music to each piece of artwork. For just a taste, I'll give you the first few rooms of the museum, each piece of work associated with the top songs on my music playlist.

The first piece of work is by an unknown artist done in oil on stretched canvas. The depiction in the painting is that of a young woman's body, clothed in a blue frock and white lace garments accentuating her dress. The face of the figure however, is strikingly male. Due to this oddity, this painting wins the song title, "Dude Looks Like a Lady," by Aerosmith.









The second piece of art you'll see coming through my museum is the small, 10x15 inch carved depiction of Christ's last three days on Earth. While it's a moving piece, with the incredibly amazing detail included, this piece of artwork earns the song "Lord, Have Mercy on Me" by Outrageous Cherry.


Coming to the third piece of artwork, your eyes will land on the simplicity of the red and blue graphically designed poster. The beautifully crafted inspires a memory of happier times in the viewer, and will create a wishful feeling with "No Rain," by Blind Melon.

The fourth piece of art work you'll happen across is the oil painting on canvas "Through Birds, Through Fire, But Not Through Glass," by Yves Tangry. In a surreal set-up, Tangry displays a crazy set of objects, seemingly randomly placed, but as the viewer continues to study the painting, he or she will see the cleverly placed objects form a picture. Can you see it? The strange and surreal aspects of this painting land it in at "Nine in the Afternoon," by Panic at the Disco.

The fifth piece of artwork is that of a extremely vuluptuous female figure. Not only is she naked, but she is in a rather, suggestive pose. This piece earns the song title "Curse of Curves," by Cute is What We Aim For.


The sixth and last work of art is a large scale digital print titled "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters." by an unknown artist. This print depicts a man sleeping, or burying his head into his desk while a swarm of hauntingly frightening birds flying around him, creating pity for the man as he is obviouly preturbed and upset by these creatures. This print deserves the song of "Monsters" by Matchbook Romance.




Note: If you haven't heard any of the songs mentioned, you should probably listen to them or clips of them.. all are located on youtube. If you don't listen to them, you probably won't understand the similarities to the work and the song.

Sept 15th Assignment "I Love New York"

Created by Milton Glaser, the "I Love New York" symbol has become a renown and iconic symbol of our generation. Not only has it originated and created a wide band of merchandise, it's become the beginning of a new era. Following the "New York" image, comes a long line of successors and look-alike images.

One wonders why the "I Love New York" symbol is so iconic in the first place. Is it the simplicity of the symbol itself, and in being so simple embeds itself in the minds of anyone who sees it? It's a symbol that sticks with you once you see it, and continually recognize throughout the rest of your life. The symbol has grown to worldwide infamy and status. It's no longer available just to New Yorkers, but everywhere around the nation, and from there, the world.