Emily told me she wanted a trip to the Salvador Dali museum for her Christmas present, and I just about burst from pride. Who know that all those years of throwing random cultural events at her would take hold? Not me, but you better believe I am taking credit for it. The new museum is somehow not as much fun as the old building though, too cramped, the architecture is kind of pretentious and it clashes with the beautiful Tampa bay vista, but still, the art remains as beautiful and stirring as ever. Just one thing reared it's ugly head to scuff my normally calm demeanor, but it was a big thing, so buckle in kiddies.
The Salvador Dali museum offers free of charge these little MP3 headset deals, so you can take a self guided tour. I thought this might be a great idea for the uninitiated until I saw them ( the slack jawed yokels I mean). Artwork's greatest value is in how it touches you. Being touched depends on you, seeing, interpreting, and feeling. It is nice of course to have a commentator to offer opinions or even the artist's own interpretation, but for God's sake learn to enjoy the work for yourself first.
They stirred around like a giant herd of cattle, empty eyes boring straight into the picture, as they looked for whatever the voice on the tape told them to see. Oh yes they stepped in front of you or on you without looking, but that was not their greatest offense. Those bored vacant eyes, that was their shame. That dirty little secret of modern education, I NEVER LEARNED TO THINK FOR MYSELF!
What ails you people, are you really so ignorant, so callous to beauty and art and ideas that you treat a trip to the museum like a game of Halo? I wanted to scream and yell and rip the headsets off people and fling them down the massive helical staircase.I wanted to raise the alarm, I wanted to call the humanities professors of the world to begin administering spankings.
Listen to me my friends, I am begging you please, sometime this month, go to a fine arts museum and just enjoy the art, don't follow the docent, don't read the plaques, just enjoy and then report back to me and let me know if it made a difference in that day of your life.
If you live here in the Tampa area may I humbly suggest; the Ringling Museum in Sarasota (home to one of the nations largest collections of baroque art), the St Pete museum of fine art (they are having an Egyptian exhibit until mid April) or the Salvador Dali museum. No matter where you live I know you will find something worth seeing.
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