Comments on: Frida Kahlo at the Philadelphia Museum of Art http://amywilson.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/frida-kahlo-at-the-philadelphia-museum-of-art/ my new way to try and document my artwork (and keep my website reasonably up-to-date). Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:06:29 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Another Roadside Attraction Or Big City Ironic Rustication? | Southern Fields Art Resource http://amywilson.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/frida-kahlo-at-the-philadelphia-museum-of-art/#comment-1974 Another Roadside Attraction Or Big City Ironic Rustication? | Southern Fields Art Resource Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:39:18 +0000 http://amywilson.wordpress.com/?p=477#comment-1974 [...] our refined methodology, San Francisco! Can we interest you in some parrot wrangling to go with the temple to the Cult of Frida? Which way to the [...] [...] our refined methodology, San Francisco! Can we interest you in some parrot wrangling to go with the temple to the Cult of Frida? Which way to the [...]

]]> By: C-MONSTER.net. » Blog Archive » See Frida. Buy Frida. Be Frida.: S.F. MoMA’s Kahlo gift store. http://amywilson.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/frida-kahlo-at-the-philadelphia-museum-of-art/#comment-1954 C-MONSTER.net. » Blog Archive » See Frida. Buy Frida. Be Frida.: S.F. MoMA’s Kahlo gift store. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:59:56 +0000 http://amywilson.wordpress.com/?p=477#comment-1954 [...] Thanks to Timothy Buckwalter, who points out in the comments section below, that Amy Wilson covered this same topic on her blog, Working, back when the Kahlo show passed through Philly. On that occasion, the gift [...] [...] Thanks to Timothy Buckwalter, who points out in the comments section below, that Amy Wilson covered this same topic on her blog, Working, back when the Kahlo show passed through Philly. On that occasion, the gift [...]

]]> By: amywilson http://amywilson.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/frida-kahlo-at-the-philadelphia-museum-of-art/#comment-1903 amywilson Tue, 20 May 2008 13:53:28 +0000 http://amywilson.wordpress.com/?p=477#comment-1903 Funny - I feel like with the addition of these two comments, the post is now really complete. Thank you guys for helping me with my thinking about the show! You are totally right about the delicacy of the work and how that's totally lost... another thing I think about is how the convention of projecting slides in a classroom is so bad for work like this (I've bumped up against it when lecturing about my own work). You picture the work to be of this epic scale when, in fact, they're much more powerful as these tiny little things so carefully painted. Funny – I feel like with the addition of these two comments, the post is now really complete. Thank you guys for helping me with my thinking about the show!

You are totally right about the delicacy of the work and how that’s totally lost… another thing I think about is how the convention of projecting slides in a classroom is so bad for work like this (I’ve bumped up against it when lecturing about my own work). You picture the work to be of this epic scale when, in fact, they’re much more powerful as these tiny little things so carefully painted.

]]> By: Ilene http://amywilson.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/frida-kahlo-at-the-philadelphia-museum-of-art/#comment-1902 Ilene Tue, 20 May 2008 11:56:24 +0000 http://amywilson.wordpress.com/?p=477#comment-1902 Just returned from the Kahlo exhibit and gift shop and couldn't agree more with your post and -- oddly enough -- the previous comment. I do think that Kahlo is better without the very lame audio and information produced by the museum, but I too found myself impatient with her victimhood, despite a predisposition to like her work. (Made worse by the knowledge that some of her surgeries were to get Diego's attention!) One thing that did strike me was how the work, particularly those painted on hospital bed,s were so small and delicate. I had always envisioned them as large and overwhelming works. To see them in person was a real contrast with the Friedapalooza going on in the gift shop. Just returned from the Kahlo exhibit and gift shop and couldn’t agree more with your post and — oddly enough — the previous comment. I do think that Kahlo is better without the very lame audio and information produced by the museum, but I too found myself impatient with her victimhood, despite a predisposition to like her work. (Made worse by the knowledge that some of her surgeries were to get Diego’s attention!)

One thing that did strike me was how the work, particularly those painted on hospital bed,s were so small and delicate. I had always envisioned them as large and overwhelming works. To see them in person was a real contrast with the Friedapalooza going on in the gift shop.

]]> By: Andrew Thornton http://amywilson.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/frida-kahlo-at-the-philadelphia-museum-of-art/#comment-1876 Andrew Thornton Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:05:44 +0000 http://amywilson.wordpress.com/?p=477#comment-1876 Even though I love and adore her work, I can see what you mean. In some senses, it's kind of like reading someone's diary. It's fascinating and beautiful and personal and poignant and on some level we all share experiences with most people that can be related to... then at some point there's a rejection of this. That, "Wow, gee golly, I don't care anymore." And then instead of reading the pages so earnestly expressed, we start to skim over the text looking for buzz words and key phrases to find what interests us most. Sometimes, I feel as though these pieces have to be seen when you're completely at rock-bottom. Don't read the text. Don't listen to the tape. Just feel the work. Dive into the personal cosmology that she creates and dig around in the hurt just like she did. The heroisms you're looking for become evident in the practice and patience. Even though I love and adore her work, I can see what you mean. In some senses, it’s kind of like reading someone’s diary. It’s fascinating and beautiful and personal and poignant and on some level we all share experiences with most people that can be related to… then at some point there’s a rejection of this. That, “Wow, gee golly, I don’t care anymore.” And then instead of reading the pages so earnestly expressed, we start to skim over the text looking for buzz words and key phrases to find what interests us most.

Sometimes, I feel as though these pieces have to be seen when you’re completely at rock-bottom. Don’t read the text. Don’t listen to the tape. Just feel the work. Dive into the personal cosmology that she creates and dig around in the hurt just like she did. The heroisms you’re looking for become evident in the practice and patience.

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