I wrote about Glitter and Doom a couple of months ago and I knew the show as ending soon so I went over tho the MET last night and spent an hour or so view the Verist paintings before the show comes down later this month.

After really processing the information (over two visits and 3 months) I’m prepared to offer an opinion and an insight.

My opinion, of the two main painters in the show – Otto Dix vs. Max Beckmann – I’d have to go with Max BeckMann as the greater artist.  Both are great – but Max Beckmann is more purely a painter while Otto Dix seems to more of draftsman. 

On the other hand, Max Beckmann came to the United States and taught here – influencing popular thought about Art – I don’t think Dix did the same thing – and maybe that’s why Otto Dix is not that big an artist in the United States (compared to Beckmann – but that’s just my take).

Finally, I could not get the music in my head stop – as I was looking at the paintings this time – I kept feeling the German Portraits of the 1920’s looked back – not forward.  Even the idea of Verism – of taking people and painting them as archetypes (and distorting them for artistic interest) seems more a reflection of Jung, to me.  I can’t prove that, but it seems to me Otto Dix was looking back to Durer.  Beckmann was not, so much looking back, as being introspective and, bitter -they’re all bitter - it seems like Germany in the 1920’s was more like living in reality with a nightmare superimposed – the aftermath of World War I.

By the way, here’s some of the photos I took last night at the MET – all at other wings (they won’t let you photograph Glitter and Doom.

Could not resist taking a photo of Bonnard’s “After the Morning Bath” with was almost identical to my painting, in name only, called “After the Bath“.  Too bad I could not get a better shot!

 

I forgot the artist that sculpted “Durer’s Mother” but she’s sure Ugly.  Interesting though.

 Now I know where the Roman Busts of the Emperors that you used to be able to see at the Metropolitan will be housed – and coinciding with the showing of ROME on HBO, which I’m watching each week. 

This Balthus painting is also unusual – it’s about a woman looking out a window and the colors are very different that his usual palette.

And that’s it for the MET last night.  Now if I can only get over to my studio so I can paint today!