There's Just Something About Those Shapes

Rocked my world...

“Dude, what the hell kind of art is this? It looks like a lizard puking up skittles.” – Tom Haverford, Parks and Recreation.

I used to be an artist. I even went to art camp in 5th grade (worst experience ever at Mystic Lake Camp…I tried walking the 3 miles to my Uncle’s Bass Lake cabin at one point as my cousin Joe looked on helplessly). I wasn’t that bad of a drawer (see FishMan.jpg). I even painted some things in my day.

As I grew older, I strayed from my artsy side. Not that I didn’t like artistic things, I just moved onto different genres within the art world. Instead of an art connoisseur, I consider myself to be an expert in television watching (not an ideal artform to my mom, the librarian).

HOWEVER, yesterday we went to the Van Gogh Museum. I was walking through, enjoying everything. I thought the paintings were pretty amazing, and Van Gogh was pretty crazy so it was interesting to read up on him. I was writing down some of the paintings I liked so that I could look them up. And then. It hit me.

Holy hell. I felt like those kids must have felt walking into Willy Wonka’s Factory. It was “Wheatfields Under Thunderclouds” (http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?page=4596&collection=627〈=en). Those blues and greens were so rich and the clouds that were jumping out at me. Then that little splotch of red right in the middle of the field. I stared at that thing for at least 10 minutes straight. Looking. I set up shop front and center and gazed. I was entranced.

I started out with a Parks and Rec quote. This is because I felt like Tom Haverford when he had an emotional response to art for the first time. (check it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5l3C9zBGa0 ). He says, “There’s just something about those shapes!” I was thinking, “There’s just something about those clouds!”

I considered it a major breakthough in my art loving life. Then, I turned back into a Boylan and powered through the rest of the museum right to the café and got a hot coco to cure my low blood sugar and bad mood. But I keep thinking about that painting. It’s crazy.

Now I have to go do a workout, and I’ll probably think about that painting the rest of my time here. Good work Van Gogh. Now Let’s Go!