Five Things: Three Cultural, Two Miscellaneous

[scarlettina]

Theater: Last Thursday, I spent the day with e_bourne, who invited me to go to see the play "Red" with her at Seattle Repertory Theater that evening. I'm so glad that a) she wanted to go out and b) that she shared this evening of theater with me. The play is an extended dialog about the nature of art, as discussed in a fictionalized scenario featuring abstract expressionist Mark Rothko (Denis Arndt) and his assistant Ken (Connor Toms). Rothko's just accepted a landmark commission, but Ken sees it as a sell-out. Over the course of two years they argue art and its media, its messages, and its meanings in each of their lives as they create works for the commission. The play's a tour de force, with speeches any smart actor would kill to play, played by two of Seattle's best actors in top form. Both Arndt and Toms give terrific performances--really, it's a remarkable show and I'm delighted to have seen it.

Art: On Friday, I went to see "Gaugin in Tahiti," an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, with SA WINOLJ. I've never really been a fan of Gaugin--the "primitive" thing doesn't do much for me--and I can't say that this exhibit changed my mind. It did, however, give me a better understanding of who he was and what he was trying to do with his work. The exhibit did a fine job of setting this body of work into a geographic, cultural, and ethnographic context. The Tahitian and Polynesian sculptures and artifacts included in the exhibit provided great perspective and were fascinating in their own right. Many of Gaugin's paintings in this exhibit reminded me of paintings in National Geographic, seeing as how, in the beginning, they were created to catalog Tahitian culture and life, and that gave me an unexpected kick. I especially appreciated the self portraits; they seemed remarkably contemporary and vividly human. I admit that my tastes are more classicist than the artist might have preferred, but I could appreciate what Gaugin was doing, and I recognized things in the art that helped me understand why his works are still appreciated to this day. Certainly worth seeing.

Movies: Friday night, overratedomac came over with his daughter, we had dinner, and we watched "My Neighbor Totoro," which I've seen before. When I first saw the film, I was a little sleepy and didn't quite get every bit of the film in the way I should have. This viewing, however, illuminated a lot of what I missed the first time, and I have a whole new appreciation for it overall.

Rushing About: Saturday was defined by a lot of rushing about. I was out the door at 8 AM for a cut-and-color at the salon. Then I was off to Capitol Hill for the Time Traveler's Rummage Sale, where I acquired a beautiful berry-red blouse, a fabulous pair of earrings, and some gears for jewelry making. I had lunch with varina8, and then a visit and dinner with davidlevine and kateyule who were in town for a square dance event. We had a terrific meal at the Kingfish Cafe (which, hello, if you haven't eaten at, you should go, like, tonight). They were staying with EG and JB, whom I rarely get to spend time with, so when David and Kate left for evening dancing, I hung around for a glass of wine and delightful conversation. Busy, busy day, but very pleasant.

Exhaustion: Today I'll be heading to West Seattle for a writing session, and then to help plan markbourne's life celebration. I've set a hard stop for all my activities at 2 PM, at which point I'm going to come home, turn off the phone and, possibly, my internet connection, and just stop everything so I can relax and prepare for the week ahead. It's been a difficult, stressful two weeks combined with some wonderful time as well, and I feel like I've had no time to digest much of what's happened, between Mark's death, funeral, and the planned life celebration; my attendance at the Rainforest Writer's Retreat (which was really good and, while it hasn't gone unremarked here, deserved far more coverage than it got); and my sudden employment. varina8 observed that she and I, both having experienced early loss, may deal with it by compartmentalizing emotion and activity: by doing things that make me feel competent and in control, by helping someone else, I can put aside some of the hardest stuff to deal with until there's space and time. That pretty much defines a lot of the last two weeks for me. I've certainly dealt with some of it, but it's going to be a long process, and there's much more work to be done.

Comments

[janetl.livejournal.com]

When the whirl slows a bit, come down to Portland to see the Rothko exhibit at the Portland Art Museum.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

I really want to, especially after seeing this show.

[e-bourne.livejournal.com]

Thank you for everything. Words can't express how much it means to me.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

Honestly, there's nothing else I could be doing. This is for you and Mark, which means it's my priority. You're welcome from the bottom of my heart. ::hug::