Tag: art

Fleeting Connections

Published on by gwenmorgan323Leave a comment

Three weeks ago my phone died in the middle of Soho, London.

It was one of the best things to have ever happened to me.

I had gone off on my own to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum on South Kensington Street. I was on the trip with a couple other girls, but I felt I was making insufficient use of my three days in “The Big Smoke”. So, after being shown around by one of my sorority sisters, I decided to head off by myself. I had a map; I had my phone, and I had my spare battery. I knew exactly where I was thanks to my friend (who had my location) and knew exactly where I needed to go at 6:30 to have dinner with the rest of our group.

Except my phone was at 40%…and my battery pack was dead.

This I did not know until I reached the museum, which I did entirely by physical map because I wanted the opportunity to navigate without Google Maps and take a break from my phone (ironic). I then decided to turn off my phone, save my remaining battery, and go through the museum without taking any photos; a sort of “mini challenge” for myself as someone who loves to whip out their phone and snap a picture of a painting. For those who don’t know, the Victoria & Albert Museum is the world’s largest of applied arts, founded in 1852. Truly, one of the best museums I have ever set foot in and is filled to the brim with not only ancient architecture from every part of the world but people too.

The first person I met was a lady named Jan. Jan was at the museum with her son and husband. They had popped into town for some Korean barbecue and decided to check out the museum afterward. Jan and I had a lovely conversation about the green dye used for shoes in the Japanese exhibit. I told her about my studies here in Bilbao, and she told me about how she’d lived in London all her life and that her son was also interested in an exchange program. I encouraged it. I bid her adieu and went along my merry way.

The second was a boy my age named Spencer. I found him studying and touching one of the vases in the exhibit (don’t worry it was fake). Spencer is currently studying abroad in Italy and is super into pottery and ceramics. He came to the museum mainly to see the “moon vase”, a giant white pot on which he was basing one of his own pieces off of. He showed me why he was touching the vase, and how he was trying to memorize the different dips and curves. It’s such a beautiful thing, getting to see what other human beings are passionate about, what makes life worth living for each delicate soul on this planet.

The third was a girl named Disha, who I met in the Roman sculpture gallery of the museum. Disha was trying to get the perfect picture, setting up her phone against and table and running back to try to get the perfect shot. I offered to help her, and we ended up having at least a 30-minute discussion about our lives and a mini photoshoot in the gallery. Disha is from Canada, works for a travel agency, and is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. We exchanged Instagrams, I gave her some suggestions on spots to hit during her time in London and raced down the steps of the museum to get on the metro…which I then found out was closed, so I headed to the bus station.

At this point, my phone had gone down, down, down in battery, and my anxiety had only gone up, and up, and up, so with only 15% left I began to study the bus map, hoping to find out where I needed to go the old-fashioned way and preserve battery. Luckily, I was helped by a lovely woman named Bushra, another local Londoner who was coming back from teaching music composition. She showed me where I needed to go, and which line to get on as she peppered me with questions about the U.S. and I demanded she tell me where I could find the best scone before I hopped on the double-decker bus and made my way to the restaurant in Soho, London.

Side note: Soho was easily my favorite part of London. It’s like New York, full of color and bars and billboards. I definitely intend to return and explore it more in-depth!

Upon my arrival at the restaurant, I had about 5% of my battery left, feeling not too worried since I had made it to the location, and my friend would be arriving soon with my spare portable charger.

Apparently, I was at the wrong restaurant, and my phone died minutes after realizing this information.

Luckily, there was a lovely trio of people standing outside who willingly lent me a charger, and I went back inside to charge my phone behind the bar, where I met the sweetest bartender, Antonio.

Antonio told me about how he had lived in London all his life and had always wanted to come to the U.S. He also asked me if it’s true we wear pajamas all the time…to which I laughed and said unfortunately yes. We bonded over various topics while we waited for my phone to charge. We laughed about how different our countries were as he made me one of the best martinis I have ever had (I’ve never had one), and we exchanged Instagrams for Antonio’s inevitable journey to the wonderful state of Colorado. Once my phone was sufficiently charged, I paid for my drink (discounted- thank you Antonio), said our goodbyes, and returned the charger before ordering an Uber to the proper restaurant where my friends were waiting.

There is something so beautiful about those fleeting connections made with a stranger. I’ll probably never see any of these characters again, but I will always remember them. I was unbelievably anxious about my phone situation, and each of those little connections just made the whole situation ten times better.

But do consider this a cautionary tale. As someone who is constantly overprepared and hyperaware, this was certainly…not my finest moment, and while I don’t recommend letting your phone die in the middle of a big city you’ve never been to before, definitely make some fleeting connections.

Discovering a New Artist: Hilma af Klint

Published on by gwenmorgan323Leave a comment

The other day I decided to spend the morning alone and frolicking about one of the frequently mentioned places in my blogs: the Guggenheim Art Museum. I heard there was a new exhibit up, and what better way to spend a Friday morning?

I had no idea I would discover one of my new favorite artists: Hilma af Klint.

Hilma af Klint was a Swedish artist and self-proclaimed mystic born in the mid-1800s. Her paintings are mostly abstract, geometric, and full of spirals and color. What drew me to Klint’s work at first was how perfectly she was able to execute such symmetry. I was particularly infatuated with one particular painting of hers titled “What a Human Being Is ” (slide 2 in my Instagram post). It’s a split pink heart with a gorgeous spiral through it, leading to a rainbow refraction at the bottom. This particular painting supposedly delves into abstract symbolism that explores the human essence. Most of her work is similar in theme, exploring the dualities of human nature. In much of her works, you can see her depict the feminine with bright, baby-blue colors, while the masculine is depicted with vibrant yellows. She uses much of her work to explore this dichotomy, along with several spiritual themes. I simply couldn’t get over how geometric her work was, how vibrant and feminine, yet so deeply in touch with the spiritual world.

Hilma was ahead of her time, painting abstract pieces even before Kandinsky or Mondrian. If I hadn’t been drawn to her work initially, I certainly was after learning that not only was she queer, but she was a spinster and what some would consider a “witch.” She belonged to a group of four other women, proclaiming themselves “The Five.” The Five would perform ritual seances together. One of those rituals was ultimately successful, one that occurred in 1906, and served as a catalyst for what she considered to be her life’s work: The Paintings for the Temple. These three paintings were among the last of 193 works she created during her life, considering herself to be the sole commissioner for these pieces as a gift to her spirit guides. The Paintings for the Temple also included several sub-series, such as The Ten Largest, Primordial Chaos, and The Swan (which I have a few pictures of below as well).

The Ten Largest was certainly something to behold. Displayed in a massive room inside the Guggenheim, these ten paintings explore the stages of human life from childhood to old age. They include countless floral motifs and bright colors. What I loved most was that I could really see each age within the colors. Childhood was a playful bright blue, young adulthood/adulthood vibrant yellows and oranges, and old age was a softer purple. They were phenomenal, full of spirals, and a sort of dream-like quality I very much enjoyed. I always love to see how artists go about representing the cycle of life in their works, and Klint’s work was especially exceptional.

Hilma was certainly ahead of her time, and she knew it, too. She specifically requested that her work not be shown until at least 20 years after her death. I mean, can you imagine a spinster woman in the 1800s talking about how she regularly spoke to spirits and painted more than 1,200 paintings for them? Unlikely.

Originally, she had wanted her work to be shown in a round building, where visitors could “progress” with her paintings along a spiral path. She wanted the nature of that journey to reflect her own with her spirit guides, and you can see how she draws on various religious imagery from Christianity and Buddhism but also Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and theology. Many have speculated as to why she wanted to wait for her work to be shown, most coming to the conclusion that the general public just wouldn’t have been ready to receive it since it drew upon such profound and complex ideologies. But it wasn’t until 1986, 40 years after her death, that her work was finally put on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

I was floored to have gotten the opportunity to experience her work in person. I felt such a kinship with her and her art style. I loved how she incorporated colors and shapes into her paintings, how she was able to depict her spiritual journey, and how deeply those experiences affected her. It was also nice to see another female artist who made such an impact. I find it funny how I’ve gone to so many museums, and each time I am introduced to a female artist who was supposedly “ahead of her time”, yet wasn’t debuted and instead overshadowed by the popular male artist names we know today. I’m glad they are getting the recognition they deserve, even years later.

Wherever you are studying abroad, I strongly encourage you to visit your local art museum and view the exhibits. You never know—you may find a new favorite artist!