I got back from seeing the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Toronto Art Gallery. Fantastic work. I had never been a fan of his stuff before - but then I hadn't really seen it either. I just saw those Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe pieces (in print - not up close)... and they didn't impress me.

Maybe what the difference is was the sheer size of the work. The immense canvases. As well .. the works were arranged with paticular themes: Sex, Death and Fame - the death ones were... to me a bit shocking. These HUGE black and white prints taken from newspapers - of people who had died in car accidents - or by suicide - or however. The images reproduced with all the texture and variation that silkscreen printing allows.

I think it is also the narration provided helps, especially upon first viewing. It was a great show - and gave me a better glimpse into his works.

Its funny to realize that even now these days - with horror movies etc - that images and art can still have impact. the image of a woman who jumped from a NYC building laying at rest in a car - she looked so beautiful, so graceful - lipstick on, gloves and the curve of her legs - as if she had found some peace. Disturbing. In black and white it has the power of lines and curves. You want to know this person - you want to ask them why? The sex bits of the show were not as say shocking as they might have been with the proliferation of porn everywhere. The film of a man's head / face as he was getting a blowjob was just funny. Taking a still shot (mentally) of the expressions made me want to giggle. Somewhere between rapture and pain, or just ludicrious human faces.

Art that can make a person stop and get shocked or *think* (think -damn it - think!) is impressive. I ended up getting a membership to the AGO because I want to see it again and Ansel Adams photos are coming in Nov. Meanwhile, due to renovations, the rest of the AGO is a complete mess.