The eye of the beholder

We had just concluded an hour long visit to yet another art museum to find that it has started raining outside. The weather forecast had predicted rain throughout the day but we were thankful to have missed most of that as it never developed beyond a light drizzle. After 4 and a half hours of taking it the sights in São Paulo, my favorite being Oscar Niemeyer's creations in the Ibirapuera Park, we headed to what has consistently been rated the number one must-see in the city; the MASP (Museo de Arte de Sau Paulo) - where we were sated with yet another world class collection of Chagall, El Greco, Goya, Manet, Modigliani, Monet, Rembrandt, Picasso, Van Gogh: artists whose masterpieces we have had the good fortune to have become acquainted with after nearly two dozen years of visiting museums around the world, from The Hermitage in St Petersburg to the Louvre in Paris to the Prado in Madrid and the Uffizi in Florence.

But unlike the Uffizi which had a bit too much art (though the Michelangelo and Da Vinci pieces make it all worthwhile), MASP housed all its collection on one floor, of its ultracool minimalist building. And inside, we felt like being welcomed into the company of old friends and had thankfully escaped the slight downpour. 

There were two exhibitions: one on works produced in Paris by many of the above named artists; and another on the "Triumph of Detail, and then, Nothing". The former we were already familiar with, so we felt cozy and comfortable. The latter I had particularly enjoyed because this theme of "Detail vs Nothing" curated the paintings in a fresh exciting way: "During (sic) a long time, art was first and foremost, the art of details, the art of reproducing details or creating imaginary details. Then came a time when the detail begins to dissolve itself, and the art with it; and, in a third time, detail is simply no more"

Duly inspired, I took to creating works of art myself, with my erstwhile favourite model (now superseded by my daughter :), who was holding on to an umbrella to shield us from the rain. As we walked back to our hotel, this one-liner queen remarked casually after that "art is indeed in the eye of the beholder", and that she was the beholder of my art.

Paintings credit: Monet!