(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
In a post in the previous issue of Ny Tid, Tore Kierulf Næss makes sure that the visual arts have poor conditions nowadays. The reason for his lament is that he has been out among the crete and pleti and visited the exhibition "Munch + van Gogh" at the Munch Museum on Tøyen. He gets chills at the thought of these superficial blockbuster exhibitions that spread like wildfire, "not only here in Norway, but also most other places in the western world" (sic). According to Næss, this type of exhibition only leads to the museums receiving press releases (oh no!), An influx of spectators (can it get worse?) And a feeling of success as an art museum (preserved!).
This horrible The superficial trend "mildly paradoxical" has only one positive effect: it has brought Ness' old friend Vincent van Gogh to Oslo. To use a single factual argument to criticize the exhibition, Næs has no time for: "The compilation with Munch you can probably write a lot about, but I do not intend to do that." We are happy to praise that he has found time for to visit the exhibition at all.
Næs further believes that it is a misunderstood notion that great art must be read in ever-new ways and in new contexts in order to stay current. He believes such claims testify to a lack of understanding of art. A little further into the text, he has found a YouTube video with a montage of van Gogh's pictures and a pop song by Don McLean. He is quick to point out that "such a parasitization of a famous artist's photos" would normally be pleasant, but he is generous enough to think that the result is "rather moving, because the motivation is obviously good".
In other words, this ugly form of populism (read: the exhibition) has prompted Ness to not only visit the exhibition, but also discuss the use of blue in van Gogh's paintings, read his art in a new way and put it into new contexts ( using a YouTube clip!). I think that's pretty moving, because the motivation is so obviously absent.
I suggest that Næss travels to an untouched cabin high up in the mountains, gets hold of an unseen painting by van Gogh and takes with him an unopened bottle of good burgundy so that he can look at the painting in peace and quiet without being disturbed by these populist the museums that want press releases, the public and a sense of success. Only then will he understand why he is really so moved by van Gogh's paintings.
Aarts is a librarian.
