Called On Account Of Rain

                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

                         Chasing Inspiration

                                           Caravaggio, “The Taking of Christ”

 

Took the day, a wet, gloomy Saturday, and, in the company of the most wonderful M., escaped to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (aka, as everything else is these days, by its acronym LACMA). One of the best things we have done, for ourselves and as a small contribution to the wider community we share, has been to become members of this and a number of other museums and like organizations. The range of exhibitions can at first, as with any major metropolitan area, seem absolutely overwhelming but, by concentrating on featured artists, periods or media we have been able to really focus on and enjoy a number of fine shows.

 

                                    

                                              Stanley Kubrick, Self Portrait

Presently there is a double offering of Caravaggio and Kubrick being featured. Two men in two very different times, one portraying his faith and fall through painting, the other attempting to show us his take on the foibles and failures of his age through the motion picture. Caravaggio lived a dark and tormented life in his time, while Kubrick chronicled the very real threats and fears of his time. Both were rebels and at times outcasts but neither can be denied the visionary genius of their creativity and legacy.

 

In this atmosphere of discovery and amazement how do you not find something, even if only a latent kernel, to nurture or prod your muse? Looking at these so different media and styles and engaging in conversation with total strangers who share with you a commonality of their appreciation of the moment, how do you not compare your world, and how you perceive it, with theirs?

 

The next time the door to the store house of ideas and dreams seems barred to you, go to a museum. Stop worrying about how you’re going to finish that painting, or the next scene in that script, or whether or not the ending to that short story was the right one. Go and soak your heart and soul in the knowledge that each of us struggles, some of us mightily, but in the end it might be a bump start from the past that gets you moving toward your future again.