Words fail to describe just how much fun it is to have Beth Gersh-Nesic covering Modern Art these days. For one thing, Professor Gersh-Nesic is not sporting a giant academic stick stuffed some place about which Polite Society coughs behind its numerous hands and neglects to specify. She is the Art History professor we all wish we had had (although I cannot complain in one memorable instance). For another thing, she is an easy person with which to converse. A third thing is that she keeps me on track without, so to speak, squeezing my shoes (read: making me feel ignorant--no one likes that). I give you the following example as evidence:
Beth: So, let's cover Abstract Expressionism this week.See? Beth is the epitome of friendly art-historic advice and she can hang with the pop culture references. She is to be treasured. Please read her explanation of Abstract Expressionism here.
Me: Okay! Rawk on, Beth! Um ... which facet of AbEx? Action Painting? Color Field Painting?
Beth: The umbrella facet, Darling. It's what we teach Those Kids, These Days.
Me: But ...
Me: It's not just one "movement." Is it? I mean, my understanding is that there were subsets. Right?
Beth: Of course there were. Lots of them. The "Color Field" subset even had a "Washington" subset of its own. But let's just fill in the overriding missing information on the About.com Art History website first.
Me: I take your point.
Beth: (gently) You know, don't you, that we could cover the New York School artists, alone, from here to breakfast on July 25th of 2017?
Me: I do. Indeed. Easily. Up to Robert DeNiro, Sr., even.
Me: May lightning strike me dead if I ever question your methodology again.
Beth: You are a good friend and a positive genius about lightning strikes.
Me: I stay away from aluminum masts during electrical storms, too, Professor. Just so you know. Also? I would have been sorely tempted to kill Gilligan with my bare hands every other episode.
Beth: Mary Ann was never done justice by those sitcom writers. Never!
Image Credit:
Hans Hofmann (American, b. Germany, 1880-1966)
Provincetown House, 1940
Oil on panel
24 x 30 in. (61 x 76.2 cm)
Private Collection
© Renate, Hans & Maria Hofmann Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Comments
Shelley, you are tooooo funny. YOU are the art history professor we all wish we had!
PS – I can’t hear the music from Carmen without singing Hamlet.
Val, thanks so much for my monitor’s Pinot Grigio bath with the PS. I thought my baby brother (he is 44) and I were the only two people on earth inclined to burst out singing, “Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; do not forget, stay out of debt!” whenever the chorus comes in on the Toreador Song.
I always thought it was pretty convenient that they brought those records along for on three-hour tour (a threeee-hour tour).
Aaaacck! Typo! Please forgive!