DANCING and PAPER ,

Beaubourg is the blue building on the right
The Pompidou centre is still criticized as an ugly building. It was opened in 1970 and is named after one of our Presidents - George Pompidou.  As far as I know, it is still the largest modern art museum in Europe and houses a wonderful collection along with very exciting temporary exhibitions. I can see the building from my flat in Paris. It beckons me on a daily basis. 20 minutes walk and I am there.

There was a small  exhibition I wanted to see. Josef Albers (German: 1888-1976) He lived in America. Painting on Paper. Such a contrast from what I had just seen at La Gaité Lyrique but is not really worthwhile talking about. Except perhaps to say that Alber’s was fascinated by juxtaposing two colours and this was what the exhibition was all about. I prefer other work of his.
Variant 1947


I wandered around relaxing with the colour before thinking about going home. Then I remembered «Danser Sa Vie» or «Let’s Dance Our Lives» . I had seen it a couple of times with the crowds, so perhaps at the end of the afternoon...? I was right. There was a lot of space to move in and I really wanted to look at the Emil Nolde, Kirchner and a few other paintings again. But no more videos....

This is an exhibition which explores the osmosis that could occur between modern and contemporary dance and the visual arts. Upon entering the first main gallery there is a video which I looked at for 15 minutes. Nijinski’s rendition of «Afternoon of a Faun» (Debussy) (1916). What eroticism! Sensuality....
Niijinsky





Nolde "Varieté"
but going  into the other rooms, all there seemed to be were a lot of naked dances in videos waving around in parks and gardens.

Kirchner "Death Dance"
Then I fell on the Emil Nolde, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - the German Expressionists who I admire so much. The energy, the vibrancy of colour and movement. Even if the «Death Dance» of Kirchner is a little macabre.

Nolde
Doesburg


Side by side, two Theo Van Doesburg which define another rythmic expression but differently so. 

Rythmic Russian Dancer



You have guessed it. Could there be such an exhibition without Picasso? 




A little further on an animated sculpture in stainless steel, that lit up and changed colours Nicolas Schöffer (1912-1992 and born in Hungary).



If you really do want to «dance on paper» do so like the Japanese Kazuo Shiraga (Japanese: 1924-2008) Whereas Pollack does it with dripping and he is another artist I cross continents for, Schöffer  rolls around in paint.  Yves Klein pushed naked women to do so. Each artist has his own energy and I like all three. Pollack’s work though covers every strip of paper in a calculated manner.
Kazuo Shiriga Planete Nature

I was glad to have gone again. Maybe I was a little bit too hasty in not taking in videos and dance films, but the «Faun» was so beautiful that this was all I needed. 









But of course, I should not forget Calder dancing....do you know who she is? 


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