Come for the Pre-Columbia Art : Stay for the Neo-Modern Post-Colonial Art Analysis

MUSEUM DESCRIPTION

Time and its passage, a concept which tends to over come and even overpower one within the context of a setting such as the present one, seems to have come to a stand still in the case of this sculpture, to which neither decay nor corrosion have deleted the fundamental features of the character depicted. Originally composed and executed from a distinctly frontal perspective and clear intention in order that countenance and facial features should become its prime focus of attention.

This work of art constitutes an exemplary instance of that deeper –and by far more elusive- artistic gift of pausing, detaining, or bringing about a hiatus, in the fabric of time itself; of savoring however briefly- the very concept of timelessness, and through it attaining a true realization of the actual act of time’s passing, though not as a process of decrease or decay, but rather as one of growth and continuance.

Anthropomorphic Sculpture
CHIMU Imperial Period 1300- 1532 AD

With out question the most though provoking, and well executed, museum in all of Peru, the Cusco Pre-Columbian Art Museum, eschews traditional analysis of primitive art as a means of assessing the technological and social achievements of a civilization. Instead it seeks to take the master works of these earlier periods on their own terms as pieces of art as worthy of consideration and reflection as any modern efforts on display. What is most shocking is the success in which this has been achieved. The above blurb accompanying a rather lifeless wood sculpture left me staring into the hollow eyes of this remote and decayed idol and on through to the vivid and wet pupils of the artist some 700 years gone. Never in my life have I felt so immediately the presence of time. Frozen between the tick and the tock, I swallowed the cold reality that I am an American tourist passing across an ancient set of eyes. Who am I to them? --A colorful frame of film, a moment, in an endless series that will no doubt persist for many hundreds of years of moments more. It’s deep stuff. Far more challenging than one would find in even the most engaging of modern art exhibits.

Ok! So the theme of the pre-Columbian art museum is that the best works of the ancient past are as -- if not more -- relevant to the modern viewer than just about anything being passed off as art today. Is this true? Who knows, but the idea is mind blowing. The secret ingredient being careful selection of pieces not as emblematic of a period’s style or technique, but as work that transcends those styles and techniques. Also ridiculously over-the-top descriptions can help.

How Howard Dean Saved the World

Howard Dean doesn’t get a lot of love lately. People have relegated him an obscure footnote in the history of politics - An ineffectual leader of the DNC who refused to take sides in what was seen as a destructive and potentially fatal primary battle between Hillary Clinton and President Elect Barack Obama. If he’s remembered at all by the wider population it’s more likely than not for his unearthly scream at the conclusion of the Iowa primary. Endlessly repeated by the news media - that scream drown out an otherwise remarkable grassroots campaign heavily relent on youth support and Internet fundraising. A recipe dutifully duplicated and improved upon by the Obama campaign. Could Obama have hoped to defeat the democratic frontrunner status and uber-power of the Clinton machine without the Dean Internet / grassroots campaign roadmap? Unlikely. But we aren’t taking about that ground breaking effort to re-engaged voters in the political process in 2004 as we should. Lets give Dean his dues. After all, to paraphrase Einstein, if the Obama campaign could see farther it’s because it stood on the shoulders of giants. But that was a long time ago. What has Dean done for us lately? Well after his defeat Dean became head of the DNC directing the efforts and resources to elect democrats across the country and birthing the “50 state strategy,” a concept perhaps most responsible for the scale of democratic wins in Congress and one whose adoption by the Obama campaign helped usher in a Democratic mandate unmatched in my lifetime. Still there are many who were frustrated by his unwillingness to support Obama over Hillary (or vice versa) and end a brutal battle that slogged from state to state. I say thank goodness, because sure enough those battles help toughen and swell the ranks of democratic ground troops in states that would have never otherwise have been in contention in the general election. Even more importantly, it helped create a volunteer infrastructure competitive with the much-vaunted Republican machine in the perennial battlegrounds states. So what's my point? My point is that us Democrats owe a lot of our current success to Dean and maybe the country and the world at large should consider showing a little gratitude. In short, I’ve dusted off my Deaniac beanie and so should you!

America: Day One

So here it is; America is deciding if it can elect a black man as its leader. Everyday Americans of all stripes and colors, spanning the entire spectrum of class, region, and ethnic background are going to the voting booth and having their say. I can’t tell you what we as a country will decide no matter what the pollsters say. They’ve been proven wrong far too many times, but I can tell you no matter what happens I consider this ground zero. Today America actually became America. So what does that mean? For me it’s an implicit promise given at our founding and so well articulated by Dr. King, that we are a nation where a person is judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin or any other externality for that matter. This is idea that has been taught to young Americans from generation to generation and while it has always been a source of strength and a powerful symbolic force that has made this nation unique and an inspiration to the world, it has not always been true. Only through the hard fought efforts of Americans from the foundation, to the Civil war, to suffrage, and the civil rights movement and many moments in between have we moved to that more perfect nation. I don’t mean to imply that this is a nation now free from all prejudice or that it has achieved all it hopes to in terms of social justice, but I do believe in my bones as most American’s now do that no one is automatically excluded from being the people’s representative, whatever their demographic make-up. Yes it is true that there has yet to be a female president, or a Jewish or Asian or Indian one (dot and feather). But it is also true that a biracial individual, who not so many generations ago could very well have been a slave in this country, could now very well be its leader. The biggest hurtle has been cleared and the other demographic check marks will simply be that, check marks that will have political consequences, but not to the point of utter exclusion. Let me put this more bluntly; if we can elect a black man we can elect anyone. That is a promise that no nation in the history of the world has ever achieved. That promise is why many around the globe once looked to America as the hope of the world and why I believe come Wednesday they will again. Annuit Coeptis or roughly translated ‘she approves our undertaking.’ It’s on the dollar people!

Hamptons

So I've had a busy Fourth of July out here @ the Hamptons. For those of you who don't know I just moved to the Hamptons for the summer to write, so why not drop a few lines about my experience. Here's a run down of this last weekend's events.

The Forbes boat: Imagine a boat made of gold bathrooms, stocked with caviar oeuvres, and crewed by former models-- and then make sure that taste and class don't by accident slip through the guess list and you'll have yourself the Forbes fourth July party. It may not be sea worthy but hell I'm having drinks with a former model on Thursday so it can't be all bad.

Black & White and "Over the Hill": Saturday at the lovely summer house of Ed WallstreetGuy (rented) and his young Bipolar wife, Cruella De Vil, was a collage of white collared shirts stained with lobster juice and Rose. But the 40th birthday bash was not with out its highlights, most notably a phone call from English pop-star Fergie. For those in attendance the most import bit of information was "how they knew Fergie and how long they had been friends". Cruella, putting aside the skins of her namesakes Dalmatians, instead donned a white princess's dress with a collar reminiscent of Ming the Destroyer. I'm sure it was from a very well know designer, but honestly it looked like she had gone to the Disney World castle when she was six, pointed at a picture of a princess, closed her eyes and held her breath until she woke up 25 years later in the Hamptons.

Dames’ Barbecue & Beach event: Well this wasn’t really a Hamptons event. In fact, it was if anything an anti-Hanpton shindig out in Long Beach -- consisting mostly of grilling and beach fun. With healthy doses of hipster librarian irony (dames is a librarian as were other’s in attendance) and kid friendly wave chasing; a good time was had by all.

Ava’s Two Year Old b-day bash – On Sunday I got to celebrate my niece’s second birthday with lunch out at Shelter Island’s Sun Set Beach Hotel. I loved getting to sit out side and eat by the beach and, of course, watch super-amazing Ava cobble down all she surveys. In attendances Ava’s best friend and fellow Hamptonite, 19 month old, Owen.

Favorite parts of the weekend:
-Teaching Ava to swim with her Daddy
-Getting to drive the Sloan-mobile’s boat

Weekend’s Best Ideas:
-Creating a reality show based on one of my brother’s best friend’s and fulltime player; Michael Sloan
-Getting acupuncture guru and college roommate Greenberg to ply his trade out in the Hampton Goldmines.

You found me!

So I've been found out! I have a blogg. This internet thing must be really catching on...
I'm not sure I have much to report to the world today... except of course that my old friend Allison found "Hey Epstein" the blog and film company HEYEPSTEIN.com.

I want to thank Allison for her investigative efforts. Good work! She's like my own personal Nancy Drew!

I dedicate this post to her and all those bloggers out there who inspired me to create a blog and then forget about it...

Today I become a Man

Today I turned 29. I don't know what that means. I'm not sure there is anything to know about it. Maybe that is what I wish for than, that there is something to know about it. Today I'm starting a blogg to record my struggles, trials and who knows maybe even triumps. I think I'll leave my first post short and sweet.