Portage to Portland

My Symbolism and Decadence class took a little field trip to the Portland Art Museum (no, we didn't wear matching shirts). My professor is sort of amazing--she answered all the questions that docents never can touched sculptures and got alarmingly close to canvases. We talked about frames and whether we should look at them or ignore them, she pointed out how bad some of the paintings were (that's usually a secret thought...) and spent a solid half hour discussing a painting called The Circumcision of Christ. I loved it.

The museum didn't allow cameras, but I took this picture in the sculpture garden of a piece by Deborah Butterfield. I'm a sucker for sculpture. It looks like driftwood, but it's actually painted bronze.

Our little troupe of grad students went to the Chinese Gardens next. I was so excited to see some of the things I've been studying in my Asian art class that I think I got a wee bit camera happy. Everything in Chinese garden's is framed and structured (not exactly "wild"). This garden imported limestone shaped rocks from Tai Lake in Southern China that serve as sculptures. As usual, there's text everywhere. 

Oh look, Portland.

 Framing.

 Venomous Tentacula!!!