Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
Oaxaca. The colors. The skies. Constant celebrations. The flavors. The people. Blooms bursting forth. Ever-present protests. And incredibly comfortable climate during the months when El Norte can be cold and dreary.
Always welcoming.
Continue reading “Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Hasta la proxima”
Above: “Living Means Learning to Appreciate Your Mother Nude,”* Rosemarie Trockel, photograph pasted onto a three-dimensional scene, 2001
A young woman lies on the floor absorbed in viewing a group of slides. She looks relaxed, her ankles are crossed, and she is wearing only underwear and a sweater. So domestic and secure does the scene seem, that catching sight of the woman like this seems strangely voyeuristic…. the photograph of the young woman seems to come alive in the mind’s eye…. one’s own life…is rooted in the sexuality of another human being.*
“Rosemarie Trockel,” Museum fur Moderne Kunst (MMK) catalogue for retrospective exhibition of the artist’s work from the 1970s through 2022
Happy Mother’s Day? (Or perhaps the title of the artwork above does not automatically qualify it as appropriate for the day?)
Wandering through Frankfurt’s modern art museum, MMK, I kept finding myself checking and checking the labels. Could these really all be created by the same artist? Yes.
Continue reading “Postcard from Frankfurt, Germany: Belated greetings via Trockel’s art”
Above: Detail on Rathaus, City Hall, on Romerberg Plaza
Pristine. Perfect condition. How could ancient medieval buildings in the the historic center of Frankfurt am Main possibly look this good? Their appearance is particularly amazing in the midst of so many mid-century structures.
The answer lies in the tenacity of the people in this region. Below is how the plaza appeared following the arrival of Allied troops as World War II drew to its costly close.
Continue reading “Postcard from Frankfurt, Germany: Impressions prior to following in Goethe’s path”
Postcards from Barton Springs 