I attended an exhibition devoted to the art of Gernot Nebel.
|
I had a great time. The exhibition was held at the Museum in Mont-St-Hilaire, a town south of Montreal in Quebec, where I live. Nebel's paintings are abstract rather than realistic, but I found I could understand and respond to his canvases with no difficulty at all. It was just like hearing for the first time a performance of an unfamiliar composition by William Gillock, When you encounter a work of art that you can understand with ease and appreciate without difficulty, it makes you feel you are a great lover of art. It makes you feel confident. The titles Nebel's canvases are expressive and romantic. "Derriere le Givre"," L'heure Bleue", "L'aube du Fleuve," "Memoire-Fragile," are a few of them. They sound like the titles of poems. His colours are bold, while his painterly touch is not at all bold, but sensitive instead. Visit his website, and you will see what I mean. @@http://www.gernotnebel.net Alongside the wonderful paintings, Gernot has added some small stones as well as a group of photographs of stones and the surfaces of pavement, including a rusty iron and parts of an old wall. These are small things in our life, so it is good to be reminded of them, otherwise people might forget about them or pass them by without noticing them. |
|
I was very excited to realize, after seeing his paintings, that every
single object, no matter how tiny, has its own character. Expressing
that character, that existence, can attract and excite people. Walking along the street on the way home from the Museum, I found that I was enjoying the patterns of clouds, of stones, leafs, walls, etc. I began to appreciate many tiny things the way Nebel appreciates what he paints. Even in the music, we must be able to find things of interest in small measure, tiny bits and pieces of this and that, which we pass by without paying them any attention or showing any interest at all. Displaying even a modicum of attention or interest can charge the atmosphere with excitement, even change our lives entirely. The week after I saw the show, I had the opportunity to attend the artist's reception at the Museum. I met Gernot Nebel in person and heard him speak about his conception of art and how he paints. He spoke in French, and as my French is limited, I could not understand everything he said. That left me frustrated because I wanted to understand every word that he spoke. This experience has encouraged me to redouble my efforts to learn French and it has reminded me of the importance of being curious about art and the world around us. So I am glad I attended the art show and had an encounter with Gernot Nebel and his art. It has stimulated me and that will certainly enrich my musical life.. |
September .12. 2007
CanadaÖčTopÖ