The Crocker Art Museum

For my last (mandatory) visit for this blog, I took a little trip to the Crocker Art Museum. To save a little money, I went during the third Sunday of the month, when it's free. Well, sort of. They still ask for a donation at your discretion, so I threw a couple bucks into the box because I'm not a complete tool. At any rate, I've been here before and there's a little matter I'd like to point out from the get-go.

Oh, that's always a good sign.

See this? I hate this. The other places I went to couldn't care less how many videos or pictures I took, so what's up with the photography prohibition? And if you think I'm exaggerating, case in point, I got caught taking this photo and a docent got on my case, following me halfway out the hall to make sure I didn't do it again. Real welcoming atmosphere you've got there.

That being said, I totally took photos and one of my famous high-quality videos when nobody was looking anyway because I'm an art paparazzi-ninja who lives on the edge.

Flora by Joan Brown

Figure With Striped Leg by Nathan Oliveira

Portrait of a Young Woman by Ethel Pearce Nerger

Haven by Allen Houser (Haozous)

The museum had a Toulouse Lautrec exhibit when I visited--which was excellent, but sadly consisted only of lithographs instead of the originals--which is part of the reason I was able to get these pictures. This area of the museum was a ghost town since it was Free Day and a famous artist was being featured elsewhere. I decided to focus on some figurative art, a style I'm generally drawn to anyway, since most of the art I've practiced is figurative in some form or another. The art in these rooms use bold strokes and thick layers of paint. Really thick layers. Some of them look like somebody went a little nuts trying to stucco a wall, while others have the texture and depth of a sandbox full of playground woodchips. Honestly, though, I like the tangible effect that comes from such thick paint, and the bright colors capture the eyes immediately. For those wondering, you can find these paintings on the third floor and if you like this type of art, I definitely recommend getting a good look at them up-close. As for the sculpture, I included it for the sake a variety, but there was something about the closeness of the faces and compact composition that attracted me to it. It's a very peacful, cozy piece.

I thought I was done taking pictures, but then I found this absurd thing.

I'm probably gonna get arrested when they see I did this. Maybe I'll share a cell with that lady in San Francisco.

It made me laugh when I saw it and applaud the artist when I walked behind it. I'm honestly impressed by the convincing nature of this painting. I'm not including it for any other reason than I simply appreciate it.

At any rate, after that, I visited my favorite part of the museum, the older half of the building. That's where they keep a lot of the traditional paintings and sculptures, the museum artifacts, and a whole room devoted to nothing but fine china. And of course, there's also the wonderful historical architecture, which I couldn't take a picture of on account of too many eyes. As much as I like contemporary art, it's a bit of a gamble. Sometimes you love it, sometimes you hate it. I've never seen traditional art I didn't at least find pleasant, however, and I wasn't about to pass up taking time for those too.

It was nice to see all my favorites again, but I still find myself pretty annoyed with their "no-cameras" nonsense. It's especially grating after visiting so many other galleries aside from this one, many of which not only allow cameras, but seem to encourage them. The Crocker has some great art, but it's not the most hospitable place I've been to. They could stand to loosen up a bit.

Final rating: White Chocolate.

Just because I'd visit again doesn't mean you're not stuffy.

Of course, while I've done all the visits I have to do, I'm not quite done here. I still have one or two things I want to talk about in this blog before I close shop and let it gather cyber-dust, but this time, I'll be talking about the kind of art I personally like.

Why? Because I can.