Hello Everyone,
To briefly introduce myself, my name is William and I live in Toronto.
Alluding to the title of this "Listserve" post, I argue that the ‘epic aesthetic experience’ encompasses a multitude of personal events, from which I associate these memories with art gallery visits. I can only disclose that the art gallery continues to be a major source of therapy – quite literally. Before the aesthetic magic, I lived in Peterborough, Ontario (Canada).
In July 2012, I found myself at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York. Through happenstance, I discovered this quaint self-portrait. I said to myself, “I will be seeing a lot of you this year.” Located on the main floor of the gallery, relatively adjacent to a Chagall painting, I could only feel the “seeing a lot of you” vibe in the near future.
Over the course of 2012 and 2013, I experienced an incredible exhibition synchronicity at the Art Gallery of Ontario, here in Toronto, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. I will let you, the reader, figure out to which exhibition I refer. My personal distinctions, at the time of exhibition, were that I reveled (“lived”) at the AGO, and close family lived in Atlanta.
This painting of Albright-Knox origin travelled to Toronto and Atlanta for this travelling exhibition. I will never forget my amazed surprise to see the SAME painting on its own wall at the AGO, after having seen it at the Albright-Knox. At the High, this portrait complemented a series of the artist’s self-portraits as part of her oeuvre.
A year later, after having enjoyed a pleasurable summer in Atlanta, I found myself back at Albright-Knox in September 2014. I not only made the official move to Toronto, but the painting also coincidentally returned. Nevertheless, I said to myself, “WHOA.”
The dots are all connected. Thank you for reading.
Wishing all of you well,
William
[email protected]
Toronto (Canada)
PS. Spoiler hint: my story pays homage to a celebrated Mexican painter.