Ignorance Is Evil

"Two Tahitian Women" by Paul Gauguin, 1899.

On April 1, a deranged imbecile attempted to destroy Paul Gauguin's painting “Two Tahitian Women” currently on display at the National Gallery in Washington DC. Apparently, there was no damage done to the 1899 painting and the crazy lady was subdued. The painting was on loan from the Met as part of an impressive exhibit entitled “Gauguin: Maker of Myth.”

The smooth-brained dolt has been quoted as saying that the painting was “very homosexual” and “This is Evil!” Fortunately, the technological wonders of plexiglass thwarted her attempt to pummel the $80 million artwork. Sadly, the mind-burning stupidity does not end with one pathetic lunatic's failure.

Televised news reports on the attempted vandalism have regularly blurred, blocked, or cropped the image of the painting. Why? It shows the exposed breasts of women!!! OMG, that's soooo indecent! Think of the Children....

Yeah. Classic works of Western Civilization can't be showed unedited on televised broadcasts because of indecency concerns. It must be true that “only stupid people are breeding.”

But enough of the “moral” mouth-breathers, what about the response from the cognoscenti? Well, some of them have had a good chuckle over the event. After a quick denouncement of the attempted vandalism, there has been a game played called “What artwork would you deface?” Post-modernists don't get mad. They get “funny.”

Obviously, this incident has made me very unhappy. Nearly two weeks later, I'm still angry over it. To me, this attack on Art is illustrative of our society's pathetic cultural values. I know that I'm not alone in feeling this way, but I suspect that I'm in a decisive minority.

It's very sad.

In regards to the artwork itself, “Two Tahitian Women” is not my favorite Gauguin. Nevertheless, it is a deeply beautiful work. I don't mean merely the representation of Tahitian femininity, but in regards to the overall composition. The curving and soft flow of lines, the tension between the “hot” and “cool” colors, the play of light and shade, and the weight of the figures within the ambiguous space, these are all noteworthy elements of design that Gauguin utilizes to provoke from the viewer an emotional response. It is masterful craft.

If you're going to be in the DC area, check out this show: Gauguin: Maker of Myth.

Here's Gauguin's Wikipedia page.

Fight against Ignorance!!!