Scary

When asked about her trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art yesterday, Salena couldn’t talk about anything but this Rubens painting. It scared the shit out of her. Back when I worked at the PMA nearly 14 years ago, I walked past this painting probably 25 times a day. I kinda became immune to it. But you know, it IS pretty terrifying!


Posted on 03/04/2009.
Filed under: Lazy Eye, Little Campers.

5 comments... »

5 comments.

  1. Hey Douglas,

    I remember when Arlo, my oldest, was 4 and he saw that painting and he was sitting in shock in the next gallery. I was explaining what Prometheus did to deserve that punishment and some man passing by said, “Don’t worry Hercules saves him.”

    Take care,
    Jim

    Posted by Jim Erikson on March 6th, 2009.

  2. Hah, Jim that is a funny story. I did one of my short essays on a painting of Prometheus, by Puvis de Chavannes, a few weeks ago. If you’re curious, check it out: http://gierschickwork.blogspot.com/2009/02/art-thoughts-week-40-puvis-de-chavannes.html

    I don’t remember this painting at the PMA; I need to go find it. I love the inclusion of the smoldering “giant fennel stalk” at the bottom left.

    Posted by GIERSCHICK on March 10th, 2009.

  3. When I answered the phone at PMA in the 80s, I used to get a lot of calls from people complaining about their kids seeing this Rubens.

    Kids also had trouble with de Selliao’s Reconciliation — they felt the soldiers were stealing the children.

    I would explain to the concerned that yep, the pieces are troubling and not all art is for children…

    People also used to call and bitch that the Rocky statue needed to stay at the top of the steps — because they felt it was art. I would explain that it was a prop from a film. They would get angry and tell that it was art since it looked just like Stallone. And Stallone did so much for the city, etc.

    Posted by Timothy Buckwalter on March 11th, 2009.

  4. That’s one of my all time favorite PMA paintings— I have great freak out memories of that when I was a kid. That and Duchamp’s illuminating light.

    Posted by John Tallman on March 14th, 2009.

  5. That was my favorite painting as a 4 year old. Also Salvador Dali’s “Composition With Boiled Beans; Premonition of a Civil War” and Duchamp’s sculpture “Why Not Sneeze RRose Selavy”. I do not present myself as having had normal childhood, though.

    Posted by Michael Macfeat on April 14th, 2009.

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