While I was down south visiting the super-fantastic toy collection I wrote about last week, I was also able to see Think Flat: The Art of Andy Warhol and Takashi Murakami. I’ve been meaning to go see the exhibit for a month or two, so I’m glad I finally made it.
I don’t mean to start off negative, but I’ve got to be honest. I am not typically a Pop Art fan, and both Andy Warhol and Takashi Murakami can be extremely hit or miss for me. With that said, like I say, I still wanted to be sure and see the exhibit because I do appreciate some Pop Art and other Pop artists, and there is enough Warhol and Murakami that I like quite a bit.
Fortunately, the Warhol on display is very good. Repetition, bright colors, celebrity and the Queen. There was even a series of screen-printed animals I’d never seen that was quite nice. All in all, quality Warhol.
Murakami though… in general, he just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve got to admit, the whole super-cute anime thing that he reproduces really turns me off. I have no appreciation at all. I will say though, when he twists that cute style into something sinister, that is when he catches my attention. Unfortunately, there weren’t many of his twisted-cute paintings to see. There were some… I just wanted more of those, they were the ones that held my attention. There was a Murakami reinterpretation of old traditional Buddhist prints that I liked a whole lot too however.
All in all I enjoyed the Warhol / Murakami exhibit. Its another good reason to head down south and check out the BYU MOA.
