The best thing in Detroit
Whenever I go to Detroit I try to pay a visit to the Detroit Insitute of Arts. This is a great old museum and it has recently been renovated and expanded. My two favorite things in this museum are the armor collection and Kresge Court.
The armor collection is not extensive, but it does contain some battle suits with inspiring artistry. Recently the museum added a sculpture of sparkly silver streamers hanging from the ceiling of the entire hall. The combination of serious but beautiful battle armor and whimsical silver streamers is a strange but thought provoking juxtaposition.
Kresge Court is a skylit courtyard with every bit of wall space painted by Diego Riviera. This Fresco is in vivid color and his portrayals of human beings remind me of how amazing we humans really are. They are warm and strong and full of life. Of course the workers are more beautiful than the wealthy spectators and Henry Ford. This is part of the underlying political message that is part of what makes this artwork interesting.
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I once wondered whether this was the way he painted everything, but several years ago I chanced upon some of his sketches for this set of murals as well as some of his more "realistic" works. It was obvious that this guy could paint/draw anyway he wanted and that his stylization was completely intentional and completely controlled.
