Chihuly, Kahlo stir things up in San Francisco

Tag : Artistic Tea
SAN FRANCISCO -- Hated the Chihuly. Loved the Frida Kahlo. Who says art can't provoke, mesmerize, annoy and emotionallyconnect? There are two biggie art exhibitions in San Francisco this summer,both of them the kind that draw media hoopla, huge crowds, timedentrances and credit-card-tempting gift shops. At the de YoungMuseum, a show devoted to acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly -- heof the fantastical, snakelike- entwined chandeliers and vivid vases-- is offering the glass-world equivalent of a winter wonderland,with visitors strolling through dramatically darkened galleriescrammed with pieces so brilliantly lighted and eye-poppinglycolorful that it's like a bit of Christmas Tree Lane in the summer. And at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, big crowds areattending a bountiful Frida Kahlo show that features dozens of herfamed eyebrow-intensive self-portraits and a never-before-exhibitedcollection of photos from her private album. The Kahlo show isn't as flashy as the Chihuly exhibition, ofcourse, but to me, it's a much more fulfilling experience. There's no question that Chihuly's work is beautiful. Thefascinating shapes, bright colors and glittering surfaces stimulatethe eyes. (The chandeliers, in particular, are mesmerizing.) Butwhat surprised me is how little I found myself wanting to dwell onany particular work. Usually, in any museum exhibition, I find something that pulls mein and makes me want to pause just a little. Perhaps it's to absorbthe technique or ponder the meaning or even quibble with theartist's intentions. Yet with Chihuly, there's more of asurface-gloss relationship with the audience. As I wandered througheach of the people-choked, darkened rooms, confronted in each withfar too many works wedged together, I was struck with just howclose I was to a ride at Disneyland. The museum might as well driveus through in little cars moving along a track. In one room, two gondolalike "boats" sitting on a reflective seaare so laden with glossy Chihuly goodies that the whole thingbecomes a gaudy excess, as if you've just been confronted with aflotilla of Santa's sleighs overloaded with gifts for spoiledchildren. The mediocre audio tour (at $6 it's a ripoff), featuring generalcomments from Chihuly about each room, symbolizes the lightweightfeel of the exhibition. The artist rarely talks about individualworks and offers such vague generalities about the artistic processthat it's almost like background noise. The Frida Kahlo show, at SFMOMA, is on a whole different level.Kahlo's style -- many called her a surrealist, but she alwayspointed out that her imagery came from her reality, not her dreams-- is at once meticulous with its small scale and painstakingdetails but also somehow big and riveting. Most of Kahlo's works were self-portraits, and in them she chartedthe considerable tribulations of her life, especially her rockyrelationship with husband Diego Rivera and her myriad healthproblems that resulted from a serious bus accident when she wasyoung. She spent long stretches in hospitals, and there's a sense in herworks of frailness and pain along with her celebrated strength. In 1944's "The Broken Column," her naked torso has been piercedwith nails, and her body is cracked open to reveal a cracked Ioniccolumn replacing her spine. Yet for all the pain -- both physicaland romantic -- there's little sense of self-pity. Her resiliencepermeates her work. The Kahlo exhibit is just as crowded as Chihuly, but it's easier toescape the crowd by communing with the art. The Kahlo audio tour (just $3) is the best (and most advanced) I'veever seen. Along with commentary, a video screen shows relatedworks of art, photographs, video footage and even allows the viewerto "tap" different parts of selected paintings for furtherexplanation. It's a true multimedia experience. See both exhibitions if you have time. But if you're in town for just one day, the Kahlo is my pick. It'snot pretty on the surface like the Chihuly, but it's a much deeperand more meaningful experience. A note on both exhibitions: You'llwant to book the required timed tickets in advance (especially forChihuly, which has been rapidly selling out on weekends).