Absurdity, Allegory and China

There are some things you do just because you do. And in retrospect you wonder why. Most Chinese weddings fall into this category. Visiting a relative on their deathbed just because you saw them once when you were five and they were, then, already older than dirt is another. Going to the Louvre in July will forever remain a mystery to me: why did I do such a thing? But it’s done, and though the first two-and-a-half hours were akin to wandering through the backalleys of Hell, it didn’t turn out to be a total waste, though for some it could be judged that way. The Mona Lisa? Didn’t see it. Venus de Milo? Missed that too. I did manage a glimpse at Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, but I was in a crush of revolutionary art lovers and the crowd swept me away. Liberté, égalité, fraternité, for sure. It was more like a mass anxiety attack. I’ve never seen so many people bypass w/o a glance masterpieces by Fillipo Lippi, Botticelli and Paolo Uccello’s The Battle of San Romana on their way to see … the Mona Lisa? If I were the last man on earth and happened to stumble into the Louvre, I would not be surprised if I stumbled out again without laying an eye on the babe. She’s just not my type. Marcel Duchamp’s take on her is more my style. There you have it. Art! Spend some time with Sonia Delaunay for a real good time. But Mona …well, she’s become nothing more than a brand.

For a look at my look at the Louvre, here are a few to click on.

And just to keep this on the subject of Olympics and China while lounging in France, Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that he will join George Bush at ZhangYimou’s Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing next month. Now how’s that for … . Well, I don’t even know what to call it. How do you say “suck up” in French?