The 2 Tates

After a chat on the train, I found out that there is a boat that connects the two Tate Galleries. This sounds like a plan, I will go to The Tate Britain, then the Tate Modern.

The Tate Britain contains a chronology of British art from the 1500’s to the present. I was amazes with the depth and breadth of the collection; every age and every style. If you follow the galleries in order you can se the progression in technical skill and style. The style usually matched the times, what was going on in society.

I will post links and pictures later.

The Tate Modern contains a very broad based collection of Modern art; Picasso and Warhol to name a couple.

The Tate Modern is housed in an old electric generating station, making good use of an old building also allowing the galleries to have huge spaces.

Modern art forces you to think about what is and what isn’t art. What makes a makes something art.

Some examples:

“The Fountain” an urinal on its side signed and dated. Is this art?

“9 Tables” This, on first look is nine concrete blocks, but on closer examination there are parts cut out. These are the negative spaces left when a table is removed, the cut out spaces in the blocks are where the legs and rails would be. Is this art?

“Tomato sauce” By Andy Warhol. This is a copy of a Heinz tomato sauce box. Is this art?

I can’t answer these questions for you. I think art is in the eye of the beholder.

Comments?

S.