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"Awesome" and "beautiful" aren't words that art critics or museum curators usually use to describe art, but they are exactly the words that Steve Martin uses when he talks about the paintings of Lawren Harris.
The comedian, performer, essayist, playwright and Grammy Award-winning banjo picker is guest curator of "The Idea of the North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris" — an exhibition at The Hammer Museum.
Of the word beautiful, Martin says...
It's a taboo word in art criticism and discussions at the highest levels of art. You would almost never find the word beautiful in a contemporary essay about an artist. But I'm an independent person. I can use it.
Curating an art exhibition is a first for Martin, but it's not exactly a stretch. He's a long-time art collector and it was his love of Harris' work that first drew the attention of The Hammer. (Martin owns three pieces by Harris that are not in the show).
Martin has been traveling to Canada for work and vacation for much of his adult life and first encountered Harris' paintings in person 10-15 years ago. He says that when he walked into a room full of Harris' work, he was amazed.
It looked like what I think heaven will look like — big sky, big mountains, clouds, ethereal, striking.
And this week at The Hammer, when Martin first stood in the gallery among the paintings he'd chosen for the exhibition, he said they were "simultaneously calming and thrilling."
Unlike other artistic endeavors that Martin undertakes, curating an art show is impermanent. Yes, there is a beautiful hardcover catalogue that can be purchased. But the exhibit itself is ephemeral. It'll be at The Hammer for three months and then go on to other cities.
Art shows and theater are one of the few remaining analogue experiences. You have to go there and see it to get the full power. So it's still a very social and personal experience to come see the show.