Out and About

MONET'S GARDEN - AN EXHIBITION

Running until 8 SEPTEMBER 2013 at the National Gallery of Victoria

180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne

http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/exhibitions/monets-garden

Tickets from $26.00 per adult (children, family, seniors, concession, groups and member prices available).  Click “buy tickets” to pre-purchase.

I knew very little of Monet when I walked through the of the NGV to see the exhibition.  All I really knew was that Monet was a very famous French painter.  I was familiar with some of his work, but not his story. 

This exhibition was, I thought, a pretty special opportunity to see some of the very famous artworks of Monet (the famous French artist who I didn’t really know much about).  And I have to say, it was.

 

The exhibition was beautiful.  There is a lot of great information posted around the many rooms (I think there are five?) and I would encourage you to read as much as you can, to really understand what the paintings are about and also understand Monet’s influences, his life story, his challenges and his tribulations.  Knowing these things really helps you understand the artwork and connect with it. 

As you move through the phases of Monet’s life, the art changes quite significantly.  An example that becomes quite apparent is that, as Monet grew older, he began to lose his eyesight.  This resulted in his paintings being more disordered or messy and more vibrant colours were used (he had to label the paints in a special way so he knew which one was which).

Something that stood out for me was that Monet experimented with how the weather can change an image.  He painted many of the same images (the Thames, villages he lived near, spots in his garden) but varied them with the impact the weather was having.  I particularly loved his painting called Vétheuil in the Fog from 1879 (pictured below right).  It is something that you really have to see in person to appreciate the depth of it.  The village is barely visible through the fog, yet it has such vibrancy and life. 

I also loved the Round Water lilies from 1907.  Monet painted many water lily paintings and he destroyed many in his quest to truly capture his impression.

In his quest to paint “the immediate experience of nature” (rather than an interpretation of it), and the slow uptake from society on this type of art, Monet certainly worked through what would have been some pretty challenging times to achieve the recognition he finally received (he lost his wife and his son to illness, he was quite poor and his preferred form or art - Impressionism - was not popular for many years).

The finale of the exhibition is where I thought everything all fell into place - a moving and stunning 180° digital installation in the final room (see below right).  

If you have read the information and taken the time to understand Monet through the rooms before this one, if you love gardening, appreciate art, enjoy a good story or even if you are into interior design, this part of the exhibition will resonate with you in some way.

To me, Monet’s story is one of commitment, passion, hard work, strength, persistence and self-belief.  There is something in that for all of us.

Tips: 

• I think you need at least an hour and a half at this exhibition, so either catch a train in to the city (get off at Flinders Street), or grab a flat rate park in the city (weekend rates are around $10 for the full day – I parked at the bottom of the Galleria Building on the corner of Little Collins and Elizabeth Streets).  If you are going in during the week, I recommend parking at the Botanical Gardens (it is about $1.50 per hour and some parks are up to 4 hours). 
• Pre-booking your tickets will definitely save time – click “buy tickets”.

• If you are not into reading a lot of material at exhibitions, there are listening devices available.  However, these were all gone when we went…
• You can pre-read or print the material off beforehand if you are keen.  Click here.
• Go for lunch or breakfast before of afterwards in Degraves Street, grab a cupcake from Little Cupcakes, a coffee at The Journal and maybe have a bit of a sneaky shop in Flinders Lane (Aesop, Green with Envy, Santini, Quick Brown Fox, Zomp, and more!).

** All pictures excluding last one, sourced from the internet.

HOLLYWOOD COSTUME EXHIBITION - ACMI MELBOURNE

Picture from ACMI website

Where?  ACMI MELBOURNE

Federation Square, Melbourne


Ph +61 3 8663 2200

How much? Tickets $20 per adult (less for children, pensioners and family/other groups)

When?  Wednesday 24 April - Sunday 18 Aug 2013

Open daily 10am - 5pm (Thursdays until 9pm)

More details: http://www.acmi.net.au/hollywood-costume.aspx

“No food, drinks, photographs or totes” says the guy at the entrance to this exhibition.  The first three requirements I understand.  But I do wonder why I can’t take my tote in. Do they think I might bag Spiderman’s costume?  I eventually decide it is because if everyone carried a tote, there might be a little too much tote bumping when it gets crowded.  Today, despite it being school holidays, the crowd is fine.  I get to keep my tote.  Phew!

We float down the escalator into a dark exhibition room in what feels like the basement of ACMI. 

The first thing I see is Nicole Kidman’s face on screen about A4 size, sitting atop one of her Moulin Rouge costumes.  She is hanging from the ceiling, perched on a swing. 

While at first, the face-on-projected screen is a little strange, it does work well in creating a more life like representation of the actor who wore the costume.  It takes you back to the relevant film, perhaps even the precise scene (depending on how familiar you are with the film).

The number of costumes represented is deceptive.  That is, there are far more than you think.  This really only occurred to me after I had seen everything and was looking at a list of all that is on show.  Music from a selection of blockbusters fills the room.  You can read about the costume, you can listen to actors, designers and directors tell their perspectives, you can get rather close up to the costumes and truly appreciate the intricate detail in some of them (particularly the Elizabeth costumes!).

The thing that struck me was the size of the Spiderman costume and the size of Batman’s costume.  Much bigger than I imagined!

There are some truly iconic costumes at this exhibition and I suspect many would be recognisable for any age group, regardless of your level of film buff-edness.  Some that come to mind include: Harry Potter; Spiderman; The Titanic; Fight Club; Moulin Rouge; Chicago; The Addams Family; Chicago; 101 Dalmatians; The Blues Brothers; Elizabeth; The Iron Lady; The Wizard of Oz; Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Kill Bill; Gladiator… the list goes on!  There will be something here that you will recognise and I am sure something will surprise you.

TIPS:

• If you are driving into the city to see this exhibition and you are ok to walk a little, I recommend parking at the botanical gardens.  It is $1.50 per hour (up to 4 hours available – just check signs) there, which is a massive difference to the prices you will pay in the car parks nearer to Federation Square.
• Make sure you look up to the ceiling at this exhibition or you will miss some very famous costumes!
• An hour should give you heaps of time to comfortably wander through and read most of the commentary. 
• Pre-purchase your ticket here to avoid waiting in the queue.

Note: no photos are allowed in the exhibition so all photos above have been sourced from the internet.