<a href="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/recovering-Beauty.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1498" src="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/recovering-Beauty.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="396" /></a><a href="http://www.blantonmuseum.org/">http://www.blantonmuseum.org/</a>

<a href="http://www.blantonmuseum.org/"></a>This weekend I went to the Blanton Museum of Art, as I have on numerous other visits, I find it to be a gem in Austin. Many permanent pieces of art housed here are very impressive by well known artist, our city is fortunate to have such a noteworthy collection of ancient culture, Latin American artwork, Modern/Contemporary pieces, and many more styles of art on display year round.  After my initial visit, I typically find myself back there when I am interested in one of the rotating exhibits. This time however my trip was inspired by my Humanities class, I was going to tour the European Art collection I fondly remember and write this essay comparatively to some of the Renaissance Art we studied in class. I didn’t find the description of the current main exhibit too interesting when I researched it on their website, therefore I didn’t think it was going to inspire my objective.<!--more--> The Main exhibit is on the main level of the museum near the entrance, so I decided before I climbed the beautiful marble staircase to the other works I would at least take a peek at the Argentinean collection on display.

From my first glance into the gallery I could see bright energetic colors which I relate personally to South American culture. When I first moved to Austin from Virginia 3 years ago, I knew very little about our neighbors to the south. I learned a great deal about Mexican and South American culture from my first job in the city. I worked at Dona Emilia’s; a South American restaurant where I was surrounded by not only the food of this culture but also by my peers and coworkers, some who were from Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Columbia. The owner was also a native, so the décor was full of South American art. The Blanton Exhibit is titled <em>Recovering Beauty: The 1990s in Buenos Aires </em>and featured a dozen or so up-and-coming artists of that decade which were an assembly of artists which called themselves the “arte light” group. The summary of the exhibit posted on the wall near the entry in to the gallery stated that in the decades before, in the 1970 and 80’s there was violence in Buenos Aires but the nineties were a time of change. A time of cultural, social and political improvement that brought about a sense of liberation and free expression. The “arte light” group became regular artists on exhibit at the Centro Cultural Rojas gallery. They went against the artistic practices of there peers by exploring concepts of beauty, color, and personal psychology.

One of my favorite artists form this exhibit was Fabio Kacero, he had four pieces that stand out in my mind. They were all pretty similar, very simple, but in my opinion extremely inspiring. The first two I saw were almost identical in form and both untitled. The first was a series of 5 stand alone small illuminated boxes displayed on a single free mounted shelf. They were about 3 x 3 in, maybe slightly larger but not by much and around 2 ½ inches thick. The description of their medium was “superimposed plastic transparencies and light”, each box was a different neon color (blue, green, red, yellow, etc) and had thin plastic layers. Each layer had a different miniature set of abstract geometric shapes pasted on with some type of black sticker. When viewing the box from the front it looked like a 3 dimensional creation of retro/science inspired shapes. The second display was exactly the same expect they were not illuminated and there were only 3 boxes. The other two instillations by Kacero were large but still had the same abstract geometric shapes, just in a much superior scale. They were not showcased in undersized transparent boxes but in single large circles hanging in staggering distances or parallel in oblong shapes fixed together. Both were made out of wood, Polifan, foam rubber, faux leather, and PVC. The black stickers forming the retro shapes were adhered to the large instillations which were in bright colors. I found this artwork to be innovative and unique. I liked how simple shapes and a few materials could bring beauty and question to the viewer. The small contained boxes with the different layers of shapes to me sparked a symbolism to life. How we as humans are all different like each box being a special color and our different experiences can by symbolic to the myriad of unique shapes. The numerous layers to me represent a timeline or stages in our lives. Nevertheless, even with all the diversity, every box is relative to the next.

<a href="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/kacero_fabio_2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1499" src="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/kacero_fabio_2.jpg" alt="" width="595" height="385" /></a>

<a href="http://www.macromuseo.org.ar/coleccion/artista_obrab/k/kacero_fabio_2.jpg">http://www.macromuseo.org.ar/coleccion/artista_obrab/k/kacero_fabio_2.jpg</a>

This realization of all of humanity throughout time being relative, no matter how diverse the cultures are, is a concept I learned from my studies in Humanities. I recognized each culture we read about had their own philosophies, inventions, governments, societies, etc. Yet one way or another they all progressed toward the same goals and lived for the same ideals. The Ancient cultures all produced their own calendars, languages, religions, and administrations, which corresponded to their region of the world. As humans, they were all curious of how we got here and what happens when we die, generating the great thinkers of their times in religion, politics, science and philosophy. These are questions and ideals that are still inspiring people today. Just like Kacero is innovate in the way that he encourages thought and the appreciation of beauty so did Confucius, Michelangelo, Dante, Charlemagne, Shakespeare and countless others during their lives ,with the use of there intellect and medium. I’ve often wondered about contemporary art and how it is innovative and what future generations are going to learn about my culture from it, since most of it is abstract and conceptual. From this exhibit and my humanities class I have gained a new admiration for pop art and culture. I understand that it is the pioneering method of my generation to express them selves and show the world how we have lived, thought and evolved.

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