The Rice Thresher, Vol. 93, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, February 3, 2006 Page: 8 of 24
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T1
THE RICE THRESHER
•• / I I . '
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3,2006
THE THRESHER'S
RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR EVENTS AROUND
HOUSTON THROUGH
FEBRUARY 10,
2006
EDITORS
picks
friday and
Saturday
THE MERCHANT
OF VENICE
The Actors from the
London Stage
present Shakespeare's
The Merchant of Venice
Friday and Saturday at
7:30 p.m. at Hamman
Hall. Tickets cost $9 for
students, $12 for faculty
and staff and $18 for
general admission.
this weekend
NIGHT OF THE
LIVING DEAD
Landmark Theters at
River Oaks screens the
cult horror classic at
midnight all weekend.
River Oaks Theater
2009 W. Gray St.
thursday
BOB
SCHNEIDER IN
CONCERT
Austin indie icon Bob
Schneider is leaving
the Pier for a night to
play the Mucky Duck at
7 p.m. But really, instead
of going to the concert,
your time would be bet-
ter spent laughing at the
commentary currently
playing on Bob's Web
site. Check it out at
bobschneidermusic.com.
McGonigel's Mucky Duck
2425 Norfolk
1
COURTESY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON
Latin American artist Xui Solar's Cluda y Ablsmos/Clty and Abysses, part of the new Xul Solar: Visions and Reflections exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
MFAH exhibit proves
philosophically inspired
Rachel Green
THRESHER STAFF
Quietly tucked behind the Caroline
Wiess Law Building, Xul Solar: Visions
and Revelations is a sedate relief from
the large, brightly-lit canvases of the
Basquiat exhibition upstairs at the
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
4xul solar: visions
and revelations'
Rating: ★★★★ (out of five)
Museum of Fine
Arts, Houston
1001 Bissonet St.
on view throuh April 16
Xul Solar: Visions and Revelations,
organized by the Museum of Latin
American Art, Buenos Aires and the
Pinacoteco Do Estado de Sao Paolo,
employs a traditional framework
to present small, nontraditional
paintings and sculptural works.
Xul Solar, born Alejandro Schulz
Solari in 1887 to parents of I^atvian
and Italian descent, was educated in
Buenos Aires as both a musician and
architect. Although he never made
professional use of these studies,
both influences are evident in the
rhythmic nature and architectonic
elements of many of his paintings.
Solar later went to Europe for
12 years, where he started working
with watercolor and tempura paints.
As he mastered these creative
media, he began exposing himself to
the study of theosophy, a Buddhist
religious movement.
When he returned to Buenos
Aires, he introduced the idea of the
total work of art and did not restrict
himself to one medium, approaching
his role as an artist through many
creative avenues. Most significantly,
Solar created two new written
languages, which were intended
both to express what he could not
express in ordinary language and
to be something "simultaneously
universal and uniquely American."
Many of Solar's own words appear
in the paintings themselves.
The works showcased in Visions
and Revelations reflect Solar's
lifelong search for transcendence
and understanding of spiritual and
philosophical truths. In celebration
of the exhibit, the MFAH purchased
a Solar piece for its permanent
collection. Jefa/Patroness (1923)
greets incoming
visitors with a
cat-like central
figure surrounded
by geometric
forms and various
religious symbols.
The rest of the
exhibit is organized
chronologically,
beginning with
his earliest works,
including the eerie
and unsettling Entierro/Burial
(1915), the serene Paisaje/Landscape
(1916-18) and the strange and magical
Dos Anjos/Two Angels (1915).
Moving through the next few
rooms gives the viewer a sense of
Solar's exploration of mysticism.
Symbols from multiple spiritual
practices are juxtaposed in the same
work, illustrating Solar's practice
of borrowing the techniques and
qualities from various religions that
he felt were the most useful in his
search for understanding.
As the exhibit progresses,
geometrically abstracted elements
portraying his early schooling appear
and take the forefront in his works
during the 1940s. Almost all of Solar's
work in this period employs a gray
palette, void of the bright colors
seen before and after. Instead, these
works exhibit strong architectural
influences—repeated staircases and
towers so devoid of perspective they
resemble M.C. Escher's drawings.
Solar's interest in astrology
manifests itself in Maurice Sen-
dak-like illustrations and oil-on-glass
works such as Signos Zodiaki/Zodiac
Signs (1953) and the centrally displayed
sculpture piece Pan Altar Mundi
(1954). In the latter work, a deck of
Tarot cards he created — each hand-
painted and displayed in their own
case — leads the viewer to the
next bay.
Concluding the exhibit, Solar's
late works such as Pax, Worke, lj)ve/
Peace, Work, Love (1961) color the
gallery with arrays of symbols and
dates on a background of geometric
forms. Also displayed are examples
of his "symbol portraits": figures
of saints or friends created from
the symbols he used in the rest of
his work.
The exhibit ends almost as quietly
as it begins, although observers
leave with a strange feeling of having
illicitly tapped into Solar's innermost
contemplations. Viewers see the
thoughts Solar was able to express
visually and further question the
artist's intent. As they walk out, they
may also wonder whether he ever did
find those spiritual and philosophical
truths he was searching for.
Solar's interest
in ASTROLOGY
manifests itself in
Maurice Sendak-
like illustrations.
Xul Solar: Visions and Revelations
of fers the willing observer the chance
to see how a truly visionary artist
thought. As the name of the exhibit
suggests, the small yet sensationally
profound pieces embody a man's
unending search for truth and
understanding and offer insightful
perspectives on possible answers.
THE INQUISITION, WII.XT \ SHOW
God goods insulting to
religious, secular groups
I'm as sick of God columns as
the next Rice student—probably
more, because my desk is next to
the opinion editor's — but I saw
something in the Student Center
the other day that simply outraged
me as a pop-culture-phile. What
could religion possibly
have to do with such
a shallow and secular
aspect of my personal-
ity? AwhiteT-shirt with
red lettering reading,
"Jesus died for Pedro"
is a good start.
I get the idea of
stealing pop references
for petty, personal
gain. I may or may not
have been involved
with Lovett College's
"Drink for Pedro"-themed Beer-
Bike campaign last year. But I
see a huge difference between
modifying the iconoclastic Na-
poleon Dynamite reference in
support of a college event and
doing so to send a public mes-
sage of silent evangelism.
All this
pop-ification
of Christianity
WEAKENS the
image of the
Christian church.
Religion may not exactly be my
specialty, but I do not remember
"Thou shalt steal pop icons and af-
filiate them with your God" being
on Moses' stone tablets.
The evangelistic nature of this
particular shirt would not have
bothered me so much if it had not
changed the tone of Napoleon's
original message so much. In
the film, Napoleon dons a white
shirt with red lettering reading,
"Vote for Pedro," as part of a
campaign to elect his underdog
best friend to the office of student
body president. The message
is uniquely elegant because of
its lack of symbolism — in fact.
Napoleon Dynamite first gained
its cult following because its best
interpretation is to simply take the
film at face value.
Sure, a Jesus parallel could
be drawn to Napoleon's story. It
is virtually impossible to find a
story in modern American cinema
for which a Jesus parallel is not
plausible. But I would rather a
Christian group hang Napoleon
on the cross to represent his sac-
rifice of making a fool of himself
in front of the student body than
Julia
Bursten
thoughtlessly rob a unique and
non-judgmental pop slogan of its
innocence.
And another thing: Pedro was
a fictional character. If I under-
stand it correctly, the Christian
belief is something along the
line that Jesus died for
the sins of all the real
people in the world
who accept him into
their hearts.
While Pedro's char-
acter was a devout
Catholic, he was not
a real person and not
likely one of the ones
the Christians' Jesus
had in mind as he
bore the cross through
Jerusalem.
It seems more than a little
cheap to advertise religious ide-
als by blindly applying them to a
cult film character. Seeing Jesus'
relationship with Pedro written
on a fellow student's chest insults
not only my stance as an agnostic
cinema lover but also the serious
evangelical efforts some Rice
students choose to make.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the
"Jesus died for Pedro" shirt is a
singular instance of marketing
Christianity through American
cultural icons. I have a rant-
worthy store of opinions on the
Christian metal rock movement
and its merchandising, featuring
references to Jesus that mimic
popular brand logos such as
Reese's peanut butter cups,
Coca-Cola and Nike. Modern U.S.
Christian culture has adopted an
obsession with commercial de-
sign not unlike that of the yuppie
children of the 1980s.
All this pop-ification of Chris-
tianity weakens the image of the
Christian church as a refuge from
the soullessness of the capitalist
corporations that are behind
these brands and cheapens the
once-powerful aura surrounding
Jesus himself.
I have a hard time believing
that I, as a non-practicing Jew
and subscriber to the church of
individual spirituality, have more
respect for Christian iconography
than the Christian masses. Maybe
I just respect the pop art inten-
tions behind the original brands'
marketing more than the average
Protestant and take offense ft the
de-secularization of these creative
endeavors. Or maybe American
Christians need to uncross their
cultural identities and put down
their Icthus'M mocha lattes.
Julia Hursten is a Ijovett College
sophomore and arts and
entertainment editor.
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Obermeyer, Amber. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 93, No. 17, Ed. 1 Friday, February 3, 2006, newspaper, February 3, 2006; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth443127/m1/8/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.