National Day of the Artisan

Today is Mexico's National Day of the Artisan. A day to celebrate the social & cultural contributions of its artists & creative thinkers. I like the idea of having a day to appreciate the work & contributions that artists make in our lives. And they do, whether we realize it or not. They often challenge the percieved 'status quo'. Or help to pass on history, traditions & cultural integrity to newer generations.
The names of the worlds great artists have become part of our vocabulary. You don't have to be an art history major to know who Michelangelo was or that we owe the Sistine chapel to his outrageous talent. Andy Warhol practically defined New York in the 70's & through into the 80's. His work helped to erase the distinction between fine art & popular culture. Actually, you can thank Andy for the entire concept of "pop-culture".

Frida Kahlo, possibly Mexico's most famous artist, was a woman. In the early 20th century, in a venomously religious country like Mexico, she was a woman, a divorcee, a bi-sexual, a communist & an artist, changing the way women thought & were perceived. A lowly female, influencing the culture of an entire generation, and still influencing people today.

Art is meant to help us unlock the human condition. It can often bring truth & understanding to a world in desperate need of both. It forces us to look at ourselves.., warts & all.

Side note: Today is also the day that the Museum of Modern Art inadvertently hung Matisse's 'Le Bateau' upside down & left it that way for 47 days in 1961. Maybe it looked better that way. Maybe Matisse would have approved. When has any great artist ever been upset by a fresh point of view?

"No longer shall I paint interiors with men reading and women knitting. I will paint living people who breathe and feel and suffer and love."

-Edvard Munch