Prometheus Bound

So I went to a contemporary museum this weekend – it may have been in Portugal, even in Lisbon maybe – but I won't be specific, and it does not really have any relevance to what I'm about to say... Except that I promised myself I wouldn't go again to such museums without the company of a child young enough to be unable to correctly spell "But the Emperor isn't wearing anything at all!" Maybe you fail to see the relevance of such a companion, but give me a chance to elaborate. I saw a multitude of objects, some more arranged than others, from everyday objects transformed into art to endeavors I won't risk trying to define. Next to these objects stood a wooden board. Not a design board, not a skateboard or surfboard, but a board you would expect to see in a construction environment; and as I walked through the exhibition I couldn't help but acknowledge it as a "work of Art". After looking at everything there was to see I came back to that wooden board. Just then I noticed, that unlike every other piece that had a description next to it, this board had none! It struck me that it was "just" a board placed there temporarily, waiting in a corner to fulfill some purpose. But what is wrong with Art that a wooden board could be confused with a piece - and would it have really been Art if I didn't notice it was there by chance? Let's put things in perspective: today's painting was created by the Great Master Rubens, and it took him 7 years to finish it. It is simply genius: filled with emotion, action, drama and symbology. It depicts Prometheus being punished by the Greek gods for giving a divine element (fire) to the puny mortal humans. It is an incontestable and beautiful piece. Rubens, like so many others, was just like Prometheus. Imagine what Van Gogh suffered alone and in poverty to bring us puny mortals his immortal Art. And how do we repay Art? By mistaking it with wooden boards... Next time, if you have a curious little son or daughter, invite me to come with you to contemporary museums. Maybe they will have what it takes to point out all the wooden boards with descriptions. The rest of us are just fooled by the Emperor’s new clothes. Artur Deus Dionisio