Truth to Power

Imagine that you get to see the manuscript of Abraham Lincoln's 1864 Victory Speech which just happens to be on display at the Corcoran Gallery of Art for one day. The words that Lincoln wrote with his own hands echo (or maybe pre-echo - is this a word?) the words that our new President spoke a few days earlier when he took his oath of office and hopefully ushered in a new era of US government for ALL of us.

Then - imagine that you visit Richard Avedon's Portraits of Power, a compilation of his stunning photos of the famous and the unknown which ends with a close up of none other than Barack Obama, Illinois State senator and keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic Convention, taken in 2004.

Just imagine the connection between life and art that settles in your heart!

Other than the fact of the Avedon exhibit, and that I needed to get to it quickly since it was closing on Sunday January 25, all of this was unexpected.

I've been at my DC house since last Friday, having arrived in time to experience Inauguration Weekend, MLK day and the Inauguration itself. But until yesterday, no Internet had arrived. That lack was my excuse to delay the start of MAD. The cable guys showed up yesterday morning and I was on my way after lunch.

The exhibit displayed Avedon's straightforward portraits of political activists, politicians, government officials, and labor leaders, artists, using their selection and juxtaposition to explore their relationships and influence with the community.

Particularly affecting to me was the group portrait of the Chicago 7 and especially of the Civil Rights workers (shown above), which triggered memories of the active hopefulness of those times and our wearing down by the most recent 8 years. And looking at the faces of power from especially the earlier decades during which Avedon worked made me realize how male, white and middle-aged those faces were.

What an appropriate way to start museum going in DC in 2009!