The White Cube?

Its Wed 17th we are having a lecture given by Dr. Julie Sheldon. A doctor of what? you may ask and a doctor of I don't know what I will reply. I may have just fazed out when she explained but all I know is she teaches Art History.

You could tell this was an art history lecture due to the bad photos that bombarded the screen. Pixilated, glared and presented in a plain manner that lacks oomf.

I really didn't know it was possible to have an entire lecture on the colour of the walls inside a gallery space. Im sure that history wise artists and painters really did place importance on how and were they was hung in a gallery space. but personally as a modern illustrator, thinking of going freelance this really holds no importance or relevance to me. Despite this I'm more than happy to be educated.

We are being shown some vaguely interesting galleries and as this happens im wondering to myself, "should i switch to practice by Discourse?" I mean I love to go to galleries and look at all this stuff but my god im fed up at looking at awful photos of galleries with so much white that I don't want to look at the screen.

"Im not listening any more, I really should listen to her. It might be more interesting than it looks...... why am I finding it so difficult to listen?....... its too hot in here. I knew I shouldnt have sat so close to the projector.......... omg shes showing rothko rooms at tate millbank. I hate rothko, I really didnt like seeing them when they came to liverpool, I don't see why he has such a name for himself. This Isn't gonna help my state of mind....... whats the time?..... omg I've been sat here for an hour."

The lecture continues as I let my mind spill out onto the keyboard. Now we are being told about white cube theology using quotes by Brian O'Daugherty, and in the fist quote we are given a picture that shows the Mona Lisa in a negative place in the gallery. Apparently the Mona Lisa was looked at as a monstrosity once upon a time. Now thats interesting why aren't we getting told more stuff like this?

The doctor moves on to the quote. I'm not even listening to the quote, I think the Dr has missed the mark on what to teach us.

Ok here is the lowdown galleries now have white walls to deal with how art has changed over the years. Traditional artworks used to be placed upon silk wallpaper etc and that showed them at their best. they was also hung differently showing a hierarchy within the paintings. Nowadays though artists want to place unusual items into them and also some wish to paint on the walls, in order for this to work a constant is required for the traveling artist to use. This constant is a plain white flat surface on all the walls in order for this to work. I get it, this lecture is being fluffed out a little too much.

Finaly we start to get to the end of the lecture. This has been an interesting lecture but I can't help but feel like things I would want to know were missed in order to talk about small, less interesting topics within this subject and fluff them out to an extent that I lost all interest.