The second photo is where I began my line-up journey. It extended forward to the intersection and then left to the front of the AGO, where it snaked a couple of times. Though intimidating to look at, once the doors opened I was inside within about five minutes - so no complaints there. I think there was a pretty capable staff of paid workers and volunteers on duty today.
This crucifix/compass really did it for me. I haven't much interest in religious artifacts until you make them double as gadgets.
This is a bad photo (cameras aren't allowed - I'm a dick - so I had to take some shaky numbers while attempting to be surreptitious) of a good subject. There were many, many ornate model boats in the AGO's collection but this and it's contemporaries hooked me in the most due to their being prisoner ships. That is to say they were made by prisoners of the British, mostly French sea men, who would use the bones from their meals for parts.
This inscribed Atlas was also a treat. Fact is though, there were many treats! That is what happens when you have five floors and a basement filled with art.
That is what happens.
As for the building itself...it's spacious, mostly white walls and glass...and very trick to photograph from the inside. But a couple of features I can show in a decent fashion are the attractive rear staircase which connects the fourth and fifth floors...
...and one of the rear-viewing seating areas, on both the fourth and fifth floors, which were in constant demand.
I read some articles recently which rabbited on comparing the AGO - and by extension, Toronto - to other galleries and, also by extension, other cities. London came up the most often as a kind of competitor/measure of what to aspire for and speaking as a fellow who's been to the Tate, Saatchi and other famous London galleries...I think the AGO measures up just fine.Some of the articles tried to reposition Toronto as a "more reserved" city, as if "Oh we don't do Greatness here, that's just a little loud for our distinguished Canadian tastes". Well, if that didn't feel like a rationalization for a euro-inferiority complex then I don't know what does!
Fuggit, the AGO has a strong collection housed in a well designed building that was a pleasure for me to spend almost four hours in today. Whether you live in Toronto or plan to visit, I'd say it's worth the fee they'll start charging soon.[----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
Meanwhile I finally got a new video up at Handful Of Minutes and have plans to continue doing so at a reasonable pace. Instead of the weekly updates, however, I'm going to have a "when it happens" schedule until early next year as I know the rest of 2008 is just going to be too chaotic for me to promise any more. I'll still aim for once a week, but shan't go making big promises and raking myself over the coals when events prevent me from fulfilling them.
After a two month break, it felt good to slap something up again!
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