There is a dimension of fun in life that young people just
totally miss out on.
Take a conversation Ken and I had in the magnificent Kelvingrove
Museum in Glasgow, Scotland on our vacation last week.
We sauntered into a gallery where a small number of
Rembrandt oil paintings hung on the wall. One somber canvas featured the
splayed carcass of an ox about to be butchered. It was ghastly and beautiful
all at the same time.
In a hushed, museum-toned voice, Ken leaned toward me and
said, “Why do you suppose he painted an animal carcass?”
“Bacon,” I replied.
“Bacon? What do you mean, bacon? It’s a cow!”
“I know it’s a cow!”
“Then why did you say, ‘bacon’? You don’t get bacon from a
cow.”
“Because that’s the guy!”
“What guy?”
“The guy that painted animal carcasses!!” (For heaven’s
sake!)
“That’s Rembrandt!”
“I know THAT’S Rembrandt! I can read labels! The guy that
painted animal carcasses was Bacon! Francis Bacon!”
“Why would you come up with that?”
“You asked me!” (You know the stage whisper that is actually
quite loud? We were on the verge.)
“I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did. You asked me you who’s the guy that painted
animal carcasses.”
“I asked you why Rembrandt painted animal carcasses!!”
“OOhh! That’s a different question. I thought you asked me, ‘Who painted animal
carcasses?’ I heard you say, ‘WHO was the guy that painted animal carcasses?’“
“No.”
“No. Guess not. Sorry. I don’t know. I really don’t know
much about Rembrandt. Bacon was 20th century. I know more about modern
art.”
“Yeah, great. Thanks.”
He was walking away into another gallery. He’d lost interest
in Rembrandt.
I trailed behind him toward another section of the museum.
“O.K., Miss Modern Art Major, let’s go see the Salvador Dali,”
he called back to me.
“Muhammad Ali? You’re kidding me, right? Ali paints? Wow!
That’s something to see, alright.”
“Yes, dear.”
As I said, we seniors have way more fun than young people.
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Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow
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The Natural Science hall at Kelvingrove Museum
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