pretending to understand,

there's a trick to living here without knowledge of the language. i slowly learn, bits and pieces, though my proficiency is anything but. in need, i'll ask a question. grocery stores, directions, etc. i follow as best i can, though sometimes it's better to nod and pretend understanding exists. the more you don't understand, the more they try to explain. ooooh, nay, i understand! facial expressions are important, especially in the eyes. eastern culture reads facial expressions through eyes, not so much the western full-face scan. see the difference between the :) [western] and the o.o [eastern].

take a side alleyway, the one you completely did not expect it to be at, follow the rode. remember, you followed six other roads with bad directions previously, so this probably isn't it. okay, well, now you find the seoul museum of art. it's significantly smaller than one would expect. The MIA and walker art are both larger, probably two or three times the size. The Met and MoMa are probably 20 times as large. remember to be disappointed. comfort yourself because you are at the renoir exhibit. the largest single renoir exhibit compiled in 30 years.
60 pieces of the prolific artist you respect so much. be surprised that those 60 pieces fill 6 rooms and that's the entire museum. nothing else. fall in love with renoir all over again, especially his work during the mid-1880s to the mid 1910s. his work of the previous years is all phenomenal, but his brushwork during those later years is remarkable. the thing i found myself most enraptured by was how he paints backgrounds and clothing. i was greatly impressed by the show, but pissed off throughout by the curator. every respectable museum has what is commonly referred as museum lighting. cue extra lights on the art. i was frustrated because the curator cut out museum lighting. i could see the paintings just fine, but was distracted otherwise by the darkness. but to renoir, if the exhibit comes to a city near you, do travel. it's worth it.

of the two images attached:
- juenes filles au piano. brushwork, rich and vivid colors, joy of life, beauty of discovery. there are a few versions of this painting of same name. note the background as the main difference.
- portrait de julie manet. a haunting richness to his color choice. the complete opposite his normal portraiture.
- magnify these thoughts by a factor of ten as you are standing in front of them.