McLean Puppy Chronicles: Bingo and the Fine Arts

By Fred
This week our nephew, an aspiring writer and photographer, came to visit so I took him to see the photography collection at the St. Pete Museum of Fine Arts, and he took pictures below.

Of course we were curious to see how Bingo would like the collection. Most Labrador Retrievers have a taste for the old-school northern Europeans--Rembrandt and Vermeer, but Bingo is still a puppy. Who knows what he might like?

[photo of Bingo admiring a painting]

The photographs didn't seem to interest Bingo at all--they were too small and too high on the wall. He was equally bored with European paintings, even the one that showed a group of young women and their dogs lounging on blankets with baskets of food. I kept pointing out the basket of food but he just didn't care.

It was not until we reached the 20th century art that he started to take notice, possibly because several of these were at his eye level. In the photo above we are discussing the use of color and contrast within a collection of dissimilar geometric shapes (and what appeared to be a lizard sitting on a rock).

[photo of Bingo with a big yawn]

But in the end, his reaction to modern art was pretty clear, and I confess to having the same feelings. Oh well, it must be an acquired taste. Then we moved on to the Greek pottery. Also yawn.

Then we reached the room with sculptures, and Bingo really got excited. In particular, this ancient Mayan stone carving of the turtle god Ak seemed almost alive, daring Bingo to cross the line (notice the tight leash). Luckily I was watching him just before he lunged or we would have a big bill to pay.