Centre Pompidou- Niki de Saint Phalle

So, during my 5 weeks in Paris, I finally went to the modern art museum, Centre Pompidou, when I was in despair-type stupor. I spent nearly 7 hours there, by myself, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Needless to say, my perspective on the day changed. The exhibits on Level 4 offered pieces by women artists. The first painting I saw was one of Niki de Saint Phalle's Shooting Paintings, as they call it.

"(From Wikipedia.org)A shooting painting consisted of a wooden base board on which containers of paint were laid, then covered with plaster. The painting was then raised and de Saint Phalle would shoot at it with a .22 caliber rifle. The bullets penetrated paint containers, which spilled their contents over the painting."

As an painter who often feels quite reserved and repressed, this idea resonated with me....it represented such a new form of expression in art, to convery the anger and frustration. I remember hearing on the headset I was listening to that she said she felt such joy and release while shooting the paintings. In another quote, she said, "Why did I give up the shooting after only two years? I felt like a drug addict. After a shoot-out I felt completely stoned. I became hooked on this macabre yet joyous ritual."