amovieaday 6.20.10 – Nostalgic art

My local art museum is encouraging visitors to come see America this summer all in one place – the museum. There are several exhibitions with photographs, drawings, and paintings covering the various landscapes of America. To top it off there is a sign exhibit, including the Big Boy, because nothing says America like neon signs and a fat man with an enormous burger. This is sadly true. Still, seeing Big Boy again does add to my already incredible nostalgia, as I remember many a time stopping by or driving by that restaurant with the gleeful statue that was so close to where I lived, shopped, and went to school growing up in Tampa.

It’s just a bit perplexing seeing him in the art museum. I suppose nothing is an unusual site to see in an art museum anymore – I’ve seen a dress made of raw meat, sharks and cows dissected and in huge glass containers, cow dung, scary life-size nun sculptures with glowing eyes, etc. I’m just not sure about the Big Boy. He is certainly iconic (Austin Powers sealed that) and I do appreciate his craftsmanship and strange beauty. I suppose when something becomes so commonplace in your life, it’s hard to see it as anything other than how you’re used to seeing it.