Art Review: Psychedelic

Joan: Last week Isabella read to Jonathan's class. She chose to read Yellow Submarine. The illustrations made the kids say oooooooh and wow and what???!! Afterward I told her that she made a good choice, that the kids had gotten into the psychedelic pictures. She said, "What's psychedelic?" My mission was clear. Yesterday, after their last day of school, we went to the Whitney to see Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era.

Isabella: I liked the part when there were flashing lights and everything we did looked like a picture. And I really liked the part when we went inside a huge furry box with places to sit.

Jonathan: I liked those parts too. And I also liked the huge patterns of dots and balls and circles that formed to music. I thought it was amazing!


Joan: Part of me had forgotten that this wasn't always a way to sell the latest cell phone or Volkswagen. That it was supposed to be unnerving, disturbing, then trippy, then liberating. Isabella started out saying "That eyeball with wings is freaking me out." Jonathan started out saying "I don't want to see this." Then it became "I can't . . .stop . . . looking." Then we sat in a dark room watching slowly changing lights and colors. Isabella said something looked like "glow-in-the-dark alien guts." Jonathan said it looked like "a live cupcake holding a sword." That's when we started to giggle, wicked subversive giggles. We were there.

Go to this. Bring children if you can.