Art Gallery of Ontario

Okay so I've got Toronto to myself today. I was going o go to the ROM but the AGO is 4$ cheaper and I'm a grown up now.  I'm going to take some notes in my phone and I'll post what I find on the way out. 
Be warmed I don't have the help of spell check so this may get ugly. I'm also going to type what I see quickly and in point form. 
The AGO is a fantastic place that houses some wonderful art from around the world some dating back to B.C.  I haven't been here in over 10 years so this should be a completely new place. There are 2 new floors added and I don't even know how many new wings have been added. So let's take a walk. 
Greek and Roman Coins 
   Some things never change. We have the Queen, they have an Emperor.  Cool

David Milne
    From the Bruce. DryPoint ( water colours with very little water applied to give a thick almost chalk look to yhe ink. 3 rooms over 50 peices (to much)

Group of 7.   
    CNDs best know painters. Far to many peices. Over hyped, colours and form are great and yes they do represent CND landscapes but to much representation for thus group.  How many paintins of snow, and the colours of fall do we need? The styles of each are clearly thier own but the content never changes. How about wispy brush strokes of cityscapes or of people. Lines and forms of such style would depict the human form with love and strength. 

60s 
   Warhols a bum. Art for art sake yeah yeah, moving on. 
Oh look a painting that is 10x3 feet and it's purple, just purple. Wonder how much that will set you back? Boring!

African collection is fantastic.  Art dating from the 1300-1800. Head Dress's, firtility gods, wepons. There is a Door Frame from the mid 1800's taken from the Bali Kindom is amazing. It's a story of a man that was caught stealing from the house. The thief is in the work represented by a dead man still hanging from the neck. It's a warning to anyone else who may try something funny. Very Cool, gret craftsmenship.  

Jerry Moore Sculpture Center. 
  cool stuff if your into form and shape. Most work is from bronze cast but also features many works of different stone. Personally I like the works that have not been polished smooth. It takes away any mechanical production and let's the artists hands continue to live. Think of carvings as brush strokes  They are all chicks too. Dig that!

Willie Cole. 
   Sole Reunion/Mother and Child. 
born Somerville NJ, USA 1955
Both works are made of only Black HighHeel shoes. I like it. Good use of waste. 
  
Ohh my love I miss you so much already and it hasn't even been a week. We are coming back here I just found a room full of Big Ships in Little bottles. They are very cool. Such craftmenship and details. How do they get those boats in there?

Anybody like the classic Impressionist. 
Hold on to your hats they are all here. But I cant find a Toulouse-Lautrec. That's a bummer he's the best of them. 

Wow a Rodin!!!  His Adam is here and the model for 'the Thinker'. I just found his 'Eve' completely differnt style. One is clearly male with it's sharp square lines and the female, my goodness she is beautiful. Stunning.  
If you don't know Auguste Rodin you should Google this guy right now. Do yourself a favour. I'll wait.

Here's another Google for you. Be warned it is graphic and scary. Here in real life I can almost smell the fear in this painting. 
The Massacre of Innocents. By, Peter Paul Rubens. 1577-1640

So you like Art Deco. Your down with early 20s art. In a word Lozowick. 
Born 1892 in Ukraine, died 1973 NJ.

The best for last. In my opinion. The new, and growing Photography wing. 
When you first step foot into this magical place you are welcomed by a glass plate neg from Charles Negre dating back to 1860. This is Photography. The mix of chemistry, science, and light all together on a thin sheet of glass that you prepaired yourself. With chemicals that you mixed and applied. There is no SD cards being used. The Mac vs PC war has not even been dreamed of. This is Art. This is where the mind and the body must work together to portray what the soul sees. 
I have to drop some names here for all you geeks out there that are just like me. Today the AGO is showing works by. 
Etienne-Jules Marey
Harold Edgerton
Eadward Muybridge
August Sander
Greg Girard. (CND)
Irving Penn. (what tones my God)
Peter MacCallum
Michael Mitchell

I'm not going to say anymore about the photo section. Impresive but small. I did however I talk with the curator and I asked her to try and get her hands on some more contemporary works. Maybe some Avidons, Adams, or Hockins something just yo bring it up to date. 

So that's 3 hours in the AGO. Theres alot more to see and do here you should swing by next time you are in Toronto. It's less than 20$ and you will enjoy yourself. Even if you think you don't like art there will be something in here that grabs you and yells "Hey stop for a second and jus enjoy!"
Thanks for walking around with me.  Let's go get a salad or something. I'm hungry. 
I would also like to thank my Iphone for being Awesome and taking all these notes for me.

Tomorrow Vancouver BC.