
If you're in Portland between now and May 16, hie thee to Portland Art Museum's Disquieted exhibition and watch Bill Viola's breathtaking Quintet of the Astonished (2000). Shot on high-speed film, this ~15-min piece is a moving painting (in both senses) after Hieronymus Bosch’s depiction of a quartet of executioners surrounding Christ. We got lucky, walking in a few seconds before the loop restarted. Try to catch it start-to-finish.
Dropping in on a whim, and captivated by the Astonished, we didn't have time see the rest of the exhibition, except for the couple of typically unnerving/amusing Charles Rays up front and a nice, larger-than-life Barbara Kruger. The Viola was more than enough.
Incidentally, nice stuff up at this month at PDX, Pulliam, and Elizabeth Leach galleries.




