Seeking Ruins Among The Art

My husband says I’m an art snob. But not in the way you might think. He accuses me of only liking art in which you can’t recognize a single object. In my world, that means abstraction.

Guilty.

Whenever we venture out, with cameras in hand, I respond to urban decay and funky erosion before I get all pumped up about Renaissance paintings or figurative priceless antiquities. Even on a recent visit to the iconic Hearst Castle in San Simeon, my attention was drawn to the pipes, pumps and detritus around the sprawling grounds. (Pic #1 and #2)

And yes, we are talking about the massive property of William Randolph Hearst, the eccentric multi-millionaire who, at one time, owned one-fourth of the world’s most valuable art — much of it bought from castles and manor houses throughout Europe after World War I.

The grounds are packed with ancient and medieval works of art. The estate’s interiors are constructed with the finest Italian marble. 500-year-old Flemish tapestries decorate the main parlor, and 2000-year-old Roman statues adorn the opulent swimming pool frequented by Hollywood’s royalty the 20s and 30s. For Hearst: an enduring monument to himself and his raging ego.

The art collection and the grand architecture (Pics #3 #4 #5) while worth millions, is so over the top, gilded, and so gaudy — that it became abundantly clear to the both of us that there was a distinct difference between wealth and class.

Fortunately, there were plenty of worn walls, crumbled sidewalks, and miles of graffitied overpasses and out-buildings on our way up north and back (Pics #6 #7). It made me smile, and wonder what Mr. Hearst would have said to the guys who “re-decorated” these shabby sheds…. and left us with hundreds of roadside Rothkos.