The San Jose Museum of Art is quietly becoming one of my favorites. I can’t really describe what its focus is except to say that it truly knows what kinds of shows will appeal to the locals. It totally has my number.
The current exhibition is R. Crumb’s Book of Genesis. It’s exactly what you’d expect. And exactly not what you’d expect. It’s funny and irreverent. It’s also honest, literal, and serious*—an illustrated Bible for adults where the stories are not glossed over the way they are in kids versions.
*Because I’m obligated to defend my use of “serious,” in this case, I mean that the intent is to play it straight. No jokes. No dumbing down. Nothing sacrilegious.
I’d like to spend more time really reading each page and going through the drawings. It’s hard to read the complete text of Genesis in one thorough museum trip. It’s also exhausting to read a graphic novel in the same amount of time.
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