"The Gorge Road" Chapter 5
5. The Maze & the Mural I took a stack M.C. Escher prints to Daniel’s first official session. One of my goals was to gauge how Daniel might react to more trippy stuff (like Dali, on whom I was planning another lesson). But mostly, I was hoping to jump right into the deep end and steer the discussion toward perspective, absurdism and perception of reality. “Is art supposed to make your brain hurt?” Daniel quipped good-naturedly, looking at the prints. We had once again settled into the library by a small crackling fire. “In this case, I think so,” I replied. “A lot of contemporary artists try to invoke a strong emotional response. What’s your reaction? Other than your brain hurts.” He started to reply, then stopped himself. “I think maybe it’s a critique of the upper class,” he sniffed, scanning back over Relativity and House of Stairs . “Or, at least, he seems to be making fun of people who live in large houses.” “Okay. Good observation,” I said, though I could