We talk a lot about the crucial differences between hearing and listening, but what about the quiet revolution where seeing becomes a formal practice?
I watched a Strombo IG video he posted recently, and it was about a few things. (It’s always about a few things if you’ve ever talked to George Stroumboulopoulos at length or listened to his interviews.)
In response both to sum up his video—to show I’m picking up what he was putting down—and to move the IG conversation forward, as a caption I wrote:
Everybody at The Daily Planet works with Clark Kent.
But yo…everybody at The Daily Planet documents Superman.
Kryptonite is accepting what headline-reading strangers say about Clark Kent as the truth.
A short, punchy…pop culture observation.
There’s enough cheeze there to make it a bumper sticker.
And yet there’s enough wisdom in the punchline to make it notable.
For sure…it’s both self-referential (about me and my own work) and it’s simultaneously universal (about anyone operating below their perceived value). I’m way too old to believe I’m the only one. The devil no longer whispers that one to me anymore.
I posted it as an IG comment on Strombo’s video.
Then I wanted to share my nerdy Zen on LinkedIn paired with a photo.
I ain’t gonna hide my light under a bushel.
I snapped this Superman photo on June 5.
But I wrote those Superman lines on July 14.
Get it while I’m there and I’ll figure out the rest later.
Thankfully, we’re in a digital age. Just as my Jordans collect strange dust, I shoot a lot when I travel.
I don’t have any plans for my photography haul until much later.
I’m not manufacturing content on demand.
I didn’t shoot Superman with social media intent.
(That I got to use the photo a month later is cool. Sometimes, it takes a while for me to pair the right photo with my sassy online writing.)
Rather, I’m moving through this frenzied world actively paying attention.
Slowly documenting what resonates and trusting that the meaning will reveal itself when it’s ready. You can’t coach flowers to bloom no matter how shrill your whistle may be.
That’s not luck.
That’s a practiced eye that knows what’s worth keeping.
My slow burn ritual was affirmed when I visited the AGO for a media preview of The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse.
On June 24, 2026 Dr. Nicole R. Myers, a Chief Curatorial and Research Officer from the Dallas Museum of Art and Dr. Caroline Shields, AGO Curator, European Art were our charming tour guides detailing backstories and providing context to an 1870s Paris slowly being transformed by industry and transportation.
The Impressionists were galvanizing originals who broke a lot of institutional rules, painting what they actually saw rather than what the Academy said fine art was supposed to look like. The Academy’s mandate was narrow: art existed for education (the promotion of classical ideals) and edification.
If you recall the ‘90s when stuffy music critics would loudly proclaim “rap is crap!” because it wasn’t music. Music is singing and playing your instruments, it’s not sampling James Brown. For the Impressionists their version of rap is crap was “Idealization over Realism.”
Artists were taught not to copy nature’s flaws but rather perfect it by channeling established idealized forms of classical antiquity. Thankfully the Impressionists rejected so many of these limiting edicts.
Ditto rap…are you supposed to form a band and write your music? Ideally, yes. But I also know there’s a bold generation who as soon as they hear those opening piano notes to Still D.R.E. get up and wave their hands in the air like they just don’t care…because that’s an iconic anthem.
Just as you don’t Forget About Dre, also remember success was elusive for The Impressionists in their lifetime.
As you walk through the AGO, what you’ll see is art that is now smoothly woven into our pop culture: fridge magnets, tote bags…even Vincent van Gogh showed up in Doctor Who with both ears.
All accepted now but at the time it was rejected from the official state-run Salon Exhibition. The Impressionists were ignorantly dismissed as castaways and radicals. They died never knowing that tote bag vindication belonged to their future.
Nobody ever enshrines critics on tote bags.
It wasn’t just a table flipping movement…it was a lifestyle. These avant-garde artists argued that art should reflect contemporary life, prioritize personal self-expression (you can see the brushstrokes! gasp! The hand of the artist!!) and explore disorderly human experiences rather than functioning merely as a blunt tool for moral instruction.
They were panned as a group.
There were no collectors or markets.
They were failures.
Nobody understood that these paintings you see in the AGO were movie trailers. Coming Soon: these dynamic artists launched a (modern) revolution by breaking (art) traditions. They offered a preview of a way of seeing the world that hadn’t fully arrived yet. Their work shaped modern life.
That’s why, in my modern life…I left Strombo the IG comment that concluded with:
Kryptonite is accepting what headline-reading strangers say about Clark Kent as the truth.
The headline-reading strangers and critics (who believed their taste was good), who dismissed these painters are now villainous footnotes.
The Impressionists didn’t just paint what they saw.
They changed how seeing works. See for yourself.
Art doesn’t evolve politely. It breaks the rules first.
This entire My Pal Sammy is a #PantsWorthy invitation to go see their remarkable work and celebrate the pushback. It’s literally in the exhibition name: The Impressionist Revolution.
Linger with the Water Lilies and savour the revolution.
Perceptive photographer Henry VanderSpek (aka Culture Snap) and I visited the AGO media preview of…
The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art, which is is now open to the public.
“Making its Canadian debut at the AGO, this sweeping overview of Impressionism illustrates the origins of the movement and its considerable impact on two successive generations of avant-garde painters. Drawn from the extensive holdings of the Dallas Museum of Art, the exhibition includes masterful works by Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Vincent van Gogh, Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Edvard Munch, and more.”
As you can see from that incredible list of painters this My Pal Sammy is only a teaser trailer.
There’s so much to see.
Chill.
Go slow.
This freshtastic exhibition covers more than just the Impressionist revolution. As you keep going you’ll see what happens after the revolution.
#ProTip #1: Admission to the AGO is free the first Wednesday night of each month, between 6 pm – 9 pm. Tickets must be reserved online and become available at 10:00 AM on the Monday prior.
#ProTip #2: If you wanna go extra classy…the AGO offers an Impressionist Afternoon Tea. This tea-rrific event runs until October 18. Details and tickets are here.
Didn’t Use Claude AI to write about Claude Monet…
Sammy Younan
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
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