While at the MOMA recently, I visited the Marcel Duchamp exhibition. It was in a small gallery on the far right of the building. The exhibition was on the same floor as the Picasso's, but in a higher number gallery. I had never been introduced to Marcel Duchamp's work until Alex posted a picture of his fountain on the blog. I am sure that I had a typical first response: why is a urinal art? Although the fountain was not featured at the MOMA, another perplexing piece was present. In the middle of the exhibition on a large plank of wood was a stool. On that stool was an upside down bicycle wheel. There was a lamp on the ceiling above the piece that created a shadow of the bicycle on the wood below it. The shadow was the first thing that caught my attention. Since there was so much to analyze about the work, I thought that the shadow must have been created purposefully like a light installation. But what was significant about a reflection of a bike below a bike? I thought about this for a while, but decided to look at the bike as a whole and disregard the details momentarily.  My initial thought was that this piece expressed the ingenuity of mankind. The wheel made man more efficient. Invented in ancient times, the wheel illustrates the innovation of mankind throughout the centuries. The reflection then suggested the darker side of innovation. The wheel, however, could have no meaning at all. The piece could just question what art is. Does art always have to be serious or meaningful? In a way, this piece reminded me of Andy Warhol's work in so much as the idea of taking a common idea or product and creating art from it. It is very provocative. Any thoughts?