Althought there was a pretty good variety of work in this exhibition, I found that the pieces pieces chosen to be hung worked well together. In contrast to the BFA open, it was nice to see each artist's work in an appropriate amount of space. I felt that the room/wall assignments were well done, however the wall labels were confusing in almost every room. The hanging walls were a nice touch that I'm hoping will be available of the BFA exhibition next semester to allow for my space/organization.
The paintings on far wall as soon as you walk into the gallery were interesting from a distance, but the stetching of the giant canvas was pretty disappointing up close. I enjoyed Catherine Haggarty's compositions and use of guache. Her work created a feeling of nastalgia without feeling old. The work that stood out to me the most was done by Erik Schoonebeek and Erin Dunn. Erik's elongated horizontal 2pt perspective created an interesting "galactic" space. I was intrigued by his exploration and use of fabrics and other materials. Erin Dunn's giant wall piece was what seemed to be a drawing on a blanket with a patterned fabric loosely stitched around the border; an intresting approach to framing a piece. Her installation, which invited you to sit and paint your nails, payed very careful attention the the placement and details of chochkies and nick-nacks. Her use of pinks, reds, and greens in combination with the patterns in fabrics and wheels of yarn created a welcoming, home-sweet-home feeling. This feeling of ease while watching the video of an adorable foxes and neon oceans with fun music made me feel extremely light-hearted. I wish she didn't have to share the room with anyone else.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
7DaysInDaArtWorld: Chapter 3
THE FAIR...
i like the idea of someone investing in my work, or my life as they put it.
i don't find this to be offensive by any means. it's just a matter of business.
however, i'm not a huge fan of the fact that the artists aren't at these fairs.
when the painting is being bought and sold by two other individuals, the artist becomes alienated from the work in a way.
these collectors feel like the overly "dedicated" parents who will kill a mother at 4 am outside Toys R' Us to get the last Tickle-Me Elmo.
I can't decide if this globalization of the artworld is a good thing or a bad thing for an artist.
obviously, the good stuff is that your work can be recognized internationally.
but the downside seems to me that it would dilute the popularity of the work if it is only shown in pieces in random galleries around the world.
i guess though, if your work is given attention in any form than its a good thing.
"More people than ever are buying contemporary art, and chances are that most of it is historically insignificant."
I can't imagine how stressful the decision-making process must be at one of these fairs, partly because i'm absurdly indecisive and i don't like gambling.
but learning the trade of being a collector at the expense of millions, or billions, of dollars is something that is unfathomable to me.
i like the idea of someone investing in my work, or my life as they put it.
i don't find this to be offensive by any means. it's just a matter of business.
however, i'm not a huge fan of the fact that the artists aren't at these fairs.
when the painting is being bought and sold by two other individuals, the artist becomes alienated from the work in a way.
these collectors feel like the overly "dedicated" parents who will kill a mother at 4 am outside Toys R' Us to get the last Tickle-Me Elmo.
I can't decide if this globalization of the artworld is a good thing or a bad thing for an artist.
obviously, the good stuff is that your work can be recognized internationally.
but the downside seems to me that it would dilute the popularity of the work if it is only shown in pieces in random galleries around the world.
i guess though, if your work is given attention in any form than its a good thing.
"More people than ever are buying contemporary art, and chances are that most of it is historically insignificant."
I can't imagine how stressful the decision-making process must be at one of these fairs, partly because i'm absurdly indecisive and i don't like gambling.
but learning the trade of being a collector at the expense of millions, or billions, of dollars is something that is unfathomable to me.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
RENE LYNCH
BEHIND THE GARDEN GATE:
I wanted to see this exhibition because of the work that I am currently doing:
The repetition of the gradient background at first seemed a bit elementary.
After looking at them I came to like the way the flatness of the gradient allowed for the detailed figures to really pop off of the canvas.
Although the subjects were a bit too fantasy-world for me, I was fully engaged in the compositions.
I wanted to see this exhibition because of the work that I am currently doing:
- Her work looks like prints, and I am newly in printmaking, her work seemed to be the perfect combination.
- I am exploring women's portraits in my own work, and the subject of all of her work is women.
- I'm interested in working with floral pattern, which I can relate to the plants that she paints.
The repetition of the gradient background at first seemed a bit elementary.
After looking at them I came to like the way the flatness of the gradient allowed for the detailed figures to really pop off of the canvas.
Although the subjects were a bit too fantasy-world for me, I was fully engaged in the compositions.
MFA/PROGRAMS
First of all.
Because I will need time to work to and save money, I won't be applying to a graduate school for another year or two.
However, I absolutely want to be working in an environment where I will continue to learn/practice my skills as an artist.
So, obviously, a paid internship would be ideal.
Also, I would be interested in getting an MFA in printmaking. (As opposed to painting)
So here's what I'm looking at in a realistic order.
A paid internship like this one that was recently posted.
A studio assistant like this one.
UARTS
SVA
UCLA
Because I will need time to work to and save money, I won't be applying to a graduate school for another year or two.
However, I absolutely want to be working in an environment where I will continue to learn/practice my skills as an artist.
So, obviously, a paid internship would be ideal.
Also, I would be interested in getting an MFA in printmaking. (As opposed to painting)
So here's what I'm looking at in a realistic order.
A paid internship like this one that was recently posted.
A studio assistant like this one.
UARTS
SVA
UCLA
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
7DaysInTheArtWorld
Chapter 6 : The Studio Visit
- Takashi Murakami
- I never knew that so many people could be involved with artwork that is only given one name for the artist.
- I don't necessarily disagree with it, but I think it's sad.
- They try to make up for it by writing the assistants names on the back of the canvas.
- So what.
- It would be nice, however, to have people paint the tedious shit for me.
- The shit that's, "not crisp enough" and "not dense enough."
- I like that fact that he is extremely involved, even in his studios in other countries.
- I also appreciate his dedication to the work - filing digital images of every layer in a paintings and applying 23 coats of gesso to get the painting just right.
- This makes me realize that I have a lot of things to think over in the process of making my own work.
- Oval Buddy - the budget of a small Hollywood independent film.
- This should happen more often.
- Either Tim Blum or Jeff Poe, I don't remember which one, said that Japan doesn't want people to stand out, so it pounds them back in.
- I could see that.
- I guess he got out.
- Meanwhile, Murakami is saying, "Dissemination is difficult."
- What is difficult, for me, is believing this.
- He is enormous.
- And so is anime.
- He makes the best possible version of anime.
- He has so many people following him and working for him.
- I'd like to know what about dissemination is so hard.
- I can't imagine how awesome it would feel to be at that point in your career as an artist.
- Being able to work on a thousand projects at once, having people do the meaningless tasks for you, having dealers that are super involved, and getting payed an absurd amount of money to live a more than comfortable.
- It's a beautiful dream.
- Minus the stress.
- I really like Murakami's standpoint on his Louis Vuitton paintings.
- He is flattening the distinctions between art and luxury goods, between high and pop culture.
- He's able say something pretty honest through one of the most worn out patterns.
- In conclusion...
- He's a very intelligent man, with what I imagine to be awesome hair.
- And he's very lucky to have access to a fingerprint scan code system machine.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
KANDINSKY @ ze guggenheim
Although the Guggenheim tends to make feel a bit neurotic by the time I reach the top, it served as an appropriate gallery for the timeline of Kandinsky's work. It was nice to see some figures in his earlier work and then watch the transformation of figures into total abstraction. One of his earlier paintings that really stood out to me was Riding Couple, a twinkling, romantic landscape with lovers riding a mystic horse in the foreground. I liked it partly because it's so dark in value than the majority of his paintings. I'm especially inspired by his application of paint on the leaves of the trees. In my own paintings, I've been investigating outlining forms, but haven't yet been successful. Although i'm not sure exactly how Kandinsky painted/layered the trees and leaves, it has inspired me to lay down a silhouette, painting sections of the forms in afterwards.
The looser, more organically abstract paintings that came next in the timeline got a little muddy for a minute, although I was brought back in when the landscapes became more linear. The progression of lines into total geometric abstractions I found to be the most interesting. I feel like these paintings allowed him to use the vibrant colors in more effectively - the precision in his outline and overlapping of shapes in combination with the glowing colors around the shapes I found to be much more successful than a handful of really vibrant colors juxtaposed together. I could help thinking of The Rugrats when seeing the last paintings in the exhibition. It seems to me like the 80's got a lot of inspiration form these confetti-like, collage-esque, pastel abstractions. ha.
The looser, more organically abstract paintings that came next in the timeline got a little muddy for a minute, although I was brought back in when the landscapes became more linear. The progression of lines into total geometric abstractions I found to be the most interesting. I feel like these paintings allowed him to use the vibrant colors in more effectively - the precision in his outline and overlapping of shapes in combination with the glowing colors around the shapes I found to be much more successful than a handful of really vibrant colors juxtaposed together. I could help thinking of The Rugrats when seeing the last paintings in the exhibition. It seems to me like the 80's got a lot of inspiration form these confetti-like, collage-esque, pastel abstractions. ha.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
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