"seven days in the art world"...chapter 2.

the crit.

honestly this was the first i've read of this book. let me start off by saying i would never sit through a crit that long. i enjoyed the first person account of being a person observing the work. the only thing i wish is that the narrator got involved in the discussion. from the gate i like the 'legitimacy' given to asher by discussing his works at the venice biennale. the commentary on crits is very accurate in that there are often awkward moments of silence where everyone seems unmotivated to be there. other times conversation is constant whether it be natural or sparked by a solitary comment. there's the people that never talk. there's the people that think they know everything. there's the people that leave. there's the people that speak whatever come to their mind. there's the people say say little but when they do its valid. crits can be awkward efforts for artists to defend themselves and other times crits can be moments of praise where the artist can remain humble or become arrogant.

this chapter extended far beyond the borders of the classroom though. it went much deeper than i expected. the commentary on the necessity of an mfa degree was nothing that i've encountered before. the discussion of what to do with that degree is a struggle that we all face and hope to endure through successfully. i was immediate shocked by the chris burden imitator. i had wondered why that photo was at the start of the chapter and thats not what i had expected. i also like that the text was applicable to the los angeles area and i found the insight to hollywood crossover interesting. i wish there was something that wide-spread in the new york area.

i also enjoy the validity of the various faculty's/artist's take on crits. there were three main 'types' of crits presented in this reading. the crit where the instructor interjects as needed. the crit where the instructor says nothing. the crit where the artist says nothing. i feel all three are appropriate in different situations. i tend to like to not say too much...or wait till the end. i thought the end was a great twist when the narrator waits till everyone leaves to re-evaluate the classroom. the thought that the student remains exist as a piece of artwork after a "post-studio" session is interesting. it's definitely a conceptual piece that could have been conceived by asher. i've seen the studio considered a piece of art but never a crit room. its art in the wake of art discussion.

some of my favorite quotes...

"creative is definitely a dirty word...it's almost as embarassing as beautiful or sublime or masterpiece."

"you go in and out of consciousness. when so many people open up your work, they say things that you never imagined, and you start to feel baffled."

"to be a great artist in the long term, you need to trust your own intuitions and instincts, whereas academia is based on rational group-think. there is a magic and alchemy to art, but academics are always suspicious of the guy who stirs the big black pot."

i dislike blog posts with no photos.

art days...the moma and such.

a couple weeks back i head out to the moma with hanneline and my advanced painting class. every time i go its amazing to me how many people come from far and wide to this overly large, elaborate establishment filled to the brim with with modern art and some of the best shows in the world. maybe i take it for granted because its an hour train ride and a 20 block walk away from my residence in new brunswick. i met up with alan and we strolled over 53rd st between 5th and 6th ave to the moma. amazing to find was the entrance line which almost extended to 6th avenue before the doors even opened at 10.30 in the morning. the reason for this journey was the james ensor exhibition that was on display. prior to this i had no real knowledge of james ensor and his work. as soon as i got to the 6th floor and entered the show i could tell there was A LOT of work. so much that i used capital letters. my class dispersed so we could view at our own pace. i proceeded to put my headphones on and nod my head around this extensive show that so many had come to see.

ensor is a belgian artist and this show displays a lot of his work from the 1880's - 90's.  he developed a "tachist" style which uses a sketchy, suggestive style of paint application. upon first peruse, i immediately notice that there are many deep layers of washes that all convey different information and detail. areas of color are often comprised of many reflective colors. the tonalities can be very similar but we can still discern all of the necessary information about the image. on the contrary, there is an effective absence of detail in spots in which our mind can successfully create what is missing.

the paintings alone were very diverse. some were bold and full of detail with heavy paint application while others were thin and made of multiple layers of thin washes.  the areas that appear under-developed in these paintings become just as important as those that are fully developed. i noticed some of the work almost starts to remind me of lucian freud paintings through the use of color and even texture in some spots. ensor also has religious pieces they are not cliche or idolized. sometimes he even represents himself as christ.

amazing to see were his drawings which were nothing short of amazing. my understanding is that ensor drawings are hard to come by and there were a good number of them at the moma. some of these drawings were monumental and on a level i've never contemplated tackling with that much detail. from my judgement they were approximately 8 feet tall by 5 feet wall. astonishing. what's great is there there were other drawings that were 8 inches tall and just as captivating as the overly large ones. it was a beautiful contrast.

there were also a good amount of ensor's etchings in the show. the etching sometimes contrast his drawing style but the style of mark making is often similar. some of these etchings are brightened with the use of colored gouache. there is a lot of fine line work and detail in his prints.

his self-portraits play a big part in the show.  he represented himself in many different roles including Christ, women and skeletons. they were typically done in an effort of self-promotion and social engagement. there were also a lot of works that included people in fantasy settings with masks and spirits.  these works came at the end of the show where his pieces became more playful and satirical. overall the show was amazing, diverse and extensive. this brief review does it no justice...you could easily write pages. i'm sorry for those who missed it.

after this we headed on down to chelsea.

these will be brief responses...no more essays...

paul kasmin gallery. 293 10th ave. NAKED!

wide range of completely nude figures. all media. from classical stylings to immatre, playful, cartoon like images.

kent gallery. 541 w25th st.

eclectic group show. from figures to landscapes. graced by the likes of yves tanguy and giacometti.

cheim & read gallery. 547 w25th st. the female gaze.

completely feminine. women dealing with women's issues. some cliche. some mystical. some photorealistic.

zach feur gallery. 530 w24th st. dasha shishkin.

subjects and content not directly related. hard to tell the work is by the same artist. connected through pallette and playfulness. from figures to flowers.

luhring augustine gallery. 531 w24th st. janine antoni.

at first you tend to scratch your head. then it all comes together. innovative. impressive.

d'amelio terras gallery. 525 w22nd st. joanne greenbaum & elliot green.

j.g - the strokeyness of giacometti meets architectural and geometric form. bright. loud. large.

e.g - extreme figural abstraction. bright. smooth. artist's hand is visible.

sikkema jenkins & co. 530 w22ndst. mark bradford & kara walker.

m.b - beautiful surfaces made of non-traditional materials. lots of layers. often sanded.

k.w - typical cut paper and paint. mainly b&w. some color. use of negative images. even a video.

pace-wildenstein gallery. 545 w22nd st. maya lin.

amazing.

david zwirner gallery. 533 w19th st. raoul de keyser & chris ofili.

r.d.k - small color field paintings. a lot of solitary strokes. some collage. not for me.

c.o - pencil drawings of repetitive forms starting at the same point. a lot of movement. simple. almost psychadelic.

with the imminent threat of rain i didn't want to bring my camera out so i could not document the day. worst part is that is never even rained a little bit. damn. that was a long post.

hit it big.

"hit it big" is the show currently up in the mason gross galleries comprised of works from faculty and second year graduate students.

i really enjoyed this show. i definitely found it interesting to see work of my teachers displayed in a gallery setting. as students, we know of our teacher's work but often do not see it. our relationship with them doesn't extend too far past the classroom. the work was an eclectic mix of stylings and mediums but they all blended well together. works that were paired in the same room often had similar qualities. the work was also distributed well within the space of the mason gross galleries.  this is definitely something to take into account when thinking about setting up a thesis show with our peers. for many of us, it is the first time thinking in this manner so the insight from those above us who have done this in the past is more than valid.

start it up again.

i haven't painted in a while...

since last school year to be honest.

at the end of last semester i didn't feel like my ideas were that fresh anymore. they weren't exciting. i was interested in my concepts but not so much the execution. so i took the summer off in hopes my ideas would manifest themselves into something new. now that school is in full swing i don't have the luxury of the relaxation. however...i have new ideas now. i'm ready to go. time to start making stretcher bars. time to start ripping yards of canvas and creating the little thoughts that stream through my head in hopes of something grand...time to start it up again.

back to your regularly scheduled web browsing...

alex bag..."untitled fall '95"

i had no idea what to expect from this video so i kept and open mind about it and proceeded to watch it.  i knew it wasn't a good thing when i found myself checking how much time had passed within ten minutes...

i wasn't amused by the video at all.  yea, it accurately portrayed feelings that the majority of us have felt on this journey but it didn't do anything with them...they were simply put on display.  we should all be aware of them at this point.  the voice of the characters were so monotonous and pessimistic it literally put me to sleep.  it was comparable to  sitting through a lecture about a subject that you're not interested in by a professor who should have called it quits years ago.  i suppose how i can see why some would like the video...it just wasn't for me.

the part i enjoyed the most was when bag returned as she was starting her eighth and final semester at SVA.  i found that commentary to be the most interesting and thought provoking amongst a sea of dull fish.  the subtle acquisition of 'art kid' stereotypes [cigarette smoking and coffee drinking] were witty and a nice touch.  other than that the best part was the series of power naps i got.  maybe i should watch it again.

art days...the new museum...HELL, NO.

i was excited to go to the new museum.  i had never been.  i was eager to see new work that i had no knowledge of.  sadly, i was pretty let down.  upon approach, i liked the unbalanced aesthetic design of the building despite that fact that it unsuccessfully made me feel like it as going to topple.  hopefully that wasn't the intention...

i was even somewhat amused by the off-centered "HELL, YES" regardless of the fact that it was rainbow and i disliked the type-face.  i do like that it minimally appears as the only text on the facade of the building...

however i felt the work inside didn't evoke as much as excitement as this text conveys.  at this time, i think it should read "HELL, NO" as the title of this post insinuates. i wish i saw this if it still exists...

inside i saw the work of 3 artists.  the first of which was black panther artist emory douglas.  the vast majority of his works were offset lithography prints. they were bold, graphic and showed the in justices again african-american people of that time...like we've seen so many times before.  that's my issue with this work. it wasn't new.  it wasn't different.  it's been done.  i immediately got the message and only continued onward in hopes i would see something different with no avail.  one of my companions on the day, alan, was totally correct in saying that the mural wasn't even exciting by the time we got to it. unfortunate. the blurb printed on the wall said, "they are pictures, and they are meant to change the world." i don't see how that's possible with how redundant this subject is.  one of the few things i found interesting was the portrait of malcolm-x.  it was the only hand drawn piece of the show.  what's interesting to me is that it portrays a highly idealized subject in a technique that appears to be much more labor intensive than the prints. i felt this was intentional within the works that were selected for this show.

second was the work of david goldblatt.  his photographs depict different areas of south africa starting after the apartheid.  the oldest works were black and white prints that depicted a lot of indigenous people.  they were shown going about their daily lives in a manner that makes them seem kind of content despite their circumstances.  this was a nice contrast to the strong views of emory douglas.  there were a great deal of old and new photographs juxtaposed to show the evolution of a specific area or other relationships.  this was sometimes successful but more often than not it was hard to see the relationships.  overall this work is still something that we've seen before and became excessive.  the presentation and the sheer size of the prints was nice.  so was the mimic jail cell installed in the wall as you climbed back stairway from the third level to the fourth.

finally i saw the work of dorothy ianonne.  it's her first show in the US and her work illustrates the gender paradigm.  she often uses herself and her lover as her subjects and a loose first-person narrative.  all of her paintings showed scenes of sexual encounters and were big, colorful and stylized.  the work places emphasis on the act and contains some kind of controversial phrase. this work was fairly refreshing after the monotony of the previous two artists.  if i had to pick a favorite of the day it would be this. maybe that's why i have the least amount of commentary about it.

overall...not worth the price of the discount student admission.

unfortunately it was raining the day i traveled with the good brothers alan and matt so i was not able to bring my camera to document the excursion myself. so for now i'll leave you with this clever art humor that most of you have probably seen before...

a bucket of blood.

...a 1959 film that catalogs the unique artistic techniques and state-of-mind of a quirky busboy, walter paisley.

the film is quite successful in character development and conveying emotions that many artists can relate to.  it's interesting to think about the jealousy that walter feels when he sees the success of others around him and the possibility that we may have felt the same at some point.  through this, walter works to come into his own and achieve success, showing us the importance of perseverance...or maybe its just the luck of covering a dead cat in clay...

i've haven't seen too many movies like this one or from this time-frame so it was new to me.  the concept and execution was realistic and entertaining.  all of the elements were appropriate for the time-period in which the plot was set.  the character's actions and behaviors were believable and gave us significant insight to their personalities.  also accurate were the character's reactions to another character's behaviors. the only criticism i have is that i think it was a little too drawn out.  it wasn't painful to watch but i feel it could have been slightly truncated and still successfully conveyed all the things it did.  overall i liked it.  maybe it was just the bare-back pretty women...

ride with me...

and it begins...

bfa senior thesis...

[insert comment about how i can't believe i'm a senior].

the culmination of my career at mason gross.

hopefully throughout this all-lower-case jargon there will be some sort of artistic goodness to be found.

for all of those who have and might show support...thank you.

come on and ride with me...