Friday, September 3, 2010
Week 2 - By and About Artists
Hello All,
Here are the readings for Week 2.
The video above is required viewing, #6, Kukuli Velarde.
Click the comments link below to publish your response.
Please try to write ALL of your comments in a single posting.
It may be helpful to write your response in a format such as text-edit,
then copy and paste to the blog. Responses are Due by Wed., 9/8/10 at midnight.
Warm regards,
Terri
Week 2 - By and About Artists:
1. Jack Thompson: The Well of Myth, Glen R. Brown, galley draft for Ceramics Art & Perception, 2008.
2. Julie Mehretu, Sheets, NYT, 2007.
3. Sketchbooks, Jed Perl, The New Republic, 2010
4. Poetic Theaters, Romantic Fevers, Holland Cotter, New York Times, 2007.
5. The Philosophy of Art; Interview with Arthur C. Danto, Natasha Degen, The Nation, 2005.
6. Studioscopic Episode 7: Kukuli Velarde
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6777574281882789675
Click here for more info about Kukuli.
Optional additional readings / video on the topic:
I Dream the Clothing Electric: Nick Cave, Finkel, NYT, 2009.
Heesung Lee - Interview, Dana Sunshine, TheArtBiz.com.
Gathered, Not Made: ABrief History of Appropriative Writing, Raphael Rubenstein, The American Poetry Review, 1999
Merce Cunnigham: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/08/01/arts/dance/20090803-merce-graphic.html
Elizabeth Murray, 66, Artist of Vivid Forms, Dies, Roberta Smith, New York Times, 2007.
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Caitlin Tucker
ReplyDeleteThe Philosophy of Art and Sketchbooks each really struck me this week. I liked the beginning of the piece on Danto where it discussed the “end of art”, and the entrance of a pluralist era. It’s always really struck me as this wonderful reality that here we are, with all the major barriers broken, and a field guide of work behind us allowing the artists of today to do, literally, anything. From there, moving into the interview with Danto and his discussion of his style of art criticism, I appreciated this tidbit: “What I brought to my criticism was something I learned as a philosophical writer – to write clearly, concisely and logically. Too much art writing was and is jargonistic and windy. I had a good time writing the pieces, and I wanted the reader to have a good time reading them. And, because I am a teacher, I wanted readers to learn new ways of thinking about art.” Though I don’t think at all that artists need to be taught writing like we’ve never picked up pens, I do think there is always benefit in reading different styles of writing and continuing to learn to write in the most clear way possible.
It’s always been interesting to me, the general consensus that artists are not good at speaking or writing about their work. Though capricious artists will often promote this idea, it really is a silly one. While creative people will generally have an area or two of greater interest and skill set, such as remarkable draftsmanship or ability to wield chisel and mallet, writing and communication are still inherently creative ventures, and thus well within the realm of an artist’s abilities. In fact, art making is no less a conversation or mode of communication than a paragraph is. It’s all mark making, really. In the discussion of the Abstract Expressionist’s apparently prolific writing, this passage stood out to me: “… the chief fascination of these books is in the letters he wrote to friends and family, including his sister, the painter known as Biala. Both wrote eloquently about the struggles in the studio.” Of course it is!
I also really appreciated the article on Julie Mehretu. Diego Rivera has been a source of some inspiration/thought for me, and seeing his work through another artist’s eyes is interesting. I especially found it interesting to read about Mehretu’s work with D.I.A. and their reopening. “While she doesn’t expect viewers necessarily to identify all of the elements in her paintings, they form what she calls their DNA and affect how they develop.” This is something I want to cultivate within my own work, a sturdy framework of ideas and influences that may not be obvious to anyone else, but is there to lend nuance to the work, regardless of what is identifiable.
Kukuli Velarde spoke at Moore last year, and she acted as down to earth about her work then as she does in this video. I found it refreshing to hear her speak about the autobiographical themes in her work, which initially appears entrenched more in myth and cultural commentary than an individual's experience. I think it is good to take emotional responsibility for your work in this way, and in the way Jack Thompson must have for Glen Brown to write his review within an autobiographical framework. Although Brown's review was a little wordy for my taste, it made sense and offered some good context for Jack's work, which brought some pretty fantastical imagery squarely down to earth. I have a feeling Jack would approve?
ReplyDeleteThe theme of tying the personal into a broader cultural context continues into the review of Mehretu's "City Sightings." When I read this article I thought a lot about how art is perhaps necessarily autobiographical...where else does an artist's executive decisions or instincts come from other than personal experience? If not literally from personal experience (events, beliefs, orientation) the way an artist crafts a work no matter the subject says something very real about their mindset or personality.
I could relate to Holland Cotter's description of Joseph Cornell's work the best of all artists from this week's readings. I find that my art gets away from me and even a little superficial when I try to take on issues too much larger than myself, as Mehretu did with Detroit's culture or Jack did with Jung and myth. Cornell's work seems unassuming in how deeply personal it is (hence Cotter's comment that viewers might play a voyeur's role in viewing it) and I appreciate the humble and poignant subject matter and materials Cornell used to make it. I believe my response last week speaks to this sentiment as well (trying to find the worthwhile in the banal or every day details.)
For the same reasons I appreciate Cornell's art I have loved Arthur C. Danto's writing ever since it was introduced to me two years ago. Danto's work seems to revolve around the gap between art and life (he actually said this explicitly when titling a collection of his essays) and I hope my art also spans the two. Danto has given me much useful language to describing my intentions for my work. I thought it funny that the person who I've found most successfully discusses the endless possibilities for art (inspiring in me rampant idealism at times) is so down to earth (I learned art criticism by writing art criticism.)
As for the piece about the ab-exers, I have to say that I don't know what to say. I tend to oscillate between the points of view discussed in the piece, sometimes thinking that the ab-exers were eventually beating a dead horse (dumb geniuses, not quite, but maybe stagnant when the work became redundant), and at other times respecting the intellectual work they were doing with their art. It depends upon my mood at this point, as ignorant as that sounds even to me.
m.carnes
ReplyDeleteI remember attending Kukuli Velarde’s artists lecture last year and I loved how entertaining and fun she was to watch. She was not only very charismatic but also excited about her work and her life, which made listening to her enjoyable. I liked listening to Kukuli talk about herself and her path as a painter, then ceramic artist and the journey it took her to be where she is. I think a lot of artists have this kind of journey. What I admired most about her was how she was not afraid to speak about her failures, heritage, family matters, inspiration, lost loves…etc. Not many artists are as open about their lives and their works process as she is, so watching her was refreshing change. There are many other artists who share similar contexts and inspirations as she does but what separates her from others is that she uses self-portraiture. By using this she takes her work to a more intimate and personal level. Furthermore, I think what makes her more successful than other artists is due to the humorous quality of her art, which gives it a life of its own.
Sophie Strachan
ReplyDeleteI remember attending Kukuli Velarde’s talk last year and I really enjoyed hearing her speak about her work and life. This video reflects that talk perfectly. I think it’s great that she is so versatile with materials. I feel like most artists tend to have phases of different materials. Even though her materials change her subject matter, like self-portraits, runs throughout her entire oeuvre and she can find new ways of expressing ideas through the medium. I enjoyed reading about Jack Thompson’s work because I had connected it with a sort of Egyptian/mythical theme, but had never really understood it so deeply. When I first discovered Julie Mehretu’s art I fell in love. Just by looking at her work I would have never known the history and influences behind it. Knowing this gives her work another dimension, but I still see it as beautiful marks, color and composition. I’ve read about Arthur C. Danto’s “End of Art” before and I don’t agree completely. Personally I think we are too engulfed in the present to see any sort of art history being created. In the future someone will have to put our contemporary art in some sort of historical context. Anyway it was still interesting to understand his perspective as an art critic and philosopher.
Lauren Bergrud
ReplyDeleteSeptember 7, 2010
Joseph Cornell’s life has always interested me. His work is in most museums and he did not go to school for art. His family life must have been stressful tending to an elderly mother and brother born with cerebral palsy. His work is so simple yet so sophisticated and the emotion behind it seems so complex, it is interested how all of that manifested. Cornell made art because he had to. It was his way of figuring out the world, releasing emotion, and devoting his love to the women of his dreams.
What artists write about their work and theories is very important to understanding art and art history. Critics advertise movements and trends in the art world, they decide the hype and fuel debates about art. To me it seems like an outsider writing about art. An artist’s main media may be visual but they have a gift of expressing and can probably put their own theory into words better than anyone who is trained to write. I have read books by Kandinsky and Hans Hoffman where at some points it did not seem like English, but an artist takes certain liberties in expression. Once their language is understood the words are seamless.
I really enjoyed Ms. Mehretu’s process. Allowing her surroundings to be absorbed and using architectural planes as starting points in her paintings. Even if they are unrecognizable in the end they definitely have translate through the works progress.
Jack has had a very full life and makes beautiful work. It is interesting to me to see where he gets his imagery from and what he uses to make decisions about color and process.
Mallory Lawson
ReplyDeleteMehretu stated that she is “… interested in looking backwards in time…” This being said, I thought it was completely appropriate that the article began with the history of Detroit before even mentioning Mehretu at all. Mehretu has long been a favorite artist of mine. Her use of layering and architectural elements as well as the use of city plans really gives me a close tie to her conceptually as well as visually.
I like the fact that Detroit has it’s own significance to her life; being an immigrant herself, in a city that once attracted immigrants from all over the world. Mehretu perfectly described her relationship with the city of Detroit when she said, “You’re not just this person who’s from your own specific experiences, but the collective experience of what makes you who you are because of time.” The history of Detroit is just as much relevant to itself as it is to the history of Mehretu. I thought this was an interesting point, considering the physical location and subject matter of her “City Sitings” series.
Reading this article made me really think about the work I’m making and why I’m making. The extremely specific nature of her visual language, is just reminder that I need to push myself harder to research more.
I also remember getting to see Kukuli Velarde speak and present her work last year. As soon as I saw her slides I thought she was amazing. It's interesting knowing that she was a really well known and famous painter in Peru and then she just dropped it and left. It's just interesting to know that those kind of things happen with obsessive parents all the time and not just here. I have a friend who's a singer, and her mom has been pushing her, her entire life to make something out of it. Whether it was making her go to vocal lessons or signing her up for competitions or making her sing in front of people, she just kept pushing. Now she doesn't enjoy singing. So I guess it's the same situation, Kukuli just had enough, left and became a ceramics artist. Even though her paintings are really well done, I feel like her ceramic pieces are much stronger. I feel as though she puts more of herself into her ceramics than in her paintings (Probably because she was being forced to paint), and they're really quite wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting reading a piece about Jack. Jack has been my teacher for several classes and we've talked a lot. So I'm familiar with his work and how he works, but it was nice to read and find out what exactly it is that's fueled him to create what he does.
B. Enright
ReplyDeleteT. Saulin
Critical Discourse
September 5, 2010
Kukuli Velarde
I became really fond of this artist since she came to speak at Moore last year. I would love to see her sculptures up close; the detail that goes into her ceramic pieces is remarkable. Last year she displayed her early work, when she still worked with her father in Peru, there weren’t even close to the paintings she does today. They seemed more along the lines of illustrations then paintings. The painting that she use to do before her sculptures were done very well, however, they lacked the movement and the emotion that her paintings and sculptures have today.
Jack Thompson: The Well of Myth
By Glen R. Brown
I have seen images of Jack’s sculpture’s before and step up step processes on how to create part of his fantastical figures, but I never really knew what they where about until I read this statement. Have seen his works before and now reading his artist statement I understand the concept of his hybrid pieces.
Industrial Strength in the Motor City
By Hilarie M. Sheet
This article reflects how the artist, Julie Mehretu, was effected Diego Rivera’s fresco “Detroit Industry”. This fresco related the unity of the people that worked for the Ford company, and in reality it wasn’t true. She uses this as her starting point for her city themed ideas for her works.
Sketchbooks
Jed Perl
This article kind of goes hand and hand with another article that we read last week, Philip Guston’s Talking. I personally never heard of the stereotype that artist don’t make very good writer’s. I know I lot of artist that enjoy writing as much as they love doing their sculpture, painting, etc.. I am not one of those artist.... to be quite honest the thought of writing a five page paper is horrifying to me, but alas these papers are still assigned for homework. Anyway, about the stereotype, like all stereotypes, are pointless and hold little to no value to whatever they might be talking about.
Poetic Theaters, Romantic Fevers
Joseph Cornell is one of my favorite artists. I always thought about his shadow box sculptures as if they were more windows to a memory, then “poetic theaters.” However I appreciate the different way of looking at it. I knew from high school that Cornell was more of a loner and that is apparent in his works; the way that they are all confined to their own space, and the images never go beyond the walls of the box.
The Philosophy of Art
Its important to keep an open mind when it comes to artwork. I believe to be a great art critic one has to be unprejudiced when it comes to different art styles. Danto seems to have a wide appreciation for art in what he most enjoys.
Jamiee Cruz:
ReplyDeleteI remember when Kukuli Veralde came to Moore to talk about her work. I found her to be inspiring. Her work was based on her life, family, culture, past relationships and so on. I thought it was wonderful how she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind through her artwork. It’s amazing to see how amazing of a painter she is and also a sculpture. Her sculptures were comical in some ways and it was interesting to see that all of her work was self-portraits. When she talks about her work is refreshing she seems so down to earth and very proud of her work. Although her paintings are really deep and painted well, I still find myself wanting to know more about her sculptures and what they meant to her personally.
Reading the article about Jack Thompson was interesting. I never had classes with him before but I have seen his work so it was interesting to read about his inspirations to create paintings and sculptures.
Glen R. Brown
ReplyDeleteHe needs to real it back in. His writing approach, while a valiant attempt at a Jane Austin style fails and prove more confusing then mesmerizing. It is weird to see a man write about and artist, especially one i know.
Julie Mehretu
I think that murals are a great way to beautify and energize a city. It is good to have an artist who can relate to the past struggle and current difficulties of the area.
Holland Cotter
this work is very Biographical and descriptive of the work. It has the simplicity a news article requires and i dig it.
Arthur C. Danto
I really didn;t the recap of art-evolution. Also, I wish people would stop making huge philosophical speeches about art and just make some.
Kukuli Velarde
I love Kukuli Velarde, I have seen her speak in person twice, Terry took my class in high school and I saw her again when she came to school. I relate to her work, I love the combination of adorableness and hideousness that her work contains. She is very articulate and capable of explaining her work to any group not just other artists and critics.
Shannon Toale
ReplyDeleteWhen Kakull Veralde came to Moore to speak I had the opportunity to not only hear her artist talk but to have her come in to my studio and discuss my work with her. She was a very interesting woman to talk to and her artist talk was very intriguing. While discussing my work with her I realized that one of the most important issues about artwork to her was for the artists to completely release themselves in the work and have it be a complete self-portrait. She seemed almost uninterested in the imagery I had created but was instead insisting that it had to have a deeper meaning then I could explain at the time. She asked me, what made me different then anyone else that could create this imagery? What could I bring in to my paintings that no one else could? That conversation made me realize how much more research and planning I need to do before I begin to make my work. It also made me realize that I was at a point where I wasn’t able to describe my work as well as I should. I have always admired Kakull’s work and enjoyed the part of the video that spoke about Philadelphia’s strong emerging artist community.
I found the article about Jack’s work interesting but of course it barley compares to hearing Jack personally explain it. Jack has an enthusiasm that the article lacked but it was very informative and I enjoyed reading more about what inspires him. One of the most interesting pieces I read in the “sketchbooks” article was Hartigans’s discussion about never really admiring Tworkov or Hartigan’s work, but stating that “reading their journals, however, brings a heightened sense-even a thrilling sense-of their place in the period.” I think that this further pushes last week’s conversations about pairing strong writing with our work. Something I found interesting in the interview with Danto was that after completely abandoning art and focusing solely on philosophy, the pieces that brought him back in to discussing and becoming involved in art was pop art by Andy Warhol. I in some ways do not even consider Warhol an artist but more of a businessman who called his studio “the factory”.
Both Thompson and Mehretu’s articles focus on specific pieces, carefully describing their appearance. This suggests that the writer is assuming that one goes not need to be in front of the piece to understand the article. When someone other than the artist writes the articles, a different perspective is offered. What I connect with the most regarding Mehretu’s work is the idea of taking a landscape and transforming it into an abstraction of the place. For her, it is the history of civilization (I suppose, for me, it is a history without civilization). Both she and Jack are taking what they desire from history (whether it be mythological or architectural) and fusing cultures and periods together without apology. In my own work, I see myself approaching a similar process. I feel the freedom to take from different landscapes what inspires me and blend them together without concern for geological accuracy.
ReplyDeleteThe article covering the writings of Tworkov and Hartigan offer just as much insight into the artists as any catalogue essay or gallery review. In Cotter’s essay about Cornell’s retrospective, the outsider artist is succinctly placed within the art historical span of the mid twentieth century. It is interesting to see how is work could be understood by multiple artistic movements. The writing is as poetic as the work is discusses, which I appreciate. It only furthers the understanding of Cornell’s work and life. I have read Danto’s writings on the “end of art.” I find them exhilarating. It is true that the linear progression of art history seems to end in the 1960s; from then on, it is as if art radiates from all points, rather than moving from one movement to another. As an artist living today, I find it extremely liberating to know that there is no one cohesive movement I must place myself into to be recognized. I just need the conviction that I am doing something with purpose.
Courtney Coolbaugh
ReplyDeleteJudith Schaecter
I wanted to underline every sentence. I like how she organized this essay and how she reiterates her point and restates her definitions – unlike the Jack Thompson article that takes the reader on a metaphorical cosmic joyride through many lifetimes of philosophical fantasia. I agree with Schaecter about being “interested in the aesthetics of man-made objects… that is why I find much conceptual art is so dreary” – but I appreciate how her opinions remain a footnote in the greater debate about what beauty actually is. I like how she addresses different disciplines (psychology, marketing, philosophy, biology, linguistics, theology, and mythology) to support her position. The most interesting concept in her essay is the idea that beauty manifests itself through “anticipation rather than relief and release.” I never thought about inspiration as the transference of life energy before. She makes a profound statement by providing information directly – almost inarguably.
The Nation
I think most people could appreciate the idea of pluralism – that there is no single way to make art – but this idea brings a new debate: if anything goes, then what is the point? I like Danto’s point that writing “clearly, concisely, and logically” often has more merit than “jargonistic and windy” art writing (as in the case with the Jack Thompson article). I would like to hear more about his system of philosophy that he proposed for evaluating art. This article was very biographical compared to the more philosophical articles we read this week (even though Danto is a philosopher).
Sketchbooks
This is an interesting article because it addresses the mind behind a body of work. Many artists only show their most successful pieces, but this article points to the importance of the inner dialogue of the artist, including thoughts of failure – which are not usually shown to the viewer. I noticed that the writer, Jed Perl, mentioned that “neither Tworkov nor Hartigan [have] ever been an artist [he] particularly admire(s)” and yet he so surely overstates that “after you have read a few pages by Jack Tworkov or Grace Hartigan, there will be no doubt in your mind that painters are among the most articulate people on earth.” I appreciate the shout-out to witty journal-toting artists since the pages in my sketchbooks are nine-to-one words-to-pictures, but I did not find this article to be exemplary of supreme articulation.
Poetic Theaters
Joseph Cornell makes charming little boxes filled with nostalgia and imagination. The influence from Max Ernst is obvious. I like the idea of his ready-made silent films. I personally love his subject matter and materials used. His curio-cabinet style makes his found objects seem personal, and yes – romantic. I like how this article references a poet to translate the themes in Cornell’s pieces. I also like the author’s philosophy on art, stated in the last paragraph, “That was what art was for. When you are born lost at sea… you follow what light you have. You make your own.” I imagine the inside of Cornell’s mind twinkling with stars as he worked all alone in his basement.
This weeks reading hit more on a personal level with Jack Thompson and Kukuli Velarde. I have enjoyed Jack Thompson's work, seeing it in person and also speaking to him about it on a one on one level. Kukuli Velarde was very interesting to me when she came to Moore last year. I admired much of her work and found her to be a very interesting person in general. Both of these artists also work in ceramic, which is the medium of my choice as a 3d artist. I was not as interested in the other articles, but there were specific parts of the articles that I did enjoy reading. I always am curious about an artists background and how they got started. I also personally like to read in sketchbook, that other artists sometimes are confused about what they want to produce in there work and what to do next. I sometimes have this problem and relate to it. It was also interesting how they compared the city environment to that of an urban environment and the art that is produced in each. I also think that is is interesting that philosophy is often related to art in general and I have know a few people who have studied both.
ReplyDeleteHere is some quotes form the numerous readings that I could identify with and further discuss and think about…
ReplyDelete“Only interested in artists who stand for the abolition of the experience of the soul, of the psyche, which has always been the genius of any work of art.”
“Among the gems in Tworkov’s writing are his comments about the relationship between the urban environment and abstract painting. Tworkov believes that abstraction is “truly a city product the city is a vast multiplicity of three-dimensional interiors, the landscape a plane many times warped.”
“I always wanted to be an artist, but I didn’t really know how someone could make a life out it,” she said. “If you grew up in a big city around other artists, you could probably envision that in a different way.”
“Danto extols the virtues of pluralism, the idea that there is no single way to make art. Abstraction, realism, Minimalism and Expressionism all have equal claim; each is a means among many.”
I understand this. Often times I feel like I am inferior as an artist to someone who is a realist or a surrealist but I also believe that every artist has his or her calling. It is probably as easy for them to paint that way as it is for me to paint intuitively.
I know when something is successful, or looks right to me, I hardly follow any rules but I just do what I think will be successful, trial and error.
“What had seemed like a linear progression was really a kind of Möbius strip: The progression of art began at Lascaux only to end, some 15,000 years later, with artists aspiring to paint like cavemen. Now, after the end of art, anything goes.”
This can be compared to my thoughts on minimalism. I don’t feel like that is special in any way, but again, to each their own
The biography on jacks artistic journey and life was really interesting to read. I t was even more so because I had him as a professor and got to know him before he retired. I love his work and he has a spiritual connection with his pieces that I can understand.
I remember when Kukuli Overlade came to the school to have an artist talk, I found it to be very interesting, energetic, funny, sad, serious, and playful; everything I would hope to expect to hear from an artist. . Her paintings are very much different from her sculpture, which I find interesting. It was very personal but personable. I even had a chance to meet with her, but I wish I hadn’t I wish I had just left it with her at the talk. When she talked to me I felt like she was attacking me for my culture and how I cannot speak Spanish but am of Spanish descent, and the themes that came up in my paintings. I found her to be a little arrogant. I just had a different view of her when she was addressing a group. I do love her work although; I just feel that she is very opinionated about family, cultural identity, and Latin/ Latin American culture
Kelly McGovern
ReplyDeleteJack Thompson- This piece was great. Perhaps I’m biased, or perhaps the line “powerful evidence that humanity possesses a common psychological core and therefore a basis for deeply meaningful communication, despite the bewildering disparities that exist on the surface” just caught me the right way. This article put a more personally relative angle on Jacks work that I didn’t catch before. (I like it.)
Sketchbooks- This was interesting, especially the mention of the freeing quality of the cleche’ especially this week as a rack my brain trying to figure out what to make for studio… and the talk of being more ambitious in order to be among the most articulate.
Kukuli Velarde- I remember Kukuli comeing to speak at Moore, and how much I enjoyed her. Her fluidity between painting and sculpture I found amazing. The amount of emotion and feeling behind her ceramic work I find inspiring, along with her craft.
City citings- Mehretu has a great sense for building out of personal experience, community, energy and social responsibility. The importance of all these things and the care taken to incorporate them with history is what makes Mehertu’s work so lively… her sense of community is something I want to incorporate into my own work, because I feel I get too involved in my own head.
Poetic theaters- “So he continued his quest, and if it was lonely, well, most quests are. That was what art was for.” the last paragraph of this article reminds me of my favorite book, a back handed shot a hope when the time for hope seems to have passed. There are a great many things in this short article that I liked upon reading. But overall I believe Cornell’s personal commitment to doing what he was clearly born to do it what it all boils down to.
Danto- this I found to go hand in hand with the City Citings article. Specifically in the interview section. Where he speaks of bridging gaps between art and state, art and people, and making sense of it all. I especially liked what he had to say about Duchamp and Judd where the idea was what became import and not how was executing it.
Brit Brennan
ReplyDeleteGlen R. Brown describes Jack in the most profound way I've ever heard. I appreciate the complexity and intimacy of his world, and the magical, mysticism is something that appeals to me. It says a lot about his sense of spirit as a person, and it feels very genuine.
Hilarie Sheets points out interesting parallels of common themes as part of two different historical/present realities. I think of it as sort of an omage to Rivera's work that Julie Mehretu is commenting about the same issues he was in a way relevant to now. I'm also wondering about the fact that these racial tensions still exist, though even moreso now - what does that say about where we've come as a nation?
Jed Pearl writes about something I often think about. I always found it to be some sort of common sense for artist's to write, if not just about their work, at least about all of the things that inspire their thinking towards their work. The thoughts we have as artists are too important, to me, not to elaborate on. You can't always see everything in a piece, and sometimes reading the philosophy- or whatever- behind an artist's work moves you in a different way, an essential way, as Jed described about the journals.
Holland Cotter made Joseph Cornell sound more adorable to me than I ever previously thought. Although his socially awkward character and strange inclinations were a large part of his aimlessness, they are ultimately what made his work so unique. I don't know if I like his work as much as I think I like the character described here, but I like the idea of scattering seeds in your kitchen and opening the window. So many possibilities...
I don't know of Arthur Danto is wasting his time. I suppose that's all subjective, but it sounds like he's just stating the obvious with his "philosophies" about art. Does is take a philosopher to question if Andy Warhol was even an artist? It's an interesting topic to elaborate on, but something about art critics in general urks me, I suppose.
I really admire and respect Kukuli Velarde. She is a really genuine, strong woman and incredibly talented at what she does. Both her paintings and sculpture move me-not something I often find in multi-media artists. Colonization was an issue I used to reflect on a lot, and tried to incorporate in my work, only to find it was a task too grand for me to handle just yet, but this is why I have such repsect for her. She speaks volumes without saying much.
Pam Reimers
ReplyDeleteI recall attending the Artist Talk last year to hear Kukuli Velarde speak about her life and art. First, I must say that I was impressed, to say the least. At that point, I had not heard an artist speak so humbly about their work; and her art work was something new to me because she possessed a way of mastering art in every medium. Velarde was so down-to-earth and her stories very interesting. I thought that her stories made her work all that more interesting because she shared parts of her life with us that allowed us to understand why she created the work she has. There’s something about her and her art that reminds me a lot of Freida Kahlo; there is a richness of culture in their work. After hearing her speak, I found myself looking up her work and becoming attracted to them. Personally, I think she is one of the few interesting living artist of today. I have found her to be a strong artist who I can look to for inspiration because I wish to be half as talented as she is in multi-media art. I really enjoy her ceramics; they have so much to say.
While reading about Danto, I found him to be so irritating. I really didn’t care much about what he had to say because him and any other art critic just don’t seem to sit too well with me because I think it takes a lot of audacity for someone to write about other people’s art ina negative way and say it isn’t art. i thought the whole idea about art was that art is in the eyes of the artist and/or viewers. One’s personal opinion shouldn’t be so arrogant that it states if it is art or not. His philosophical thoughts did not strike me as philosophy, just more as a critic and not knowing how to create art that matters. He should contribute something positive, instead.
I haven’t really seen much of Jack’s work, just a few. I think this article was an opportunity for me to see exactly what he wanted to convey in his pieces. I didn’t have a chance to take one of Jack’s classes to get familiar with his style of teaching and his work. But after reading this article, I will do more research on his work. Despite my lack of knowledge of Jack’s work, it doesn’t take away from how beautiful his art is, there is no denying that.
Sometimes when I hear stories about artists, like Joseph Cornell, who are successful without having to attend art school, it makes me a little jealous. I have found it very interesting to see how some people do not need the training of art school to become successful at what they do. But personally, I don’t think I could be where I am as an artist had it not been for the formal training of art school. I respect that there are different circumstances that work for others that could not work for others. I think that Cornell’s art speaks to his personal life instead of just random ideas that came to him. Just as poets and authors use their words to express emotions, I see Cornell’s art as such. His art speaks volumes about his personal life and I think that is where he is most successful.
Jamie Moore
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting listening to Kukuli Velarde speak about her work because I attended her artist talk at Moore last year. Listening to her speak about material that I was already familiar with made me understand the material instead of interpreting understanding it.
Similar to Kululi Velarde, I have heard Jack Thompson speak about his work. I have actually had many conversations with him about his work. It's very interesting to read someone else covering his work. Though the content was pretty similar whether it's from Thompson or Brown, it was helpful to see the mythological connections mapped out for the reader.
On two occasions I have heard Howard Hussy, one of Joseph Cornell's studio assistances and friend, speak about Cornell and his work. When Hussy spoke he gave great insight on Cornell as a person, his process, and his personal feelings towards his work. I really enjoyed the Cotter essay because it showed me a side of Cornell that Hussy did not. Cotter reviewed Cornell's history and how it played a part in his work, as well as comprehensive timeline of Cornell's work.
Laurel Patterson
ReplyDeleteThere were a few articles that spoke about research research research. A lot of the time this is crucial in the process of art making. Art must be informed if it is trying to make a point, even though the critics of the abstract expressionist didnt seem to think so.
Favorite quote of the week, Jed Pearl, "the most enduring myth about the abstract expressionists is that they were dumb geniuses, instintual beings, know-nothings who somehow stumbled into poetry when they picked up a paintbrush.
Personally i have not been too successful in the realm of concept and info based art.
Kukuli is definitly one of those artists who is extremely informed in the areas they chose to work about. Hearing her speak was great, she is so powerful and talented. I LOVE her paintings and ceramics. She brings that high detail from the canvas into the 3d realm incredibly with no loss of personality in the change over and vice versa. I missed her when she came to Moore and was really upset about it, this video helped me to understand a little bit more about her as an artist but i would really love to see her in person one day.
On a seperate note, it was strange and cool to see someone writing about Jack Thompson in such a scholarly way. Reading about Jack rather than just hearing it from him kind of turned him into this phygmatic artist just like all the others you hear of. Its as if he wasnt a person anymore, just a sculptor with lots of background knowledge and skill.
finger
ReplyDeleteI like that Kukuli Velarde references herself in almost all of her works. It is vulnerable and makes her work seem more intimate and connected to the issues she's addressing. She seems very comfortable addressing her beliefs and so it makes sense for her to use her face and body as an icon./ The article on Jack-I always forget how smart and well cultured Jack really is. He's so down to earth and funny that it is easy to forget his expert understanding of his sculpture techniques and his broad understanding of mythology among other things./Sketchbooks-Julie Mehreh has a desire to support her community and see its rich history remembered. She thinks that the hard working, diverse mix of blue collar workers are the ones who can be given credit for Detroit's once booming industrial empire and it's wonderful that she still wants to represent the mass of working class folks still struggling to live there./ Joseph Cornell spent his life lost inside of his head and in his own little world with his family, whom he didn't stray very far from. It was touching to know that he was extremely shy, affected by unrequited devotion, and ambivalent in gender. I feel like I can relate to those things. He spent his life accepting labels that were given to him but it didn't affect his work and he stuck to his core values which makes him so respectable./For Danto, pluralism is a virtue when it comes to the countless ways in which we make art. This is a sentiment that I agree with. He doesn't present "the end of art" as a bad thing but views our time as the opportunity for artists to make anything they can imagine and have their work not only be tolerated but embraced as being an effective form of art.
SHAWNDA T.BEATTIE
ReplyDeleteLooking at most of the articles the video about Philadelphia artist Kukuli Velarde’s an intensely provocative her work pre Columbian imagery of her native few to explore issues of colorization as well as personal issues such as aging amongst her mother and sister. Last semester she was an artist that visited the students during our lunch hour. This artist I feel I has a very interesting emotional attachment to her work. I say that because during the video and looking through her work I noticed that her work was geared toward the deep emotions and the drastic events from her child hood and current events such as a women growing older or as she stated in the video, as a child she was forced to have art shows and that experience turned her away from painting. I can relate ton her to some extent. I feel that some times as an artist if we are forced to accomplish to much of something it starts to become mundane.
When attending college in Delaware we were told to draw so much that when I left I wanted to change my major. This aspect of her have a change of heart really showed me that even though she as made a decision to rebellion against her family and not paint anymore but yet continue in some aspect of the arts such as ceramics.