ArtHistoryRag

Annie Sliwka on her 'Lacquer technique'

2012-01-23T03:24:00.000-08:00

10 Most Famous Unfinished Pieces of Art

2011-09-10T07:02:00.001-07:00

10 Most Famous Unfinished Pieces of Art

Some artists are so gifted that even their unfinished works are considered strokes of genius. As with any project that requires intense focus and a large sacrifice of time, achieving art perfection can become an arduous task, making it seemingly impossible to follow through on an ambitious plan. The following pieces are more remembered for their beauty and meaning than their unfinished states — the artists who created them are hardly considered slackers, as each poured their hearts and souls into all of their works.

Adoration of the Magi, Leonardo da Vinci
It was all or nothing for Leonardo, who was commissioned to create an altarpiece for the monastery of San Donato a Scopeto near Florence in March 1481. He essentially had two-and-a-half years to complete it — if he took any longer, he wouldn't receive any compensation. Sure enough, he was lured away from the project the following year once he was offered a steady income from the Duke of Milan. The monks then commissioned Fillipino Lippi to create their altarpiece. Since 1670, Leonardo's piece has been displayed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Leonardo's Horse, Leonardo da Vinci
This one never left the planning stages. In 1482, Leonardo accepted the project from Duke of Milan Ludovico il Moro, who wanted it to be the largest equestrian statue in the world, dedicated to his father Francesco. It was an unrealistic goal at the time and Leonardo recognized that he probably wouldn't receive the necessary funding. French soldiers invaded Milan in 1499 and the remaining clay model was destroyed by archers who were said to have used it for target practice.
Old Man Shading His Eyes With His Hand, Rembrandt
Rembrandt forged his reputation with his etchings. The Three Crosses and The Hundred Guilder Print are two of his famous works, both were completed unlike Old Man Shading His Eyes With His Hand, which he left unsigned and undated. Unlike most of his pieces, he worked on the figure before completing the setting, focusing on the contrast around the sitter's face and hands. Nobody knows why he left it unfinished, and some have speculated that he was merely satisfied with capturing the moment.
Adoration of the Shepherds, Hendrik Goltzius
Artwork based on biblical narrative has long been popular among history's best painters, sculptors and engravers. Goltzius dramatically depicted the Adoration of the Shepherds, a scene in which the shepherds witness Jesus's birth in Bethlehem. Noticeably, he left out the manger and baby Jesus, but the exquisite depiction of the three shepherds around Mary more than makes up for it, which may be why he halted work.
Unfinished Portrait, Elizabeth Shoumatoff
Before attending the founding conference of the United Nations, FDR decided to spend some precious free time at his health and relaxation retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia. Work on his painting began at noon on April 12, 1945 when he was being served lunch, but was disrupted when he began to experience unbearable pain in the back of his head, causing him to lose consciousness and slump over in his chair. Diagnosed with a massive cerebral hemorrhage, he died three hours later. Shoumatoff later commemorated the 32nd president by finishing the portrait, which now hangs next to the original in Warm Springs.
The Athenaeum, Gilbert Stuart
Depictions of the first US president were needed not only for posterity, but for Americans and people around the world during an age when newspapers told and showed all — if you were lucky enough to find one. Stuart, one of America's best portraitists during the nation's early years, was tasked on three occasions with the important duty of painting Washington, who, as it turned out, was a terrible sitter. In their second meeting, Stuart painted what is known as The Athenaeum, which he left unfinished so he could easily reproduce it — and possibly get away from the quiet, aloof Washington. He made approximately 75 replicas to sell for $100 apiece. Appropriately, the moneymaker would later adorn the one dollar bill.
Tintin and Alph-Art, Hergé
The Adventures of Tintin is was one of the most widely read and distributed comics of the 20th century, primarily appealing to readers in Europe. Hergé, a Belgian writer whose real name was Georges Remi, produced 24 books in the series, the final of which was left incomplete due to his death in 1983. His emerging interest in avant-garde art was incorporated into the story, a change from the typical subjects he used in the series. Even without an ending, the book was posthumously published in 1986 and republished on two subsequent occasions.
Requiem, Mozart
Mozart's early death as he was working on Requiem served to enhance its mystique through the 220 years since it was partially written. Commissioned by an unknown stranger, Count Franz Von Walsegg, who wanted to memorialize the death of his wife, Mozart undertook the task amid his own illness that would eventually end his life. His student, Franz Sussmayr, completed the missing movements, but nobody truly knows how much of the song was originally composed by Mozart.
Kubla Kahn, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Depressed and mentally ill writers and poets have been a dime a dozen through the years. Coleridge, no exception, battled through physical illnesses as a youngster and is said to have been bipolar. Treated with laudanum, he became an addict of opium, which fueled the dream that inspired Kubla Kahn. When he woke up, he immediately recorded the lines only to be interrupted by a person from Porlock, a village in the South West of England, causing him to forget the remaining lines. Critics widely panned the poem when he unveiled it almost 20 years later. Today, it's regarded as one of his best works.
Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi
Despite being a work in progress since 1882, the picturesque cathedral was recently consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI, a nice payoff for late designer Antoni Gaudi. Since his death in 1926, when not even a quarter of it was complete, a few unavoidable interruptions — such as the Spanish Civil War — have caused construction to move at a glacial pace. The finishing touches are expected to be made on the centennial of Gaudi's death.

The 50 Greatest Novels for Art Students

2011-07-12T03:01:00.000-07:00

The 50 Greatest Novels for Art Students

July 6th, 2011

Preparing to enter the often brutally critical art world can be a tough journey. Art students need lots of support, practice and inspiration to make their time in art school the best preparation possible to take on a serious fine art career. While professors, other artists and students offer up a lot of that, books can also be an amazing place to get a little inspiration or insight into what it’s really like to work as an artist. Here are some of the novels we believe will be the best reads for young artists in training. Covering diverse genres like historical fiction and mystery, there’s bound to be something for every aspiring artist to curl up with on a rainy day.

Classics

These classic novels will not only help you to be more well-read, but have a lot of insight to offer those in the art world as well.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: Enamored with his own portrait, one that allows him to indulge all of his darkest and most hedonistic desires without consequence, Dorian Gray sinks further into despair as his once idyllic life begins to unravel. Wilde showcases the power art can have over us and offers a cautionary tale for those who may become too wrapped up in the pleasures of life.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand: While the novel focuses on an architect rather than an artist, the struggles he faces are universal to all that take on a creative and highly competitive career path, making this a great read for any aspiring artist.
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood: Centered on a middle-aged painter who is taking a hard look at her past through a retrospective show of her work, this novel explores the forces that drive artists to create, whether they are good or bad.
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut: Abstract painter Rabo Karabekian, a minor character from one of Vonnegut’s other novels, is at the center of this book. Full of satire, the novel pokes fun at the business of the art world and the various art movements it often puts so much stock in.
Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse: A Westernized look at Hesse’s more famous novel, Siddhartha, this story follows a young man as he tries to figure out where he fits in, whether as a monk or as an artist – a journey all of us have to take as we grow up and into ourselves.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce: This semi-autobiographical tale follows Stephan Daedalus as he faces some existential questions in life and turns to art as a means to express himself– whatever the consequences.
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham: Philip Carey, the main character of this novel, is orphaned and deformed and struggling to come to terms with both. Readers can follow him as he travels to Paris to become a painter, later to become a doctor and falls in love with the engaging Mildred.
The Unknown Masterpiece by Honore de Balzac: While perhaps a bit short to be called a true novel, this story nonetheless is a great read for those interested in art. In it, readers will become enthralled by a painter who has the ability to make paintings seem to come alive.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon: If you have any interest in the creation, origin or work that goes into comic books, this novel is an absolute must-read. Following two friends as they come from nothing to be some of the biggest names in the comic industry, it offers not only a compelling story, but an amazing amount of historical information as well.

Art Historical Fiction

Get inspired to create your own great works by reading tales based on the lives of some of the biggest names in art history.

The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein: This novel tells the story (albeit fictionalized a bit) of Chinese painter Pan Yuliang, a woman who escapes life as a concubine through her talent as an artist. She has her dreams tested as the Chinese Revolution looms on the horizon.
I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño: History often forgets about the smaller figures in art. Tthis book attempts to right that, telling the story of Juan de Pareja, the slave to well-known artist Diego Velazquez. He was a painter in his own right, despite being banned from practicing the arts because he was a slave.
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone: Based on the biographical events of Michelangelo’s life, this novel showcases the artist in his full brilliance, passion and even, at times, fury.
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: Now a major motion picture, this book offers insights into the life and work of Dutch painter Vermeer, suggesting that the model for one of his most famous works was his own beloved housemaid.
The Passion of Artemesia by Susan Vreeland: Artemesia Gentileschi succeeded as an artist at a time when women were barred from the art world. That doesn’t mean it was an easy journey, and this novel, centered on her rape, the trial that followed and the art it spawned, details that in engaging prose.
Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex: Filled with sex and political intrigue, this novel follows Isabella and Beatrice d’Este, two Italian sisters who are vying for power, love and a seat in front of one of the greatest Italian painters – Leonardo da Vinci.
Naked Came I by David Weiss: Rodin’s The Thinker has fascinated art lovers for decades, and readers can get a closer look at the man behind the work in this novel detailing Rodin’s life with great accuracy. Though perhaps a bit of artistic license — a compromise any artist would be sure to approve of.
Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman: Get a peek into the life of Mary Cassatt, one of the biggest names in Impressionist painting, through the eyes of her sister Lydia in this compelling fictionalized take on art history.
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach: A highly fictionalized tale about Dutch painter Jan van Loos, this book engages the reader with romance, art, the tulip trade and a plot hatched between two forbidden lovers.
Cupid and the Silent Goddess by Alan Fisk: Focusing on the painting Allegory with Venus and Cupid, this novel takes a look at not only the artists who created the work, but the models who sat for it and the political atmosphere that shaped the work of Italian Renaissance artists.
As Above, So Below by Rudy Rucker: Learn more about the life of Pieter Brueghel in this fictionalized tale, with each chapter focusing on one of his famous paintings and the events of his life which helped to shape it.
The Painted Kiss by Elizabeth Hickey: This novel explores the romance between Klimt and his protege, the young Emilie Floge, who would become the model for his famous work The Kiss.
Lust for Life by Irving Stone: The life of Van Gogh was tragically short, cutting off his brilliant work much too soon. In this wonderfully written novel, art students can get a glimpse into the artistic genius of Van Gogh and the demons that tormented him throughout his life.
The Painter by Will Davenport: In an old country house, a woman discovers a journal that documents a year in the life of a great artist (who is later revealed to be Rembrandt) as he battles a poet for the love of a woman.
I Am Madame X by Gioia Diliberto: This work takes a look at the woman behind John Singer Sargent’s well-known painting Portrait of Madame X , bringing her to life by detailing her loves, loses and rather unconventional attitudes that may have motivated her to stay anonymous.

An Artist’s Life

From dealing with fame to accepting a complete lack of it, these novels weave fictional stories about the lives of artists, some of which are sure to resonate with aspiring artists.

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok: Sometimes the art an artist creates doesn’t always match perfectly with the world view of those around him. In this story, readers will follow a Hasidic Jew who is devoted to his faith, but still feels compelled to create imaginative artwork – even if it borders on blasphemy.
The Bird Artist by Howard Norman: Following an artist who has comes to terms with never being a big name, this story with engage you with descriptions of the natural world, interesting characters, and, of all things, a murder perpetrated by the artist himself.
The Great Man by Kate Christensen: Artists are often known for their scandalous private lives as much as for their work. In this story, a great painter has died, and two biographers are attempting to piece together the story of his life with help from his wife and his mistress. As you would imagine, conflict isn’t far behind.
Landscape with Fragmented Figures by Jeff Vande Zande: Things can’t seem to get worse for Ray Casper, an artist and professor, who is central to this novel about art, love, brotherhood and more.
Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale: Detailing the relationship between mental illness and creativity, Gale paints an artist so consumed by her work she fails to see the strength and struggles of her family.
The Horse’s Mouth by Joyce Cary: Gulley Gimson is an artist unconcerned with creating conventional works or being conventional at all, for that matter. Despite his scorn for the outside world and questionable morals, he is a great artist, and readers will be inspired by his dedication to the creative process.
The Vivisector by Patrick White: Hurtle Duffield uses the imperfections of those around him as inspiration for his art, yet when he encounters someone within whom he sees himself, he takes a new and brutally honest look at the creative experience.
Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham: Breaking away from societal norms, the main character quits his job and abandons his family to take up painting. Based very loosely on the life of Gauguin, it takes a hard look at what it means to be an artist, a human being and to live in society.
The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart: Painting and the creation of art can be a very emotional experience, something showcased in this compelling novel centered on an artist who paints over his canvasses – just as he tries to repress memories of those he has loved in his life.
The Serpent Garden by Judith Merkle Riley: This historical romance is set in 16tth century France and England. A young widow and painter gets involved in Henry VIII’s political scheming and ends up as a royal court painter. Supernatural elements augment the tale, though it is rich with historical detail.
An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro: This prize-winning novel is much more than a simple story of an Japanese artist. It spans generations and explores the gap between a father and his daughters– neither of which can understand the other.

The Art Business

The art business is a cutthroat one, and makes the perfect subject for a wide range of novels, including these that touch on issues like competition, passion and less-than-honest sales.

The Tragic Muse by Henry James: Written by literary great Henry James, this novel showcases the conflict between the art world and the real world, following a man who gives up a political career to pursue his true love: painting.
Exiles in America by Christopher Bram: This novel examines the idea of being an exile, whether because of political unrest, sexual orientation or a range of other factors, and is full of drama, unexpected romance, jealousy and intrigue.
Headlong by Michael Frayn: The starring role in this novel isn’t a character per se, but a painting by Breugel. Found in a run-down home by a unscrupulous art historian, the painting is at the center of this entertaining commentary on the dealings of the art world that also serves as an amazing art historical lesson on iconography and Dutch painting.

Mystery and Intrigue

From stolen works of art to mysteries found in medieval paintings, these novels are sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats while teaching them a thing or two about art.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco: Eco is well-known for his work as an medieval art historian, but in this work he creates a fictional whodunit set in a medieval monastic library. While fictional, it offers an amazing insight into the world of patrons, books, the church and more in medieval times.
The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte: At the center of this novel is Julia, an art restorer who discovers a strange inscription on a Flemish painting and becomes drawn into a solving the mystery that is poses.
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett: This kids book follows two precocious youngsters as they attempt to track down a thief who has stolen a valuable Vermeer. While meant for younger readers, it’s still a fun read for adults.
My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk: Set in 16th century Istanbul, this novel focuses on the murder of a book illuminator commissioned by the sultan to create a book to celebrate his life and times. Readers must not only try to figure out the mystery, but what the work of the master artist might mean.
The Portrait by Iain Pears: It can be hard to take criticism, but this novel takes it to the extreme with an portrait painter luring an art critic to a remote island with designs to taking revenge for wrongs he feels were done to him.
Theft: A Love Story by Peter Carey: Filled with international crime, art forgery, dangerous love affairs and a passion for the creative process, this novel is a great and exciting read for art lovers.
The Music Lesson: A Novel by Katharine Weber: A lonely and depressed art historian escapes to Ireland to get away from her life, but soon becomes embroiled in a plot to steal a famous Vermeer.

Miscellaneous

From romance to fantasy, these novels use art and artists to weave a wide range of compelling tales.

Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint: Reading almost like a fairy tale, this story focuses on a talented young painter called Isabelle, who can create works that have a life of their own. This enables her to help a friend who is dead, but is calling out to her from the spirit world.
The Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd: Any art student will get a kick out of this novel, following two art students as they go through their first semesters in graphic design, building a friendship and meeting a professor who will change their outlook on art.
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Durant: 15th century Florence was a hotbed of great artistic activity, but it was also the seat of much political unrest and the threat of the plague. This setting is the backdrop for a coming of age story that is as educational on this amazing period of art history as it is compelling on a human level.
The Chrysalis: A Novel by Heather Terrell: At the center of this novel is a portrait, a work which links three different storylines: that of a Dutch artist, the latter owner of the painting and a lawyer defending an auction house against claims the painting was stolen by the Nazis.
The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart: During the tumultuous years of WWI, the main characters of this novel meet, fall in love and are separated by war.50

Venice Biennale 2011 Awards

2011-06-17T02:37:00.000-07:00

This year's Venice Biennale saw the Golden Lion for Best National Participation go to Germany : Christoph Schlingensief.

The Golden Lion for the best artist at the ILLUMInations Exhibition went to Christian Marclay The Clock, 2010

The Silver Lion for a promising young artist at the ILLUMInations Exhibition went to Haroon Mirza

Then the Jury also assigned two Special Mentions to:

Lithuania

Behind the White Curtain

Darius Mikšys

Klara Lidén

Untitled, (Trashcan), 2011.

‘A Diagnosis of Exclusion’ & ‘Unpredictable Patterns’ Juliet Chenery-Robson – Interpretation Text

2011-06-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

‘A Diagnosis of Exclusion’ & ‘Unpredictable Patterns’

Juliet Chenery-Robson – Interpretation Text

In an introduction from her book, ‘Unpredictable Patterns’, Juliet quotes: When my daughter, Emilia, became ill with M.E. five years ago I found myself cast as a traveler between two worlds, worlds that are eloquently described by Susan Sontag in her book Illness as Metaphor:

‘llness is the night-side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place.[1]’

Juliet Chenery-Robson’s work investigates the aura of scepticism surrounding the illness ME/CFS. Often referred to as the disease of a thousand names ME affects over 250,000 people in the UK and many thousands more worldwide. However, despite this fact, ME remains misunderstood by many health professionals, with many still believing it is “all in the mind”. So through her detailed research, investigation and photographic works Chenery-Robson hopes to help make this devastating illness visible to an often disbelieving audience.

‘A Diagnosis of Exclusion’ displays a series of powerful photographic works, conveying the alienation, social exclusion and loss of identity prevalent in the shadow of this disease.

Chenery-Robson invites the viewer to test their own notion and understanding of ME through this series of hospital images and portraits. Trapped in the ‘kingdom of the sick’ the sufferer seeks comfort and reassurance in their attempt to cope with this illness’ often severe and disabling symptoms. The individuals in the portraits look out at the viewer, seemingly in an attempt to challenge your concept of ME, willing you to understand and recognise the reality of this frequently life destroying illness.

The images of ‘Unpredictable Patterns’ focus upon symbolic details and reflect that lives have become ‘stilled’ and removed from the public sphere and confined to the private by their illness. A solitary glass of water, seen in front of flocked wallpaper, appears like a Morandi still life in which all is timeless, calm, as if outside of history. In another image, a collection of butterflies, encased in their individual boxes, provides a correlative for the collection of individuals represented here, each involuntarily entombed in their own rooms. Chenery-Robson intends our impressions to be contradictory, to be as lodged with problems as the medical profession’s is when dealing with her subjects. The compound idea transmitted is of lives continuing whilst suspended, spent in quiet incarceration.

Chenery-Robson, an MA graduate, has recently exhibited work at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Durham Art Gallery and Newcastle University Medical Sciences facility. As a practicing visual artist, her research and photographic work relating to ME is still ongoing via an AHRC funded PhD at the University of Sunderland.

In Newcastle University News Release they report , ‘While looking for more subjects for her exhibition, Juliet was put in touch with Professor Julia Newton, a Clinical Professor at Newcastle University’s Institute of Ageing and Health, who is also a patron of charity ME North East….

Professor Newton’s team leads the way for chronic fatigue research in the UK and is one of the few places in the country focussing on the biological indicators behind illnesses such as ME…. Medical research helped Juliet ground her project and widen her knowledge of the illness. She visited hospitals, talked with medical researchers such as Professor Newton and photographed some of the research equipment such as the tilt tables at Newcastle University and the MRI scanner at Newcastle General. These images were added to the exhibition, along with more abstract images such as vintage blood samples and butterflies in cases’.

Sunderland University Press Office quote Juliet’s present plans, “I now plan to take the research I’ve done even further with a PhD, funded by the AHRC, developing a more in-depth look at ME. I’m hoping to reach a wider audience beyond the North East, representing the unrepresentable through my art. I’ll be focusing on current research and new case studies alongside people that I interviewed in the last project.’’

After seeing her work online a newly-formed charitable foundation called 'Life with Art' decided to include her work in a series of exhibitions in 16 vacant offices to help raise awareness, and much-needed funds, for ME charities around the country such as ME North East and ME Research UK. For each opening at every venue ‘Life with Art’ will give a grant to the nominated charity. There is an open evening in Newcastle in June before touring the country. Open Evenings for the Exhibitions ‘Unpredictable Patterns’ & ‘A Diagnosis of Exclusion’ by Juliet Chenery-Robson are supported by Life with Art & ME North East. Entry is free and all are welcome. The exhibitions will be on display for a month in each venue and can be viewed by appointment with ME North East (see below). Art workshops will also take place in Newcastle. To register interest in attending the open evenings, arranging group visits or for more information about ME North East, contact Jennifer Elliott (Chief Executive of MENE) email: menortheast1@yahoo.co.uk or Tel: 0191 389 2222.

This exhibition and body of work has been helped and supported by:

ME North East

Life with Art

University of Sunderland

The Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)

Arts Council England

University of Newcastle

For further info visit: www.axisweb.org/artist/julietcheneryrobson or to see more photos and exhibitions visit her facebook page 'A Diagnosis of Exclusion' Juliet Chenery-Robson.

[1] Susan Sontag, Illness as Metaphor, Penguin Books Ltd, 1983, p.3.

Accreditedonlinecolleges.com- 40 Books That Art History Buffs Love

2011-05-17T03:12:00.000-07:00

40 Books That Art History Buffs Love

May 16th, 2011
As any professional or student of the field will tell you, art history isn’t just about looking at pretty paintings all day. The best spend a great deal of time reading as well, perusing classic and modern texts alike, touching on topics like philosophy, aesthetics, criticism and, of course, history. Whether you’re working towards being an art historian yourself and want to brush up on reading that will help you in your college classes or just someone who loves to study the subject, these books are a great place to start learning about every facet.
Artists and Movements
If you’re looking to learn about a particular artist’s work or study a time period or movement, these books make great reading material.

Orientialism by Edward Said: While the book speaks to the wider application of Orientalism in politics and culture, readers will find few better critical takes on it as it applies to art than in this book. It may help you see the work of Inges or Gerome in a whole new light, or just be more conscious of how you view art made outside of your own culture.
Rembrandt’s Eyes by Simon Schama: Rembrandt is a figure in art history who has fascinated professionals and lay people alike for centuries. In this book, you’ll get an engaging reconstruction of the life and times of the man who created so many great works of art– with a great deal of background on another Dutch painter, Peter Paul Rubens, as well.
The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism by Ross King: The works of Monet, Renoir and other Impressionist artists grace the walls of every suburban home and dentist’s waiting room, yet when the style first emerged it was less than acceptable in the mainstream. Through this book, you’ll learn about the careers of Impressionist greats while gaining a better understanding of the turbulent Paris from which their works emerged.
Bernini by Howard Hibbard: Aside from the stunning photographs of Bernini’s work, this book has a lot to offer readers. Art history enthusiasts will find a number of interesting essays that will help them better understand the works of this great sculptor written in a style that’s accessible to all– not just the erudite scholar.
Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Search for Sacred Art by Debora Silverman: Both deeply troubled men, these two artists forged a personal and professional friendship that spanned several years. In this book by history professor Silverman, you’ll get a chance to deepen your understanding of these artists, their work and how they may have influenced one another.
The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez: While most art history tomes focus on original artists, this one takes a look at a man who was an expert forger. Thought to have created dozens of fake Vermeers, this book gives an unapologetic look at a brilliant painter who was an epic crook to boot.
A Life of Picasso by John Richardson: There are loads of biographies about Picasso out there, and many of them are well worth reading, but this one stands out for its comprehensiveness. Part of a series, this novel takes a look at his middle years, but other volumes focus on earlier and later parts of his life– perfect for students and enthusiasts who really want to get to know the artist up close and personal.
Caravaggio by Sebastian Schutze: A drunk, a murderer and an all around cad, Caravaggio may have been a genius with a paintbrush, but his life was riddled with back luck and bad decisions. In this hefty book, filled with beautiful, full-color renditions of his work, readers will find essays that trace his life, death and the impact his radical work had on Renaissance art.
The Hudson River School by The New York Historical Society: If you’d like to learn a bit more about American art, this book can be a great place to start. Photos and essays detail the beautiful and the sublime in 19th Century American landscapes.
Leonardo da Vinci, A Memory of His Childhood by Sigmund Freud: There is no doubt that Leonardo was a genius, but all accounts also paint him as a rather strange man. Who better to analyze the artist than the biggest name in psychology, Sigmund Freud? That’s just what you’ll find here, though you might not agree with his assessments.
Jeff Wall: Works and Collected Writings by Jeff Wall and Michael Newman: One of the most famous and well-regarded photographers in modern art, Jeff Wall is a name any art enthusiast should know. The book is one of the best ways to get to know the man and the work, containing not only tons of images, but a great collection of the artist’s writings as well.
The International Style by Henry Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson: Functional architecture shares a set of characteristics that are laid out no better anywhere else than in this book– an enlightening introduction to modern architecture.
That’s How I See It by David Hockney: In this memoir, you’ll learn about the life, work and theories of this famous British artist.

History
Study the history of artists and the times that shaped their works in these great books.

Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari: If you’re into art history, you have to at least peruse this classic. One of the first records of what we today call art history, Vasari’s biographies aren’t exactly unbiased, but will give you a great idea of not only these artist’s lives, but the time period during which the book was written.
Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages by Umberto Eco: Known for his epic fictional tales just as much for his historical writing, Eco’s work is accordingly accessible to those who aren’t experts on the subject of medieval art. Readers will find discussions of theology, mysticism, science, philosophy and more and their impact on medieval art. For a less focused take on art aesthetics, consider his other works – History of Beauty and On Ugliness.
Red City, Blue Period by Temma Kaplan: The whole of Spain was in disarray in the early years of famous painters’ lives, most notably Picasso – yet you won’t see it always reflected in his work. Through this book, you’ll explore this disconnect and learn about other factors that influenced the work of Picasso and his contemporaries.
Gardner’s Art Through the Ages by Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya: Those in the market for a great overview of art history will appreciate this text, which has been around for decades in various incarnations. The most up-to-date version is found here.
The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich: A big name in art history, Sir Ernst Gombrich is a great place to find an introduction to the subject. Written in simple prose and geared towards the beginner, this book has stayed popular in the 60 years since its original publication for a reason.
Theories of Modern Art by Herschel B. Chipp: Do you need some source material to help you better understand modern art? Check out this book for interviews, articles, letters and more that deal with creative movements from Post-impressionism to Cubism.
The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes: In this book, you’ll find another great primer on the history of modern art. It contains a large number of color photographs with accompanying insights into the lives of artists and their work to help readers understand them.

The Art of Seeing
Teach yourself to be a more critical viewer of art with some help from these artists, critics and philosophers.

Techniques of the Observer by Jonathan Crary: Vision isn’t something that most of us spend much time thinking about, but in this book you’ll get a critical analysis of the history of seeing in the 19th century and what it means to be the observer in an increasingly visual culture.
On Painting by Leon Battista Alberti: Artist, architect and philosopher Alberti shares his theories on perspective, order and beauty in this book– a classic read for any art enthusiast.
Ways of Seeing by John Berger: Learn more about what seeing means and how we look, understand and process paintings in this much acclaimed book.
How to Read a Painting by Patrick de Rynck: Much artwork prior to our own century was loaded with religious and mythological symbolism, much of which isn’t familiar to the modern viewer. With the help of this book, you’ll learn to decode these symbols and better understand the Old Masters.
The Sight of Death by T.J. Clark: Have you ever considered what it is that draws us into to certain works of art? In this book, you’ll read engaging essays on the experience of viewing, learning a great deal about yourself and observation in the process.

Philosophy and Theory
If you want to understand art from a more intellectual perspective, these books are a must-read.

Critique of Judgment by Immanuel Kant: Kant’s works are dense, hard to unravel and a bit daunting to those unfamiliar with philosophical texts. Yet his ideas on judging aesthetics are worth reading about and can help you to better understand views of art in his time period.
The Shape of Time by George Kubler: Addressing the flow of time and the place of objects within it, at first glance this book might not seem to have much to do with art at all. And yet time is an integral part of art and its history, something Kubler illuminates by drawing on fields like anthropology, linguistics and philosophy.
Art as Far as the Eye Can See by Paul Virilio: Philosopher Virilio isn’t known for the accessibility of his texts, but if you’re willing to stick with and study them, you’ll find a rich landscape of politics, history and aesthetics painted on the page. This book focuses on the politics of art, addressing mass culture, technology and propaganda in art.
Social History of Art by Arnold Hauser: This four-volume set doesn’t come cheaply, but it may just be worth it to those with a true passion for art history. Within the series, Hauser addresses meaning in art from the Stone Age all the way up to the modern era.

Critical Essays
Turn a critical eye towards art and its interpretation with these texts.

How to See a Work of Art in Total Darkness by Darby English: In this book, you’ll get an amazing collection of essays that address the social and intellectual context for some of the biggest names in the 20th century’s African American art.
Art History and Its Methods by Eric Fernie: If you’re looking for a great primer full of essays you should read on art and art history, this book will suit you well. It contains all the biggest names in art history, criticism and theory from the past few centuries.
Illuminations by Walter Benjamin: While Benjamin touches on a number of writers in this collection of essays, his most interesting work to those who study art is called "A Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." In this essay, readers can explore what it means to be art in a time when objects can be so easily mass produced.
Art and Culture by Clement Greenberg: Greenberg is a legend in art criticism, but it’s not for that reason alone that this collection of essays is worth reading. Readers will also gain insights into his views on abstract expressionism and his definition of kitsch and separation from true art.
Meaning in the Visual Arts by Edwin Panofsky: Few art history students will make it through their education without reading at least a section of this classic tome. While not easily accessible to the casual reader, his analysis of great works of art and the ways we look at art are well worth a read.
Image-Music-Text by Roland Barthes: French critic and semiotician Roland Barthes is one of the 20th century’s best known and most important essayists. In this work, readers will take a critical look at photography, cinema and other, more modern forms of art making.

Miscellaneous

The Art Spirit by Robert Henri: Whether you want to paint your own work or just study the work of others, this book is an excellent read to understand Henri’s classic method of art instruction.
A Short Guide to Writing About Art by Sylvan Barnet: If you’re studying art history, you’re going to have to do a heck of a lot of writing about it. That’s why this book can be a big help, guiding you though the best ways to address works in your writing.
The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form by Kenneth Clark: From the ancient to the modern, this book takes a critical look at the nude as subject matter.
Letters on Cezanne by Rainer Maria Rilke: This text takes a different approach to understanding art. Written by renowned poet Rilke, it contains a series of poems dedicated to the paintings of Cezanne.
The Art Crowd by Sophy Burnham: If art collecting is a subject that interests you, you’ll love this intriguing, sometimes scandalous, peek into the world of the art collector and dealer.

2011 Turner Prize Nominees

2011-05-11T03:21:00.000-07:00

George Shaw, Karla Black, Martin Boyce, Hilary Lloyd. Looks set to be a great one this annee.

2011-03-13T04:02:00.000-07:00

Art Prizes

Alpert Award for Visual Arts

Archibald Prize

Artes Mundi Prize

Bucksbaum Award (Whitney Biennial)-

many biennials all over the globe with prizes.

BP Portrait Award

Cartier Award

Carnegie Art Award

Charles Wollastan Award

Citibank-Prize

Der Kaiserring

Deutsche Borse Photography Prize

Future Generation Art Prize

Hasselblad Award

Hugo Boss Prize

Jarman Award

John Moores Painting Prize

Kandinsky Prize

Larry Aldrich Award
MaxMara Art Prize for Women

Marcel Duchamp Prize

Mosman Art Prize

Northern Art Prize

Praemium Imperiale Award

Preis der Nationalgalerie fur Junge Kunst

Roswitha Haftmann Prize

Turner Prize

Venice Biennale Golden Lion Prizes

Vincent Van Gogh Biennial Award for Contemporary Art in Europe

Wolfgang Hahn Prize

Celeste prize
Yicca Contest

Tracy Emin keeping eye on new talents: Tatiana Echeverri Fernandez, Catherine Story, Vincent Hawkins and Daniel Silver, (Red Magazine)

2011-03-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

'Talented trash art': Oscar nominated documentary 'Wasteland' about Brazilian born, now living in New York artist Vik Muniz who makes art based on the people living around waste piles in Rio de Janeiro, site- specific beautiful works (amongst the wasteland) and works sold on art market

2011-03-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

Looks like a great film to come out, click on title for link to website, Muniz gives back to the community also.

Reapproach Afghanistan 'aside' from war eyes with new British Museum exhibit, 'Crossroads of An Ancient World: Afghanistan' from March 3rd 2011.......deep and colourful insight into Afghanistans rich cultural heritage and the rebuilding of artworks and ancient objects after destructive uprooting wars

2011-03-01T02:43:00.000-08:00

This exhibition is a must see, a chance for Afghanistan to be appreciated as having a colourful and cultural heritage providing historical insight into it's place as a crossroads, particularly with the 'Silk Road', as the site of the Greek/Hellenic ancient city of 'Lady Moon' & alabaster nudes, Indian, Chinese and nomadic gold/culture and art. Of particular spectacle is the beautiful, delicate and intricate Gold Crown from Tillya Tepe, 1st Century AD found in the tomb of a nomadic woman, designed to be compat and deconstructable for the nomadic wealthy travellers.

Two rare diamonds: 'Herb and Dorothy' -inspiring Arthouse Film by Megumi Sasaki on a dynamic, inspiring tale of a couple who as Sasaki says proves, ' You don't have to be a Rockefeller to collect art'. Where passionate 'greed' defies material greed'

2011-02-27T06:28:00.000-08:00

Just watched the ArtHouse Film, ' Herb & Dorothy' about a couple who since the early 1960s began an obsession with the collecting of mainly conceptual and minimalist art when it was little known. Herb combined his night job as a postal clerk with intimate daytime study of art history at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University . Here grew a vocational passion in which he and Dorothy (now still collecting in their elder years), a librarian with Masters Degree went on to spent every living minute at gallery openings, socialising with artists, getting to know them and purchasing what they could afford on their salaries and mainly what could fit within their one-bedroom apartment. It's an amazing tale of upto 5000 acquired artworks of which half would go on to fill 4-5 40ft enormous removal vans when moved but until then managed to be crammed in their apartment over the years. What you'll get from this couple is an admiration for study and knowledge of art and the key to 'listening' to the aims/desires of artists when valuing their place in history when collecting. There could of been plenty of opportunities in the present day for the couple to sell the works for profit but as you'll see in the end when the apartment is barely breathing with space they don't sell out to material greed. True inspirations and angels of the artworld.

BBC Four series 'Lives of Artists' by Andrew Graham Dixon good watch

2011-01-05T05:53:00.000-08:00

Last night's episode focused on the contrasting tumultous and criminal family history surrounding Vermeer in contrast to the calming ordered tranquility of his works. Involving Delft's 17th century history, encouraged flooding to prevent invasion and how the loss/deconstruction of Vermeer's patron, culture and family led him to his final destructive days.Now available on BBCiPlayer for a week.

Bhutan's beauty, happiness and a cry for help allows the Courtauld access to a private culture in aid to help preserve 16th-19th Century temple masterpieces

2011-01-05T03:17:00.000-08:00

,http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/02/courtauld-bhutan-painting-temple-art

I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't heard huge amounts about the Kingdom of Bhutan, a beautiful diamond sandwiched between India and China at the Eastern end of the Himalayas. Though it's somewhat understood as due to buddist beliefs and deep-rooted connection and respect for their environment they strongly control tourist rates and access. Such measures have resulted in a kingdom that is ripe in biodiversity, renowned for it, together with being regularly voted one of the happiest countries and kingdoms. It's such richness of environment and culture that makes it so intriguing and interesting to start hearing about.Experts from the Courtauld Institute have been given priveleged access to previously unexposed or chronicled wall paintings from over 2000 temples and monasteries. This is partly rooted in the Bhutans requiring advice on preservation of their works but all part of a three-year research partnership between the Courtauld and the Bhutan Department of Culture. The final fieldwork and scientific analysis have just taken place and will be published next year.

Interesting deeply researched link for a huge variety of worldwide Art Magazines, Journals, Newspapers and Blog Listings

2011-01-05T01:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.zeroland.co.nz/art_ezines.html .Thought I would just provide this link for yall as I personally found the huge variety of art mags, journals, blogs and newspapers here very exciting and we be getting stuck in asap! enjoy. Click on post title also for direct link.

'11 Most Famous Fakes in Art History' provided by collegecrunch.org

2010-10-07T01:13:00.000-07:00

11 Most Famous Fakes in Art History

October 6th, 2010 in Feature

Art forgery has been around since, well, art. The ancient Romans crafted thousands of copies of Greek sculptures; ancient China is noted for its wide variety of forgeries; and modern art has seen more than its share of falsified work. Some forgeries are innocent enough, usually created by students copying a master, but others were created with the sole purpose of tricking an unsuspecting public into thinking they were the real deal. Some forgers are so good at what they do that it's virtually impossible to tell the difference between the original and the copy – leading to many museums, investors and galleries putting millions into complete fakes. There have been thousands of documented cases of fraudulent works of art over the centuries. But here are some of the examples that involve the biggest battles over authentication, the strangest stories and most famous artists in art history.

La Bella Principessa attributed to Leonardo da Vinci : Depending on who you ask, this painting is either a priceless masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci or a highly skilled copy worth just $20,000. The authenticity of this work has been a hotly contested topic since 2008 when art dealer Peter Silverman claimed he discovered it in the drawer of a Parisian friend's home. The story, while romantic in nature, was untrue seeing as how the work had been auctioned and sold to Silverman several years previously. Despite initial excitement about the work, as new ones by Leonardo rarely come on the market, the story might have ended there. However, several noted art historians and art experts came to support the theory that the it might not be that of Leonardo. These experts claim to have science on their side, but so do their detractors and both have produced compelling evidence in support of their positions. The debate over the authenticity of this work could rage on indefinitely, but one thing is sure; whether the work was done by Leonardo or another artist, it's a beautiful and skillfully drawn portrait.
Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus attributed to Vermeer: This painting was at the center of one of the most amazing art scandals of the 20th century. During WWII, the painting was brought to the attention of noted Vermeer expert Abraham Bredius, who upon seeing the work thought it could be none other than the genuine article and one of Vermeer's most masterful works. Little doubt was expressed by the public regarding this opinion due to the respected position of Bredius and the relative obscurity of Vermeer at the time. The painting might have gone unnoticed as a forgery had the war not been going on. The forger of the work, Han Van Meegeren was charged with collaborating with the enemy for selling what was believed to be an original Vermeer to Nazi Field Marshall Hermann Goering. To escape the death sentence this accusation held, Van Meegeren claimed that this painting was a forgery. To prove it, he painted another copy of Vermeer's work under police guard. It turns out that he had not only forged these works but at least16 others through an ingenious process of painting and aging that allowed him to trick even the most knowledgeable art experts, duping them out of over $30 million in today's money.
The Getty Kouros: The Getty Museum has a bit of a reputation for buying works that are of questionable provenance and the Kouros, purchased in 1985 for $7 million is no exception. Initially, the work was regarded as authentic through scientific analysis of the marble, yet it has been demonstrated that it is possible to age the stone by an artificial method, throwing the authenticity of the piece into question. Further damning it are the assertions of several art historians that something simply isn't right about the piece as it has a highly electric style that blends characteristics from several other known kouroi and displays inaccuracies in sculpting, motion and symmetry of the figure. The Getty has subsequently had more studies done on the piece to prove it's authenticity, but most scholars today believe the work to be a forgery. The sculpture is still on exhibit in the Getty with the label, "Greek, about 530 B.C., or modern forgery."
The Netherlandish Proverbs attributed to Pieter Bruegel the Elder: We often think of forgeries taking place many years after the artist has passed away, but popular artists were often reproduced within their own lifetimes and very soon afterward. In this case, the copyist was Breugel's own son, Pieter Brueghel the Younger. This younger artist made numerous copies of his father's work, including this popular painting, as well as a landscape that now hangs in the Delporte Collection in Brussels. Most interestingly, not all copies the son made of this father's work include the same proverbs, and often are not exact copies. While imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, in this case it served to confuse and perhaps mislead art buyers. While Brueghel spent many years copying his father's works, he also enjoyed a successful career in his own right, painting similar scenes though many say, without the same subtlety and humanism as that of his father and in a much more idealized manner.
Portrait of Alexander Mornauer attributed to Hans Holbein: This portrait further proves that even major museums can make mistakes when it comes to collecting fake works. At face value, this work appeared to be the product of well-known German artist Hans Holbein the Younger when it was purchased by the National Gallery in London. Yet it had been altered during the 18th century, a time when Holbein's work was in great demand. A layer of paint over the original changed the color of the background and altered the man's hat, something that didn't come to light until the work could be examined through modern methods. Oddly enough, the work is just as valuable as an anonymous work than as a Holbein, as portraits from this period aren't common. The work was recently exhibited in show entitled "Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries."
An Allegory attributed to Sandro Botticelli : In 1874, the National Gallery purchased two works attributed to iconic Italian painter Sandro Botticelli, well before the advent of modern authentication technologies. One of these paintings, Venus and Mars turned out to be authentic and is one of the museum's most prized paintings. Yet the other, thought at the time to be a companion painting to Venus and Mars, was discovered to be done by a follower in the style of the master, rather than by Botticelli himself. While still skillfully executed, the work doesn't have the value or the prestige afforded to Botticelli's work. Ironically, the museum paid more for the fake than for the real thing.
The Freida Kahlo Archive : It's not necessarily uncommon for one or two works by an artist to be found to be fake, but it's very strange indeed when an entire collection of paintings, letters and belongings are called out as being inauthentic– but that's just what happened in this case. The collection came to light in 2009 when a book was slated to be published about the 1,200 or so articles it contains. Art historians, dealers, artists, bloggers and Kahlo experts have come out to denounce the collection, saying it's full of fakes and that the owners are either victims or perpetrators of one of the biggest hoaxes in art history. The collectors, The Noyolas, claim that these experts simply don't want to alter the public image of Kahlo, something they believe this collection just might do. Proof exists on both sides as few experts have taken a close look at the collection but provenance of many of the items is shaky at best. Only time will tell whether or not this archive goes down as an amazing discovery or an amazing forgery.
Watercolors attributed to Marc Chagall: In the 1960's, a young art dealer named David Stein sold three watercolors, purportedly by Russian artist Marc Chagall to an art dealer in New York. The works weren't authentic, however, as Stein had painted them that day and created forged letters of authentication as well. Stein may have gotten off scott free if it had not been for a chance occurrence. Marc Chagall just happened to meet with the dealer who bought those watercolors on that very same day, immediately revealing that they were fakes. Stein went on to serve several years in prison but the incident boosted his reputation so much that he was able to strike up a career as an original artist upon his release.
Sculptured Tomb attributed to Mino da Fiesole:
Alceo Dossena was one of the most famous forgers of sculpture in the 20th century, carving many masterful reproductions of everything from Greek statues to Renaissance tombs. Dossena and his dealers successfully fooled art buyers, galleries and museums around the world that his work was that of artists like Pisano, Martini and Donatello– very clearly demonstrating his high level of skill as a forger. One such work, a sculptured tomb attributed to Mino da Fiesole eventually made its way to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts– a costly mistake for the museum as they paid $100,000 for the forgery. Dossena, frustrated by his dealers taking nearly all of the profits revealed the ruse and sued his dealers, claiming he was unaware the works were being sold under false pretenses. He was cleared of all charges and went back to creating original works. The museum refused to believe the tomb was a fake until Dossena produced photographs of it in progress. Many of his works are thought to still be out there, circulating as genuine articles.
Henri Leroy attributed to Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot: To limit forgeries to this artist to only one work is hard, but this particular forgery is done by one of the most masterful forgers of all time making it stand out. Forgeries of Corot's works are not uncommon. In fact, some suspect that he is the most widely forged artist of all time, producing only 3,000 works in his lifetime while over 100,000 works in the United States alone are attributed to him. It might have something to do with his willingness to let others borrow original works to copy for study or his style that is relatively easy to emulate. Regardless, this particular forgery is a masterful one done by Eric Hebborn, and after being caught published a book on his life as a forger. In it, he showcases his copy of Corot's work alongside the original, challenging art experts to tell the difference. And that was the problem. Hebborn was so good at forging works that the art market is still haunted by doubts that seemingly authentic works could in fact be his handiwork. To this day, he is regarded for this work and the thousands of others he completed in his lifetime, as one of the best forgers of all time.

Brighton Photo Biennial, 'New Documents' combined with Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize 2010 two hot contemporary photo shows on at mo

2010-10-06T02:47:00.000-07:00

The dates for these two events are in the sidebar under 2010/2011 events. Martin Parr curates New Documents, Brighton Photo Biennial, one of the UK's main international photography biennials, this year proud to announce that it's the first 'frame-free' festival in which audiences move from gallery space to space across Brighton on foot with photographs 'pinned' to the walls. The Taylor Wessing Prize is announced Nov. 9th then the exhibition shown from Nov. 11th covering 60 works plus the winner and four shortlisters to be viewed at the National Portrait Gallery. My personal taste focuses on shortlisters, Jeffrey Stockbridge for, ' Tic Tac and Tootsie (twin sisters Carroll and Shelley McKean)', an eerie, surreal capture. Together with David Chancellor's depiction of his daughter on their hunting trip, 'Huntress with Buck', it's extroadinarily powerful and majestic with aspects of Van Dyck and the portraiture of regal pasts yet luminous with youth.

Hugo Boss Prize 2010 nominees, winner announced November

2010-10-06T01:54:00.000-07:00

Nancy Spector, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and chair of the jury highlights that the Hugo Boss Prize was created in 1996 to “honor innovation in contemporary art, and to single out artists who were creating truly inventive works of art.”1

Previous winners include Tacita Dean and Douglas Gordon, together with many innovators who really push contemporary mindsets to the edge, this prize poses a real kick for anyone who likes to be pushed in the new directions of the new age. This years' international finalists include: Cao Fei, Hans-Peter Feldman, Roman Ondak, Walid Raad, Natascha Sadr Haghighian and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.

1 http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/press-room/news/3352

'The Genius of British Art' on Four at 7pm tomorrow looks gd one

2010-10-02T08:57:00.001-07:00

Keith Coventry's work representative of Pope Benedict XVI's recent controversial visit

2010-09-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

There's definitely been a re-ignition of religious intrigue and contemplation recently.Combined with Pope Benedict XVI's controversial return to the United Kingdom after almost twenty years we see Keith Coventry awarded the creme-de-la-creme of British painting, the John Moores Painting Prize, with his current, pious themed, 'Spectrum Jesus', 2009. His work is a copy of the most famous 20th Century fraudster Han van Meeregen's 'Vermeer' paintings. Coventry confesses a focus on art history and tends to shift our notions of 'time-specific' art, playing with the combination and interspersion of different, mostly contrasting periods, styles, subjects fusing them together smoothly into one new artwork that goes against the typical grain appearing eccentric/odd at first. We're left stunted by the attack on our definition of Modernism, Realism, Russian Suprematism or Pop Art by his works and our left to contemplate the message and value from this. His previous works no doubt draw influence from such legends as Hogarth, Walter Sickert, Auerbach, Malevich and such as Picasso's Blue Period, Fauvism. He visualises a critique of art history via the way he puts his works together, this may explain why there is no common style in the history of his works. Although his themes do repeat themselves, for instance he has an inclination to combine the questioning of morals within society with the 'success' of modernism representative within his say his Estate paintings.He combines kitchen-sink with kitsch which is an achievement in itself, he doesn't like to take the 'grit' too far if you will, lightening the load by representing his subjects within a monochrome modernist/suprematist style. 'Spectrum Jesus' is part of a series of paintings of the same subject within a 'colour spectrum', 40-50 different coloured paintings of a 'fake Vermeer monochrome flat Jesus image'. Such a visualisation couldn't be more relevant in conjuring up many issues towards Jesus and the church within this present time. It questions originality within 'the artwork' and within the religious world. It questions truth in the artworld and in the religious world. With the representation of a 'fake representation of a conceived imagined representation of the hero of the most popular unproven (not everyone's opinion I know) theological text in the world' there are all sorts of readings you can take and think about in your interpretation of this work. It represents some people's yearn for the church and religious institutions to move into the modern world, depicting this age. The spectrum it's part of could also relate to the different ways or emotions with which Jesus and religion are understood, seen and interpreted within the worldly cultural spectrum. It denies past visualisations of ecclesiastical subjects, though in it's repetition holds on to some aspects linked to diptychs or triptychs for example. Like Tracey Emin changes the presentation of women and the female nude within art history through such as, 'My Bed', 1998, Coventry has triggered this within the art history of Jesus's representation. He denies a background of biblical narrative or 'descent from the cross' and instead makes him appear almost 'everyday',a modernised, simplified version of Christ the Saviour. The modernisation of a fraudulent image of Christ no doubt could provide a multitude of catalysts for atheists today which Pope Benedict XVI addressed, it also could ask: is the modern presentation of Jesus and the church working? Or do we need a new period in art 'of the context of what religion is today' for future civilisations 'Spectrum Jesus' is currently showing as part of Liverpool Biennial at Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool as part of the John Moore painting Prize Exhibition including 45 shortlisters works.

Liverpool International 10 Biennial On The Approach, Lorenzo Fuzi's single word theme 'Touched' will create climate

2010-09-08T01:22:00.000-07:00

The 18th September to the 28 November sees Liverpool once again 'touched' by what Italian curator Lorenzo Fuzi hopes will be multi-layered dense artworks which will no doubt engage us all within a multitude of interpretations, visualisations and inspiration.One particular artist that seemed to be getting headlines is Laura Belem from Brazil who's artwork, 'The Temple of a Thousand Bells' enswarms us into a delicate, spiritual and feminine poetic space that combines legend, fiction and audio composition to lift us into a thousand glass bells of fantastical escape. The experience doubly intensified by it's installation within National Museum Liverpool's Oratory in St. Johns Cemetery, not usually available to the public. I won't say to much as I know how much it can ruin an experience of a particular artwork if an image is already formed. Laura's work is already available to see right now.

ArtsFest this weekend 10-12th September 2010

2010-09-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

If you get time the UK's largest free Arts/Cultural festival takes place all over Birmingham this weekend with over 600 performing visual and digital artists and exhibitions. It was started due to inspiration from the UitMarkt Festival in Amsterdam and extends it's hands out to every part of the arts from ballet to bhangra, dub poetry, indie rock, performance art and exhibitions. Enjoy!

Swiss Art Award Winners 2010

2010-08-27T04:45:00.000-07:00

Just to save some of you searching around the net here's the Swiss Art Award winners 2010 who are announced a few days before Art Basel and then exhibited within it:
Simon Frommenwiler, Simon Hartmann, Tilo Herlach, Gabriela Mazza, Christian Wassmann, Beni Bischof, René Fahrni, Joelle Flumet, Clare Goodwin, Marianne Halter, Sarah Hugentobler, Mathias Jud, Pauline Julier, Tobias Kaspar, Brigitta Kuster, Pe Lang, Doris Lasch, Fabian Marti, Anja Moers, Markus Müller, Damian Navarro, Guillaume Pilet, Silvia Popp, Marta Riniker-Radich, Anne Rochat, Pamela Rosenkranz, Nele Stecher, Sahar Suliman, Sönke Gau, Katharina Schlieben, and Christina Vegh-Gronert.

Anglo-Saxon Treasures of Art History Channel Four

2010-08-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Fantastic documentary on Staffordshire hoard find of Anglo-Saxon (4th -11th C) battle memorabilia, some found as little as 100 years ago, 'Odin's' buckle and the find within the buried ship of Sutton Hoo, East Anglia, Norse history. Lindisfarne Gospels. Probably available on 4OD repeat.

ArtHistoryRag: New Directions- Video Painting

2010-08-06T02:16:00.000-07:00

ArtHistoryRag: New Directions- Video Painting http://illusion.scene360.com/painting/5588/innovative-video-painting/

New Directions- Video Painting

2010-08-06T02:15:00.000-07:00

BIG THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO NOMINATED ARTHISTORYRAG FOR ART HISTORY BLOG AWARD

2010-08-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hi just a quick post, just in the process of renewing the blog and getting back on it as it's been too long due to ill health but looking forward to getting back into it, recent good news though is that bestbloggers.org have awarded the site within their top 50 2010 Art History Blogs as shown in the badge given in the left sidebar.Just wanted to say a BIG THANKYOU!!!!! to everyone who voted/nominated, it's greatly appreciated after a long spell of ill health has actually been a blessing and love to write and talk about art in general so will keep blogging on, if anyone wishes to guest blog/write it would have to be voluntary though, I'm willing to do the same. Big Love

Sense of abandonment and invisibility takes theme for Great Britain in this Venice Biennale

2009-06-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

The more and more read about Great Britain's entries for the Venice Biennale a sense of familiarity in theme crops up. That it seems is an overall focus on abandonment and invisibility. Scotland's representative Martin Boyce on visiting the site initially for his proposed work at a 15th Century 'Palazzo Pisani', states, ' There was something in the atmosphere and the journey through the different rooms that stayed with me...It had a sense of abandonment.....For some reason I kept imagining the Palazzo as an abandoned garden'.1 His sculptural/installation, 'No Reflections' disrupts the dichotomy between constructed space and real/natural space together with displacing the original building's solidarity or roots reinterpreting your perception of the space. It's the perceived abandonment of the Palazzo that led Boyce to envision the exterior natural space re-entering and re-gaining or sweeping in on the lost space. Boyce's use of, chain made bins and bits of furniture and bedframes adds a sad sense of abandonment to the space. However then there are deconstructed letters on the wall and Boyce has replaced the Venetian chandeliers with Constructivist sculpture in black aluminium which begins to stir up Boyce's previous preoccupation with constructed space, it's interesting that he's deconstructed the letters? Any sense of the living/history, natural elements or resources he sucks the life out of or turns into the functional/constructed. The main piece includes two for one, 'A River in the Trees' and 'Evaporated Pools'. The use of concrete stepping stones together with fake leaves and a dryed up or 'marble pool' again restates his theme of constructed, superficial space. Such abandonment of nature leads to the title, 'No Reflections'. Amazingly this was Boyce's first visit to Venice and clearly it had a huge impact, he commented on the lack of traffic and a general sense of abandonment throughout the city, interesting that he takes Venice's central feature water and drains the life out of it so as to refuse reflection. The piece is quite powerful in the sense that he dares to take the 'majestic beauty' out of Venice, naturally and historically and instead replace it with the irony of a new re-interpreted/ fake 'natural beauty' constructed for you, nature becoming invisible. It raises many questions within the context of one of the places in the World valued so much for it's natural beauty and light together with it's position as forefronter in the creation of constructed artistic beauty. Is it about loss of respect for nature, natural beauty, abandonment of nature/invisibility of its value, the power of the man- made to control and overpower nature and beauty?
What's very strange is that Brit representative Steve McQueen in his video, 'Giardini' takes an almost too simalar approach to that of Boyce, his two screen film piece revolving around Venice mid-winter, post Biennale, post season, post peak life or presence. He again breaks away from conventional views or perceptions of Venetian life but rather than reconstructing nature McQueen presents the winter wildlife of Venice as eerie minimalistic vision of the area around Giardini. What both Boyce and McQueen do take from Venice however, that seeps into their work is a feeling of the gothic,the British Pavilion as the 'haunted castle on the hill'. The 'invisibility' of unseen aspects of Venice or the 'everyday', wild dogs, rain, bells chiming in the background become elevated in importance visually in his minimalist approach. A work very different from his other politically rooted works such as Camera D'Or winner Hunger, 2008 based on the 1981 IRA hunger strikes, focused on Bobby Sands and the British governments treatment of him or his ongoing Queen and Country project which juxtaposes the images of soldiers who've lost their lives in Iraq with the Queen's head on individual stamps as commemorations.
As mentioned in an earlier post the Wales representative this year is Velvet Underground's John Cale with his audio-visual work, 'Dark Days'. Here Cale looks back to his roots and produces a work which expresses the struggle between the disbanding of his homeland and reasons for doing so expressed in the title and respect for his beginnings in the Welsh Youth Orchestra and family. Cale bears resemblance to the above works also in his approach to filming adding a ghostly gothic feel to the piece through his audio/visual autobiographical journey through his old house, focusing on everyday features and his phantom piano playing within the spiritual Welsh chapel, at one point he sits, gets up, sits but never once ends up playing the piano. Its almost a ghostlike travelling back through his past, a past thats there, that made him but was abandoned due to its 'darkness'. He also combines narration, Welsh rugby anthems and the violin one note humming creating ambient edgy moods throughout enhancing artistic experience.However the darkness appears again in the contrasting of this with images of waterboarding, highlighting how the nostalgia contrasts with torture, he himself has claimed he abandoned his home as he felt there was more out there. He wanted to be visible.
Finally the last artist is an extremely interesting up and coming one, Northern Ireland's representative, Susan MacWilliam. She is known for her focus on the paranormal and psychic perception and investigation, focusing on the laboratorial and scientific processes involved. The work is titled, 'Remote Viewing' and involves three works, there is Dermo Optics, 2006 in which she travels to the Dermo Optical Laboratory of Dr Yvonne Duplessis in Paris, where she becomes involved in experiments testing ‘fingertip vision' or a sensory technique in which the eye vision/visiblity is denied as proof. An example of this is an ability to say visualise the colour of something just by touching it say blindfolded. Of course there's a fine art approach to filming, enhancing the experience of the event.The next work is 'Eileen', a fine art biography of the famous Irish medium, Eileen J. Garrett. It features interviews with family and friends and so takes a personal subjective approach studying the social interaction in her life combined with the objective relationship between camera and psychic both portals of exposure, one of life and one of the afterlife.Both exposing a sense of invisibility or the 'unknown', one the scientific depth of parapsychology and the parapsychic scientific process in life many of us don't have a clue about and the other a connection or interaction with a possible afterlife/afterworld.
Finally a series of photographs by Thomas Glendinning Hamilton takes place in the work, F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N, 2009.The title references French astronomer and psychical researcher Camille Flammarion and also includes a redevelopment of TG Hamilton’s séance cabinet, the Belfast poet/writer Ciaran Carson together with poltergeist researcher Dr. William G Roll.

1 Boyce,M., 'Visual Arts Review: Martin Boyce', 2009, 05/06/09, http://www.scotlandandvenice.com/news/visual-arts-review-martin-boyce

First British showing of Luke Fowler's films at Serpentine

2009-05-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

Winner of the Jarman Award 2008 for filmakers and having gained international success it's now time for the Glaswegian to showcase in Britain at the Serpentine until the 14th June. The Jarman Award recognises filmakers who move outside of the filmaking box, pushing boundaries and refreshing perception, Fowler has been compared by critics to the 50s New Wave of British filmakers who broke the mould with their kitchen-sink realism and gritty filming, idealism flushed down the toilet.Fowler produced four 3 minute wonders for Channel Four which involved taking 'everyday life' as a subject. He documents flat tenants, Anna, Helen, David and Lester, in the Victorian house Fowler he used to live in in the West End of Glasgow, some being his neighbours whom he never met previously. Fowler claims he's interested mostly in the relationships of people and between them but approaches filming in his own unconventional way. He takes his work one step further when he moves from everyday subject-matter to individuals who too break with convention in their lives, biographies of unconvention represented unconventionally.For example their is Pilgrimage From Scattered Points, 2006, which covers Cornelius Cardew, an English composer who broke tradition with his alternative, experimental Scratch Orchestra. In The Nine Monads of David Bell, 2006, the life of David, a patient at Kingsley Hall, a centre set up by rebel psychiatrist R.D. Laing. This is a personal project for Fowler who experienced the treatment of mental illness within his own family. Laing believed madness was a product of family and society nothing else and used radical techniques and experimented with LSD in his treatments. Fowler follows Bell’s psychological journey within this context together with including a film that recreates his dreams. Works on paper, including newspapers, which Bell wrote and expressed on are also included.

The depth of Raqib Shaw at White Cube

2009-05-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

Raqib Shaw is one fascinating artist with a depth of character and expression that is overwhelming, just viewing his studio within an interview on White Cube's website you get a grasp of his intensity. The gallery appears more of a florists or botanists dream swarmed by rainbows of colour that radiate from the varied flower arrangements invading clusters of his working space, fit for a small wedding. His gallery emanates the vivid palette his works portray highlighting the Persian miniature influence and Indian/Kasmir heritage. The many flowers highlight the importance of nature and a connection to it's flora, fauna, behaviour, power and good and bad forces to him and his work. The title to this show, 'Abscence of God' relates personally to his exposure to Muslim, Hindu and Christian doctrines providing him with a multicultural interpretation of 'God' and 'his' representation. Shaw's work pays definite and clear reference to Persian miniatures that began in the 13th Century but peaked in the 15th and 16th Century.For example you can see a clear parallel in the work of Sultan Muhammed, in works such as "Miraj" (Muhammad's ascent), 1539-43 which like Raqib obtains a depth of intricacy that constantly tickles and tintilates the senses while holding gaze through it's depth of discovery or tale. Raqib's depth is constantly penetrable allowing reinterpretation after reinterpretation but provides a fantasising escapism unlike any other works. Raqib's work are by no means miniature, they take that concept and multiply it repeatedly, he has seven paintings on show here the biggest reaching seven metres. Also featured is his first large sculptural installation titled, 'Adam'. On coming to England Shaw became influenced by Hans Holbein the Younger and in the paintings references his 'Dance of Death' a series of wood engravings. Holbeins miniature or book design and other works are of definite influence and a reproduction of some works aids his own. As with many artists there is a clear interest for Shaw in life and death, mother nature, heaven and hell, Bosch's style relates. In 'Abscence of God VII' its shown how in this exhibition Shaw interveaves classical architecture into his fantasyland integrating West and East. What is most interesting about these works however are the narratives they create, mixing fictional grotesque hybrids with the purity of intricate butterflies, portraying himself as a butterfly catcher hybrid with a broken net. Added to the spectacle of the fantasy is his expansion of palette, a bit like an Indian dish filled with depth of flavour and spice his works involve enamel, acryclic and are transported into fiction via the use of glitter and rhinestones. The vivid palette of colours used projects like an indian spice rack, powerful and bold yet fragmented into a world of fantasy via the use of a scroll to manipulate the surface and create many characters within nature's beauty.
His works have so much to them they can tell a hundred stories time and time again, his liking to Rimbaud is very apparent. While his works portray a rainbow of beauty they also take you to a darker side as does Rimbaud:

'For Hurrah! the wind whistles at the skeletons' grand ball!
The black gallows moans like an organ of iron !
The wolves howl back from the violet forests:
And on the horizon the sky is hell-red...'1

While the paintings take a calmer stance in this exhibition his sculpture, 'Adam' creates an uncomforting disturbing very life-like vision, Adam's head is replaced with that of a bald-like bird, a more crow- like one who is being wrestled by a human-sized highly detailed lobster. There is no surrealism to this though, here fantasy is brought alive, almost as if you were reading Lord of the Rings or Terry Pratchett and the characters suddenly appeared, dark fictional hybrids within your reality.

1 Arthur Rimbaud, 'Dance of the Hanged Men', Document from site Arthur Rimbaud, http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/poesies/Dance.html, 30th May 2009, from site http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/index-en.php

Arte Povera not so 'poor' it seems..

2009-05-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

Tate Modern, London has re-hung one of its wings on level 5 encompassing works revolved around the theme of 'Energy and Process' and by the sounds of critics it is proving to be a great success. What seems to be attracting the most attention apart from Anselm Kiefer is a focus on the 1960s-70s Italian movement, Arte Povera ('poor art') coined by Germano Celant as curator of an exhibition in Genoa in 1967. Although Italy flourished from 1960 with migration from the South slowing down, by 1963 the Socialist Party took over Italy which led to a multitude of problems resulting in the increasing popularity of workers unions, the rising of inflation to account for promised pay rises and eventual economic decline. Student protesting accompagnied this labour protest involving disconcern for Communism, religion, consumerism, traditional family values. Artists from Turin, Milan, Rome and Genoa all formed part of the group, most then being from the poorer half of Italy, bar Rome and used everyday materials to create sculpture, photos, installations, pastiche. It was a focused anti-formal art, leftist based that fulfills process through, '.. the discovery, the exposition, the insurrection of the magic and marvelous value of natural elements...What the artist comes into contact with is not re-elaborated; he does not express a judgement on it, he does not seek a moral or social judgement..he draws from the substance of the natural event..' and from this, 'The first discoveries of this dispossession are the finite and infinite moments of life; the work of art and the work that identifies itself with life; the dimension of life as lasting without end...the explosion of the individual dimension as an aesthetic and feeling communion with nature; unconsciousness as a method of consciousness of the world...for an abandonment of reassuring recognition that is ontinually imposed on him by others and by the social system.'1 Clearly there was a clear retreat back to mother nature for answers and experience due to decreased confidence in socio-political factors and the idealism of consumerism. Arte Povera looked for a more ephemeral mindfulness that lived in the momentary interconnectivity of nature not bound by any didactic control, influence or archetype. Everyday objects in combination with natural elements were popular mediums for 'povera's' expression. Michelangelo Pistoletto's, ' The Venus of the Rags', initiated in 1967, features a copy of Venus classical marble statue facing a huge pile of everyday clothes.Other artists included are Giovanni Anselmo, Lynda Benglis, Anselm Kiefer, Susumu Koshimizu, Ana Mendieta, Marisa Merz, Robert Morris and Michelangelo Pistoletto. Galleries featuring Land art should enhance and stir multitudes of perceptional experience.
Other works by Arte Povera artists have included:
Giovanni Anselmo, 'Untitled, 1968' /'Eating Structure' involves a lettuce squeezed between a large granite block and a smaller granite block, stabilised via copper wire. Once the lettuce deteriorates the wire slackens and the small stone topples. To regain balance fresh 'natural product or lettuce' must be re-added. There's a clear reference to the insertion of nature and it's contribution to balance or bridge the gap between larger forces and the smaller ones.
Alighiero Boetti works with the dichotomy of chance and order, classification, culture and looks 'outside of Western traditions'. He is renowned for a series of embroidered world maps, aided by crafts-workers from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Each country is embroidered as it's national flag but obviously the fact he didn't use embroiderers from each individual country (and of non-Western) raises questions of nationalism, Western control, non- Western regain.The process of 'stitching' also used as a process during a time of global social , economic and political turmoil with Vietnam, Communism and Consumerism is also interesting. "For me the work of the embroidered Mappa is the maximum of beauty. For that work I did nothing, chose nothing, in the sense that: the world is made as it is, not as I designed it, the flags are those that exist, and I did not design them; in short I did absolutely nothing; when the basic idea, the concept, emerges everything else requires no choosing." Alighiero e Boetti, 1974² Clearly here is how chance and order play a part in this work.
Obviously these works reflect many conceptual ideas well known to the present but context still separates them and provides fresh inspiration, influence and re-interpretation within contemporary gallery space and arrangement under theme and interaction with variable works.

1 Art in Theory 1900-1990 An Anthology of Changing Ideas, Harrison, C. and Wood, P., Oxford, Blackwell Publishing, 1992, pg. 887
2 Quoted in Mappa, Luca Cerizza, Afterall Books, 'Alighiero Boetti', 2008,cited in Wikipedia, viewed 30th May 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alighiero_Boetti

New Sculpture park, 'Jupiter Artland' opens in West Lothian, Scotland set to add 'alternative twist' to artworld

2009-05-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Jupiter Artland is the mystical name appointed to an exciting privately funded new sculptural park found within 80 acres of the grounds of the chairman of the firm that owns Bach remedies, a 17th-century house in West Lothian. The park is commissioning major pieces by the likes of Antony Gormley, Marc Quinn, Anish Kapoor and Andy Goldsworthy. Cornelia Parker added to the opening events by firing a moon rock spectacle into the air. On their website they promote, 'The garden is a garden of discovery - an earthwork here, a copse of cradled rocks there, the entrance to a fathomless burrow right before your feet. We provide a map but no set routes. There are pathways, in places, but no path. Come and discover, contemplate and delight. '1

1 JupiterArtland, 29 May, 2009, http://www.jupiterartland.org/the_unfolding_story/

Abramovich's girlfriend lands 92, 000 sq.ft 'garage space' in Moscow thats due to provide spectacle for Gormley's Domain Field

2009-05-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just found out about this new space within the North of Moscow that was obtained by Roman Abramovich's girlfriend to be used as an art space, the Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture, a 92,000 sq. ft, red-brick industrial former bus garage designed originally by Constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov. Currently it's holding works from the collection of Christie’s owner, François Pinault. Antony Gormley’s Domain Field, is due to show there from the 17th July to 2nd September featuring 287 sculptures made from the body moulds of 200 volunteers previously on show at the Baltic, Newcastle in 2003.With so many works and such a huge space this is bound to be a powerful exhibition, Gormley's Domain Field started originated from moulds made of local inhabitants of Newcastle-Gateshead aged from between 2.5 - 84 years. These moulds were then reinterpreted into representations of human existence and it's interfiltration with space today. The works reject past reproductions of the human human body as a wholly enclosed singular entity with it's own internal 'untouchable' space and fixed outline. The resulting works made from many small pieces of stainless steel positioned at different angles provides a fragmented vision of the human body and highlights the true penetrative interaction that goes on (though not always visible) between body and space. As we become open to a new digital generation space and take on new digital identities with the popularity of the internet, it's representation, social networking and control of global interaction these works make us really consider our new identities.

Christies somewhat back in the game however collectors still holding back

2009-05-23T08:54:00.001-07:00

Christies recent spring auction sale in New York totaled $93.7 million with Larry Gagosian cornering the Lichenstein's lots. Last year in May the total sales reached $348 million, more than three times this but there's some stability there, unfortunately Sothebys aren't keeping up however. See what unfolds.Collectors are apparently refusing to sell within the present climate.

Ben Lewis puts the pin in Contemporary Art's Bubble

2009-05-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Just finished watching the BBC's show 'The Contemporary Art Bubble' in which Ben Lewis, a contemporary arts journalist allows us into the backdoor dealings of the business of the contemporary art trade. Since the YBA and Saatchi boom contemporary art went from strength to strength ignited and paralleled by the rise in power of the media to filtrate financial control. If you can catch this series on BBCiplayer it exposes from internal sources the cornering of the market that takes place from collectors and dealers (no laws for this in art as other areas) who control rises in price of their personal favourites for cumulative personal gain, how Sothebys 'lend' buyers money cunningly to raise overall value in their market and so increasing revenue, how they also use guarantees as incentives to buyers insuring a fixed bar of value for certain works if they are to bid on them. Also for the big collectors who lend to the larger galleries or exhibitions huge tax breaks take place. Private galleries for example White Cube or Gagosian use representative artists as pawns within the auction game of nudge nudge wink wink as obviously you would predict but to some extents their more black market dealings are exposed, for example Lewis reignites the controversy that took place over Damian Hirst's, 'For the Love of God' in which it was said to have been sold yet it was later discovered Hirst and possibly others still contained a share interest within the piece.
As the show wraps up we see the demise of the bubble, defllating under the crunch, sales of auctions down some 70-80%, guarantees reduced, leaving trading and profit floating. However Lewis reminds us that Hirst's own personal sale of his collection of works split solely from any gallery/dealer control raised £111 million not so long ago as the crunch started so the future is unpredictable, how much time does it take for contemporary art to really loose chunks of it's value, will collectors control their assets or loose out to financial crunch?

Public Art's progression and the success of The Big Art Project for Britain

2009-05-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Alfred Cass (huge commissioner of art) in the first episode of The Big Art Project which is taking place on Channel 4 quotes on public art, 'Well, it's whether it sings to you' and such is projected through Channel Four's new show. It's lovely to see, as Simon Schama would say, ,'The Power of Art', this show highlights how art can reignite hope in a community, can act as a core magnetism or force that draws nucleus' of societies back together as communities and can also get people talking again in real space and time. Communities surrounding the particular sites worked with curators appointed by the Big Art Trust. Funding is provided via the Arts Council, England and The Art Fund together with any subsidiaries. Selection was started in 2005 and by 2006 seven commmunities were chosen: St. Helens, Burnley, Cardigan, Mull, Newham, North Belfast and Sheffield.
St. Helens, a former mining town which lost it's trade within the 1990s was appointed Jaume Plensa, an artist bron in Barcelona but renown all over the country for his work particularly his Chicago piece, 'Crown Fountain at Millenium Park'. He's well known as creating works that facilitate the use of light. What was really interestin when the community ex-miners became involved in the process of the development of Sutton Manor Coillery site, a former mine was how open they were to a contemporary piece of art taking hold rather than a memorial/monument.
What's acheived is a 65ft-high sculpture on top of the coal mine made out of concrete and costing £1.8million with 90 separate individual parts.
The resulting sculpture, 'Dream' stands like a futuristic/contemporary Olmec, 'Colossal Head',albeit with sense of smooth elegance, lifting the space out of it's rut into a new cerebral escape, a huge thinking space in which the communtiy can put it's heads together to acheive the dream. In a way it resembles the huge Buddha on Landau Island, Hong Kong or some Grand Wizard that will answer the miners prayers, it's glows a white light of future peace and future hope. However it resembles a girl with her eyes closed pondering the dream so really it's hard to say if this negates value within the piece, a miner's tribute represented by a young girl? It's somehow becomes vulnerable and fragile now unable to carry it's stature, however strength is regained in appeal to the younger generation for regeneration, input into the dream of their community together with attention to historical acheivement and relevance by site significance. To catch the rest Channel 4 at 7pm.

Richard Wilson's site- specific works are also featured in the show and want to do a post on him soon.

What makes Russian art Art? A look back in relation to OrelArt UK new 'Liquid Modernity' exhibition by their Venice Biennal hope Andrei Molodkin?

2009-05-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Fitting that the Tate Modern has just ended a grand showing of Rodchenko and Popova's Constructivist acheivements eighty to ninety years ago at the same time that London gets a new gallery from the OrelArt group dedicated to Russian art. OrelArt Gallery, London, opens with a showing of Russia's representative for the Venice Biennial, Andrei Molodkin's, 'Liquid Modernity (Grid and Greed)'. First 'Das Kapital' the famous Marx manifesto title is referenced and moulded out of transparent acrylic which is then filled electronically with Russian crude oil. Accompanying and connected to this is a replica which 'productively then' projects neon light.Then there are his 'grid' works which pay clear linear reference to the Constructivists also in transparent acrylic, one appears to be seeping/'bleeding' oil, the other connected to the former within a system of compressors and pipes again projects neon light.

Molodkin's work although eighty to ninety years on from the Constructivists is firmly cemented in their practice.The Constructivists, 'intended to organise their material according to the three principles of tektonika ('tectonics', or the functionally, socially and politically appropriate use of industrial material), konstruksitya ('construction', or the organisation of this material for a given purpose) and faktura ('texture', or the conscious handling and manipulation of the chosen material).1 Molodkin's tektonika is found in the use of acrylic (an industrial material?) however the 'tectonics' are fake/only representative of the reality of 'systems' i.e.oil and functionally at present oil can not be pumped in acrylic. The 'construction' has taken place for the purpose of 'socio-political' reasons albeit it message rather than function like that of Rodchenko, Tatlin and Popova say. As far as faktura it seems quite hard to say, however you can say like the Constructivists he has gone to a lot of trouble manipulating acrylic and it does result in the functioning of a system of productivity, he like them is a skilled draftsman. The Constructivists ideology, 'of objectivity by artists who sought to render their practice compatible with what they called the 'social command' rather than with what they saw as the compromised bourgeouis conception of 'inner necessity' and subjective intuition. This process became known as 'Art into Production' or 'Productivism''.2 Molodkin's work parallels his nations predecessors in it's rejection of subjectivity and emotion.In it's 'social functioning' or 'social command'3 to the public.In it's roots playing back to Communism versus Capitalism.It's use of language in combination with material to promote.He also uses acrylic linear structures on the wall which resemble test-tubes (filled with crude oil and blood) and provide a link to the past titled Constructivist 'laboratory works'.
However where it is set into context is in it's conceptual framework together with you could say minimalist referencing and the use of common 'art-based materials' such as acrylic and a conceptual title. Molodkin is hoping to influence thoughts rather than create social function as in the past. However really this is what such 'laboratory works' as Konstantin Medunetskii's, 'Spatial Construction', 1920 did, they were, 'aesthetic explorations that might eventually contribute to the evolution of more utilitarian designs'.4 It's very unlikely Molodkin's work will evolutionise into more utilitarian designs however he draws his Russian past and makes us realise how valuable and relevant it's message is still today with Iraq versus America oil scandals as such.Also the concept of a liquid modernity is very present with our global interconnectivity increasing all the time with new technological advancements and access. Mondrian's,' Broadway Boogie-Woogie' 1942-3. work keeps coming to my mind in terms of his representation of modernity however Molodkin takes it one step further into own new technical age through the use of technological or productive art.
Will be interesting to see his Venice piece as its said he is believed to be injecting, 'Winged Victory of Samothrace' with crude oil and blood.

1 Art of the Avant-Gardes, Edwards S. and Wood P., New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2004, pg. 361
2 The Challenge of the Avant-Garde, Wood, P., New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1999, pg. 245
3 The Challenge of the Avant-Garde, Wood, P., New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 1999, pg. 245
4 Art of the Avant-Gardes, Edwards S. and Wood P., New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2004, pg. 366

Jordan Wolfson.. worthy of Cartier......Award 2009

2009-05-17T16:11:00.000-07:00

Jordan Wolfson has been announced as the winner of the Cartier Award 2009 and will go on to produce a site-specific artwork for the Frieze Art Fair. His video works play on many themes but it's thought before these are discussed it would be valuable for you to read his contribution to the Whitney Biennial catalogue as an aid to thoughts within his mindset:

In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful. But we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls—has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little: More than machinery we need humanity; More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost. The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say, “Do not despair.” The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people will return to the people, and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish.... Soldiers—don’t give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you—who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don’t hate—only the unloved hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers—don’t fight for slavery, fight for liberty. In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written “the kingdom of God is within man”—not one man, nor a group of men—but in all men—in you, the people. You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. 1

The above was included within the Whitney Biennial in which Wolfson presents, 'The Great Dictator', 2005, a black and white 16mm film which involves a 'Hollywood-esque tuxedoed' male figure signing Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940) - his first 'spoken' comedic spin about Nazi Germany. The shots focus on the speedy signs expressed by the man's hands cropping his head and legs. Direct attention is placed on the speed of his signing. You can now see how the above manifesto suits its subject. Chaplin was known to have caused a stir politically with his leftist views resulting in his possible exile. When you watch Wolfson's piece you can see where Mia Fineman identifies his, 'poetic conceptualism' 2, the actor in the piece almost presents the sign in a Chaplin like manner, artistically beautiful with a satirical twist, aided by the 'black and white' Chaplin related link of the tuxedo.There's lightness to its political roots, a beauty and comedy which keeps you interested. For the majority of us there does of course become a frustration or barrier in not being able to translate what the beauty is saying triggering an empathy and frustration towards the attempted silencing of Chaplin's political views through exile. Of course this then has wider implications for reality as reiterated in Wolfson's piece above. There's an irony that plays a wonderful part in the work in the sense that although Chaplin's views were attempted to be silenced it was originally his silence which gave him power in the film and financial world and now Wolfson is using that silence again to create powerful messages. The choice of film, 'The Great Dictator' being Chaplin's first 'spoken film' enhances this. It's interesting how you relate the piece to present times also as Wolfson here expresses the power previously that the state had over the media/celebrity in terms of control however nowadays the media world is becoming the higher power, you only have to think about what Joanna Lumley is doing for the Ghurkha's.

1 Wolfson, J., Jordan Wolfson, Altria, Deutsche Bank, Brilliant Blue, 2006, 16 May 2009 13:48:27, http://www.whitney.org/www/2006biennial/artists.php?artist=Wolfson_Jordan
2 Fineman, M., Jordan Wolfson, BeautyUser, OOKSA, New Retirement, 2006, 16 May 2009 14:25:06, http://www.slate.com/id/2137034/

The frustration created in lack of able translation for the majority in this piece creates feelings of isolation and 'lost voices' that makes you want to release the inner voice inside. What's enduring about Wolfson's work is the play he creates between the animated and the real, the humorous and the serious, the superficial and the real. The paradoxical play with animation to stamp the big serious questions into your mind reflects the power of the media in reality. In another work, 'Dreaming of the dream of the dream', 2004, Wolfson presents a 16mm film again in which different images of water from various animations are repeated within a silent one-minute loop from sunrise to sunset. It is looped continually until the film stock is destroyed and the artwork is no more. What dream is being dreamt of? Again here we have a reference to the fictional/fantasy in contrast to the purest reality of Mother Nature. When you read Wolfson's piece above and he discusses the loss of humanity in the world and the 'machine-men' controllers you can see how he reverts back to nature for sanity and balance. Does he think we've lost touch with nature or disrespect it's power? Is his use of silence a search for peace? In this piece the death of nature's cycle takes place as does a specific time cycle from the start of the day to the end of the day in 'nature's terms' conducted by the sun.

In 'Perfect Lover', 2007 Wolfson presents a film in which a solitary crow in various settings in a forest repeatedly announces the time every hour until midnight is reached. This time a second day is entered announced by the crow again before he starts hourly once more. The crow begins to deteriorate after an amount of time, counting out of order then stopping, has a cough, only to start again until he disappears into darkness. So many references to childhood are churned up within this piece, animated animals playing a key point to all children in storybooks, programs, the forest setting throwing you back through the wardrobe to Narnia. It's this escapist aspect, 'the dreaming of the dream' that pulls at your emotions yet this escapist euphoria is brought thumping back down to reality (like with all of his pieces) in this piece with a powerful melancholy, touched on in the previously discussed piece with the 'self-destructive' film. The melancholy rests in the crow, a known symbolism of death, Van Gogh's, 'Wheatfield with Crows', 1890 was believed to be his last work possibly foreseeing his death. This work also references Felix Gonzalez-Torres' work, 'Untitled (Perfect Lovers)', 1987-1990 showing two wall clocks set to the exact time, however as time ticks away they go in opposite directions and out of sync.A lot of Torres' work is said to be influenced by the power the death or separation of his partner to Aids had on him. With the crow known as the messenger of death it leaves us to question what is at death's door, is it soceity, our greed and misery, the 'machine-heads' he talks of controlling us. Is it only a matter of time before nature deteriorates and order is lost? The lightness of his work returns in the animated crow yet we are left to consider how funny he is actually or the melancholy of his message is? In a way you could say it reflects the power of the media to entice us, make us escape yet at the same time it may be destroying us? I relate to the media because it's a film-based work using 'narration'. However you could say he is referencing relationships in the title, 'perfect lover', the loss of a relationship over time, its idealistic fantasy as perfection and its melancholy or death? What seems perfect may be destructive? Where there's perfection there's also madness? Wolfson's work's are great in that they make you consider the relationship between idealism and reality in our world today (good and bad), they bring your mindset into the present through their direct realisation of time scale in relation to life and death. While they also reconnect you with the power players in life, love, nature, media, politics and their relationships. Who is the crow?...the media..politicians..love..are they in control of our time, our life, are they the death of us? Have they taken over nature as power player? Just questions but his combination of fiction and non-fiction are so dually fun in many aspects.

New Art Fair takes hold after Moscow falls, Vilnius, Lithuania 09

2009-05-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

A fresh new cultural experience is available this July from Vilnius, Lithuania; ArtVilnius’09 will run from 8-12 July, hosting 101 galleries from 31 counties. Will be interesting to see how it's hosted and the response that comes with it opening up the artworld's reach and potential for growth outside of the focused West of Europe.

What's at the heart of our art in England now? Art and it's anthropological reminder

2009-05-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Funny but while reading through various art news today two different art exhibitions in different locations created a synthesis around the same core questions. It started while reading about Tim Crouch's new play at the Whitechapel Gallery, 'England'. It narrates a mini-exchange between a Western art dealer and non-Western heart donor's widow, both who are connected solely through survival, an art piece is exchanged for a second chance at life. Various dichotomies arise from the work via symbolism intended within subject such as West/non-West, Heart/heartless, Art/Life, Art/Heart, Art with a heart/Art without a heart, Life/Death, Art as financial object/Art without financial value. Then you have to centre all of this within the title 'England', how is our art valued all over the world? How do we value our art? Has England's art lost value? Have we lost the heart in our art? Does art matter more to us as financial object or heart gripping power?
From this the next article read came as sad disappointment in terms of capitalism, globalisation and financial power within the world. Western Australia's Burrup peninsula contains aboriginal carvings that are believed to pre-date present art historical carving recordation.However it is shockingly at present under threat from a liquid natural gas plant. Those who live there are said to be devastated understandably so as it can be said areas of the non- Western world have a connection with nature that some would say we in the West have lost, developed over or left behind in our numbing of our natural instincts and sensuality. A touring festival, 'Origins-Festival of First Nations' around London at present covers theatrical performances, shamanistic expression and healing, films from Canada, Australia,New Zealand and America. Named because all nations involve people indigenous to countries of colonisation with events such as a theatre piece about the Maori Battalion in Second World War Italy. It sounds like the festival will be a great eye-opener to what Bourriard would call translation expressing the relativism and deconstruction taking place as our world becomes more interconnected dialetically. Unheard opinions, expressions and understandings of the West and other nations history and understanding of them will be expressed.Together with a reminder of how spirituality, art, nature and healing interact in relation to our artificial made 'gallery space' controlled by market power. Will non-Western art be more powerful to the heart of humans, more representative of real life, spirituality or is this being eurocentric in itself, though if you think how much Hirst's collection raised not long ago you could say not. He himself as many artists challenges life and death, nature and art in fact he turns the reality of nature into a huge commodity?You could say he tries to control nature/life, 'preserve it'?

Focus on Russian Art and exhibition 'Liquid Modernity' from new Orel Art Gallery in Victoria,London

2009-05-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Interested in a concentrated look at Russian art, well head down to Victoria to see the new gallery by Orel Art, originally a Paris creation by Ilona Orel. The first exhibition centres around Russia's representative of the Venice Biennale, Andrei Molodkin and the exhibition, 'Liquid Modernity (Grid and Greed)'.Will be looking at and commenting on the exhibition in future posts.

John Cale from Velvet Underground to exhibit at Venice Biennale

2009-05-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Sounds interesting eh? Think it's always hard to know how well different musicians transcend into the art world, most harbour enough creativity to produce high standards but you wonder if lack of experience in production lessens the level of the work.However from the sounds of it John Cale has held his own. Of course it helps that he's apparently produced an audio-visual artwork, a multi-screened video work with accompanying audio that focuses on his roots in Wales. It sounds like a media-based snippetted autobiography however with a fine art twist to it of course.It covers his classically trained youth in Wales together with his home and homelands surrounding landscape, narrated with it seems beautiful audio.It seems theres a mix of audio from spoken word to song, interesting as he was said to love Dylan Thomas to see any reference there. The review I read said it was a very beautiful piece with great depth, sounds definitely worth a look and worthy of the Biennale, such an audio work has to become enhanced within the beauty and history of artistic Venice.Especially as it will be presented in the old brewery building on Giudecca where the last few Wales exhibits have been shown.

Saatchi Middle East Exhibition

2009-03-11T01:58:00.000-07:00

Right just got through looking at the Middle East exhibition presently at the Saatchi and was really interesting to see areas of the world's thoughts expressed that have been really hidden from us before or not focused on anyway.In a way it was also very refreshing and inspiring to see different cultural expressions and opinions together with style and skill. What struck me the most in fact which put a different spin on the viewers experience was how strong the presence and impact the metaphysical played in producing and in the end designing or developing these works. It made it clear how important it is to have a multiplicity of cultural influence in our lives and also to be witness to the process of cultural 'creolisation' and translation as Bourriard would say. To see how different people and cultures deal with their situations and struggles together with the development of our interactive global world at present is really fascinating. I kept reflecting back to reading 'A World History of Art' and thinking how beautiful some of the intricacy of Umayyad palaces are, the Great Mosque, Cordoba and then later Moors influence of Alhambra and such. But what was missed out on here was the presence of figures, banned from using holy images or visual symbols focusing on inscriptions if anything.Still with such abscence such beauty was produced in their work.But how great it is to see now Middle Eastern images and figures together with opinions which have somehow escaped the shadow of religious control.
It's obviously interesting that the show starts with 'Unveiled' in it's title, 'Unveiled:New Art From the Middle East' referencing obviously the presence of the female veils worn within Islamic culture together with a long awaited exposure of Middle Eastern cultural expression for so long 'veiled' beneath dedication to Allah. Diana Al-Hadid's works undoubtedly highlight the presence still however of the influence of older Middle Eastern art and its focus on intricate forms and patterns to create beauty over the use of images. Her sculptures or 'Towers of Infinite Problems' play metaphor to many interpretations but rest between a mystical and yet very realistic interpretation of the present context. In 'Self-Melt' the towers are not finished solid wholes but are instead in a process of morphosis, its funny but Bourriards reference to the 'AlterModern' and creolisation versus deconstruction as a state of affairs at present seems to fit well with what these sculptures express. You could say they are 'time-specific', in a process or state of metamorphosis yet while resting within a magical, mystical parallel.The towers look as if they are melting, turned upside into egg-timer like forms not quite sure what their outcome is.There are many references that can be made here to housing regeneration, development, deonstruction and renewal via war, destruction of historical land, culture and really a change in the spirituality of homeland as destruction through war takes place. In 'The Tower of Infinite Problems' she creates more solid sculptures yet they are still fractured broken into pictures and rearranged like jigsaws to create spiral type structures with many layers and jagged edges. References to global capital developments, the effect of capitalism, etc. can all be made. Al-Hadid reanimates the ordered, coldness or brick of many a tower and reinterprets it in a metaphysical sense with infinite possibilities that affect the global and spiritual world.
The theme of the 'unveiled' plays throughout this whole exhibition in an almost cathartic process.Halim Al-Karim's works leaves a very haunting imprint in which the presence of the metaphysical plays a huge part. His photographs all bare titles wrapped around a 'hidden' theme: 'Hidden Prisoner','Hidden Victims', 'Hidden Themes'. The photographs take on a intended blurry feel or vision in which interpretation is denied reflecting the way some would interpret Middle Eastern culture and you could say the masked veils worn by women.What's fascinating is how this cultural aspect filtrates into the artists actual presentations formatically, for example in some works the photographs are presented beneath a tightly bound white silk fabric, humanising the work almost. Al-Karim's work reflects almost directly personal experience during the Gulf War in which he fled and hid in a hole. He gives metaphysial statues the same priority as human presence using both as 'hidden' themes or presences behind the blurry veil. Sufi tradition and reference occurring here, still it seems hard to pin down exactly his spiritual path or opinion on Islam tradition. The 'blurry' indeterminate' style of his photographs brings photographs of ancient statues to life, the lack of detail diminishing the reality of their stone/clay structure and instead animating them onto a level of the other human prisoners he uses. There becomes a conflict with spirituality as it is involved in the 'hidden' aspect of human 'oppression' yet its presence is still very powerful and important to some.Nadia Ayari takes a simalar approach yet with a different medium of painting, her works are a lot more direct or simple yet powerful in message.Large paintings of eyes behind prison fences or over the top of womens veils highlight lost vision or voices behind the veil. When this exhibition gets interesting is when you get a simple yet ingenious idea by Kader Attia to convert perception of the veil via the use of a fittingly domestically used product as foil. There are so many connotations that can arise from this usage, as said the domestic reference is there for one.There is also the fact that dark veils suppress light where as foil reflects it, projects it, expresses it. Theres also the fact it's usually used to contain and cook an animal which an be interpreted anyway you like.What's most interesting to me though again is the 'metaphysical' presence that is created by using foil.For me seeing so many of the figures which are made to appear a lot more squatted and smaller than human versions brings up links to an almost 'alien' or E.T. type theme, 'foreign entity' or masses, foreign to this world. From here so many links can be made, women feeling alien beneath the veil or 'outsiders', then there is the fact Americans call immigrant or those of non-American entity or anti-American 'aliens' in visa application.This is no direct statement obviously but creates a very interesting outlook.Ahmad Morshedloo's works possess the haunting emotional draw of Al-Karim's work with a near perfect rendering of foreshortening and artistic skill. The haunting picture head first of a women laid out flat on a table appearing inhumane, non-present and dainty and presented in an almost monotone palette creates a daunting effect. We are left wondering what she's doing there, it almost feels like she's on a butchers table but I don't want to go too far with that. Her face is hidden almost no real visible features can be determined and she seems determinate of her fate almost.
The mixing of ancient traditions with modern mediums becomes expressed in Ramin Haerizadeh's, 'Men of Allah'. The reference to ancient Persian style is present in the intricacy and detail/style of his figures however he fuses this within the CGI age using graphic effects to bring it into the here and now. Doing this helps with the projection of the regeneration of issues of gender, sexuality and ancient attitudes that he challenges by re-enacting the historical theatre of the Qajar Dynasty.For one he brings theatre into digital age through graphic effects but he also casts himself as every part in the play which raises issues surrounding this male-dominated theatrical past in which female roles were also played by men. It's interesting how the organic forms of Persian art become graphic or flatter, 2-dimensional in a way, not sure how good a move forward this is though as some quality/depth is lost in intricacy.Exposure of tradition is unveiled in the work of Rokni Haerizadeh who exposes to the world aspects of the Iranian wedding. Again the intricate, organic style of ancient Islamic or Persian work seeps through in her style of painting which contains many different forms which weave and melt into each other, creating really the 'wedding' dynamacy. Shes highlights to the outside world the rituals of Iranian weddings though in which women and men are divided and the male experience seems a lot more pleasured or spoilted in constrast to the more stagnant women.It's interesting again how Middle Eastern culture is projected more by formal arrangement via the use of a diptych in which the female interpretation is on one and the mens experience at the wedding on another.Men and women not even united in art, producing fragmented art forms.

Nicolas Bourriaud and the new 'Altermodernism'?

2009-03-04T04:41:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would do my first post on Tate Britain's upcoming debate that will focus around Nicolas Bourriaud's 'Altermodernism'. It's a term that's entering the art consciousness as representative of the 'new age' in art or context. It was bound to happen soon the term postmodern and contemporary were starting to get old and don't really encapsulate the multidimensional interactive ways art is expanding and growing at present.
To understand 'Altermodernism', 'Postmodernism' can first be attempted to define? Thinking of Greenberg, Fried and TJ Clark there seem a lot more clear boundaries for an art historical critic of its former 'Modernism', starting some would say around the 1860s. For example you had those who focused on art for arts sake and development or expansion of the boundaries of different mediums in art i.e. Abstract Expressionists, Expressionism then you had those who believed art to be a socio-political tool with a clear societal role i.e. Constructivists, Realists/Social Realism, and of course there were those that both experimented with composition/style yet involved subject matter, sometimes with socio-functional message i.e. Futurists, Cubists, Surrealism, Pop Art. With 'Postmodernism' some say it's description is less defined due to a shift in ideology and interpretation of artwork compared to those of the 'Modernist' era. The majority seem to agree postmodernism begins around the 1980s with a focus on conceptual art taking control, although you could throw that back to Duchamp and Dada/Surrealist artists or even possibly the Land Art of the sixties, Smithson's, 'Spiral Jetty ' say, all involving conceptual experimentation and manipulation, with installation, intermedia, pastiche, or bricolage, etc. With the development of globalisation, the internet and cheaper travel cultural fusion or interaction became a more complex, interactive and interpretive part of our lives. Identity becomes challenged, new cultural influences take hold and a wide variety of knowledge is made available via the interweb and so emotions change and develop. Frederic Jameson believes the postmodern rejects fixed, straight interpretation and instead pastiche and discontinuance become popular. A new hybrid type artwork develops, such as that of Louise Bourgeois becoming very multi-dimensional in terms of interpretation and message. However you could say that 'Modernism' is still present in some work of say Anish Kapoor in which medium is experimented with and expanded solely creating illusion, fantasy and escapism. There's definitely a sense of instability or insecurity that develops with global expansion however as nationalist borders open up in terms of cheap travel and the internet in particular. Rasheed Araeen's work particularly highlights the attempt to develop a 'hybridity' of East and West art. Really modernism as it's written about is the modernism of the Western world, in some ways postmodernism expresses a more global artworld formation, expression and influence.Developments in technology and an increase in availability of technology increases experimentation with a variety of media, even though others have experimented in the past, photography developing at the start of modernism, the increased access to it and development of the media world increases its importance to context.
There is also the development of art theory, the disintegration of the influence of Barr's direct timeline of art, one movement influencing and developing the next in linear progression has been replaced by looking at all movements as interactive really, old art being regenerated into again new hybrids, for example Grayson Perry's ceramics with contemporary subject-matter. Nicolas Serota for example puts different artworks from different periods into 'clusters' to encourage new multidimensional interpretations in the Tate Modern. In terms of ideology there could be said to have been a definite reduction in painting as popular artwork in the 'postmodernist' era, some theorists have talked of the 'anti-presence' as 'postmodern' in terms of conceptual art and in comparison to the 'god-like' presence of 'modernists' art such as Rothko and the importance placed on originality of hand with painting. Brit Art took hold and conceptual art has been popular since with a focus on the idea and theory, however rather than just the one painting as in 'modernism', artists such as Joseph Beuys, Louise Bourgeois,Tracey Emin use many different objects in arrangement which create multiple meaning and interpretation. However many of the Dada performances could be said to have done this and Duchamp plus others and other cultures have used alternative mediums than painting with 'avant-garde' approaches. It's interesting to wonder how countries outside the Western world become integrated into 'modern/postmodern' art, for example the 'Nok' /Nigerian culture's sculptures could be read as abstract and conceptual yet are thousands of years earlier? With the development of media and a change in our perception or sense of time and space developing with globalisation video, photography and performance become great representative mediums. Bill Viola however could be seen to be quite 'modernist' in the way he slows down video to unseen speeds to produce new visual affects and perceptions. Others challenge the influence of metanarratives and issues such as gender, race, sexuality...you could say grand institutions and their theories are being challenged, questioned, researched and the power their hold has had. Artists changed your outlook on race in 'Victorian Dandy' say by Yinka Shonibare or approach to gender by Emin by challenging conventional visual representations or perceptions and institutional or metanarrative control and how it influenced such representations. Lyotard defines such challenges as essentially 'postmodern', for example Emin's 'Unmade Bed' changes the whole history of women's representation of art in books, galleries, etc . This can be combined with the idea that as nationalism is losing some hold and identity becomes expanded and cultures interact global society looks towards 'metanarratives' for a common challenge or areas to relate to. You could say therefore some modernism focused on challenging national ideology/politics i.e. Constructivism, Futurism, etc. whereas postmodernism might be seen more to challenge metanarrative ideologies and use a multitude of approaches to do this mixing/using many different mediums, particularly due to technological developments in media and moving 'outside' the art gallery. This then leading to multiple interpretations rather than one political stance say. Again however Dada and Constructivists could be said to do this.

So how does 'Altermodernism' fit into all this? Nicolas Bourriard believes theres a new art movement developing focusing on confronting standardisation and commercialism.It seems quite straight forward when approached like that however it comes across repetitive of 'postmodern/modern' artwork which has challenged materialism, commercialism and standardisation, for example Andy Warhol, Constructivists, etc. 'Altermodernism' also talks of new translations taking place in the new age, new interconnections of time with space, text with image, the affect of travel and interaction but as said a lot of it seems repetitive of 'postmodernism' and the effect of 'globalisation'.Where it starts to become clarified is when you consider postmodernism as having jumped a level towards what some are calling 'creolisation' of cultures in which there becomes a struggle for identity and autonomy or singularity.Bourriard talks of art as now 'time-specific' as the world interacts and artists try to translate the 'creolisation' taking place, new interactions of text and image taking place in a world under deconstructivism teamed with cultural relativism.It seems that Bourriard is saying that such a situation is producing a new age in which standardisation and commercialisation are being challenged via the many translations taking place in time and space due to 'creolisation', travel, cultural relativity combined with deconstruction. He believes new 'time-specific' works are expressed in 'trajectory' like forms or expressions, transitory and unfixed.Bourriard also associates 'Altermodernism' with the decreasing importance of a focused Western model of art.

Many believe Bourriard takes on simalar thoughts to some of Foucault. Foucault considers a switch from 'knowledge is power' to 'power is knowledge' involving the power the media has over our development of knowledge in society. Also considered by some is the loss of value in 'real experienced-developed/experimental knowledge' in exchange for increased accessibility and speed of knowledge attainable on the internet as such. When related to the power knowledge on the interweb you can see a development from postmodernism .Wrapped in this is the power the media has on imprinting knowledge in the psyche, is this not what Barbara Kruger approaches or Cindy Sherman as well as a multitude of others. It's hard to identify what the 'alter' is in altermodernism?
So it seems that there's a struggle for autonomy and singularity in the creolisation of cultures together with the power and influence the media has on new forms of knowledge being created, new ways to access this and new ways that knowledge is being interpreted via such as inter-web.The later could be labelled as standardisation and a focus on the commercial.