Too rude? Speech part two – adolescent nudity in art
Part one is here..
These days the nude appears to have become more controversial as the line between nudity and sexuality has been blurred. The prevalence of porn and sexualized images In the media have led to an automatic association between nudity and sex. A belief that nudity is dirty, wrong, and disgraceful. All of this has led to nude art being pushed to the back corner, far from being the classic and honored subject of artists everywhere.
There is no image of vulnerability more powerful than that of a naked child. Take for example the iconic Vietnam Napalm photograph. Would this picture have as much impact if she was an adult? If she was clothed? The image of her running down the street, naked and screaming, is real, it’s powerful and it’s become a symbol for the horrors of war everywhere. This photograph won the Pulitzer and world press photo of the year.
A nude child is the image of vulnerability, of change. It automatically triggers protective instincts. Good art has the power to move us. It inspires emotion.
Would Bill Henson’s works be as emotive if the children were clothed? if they were small breasted adults? His works capture a moment in time. A fragile period in a teen’s life. These works make us empathize with the subject, I have heard abuse sufferers consider them both triggering works and uplifting and encouraging. Other see a coming of age, loss of innocence. fragile, strong. Whatever you see in this work you cannot deny that it has an emotional impact and that is the purpose of art.
The scandal with Brook Shields and the Gary Gross/Richard prince photographs is another good example. Gary Gross took photographs of a pre-teen Brook Shields for a magazine. These works were highly sexualized, with brook painted with oil and makeup. They were exceptionally adult, and in very poor taste. Brook shields did not get a say in modeling for these works, nor how they were used later on. Many years later Richard Prince took a photograph of the original Gary Gross, then changed it. The final work was seedier and turned the original on it’s ear. Where the first seemed to celebrate child pornography, the Prince version used the same image to condemn it. It still uses a sexualized image of an adolescent, but by using that image to make the viewers uncomfortable it made an excellent point about not turning a blind eye to child pornography.
Bad things come in groups- farewell to some modern masters
This has been the year for losing iconic artists. These things come in threes, and I hope we have done our dash. M.F.Husain, Cy Twombly and now Lucien Freud. Two of these artists I have discussed on this blog, one at length. That doesn’t mean I don’t admire Twombly’s work, just that it didn’t fit into my niche. Edit: I started this post last week, since then we have also lost Margaret Olley. I guess the rule of threes leaves something to be desired.
These artists have taught us all about solidarity, about production and about being a truly great artist. Here is what I have learned from these greats:
1. Paint, paint and paint some more.
All three artists were extremely prolific. They did not get to the level of success they had without painting constantly and diligently.
2. Paint what you want to paint.
Each one received ridicule and derision at some point for their works, technique or subject matter. They rose above it. Nothing was more important than the art.
3. if you don’t like your situation, change it.
Move, change your allegiance, don’t wait for change to happen- be the catalyst for change.
4. Respect your peers.
Respect other artists, pose for them, inspire them as they inspire you and don’t fear giving back.
5. Know the rules- then break them.
Once you know the rules, you know what you should, and should not do. You know how to bend them and even how to break them. If you don’t know the rules, you risk breaking them in the wrong way. There’s so wrong it’s right and so wrong it’s wrong- the difference is knowing the rules.
These work for all careers, not just for artists. The art world is lesser for these losses.
being and artist and a mother need not be impossible
This is a followup from my post last week. This is what I commented on the original post, tidied up a bit and expanded for this.
Being the obsessive sort that I am I started considering these issues when I decided that I wanted a family. Liam and I discussed them from the beginning and we planned out how to ensure that I had enough time in the studio and how to make it a safe environment.
The thing to bear in mind is that this is your career and if you are serious about it, then it needs to be treated with all the seriousness of any other career. I work from my home studio and fit my work, both studio time and the business side, around her naps and feeds- I actually use them to structure my day! I find that since having a baby my career has become more structured and disciplined. I have to set aside time to achieve my tasks, so I don’t waste it as much as I used to. my goals have coalesced more as well, I’m more inspired to create and more inspired to succeed because I want the best for my little girl!
a few notes.
- I don’t know what paint you are using, but I find that the water miscible oils are wonderful and fume free, I took to using them before I started trying to get pregnant and find them a great way to keep a safe environment at home- they work just as well. they also clean up very fast- great when time is an issue! I don’t use heavy metal pigments either, I don’t want to risk transferring anything through my breastmilk.
- pick techniques that you can fit around his schedule – small, bite sized chunks of work you can easily digest. that goes for your to-do list too! if you keep tasks to 15 minute blocks you can get so much done in very little time! (this works for cleaning too
- have a list of goals for your art, your marketing and keep them in mind. make sure they are achievable and excite you. set particular goals for each year. this year I am focussing on creating works and marketing online, I have stepped back on exhibiting, but I am getting my gallery list together and starting to plan my calendar for next year.
- keep a sketchbook with you for quick ideas and sketches. no matter what you are doing there is always time for thinking about art!
- I find it’s sometimes hard to get myself into the studio, I talk myself out of it, there is so much more I feel I should be doing. the 15 minute rule works well here too.
- getting up one hour earlier can work wonders.
- expressed breastmilk can help for long studio jags or when you are out at openings. knowing you don’t *have* to stop painting to go feed really helps.
- My husband is very supportive of my career, he knows it is my passion and makes sure I have time. enlist help to ensure you get the time you need!
the effects of denying women artists the nude
From the 15th through the 19th century the nude was essential to art, especially to grand history paintings. Doing history paintings helped establish the stature of an artist. However, women were barred from studying the human nude regardless of gender; even when they were permitted to join the academies on quotas, they were restricted from such training. By the time the restrictions were lifted by the end of the 19th century, the nude was no longer central to painting’s subject matter. Nochlin discusses this issue extensively.
She writes, “I have gone into the question of the availability of the nude model, a single aspect of automatic, institutionally maintained discrimination against women, in such detail simply to demonstrate both the universality of this discrimination and its consequences, as well as the institutional rather than individual nature of but one facet of the necessary preparation for achieving mere proficiency, much less greatness in the realm of art during a long period.”[From Why have there been no great women artists? - Stabroek News - Guyana]
this sounds like an interesting concept, I don’t know if I agree with a central precept, however, that the nude is no longer central to painting. it’s a crucial part of training and still a key subject, from art history to now there is no single subject that has been covered as extensively as the human body.
it’s an interesting parallel to draw, that the lack of access to the nude for women artists impeded their growth as artists. but it is noted that other factors probably contributed as much. I look forward to reading more as this series continues but I find myself concerned that some of the logic appears to be a little scattered. I assume it will all pull together by the end. I also dispute the title, it’s an attention grabber (it grabbed me!) but there have been many excellent women artists of note, both in the periods mentioned and now. They have received less notoriety, but are not less ‘great’ -it all depends on how you define greatness.
I am interested to see if these conclusions about the history of women artists lead onto the current disparity between modern male and female artists.
Nude Jerry Hall by Freud sells for 600,000
Jerry Hall met Lucian Freud at a dinner in 1997 when she was eight months pregnant with her fourth child. He asked if he could paint her portrait, and she started posing the next day, three times/week, until she went into labor.
[From Eight Months Gone, Jerry Hall By Lucian Freud - Daddy Types]
I found myself wondering why this was such a big deal – £600,000 isn’t actually that much for a Lucian Freud, let alone one of a celebrity – but then I found out the size, 4x6in – a postcard size oil painting sketch. considering the size of Benefits Supervisor Sleeping and the price it set, this is consistent, even quite high.
I haven’t been following the sale of Jerry Hall’s art collection, but I wonder, along with the quoted author above, what else may have come out of all those sessions. this looks like a wet on wet sketch and probably quite fast. I wonder if there are any others lurking around. this sketch, even with it’s looseness show’s Freud’s wonderful treatment of skintones, gravity and luminosity.
controversial giant breasts sculpture
Sorry I’ve been so out of it lately, I’ve been ill and sore. I started a number of blog posts, only to realize that they made no sense! hopefully I will be back on top of things soon.in the meantime, this is an interesting video that came across my screen, it caught my eye because lately I’ve had times where I feel like this! it does hit at our identity in some ways, often women are not only judged by their breasts but base our identities as women on them.
it’s an interesting concept. ‘how big do we want our breasts to be’ has come under attack, literally, for it’s controversial nature but I think it makes an excellent point. There is so much focus on the idea that bigger is better, that all we need is enhancement to be as sexy as possible. if my email is anything to go by anyway! I see so many ridiculous morphs in 3D art that make these sculptures seem practically normal. these concepts are often created by men with infantile mammalian fantasies. it’s interesting that this sculpture was created by a male, I think it’s really interesting and well executed. it’s a shame they’ve felt the need to censor the sculptures.
What I Like Most About My Job – Artistic Freedom!
Silf - Acrylic and Gesso on Canvas by Jennie Rosenbaum
Being an artist is like being a kid in a candy store. the world is full of colorful possibilities- ideas overflowing, shiny packages and tasty treats waiting to be explored. there is always something new around the corner!
at other times it’s like being the owner. you get the same surroundings, but you get to make money from it and work hard for your passion.
I love having a job where I am paid to let my mind wander. where I can live on my imagination. I also get free reign to be a complete disorganized mess (read: artistic), to be grouchy randomly and to wear what I like.
I also have Pink hair. or purple, or teal or whatever I want. it’s ultimate freedom to be myself.
Live Nude Art at MoMA raising hands and…
Marina Abramovic’s “The Artist is Present”(NEWSER) – It’s not only spectators who are getting frisky at a Museum of Modern Art show featuring live nude models. One male on display in the Manhattan exhibit was so aroused by the experience that he was asked to leave, reports Page Six. The exhibit by artist Marina Abramovic features a nude couple standing in a doorway so that visitors have to squeeze between them. Some of the 38 nude models have complained that museumgoers are getting touchy-feely—but this is the first model asked to leave.[From Lusty MOMA Nude is Booted From Museum ]
I admit that at first I didn’t understand the point of this exhibit. it appeared to me to be structured to deliberately make the patrons and the models very uncomfortable. I found the idea of something that could put the life models potentially in harms way or make them very uncomfortable to be disturbing. In addition, most of the publicity center around the issues with the models being harassed, and one of the male models being fired for getting an erection, there has been very little written about the work itself.
Upon further research I found out more about the nature of the exhibit itself..
The exhibit features 38 performers in rotating shifts of eight facing each other at a doorway or lying under a skeleton or posing in other pieces, mostly in the nude. …
All the performers went through a mini-boot camp at the artist’s Hudson Valley hideaway in a bid to prepare for anything. For five days, they led a monk-like existence — fasting, not speaking and not reading — while doing exercises designed to help them develop self-control, including bathing in an icy pond, walking in slow motion and counting grains of rice, said MoMA’s Erica Papernik, whose job is to make the performers’ rotations as smooth as possible. A clothed Abramovic is also on display in the exhibit. Visitors can sit across from her. Elke Luyten, a 35-year-old performer, called the show a welcome test of self-discipline, even if she occasionally cries while lying under the skeleton. “I never feel awkward. I never feel strange,” she said. “Even when teenagers laugh, I never feel laughed at. Because Marina is there on the second floor, you feel you’re part of something bigger.”
[From Naked models at MoMA "The Artist is Present" exhibit are getting groped - NYPOST.com]
the artwork appears to be just as much about the discipline and discomfort of the models as the reactions of the patrons. as a living artwork it encompasses the emotions of the players into the piece. I didn’t understand what was artistic about getting people to stand in doorways, but the creation of the work began with the bootcamp and was clearly very well thought out. I find myself very sorry that I won’t get to experience it. the artist being a part of the exhibit, but clothed is an interesting touch.
as far as the difficulties go, I still find that uncomfortable to deal with. the idea that the models have to cope with being groped and be unable to react sends shivers down my spine. I am glad that they have been prepared and that there are such security measures in place. the model being ejected for getting an erection is a different matter. I realize it changes the nature of the rating as it were, but it’s a natural and uncontrollable reflex and I don’t believe the model should have been held responsible and fired, just allowed a brief respite until everything was back under control.
Controversial Nudes did sell… and well
The row escalated earlier in the week when activists petitioned Christie’s, the world’s best known and largest arts business and auction house, not to oversee transactions of any of Husain’s work.Christie’s rejected the demand, with spokesperson Sara Fox saying, “Art and culture embraces multiple interpretations and re-interpretations of religious and ethnic symbols that are often highly individual expressions.”Narain Kataria, president of the IAIF, told rediff.com, “Husain is a Muslim who was born in India, and he knows the significance of what he’s done. His hatred for Hindus is obvious in his actions and vulgar art, if you can call it art. It’s borderline pornography, not anything a normal person would consider art. By painting vulgar, sexual images of our great goddesses like Durgadevi, Lakshmi, and Saraswati, he deliberately insults Hindus’ sentiments. It’s as if he’s insulted our mothers. Why has he not painted these images of Christ? Of Mary? Why is he running from India? It’s obvious he is a criminal and a coward.”
New York: Husain’s paintings auctioned amid protests
The Christie’s auction of Maqbool Fida Husain’s works proceeded on Thursday amid protests and demonstrations outside it’s doors. Protesters were vehemently disputing the sale of works by India’s most notorious artist. MF Husain, exiled from India, came under fire for his depictions of Hindu deities in the nude – and action that has enraged Hindu extremists, leading to his exile, cases of obscenity and the seizing of his assets.
The Auction proceeded after letters of protest and finally a full protest during the auction itself. The contested works sold despite the protest with one, Battle of Ganga and Jamuna, selling for 1.4 Million.
What saddens me about these protests is that they seem to be becoming a Hindus versus Muslims argument. if you read the above quotes one of the key factors that all the extremists can agree on is that he’s a Muslim and therefore hates Hindus and is purposely trying to inflame them. now, my understanding is that not only have Hindus had in the past a greater tolerance for nudity than they do now but that Muslims have always had a greater problem with nudity in general. why is this coming down to religion? especially when one religion is known for it’s long history of nudes and nude art and sculpture and the other considers bare arms to be indecent? I will never understand this war, and I think it is developing into a war. The Hindu extremists responsible for the protest seem to have an exaggerated view of propriety and pornography. MF Husain’s works frequently depict Hindu deities nude, I can see where that can be a source of contention if he displayed them in particularly sexual or pornographic poses, but most of his images are very peaceful, nudity is almost pure in them. Some of his most contentious works seem to me to be no worse than traditional hindu depictions of these same deities. is it in fact because Husain is Muslim that these depictions are forbidden to him or is it because the extremists responsible for denigrating him are trying to change Hinduism from it’s roots? The current news from India, laced with protests and incarcerations for artists, says yes.
There appears to be a division between Hindus however, here is a quote to end on from another Hindu with a different view of Husain’s paintings and the Christie’s Auction.
But inside the auction room, one Hindu man, wearing white and saffron silk kurta pyjama, a collector and purveyor of Husain’s art, termed the protest “a circus and a joke”.
Asked about a Husain’s painting being auctioned, titled ‘The pink elephant and Maya’, which shows a nude Maya on a bed with a pink elephant on her knee, the art-lover said, “It’s a beautiful, thought-provoking piece. I don’t see anything offensive. I’ve been a practising Hindu all my life.”
“Pinchable” Nudes
Apres Le Bain,
by Renoir
Today is the 166th anniversary of the birth of Auguste Renoir, the famed Impressionist painter who first painted small children and beautiful flowers. He was quoted as saying, “Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.”
When later in his life, he celebrated his appreciation of the classical female form by painting nudes, he said, “I never think I have finished a nude until I think I could pinch it.
Bradenton Herald | 02/25/2007 | Library sheds light on artists:
a tad late but I definitely appreciate Renoir’s sentiments, it’s frequently how I feel about my nudes (especially the booty).
I am not a huge impressionist fan. at the risk of alienating you all, I think many popular impressionist pieces lack depth and are even, dare I say, insipid. yes sling your arrows, I am a disappointment to my profession, etc etc..
That having been said, Impressionism did a lot for art. the concepts behind the movement are still very much in evidence today. the use of color and light was unparalleled and revolutionized the industry bringing in new ways of looking at things and new techniques to explore. For me, the key artists were Degas and Renoir, their figurative pieces had feeling and emotion. Renoir always appeared, to me, as the bridge between the rather insipid impressionist landscapes and the deep and heady figurative works of Degas. His figurative techniques revolutionized the genre and inspired many figurative artists to explore the nude more.
Tags: Art, art history, nudes, renoir
Critical Nudity
Their bodily proportions insured that their nakedness aroused little in the way of public indignation. They were about as sexy as the Macy’s balloons, and their seemingly inflated blandness lent them the cheerful and benign look one associates with upscale folk art. The sculptures were a shade less ingratiating, a shade more dangerous than one of Walt Disney’s creations, but in no way serious enough to call for critical scrutiny. Though transparently modern, Botero’s style is admired mainly by those outside the art world. Inside the art world, critic Rosalind Krauss spoke for many of us when she dismissed Botero as “pathetic.”
The Body in Pain:
This review of Botero’s latest show fascinates me because of the critical views. I frequently wonder if the goal ultimately, in art, is to gain approval from the art world at large, or the regular populace? can you have one without the other? and if we were to choose one, which should it be?
Approval from the art world opens doors to museum collections and critical acclaim. Approval from the Common Man ™ paves the way to sales and people’s hearts. One could argue that by capturing the attention of the populace you can gain critical recognition, but the argument could also be made that by playing to the crowd you are eliminating the chance to be critically acclaimed.
I think there is a strong philosophy that art must be complex, deep and obscure to be appreciated by critics and conversely that non-artophiles should have difficulty comprehending the enormity of works. Both are complete bosh in my most humble opinion. I think an artwork can have beauty, strength, complexity and depth and should be able to stand on each leg on it’s own, thus giving something to everyone. Art should be accessible for everyone, whether they hold a PHD in art appreciation or walked in off the street and have a velvet elvis on their wall. There should be something in it for everyone – even if it is just boobies 
Warcrimes highlighted by Nudity
Mr. Botero, 73, who lives in Paris and New York, has taken on an even more explosive topic: the torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Forty-eight paintings and sketches – of naked prisoners attacked by dogs, dangling from ropes, beaten by guards, in a mangled heap of bodies – will be exhibited in Rome at the Palazzo Venezia museum on June 16. “These works are a result of the indignation that the violations in Iraq produced in me and the rest of the world,” Mr. Botero said by telephone from his Paris studio. “I began to do some very fluid drawings, and then I began to paint and the results are 50 works inspired by this great crime.”
‘Great Crime’ at Abu Ghraib Enrages and Inspires an Artist – New York Times:
This is a fascinating look at how an artist can be taken over by an idea and reinvent themselves, pushing through to a completely original series. you may recall that I touched on war art last week, asking why there isn’t more art surrounding the latest war. I am glad to see that there is some art being created, questioning the war and the futility of it, and bringing atrocities to the public eye.
I think art is harder to ignore than photographs or news stories. it can push the boundaries of censorship and can incite further emotional responses. This may sound weird but I think art can have more of a presence and has the ability to touch people in a very powerful way. These paintings by Botero are so striking and real, I think it took great strength to paint them and present them in such a light.
Sculpting Sexuality
Telegraph | Entertainment | How lust shaped the art of Rodin
To eyes accustomed to the conventions of beaux-arts classicism, the sculpture was shocking because it peeled off a layer of artifice to show the human body as it really is, not as his viewers expected to see it. From now on, Rodin would translate as directly as possible into clay what his eye saw and, in the sensuously tactile surfaces of his work, what his hand felt when he caressed the bodies of his female models.
Many of you know by now that I am a fan of Rodin’s work. I thought this was a fascinating look into his processes and thoughts behind his work. I never realized how much we had in common! I think that Rodin’s work is the type that evolves as you look at it, as though the piece is an organic structure. I find something new to love about them.
It’s funny, there is a lot about artist sexuality out there. Like religious leaders and rock stars, artists generally fall into one of two abnormal sexuality levels – too much or too little. Another famous example example of extreme sexuality would be Dali and his notorious sex parties.
Technorati Tags: art history, artist, nudes, Rodin, Sexuality
New! from the creator of the Nude Britney Spears.. It’s Celebrity Poop!
Artist Daniel Edwards – the man who also brought us Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston, a sculpture of a nude Britney Spears giving birth – has now created ‘Suri’s Bronzed Baby Poop’ a tribute to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter.
David Kesting, director of Brooklyn’s Capla Kesting Fine Art Gallery, said: “A bronzed cast of baby’s first poop can be a meaningful memento for the family. A baby’s first meal of solid food may be a baby’s first meal at the dinner table.”
Suri Cruise’s ‘first poop’ goes on auction
He loves his celebrities doesn’t he? but, it’s a good way to constantly get into the papers or whatever, publicity is every artists friend but I have to say, who bloody cares? It’s baby poop – they’ve been making it forever. it isn’t different if a celebrity’s baby does it. oy vey, I know some parents delight in telling people about color and consistency.. but bronzing it?
This is going to do wonders for raising artist credibility on eBay art sales too..
well, I guess it would be a conversation piece if nothing else..
You can check out the auction here
Technorati Tags: poop, artist, art news, Suri Cruise
The Scream Returned
Art News Blog: The Scream Returned
Two years after the daylight robbery of Edvard Munch’s “The Scream”, the painting has been returned safely. In August 2004 “The Scream” and “Madonna” were stolen by masked gunmen from the Munch Museum in Norway.
Different stories from the media have been linked to at Art News Blog. I am so delighted that it is back. I have been very upset over the whole theft. the idea of art theft just rankles me, and stealing such an icon is an outrage. especially (as believed) as a distraction from another burglary. A deep breath I didn’t realize I was holding has been released.
Veterans enjoy Nudity
Art’s elders still drawing life from a pad | The Arts | The Australian:
DOYENS of Australian art Charles Blackman and Judy Cassab might be a ripe old age – with two OBEs, an AO and two Archibald prizes between them – but they still get a thrill sitting down with sketch pads, pencils and a nude model.
Art Veterans that is. Many people see life drawing as something to do as a student, purely a learning exercise, but it’s great to hear that even the best artists still use and enjoy life drawing. I’d pay to be in on one of those sessions!
Tags: art news, artist, Figurative, Nudes
Art is really really great… for Porn!
Guardian Unlimited Arts | Arts features | Robert Mapplethorpe’s photos:
If Mapplethorpe’s art were a statement, what would it say? That Catholic guilt begets powerful images? That black bodies photograph better than white ones? That the rich often end up looking half mad? That photos of heavy-duty consensual sadomasochistic sex may be alarming and not for faint hearts, but they are a lot more fun to look at than all those flowers he insisted on photographing?
There’s a new exhibition of Mapplethorpe’s work in Edinburgh that is raising some interesting questions about the artist’s choices and subject matter. Mapplethorpe is one of the iconographic photographers of the 80′s who shocked the world with his very confronting and suggestive images. He still wins the prize for most uncomfortable self portrait In my opinion..
Mapplethorpe fits one of the classic artistic stereotypes. He died young, created controversy, had a unique style and pushed boundaries. at times he put himself and his own image on the firing line to further his art. Was it worth it? well, he will live forever. I think he knew exactly what he was doing. he created an atmosphere, an image and made himself a star. Vilified or loved, his image (yes the one with the bullwhip) will be synonymous with the fine line between art and pornography.
I think there aren’t many pioneers of art these days, as our boundaries grow broader and we accept more than ever before there are less walls to break down, less ways to shock people. we are becoming desensitized. I think it is due to artists like Mapplethorpe that we have such a broad arena, but the pendulum swung one way and now is at the other end of more subtle works. I guess history will be the judge as to whether shock or subtle wins in the end.
Just a further note, I never understood why people got so shocked by Mapplethorpe’s works, Bosch painted scenes that were just as graphic and anally retentive (heh). The Garden of Earthly Delights shows many scenes of similar things (in both heaven and hell.. he had some interesting notions did Bosch). If you compare garden of earthly delights and Mapplethorpe’s famous self portrait you will notice a certain fixation. Mapplethorpe’s is larger but Bosch uses it more..
Tags: Art, artist, mappelthorpe, porn
The Proper Pickling of Dead Sharks
Art News Blog: Replacing a Dead Shark
Perhaps his most famous work (The physical impossibility of death in the mind of someone living) will soon be replaced with a new dead shark. The work was made in 1991 and is already falling apart, the liquid is murky, and the shark has changed shape.
Dear Damien Hirst, He’s always good for art news. You may recall I mentioned the fact that the shark was improperly pickled and was rotting? well, now he is under discussions with the owner (who payed an astronomical sum) to re pickle a new shark.
The issue surrounding these talks is whether the new ‘Physical Impossibility’ will be a copy of the work or the same piece continuing on. I think the title is the key. By improperly pickling the shark the piece is refuting its own title. that is if it is seen directly – that the shark itself is the physical impossibility of death in the mind of someone living. If the title refers to Hirst, however, then it doesn’t matter because the work of art isn’t the shark itself but the controversies and news surrounding the piece. Hirst is the physical impossibility because while he continues to make headlines and be discussed around the art world then his death would be a physical impossibility because he is alive in the minds of many living people.
Whether you like him and his work or not, he has achieved immortality. And that is the prime goal of most artists I think.
More on Klimt
Guardian Unlimited | Columnists | This miser’s hoard is the last vestige of the imperial world-view
The truth is that applying words such as “worth” and “value” to art is an abuse of language. They are terms not of art but of a science, that of economics. They describe price in a market in which supply is fixed but demand exorbitant. Nobody does Klimts any more. The picture was expensive because, unless Christie’s was pulling a fast one in a “negotiated” secret deal, there must have been another buyer prepared to pay nearly as much. Getting journalists to hype a work of art to legitimise its market price is playing with words. It is like saying the Olympics are “worth” £2bn when this is simply a price fixed in the market for political kudos.
Another interesting take on the Klimt sale. Over the past few months we have seen an explosion in art sales. not a month goes by that we don’t hear about the new highest price paid for a work of art. Sotheby’s and Christies are rolling in sales and the curators in New York are combing the art schools looking for the next big thing (over here!). We are in a huge art buying frenzy, surfing the wave of paint towards.. well.. what exactly?
Are people learning the value of art or are they devaluing it by their avarice? are the purchases of masters works for high prices driving the Next Big Thing further into the gutter? or will this frenzy enable those of us just starting out to reach higher heights than previously attainable?
Money Paintings – Euro Series
Art News Blog: Money Paintings – Euro Series
I have yet to decide whether I love this idea or hate it. On one hand, it is a clever gimmick bringing in money for the artist. On the other.. well.. it is such a gimmick!
Is it selling or selling out? I remember when the artist’s first series was up and I pondered it then as an unusual idea. For those who don’t know, he paints dollar amounts starting from one and going up. selling each piece for the dollar value painted on the front. This latest series is in Euros and several numbers are booked ahead. Each piece is painted in order.
however I wonder if they will be investment pieces or kitsch in the end.. the monetary value is unlikely to increase past it’s displayed worth because that is the point of the piece. But, I give him snaps for the idea and for selling them and making money. In the art industry that is always a Good Thing.
Distortions
100_2844.JPG,
originally uploaded by Jennie.
This painting evolved naturally with distortions. I actually really like it. stylistically it has interesting curves and shapes. it is almost pop art in a way.
So how did it evolve this way you ask? very simple really, I’ve been thinking lately about some of my influences after a recent book came out. One of my biggest influences has been Dan DeCarlo, ever since I was quite young. This seems odd because he was mostly a comic artist, but I read a lot of comic books.
Dan DeCarlo was best known for his wonderful renditions of Betty and Veronica in the Archie comics. His work centered around idealistic females with amazing curves and a wonderful take on a wholesome but ravishing image. His shapes are classic with a wonderful pin-up girl image that influenced me in a number of ways.
I found the shapes and curves and the interrelations of his shapes fascinating, but I also loved the combination of sexy, wholesome women. I can honestly say that Dan DeCarlo specifically and Archie comics generally are responsible for a lot of my images of beauty, my sexuality and a lot of my dress sense and behavior as well!
This painting didn’t start out to be a tribute to Dan DeCarlo, it evolved this way when I picked a pose I wanted to paint. He had been on my mind because of a recent book release and my influence evolved strongly from my subconscious thought. I feel it works with this series because of the relation between DeCarlo’s images and my own body image and perception of Beauty.
I bet you didn’t know I was an Archie fan right? I am still trying to get Archie Vs Punisher but I have many other rare ones. but I wont sell them – I love them too much!
Shag at Outre Gallery
Dr Scorpio’s Lair
Image by Shag (c). I went to see a wonderful opening last night at Outre Gallery in Melbourne. Shag is a wonderful artist who has really hit it off in the last few years. His work is typified by pop-art imagery, highly geometric, strong composition and evocative of all that wonderful imagery of the 509s and 60s. I personally love it. especially when he adds random elements of the absurd like aliens and monsters. His use of color and line is superb especially.
The Opening was Packed full of people. generally people dressed as ‘characters’ from his work, I have never seen so many 60s dresses and bouffants in my life! The gallery was so full noone could see the original paintings or move except in the general direction everyone else was. it was a reasonably dangerous for someone short and disabled to be! I kept getting stepped on and knocked, it was most painful.
So I beat my way to the door, miserable, wishing I had never dragged poor Liam out on such a cold night. he was parking the car and I was going to tell him to just take me home and apologize profusely for wasting his time. I waited outside, looking at the works in the window and the press of people through the window… And several hours later was still there having a great time! it turns out that the real party was outside where I got to talk to some fantastic people about interesting things and even got to wax artistic for a while with Shag himself (who didn’t seem to enjoy the press of people either as he was outside most of the night as well). At about 9:30 I got to go inside and view the ground level works in peace with other enthusiasts who were there for the art rather than the experience.
It is really inspiring to see such a successful artist in one of his natural habitats. Shag was signing autographs, having photos taken with his works all with a great smile and a comfortable disposition. He has a fan following, a wonderful wife and is an international star, A celebrity of the art world. It is just inspiring to see that it is possible to have your cake and eat it too, I am enormously glad I attended the opening.
Arnold Newman
Arnold Newman
Born In 1918 in New York, Newman grew up surrounded by the Arts and studied Painting and Drawing. Newman’s exposure to portrait photography came after he was forced to leave university for financial reasons and moved to Philadelphia. He procured a role working for a photographic Portrait studio. While “turning out hundreds of 49-cent portraits …I came to understand the importance of interacting with the people in front of my lens. 1” Newman worked as a Freelance photographer for many of New York’s most notable magazines before becoming one of the most recognized portrait photographers of the 20th Centuries most renowned Photographers.
Although he dislikes the phrase, Newman pioneered the style “environmental portraiture.” This style captures the personality of the subject by placing them in a setting that shows their personality and profession.
Newman uses very carefully planned portraiture with strong lighting, his portraits appear to highlight the character of his subjects. Not just the setting, but the lighting and positioning of the subject peaks volumes about the character of the subjects. Some may consider his works to be unflattering or too strong, but I feel he strips away the surface of a persona to the real person underneath. An excellent example of this is his Marilyn Monroe portrait.
Newman’s attitude to portraiture and art in general is summed up in this quote from his book “A Life in Photography” “The truly innovative artists create ideas and images unrelated to anything we have experienced or seen before, new ways of seeing and thinking about our own familiar worlds. This is the real creative artist we all aspire to be.2”
Frank LLoyd Wright (1947)
This is a classic example of environmental portraiture. the sketch behind Wright is of his most prominent work ‘Falling Water.’ The most interesting aspect of this piece is the juxtaposition of the sketch and the table against the black ground. it is highly evocative of Wright’s architecture with unusual floating shapes and angles.
Marc Chagall (1942)
This is a less typical Environmental portraiture piece – Chagall appears to be emerging from his painting. The fascinating element here is the way the light on Chagall closely matches the light in the painting so that it is almost as if he and his painting are one.
Pablo Picasso (1954)
This portrait is not an environmental piece but still evokes Picasso’s personality. The heavy shadows and the wrinkles created by the placement of his hand evoke some of the linear aspects of his cubist pieces.
Marilyn Monroe (1962)
This portrait typifies the quote above. Marilyn Monroe has been seen so many ways and been so highly photographed that the challenge was to show her, not only in a way that no one has no-one before but also in a way that shows her as a real person. This portrait achieves both.
Arnold Newman
I am writing an essay on a internationally reknowned photographer that I admire and I have chosen Arnold Newman (cue Seinfeld reference – I hate the show and yet it gets in my brain…Newman…) and I have come across this quote that I find particularly inspiring:
“The truly innovative artists create ideas and images unrelated to anything we have experienced or seen before, new ways of seeing and thinking about our own familiar worlds. This is the real creative artist we all aspire to be.”
Wow. I chose this artist because I like his portraits of artists but I am really getting into him after reading some of his thoughts and looking through lots of his works.
Its a short essay so I may put it up here…
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