hands down.
10.23.2009
10.21.2009
SEVEN DAYS IN THE ART WORLD-CHAPTER2-THE FAIR
"Keller explains this approach: 'If you go after art and quality, the money will come later... We have to make the same decisions as the artists. Do they create great art that sells well? With the galleries, its the same. Are they commercial or do they believe in something? We're in a similar situation.'(p. 82)"
"There are no red dots on the wall. Such an overt gesture at commerce is considered tacky.(p. 87)" I never understood why there are so many rules. Its only an exchange of money, but it can't be treated like one.
"Unlike other industries, where buyers are anonymous and interchangeable, here artists' reputations are enhanced or contaminated by the people who own their work.(p. 88)" Who cares who buys the work? Money is money, right? I guess I just don't get the whole business/reputation relationship. Art dealers are more like politicians than business men it seems.
"Collectors may come and go, but a strong stable of artists with developing careers is essential to a gallery's success. In the business of museum-caliber art, supply is more delicate and dicey than demand.(p. 89)" A strong stable? I don't want to be in a "stable"...
The difference between dealers, as in artist-oriented dealers, collector-focused dealers and curators' dealers are outlined on page 91.
"In a world that has jettisoned craftsmanship as the dominant criterion by which to judge art, a higher premium is put on the character of the artist. If artists are seen by creating art simply to cater to the market, it compromises their integrity and the market loses confidence in their work.(p. 98)" How would they know if artists are working for themselves or "the market"? They want an artist who sells, but not one who intentionally makes art to sell?
10.15.2009
SEVEN DAYS IN THE ART WORLD - CHAPTER 6 - THE STUDIO VISIT
"On the back of his seat, a sign informs us that our driver's hobbies are (1) baseball, (2) fishing, (3) driving.(p. 184)" In Japan they announce the taxi drivers hobbies? I guess, as a means of making polite conversation. That's nice, I think, or strange. I've never had any desire to know that much about my taxi drivers, but it seems the feeling is mutual.
"One of Murakami's most visible commissions has been for the accessories giant Louis Vuitton. In 2000 the company's artistic director, Marc Jacobs, asked Murakami to reenvision 'monogram canvas'...(p. 186)" Many artists would call that "selling out", but not only is it a big commission, but it gives the artist exposure to alot of different people, which Murakami seems to be concerned with.
And again "Murakami was referring to Graduation, the hip-hop artist's third album, for which he also designed the singles covers and an animated music video.(p. 200)"
"Initially called the Hiropon Factory, in homage to Warhol's Factory and his manufacturing model of art production, it was renamed Kaikai Kiki in 2002, when Murakami reconceptualized his entire operation along the lines of a marketing and communications company.(p. 192)" I like all the comparisons between Murakami and Warhol. I love Warhol and that his persona was a work of art in itself.
"Murakami is a noncomformist in many ways, but he is utterly conventional when it comes to his Japanese work ethic, for Kaikai Kiki is typical of the nation's notoriously demanding corporate culture. (p. 200)"
"The DVDs of Hayao Miyazaki--the director of Spirited Away and other critically acclaimed animated features is one of Murakami's heroes--sat in an orderly row, while a wide range of art books (about colorists like Henri Matisse and masters of deformation like Francis Bacon) was mixed in below. (p. 201)" Its interesting how he draws from so many different styles that seemingly have little conversation with his work.
"One of Murakami's most visible commissions has been for the accessories giant Louis Vuitton. In 2000 the company's artistic director, Marc Jacobs, asked Murakami to reenvision 'monogram canvas'...(p. 186)" Many artists would call that "selling out", but not only is it a big commission, but it gives the artist exposure to alot of different people, which Murakami seems to be concerned with.
And again "Murakami was referring to Graduation, the hip-hop artist's third album, for which he also designed the singles covers and an animated music video.(p. 200)"
"Initially called the Hiropon Factory, in homage to Warhol's Factory and his manufacturing model of art production, it was renamed Kaikai Kiki in 2002, when Murakami reconceptualized his entire operation along the lines of a marketing and communications company.(p. 192)" I like all the comparisons between Murakami and Warhol. I love Warhol and that his persona was a work of art in itself.
"Murakami is a noncomformist in many ways, but he is utterly conventional when it comes to his Japanese work ethic, for Kaikai Kiki is typical of the nation's notoriously demanding corporate culture. (p. 200)"
"The DVDs of Hayao Miyazaki--the director of Spirited Away and other critically acclaimed animated features is one of Murakami's heroes--sat in an orderly row, while a wide range of art books (about colorists like Henri Matisse and masters of deformation like Francis Bacon) was mixed in below. (p. 201)" Its interesting how he draws from so many different styles that seemingly have little conversation with his work.
10.14.2009
BLOCKS OF COLOR
The "Blocks of Color" exhibit at the Zimmerli is comprised of many woodcuts arranged by time and style. The amount of prints is impressive but more impressive is how they managed to create a sort of timeline, beginning in the late 1800's. The earlier prints were done in the japanese style of using watercolor inks. I was more interested in these, although many were landscapes, still-lifes and classical subject matter, which I am not usually interested in.
^Helen Hyde, "The Family Umbrella"
10.05.2009
SEVEN DAYS IN THE ART WORLD - CHAPTER 2 - THE CRIT
"Look over the resumes of the artists under fifty in any major international museum exhibition and you will find that most of them boast an MFA from one of a couple dozen highly selective schools.(p. 47)"
"Everything goes to pieces in the first year and it comes together in the second year. Often the people who are making sense are the ones for whom it hasn't started working yet. They've still got their defenses up. Sometimes the person is simply uneducable and there is nothing you can do."
- Leslie Dick (p. 50)
"... the prevailing belief is that any artist whose work fails to display some conceptual rigor is little more than a pretender, illustrator, or designer.(p. 53)"
"Many artists believe that artists shouldn't be obliged to explain their work... It is curious that a form of oral exam has become the chief means of testing visual work. (p. 54)"
"Talent is a double-edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of--that often makes for very good art."
- Paul Schimmel (p. 72)
"Everything goes to pieces in the first year and it comes together in the second year. Often the people who are making sense are the ones for whom it hasn't started working yet. They've still got their defenses up. Sometimes the person is simply uneducable and there is nothing you can do."
- Leslie Dick (p. 50)
"... the prevailing belief is that any artist whose work fails to display some conceptual rigor is little more than a pretender, illustrator, or designer.(p. 53)"
"Many artists believe that artists shouldn't be obliged to explain their work... It is curious that a form of oral exam has become the chief means of testing visual work. (p. 54)"
"Talent is a double-edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of--that often makes for very good art."
- Paul Schimmel (p. 72)
10.01.2009
ROHAN MITRA interviewed by me
Q: Whats your concentration?
A: Graphic Design and Computer Science.
Q: What are some influences on your work?
A: Swiss design, 1950's design, street art (such as Shepard Fairey's work).
Q: Do you consider color an important part of your work?
A: I love color. I usually start out working in black and white and add color later. I love bright colors, especially primary colors. I like the simplicity of reds, blues and yellows. I'm also very careful about what colors go where and make sure each has a specific reason, such as a bright yellow can be used to highlight an important word or area.
Q: You mentioned that the size of your work is often very large. Is that a requirement for your class projects or do you prefer working in a larger size?
A: Actually, I don't like the larger size. I like smaller pieces and often print them smaller for myself to keep and I feel that smaller prints provide a more personal experience. My interest is more in interactive work, such as web design.
I'm also very interested in book design- both cover design and the interior design. I'm currently reading the book Design as Art by Bruno Munari, which I find very inspiring. He designed every part of it down to the typeface, margins and spaces between each line. I also have a thing for typography.
Q: Are you interested in text as a texture, or is it important that the words always be readable?
A: Both. I like that the letters create texture, but I think its pointless if you can't read the words.
Q: Would you say your work is art with a purpose?
A: Definately. Many people wouldn't consider my work fine art. I love graphs and tables and charts. Many artists would scoff at that, but I've always considered it art. People don't realize that when they look at a poster there is a system of proportions involved in the size and spacing and that is done consciously. Its still about positive and negative space and activating that space, just as it is in other types of art.
Q: Do you have an idea of what you'd like to do for thesis?
A: I want to do something interactive. I'm a double major in graphic design and computer science and I have a specific idea that incorporates the two.
A: Graphic Design and Computer Science.
Q: What are some influences on your work?
A: Swiss design, 1950's design, street art (such as Shepard Fairey's work).
Q: Do you consider color an important part of your work?
A: I love color. I usually start out working in black and white and add color later. I love bright colors, especially primary colors. I like the simplicity of reds, blues and yellows. I'm also very careful about what colors go where and make sure each has a specific reason, such as a bright yellow can be used to highlight an important word or area.
Q: You mentioned that the size of your work is often very large. Is that a requirement for your class projects or do you prefer working in a larger size?
A: Actually, I don't like the larger size. I like smaller pieces and often print them smaller for myself to keep and I feel that smaller prints provide a more personal experience. My interest is more in interactive work, such as web design.
I'm also very interested in book design- both cover design and the interior design. I'm currently reading the book Design as Art by Bruno Munari, which I find very inspiring. He designed every part of it down to the typeface, margins and spaces between each line. I also have a thing for typography.
Q: Are you interested in text as a texture, or is it important that the words always be readable?
A: Both. I like that the letters create texture, but I think its pointless if you can't read the words.
Q: Would you say your work is art with a purpose?
A: Definately. Many people wouldn't consider my work fine art. I love graphs and tables and charts. Many artists would scoff at that, but I've always considered it art. People don't realize that when they look at a poster there is a system of proportions involved in the size and spacing and that is done consciously. Its still about positive and negative space and activating that space, just as it is in other types of art.
Q: Do you have an idea of what you'd like to do for thesis?
A: I want to do something interactive. I'm a double major in graphic design and computer science and I have a specific idea that incorporates the two.
CHELSEA GALLERIES
JOSIAH MCELHENY Proposals for a Chromatic Modernism @ Andrea Rosen GalleryThe bright primary colors and shininess of the glass appeal to me in the same way that children are drawn to candy. The simplicity of the shapes used force the viewer to appreciate the innate beauty in common objects and the surface of the glass.
BARTHELEMY TOGUO The Pregnant Mountain @ Robert Miller GalleryThe artist often offsets the soft, marble-like texture of watercolors with small hard-edged lines. The focus is often on monsters, or composite human/animal figures. Maybe its because of the medium or the subject, but the works seem to have an raw, earthy quality.
MAYA LIN Three Ways of Looking at the Earth: Selections of Systematic Landscapes @ Pace Wildenstein
The name of the exhibition indicates that the spaces created were mathematically constructed, but the large scale installations have curves that seem to speak of the gesture.
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