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We went to the art museum yesterday.
One of my favorite paintings, "Schleier (Mist) by David Schnell, 2012. I like the blues, and I like the depth.
Atem (Breath) by Gerhard Richter, 1989.
"Gerhard Richter has mastered both figuration and abstraction, shifting between photo-based realism, painterly landscapes, and total abstraction. Atem is part of a series of abstract paintings that Richter created between 1988 and 1991 with implements not usually associated with painting. The image is developed from an initial ground of vibrant colors, with thin coats of pigment layered one on top of the other. Then, the artist covers the work with a film of plastic, which is peeled away to reveal a blended veil of color and texture. This process, repeated several times, achieves the effect of mechanical production rather than painting by hand. Atem, the German noun for breath, is clearly an abstraction, yet its optical presence as a vibrating-indeed, almost "breathing"-entity suggests that it portrays something tangible. The painting ultimately, however, maintains its elusive nature."
Not my own photo or words, but I wanted to share it. The peeled and layered textures are really interesting, as are the color combinations.
Red Yellow Blue II by Ellsworth Kelly, 1965. You hear people say about abstract art, "my kid could have done this," when of course they couldn't. About this one they say "I coulda done this!" But of course they couldn't. Strictly speaking, they probably could have painted it, but without the understanding of art, they would have had no idea what they were doing or why, and they would have been dismissed.
"Ellsworth Kelly was a pioneer in exploring fundamental issues concerning the visual experience of a work of art. Reducing the pictorial elements to basic shapes and fields of uninflected color, he eliminated aspects such as representation, narrative, modeling and brushwork. The viewer is left to ponder purely visual considerations of color and scale and sometimes shape. With so few extraneous contextual elements, the experience of the work of art becomes exclusively optical. In this example, simple rectangles of the three bold primary colors presented with straightforward clarity take on an iconic effect. Each flat panel reads as a sculptural object – not as a wall – and together they form a triptych filled with a rainbow of potential."
I've been reading a book on the history of abstract art, and most of the names above have come up. I wanted to go down and see the works. This next one has always been prominently placed - right in a major walkway.
144 Pieces of Zinc by Carl Andre, 1967
I heard, years ago, that it was intended to be walked on. And that this caused slight changes to the piece over time. A truly interactive piece, and I've interacted with it every time I've seen it. :-)
"His emphasis on the elementary features of sculpture – material, mass, space, volume and gravity – helped to redefine the medium by questioning the notion of sculpture as object. Rejecting the convention of placing sculpture on a pedestal, Andre instead focused on a site-oriented approach, calling his work “sculpture as place” rather than “sculpture as form.” His floor pieces, including 144 Pieces of Zinc, invite viewers to occupy the work’s space by walking on it, thereby creating a spatial dialogue between the viewer and the sculpture."
It's also interesting that, since you can feel the pieces, and hear the noise they make when you step on them, you get a real feel for the materials. With most pieces you have to use your knowledge of the materials to imagine what they feel like.
Some other interesting pieces...
Woman with Cat by Kees van Dongen, 1908.
The Store Window by George Segal, 1968
A detail of the work, which can be seen here: link. It's rather creepy, with the eyes in there.
Here's a photo from a few years ago. The work is "Ragazzo" by Michelangelo Pistoletto (1965). The figures are on polished metal, reflecting some of Any Warhol's Mao series.
.
One of my favorite paintings, "Schleier (Mist) by David Schnell, 2012. I like the blues, and I like the depth.
Atem (Breath) by Gerhard Richter, 1989.
"Gerhard Richter has mastered both figuration and abstraction, shifting between photo-based realism, painterly landscapes, and total abstraction. Atem is part of a series of abstract paintings that Richter created between 1988 and 1991 with implements not usually associated with painting. The image is developed from an initial ground of vibrant colors, with thin coats of pigment layered one on top of the other. Then, the artist covers the work with a film of plastic, which is peeled away to reveal a blended veil of color and texture. This process, repeated several times, achieves the effect of mechanical production rather than painting by hand. Atem, the German noun for breath, is clearly an abstraction, yet its optical presence as a vibrating-indeed, almost "breathing"-entity suggests that it portrays something tangible. The painting ultimately, however, maintains its elusive nature."
Not my own photo or words, but I wanted to share it. The peeled and layered textures are really interesting, as are the color combinations.
Red Yellow Blue II by Ellsworth Kelly, 1965. You hear people say about abstract art, "my kid could have done this," when of course they couldn't. About this one they say "I coulda done this!" But of course they couldn't. Strictly speaking, they probably could have painted it, but without the understanding of art, they would have had no idea what they were doing or why, and they would have been dismissed.
"Ellsworth Kelly was a pioneer in exploring fundamental issues concerning the visual experience of a work of art. Reducing the pictorial elements to basic shapes and fields of uninflected color, he eliminated aspects such as representation, narrative, modeling and brushwork. The viewer is left to ponder purely visual considerations of color and scale and sometimes shape. With so few extraneous contextual elements, the experience of the work of art becomes exclusively optical. In this example, simple rectangles of the three bold primary colors presented with straightforward clarity take on an iconic effect. Each flat panel reads as a sculptural object – not as a wall – and together they form a triptych filled with a rainbow of potential."
I've been reading a book on the history of abstract art, and most of the names above have come up. I wanted to go down and see the works. This next one has always been prominently placed - right in a major walkway.
144 Pieces of Zinc by Carl Andre, 1967
I heard, years ago, that it was intended to be walked on. And that this caused slight changes to the piece over time. A truly interactive piece, and I've interacted with it every time I've seen it. :-)
"His emphasis on the elementary features of sculpture – material, mass, space, volume and gravity – helped to redefine the medium by questioning the notion of sculpture as object. Rejecting the convention of placing sculpture on a pedestal, Andre instead focused on a site-oriented approach, calling his work “sculpture as place” rather than “sculpture as form.” His floor pieces, including 144 Pieces of Zinc, invite viewers to occupy the work’s space by walking on it, thereby creating a spatial dialogue between the viewer and the sculpture."
It's also interesting that, since you can feel the pieces, and hear the noise they make when you step on them, you get a real feel for the materials. With most pieces you have to use your knowledge of the materials to imagine what they feel like.
Some other interesting pieces...
Woman with Cat by Kees van Dongen, 1908.
The Store Window by George Segal, 1968
A detail of the work, which can be seen here: link. It's rather creepy, with the eyes in there.
Here's a photo from a few years ago. The work is "Ragazzo" by Michelangelo Pistoletto (1965). The figures are on polished metal, reflecting some of Any Warhol's Mao series.
.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-02 04:03 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2022-01-02 04:34 am (UTC)From:I like the blue one a lot. It has pleasing color, and good balance with the arrangements of shape. It feels like a valley with misty mountains around it. But one of the things I like about it is that it has that feel, but it's not really a valley. So there's something like surprise, or satisfaction on finding this. And that adds to my appreciation. So again, it's odd. And I totally get that some people don't have those kinds of feelings.
And even the people who generally like abstract art, aren't going to like all the same kinds. Walking around the galleries, I was struck by the small number of pieces that I really like.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-02 05:16 pm (UTC)From: