Jacob Lawrence.

American Heros

What a couple of gems we had this week. Treats all around! First off reading about Coco Fusco and her bizarre and challenging tactics in approaching art. Plus mister Ron Graff in the flesh! That man is oozing with personality and spunk, which for me personally is really what I needed from this class...I found myself extremely  discouraged and slightly threatened from the readings and guest artist last week. But all that aside, because this week I get to talk about those little beams of light. Yes!

I think one of the main reasons I loved hearing Ron Graff’s story was because it was so...unnatural, if you will. His story went against every typical ‘child born artist’, who never had any doubt in their mind that they were artists and created masterpieces from the time they could open their eyes (gag me). True art takes work, some people might be more inclined (God bless em), but it still takes work. A lot of it. 

Just the fact that he started out on a rough path, having to choose between the Navy or prison at such a young age. On top of this, it sounded like he was genuinely clueless when it came to art. He reminisced on the story of painting his first live model and not knowing where to start (he started on the nipple). I admired his ability in time management and studio discipline. He applied himself wholeheartedly to every new skill set he experimented with. Not to mention he was even willing to step over that line of what was considered to be his well established style. Grant it, he might have burned the paintings afterwards.... he still did them, he gets fun points for that. Lots of them. Basically he was just a breathe of fresh air for me. An extremely talented artist, who was extremely down to earth... Just like Coco Fusco!

Coco Fusco, what a hidden secret! At first I was like, “oh, great another extremist whose a diehard environmentalist”, but SURPRISE! She an extremely legit artist who can express her views without 1) forcing them on to you or 2) making you feel like a horrible person (she’s a winner in my book). She had a very interesting point dealing with how we look on our lives; she stated that we need to share BOTH pessimistic and optimistic views. This is such a simple idea, but I think we often get so caught up on being on side A (the world is ending tomorrow) or side B (we’re invincible)... sometimes I feel like there isn’t a happy in between, but there is. Neato. 

“For myself, I like to think of a productive relationship to society and to creating cultures as being back-and-forth kind of movement between going out into the world and learning about people, places and situations, and then going back and reflecting on them in the work that I do” (332) I pulled this quote out because I thought it hit the jackpot. I feel like this theory/practice can be implemented to art. I feel like this is how I make art, I dwell on experiences I have had in the real world...and then I generally abstract them... Regardless, I was thoroughly entertained this week. 

Visual Response:

This week I picked Jacob Lawrence’s work. I love everything about him. Anyways, I chose his work because when I was a youngster my Momma & I went to the Settle Art museum to one of his exhibits. There they had his paintings, obviously, but they also had the tools he worked with. They where simple, hand made and extremely humble. My mom cried because she was so touched at the beautiful pieces he could create with so little. I have always remembered this because, here was this amazing artist, but he lived & created with such simplicity. It just reminded me of the artists this week. 

Charlie Brouwer

Old School

Hilton Kramer. What a guy. No, but seriously. I actually found much of what he said to be in accordance with what I personally feel about the direction art is heading in today. We don’t agree on all of the issues addressed, but a good chunk of it. Plus he is what I would consider a Grandpa; totally old school & stubborn. But you know what? Will Ferrell starred in a movie called Old School, it was delightful. Point of that... being old school isn’t always bad. 

The first concept that I identified with was linking moral life to art. Or as Kramer put it, “living up to one’s highest abilities”. This is the idea of not just taking art at face value for its aesthetic appeal, but also taking into account the artists lifestyle. This includes relationships, his/her attitude, morals and over all experiences in life. After all, if art is meant to be an outward expression of the artist...wouldn’t a little background information help us  further understand the artist and their work?  Kramer used Picasso (scumbag) as an example. This doesn’t under-mind his work in anyway, I happen to think its beautiful. But, I suppose I feel its important to have a back story with art, it helps me identify, connect and have a greater appreciation for what I’m looking at. 

 

For example, Jack Ryan came into class this week and shared his work with us. It was interesting to say the least...I was personally quite confused with most of it. The sound wave/deafening experiment was, in short, horrible. (Not art). He just wanted to see if we could hear...Well, I could before class... Anyways, we then saw his film”Blue Skies, There She Blows”. I didn’t actually get what I was looking at, I didn’t see the humor in it; it was just a youtube video. I won’t even get started on the Maalox Infinity piece...or the videos. Actually, I will. I hated all of them, especially ‘Salt’. That was just creepy & confusing, I even had a “wft?” moment in class. 

Okay, so here is my point; clearly I do not appreciate Jack Ryan’s work, but upon hearing his life and all of the bizarre experiences he’s been through (being a commercial fisherman, living in a crime scene aka Alaska, teaching in New York etc.) I had a whole new appreciation for what he was presenting. It didn’t matter that I had no appeal to it whatsoever. Obviously not everyone is going to consider the same things art, but there is a big difference in writing something off, and at least having an appreciation for the craftsmanship and dedication that was put into a piece.

My visual response this week is work done by Charlie Brouwer. To many his work simply appears as ladders in random arrangements, which technically, is what it is. But it is his reasoning for using ladders that makes me love his work. He is a rather spiritual guy, so the ladders are symbols of reaching upwards, to a higher understanding.

The Rainstrom & The River Are My Brothers.

Rachel Dutton and Rob Olds are an excellent example of going to the extreme. Some people hug trees, wear tye-dye & braid hemp to show their environmental side, but this couple  sold/destroyed  essentially everything they owned and immersed themselves into the wild. Pure, raw nature. What a pair of little champions. 

I think what they did was courageous to say the least. It takes serious dedication to abandon your your belongings, one of which was their refrigerator. (I personally love cheese and ice cream, Im never leaving my baby fridge). But just because I refuse to leave my fridge does not mean I don’t agree with the ideas they expressed; my personal favorite was that the world needs to heal itself. Because as humans, with out toxic lifestyles and egos have put our environment on a fast track to a full blown apocalypse. Ops. 

Anyways, Rachel & Rob were simply trying to make lifestyle changes and go back to the basics; to stop separating themselves from separation and connect with the real world. They found that art was an isolator, and as artists they were living for their art and not living life as an art form. This is a very beautiful idea to me. Its put life into perspective, that we shouldn’t be waiting for those oh so ‘special’ moments in life, but instead realize that they are all special. (heart warming, isn’t it?)

From an ecological stand point, if the human race died off the world wouldn’t change that much, it would probably repair itself and start over. This proves that we are not the center; it’s not all about us. We are just some small part in a giant machine. Rob & Rachel decided to take radical steps in decentering themselves and  started focusing and immersing themselves into the current world around them. They gained a new point of view on life as well as empathy for the world, just like Pocahontas! Treat alert! Moral of the story, be like Pocahontas. K, see ya later... Kidding.

Eco-Artist Colin Ives came to speak to us on Tuesday. He was very interesting guy... He seemed to be practicing art ‘for a cause’ in a much more reasonable/practical way. Although, I did not find his work practically captivating, I thought the ideas were very innovative and have a high potential in bringing awareness to the general public about “urban wildlife” and other environmental issues.

I think we need more people like Colin Ives, in the way that he is trying to help. He is bringing knowledge and awareness by putting himself in the middle of conflict, instead of removing himself entirely. Rob & Rachel may be having the time of their lives, but it isn’t helping anyone here in the real world. 

Colors of the Wind

What Is Art?

What a nice question. Well, so far we’ve learned that art can be anything from a performance artist being shot in the arm (Chris Burden), an evolutionary survival tool, an object that anyone calls ‘special’, a ‘fishnet’ sculpture, to something as simple as a painting in a gallery. I can’t say that I wholeheartedly agree or identify with any one of one those ideas, but perhaps a combination of them. Art to me is an abstract form of what words cannot express. It is an outlet of emotion one exerts into something physical.

I feel that in today’s society, we are desperate to find & apply some profound significance to every aspect of our lives. The idea that nothing is as it seems The same idea is being applied to art. Art might be this ‘innate urge’ that’s laced within our bones & pumping through our veins. An urge that makes us create these masterpieces that reflect our culture & feelings & political conflicts blah blah blah... Or it might just be art... Art for art sake... I definitely think there can be art, just for the hell of it. It doesn’t always have to be complicated. 

I like Suzi Gablik’s idea of shifting art from a visual literature to a conversation. I think this is beautiful concept that can lead to expansion of art and unity. But does this shift have to reflect every current global issue? does it always have to have a hidden meaning that makes you read between the lines? No. For me, I think sometimes there really isn’t anything between those lines. They are just lines. So stop looking. 

This whole concept of hidden messages is why I had problems with the reading this week, along with the art we looked at. It was interesting, sure, but the satires? the cloaked political expressions? the underlying anger? Yeah, not for me. Call me a traditionalist or naive, but I like happy & uncomplicated. I mean, I’m glad this art exist, but I don’t care for it. Sorry, I’ll just stick to my happy-go-lucky, carefree attitude.