MASS MoCA

For our museum visit, we went to MASS MoCA. The artist whose work I enjoyed the most was Sol Lewitt. His work took up an entire building of three floors. His work was called "A Wall Drawing Retrospective". Each wall was designed differently using different lines, colors, and shapes. This was very overwhelming in my opinion because I felt surrounded and the colors clashed, making it difficult to look at. I found it very interesting that he did not actually paint any of the walls. He left directions and had students come in and create the walls. These walls were finally completed by 65 art students in 6 months. This exhibit opened in November of 2008 and is to remain open for 25 years until 2033.

This video shows the artists creating one of the walls. The wall they are working on in this video is called "Whirls and Twirls". When this was being created, the artists needed to make sure that two strips of the same color never touched, so they color coded each section using post-its.
http://www.massmoca.org/event_details.php?id=27



Here are some pictures that I had taken on the visit:

MASS MOCA VISIT

                We went to MassMoca and looked at many exhibits.  My favorite was Material World: Sculpture to Environment.  This exhibit included many rooms in which there were sculptures made up of different materials.  Each artist used a different material to create a sculpture that took up the entire room.  I enjoyed this exhibit the best because each room was like its own world and the sculptures were not on pedestals like sculptures usually are.  This exhibit gave me a new definition for what sculpture means.  All the rooms were connected which adds to the cohesiveness of the exhibit.  Different artists collaborated on this exhibit and each used a different material to make his sculpture.  For example, Michael Beutler used aluminum, wood, brushes and weights while Orly Genger used red rope.  Also, materials such as paper, spotlights, plastics, and fans were used by the other artists that contributed to the exhibit.  My favorite section of the exhibit was Orly Genger’s which was constructed using red rope.  I enjoyed this section the best because it was simple and reminded me of waves and sand at the beach.  The first picture below is a picture of his room in the exhibit.  The next pictures are Alyson Shotz (Fresnel lens sheets, silvered glass beads, stainless steel wire), Michael Beutler (Aluminum, wood, brushes, weights), and Dan Steinhilber (sheeting, fans, and twine)

Banksy

We looked at several pieces of artwork in class by Banksy. Banksy was a very interesting English grafitti artist. He used interesting techniques to create comedy through grafitti art. In several of his pieces, he uses cartoon characters. For example, one of his pieces is a billboard with a painting of mickey mouse and minnie mouse on it. In another piece, he painted Charlie Brown on a wall outside of an abandoned building. His website http://www.banksy.co.uk/ shows several of his pieces, including indoor art and outdoor art. I find his outdoor pieces to be more interesting than the indoor pieces.

         

Digital Art

In today’s society it is difficult to talk about any subject without discussing how it has been affected by the digital age.  This is true in the art world as well.  Art has been greatly affected by the surge in the use of digital media.  In today’s society the internet and other forms of media have made art more accessible to the public since it is no longer necessary to visit a gallery or museum in person in order to see a particular piece of art.  Also, the digital age has brought about a new medium in which art can be created.  Some artists prefer the use of a computer and make digital images on the screen to drawing or sculpting objects.  Furthermore, the use of digital cameras has allowed artists to make sure they have the shots they need in order to complete their work before leaving a photo shoot.  Below are some examples of digital art. 

Vanessa Beecroft

Vanessa Beecroft works of art are interesting because each performance she puts on spurs many other pieces if art.  This is due to that fact that each performance has video recordings and photographs taken which can be exhibited as separate pieces of art.  Her work is a fusion of conceptual issues and concerns focusing primarily on performance art.  Each performance is made specifically for that location and often references the political, historical, or social associations of the place where it is held.  I really like that her work is simply which leaves much up to the viewer for interpretation causing the viewer to ask themselves thought provoking questions about what they truly believe.  Below are some of the pieces of hers that I found particularly interesting. 

Conceptual Art & Fred Wilson

I enjoyed looking at the work of Fred Wilson and other conceptual artists.  This is a form of at that is more about the idea of the piece and less about the execution.  The artist can lay out their ideas for the concept in step by step instructions that can carried through by anyone.  The main artist highlighted in class was Fred Wilson.  He is most known for his tear drop collection piece.  It was most interesting to see him put this piece together in the video we watched.  The individual process that each artist goes through to create their individual pieces amazes me.  There are so many different techniques that can be used and in this class we got to look at and determine our own feelings toward each different technique.  There are many more than discussed but I am definitely more aware of the different types of visual art.  I included some different conceptual art pieces that I thought were interesting.  The first is Fred Wilson’s piece.  The second and third are variations on the same concept of three different chairs.  This is by the artist Joseph Kosuth. 

Why You Should Buy Art

Today in class, we looked a piece of art called, "Why You Should Buy Art" by William Powhida. I thought that this was a very interesting piece. This piece is a sheet of notebook paper that lists 26 different reasons why a person should purchase art. I found it to be very interesting because many of the reasons are very creative and ones that most people would not think of. It is also very interesting how most words are written with a black outlining, making the words white. There are several words, however, that are written in a different color to make the word pop. This piece can be bought from the website http://www.20x200.com/ for a price between $20 and $200. I also found this website to be very interesting. The products on this site are exclusive, limited-edition pieces of art. They are also museum quality and come with a certificate of authenticity that is signed by the artist. The proceeds made from this site directly support the artists.

Damien Hirst

In class, we discussed the English artist, Damien Hirst. Damien Hirst won the Tate Gallery Turner Prize in 1995. Hirst's most famous works are centralized around death and dead animals. He is most famous for preserving animals including a shark, a sheep, and a cow. In 2007, Hirst's shark was put on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The shark was a 13-foot tiger shark in a glass tank of formaldehyde. This piece weighed a total of 22-tons. The piece was created in 1991 and was previously displayed in London, Berlin, and Austria. This work is located at the MET overlooking Central Park.

Richard Prince

Richard Prince is an American painter and photographer.  He is most known for his re-photography.  Re-photography uses appropriation as its own focus: artists pull from the works of others and the worlds they depict to create a new piece of work.  Richard Prince is known as an appropriation artist.  He uses images from the mass media, and advertisements to make new pieces of art.  He uses other artists’ images in order to make new art.  He changed the rules of authorship and ownership.  Some people believe that since he did not create the original images, he did not create the art.  However, rearranging other pieces of art should be considered art.  Collages are rearranging pictures from mass media and advertisements and should be considered art.  It was that particular artists’ idea to arrange the pictures in that way to make the artwork and therefore that artist should be recognized for their work.  Below are examples of Richard Prince’s artwork, some of which resemble collages.  

Installation Art

Installation art is another type of art that we discussed in class.  I enjoyed talking about this type of art and looking at all the different examples of this art that is exhibited in museums around the world.  In class we looked at Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds at the Tate Modern.  After looking at various installation artists online, I found many pieces that I thought were interesting.  One artist whose work I enjoyed looking at was Yayoi Kusama.  She is Japanese artist whose paintings and sculptures are environmental installations.  They often involve the use of polka dots and bright colors.  Her works is abstract and conceptual.  Some examples of her art can be seen below.  I really liked her work because of the bright colors and the use of polka dots.
 

Just Pathetic: Michael Wilson on Sore Winners

                This article discusses the beginnings of abject art.  This movement is all about what is taboo or not considered to be proper.  These pieces of art are often made of or are about things that are not considered appropriate for everyday life.  The term abject art was coined at Whitney Museum.  Three exhibitions mapped out abject art’s territories including Rugoff’s “Just Pathetic” along with “Work in Progress? Work? And Vik Muniz’s “Stuttering”.  These artists were at the forefront of the abject movement.  Many artists we discussed in class were discussed in this article including Mike Kelley.  Abject art portrays images that are scandalous. 

Matthew Barney

In class this week we saw some art created by Matthew Barney. Matthew Barney creates his pieces with sculpture, photography, drawing, and film. We were given an article to read outside of class that described to us more about Matthew Barney and his art. In this article, we learned that Barney first was noticed as an artist in 1991. He became successful instantly and ever since then, his artwork has gotten stranger and better. At the time that the article was written, Barney was the most important American artist of his generation. He is recognized for his creation of films and videos. He also performs in most of them himself. Matthew Barney and his crew created sculptures and other items to be in the films.

 “Think of Barney’s work as a jigsaw puzzle.” This is a quote from the article that I believe sums up Matthew Barney’s creations. What he did was take pieces from his own life, the lives of Houdini and Gilmore, the history of the Mormon Church, the history of art, and material from his older work. He took all of these pieces and put them together to create new pieces. The films that Barney created are the type that stick in a person’s mind, leaving and impression on them.

http://www.filmforum.org/cremaster/barneynytimesmag.html

 

Performance Art

                I enjoyed the class on performance art.  I believe that this art at its best.  This form of art combines art with movement to create a unique performance each time.  There are many types of performance art.  Some artists paint with different types of objects while other perform musical instruments or draw.  One example I found of performance art was “The Walking Piano” which was shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  In this exhibit, the artist is in inside the piano and walks around playing backwards.  I think that this example of performance art is very original and takes a lot of skill not only artistically but physically. 

 Piano Man

Alison Watt

                Alison Watt is most known for her paintings of fabric.  Her paintings are incredibly realistic and do not even look like a painting but rather they look like photographs of the actual fabric.  Most of her paintings are of white linens arranged in some sort of bunch or knot.  Her accomplishments have been recognized by her peers and in 2008 she was one of the youngest artists to have a solo exhibit at a gallery in London.  She also paints portraits and has painted portraits for the Royal Family including the Queen. 

Some of her artwork in included below. 

John Baldessari

                John Baldessari is an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images.  His artwork consists mostly of photographs with certain pieces cut out and filled in with a solid color.  This shows that there can be more to photography than just taking a still picture.  His pieces of art help to build a bridge between photography and paintings.  I really enjoyed looking at his artwork.  I especially enjoyed his bold use of color.  The different colors he uses draws your eye to the solid colors.  My favorite pieces of his artwork were those in which objects were missing rather than isolating body parts.  The bold colors stand out against the black and white photographs.  He always puts a colored circle over the face making his photos more mysterious.  My favorite of his piece is shown below.  This picture reminds me of being on the beach, a place I would much rather be than snowy Albany.  This piece of art is very playful and the girl in the picture looks as if she is having a relaxing and enjoyable day on the beach.  This painting shows his California roots as well. 

Robert Ryman

Robert Ryman is a painter who is known best for his abstract paintings. Robert Ryman creates most of his paintings using just white paint. Most critics view him as a minimalist. He refers to himself as more of a realist. His work is not there to create illusions; instead he only wants to create art, showing what he had used at their face value. Most pieces are with white paint on square canvas. Robert Ryman gives his pieces titles that have absolutely no meaning. He only uses titles as a way to identify a painting. He names them based on the names of supplies, companies, or just general words.

Mike Kelley

                     Mike Kelley is best known for his stitched doll bought objects.  His works of art are constructed of pieces of fabric stitched together to form an object which resembles sock puppets.  He is inspired by diverse sources including history, philosophy, politics, rock music, decorative arts and working class artistic expression.  His work references and examines gender and class roles as well as other issues such as normality, criminality, and perversion.  Below are some examples of his work.  The first picture shows a quilt like piece which has different types of fabrics stitched onto it.  While his pieces have deeper meanings, they are very childlike.  This characteristic can mostly be attributed to the material in which the art work is made out of. 

Mike Kelley

This week in class, we discussed the artwork of Mike Kelley. Mike Kelley has created a wide range of artwork. I found his sculptures made from stuffed animals to be the most interesting. This is a picture of one of his famous works, Frankenstein, which was created in 1989. This piece is a combination of stuffed animals, cloth dolls, and other cloths sewn together to create a creature. Next to Frankenstein is a basket with spools of thread inside of it. It is interesting that he was able to use such simple pieces of cloth to create a creature, Frankenstein.

We also were given the link to a video that shows us the work of Mike Kelley. In this video, we learn that he always knew that he was going to be an artist. His work was perceived to be about his child abuse. When he got this response from viewers, he embraced it and decided to go along with it. He created all of his work to be dark and to resemble his child abuse. I think that it is very interesting that he had no intentions of going that route, but when he got feedback, he just went with it. I feel that this makes him a strong artist that cares about making his viewers and followers happy and by giving them what they wanted.

It is also very interesting how Mike Kelley creates his pieces to be viewed by viewers of all types. At first glance his pieces look familiar. They look like simple things that everyone has seen before. This is appealing to the “lazy” viewer. When the piece is looked at more closely, it will appeal to the more sophisticated viewer. His pieces all have a deeper meaning when they are viewed more closely. 

http://video.pbs.org/video/1239603168

 

Math and Art

During class, a comparison between art and mathematics was discussed.  Math is a subject that I enjoy a lot and this love for math has led me to become an Actuarial Science major.  This major allows me to be in the business world while still able to use math in my everyday life.  After much thought, on the subject, I concluded that there are many similarities between math and art.  Both involve completing processes.  In math there are certain steps that must be taken in order to solve a particular problem.  The same in true in art; there are specific steps to take in order to complete a particular technique.  Another similarity between the two is that all you need is an idea to create the next big discovery.  A new idea can be proven to be true and then it can be used and admired by other for all time. 

                This comparison has led me to think differently about the art pieces we look at in class.  Looking at art from this perspective makes art scientific with all the steps having a particular meaning.  If the step did not add anything to improve a procedure when that procedure is replicated, it would not be included.  Furthermore, math can be seen as a form of art.  This can be true because sometimes you are unsure of exactly how a particular problem will turn out especially if it is a proof.  Math problems are like puzzles in which the given information needs to be artfully fit together to produce the desired result. 

                While similarities can be drawn between the two fields, it is also clear that some pieces of art used math.  For example, the below structure would not have been able to be constructed without using math.  The structure is made up of triangles connected into pyramids and attached to each other to form the structure that was designed by the artist.