Final Blog - Art Institute 'Final Exam'

"Step in closer, and take a look at the toenails", exclaims our fearless leader, on yesterday's tour of the Art Institute in Chicago.

 I am embarrassed to say that I have lived in the Chicago area for 20 years and this was my first time visiting this museum. It's almost as embarrassing to admit that one should be paying attention to details such as fingernails and toenails at a fine art museum.

 But it turns out Nathan Peck hit the nail (pun entirely intended) on the head with this one. The details, it seems, are worth taking a look at, and it was something I thoroughly enjoyed throughout the tour.







I found myself looking at things that I wouldn't normally have thought to look at, if it hadn't been for my instructor's encouragement.




The details in Seurat's "A Sunday on LaGrande Jatte" were awe-inspiring, & I admit, I had to go back and take a longer look at this one after the tour was complete. You can't really tell how much labor this work entailed until you've seen the brush strokes in person. And the painting was even more beautiful than I had imagined it would be. So much, so, that I couldn't resist purchasing a magnet of the painting on my way out of the museum.

Of course, I had to checkout Wood's "American Gothic" before I left. Like Seurat's impressive painting, it is one that has been mimicked and referenced so many times over, I just had to see what the original looked like.

 Smaller than I had imagined, but iconic, nonetheless.


I was pleased to have a little time to check out the Charles Ray sculptures as well. I haven't seen work like these before, and found it to be a thought provoking collection. This particular sculpture caught my eye, as it had a striking resemblance to my fiancé. Besides needing a haircut, the sculpture was pretty spot on.

  Most interestingly, I enjoyed the concept of adding to my knowledge base, or 'baggage' as peck so cleverly put it. This allowed me to decipher what I thought of Constantin Brancusi's sculpture entitled "Two Penguins".






 How could I not see toenails after all that I had seen that afternoon?

 

Thanks, Mr. Peck, for an informative and entertaining class, particularly the final exam. I loved the fact that our group tripled in size along the way (I hope that speaks to your teaching skills!). I also enjoy the prospect of returning to the museum (sooner than later), to give a tour of my own to my family.

Lesson 7 - Davis - BASQUIAT

For me, this assigned film on Jean-Michel Basquiat, was the most powerful video I have seen during   this course, and I wouldn't even call myself a big fan of his art.  I was moved by the story of the artist, the rise and fall of Basquiat.  But, I was most intrigued by the people (& places) that influenced the artist during that rise and fall.

First entering the Manhattan art scene at only 17 years old, Basquiat was essentially homeless.  His art expression began with a poetry style graffiti painted on various structures as his urban canvas.  He and a friend tagged themselves as "Samo" and decorated the city with poetic stanzas and multiple choice questions as their art.
                                                   


Although he was becoming more well known, the young graffiti artist was completely broke, with no job, and no home to call his own.  When interviewed by Becky Johnston,  he was quoted as saying "...you just end up surviving."  His survival at the time may have been based on the success he had in being accepted into Manhattan creative circles, such as the 'Downtown 500'. He was even cast in a film entitled "Downtown 81".

He was seen by many as very sophisticated for a child.  When he began to paint, the messages conveyed were deep and complex, yet he chose to use child-like techniques when holding the brush, creating an unusual style all his own, with an undeniable 'underground' feel.

His connections with the creative New York scene allowed him to sell his first painting, to none another than Deborah Harry.  His frequent clubbing also introduced him to celebrity friends such as Madonna and Keith Herring.  Through his work and his social life, he was achieving his dream of becoming famous.  Some might say 'too famous' for this 'Radiant Child'.

There were many people influential in the fame of Jean-Michel Basquiat.  One of these people was Annina Nosei, a New York gallery owner.  She recognized Basquiat's talents and opened up the basement of her gallery for him to use as a studio (and, it was assumed, a place to live as well).  She also helped him by giving him his first show, in which every painting sold, earning the artist $200,000.

Another influential person for Basquiat was Bruno Bischofberger, who became an exclusive dealer for the young artist.  He helped boost Basquiat to international fame as he helped him open exhibits around the world in places such as Switzerland, Italy and Japan.

The museums such as the Museum of Modern Art also had an impact on Basquiat.  Museums initially rejected his Neo-Expressionism paintings, and largely misunderstood the paintings of the young artists.  Ann Temkin, Chief Curator at the Museum of Modern Art remembers him, when she reveals, " Chances are, if it's really significant, it will be uncomfortable to somebody like myself, because I am so immersed in what painting, up until now, looked like.  And with Basquiat, many art professionals had skepticism about what he was doing, because the paintings didn't necessarily fit their idea of a museum painting.  And yet, of course, that's exactly what's necessary in order to create the art of the future."  This rejection and the depression it caused, may have contributed to the artist's use of heroin.

Basquiat's friendship with Andy Warhol also helped the artist become more recognizable.  Basquiat first met Warhol when he gave him some of postcards he created.  Basquiat was a big fan of the already famous artist, and created a painting for him, entitled "Dos Cabezas", soon after they met.

The two spent much of their time together in social circles and developed a close friendship.  The artists eventually collaborated together in a critically unsuccessful art venture.  This very public rejection affected their relationship and Basquiat somewhat severed ties with Warhol.  It was said that he was crushed at this choice when he learned that Warhol had died, and he hadn't had the chance to repair how he had left his friendship.

The journey from the streets to celebrity in just a few short years certainly took it's toll on the young artist.  His later work became dark, dealing with issues such as racial discrimination and even death. People who knew him say he eventually became paranoid, lonely and even more depressed.   His life was obviously reaching an intense level.

In the end, it was drugs that took the life of this young, creative soul.  I feel the film did an incredible job of revealing the short life of this rising (& falling star).  And before this film, I hadn't even heard of his work.  As I mentioned before, his style may not be one that I normally would enjoy, but it's the story behind the artist that influenced me the most. 

Lesson 7 - Lecture

I am definitely a 'Suburbanite'.  And because of that geographical title, I am afraid I have been a little sheltered when it comes to many of the graffiti style murals shown in the video, because I haven't seen any of them!  But even without seeing them in person, I am impressed with the scale and creativity involved in these paintings.

The Pilsen murals shown were the examples that most intrigued me, particularly Peck's description, "...that's what i really kind of like about the murals in this neighborhood... is that they're not just art for art's sake, but sort of art with a function, and that function of trying to show, sort of, the perfect world.

Many of the murals in this part of Chicago tell a story and represent what is important to the culture of the residents living here.  The examples in Wicker Park seemed to be more abstract examples of this graffiti style mural art.  

However, even in the sheltered south suburbs, there are examples worth checking out - especially along sections of the old Route 66.  So, if you get the chance, take a trip to Joliet to see some interesting examples there...

Lesson 6 - Painters Painting

Sometimes, movies from the early 1970's are masterpieces that should be left untouched. Some greats worth mentioning: “The Godfather”, “Jaws”, “The Exorcist”, “All the President's Men”, and, of course, “Blazing Saddles”. Then there are movies that leave a bit to be desired: “The Exorcist II”, “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” & “Painters Painting”. My blog today will mainly critique this last film mentioned. Granted, Painters Painting is a documentary movie from the 70's and it is considered an 'art' film. But in general, I found the film hard to follow, and at times confusing.

First of all, It was difficult for me to keep track of everyone in the film, as not everyone in the film was identified with the traditional printed name on the screen. Some people were referred to in a conversation but, not clearly identified later on. Perhaps as I study more about art, these people would be more easily recognizable – but I felt there were a large number of people in this documentary. It was difficult to tell who was the critic, who was the artist and why Ellen Skull was worthy of a portrait session with Andy Warhol.

I also felt that there was an enormous amount of 'name dropping' in this film. This film had too many players on the field. There were critics, museum curators, painters, news reporters, collectors – how am I supposed to figure out who the main characters are? I was thankful for a few recognizable names, such as Leo Castelli, Warhol & Pollack, but I only knew of them because of my recent studies. I stopped writing down the names that were referenced when my counting reached in the teens.

Another negative aspect to the film was the background noise. I was distracted by a train going by Jasper Johns' apartment, as well as people talking and phones ringing while Robert Skull was trying to explain his role in the art scene. I feel that some well placed music would have better suited this documentary style film, rather than the distractions of life.

On the other hand, I appreciated the technique the filmmakers used by showing much of the film, including the interviews, in black & white. Many Hollywood films were continued to be presented in black & white, even after the technicolor process was invented in the 1930's & 1940's. It provided a more dramatic, serious effect on the screen. Perhaps, the filmmakers here were trying to portray the 'pop artists' in a more serious light. In contrast, when the actual works by the artists were presented in color, the paintings were incredibly vibrant on the screen.

Obviously, this was not my favorite film from those assigned, however, it certainly was not the worst, as I did learn many new facts and was introduced to several examples from artists I had just recently heard of such as Frank Stella,

Jules Olitski,

Larry Poons,

and finally, Barnett Newman. His quote was my favorite, and I am sure the filmmakers felt the same as they used it both in the beginning of the film and the end, “...in the end, size doesn't count, it's scale that counts... it's human scale that counts and the only way you can achieve human scale is by the content”.

Lesson 6 - Hughes - Shock

As promised in a previous blog, I have chosen to  voluntarily opt out of creating a blog based on this assigned video of Hughes, as his monotone presentation will surely put me to sleep.

Lesson 6 - PBS - Warhol

While walking to lunch yesterday, my 14 year old, soon-to-be stepdaughter inquired as to which artist I was learning about this week.  When I revealed who it was, she proclaimed that she hadn't heard of him before, but I assured her that she has seen some of his work, if not some art that was influenced by him.  I then described the grid, silk-screen paintings of Marilyn Monroe and she immediately knew to whom I was referring to.

 It's obvious that Andy Warhol's influence has spread throughout many generations.

It was fascinating to discover where some of Warhol's inspiration came from.  It was mentioned, in this week's video, that every Saturday and Sunday, Warhol (then known as Andrew Warhola) and his mother would walk several miles to church services.  In that church near his Slovak ghetto home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were examples of artwork that were only revealed during communion.  These images were arranged in a grid-like pattern and showed 2-dimensional versions of several Saints.  It is a likely conclusion that this image of 'a collage of saints' stayed with him for many years after his church experiences.

Another unlikely source of inspiration was that of working in the advertising business.  When he first came to New York City, he landed a job with Glamour magazine sketching drawings of women's shoes.

His unique artistic style with blotted lines had somewhat of a 'printed' look and captured the attention of others in the commercial world.  After selling himself to various companies (sometimes with his portfolio presented in a brown paper bag), he eventually created works for record companies, art dealers and a number of magazines.  It was unusual to discover that his first printing with Glamour magazine contained a typo when he was credited by name for the drawings.  Warhola never bothered to correct the fact that the last 'a' was omitted from his name, and continued as Andy Warhol from that point on.  But as much as he succeeded in the world of advertising, it wasn't enough.  The artist longed form fame, as was evident when he stated, "I was well known as a commercial artist... but if you wanted to be a serious artist, you weren't supposed to have anything to do with commercial art".  He later proved that he could become famous doing exactly that.  From coke bottles, to Brillo pads to Campbell's Soup cans, Warhol revealed a completely new form of creating in his Pop-Art.

Andy Warhol was also inspired by his mother, a constant supporter in his  life.  Julia Warhola was talented in drawing, as well as singing, and always pushed her youngest son to pursue his creative talents.  During his childhood, he was very ill and spent a lot of time at home, rather than school.  His mother used that time to encourage further creations, often rewarding his fine work with chocolate bars.  Julia was so supportive of her son's creativity that she enrolled him in free art classes at the Carnegie Museum of Art, where he spent endless hours learning about artists of the past.  She eventually came to stay with her son in New York, intentionally for a short amount of time.  However, his mother continued to live as his roommate for more than 20 years.

During his childhood, Warhol was painfully shy, and possibly even autistic.  These characteristics led to some painful struggles in his personal life which he fought to overcome.  He reflected on those times when he said. " ... sometimes, people let the same problems make them miserable for years, and they just say 'so,what?'  That's one of my favorite things to say - 'so,what?'  I don't know how I made it, through all the years before I learned to do that trick."  Perhaps his survival had something to do with the close relationship he had with his mother.

The darkest influence on the creations by Andy Warhol, would certainly be the topic of death.  For instance, his Marilyn paintings were began immediately after the announcement of her suicide.  His fans were also greatly moved by the images he captured of Jacqueline Kennedy as he created compilations of her expressions just before and just after JFK's assassination.

And then there were the paintings known as 'The Death and Disaster Pictures'.  Warhol created powerful images of car crashes and other tragedies.

Whatever Andy Warhol's inspirations were, his creations left a huge impact and influenced countless artists.  He art has affected so many people, some of them, like my future step-daughter, not even realizing who the artist is - but definitely recognizing that silk screened, blotted line style. I was even inspired, myself, when in my scrap-booking days, I created this 'Warhol-esque' page of a favorite picture of my son (circa 2003).

Lesson 6 - Lecture

I have been looking forward to learning more about the era of Modern Art, and it appears, according to this most recent video lecture, that I am in for a certain treat of the senses.  The video provided teasers of a variety of contemporary styles and artists that are about to explored.

Of all the names dropped in this lecture video (& there were certainly quite a few names of people  influential in the Minimalist & Pop Culture movements), I was most intrigued by the mention of Leo Castelli.

Castelli was a gallery curator who was pro-active in seeking out art, even guiding art, in a sense.  Even though he wasn't a painter or sculptor, I think it's fair to say that he was an artist in his own right, by creating exhibitions of new talent.  Whether it was abstract expressionism, pop art or surrealism, Castelli was responsible for getting a number or artists noticed and helped nurture the start of numerous successful career such as Jasper Johns, Roy Lichenstein and Andy Warhol.

I would also like to comment that it is refreshing to hear that my instructor, Nathan peck is not afraid to publicly admit to disliking particular artists.  Such an admission further reinforces my enjoyment of classes like this, which allow for free thinking, educated opinions and open ended-questions.  For instance, of all the films about paintings revealed so far, I found myself developing a strong dislike for artists such as Caravaggio & Dali.  I realize now that this class is not just about recognizing certain styles or paintings, but, rather, developing an appreciation (as well a personal opinion) about art on a higher level.

I was also happy to hear the professor reveal, "not all art is designed necessarily for you to enjoy it - visually or conceptually".  

Bring on the Modern Art!