I visited several galleries, three of which are worthy of mention.
Edenhurst Gallery defines hospitality and defies the imagination: did you know a full sized harp (all 47 strings) could fit in a hatchback? With angelic music, dark walls accentuating the vibrant 20th Century Impressionist-style pastorals (including obligatory lilly pads),contrasting blond wood floors, ample Broke Back Mountain western motif, and full bar (the mid-range merlot tolerably serviceable), this venue leads the pack for festive ambiance. Two works are standouts: The Timber Line (1918) with its heavy pallet-knife strokes (it’s still sitting on the floor despite the whopping $600,000 price tag and my parents wouldn’t allow a 10 cent toy left out… go figure), and Poppy Field with its amazing yellows.
Desert Art Gallery, the epitome of desert architecture, wins the best-real estate in-show award. The sculpture collection stands out, both the outside (Steve Reitman, etc.) and the African work inside. When I smugly commented that some of the African stuff seemed derivative of Picasso, it was pointed out that these sculptors were keeping a long tradition and as such, Picasso was derivative of them. My daddy always said to keep my mouth shut so people will think I’m stupid. If I open it, he said, they’ll know it!
Eleonore Austerer Gallery, sublime! [Your former student] For “show and tell” I’ve selected the following work. Note that the questions relating to the formal analysis were taken from the internet as described below (yes, I wrote the answers). Afterwards I answer the non-formal questions in the assignment.
“Spiral and Circles” ca. 1970
Original color lithograph
25 5/8 x 37 ¾ inches
FORMAL ANALYSIS
COMMENTARY:
What appeals is the color and symmetry, two pieces of eye candy divided between the two eyes. Also, I like the humorous story (see above). The forms seem to have evolved from an obvious progression: 1) Symbolists (Gauguin in particular) who filled volume with somewhat monolithic unmodeled representational volume with fully abstracted colorful, unmodeled, but un-monolithic volume. The next step was Calder’s: abstracted, unmodeled, colorful monolithic volumes. Of course Mondrian did the same thing years before, but in an even more abstracted, non-allegorical manner. color, 2) Fauvists (Matisse in particular) who filled monolithic color, and finally 3) The Blue Rider (actually, only Kandinsky) who abstracted colorful, unmodeled, but un-monolithic volume. The next step was Calder’s: abstracted, unmodeled, colorful monolithic volumes. Of course Mondrian did the same thing years before, but in an even more abstracted, non-allegorical manner.
No comments:
Post a Comment