Wednesday, May 2, 2012



Throughout this class, I have become more aware of the contemporary art world and how it is developing during the present day. I feel as though artists, such as myself, view art differently; for example, the Accidental Genius exhibit, which consisted primarily of “self-taught” artists. We have come across new, experimental mediums at Inova, and later questioned artists at the Haggarty exhibit concerning the content of their work and its importance. All of these concerns and discussions are important in order to develop a higher understanding of the art world surrounding us and the competitive world we ourselves are trying to push our work into.
Seeing the Mike Kelley-inspired piece by Jennifer Steinkamp was absolutely mesmerizing. Steinkamp's animated tree provoked an intense emotional connection between the viewer and the projection piece that was located on the wall. Personally, I have never seen work like this, therefore I found myself spending ample time with the work and even returning a few days later. As my classmate Sarah Stankey put it:
The dancing tree, which almost looked as if it were in pain throughout the metamorphosis of the seasons, took on a life that we have not seen within a stagnant part of nature. Through this modern contemporary medium of digital animation Steinkamp portrays an intense emotional connection. The tree morphed and changed and moved around the whole time. As I watched, it seemed like the tree was withering and then coming back again. It repeated this cycle over and over again. Then the tree began to change seasons.

I can relate to Stankey's comment because I somewhat thought that the digital tree was in pain based its movements. This exhibit was focused on “outsider art,” which basically comes down to the fact that the artist lacked professional schooling in their chosen field. Along with Steinkamp was Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, whose work was found after his demise. He created intense vibrant paintings that are full of movement and cities. Also shown was a video of his bone towers that are disturbing as well as visually intriguing.
Outsider art has been segregated from the mainstream art world because the artists in question have little or no training in art. “I've heard of it being used to describe people who are outside of mainstream culture as well; people with little contact to the mainstream cultural and people with extreme psychological problems” (Malesytcki). The Accidental Genius exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum glorified art that is created by artists labeled self-taught or “outsider.” It was discussed how “self-taught” and educated artists are in different categories and why these labels are important. To a certain extent, I understand that, with no education in a particular medium, it is quite incredible what some self-taught artists can do, but I do not think that studying the arts would hurt. I find it true that “knowing how to speak about your work with words like, 'composition' and 'negative space' and 'tension' and 'figure ground relationship' are what make our critiques as artists so engaging. The(y) are the jumping off points of really great conversation about the work. It is 'art academia,' perhaps, but it's an important part of the 'outsider art' conversation” (Sprecher). I find these concepts to be extremely important; I think the artist should understand and know how to communicate with the outside world about their art and their message. I found the conversation at the Milwaukee Art Museum exhibit to be more exciting. All these individuals had no experience and most had mental or psychological disorders. I was more interested in that aspect and how creating art was therapeutic or just for fun. Yes, we as artists make work for this reason as well but we, for the most part understand why we create and make it apart of our lives as careers.
This leads me into the Tina Barney exhibit, The Europeans, that was shown at the Haggerty Museum. After seeing her photographs in person I felt a need to hear her talk about her images considering the strong sense of wealth throughout the body of work. I know it has been said that she ignores the fact that she herself is wealthy and so are the individuals in her images. At the lecture she refused or ignored questions about why she was photographing this certain class of people. This irritated me as an artist who has to explain their work through and through while someone who has received world recognition refuses to explain the sole basis behind their work. This did not change how I feel about the photographs, which I still find to be powerful and beautiful. In the same month I went to see my favorite photographer speak at the University of Milwaukee. Elinor Carucci. She opened up about every detail of her process and the reasons behind her work. It was refreshing after the Barney lecture to hear an artist be modest when she has come extremely far in the art world. I felt like I knew her as a person and fellow photographer after her talk. I could not help but compare the two photographers and see the differences in their work as well as their presentations. Sarah Stankey mentioned that: “The contrasts between Carucci and Barney demonstrate the vast differences in photography today. I think their differences are apparent in their work alone but in hearing them both speak about their work, it is clear that Carucci is making images that are far more personal to her than Barney's work could ever be” (Stankey). I could not agree more. It was very educational to have two artists from the same medium have completely different takes on their medium and lecture talks.
Art is always going to have controversial problems that we will continue to discuss for centuries. Whether it be outsider art, artist lectures, or contemporary mediums it will always be the topic of conversation between current artists.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Psychological Art

To be an artist can sometimes mean going through a constant struggle with yourself and the world around you. Artists carry the need to create. This desire is something they constantly need to take part in order to feel like themselves. Their whole lives are surrounded by that need. It can almost be considered an addiction. The need can be therapeutic or just a necessity for psychological survival.










by Robert L. Solso
MIT Press, 2003
Review by Kamuran Godelek, Ph.D.
Jul 8th 2004 (Volume 8, Issue 28)

"When combined, the conscious mind and its symbolic technologies generate a powerful chemistry. The brain-symbol interface is the birthplace of art, science, mathematics, and most of the great institutional structures humans have built" (Merlin Donald). This quote at the beginning of the second chapter titled "Art and the Rise of Consciousness" captures the main idea in Robert Solso's very interesting book "The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain". In this book, Solso seeks out an answer to the question as to what type of conscious brain guided the hand that created art that first appeared on earth many years ago. By examining the evolution of the human brain and cognition, he develops a new theory that he calls conscious AWAREness describing the evolution of consciousness and its relationship to the emergence of art."





By Marion Boddy-Evans

Why do I believe Art and Fear  is such a good book? Because it gets straight to the issues that matter so much and hinder our development as artists, such as why you're not painting, why so many people give up painting, the gap between the potential of a canvas and what you produce, the belief that talent is essential.

Art and Fear is not written specifically for painters, but for any creative field, whether you're a writer, musician, or fine artist. But despite this a painter will feels as if it's talking directly to them, addressing issues painters have. It's written in a straightforward, no-nonsense, entertaining manner (and totally lacks psycho-babble or high artspeak).

http://painting.about.com/od/productreviews/fr/Art_and_Fear.htm

I find it incredibly interesting how artists are psychologically driven to create art. Some create just to get through the day while others do the task as naturally as any other involuntary act. These artists' practice as well as process needs to be recognized. The process that is taken to create a piece is just as if not more important than the art piece itself. 


MIAD Senior Thesis Show 2012: Marta Shumylo



 all imagery © Marta Shumylo

At Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design there were a wonderful array of thesis projects from the seniors. One artist that caught my attention was photography major Marta Shumylo. Her work involves the mere act of existence and what that means on a micro and macro level.  Watching Marta work, one gets the impression that it is almost like breathing, an act of survival. She creates to exist, herself.

Nicholas Frank: Spiraling Jete


© Nicholas Frank

Nicholas Frank's exhibition at The Green Gallery East, on Farwell, was an interesting process to watch throughout the show. Frank also had a video installation that was shown with his paintings. Throughout the exhibition Frank would come in, remove a blank canvas from the wall and create a painting on his studio floor, which was brought into the gallery to intensify the marks of his process. The entire show revolved around the process an artist goes through to create a body of work.  Over looking the square canvasses was a larger one that would collect the rags used to create the paintings, which in itself would create another process piece. "There was a short looping video of the artist doing an interpretive dance. there was also a green colored glass and i think it helps reflect a bit off the walls on two sides. The person working at the gallery helped explain some background for some of the work. She says the piece 'activates' the space which is an interesting way to see it." ~ Winifred Wee

"The shows are a consideration of the simultaneous movement of action and history. The title, an obvious play on the famous Spiral Jetty earthwork of Robert Smithson, considers how a prior action can both ‘sink’ and be ‘raised’ through choreographic acts of historical memory. Through a floor that is a painting, paintings that arise out of the floor, new video sculpture by The Secret Choreographer, and pages of the Nicholas Frank Biography, Frank ponders the ins and outs of ups and downs and back-and-forths and leaves objects hanging in the air like an unanswered question. "

http://www.thegreengallery.biz/nicholas-frank/spiraling-jet-up


© Nicholas Frank



Accidental Genius at the Milwaukee Art Museum

© Rosemarie Koczy

While attending the Accidental Genius exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum, there were many amazing works of art created by individuals that did not intend to show their work. The pieces that struck me the most were Rosemarie Koczy's intricate ink drawings, which were taken from her sketch book. She created these pieces with an ink pen, quite the task considering the complexity of the drawings. Koczy's survived two concentration camps during the Holocaust at a young age, which definitely impacted her entire future and her art work.

"We worked in the fields every day. I saw the killing, the shavings, the bleachings, the torture and hunger, the cold, typhus, tuberculosis. Death was all around!"
~ Rosemarie Koczy

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/11520701_rosemarie-koczy-israeli-sculpture-of-deportation


These individuals that did not intend to share their art with the public eye are called "outside artists". They have not received professional training and sometimes do not have a specific message to send out into the world. They create to create. "I've heard it being used to describe people who are outside mainstream culture as well; people with little contact to the mainstream cultural and people with extreme psychological problems".





Elinor Carucci at the University of Milwaukee

©  Elinor Carucci


Elinor Carucci's talk at the University of Milwaukee Artist Talks was more than inspirational. I was stunned at how humble and modest she was when speaking about her work. Her series "Closer" was discussed in depth, which was incredibly beneficial in having a greater understanding of her work.

"Israeli born and now New York City native Elinor Carucci has utilized photography throughout her life to break down that barrier of singularity and allowed her images and portraits to be a vehicle for a universal conversation about the intimacies of family and relationships. Carucci recently gave a passionate and persuasive talk....Starting off taking images at a young age, photography "felt right" for the artist as she utilized the medium over many years to illustrate the pure and precious moments that occur between family members. Her photographs are similar in context to artists; Larry Sultan, Sally Mann, and Elaine O'Neil, however Carucci has created her own unique perspective illuminating not only the role of family, but the intimate dynamics that happen between lovers as they pass through stages together in life."

http://www.bluecanvas.com/blog-post/4336

She opened up about every detail of her process and the reasons behind her work. It was refreshing after the Barney lecture to hear an artist be modest when she has come extremely far in the art world. I felt like I knew her as a person and fellow photographer after her talk.
  

She opened up about every detail of her process and the reasons behind her work. It was refreshing after attending so many artists talk that came across as pretentious. I felt as though I knew her as a person and fellow photographer after her talk. Carucci made my class feel better about their doubts of "making it" in the art world. She herself talked about struggling and having ups and downs with making a living with her work. Carucci spoke about the bond she shared with her loved ones by taking images with and of them.  This connection would help the relationship she has with her husband and continued into the relationship she has with her children. As an art student you place these well known artists high on a pedestal when in reality they are just like every other artist out there trying to continue their work and struggling with the same demons that we students do.

© Elinor Carucci