The MET Visit

For my gallery visit, I visited the MET over Thanksgiving break.  I didn't get the chance to visit many of the exhibits and halls because of its enormous size but the exhibition I enjoyed the most was titled Between Here and There: Passages in Contemporary Photography.  The first half of the exhibit shows how artists between the 60's and 70's were drawn to photography for its many differences from traditional art media.  

There was a total of 31 works hung in a gallery on the 2nd floor of the museum.  The group of work includes both images and videos.  A few of the artists included Vito Acconici, Doug Aitken, Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, Rinand Jeff Wall.

My favorite piece in this exhibit was Sitting on the Wall: Haikou V by Weng Fen.  Fen belongs to a generation of photographers that focus on Chinese social, economical, and political change.  Many of his photographs feature school girls with their backs to the camera, staring at architectural figures.  I believe that this photo represents a young, traditional girl looking at the rapidly changing society in which she grows up in.

Mass MoCa Visit

I recently visited the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art or more commonly known as the Mass Moca, in North Adams, Mass.  The size of the museum is extremely overwhelming as it is housed in a variety of old factory buildings, dating back to 1872.  The Mass Moca opened its doors in 1999 but started the process of raising funds in 1986.  It is the largest center for contemporary visual art and performing arts in the country.

The exhibit that I found most interesting at the museum was Material World: Sculpture to Environment which will be running until February 2011.  They transformed the factory space, using a variety of industrial produced materials to make up their exhibits.  There are around seven different artists who have been involved in exhibit.  They are using ordinary, everyday materials to create these different exhibits of installation art.  The two pieces that really caught my attention in the exhibit were The Geometry of Light and Big Boss.  

The piece, Big Boss, by Orly Genger and it is made up of 100 miles painted red knotted rope.  The piece is overwhelming in size as it sprawls out onto the floor.  It reminds me of a waterfall, the way it comes up from the way it comes out onto the floor.  After looking at information on the work, I came to understand that Orly is attempting to show the different between masculinity and feminist.  She is using knotted ropes which are extremely heavy but also incorporates a knitting technique. 

The second piece that I really enjoyed was Geometry of Light, by Alyson Shotz.  This piece was beautiful, made up of strands of wire holding together lens plates and silver glass beads.  It reflected the light, making it shimmer and reminded me of a cob web covered in dew.  The shadows that came off the piece were very impressive.  Through research I was able to find that Shotz is very interesting in incorporating contrast in her pieces. 

        Over all I really enjoyed my visit to the Mass MoCa.  The museum was massive and it would take forever to get through the entire space.  I thought this exhibit was great and would love to go back another time to view more. 

Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla

Allora and Calzadilla began working together in the mid-1990's by approaching visual art as a set of experiments.  They specialize in making social, cultural, and political metaphors out of basic materials, such as the picture above titled the "Discussion Table."  They have developed installations, videos, performances, social interactions, work in public space, photos, and collages. Their work is characterized by a sense of playfulness, humour, and social involvement, focused upon local situations.  I find their work very interesting because each piece tells a different story.  One exhibit called "Sweat Glands" featured a video of a man roasting a pig by simply pushing on the gas pedal of his car.  I believe that almost every piece they show is an attempt to teach the public something or share a certain part of a culture.

Dave Hickey

I agree with Kait, this piece does really remind me of Mona Lisa's Curse.  It discusses the issue of artists caring more about money than art.  Hckey says that there are people out there that really care about art, but there are a lot more than care about the money.  He believes that people are selling out.  In the past people did not get into the art world to make money, it was for a passion, but today people are too focused on the money.  He basically implies that money is not everything, its benefits are great but it just buys you objects.  He says that art dealers are not dealing art but are just selling, basing prices of art on the artists name. 

Custodians of Culture

Similar to "The Mona Lisa Curse," Hickey describes the issue of money and art in our current culture.  He describes that artists go into the art world for the sole purpose of making money, instead of enjoying the talents that they possess while making their art.  He describes that the "art bubble" suck money into the art world, and greedy artists and stupid collectors get stuck in this system.  Non-commercial art, which was created in the 70's, is very different from art that just does not sell.  This non-commercial art paid very well to the artists.  The invention of this allowed the separation between institutional world and the private world.  Non commercial art is economically beneficial for the institution.

Andrea Zittel

I found Andrea Zittel's art to be very different.  She seems conservative and does not need many materialistic items to be happy. She sometimes lives off just one outfit for a whole month, and is used to living in small spaces.  During her childhood, her family was always traveling across country in a small RV.  I found her one piece of art, the one where she lives in the middle of an area of water on a small island she built, to be very daring.  She lived on the island by herself with no contact to other people with the exception of once or twice.  She devotes her life to her work and makes many sacrifices to make her art known.

Andrea Zittel

Andrea Zittel is a very unique artist who has a very different look on life.  She seems to look at things with an eye of a minimalist, living life with a single outfit for every four weeks and in small spaces.  Zittel is most known for her "Living Units", an experimental piece in which you live and only have necessities.  What really caught my attention about Zittel, was the personal fantasy island she created in 1999.  The 44-ton island, located off the coast of Denmark was where Zittel lived for a month.  She stated that she was interested in living there to get away from everyone.  She wanted to be isolated and enjoy her space.  I think that it would be so weird if we all lived on our own islands.  Although it might be cool to move the island throughout the world, it would be very difficult and ridiculous.  I think that people need socialization to in order to survive and stay sane.  What I was wondering was, what if something happened to her on the island, what would she do?  Was there electricity and running water? 

Marcus Coates

Marcus Coates' "art" does not fall under a certain category.  While watching the video in class of what he does, I found it somewhat funny but very strange.  Coates' main goal is to answer people's questions through his art, which includes him contacting the 'lower world', meaning animals, and speaking to them.    While contacting the animals (mostly birds or other animals that live near him), he wears their fur, as seen in this photo.  And when Coates 'returns', he attempts to translate for his audience as best he can.  After watching this video, I did not consider this art.  I was unsure as to how Coates came up with this sort of performance or whatever you may call it.

Improv Everywhere

I found Improv Everywhere to be a very interesting site and something that I would enjoy participating in.  This website announces events for the public to participate in, and to create an interesting scene.  One that I found very interesting and funny was the No Pants Subway, where on a designated day in January in NYC, people that knew of this day would take the subway with no pants on.  I think that this type of art is one that all people can enjoy and certainly grasps people attention in places outside of museums.

Improv Every Where

I found most of improv everywhere to be so stupid but so funny.  The different events that the site puts on are so unique and attention getting.  I really enjoyed the different bits on the subway such as No Pants Subway Ride and Star wars Subway Car.  These little shows are shocking and surprising for unsuspecting observers, who are not prepared for their antics.  This type of installation art is very different from what we have seen in the class.  This sight and these events have really caught the attention of many.  The No Pants Subway Ride has grown from only seven to over 5,000 participants.  It is in its ninth year of running and is starting to catch on around the world. 

Spencer Tunick

Before this class, I've actually heard of Spencer Tunick and his work.  Tunick is best known for his installations that feature a large crowd of nude people posing in artistic forms.  He has photographed in over 20 different locations.  It is easy for people to get involved; they simply have to fill out a form and volunteer to be photographed.  I find this style of art very interesting and unique.  The photographs show how the body is a form of art in itself.

Walking Man I

A sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, one of the 20th century's most prominent artists, sold for a record $104.3 million dollars at Sotheby's in London by an anonymous buyer.  Bidding began at about $12 million and quickly escalated as 10 bidders fiercely competed for the piece until the last bid.  This six foot tall bronze sculpture depicts a man mid-stride and head tall.  When we learned about this piece in class, I was shocked that someone would spend this much on a piece that is not very well known.

The Mona Lisa Curse

The Curse of the Mona Lisa was a documentary narrated by art critic Robert Hughes.  Hughes shows viewers the art world in the 1960's and the present day.  I found the difference in art between these two time periods astounding.  In the 60's, art was exhibited in museums for the publics enjoyment but now individual collectors spend millions of dollars to own a piece for themselves.  Hughes tries to point out that art has turned into a business over the years.  I personally think that it is a shame that art has become all about money and trading.  But if collectors enjoy the piece enough to spend millions on it, there is nothing that we can do about it.

Spencer Tunick

Before this class I have actually seen some of Spencer Tunick's work and found his pictures to be very attention grabbing.  I was always curious as to how he was able to get so many people to come together and stand together for a naked photograph.  It was interesting to learn that artists put out calls for volunteers and people actually take the time to go.  These pictures are very unique, but I find it weird to be standing nude around a group of people.  I cannot imagine how he is able to clear out such popular places, such as grand central station, in order to take pictures.  I really like the imagines where they are so zoomed out you are not sure whether or not they are people.  Everything just kind of blends together with the area they photographing in. 

Curse of the Mona Lisa

The film, Curse of the Mona Lisa, provided viewers with a different perspective on the art world.  We were able to see how the art world has turned from a passion to a cost driven market.  Many new artists seem to have only a focus on making money from their artwork.  Older artists and critiques are disheartened by the change in the art market.  It is amazing to see how some art is sold for million and millions of dollars.  Art has become a serious business.  It started in the 70's when museums started to market shows/exhibits and held events for big businesses.  This helped changed the face of art and bring about an income in a business that was losing money.  I was surprised to see this different world of art, however found it to be very interesting. 

Herb & Dorothy

The story of Herb and Dorothy made me understand how much art can truly mean to certain people.  This couple had low income; Herb working at a post office, and Dorothy being a librarian.  Even though they did not have the significant amount of money like other art collectors, they managed to create one of the most important contemporary art collections in history.  The two devoted all of Herb's salary to purchase art they enjoyed, and lived off of Dorothy's paycheck.  When purchasing the art work, they followed two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one bedroom apartment.  After 30 years, the Vogels collected over 2,000 pieces.  The couple's dedication and love for art made me realize how much hobbies and collections can really mean to someone.  The two cherished their collection and spent a large portion of their life and about half of their income to invest in something they love; art.

Sunflower Seeds

Ai WeiWei's work entitled "Sunflower Seeds" located in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern was very different and took a lot of hard work based on the video we used in class.  The sunflower seeds represent the source of food of the Chinese under Mao.  This piece of work is probably my favorite that we have studied thus far in class.  The sunflower seeds represent the people and the Chinese culture.  Also, the process of creating this exhibit brought work to people that usually would have trouble finding jobs.  The video showed the workers' excitement and hard work ethic.

Dorthy & Herb

The story of Dorthy and Herb was a very touching one.  They are an adorable couple who have simply become famous for their art collection.  Not one where they buy individual pieces for millions of dollars, but one they have gathered over a life time and bought just purely for their love of modern art.
Over the years they have managed to build a collection of 4,782 works mostly focusing on conceptual and minimalist art.  They kept all these pieces in their small NYC apartment until 1992 when they decided to transfer the works to the National Gallery of Art. Dorthy and Herb were offered millions and millions of the dollars but they two did not sell their collection.  This shows how truly genuine their love of art it.  They were not collecting with the hopes of getting rich, but were collecting purely for the love of it. 

Sun Flower Seeds

I really loved Ai Weiwei's piece at the Tate Modern.  His exhibit for the sunflower seeds was so different.  It was so interesting to watch him go through the process of making the seeds from clay to having each one individually hand painted.  I was not only captured by the art but also his moral consideration.  He is having the hand painting done by people in a small poverty stricken town.  He is bringing work to people that typically would not be making money.  I am not sure how well they are being paid, but they seem very welcoming to him and the jobs he has brought to the area.  However, it is unfortunate that his art is causing health concerns at the museum.  This leads one to question whether or not there should be health concerns for the workers who are handling these seeds daily. 

Installation Art

This photo is from Song Dong's exhibit titled "Waste Not."  This work contains various stuff spanning over 50 years belonging to Dong's mother.  Items range from pots and basins to blankets, oil flasks, and legless dolls, form a miniature cityscape that viewers can navigate around and through.  Even empty toothpaste containers, bottle caps, soda bottles, and much more.  This exhibit amazed me because of all the material Dong included.  There are items here that I would never think to save.  I like this exhibit because it allowed guests to walk through, look, and get involved in the layout.

Performance Art

Performance art does not use scripts.  It will often include some form of action or spoken word which is a form of direct communication between the artist and audience .  Performance art will often entail a dramatic performer.  Marina Abramovic, a well-known performance artist, was born on November 30th, 1946 in Serbia.  She describes herself as the "grandmother of performance art," creating approximately 50 works over four decades.  Although she initially studied painting in an art school, in the late 1960s she began experimenting with performance. For a 1973 piece called “Rhythm 10,” she turned on a tape recorder, splayed out her hand on the gallery floor, then quickly and repeatedly stabbed at the spaces between her fingers with one of ten knives, changing knives each time she cut herself. After she’d gone through all the knives, she replayed the tape and repeated the performance, blow by blow as recorded, on the bloody floor.  The photo above refers her to work "The Artist is Present" where Ms. Abramovic sat silently at a table in the museum’s atrium, facing an empty chair. She was scheduled to sit there all day, every day, during museum hours, for the run of her show. The museum estimated that, if she stuck to the plan, she will sit for 716 hours and 30 minutes, earning her a record for endurance in the performance art sweepstakes.

Installation Art

Song Dongs Installation Art, Waste Not, is a creative piece that allows viewers to get an insight into Chinese culture.  I found the piece to be fascinating because Song Dongs mother collected and saved a variety of  objects, things that we would consider garbage.  They help explain both the Chinese culture and mentality of not wasting anything but also see how culture developed over 50 years.   It is unbelievable to see how many objects people can accumulate in their life.  In our society we would consider a person that keeps such a collection as a hoarder.  Their accumulations would not be considered historic or artistic. 

Appropriation of Art

The appropriation of art has become a huge issues among many of today's modern artists.  As we become more technologically advanced, artists are able to do much more than ever before.  Today, many artists find images in everyday life and use them in their work, but slightly alter the art so that it is left with a unique look they have designed.  Now more than ever, the U.S. is starting to crack down on copyright laws when it comes to appropriation.  It is seen as copying and many countries are starting to follow the U.S.'s lead on toughening the laws.  The more strict the laws, the more difficult it will become to practice this type of art.  Eventually it seems like it will just become all together illegal.  However, artists see these copyright laws as a restriction of their creativity and expression.  A piece of art that was somewhat recently in the news for appropriation was Sherard Fairey's Obama Hope piece.  Although the picture is somewhat altered, the original image comes from a photographer who workers for the Assosiated Press.  The photographer saw his image and sued Fairey, forcing him to pay for using his work.  I think that appropriation can lead to some very creative and unique pieces, but copyright laws do need to be obeyed. 

Contemporary Art

This painting, by Jennifer Barlett, is entitled "Houses" and was created in 2005.  Bartlett is known for her paintings and her prints of mundane objects, especially houses.  She studied at the Yale School of Art and Architecture.  This painting is an example of contemporary art.  I enjoy this painting because it is  has a very different look and texture to it.  Bartlett brought liveliness to something as simple as a house.  It also looks as if the choice of colors and the spots in which the colors are took a lot of thought and time to reach the final product.

Contemporay Art - Frank Stella

The piece of contemporary artwork that I found is titled Harran II is by Frank Stella. Frank Stella is an American painters and printmaker who was born on May 12, 1936.  Stella went to Princeton and is regarded as one of the most well known postwar American painters.  This particular piece is a very colorful piece that is just made up of circles and squares.  The work of art was completed in 1967.  It is a made from polymer and fluorescent polymer paint on a canvas.  The painting does not seem like it would be very complex to make, it reminds me almost of a doodle I would draw in the margin of my notebook.  The piece of artwork is part of the beginning of Stella's Protractor series.  The artist really seemed to put a lot of thought into his piece as it is made up of defined pairs of horizontal and vertical lines that intersect at right angles.  He is said to have brought abstract and decorative painting together in a way that goes against traditions.  Harran II follows a motif that is present throughout most of the series.  The title of this piece and most of the other paintings in the series come from ancient cities in Asia Minor.   Although at first I found it to be rather simple, I realize that there is actually more to it.  The overlapping circles and squares make the design unique.  The colors are very bright and vibrant, grabbing my attention and giving it a retro look.

Michael Craig-Martin

I found Michael Craig-Martin's work to be very different from the art we have seen in previous classes.  I like that Martin uses very bright colors, but I dont understand what the meaning is of the random objects.  Also, Martin is known for using big, jumbled letters and words.  The neon colors remind me of the 70's, but I'm still unsure as to what makes him decide what objects are going to be included in his work.

Vija Celmins

I found Vija Celmin's paintings to be very intriguing.  This painting, entitled Comet, is probably one of my favorite paintings I have seen so far in class.  I also enjoy the spider webs.  Vija's paintings are mostly of nature, and some are just of objects.  I found her paintings to be very deep and thought out.  She was very particular about certain things and always had confident in her work.  The spider web, which was probably a very difficult painting, came out to look exactly like a spider web would, like it was photographed.  Also, the use of different colors and contrast in her ocean photos gave a relaxed tone.

Enter the Dragon: On the Vernacular of Beauty

I also found this reading very difficult to understand, and I had trouble finding what point the author was trying to get across.  What I did get from the reading was that Hickey believes there is a lack of beauty in the contemporary art world.  He says that beauty is what makes art so powerful.  And if an artist can portray beauty through his/her work, he/she can be successful.  This may be totally off, but this is what I understood.  I found it confusing and hard to comprehend.

Beauty of Art

I found the reading that we read for todays class to be very confusing.  I did not really understand what the author was saying.  The only thing I took away from the piece is that art is beautiful and beauty is what sells.  However it did not seem like the author was saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to art.  I think that all art sells, all different kinds of art.  People like what they like and find what they think is beautiful, beautiful.  It seemed more like the artist was saying that the only art that sells is that which is pushed by art dealers, and those art dealers do not care about the art.  I could be completely off thought and maybe I'm just confused...

Jeff Koon Art

I found Jeff Koon's art some of my favorite that I have seen so far.  Especially the sculptures of the balloon animals.  They are very appealing, especially to children, and give life to something so simple.  I also liked the paintings that his team was working on, such as the Popeye one above.  They are very colorful and the fact that they must use such precise colors makes me realize how much time and effort is needed. But what I didn't understand was the meaning of the pool blow up animals.  What made them so significant and appealing?  Other than that, I found Jeff Koon's art interesting and creative.

The Balloon  Animal Art that Jeff Koons created is awesome.  Its so creative and unique.  He takes an everyday item and makes it huge in a stainless steal metal.  I think that as a child I would absolutely love seeing these pieces.  Most of his art seems to be very eye catching and has a childish look to it, making it fun to look at.  His art kind of reminds me of Marcel Duchamp because he started the trend by taking ordinary objects and making them into art. 

Bruce Nauman Art

I agree with what Danielle said in her entry.  I found that while watching the video on Nauman, I was not impressed or attracted to what he considers art.  I believe that his videos were not true art, and did not express himself in any way.  Also, the repetitive videos are very unappealing.  But there are some people out there that must enjoy what he does.  And if he finds joy in making his art, then he should continue doing it.  I just think that his art was not normal, but I guess that there is nothing wrong with art that is different or unusual.  

Bruce Nauman Video Art

I find it hard to understand how people find Bruce Nauman's video art to be art.  I found the video's to be lengthy and boring.  His video titled "Setting a Good Corner" is like watching an instructional video on how to build a fence.  The clown video was especially annoying and I cannot imagine walking through a gallery having to listen to that replay continually.  However I do really like his neon sign art.  They are very unique and I feel like they would go over well with a younger crowd.  The neon works very with different quotes and images that can appeal to many people. 

Satan Devouring His Sons

Satan Devouring His Sons, by Francisco Goya, really caught my attention in class. Usually when I think of art that I would like to portray, it is how I am feeling or something that makes me happy.  This work of art shows Goya's truly depressed and mentally unstable state.  What I didn't know was that he has many more paintings just like this, and it made me wonder what he could possibly be going through that makes him want to express himself in this manner.  Similar to this one, his art portrays horror and terror to the viewer.  Even though his art was not always appealing to the onlooker, it always caught people's attention.  He was very successful throughout his career.  This shows that if you express your thoughts and feelings in your work, you have the capability of it going noticed.  In this case, people commended Goya for his ability to express himself even though it was not what people expected to see.

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, was a piece that really grabbed my attention today in class.  It is a very interesting and different piece that looks like it can terrify the onlooker.  In the picture Ii looked at on the web,the shark looks fierce and ready to strike.  It is amazing to be able to see such a dangerous animal up so close and personal.  A person is able to compare themselves to the shark and really get an idea of what it would be like to go up against one.  We are never truly able to just see a shark on this level on a regular basis.  I thought that it was interesting when someone pointed out that it an ironic piece of art where the role of the victim is switched.  This particular pieces also reminded me of an exhibit that travels the world called "Bodies: The Exhibit".  The body exhibit takes humans old, young, and those with medical conditions and allows onlookers to see them in a different light.  It shows them with different layers of skin, muscles, nerves, etc.  It is similar to pieces of Damien Hirst's art, only he he uses animals instead of humans. These exhibits allow the viewer to get a unique and natural view, teaching them a lot about both the human and animal body.

Marcel Duchamp

Before this class I had never heard of Dada art, let alone Marcel Duchamp and his ready-mades. This unconventional art never really struck me as great art.  However, after doing some research on Marcel I found that he had a profound influence and helped lead the way of what modern art was and has become today.  I really found it interesting that he took pieces that we encounter in every day life and used them as art.  He thought out of the box and made people look at these ready-mades and think about these ordinary objects.  After looking up some more ready-mades that Duchamp made I really began to think about why he choose these specific objects.  What makes these objects anymore significant than any other object?  I looked up info on his ready-mades and it says Duchamp had no reason for choosing his objects he just did.  The one that I really liked was Bicycle Wheel.  He put this together because he was amused by watching the wheel go round and round.