"It's Not Beautiful" by Evan Osnos

Ai Weiwei, Forever Bicycles, 2003

A profile on the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, "It's Not Beautiful" looks at Ai's role as both an artist and activist.  Ai has dabbled in many types of creative work, including installations, architecture, photographs, furniture, paintings, films, and books.  He has no scruples about standing up to Chinese authorities, whether it be in the form of a protest march to bring attention to the proposed demolition of artists' studios or a "Citizen's Investigation" of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan.  Through this investigation, he hopes to bring attention to the many children that died in the earthquake and to look into why so many perished in unstable schools.  Using Twitter and a blog (that was only recently shut down), Ai constantly communicates about his work in activism as well as art, attempting to be a source of inspiration and hope for his fellow dissatisfied countrymen.  Though many admire what Ai attempts to do, some consider him out of touch with how far China has come and believe that some of his actions undermine attempts at discussion and conversation with the government.  Ai remains confident in his position, however, and continues with his art and his activism, not caring if people consider it beautiful or not.   

"The Painted Word" by Tom Wolfe

I just want to say that I was entertained by the amusing, sarcastic tone that the author used in this article while he was basically slamming all of modern art.  It's not that I completely agree with all he said, I just thought the way he went about it was silly.  

Anyway, as for my objective summary...Wolfe begins his article with the "discovery" that all of Modern art is essentially literary: "the paintings and other works exist only to illustrate the text" (1).  He then continues by asking how this could be possible, because Modern art was essentially a reaction to "literary" realistic art--where painters would often illustrate well known stories/fables/etc. and try to create an illusion of reality.  The theory of Modern art began with the concept of art for art's sake.  

The artist's realm had moved away from nobility and the upper classes and was now more of a self-imposed separation from the hypocritical bourgeoisie.  The artist was now a bohemian in nature and so could not feel comfortable associating with the upper classes but still needed their support in order to be considered "successful."  Wolfe observes this behavior as taking place in two parts: the Boho Dance, in which the artist acts as if he doesn't care what the cultured people think of his art but still shows his art around, and the Consummation, where cultured people come to this artist's bohemia to try and find new and exciting art.  Wolfe also observes that the public were not part of this transaction.  What they thought did not matter, they were only informed of the decisions made by their superiors after the decisions were completed.

Wolfe then continues through each major Modern art movement, starting with Cubism, moving in Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Minimalism (among others) and shows how with each movement, the avant-garde in art dug itself ever further into a hole composed entirely of Theory.  Each movement had to be more true to the theory or come up with a purer version of the theory than had the last.  It all came to depend so much upon the theories that "ugly" art was often considered the best, as it could be given meaning in the context of a theory.  Wolfe ends with the supposition that future people will look back at this period in art history with amusement.    

Some of the artists referenced in the article:

Willem de Kooning, Woman III, 1953

Jackson Pollock, Number 1, 1950

Roy Lichtenstein, Drowning Girl, 1963

"A Kind Word for Critics" by Francois Truffaut

Truffaut discusses critics, especially in cinema, and makes some comparisons to the relationship between critics and artists.  He has a positive view of critics, and feels there is a nice rapport between movie critics, filmmakers, and the public.  He makes the keen observation that people are often drawn to movies/art/etc. from other places because there is an element of the exotic to them, as well as the fact that people can judge the work for itself rather than being influenced, for example, by knowledge of the creator that has been splashed all over the media in the place where the work originated.  The less involved we are with a particular artist, the less our biases of them cloud our judgment.  

He goes on to look at how antagonistic many artists are to critics, taking what they say very personally, rather than responding to critiques with "openness" and an interest in joining in the discussion of their work.  But also acknowledges how difficult it is to always maintain such a mindset, as artists pour themselves into their work.  He ends with the observation that although film criticism is important, it is only one aspect of the film's success/reception.  At the end of the day, if something strikes a cord with viewers, that's what really matters. 

And, I just wanted to add that I really enjoyed the ad for the Thesaurus in this article, it was quite fun!-- "Put punch into your prose and sparkle into your speech the easy way--with the new Doubleday Roget's Thesaurus..." 

"Criticizing Art" Chapter 3: pg. 63-86

This chapter discusses how critics describe art and how their descriptions, interpretations, and evaluations of each piece influence each other.  There are three aspects to describing works of art: subject matter, medium, and form.  "Subject matter" means the physical things, people, and places depicted in a work of art.  This is distinct from "subject," which is the theme or main idea of the piece.  "Medium" (plural: media) is meant to refer to a certain way of creating art (painting, sculpture, etc) or the actual materials that are used to create that art.  "Form" is in reference to how the artist presents their subject, specifically, composition and arrangement of a particular medium.  A list of possible "formal elements" is given: "dot, line, shape, light and value, color, texture, mass, space, and volume" (66).  

The rest of the chapter is devoted to looking at six different artists and different critic descriptions/interpretations of these artists' works.  Each of these sections show how in describing artwork, critics often include a mixture of biographical/historical context, pure emotional description of the pieces, an interpretation of the artists' subject, and a tone of approval/disapproval.  An emphasis is placed upon the fact that most critics' descriptions are done in a positive, lively manner.     

Deborah Butterfield, Palomino

Above is pictured a work of art by one of the artists mentioned in the chapter.      

Favorite Pieces of Art [expanded ]

model using only side of charcoal

copy of Degas with crosshatching

diptych with model

"self portrait as someone else"

self portrait

I took pictures of a few of my favorite paintings so here they are, in addition to the drawings that I put in an earlier post. 

"The Theory and Organization of the Bauhaus" by Walter Gropius

In this reading, Walter Gropius details the main tenets of the Bauhaus.  He speaks initially of a shifting worldview: one where a perceived unity among all things is slowly replacing a more dualistic oppositional worldview.  The Bauhaus seeks to reflect this new unity in all things.  First, the "academy" is addressed, which Gropius believes is a blight on the artist and his growth.  The academy separates artists from the real world and gives them no concrete training.  The Bauhaus seeks to bring the artist back into contact with the concrete world of industry and design, allowing him to work closely with peers and instructors in a technical/craft-based environment during their education.  The ultimate goal of the Bauhaus is stated as being total creative unity in collective works of art.  In order to get to this point, the "Preliminary Course" involves helping the students understand the basic properties of different materials and the fundamentals of design.  The strengths of each individual will be determined.  Then comes more of an "apprenticeship" where the students are given more freedom to pursue creative ideas with the cooperative assistance of others.  All this in preparation for the collective "building" of great works.  

     

"The Enveloping Air" by John Berger

John Berger encourages the viewers of a Monet exhibit to "rethink" Monet: specifically what he was able to do through his art and the effect that it has had on us.  Monet and the other impressionists sought to record fleeting moments in time, focusing on color and light to create the unique feeling of a landscape at a certain time of day, during a specific time of year.  While this is the typical observation of most Impressionist works, Berger references Monet's painting of Madame Monet on her deathbed as one that is indicative of a different Monet.  This painting, he says, is "about the act of leaving, about going elsewhere" (47).  He goes on to say that Impressionist works are about flow, but he doesn't believe that Monet's are really about the flow of time, as other Impressionist paintings are assumed to be.  Monet's are about the flow of air, the "enveloping air," that as he approaches it, takes him elsewhere.  This elsewhere is somewhere anyone can recognize as "universal and eternal" (49).  

Monet, La Pie, 1869

    

"Painting and Politics: 1976-90"

This piece looks at how many people saw painting as becoming almost obsolete in the 1950s/60s/70s because of the advent of mass media and the prevalence of photography.  A reinvention of painting would need to be brought about in order for it to continue as an important means of art creation.  During this time period, a rebirth of figurative painting occurred as a response to the abstract expressionism and minimalism of the previous decades.  This figurative work was heavily influenced by German expressionists, and a return to more narrative works went along with this "rediscovery" of the figurative tradition.  Many painters during this time also created a kind of playful critique of the concept of the photograph in their work; this served as a sort of hallmark of the movement towards collage and the more widespread creation of multimedia works of art (post-modernism).  In the early 1980s, "East Village" art and street art became popular and were seen by some as kitschy.  Some of the popular artists of this movement, such as Mike Bidlo, were interested in the concept of the copy and "original" art.  The reading goes on to look at defining the "feminine" in art, as all of the earlier artists discussed were male.  This concept embraces characteristics such as passivity, sensuousness, and tentativeness.     

"I am for an art..." by Claes Oldenburg & "Happenings in the New York Scene" by Allan Kaprow

The "I am for an art..." reading is kind of a meditation on art by Oldenburg in the context of the Happenings, which were a combination of installation and theatrical improvisation undertaken by artists that would involve an audience.  In this reading, Oldenburg lists what kinds of art he is for, basically anything that is gritty, everyday, unpredictable and revealing of life's inner truths.  He is for an art that does not just sit a museum, but takes place in random locations and involves people in the art-making. 

The next reading is almost an expansion or explanation of the first one in that Allan Kaprow details what Happenings are, where they take place, etc.  Essentially, Happenings don't have a predetermined structure.  They are artistic/theatrical performances that involve the audience in the art-making.  They can take place anywhere, as long as the locations are intimate and support the interactive feel of the pieces.  Happenings don't have any strict beginning, middle and end, they usually begin with an idea or a set of ideas to explore and are left to chance to see what will happen.  In these performances, "failure" will often lead to a greater realization or exploration.  One of the most essential components of these works is that they cannot be sold, they are only around for a short time and are undertaken at most several times and at the least, just once.  Kaprow also looks at fame and success of artists towards the end of his writing.  He sees successful artists as not being free to produce work like the Happenings, as being pressured by dealers and the public to create art that will look good on a wall or that is suitable to be placed in a gallery or museum.  At this point, he sees many artists as dead in respect to their craft and unable to pursue work that is really meaningful.      

Reinvention of "Drag" (1984) in 2008 by USC Masters of Fine Arts Program

   

"Criticizing Art" Chapter 2: pg. 43-62

This portion of chapter 2 mostly looks at underrepresented groups of people in art history and the art community including women, people of color, and those that identify as LGBTQ.  The chapter begins by looking at feminist artists and specifically details some of the work of the Guerilla Girls, an anonymous group of female artists, critics, and historians who made public service announcements (as well as engaged in other activities) to promote recognition of the discrimination and sexism inherent in the art world.  

Guerilla Girls, Inc., 2005

The chapter goes on to discuss how women artists are not necessarily feminists, it must be a conscious choice to use one's art to address the inequalities that exist between the sexes.  During the transitional period where modernism began to become postmodernism, feminists called for "an expansive pluralistic approach to art making, including the use of narrative, autobiography, decoration, ritual, and craft-as-art.  

Next, the reading looks at Fred Wilson, who through his work, encouraged people to think about how museums often fail to represent art of racial and ethnic minorities.  In the 1990s, Wilson created an exhibition where, for example, he put steel shackles amidst silver cups and vases and placed a whipping post in a display of Victorian furniture.  Inspired by Wilson's work, museum curators created questions for visitors to ask themselves when visiting any museum, like "For whom was this piece created?" and "Who is represented?".  

In the last section, specifically gay activists and artists are looked at.  It observes that many of the members of these groups have reclaimed the word "queer" as a way of being confrontational towards people who might use the word as a derogatory term, and as a way to bring more attention to LGBTQ issues and discrimination.   

ArtBreak with Sean Hurley 2/16/11

I was quite excited for this artist's lecture because I loved Sean's print in the current show at the Museum of Art.  Here it is, I think I actually put this one in a previous post:

Sean Hurley, Cement Factory, 2010

I absolutely love this print!  I think because it is somewhat stylized, uses multiple colors and has a somewhat chiaroscuro element to it.  It was very interesting hearing about how Sean's prints have evolved during the last several years.  He started by showing us some images he was influenced by, including some by Edward Hopper, Charles Sheeler, and James Whistler.  He said that he had mostly done figurative work before seeing pieces by Hopper and Sheeler and then started doing more landscapes and gritty, industrial scenes.  To begin with, he would take photographs and then work from those in order to cement his technique with the prints.  His first ones were a lot like Sheeler's work in that they were focused on the contrast between light and dark shapes.  

Sean then got into more spontaneous work by sketching directly from life onto his etching plates.  After continuing with this technique for a while, he went back to doing detailed drawing studies before beginning each etching.  I found this progression really interesting.  It was so cool that he kept altering how he approached his work just to keep his interest and to take his work in new directions that just felt right.  I think I really identified with this because I get bored if I stick with the same technique or medium for too long--I feel the need to change it up to stay creative and not feel like I'm getting stuck in a rut.

Here is a diptych of Portsmouth that I love:

Sean Hurley, Bow Street Divide, 2008

I am intrigued by the wonderful perspective and the swooping lines that lead your eye all around the picture.  Plus, it is always fun to recognize a place in a piece of artwork! 

 

"Diverting Devotion" 2/15/11

I really enjoyed this staged reading!  The characters felt very realistic and many of the actors did an amazing job at making their roles seem effortless and comfortable.  I especially enjoyed the characters Sully and Henry.  Sully was my favorite because he seemed so real, like just a normal guy.  I thought the script was very well written--it had humor and an ease to it, but it was also quite sad and thoughtful.  I wish that I could go see the other reading, "Phaedra," to compare the plays.  

I also enjoyed that "Diverting Devotion" was done as a "staged reading."  Before coming to the show, I didn't exactly know what was meant by a staged reading, and I thought I wouldn't like the format as much as a normal theatrical production, but I ended up being intrigued by the way it was done.  Honestly, it didn't really seem much different than a normal play even though there were few props and the actors were holding their scripts.  For me it didn't really detract from the performance at all.  The only thing that was occasionally a little distracting was when the actors would keep looking at their scripts, and it was quite distracting when one of them dropped their script by accident, but other than that they had seemed to have memorized most of the lines so I often forgot they were holding their scripts.  I also love the intimate feel of the Hennessey Theater--seeing pieces done almost in the round is always fun.  I thought the intimate format worked especially well for this play because of the subject matter and it's everyday feel.  These people could easily have been friends of yours and I feel like the fact that the stage projected out into the audience made me feel closer to the actors and more invested in the story.  

Overall, I am really glad that we went in class because I may have missed this performance otherwise!  

"Just Kids" by Patti Smith

I'm not sure if we were supposed to write about this excerpt from Just Kids but I shall do so anyway because I really really enjoyed this book!  This part of the book details Patti Smith's arrival in New York and essentially her ensuing homelessness that lasted for a brief period before she was able to find work and a place to stay.  The relationship between Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, which is the soul of the book is quite fascinating and fun to read about.  Smith has such a simple but elegant way of writing that the book reads quite easily but has a sort of poetic, brooding feel to it.  I also appreciated how it was written kind of haphazardly with some portions basically short vignettes, other portions serious reflections on her life, and others simply yarns about artists living in New York City in the 1960s/70s.  I also loved the photographs of Patti and Robert that would occasionally crop up in the book so I will post a few of them here:

"What Passes for Art"

Written in 1927, the author of this piece complains that all of the modern art of the day is worthless, bad art.  He is concerned that people are getting mislead into enjoying this art because museums will display it and people will flock to the rooms with the modern art, whereas the rooms containing the works of the great masters will be almost empty.  The author laments the public's seduction with this bad art because he believes the artists that create the art do not put as much thought into their work and don't have the complete skill and mastery of the medium and subject matter as did the old masters.  With much complaining and bemoaning, the piece continues along the same line, but ends on an optimistic note.  The writer believes that public confusion concerning good and bad art is on the decline and that people have it in them to recognize real art when they are presented with it.  Therefore it is up to the museums to show this art to the public and all will be well.

Here is a piece of work by Kenyon Cox, spectacularly denounced by the author as follows: "If one man in America succeeded in making his name a by-word for artistic deadness, that man was Kenyon Cox" (90).

Kenyon Cox, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 1887

  

Paul Cezanne Letters to Emile Bernard & Rainer Maria Rilke from Letters on Cezanne

The first reading is a selection of excerpts from letters that Cezanne sent to Bernard in his later years.  In them, Cezanne emphasizes the importance of painters learning from nature.  He is also not very subtle about his dislike/disinterest in talking about or criticizing art, seeming to give Bernard forceful hints that he doesn't think much of his writing about art.  He makes the observation that a writer works in abstractions whereas a painter "gives concrete form to his sensations and perceptions" (34).  

The second reading is a selection of excerpts from letters that Rilke wrote to his wife about Cezanne.  These letters are Rilke's response to seeing an exhibit of Cezanne's work in Paris in 1907.  In his first letter, Rilke makes the telling observation that in museums he is always more interested in the people wandering around than the paintings themselves, that is, except for in the Cezanne room.  He goes on to discuss some of Cezanne's life and technique in his work and finally goes into an in depth study of one of Cezanne's paintings (pictured below) in one of the final letters.  His most beautiful prose reflects on Cezanne's use of color and how in each of the main colors of the painting, there are many different shades acting and reacting against other shades and colors so that the image seems almost to be quivering with movement.      

Paul Cezanne, Madame Cezanne in a Red Armchair, 1877

 "Everything, as I already wrote, has become an affair that's settled among the colors themselves: a color will come into its own in response to another, or assert itself, or recollect itself...In this hither and back of mutual and manifold influence, the interior of the picture vibrates, rises and falls back into itself, and does not have a single unmoving part" (39).

Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999

This piece is a selection of quotes by Louise Bourgeois from an interview done in the 1980s.  I just want to say, really quickly, before I get back to my objective summary, that I was super excited when I read the first sentence of the biography of Bourgeois because it said that she studied art and math!  Yay, another odd art/math person like myself.  Anyway, in these quotes, Bourgeois talks about her relationship to art and how she sees it as "a privilege, a blessing, a relief" (1089).  She sees it as a privilege that she is able to access her subconscious, and almost sees this access as a call to duty to create art.  She recognizes this access can be painful and can never be escaped from, but she appreciates it because it allows her to make art that is important to her.  
Bourgeois also clarifies that for her art is not about art, it is about life.  She maintains that art will always be modern: "Everywhere in the modern world there is neglect, the need to be recognized, which is not satisfied.  Art is a way of recognizing oneself, which is why it will always be modern" (1090). 

"Between the Lines"

Julie Mehretu, Rising Down, 2008

A review of an exhibit at MoMA, "On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century," discusses the exhibit's unexpected selection of works.  While most people consider drawing to be something constructed by taking a pencil to paper, this exhibit looks at drawing as a process and result that can be undertaken using a variety of methods.  This show purports to emphasize that a drawing is merely a study of line and how this form connects to and is separate from the space around it; as stated by Kandinsky, "line is a point set in motion."  As is evidenced by the pieces in the exhibit, only about a quarter of which would pass for a conventional drawing, artists of the twentieth century have taken drawing to new heights, drawing in three dimensions and through film.  The author identifies the importance of collage and its multitude of inspired works.     



Luis Camnitzer, The Instrument and its Work, 1976



"Downtown's Daughter"

This piece is about Lena Dunham, a filmmaker who recently created the movie, Tiny Furniture.  The film is about a girl similar to Dunham, but one who is not quite as sophisticated and sure of herself.  For Tiny Furniture, Dunham borrowed extensively from her life but slightly twisted the details in order to create a sort of self-referencing character study complete with a quirky hilarity that she has cultivated since she was young.  She has always walked a little off the beaten track, going to an arts focused middle/high school and attending Oberlin College, which she gleefully describes as quite leftist.  She is certainly a child of the current youtube/facebook generation and is unabashed at putting herself out there.  Like her character in Tiny Furniture, Dunham lives at her parents' house (two active artists) and has always been quite close to them, often at the expense of being closer to people her own age.  Being observant and more comfortable with adults since an early age has only aided Dunham in her clever character studies and helped mold her unique view of the world.  

 

Criticizing Art: Chapter 2 pg. 29-43

This reading essentially attempts to distinguish modernism and postmodernism through highlighting general differences between the two and looking at what critics and artists say about each of these "movements."  We are currently considered to be in the age of postmodernity by most people.  The "Age of Modernity" is often looked at as beginning in the late 1600s and mid/late 1700s.  This, however, is different than the era of modern art, generally considered to have begun in the late 1880s and continued through the 1970s.  Modernism in art began during a time of social upheaval, with the industrialization of the west and the movement away from more agrarian lifestyles.  Modernist artists were very focused on the individual and thought it was important that art rise above everyday life.  From the beginnings of modernism grew formalism, in which "the 'significant form' of the artwork was what was to be exclusively attended to" (33).  Other important movements such as abstract expressionism and minimalism followed.  

Criticism of modernism began the current movement of postmodernism in the 1960s/70s.  Andy Warhol is observed by many as a sort of catalyst for the end of modernism.  Where modernists believed art should reside above the everyday, postmodernists recognize narrative and political art as important.  While modernists tended to gravitate towards the purity of one medium, postmodernists often use combinations of a variety of media.  Most importantly, postmodernists are critical of the times they live in, whereas modernists were not.     

ArtBreak with Christopher Gowell 2/9/11

Christopher Gowell, Iguana Birdbath

I was excited to hear Christopher Gowell speak about her work because she has a couple pieces of sculpture in the show at the Museum of Art that I enjoyed.  I like the organic influence in her set of figures she created as a sort of garden series; I think she was beautifully able to meld the human form with different natural elements such as plants and animals. 

However, her talk was not very effective in giving any background information as to her influences and why she does what she does.  Mostly, she just ran through a bunch of pictures on her website and said little about each of them, except for one or two when she mentioned a brief personal back story.  It was nice to hear about her school and foundry that she has created from an old church, but it was somewhat distracting that she did not seem to know how to run her own website and where things were on the page.  I can understand not being technologically savvy, but it did not seem as if she really prepared much at all for the talk which was kind of disappointing.   

Christopher Gowell, In Whose Image

 

Poetry Recycled with Jenni Cook and Arlene Kies 2/7/11

Let me start off by saying that this type of singing/music is not really my thing.  That being said, I definitely enjoyed some of the pieces that were performed, especially the final one, as it was quite silly and fun...although it did go on for quite a lot longer than I was expecting.  Also, I really appreciated the fact that both Jenni Cook and Arlene Kies are extraordinarily talented (I have seen Arlene perform as a soloist for a Faculty Series concert and it was incredible).  

What I took from the performance was that just little things like a different melody or a different key can completely change the mood of a song.  It's also extremely fascinating to me how the different composers tended to focus more on certain words and phrases, while sometimes they would both emphasize the same phrase.  This is so intriguing because it really gives you a clue into how that person's mind works and what they wanted audiences to take away from the poems.  

This observation completely applies to any form of art.  Like in painting for example, a scene can give many different moods based on the technique used in the painting as well as the color choices of the painter, and a number of other factors.  These type of choices give the artist a lot of power to effectively portray what they want people, as well as themselves, to get out of their work.  

One other thing I also enjoyed about the performance was that Jenni Cook would start off each set of poems by giving a little informal introduction, sometimes discussing why she picked this particular set and also the historical back story behind the work.  It was great to be able to put each of the sets of poems in some sort of context.  

Kent Perdue

In Woodworking today Leah had Kent Perdue, a visiting artist, come in to talk to us about his work and some experiences he's had working at different places using wood and other materials.  I was so intrigued by his work, especially the pieces he showed us that were particularly about his background, growing up in more rural Virginia.  These pieces had such whimsy to them and were just gorgeous, full of beautiful textures and combinations of materials.

Kent Perdue, Silo: Consciousness, 2010

I love the spiraling in this piece and the contrast in material, especially the broken/rough bottoms of the pieces of wood that form the edges of the silo.  Here are some more of his pieces:

Kent Perdue, House on Boat: Endeavors, 2010

Kent Perdue, Winged House: Fleeting, 2010

 With these pieces, he talked about how they are kind of about taking the skills and experiences that you grew up with and sort of running with them (that's kind of why there is a flying/moving element within each of them).  He talked about how he just really appreciated things that looked interesting, that made you want to keep looking at them from all angles--places he had grown up with as a child--these were the types of things that inspired some of these pieces.  

 I think part of the reason I like Kent's work so much is that there is really a sense of voice and place with his work.  You feel like you can really sense the person that created the pieces and the unique point of view that he is trying to convey. 

"Criticizing Art" Chapter 1: pg. 14-28

The second half of Chapter 1 begins by detailing a variety of art critics from the 1500s to present.  Many of these critics have different approaches to art criticism, as well as different backgrounds and focuses within their work.  For example, Giorgio Vasari was an Italian Renaissance painter, draftsman, architect, collector, and writer.  He greatly admired the art of Raphael and Michelangelo.  Denis Diderot was a French critic during the 1700s who created an encyclopedic dictionary of the arts and sciences.  Diderot made sure he understood the work and special techniques involved in creating works of art by talking closely with many artists to learn how they made art.  Lucy Lippard, a modern critic of the current era focuses a lot of her work on advocating for underrepresented groups of artists such as women and minorities. 

After discussing the aforementioned critics, as well as quite a few others, the chapter goes on to look at how different critics define art criticism, eventually ending up with a general definition: Art criticism is usually written for a particular audience (the public or a portion of it) and comes in many forms.  Critics appreciate, describe and interpret art.  Some of them believe judgments are important, while others believe they are not.  Critics want to interest people in art and the issues and thoughts different pieces provoke.   

"Still Life"

This piece, by Mary Gordon, is a reflection, contrasting her love of Bonnard with her mother's decline into dementia.  Gordon's mother no longer remembers her daughter and is often agitated and confused when she comes to visit her in the nursing home.  The paintings of Bonnard act almost as an escape for Gordon, in that their bright colors and effortless beauty seem to imagine another world in which people don't grow old and lose their dignity.  She wonders if Bonnard could take the unbearable tableau she sees every week in the nursing home, of people literally wilting before her eyes, and create a scene of warmth and elegant subtlety.  Gordon plans a party for her mother's ninetieth birthday and brings her flowers and food of colors evoking Bonnard.  To her, the food in his paintings always hinted of a sunny place.  

Pierre Bonnard, Basket of Fruit: Oranges and Persimmons, 1940

While Gordon appreciates the beauty and simplicity of Bonnard's work, she wonders if behind this facade there existed a more complex, wistful man.  She ends her essay with the following question: "Is it possible that, despite his portrayal of the joy and richness of the colors of this world, despite his mastery and his absorption in the process of seeing, despite his recognition and success, his last days were no more enviable than my mother's?" (53).

Carl Andre and Frank Stella

The first of these pieces is by Carl Andre, writing about Frank Stella for an exhibition of Stella's at MoMA.  Andre and Stella shared studio space for a brief time in New York.  Andre discusses Stella's paintings of stripes as the "exclusion of the unnecessary," which he also believes to be what art is.  He sees the paintings as only brush strokes on canvas, as paths that are sort of a pure, true form of painting.

The second piece of writing is by Frank Stella, examining what he believes to be the two "problems" of painting: learning about what painting is and figuring out how to make your own paintings.  Stella believes that the most crucial thing one needs to do to learn about painting is to look at and imitate other people's paintings.  In this way, one can begin to teach oneself different techniques and to also eventually consider the painters' mindsets as they worked on a piece.  After this process, Stella then began to make his own paintings but was frustrated in his work.  He came to simplify his paintings in order to "force illusionistic space out of the painting at a constant rate by using a regulated pattern": hence his use of line.  

Frank Stella, The Marriage of Reason and Squalor, 1959

    

"Tradition and Identity"

This speech, given by David Smith at Ohio University in 1959, looks at Smith's beliefs regarding tradition and art, as well as Smith's own identity as an artist.  He begins by discussing his preconceived notions of art and artists; when Smith was younger, art was a vague word, one he was unsure of.  An artist was "an ethereal poetic character divinely sent," and oil painting and sculpture were complex, inconceivable processes learned from years and years of study, only really accessible in important cities like New York and Paris.  Now he sees tradition both as a valuable tool and a force that can hold back.  Smith makes the clarification that he only speaks out against the type of tradition that keeps art from progressing: "In this context tradition can only say what art was, not what art is."  He then transitions into discussing how he works as an artist and what his art means to his own identity.  A work does not need to turn out perfectly: rather, it is more important to have an image of where one wants to start and then continue on until one reaches a point of realization.  Smith's current work often transitions into his future work, as his past work continues into his current.  His art is his most true form of expression: "As far as I am concerned, after I've made the work, I've said everything I can say."  

David Smith, Australia, 1951

This piece contained a lot of insight into what it means to be an artist.  The whole speech just felt so much from the heart and was articulate and enjoyable to read.  I really identified with some of what Smith said in his final paragraph and also aspire to be like what he wrote there:

"I will not change an error if it feels right, for the error is more human than perfection.  I do not seek answers.  I haven't named this work nor thought where it would go.  I haven't thought what it is for, except that it is made to be seen.  I've made it because it comes closer to saying who I am than any other method I can use.  This work is my identity.  There were no words in my mind during its creation, and I'm certain words are not needed in its seeing; and why should you expect understanding when I do not?  That is the marvel - to question but not to understand.  Seeing is the true language of perception.  Understanding is for words.  As far as I am concerned, after I've made the work, I've said everything I can say." 

"A Painter's Wisdom"

This brief piece, by Max Beckmann, is a satirical look at the top ten things that artists should do and remember to have a successful career/life.  The ten observations / pieces of advice look humorously at the relationship between the artist and the public as well as the relationships between artist, critic, art dealer, and patron.  Beckmann observes that artists must be self-promoters and they must respect authority, money, and power.  Essentially, an artist is a servant of society and is subject to the whims of the public: "his only purpose consisting in sprinkling the world with brightly colored pollen" (32).  He also amusingly writes that one of the best things an artist can do is to die.  Only then will their work truly be noticed and appreciated by their peers and the public.  

Max Beckmann, Carnival: The Artist and his Wife, 1925

Here are a couple great quotes from this article:

"It is therefore advised that should the unfortunate artist have been endowed by nature with a little sense and a modicum of critical faculty he keep these qualities to himself" (32).

"The best thing an artist can do, of course, is to die.  Only when the last living vestige of this bothersome personality has disintegrated in his grave can his fellow men take pleasure in his work.  Only then does the artist's work truly belong to his contemporaries, for if they buy it at the right time it is as good as if they had made it.  The artist is therefor strongly advised to die at the right time.  Only thereby can he put the finishing touches on his work" (32).  

"The Blue of Distance"

This article, by Rebecca Solnit, ponders the color blue and looks at it as the color that signifies distance.  She observes that as you look towards the horizon, landscapes and objects blur their edges and take on a bluish hue.  Solnit notes, "The color of that distance is the color of solitude and of desire, the color of there seen from here, the color of where you are not.  And the color of where you can never go" (13).  She sees this blue distance as almost a world unto itself, especially when looking at paintings, beginning in the fifteenth century, when European painters first began to paint "the blue of distance."  In these paintings, blue was used to create depth but was often overused and mixed a little too brightly, creating a separate faraway land.  Solnit ends her rumination by speaking of the contrast between how children and adults think about distance.  Children, on the one hand, often only see the here and now.  What is far away and out of sight holds little interest.  The blue of distance is a realization that comes with time, something that comes with experiencing sadness and the complexities of life.  With maturity comes increasing observation and appreciation of little things like this blue remoteness.  

Here is one of the paintings mentioned by Solnit in her article:

Hans Memling's Triptych of the Resurrection, 1490

I loved the way this piece was written; I think it was very eloquent and thoughtfully put.  Here is one quote that I especially liked: 

"The mental landscape of the young is like that of medieval paintings: a foreground full of vivid things and then a wall.  The blue of distance comes with time, with the discovery of melancholy, of loss, the texture of longing, of the complexity of the terrain we traverse, and with the years of travel...[P]erhaps maturity brings with it...an aesthetic sense that partially redeems the losses time brings, and finds beauty in the faraway" (15).