Final Sophomore Seminar Post

Although this course did have quite a lot of reading, I really feel like I have learned a lot: about artists I didn't know anything about, specific theories of art, the greater art world/community, etc.  This class has also helped me to begin thinking seriously about my own art and myself as an artist.  I am so glad that we were required to go to at least 6 art events/talks for Soph. Sem. because I ended up going to the majority of talks that happened this semester and I really enjoyed them!  I definitely would not have gotten around to going to many if not for this class and I am really grateful.  Hearing artists talk about their own work has been inspiring and thought-provoking.  

As for my studio practice, I am hoping to consistently set aside time for myself to do my own artwork, not just classwork.  I am hoping that after I come back from Italy later this summer that I will be inspired to do a lot of my own artwork.  Right now I have some more sculptural ideas that are knocking around in my head that I would like to pursue before school starts again.  I just hope that the summer does not fly by like usual without me getting anything done!  Goals for myself for over the summer / fall semester: spend several hours per week working on my own artwork, spend time looking for shows in which to apply/exhibit, and build my resume.  I am really excited to continue to define my vision as an artist in preparation for my BFA year...and am definitely a little relieved that I still have another year before I will be stressed out about all that work.  But at the same time I can't wait to have the BFA experience because I know it will be a great time of personal growth.  Taking Sophomore Seminar, hearing all these different viewpoints and thoughts on art and artists, seeing so much artwork, and thinking about my own work has only further cemented my knowledge that art is what I want to do with my life.      

"A Room of One's Own, a Mind of One's Own" by Robert Storr

Storr begins his piece by describing all the different places that artists work, from studio space in their homes to rented space in an old factory downtown.  Some artists are lucky enough to have expansive, fairytale studios; ones designed around their every whim.  Storr reflects on the role of studios in the public imagination: many people see them as mysterious places of divine inspiration and creation.  Storr sees the studio as often doing one of two things, either informing clients that the artist is of the same social status as them and is therefore deserving of their respect or creating a theatrically different space, one that separates the artist from the client and adds to the artist's mystique.  

Willem de Kooning, A Tree in Naples, 1960

De Kooning grew up humbly and upon making a lot of money, he became very nervous and uneasy about it.  His studio space, though using up quite a bit of money, was practical, and by design seemingly made to use up the money that made him so uncomfortable.  De Kooning actually had his bedroom placed above his studio so at any time of night he could look down at his work from a balcony and ruminate on new ideas.  Storr also describes de Kooning's ex-wife's role in helping him get out from under a bad drinking habit by buying him massive amounts of high-quality oil paint (another common artist luxury/indulgence: having unlimited amounts of materials).  Arshile Gorky and John Chamberlin were also hoarders of material--Chamberlin's old garage/workspace a myriad palette of old metal and car parts.  Storr also goes on to talk about artists who lived and worked in extremely minimal or hermit-esque environments: Raoul Hague with his Gothic house out in the country and Agnes Martin in New Mexico, among others.  Storr's parting wisdom is that "artists work where they can, and how they can.  There is nothing mysterious about this, since artists must be pragmatic even when they pretend not to be or do the best they can to disguise themselves and conceal their process.  The mystery and the marvel is in the work.  The rest is contingent reality and real estate."

Naked Arts talk with BFA students (part I) 4/37/11

Shayna Bicknell, Road, 2011

I thought Josh, Katie, and Shayna all did a good job talking about their work.  Josh definitely seemed the most comfortable of the three to me.  I enjoyed hearing about how his ideas developed from one piece to the next: how they are on a similar line of thinking but how the core idea of each piece is quite different from the other two.  I had talked to him a little about his work in the wood shop previously, but it was nice to hear him talk more formally about all of his pieces.  I think my favorite of his pieces was the third one (the tallest of the three).  I don't know why but I just love how he was able to incorporate the wood and the metal together and how they both looked so organic and cohesive.  The forms of his pieces are so beautiful.  I appreciate how much work he put into bending the wood and composing/forming his works.  

Katie seemed a little nervous but I thought she did a lovely job talking about the main concepts behind her work.  I loved how she approached the interiors as a series of color comparisons, letting the forms and shapes appear from these interacting relationships.  This mindset reminds me a lot of Brian Chu's approach to painting.  I liked how she pointed out that her kitchen triptych incorporated both natural and fluorescent light.  Besides the wonderful fuzzy quality of her pieces, I most enjoy her unique perspective and the curving of rooms/ceilings that results.  

I liked how Shayna compared her different approaches to her smaller paintings as opposed to her larger one that was in the show.  It was interesting to me that she felt more comfortable with the smaller works because I often feel like small works can be hard to do, as you have less space to work with and you need to do more with less.  I think her command of color is pretty great--my favorite piece was her large work of the stairwell outside the service building.   

"Recipe: Perfect Studio Day" by Michael Smith

In this piece, Smith recalls when he was younger and used to look forward to working in his studio because he would easily get swept up in the creative process, captivated by working out new ideas.  Now, however, he is merely nervous about working in the studio and not as inspired as he used to be.  Now, he spends a lot of time looking through old boxes of work, organizing and trying to find things.  At the very beginning of the piece, Smith lists elements of a recipe for a perfect studio day, including fresh coffee and quiet, among other requirements.  As he has gotten older, he has decided to add another aspect to his recipe: "embracing distractions."  He feels that he is more comfortable when he keeps himself busy and has less time to worry about a blank canvas or an undeveloped idea.  He thinks of himself as his own clerk and makes the following interesting statement: "To be busy is to be creative."  He holds to the belief that things will eventually work out and find their own place, himself included.     

"Criticizing Art" Chapter 6: pg. 167-178

The last sections of this chapter talk about how important editing is in the writing process and also that you should use a word processor (an example of how old this book is...I guess this edition is from 2000 though the original was 1994).  The section also gives two examples of student writing about art and criticism.  The first is a student writing about Robert Mapplethorpe who is of the view that Mapplethorpe's photography furthers moral decay in society by causing people to become desensitized to sexually explicit and masochistic images.  The second student piece is a comparison of three critics' views on the photographs of Joel-Peter Witkin.  This piece shows how critics can have very different interpretations and judgments of a piece, mostly based on their personal criteria for art.  The last couple sections give advice on how to talk about art in different situations (like in a group critique as well as informally with a friend, etc.).  The author makes the point that people need to be comfortable with one another and feel like they can talk freely for a good conversation to be able to happen.       

"The Art of the Billionaire: How Eli Broad took over Los Angeles" by Connie Bruck 2010

Eli Broad

This article details Eli Broad's quest to be the influential person in the Los Angeles art/museum scene.  Broad has gone back and forth between various museums for a couple decades.  He was instrumental in the creation of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) but then began to get too pushy about what work was shown and was resented.  His prevailing ideology was that the museum should emphasize its permanent collection and focus on "populist" shows.  He was then involved with the creation of Disney Hall for a time, where he and Frank Gehry clashed in their dealings.  

He since tried to find a place to house his own collection of art and one where he could have almost complete control over the showing and goings on.  In a deal with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), he planned on donating his private collection, but in return wanted a building all his own, one that would essentially be separate from LACMA and have its own committee of trustees and director.  The Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) was eventually built but then right before its opening, Broad decided that he would only lend his collection of artwork to the museum to be shown, rather than actually donating it, creating a big ruckus.  He then became more involved with MOCA again, as he swooped in to save the museum from a financial crisis in 2008.  He is also working on the construction of a building across the street from MOCA to house his collection that would run in tandem with MOCA but be its own entity, one that he can control.      

"The Worship of Art: Notes on the new god" by Tom Wolfe 1984

This article is much along the same lines as the last Tom Wolfe article we read.  Essentially he is railing on against contemporary/modern art and how ridiculous he thinks it is.  His particular point in this article is that art is the new religion of the wealthy and cultured.  People do not donate their estates or money to a certain church anymore, they donate it to a major museum or the creation of such a museum.  He talks specifically about corporations quite a bit and how they hire art critics/consultants to buy art for them so they can say that they support the arts.  And these consultants buy modern, often abstract art, not art that the companies' employees will enjoy.  This art is not meant to be enjoyable but is rather a legitimation of this company's wealth and evidence of their support of the arts.  

Jean Dubuffet, Group of Four Trees

He also goes on for a while about abstract sculptures that are put in front of buildings and in public areas.  People wanting to put in a sculpture always employ people from the art world in their decisions resulting in merely a celebration of modern art, Wolfe argues, rather than, say, a monument to Franklin Roosevelt.  Wolfe scoffs at critics like Clement Greenberg, who said that "all great contemporary art 'looks ugly at first.'"  He also bemoans the fact that now the major reason that the public is going to museums is to learn about contemporary art instead of just going to enjoy the works.  He obviously believes there is too much theory going on and it is all a big sham and a waste of people's time.