Unaffiliated Posting

Barnnet Newman
Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Blue?, 1966
75 X 48 inches
Oil on Canvas

Statement — June 7, 1943

1. To us art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take the risks.
2. This world of imagination is fancy-free and violently opposed to common sense.
3. It is our function as artists to make the spectator see the world our way not his way.
4. We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal. We wish to reassert the picture plane. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth.
5. It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism.
There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing.
We assert that the subject is crucial and only that subject matter is valid which is tragic and timeless. That is why we profess spiritual kinship with primitive and archaic art.
. . . . . by Mark Rothko, Adolf Gottlieb, Barnett Newman.

Artist Research no. 3: Michel de Broin 02/15/10

Michel de Broin constructs clever site specific installations that reference the arbitrariness of society. His bio on his website is concisely written and works well as an artist statement. I've included it below.

Born in 1970 in Montreal, Michel de Broin lives and works currently in London (UK). 

Through a collection of objects and actions, his works seek to escape the constraining nature of modern utopian aspirations whilst attempting to reenact them in playful, jesting objects that glorify the referent on the one hand while upstaging it on the other. 

Drawing on his doubt in the capacity and value of ideas, his sculptural projects seek to put them to the test by literally confronting them with the necessities of reality in assemblage that often troubles the ideas it purports to speak for.

All images copyright Michel de Broin

Research no. 2: Illusion 02/11/10

Illusion

Definitions and etymology from etymonline.com and Webster

It is sometimes used to describe a veil or lace that is worn over the face, disguising, hiding.

Often used to describe a trick, mid-14c., "act of deception," from O.Fr. illusion "a mocking," from L. illusionem (nom. illusio) "a mocking, jesting, irony," from illudere "mock at," lit. "to play with," from in- "at" + ludere"to play" . Sense of "deceptive appearance" developed in Eng. late 14c.

so delving into allusions, ludicrous, we can see the similarities are in the -lu-

an Allusion implies a reference is being made, albeit casual and indirect

Ludicrous 1610–20; < L lūdicrus sportive, equiv. to lūdicr(um) a show, public games (lūdi-, s. of lūdere to play, + -crum n. suffix of instrument or result) + -us -ous 

Implying that it is something of a playful matter, a joke, not to be take seriously

To elude someone you escape them, make a fool of them

Overall illusion seems to have a negative connotation, implying tricks and games.

I find it interesting that all the definitions I have researched imply something of a fun nature, not necessarily deceitful or evil, but foolish. I found no reference to anything of magic, yet....

Come on Wikipedia, are you telling me magic isn't real? Don't go and bust my bubble like that!

In our society today illusion will result in images like this showing up in your google search:

Implying that it is a visual trick utilizing optics and eye movement to create "games"

Artist Research no. 2: Nikki Graziano 02/07/10

Nikki Graziano is a photographer and a mathematician at RIT. She makes beautifully simple photographs, and then graphs them. She mathematically figures out her images. Her website is a bit tricky but absolutely divine! When you visit it, and I know you will, be sure to click on everything you can, it is like a lair of secret links.

All images copyright Nikki Graziano

Found Functions

Still Life

Research no. 1: Water Crystals 02/4/10

Masuru Emoto is a Japanese born author who has conducted experiments exposing water to different words, 
pictures, and thoughts. He has developed a photographic technique to photograph the tiny water crystals that 
form on the surface of recently frozen water. He studies images of water droplets from springs versus those 
from taps, water that is thought to be holy and water from known polluted areas. His findings are extraordinary. 
The geometry and symmetry found in crystals exposed to good thoughts and ideas are beautiful, intricate and lovely. 
Those exposed to hate and evil are visibly deformed and ugly.
All images copyright Masaru Emoto

Artist Research no. 1: Melanie Sciff 02/01/10

Melanie Schiff is from Chicago Illinois, and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London Fall 1996, got another BFA from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, in May 1999 and an MFA from the University of Illinois-Chicago in May 2002. She has showed internationally and was in the 2008 Whitney Biennial. Her work has an almost religious light to it, and I admire her ability to manipulate her surroundings. It is a little bit magic, and seems to have undertones of feminist voice.

All work copyright Melanie Schiff

Light Pipe 2009

Untitled (prism) 2009

Spit 2009

Hellroom 2009

Neil Young 2009

Skatepark 2009

Untitled (cases) 2009

Artist Lecture no.1: Alec Soth 01/28/10

Niagra Series

Portraits

 Fashion Magazine

All images copyright Alec Soth

So Alec Soth made a couple of things clear.

1. I am only "Sort of" educated about photography.

2. Most photographers who make films make really bad films.

3. Editorial photography is drowning. We should not talk about it.

4. His last name rhymes with "both"

I enjoyed his lecture, it was light hearted at points and comical, the home movie by Lee Friedlander was lovely, and set the stage for his idea of The Great American Road Trip. I've always had a hard time with this concept, go out drive, just go, and photograph everything. (democratically) Even the most mundane things can be interesting. I think this just over saturates our already soaked photographic world. It seems at direct opposition with the Narrative Machete he spoke about. I did really connect with his ideas about using the right tools for each project. He described his use of the 8X10 so eloquently, that he is not photographing people, but the space in between him and the person. That he can stare directly into their eyes without them feeling so scrutinized, how the cape conceals his gaze and the length of time it takes for a large format image to be composed and taken allows the sitter to relax, turn inwards and become less self conscious. I watched a video on him earlier today in which he expanded upon this idea talking about how beautiful and image on ground glass is, how he'd almost like to photograph that. I also found his stance on Crewdson's images eye opening. He said that they are not a narrative, they merely suggest a narrative, that his images create an actual story.