The Arts in NYC

Here’s something that might make you want to stop.

Beware

I went to the Guggenheim’s exhibition, “Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance”, a few months back and was immediately intrigued by the artwork. The exhibition, which features works by sixty artists, focuses not on supernatural beings, but rather on the “engaging themes of appropriation, documentation, history, the archive, nostalgia, trauma and the uncanny,” according to art critic, Walter Robinson.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t a bit scary. As I walked up the spiraling ramps of the Guggenheim, I was rather disturbed by some pieces, especially “Nail Biter” by artist Anthony Goicolea. I saw people entering and leaving a dark room with disgusted faces and that naturally, made me want to go in. Believe it or not, I think I was the only person who stayed long enough to see the whole thing during the time I was there.

If you like this video, you should also check out articles about the other pieces because unfortunately, the show closes today. Be aware, however, that some of the work is rather disturbing. There is an reoccurring theme of death that you will see throughout.

Here’s an article about the show.

I noticed that many people have been commenting on the question of what art is. I also have enjoyed the pieces on photography. I feel like our blog is becoming more cohesive and interesting. This is the first time I’ve ever participated in blogs of any kind and I love how this becomes an open forum.

I personally have always had an obsession with photojournalism and how it affects world perception. For me, the New York Times Lens Blog is a beautiful mix of artistic photographs that also have political meaning. I feel like each picture tells a compelling story and has more emotional depth than just reading an article about a foreign country.

I also thought it would be interesting to hear what you guys think. Would you classify this as art or something else?

One of the most fascinating aspects of art is the ability of an artist to take find beauty in the mundanity of everyday life. That is exactly what photographer Lee Friedlander does in his new book “America by Car,” which will be on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art through November 28th.

Driving is one of the most commonplace activities in our daily routine. In particular, driving through the five boroughs of New York City, we see incredible views all the time from bridges and highways that are so normal to us that we rarely take the time to appreciate what we see through our windshields.

Over the last fifteen years, Friedlander has taken black-and-white, square-format photographs all from the inside of cars that he rented during his road trips around the country. He captures magnificent pictures of the countryside, as well as photos of regular intersections, which are all buffered by a steering wheel, dashboard, car radio, or side-view mirrors. The presence of the visual impediments in the form of the interior of a car creates a unique sense of realism in each photograph. Additionally, the black-and-white composition gives regular houses, ice cream shops, factories, and other common sights a classic feel that transforms your perception of otherwise uninteresting roadside landscapes.

Having driven up and down I-95 from South Florida to Manhattan several times, I have spent an enormous amount of time behind the wheel of a car on highway roads, and I can personally relate to Friedlander’s photographs. In December, when my family once again drives down the east coast, I will have a much different perspective on the scenery around me from the interior of our car.

Click here to read The New York Times article

Slideshow from Lee Friedlander: America by Car

– David Rand

Have you ever considered that the cracks in the sidewalk could become pieces of art? Well that’s exactly what artist Ingrid Calame turns them into. She transforms things that no one would “think twice about” into pop art by tracing various grooves, cracks, spills and other markings onto Mylar paper and transferring them onto an aluminum sheet, suitable for painting. To her, these markings represent the life that has moved across these pavements for years, creating their histories. Ingrid has the talent of turning simple things into intricate, detailed, abstract images simply by noticing the unnoticed. As she says, “I love those treasures of nothingness.” And treasures are what they truly become.

Her artwork will be available for viewing Sept 10 through Oct 9 at the James Cohan Gallery. The exhibit is titled “Ingrid Calame: Swing Shift”. Check out the article
Her Artwork

Art from the Arcelor Mittal Steel Shipping Building One, No. 233

What makes something “Art”?

Dictionary.com defines art as “the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.” Well now that that’s settled and clarified, let me ask you another question. What makes art “good” or “bad”? What is deemed beautiful or aesthetically pleasing to one person may not be viewed in a similar manner by another. Just because a piece doesn’t fit in the societal mold of “fine art” does not strip it of its artiness. I have recently come across an article which focuses on some interesting people who enjoy what has been classified as “Bad Art” or “Found Art”. These people focus on the “of more than ordinary importance” aspect of art. They enjoy art which strikes an emotional chord, whatever that chord may be. Whether it be in a picture of a mermaid/unicorn hugging Bigfoot, a couple of U.F.O.’s, or suicidal clowns. They value the “passion of the amateur” over the craft of the technician. They rummage through trash heaps, flea markets, yard sales, and sometimes eBay for these artistic”treasures.” They do however have a small list of criteria for what can be considered “Bad Art”. The most important of which is that it has to have been created seriously and honestly. Therefore if someone were to set out to make something hideous on purpose it would not fit the genre. There is even a “Museum of Bad Art” or the “MOBA” as it has come to be known. It’s cheap, it’s anonymous, it’s odd, and it’s clumsy, but no matter how oxymoronic it may seem these pieces of “bad art” are art nonetheless.
click this

the MOBA website click this…uh or not

For years, the fashion world was clandestine. The public knew of the latest trends and about the runways that introduced the emerging ideas, but knew nothing regarding the work and details in-between. However, in alliance with the Internet, the secrets are out.

SHOWstudio is a website that combines fashion with film. Highlighting the artistic aspects of the business, the organization aspires to positively change the way we see fashion. Lofty designers and photographers collaborate with writers, filmmakers, and well-known cultural icons. These artists conduct interviews with fellow aesthetic-experimentalists, and broadcast catwalk shows and model shoots live. Their mission? To generate the most vivid and innovated image of fashion through art – moving, still, or verbal.

Artists of any kind – musicians, designers, writers – will certainly find this tool resourceful as a source of inspiration.  There are many videos and portraits available for a global audience to view. One of the site’s recent projects is titled “The Fashion Body,” which glorifies each part of the human body with a distinctive video.

Another development – Eniko – is an interactive film combining fashion, graphics and music.

Before I encountered this website, I always noted the shallow characteristics of fashion before noticing the artistic qualities. My new-found awareness has changed that opinion, and I hope others who have shared a comparable view experience a similar transformation.

A still from "The Fashion Body"

– Alexandra Nicoletti

Steve McGhee is a Canadian “professional designer,” who specializes in creating surreal digital art featuring chaos. Most of his works involve worst case scenarios in urban settings as a result of the monstrous manifestation of nature, or as we coin the term, natural disasters. The idea behind each of his works are not disturbing however, but rather the realistic quality present.

"The Big Swallow" by Steve McGhee

Steve McGhee once aspired to become a fireman, until his teachers took note of his artistic abilities. He then attended the H. B. Beal Secondary School in London, Ontario, Canada to study the arts as a high school student. He attended Sheridan College afterwards for animation, and George Brown College for graphic design.

Steve McGhee’s “The Big Swallow,” as pictured above, won first place honors in 2009 for the Photoshop User, World Wide Photoshop Competition. His piece, “Last Flight Home” won Best Digital Art of the Active Webdezign Annual Design Awards in 2010 (pictured below).

"Last Flight Home" by Steve McGhee

An artist McGhee admires is Mathieu Beaulieu, whose pieces involve 2D animation and illustration, such as this advertisement for Télé-Québec:

Ciné-Cadeau ’08 – Promotional ad from Mathieu Beaulieu on Vimeo.

Although both artistic styles differ, it is good to know that there will be a constant demand for digital art regarding different designs.

Source

by Clarissa Baquiran

Upon reading the title of this article, I thought that one of New York City’s hotels was going to be transformed into an art gallery.  As I began reading, I realized that I was wrong, but there is something more interesting going on.  Apparently, a lot of hotels are now into getting artwork up on their walls to give the hotel more of a personal touch for their customers.  This use of artwork displayed throughout the hotel is supposed to give the hotel its own identity and make it stand out from other hotels, rather than just make it look pretty.

This article focuses on the hotel called The James in Soho.  This hotel has hired a young artist, Matthew Jensen, to personally pick out artwork to decorate the hotel.  Jensen met Brad Wilson, the chief operating officer, at his own exhibit.  Wilson liked Jensen’s work and decided to hire him for the job of choosing artwork to decorate The James.  Jensen has decided to use pieces from an assortment of New York-based landscape artists on each floor.  This is a great opportunity for Jensen and it also gives him an opportunity to expose some other striving artists.

I personally feel that if a hotel is clean, safe, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing then it is a good pick.  I don’t think the use of all this artwork would really influence my decision on what hotel to stay in.  If one hotel had modern art and one had abstract art, my decision wouldn’t really sway; but, maybe there are many people out there who prefer to see a particular art display in their hotel.  If so, then The James and other hotels out there are making some good investments.
click here to see the article!

When The Da Vinci Code came out a few years ago, there was a huge buzz surrounding it. I thought it died down, until I found this article in the New York Times describing a new way to look at one of Da Vinci’s most famous paintings (and also a big part of the movie), The Last Supper. Peter Greenaway, a filmmaker, uses cutting-edge technology to bring Da Vinci’s masterpiece to art. Projectors, computers and speakers allow Greenaway to tell the entire story of the painting, with some aspects appearing three-dimensional, and other parts actually moving. I think this is a brilliant idea, because I feel like this would attract a younger audience, maybe even an audience that isn’t really interested in art. Combining a classic masterpiece with the newest technology is like creating an entirely different work of art, one that can cross the different generational gaps, and appeal to the most experienced critic, as well as the most amateur observer.

Da Vinci's "The Last Supper"

Link to Article

For my first blog entry, I have chosen to explore a bit about Charles Deas, a painter that can be categorized as being “forgotten” in today’s artistic world. I, myself, had never heard of Deas before I came across an article in the Times with the captivating title, “Artist’s Work, Out of Attics, Goes to Walls of a Museum.” As it turns out, Deas was quite the up-and-coming artist for about a decade in the 1800’s, known in New York for his works portraying the Native Americans and Europeans living together on the Western frontier. However, when he was institutionalized at 29 for insanity, both he and his paintings were pushed aside and no longer frequently recognized.

However, the story doesn’t end there. Recently, an Art History Professor from Amherst has made it her job to seek out his paintings and has already begun showing the 39 she’s found in an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. What I found equally as interesting as finding the paintings was the unlikely nature of the places these rare valuables were found: in a cabin in Nova Scotia, in a crate under someone’s bed and in a quiet library in St. Louis. This very much proves the fact that the most beautiful and precious of things can be found in the most remote and even surprising places, as long as we are willing to look for them.

Take a look below at Deas’ vivid depiction of a Native American and how lucky we are to have re-discovered his paintings.

Click here for the article.

I’m sure everyone is aware of the current situation with our economy, things aren’t exactly doing so well right now. During these tough times, people cut down in spending on the unnecessary stuff. Although a lot of works of art are beautiful, they serve no actual purpose in aiding our survival (unless you are the artist selling the art to make a living, which is a totally different case). In an article that I found titled “Can Art Be ‘Priceless’ in Rocky Times?” I read that a painting by Picasso was sold at $106.5 million dollars at Christie’s this month as the most expensive painting EVER sold in an auction. A sculpture by Giacometti called “Walking Man I” was sold in February for $104.3 million dollars. Maybe it’s the fact that I will most likely never make so much money that I would be able to purchase a painting for over $100 million dollars, but to me, just being able to appreciate the art in places like a museum or maybe even a picture on the internet or a book is enough. Art is not my favorite thing in the world, but I could appreciate and understand its beauty. The painting by Picasso for example is one that I would spend my time looking at and learning about, but I just can’t see myself ever spending that much money on anything. Anyone else have a different opinion on the topic?

-Sandra Lau

Here a link to the article, it includes a picture of both the sculpture and the painting.

Although the blog post left earlier by Sandra, or rather, Prof. Smaldone, regarding Matisse was quite brief and most certainly not the epitome of what a true blog post should be, I figured I would expand on this example and add my own two cents about the work of Matisse. Currently there is an exhibition on display at the MoMA surrounding Matisse and a time period known as “pivotal” to his career as an artist. The exhibition, called “Matisse: Radical Invention 1913-1917,” focuses on the pieces created during this time period which are rather abstract, lack in-depth detail and are seemingly unrelated to one another. One of the paintings which Matisse himself referred to as central in his life as an artist was “The Moroccans” which was created in 1916. In this painting, Matisse reflects on his journey to the country, representing the contrast of sunlight and shade by the darkness and light. Although the painting seems abstract and nonspecific, it is one filled with nostalgia. This painting also reflects the art movement of the time, Cubism, popular among the works of Picasso, however what makes the work of Matisse unique is his use of a rich palette of color. The Exhibition

When discussing the Arts in NYC blog in our Honors 125 class, this video immediately came to mind. I was never aware that a form of art called “Sand Animation” existed, until someone in the YouTube community decided to share this video with me. After falling in love with its charming and aesthetic features, I now wish for more people to do the same.

This video features Kseniya Simonova, a sand animator, who shares a visualization of the impact World War II had on the Ukraine and Russia. Her tale begins by lighting a candle – a symbol that a journey through the country’s memory has begun. Through the different scenes she “paints,” repeated emotions are reflected: hope for loved ones to return from war, devastation from unanswered letters and endless battle, and immortal affection for family and the homeland.

We can learn about history from reading textbooks and online articles, but we can learn so much more through those who experienced it firsthand. Not only does the human contact give us different approaches to historical situations, but it also unveils emotions that perhaps could not be detected through text. Artist, such as Kseniya Simonova, can do the same through visualization.

More information about the video can be found here.

– Alexandra Nicoletti