Art Fair at Aldridge Gardens

I attended a local art fair in Aldridge Botanical Gardens this weekend. It was very hot, but it was worth the visit. I have written about local art fairs before (click here), and I still think the prestige level of these types of exhibitions is probably not the best. However, there is a lot of amazing work that gets shown at these affairs, and many of the artists represented could outshine "established" artists.

As I was walking around, I was struck by the variety and creativity of the artists present. There was an artist that was selling stained glass, but she was not using the traditional stained glass methods. She had fastened glass to the surface of old windows, and then cemented the colored glass particles in place with grout. It looked amazing! Very innovative as well.

I ended up purchasing a small print from an Alabama Artist. His name was Maurice Cook. His paintings were fabulous! More can be read about him here and here. The print is pictured below.

I really enjoyed myself, and I got some interesting ideas to try in the future. As I stated in the previous posting about local art fairs, you never know who will show up to these events, and what will be inspired from being present.

Flap about Pope Sculpture

The posting for this week is about a newly created sculpture that depicts former Pope John Paul II. The sculpture is quite modern, with very few features and a simplified form. Apparently it has caused an uproar, and the Vatican has labeled it "ugly." The full story can be read here.

To me this is a case where those who have ordered the art did not give much thought about the art. It is similar to the story of the Tilted Arc. Too often when the art is in the planing phase, those who ordered the art are not really listening to what the artist has proposed. I think this is particularly true for public art.

That said, I could go either way on this sculpture. I do not think it's great, but I also do not feel it is complete garbage. The lack of an identifiable face is not a new concept. When I was in art school, one of my fellow students never painted facial features. He stated that this allowed the viewer to define who the image depicted. Pope John Paul II was very popular, almost a people's pope. As a pope for the people I think it's appropriate to leave the face blank.

Salvador Dali

Now that I have completed my graduate program (see here and here ), and graduated, I can get back to posting here with regularity. Last week was Salvador Dali's birthday (May 11). Salvador Dali was a prominent painter in the surrealist movement. While I was never a huge fan of his art, it is interesting and worth examining. As an undergrad my roommate was huge fan, and had posters of Dali's artwork on the walls.

The notion of creating imagery based on the subconscious is not an easy feat. I have tried to do this a few times and have not been pleased with the results. I most recently tried to do this with my last painting. I found a piece of paper that had been scuffed. In these random markings I could make out elements of Greek architecture, and I decided to take this paper home in order bring out what I was seeing. As I was working other elements began to emerge, including a dancer, and an overgrowth of weeds. The image can be viewed below.

Although I do not like this painting, I am presenting it here in recognition of Dali and the surrealists. What do you think? You can comment on the painting, Dali, Surrealism, or whatever. I'll be posting again next week.

Walking with artists

I am a fan of NPR. I listen to it constantly. Today, they ran a piece on "Studio 360" about Maira Kalman, an established national artist. One of the things she does is maintain a blog for the New York Times. it can be read here.
I was interested in the NPR story because of the the way the artist described her working process. Much of her subject matter derives from walking around the city and making careful observations. She will take photographs, interact with shopkeepers, and try to take in as much as she can.
It is my impression that many non-artists are amazed by how artists think about the world around we live in, and how this leads to inspirations. This perspective is over thought. It doesn't take earth shattering experiences to create art. One has to just look around. Kalman is one artist that does this very well.

Lack of recent postings

This post will be brief, however I will explain why the postings on this blog have been sparse of late. You may recall my posting last fall about being enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi. If not, you can read it here. Anyway I have, as part of my program, undertaken a practicum in the library at the Birmingham Museum of Art. It is very exciting, and I enjoy it very much. I am required to create a blog detailing my experiences, and it is the blog for this practicum that has cut in to my blog time here. If you would like to read my library blog you can do so here. I will try to update here more frequently. Thanks for your support. The image is a screen shot of my other blog. Cheers!

Google Art Project

Last week the folks at Google unveiled what they have called "Google Art Project." This project apparently presents artwork from museums around the world in an online format. Viewers can even tour portions of each museum virtually. Try it out here.

Reviews have so far been mixed, some have argued about copyright. but overall I think this is a positive development. This technology allows more people to see and experience art, and that's one of the main things art tries to do. A very good review of this project can be read here.

Censorship and Art

This week I am going to post two links regarding the recent censorship issues at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. The full story can be read here.
An official Q and A put up as a result of all the protesting can be read here.

As a general rule I am opposed to censorship. There must be guidelines on what is, and what is not acceptable artful expression. For example animal cruelty or child pornography would clearly fall under the category of unacceptable.

But far too often, as in this most recent case, the public has rejected expression based on emotion rather than sound thought or judgment. Most of the protesters have probably not even seen the video in question, and are basing their opinions on the ideas of one perspective. Many of the protesters stated that they did not want their tax money supporting this type of expression, despite the fact that this exhibition was put together with private funds. The core issue here is the development of an informed opinion.

I will add as a christian and a Catholic I can understand the protesters viewpoint, but I believe it to be misguided. First: there could be a whole variety of interpretations of the ants on the crucifix, and not just the negative anti-Christian views expressed. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, this is not that different than the bible story of the golden calf. If we confuse our faith relationship with God and the icons that represent those relationships, then our belief is not really based on anything. Our individual relationship with God is what matters, not the physical objects and imagery associated with that relationship.