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Collection Includes Classics: Past and Near-present

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:38:58 GMT

Collection Includes Classics: Past and Near-present

The pastel painting (above) by Irish-American Sean Scully is the first piece visitors see upon entering “The Scharf Collection” exhibit. Scully has used a broken grid of warm colors, grays and blacks that come forward or recede according to color temperature. The soft edges and asymmetric arrangement humanize the rigid structure.

Names like Goya, Daumier, Corot, Toulouse-Lautrec, Léger, Matisse, and Picasso are standard in art history books. However, the Scharf Collection includes not only those names, but also later artists, some who may not be as prominent in people’s minds.

This extensive exhibit at the Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin is a lot to take in, and could have easily filled out two or three separate shows.

German insurance mogul and art lover, Otto Gerstenberg (1848-1935), amassed a collection of mostly 19th century French art, numbering over 100 paintings, 400 drawings and watercolors, 1,500 prints and 28 sculptures. Gerstenberg’s daughter married a Scharf, and since then, the family has continued to expand the collection.

Even though there were so many great paintings in this exhibit, here are ones that stopped me in my tracks:

Here are two of the dozens of Goya etchings on view, illustrating the brutality of war and bullfighting. Goya’s anti-war prints show the gory reality of war. Ironically, Goya loved bullfighting, although in his prints he shows more empathy for the bull than the human participants. This bullfighting etching is interesting not only for the narrative - the bull breaks into the front rows of the ring and kills the mayor of the town (a true story), but more interesting is the composition which is pushed over to the extreme right, as if the bull has powerfully swept the picture to one side and declared itself the winner.

This painting by Daumier is a powerful and direct statement about human perseverance. The interlocking shapes of the sky, land, water, and the human form powerfully underscore the relationship of the elements of the picture.

I am always inspired by Corot’s “subliminal” color palette. I mostly know him through his landscapes, but his subdued palette is also effective in this portrait. The dim interior creates a calm atmosphere. It feels like the model is speaking to us just by being in the stillness. The zig-zagging stripes in the garment add an interesting abstract aspect to the picture.

In this pen and ink drawing by Daumier, in spite of the amorphous tangle of lines, the artist expresses the weight (or lack of weight) and the movement (or dead-as-a-doornail stillness) of these figures. This gestural style reminds me of Rembrandt’s sketches of street people in Amsterdam.

The Scharf Collection includes the largest group of Toulouse-Lautrec lithographs world-wide. This print depicts a brothel madam, approaching a woman who is sitting up in bed. The composition is interesting in that the two figures form an “H” in the center of the picture. The static position of the two women is offset by the patterning and asymmetry of the background. The apparent silence between the two women implies a daily routine that requires no conversation.

I’ve always admired Fernand Léger’s playful way of reducing a picture to basic geometric forms.

This Matisse lithograph unites the figure and environment into one thing. All the elements have to do with each other: the shapes of the fireplace mantel, the chair, and the figure interlock - and then the figure interlocks on itself. The model sits on the chair with convincing weight.

Amazing that Picasso did this paper collage in 1912. But, since he was aesthetically mature by age 15, this collage, done at 31 is no surprise. By that time he had become more than an artist. He had become an inventor.

This large, figurative sculpture by Spanish artist, Balthasar Lobo, gracefully balances itself in the middle of one of the exhibition rooms. Aesthetic cousin to Jean Arp and Constantin Brancusi, Lobo was known for mother-and-child themed sculptures. This piece reminds me of a single figure dancing.

This bright, thoughtful composition by Maurice Estève straddles the world of landscape and pure abstraction. The diagonals in this picture create jagged movements, which are calmed by the arching curves. The hot colors in the painting seem even hotter due to the interspersed cools and neutrals. In addition to painting, Estève was involved with textile design, murals and stained glass.

Tony Cragg’s piece is about movement, growth and erosion. The sculpture refers to shape-shifting forms found in nature (wood, stone, mud, sand), but takes on its own identity as sculpture. This piece leaves room for question marks: Is it disappearing or is it increasing? Are we disappearing too?!

In this large painting, Katharina Grosse has confined herself to the boundaries of the canvas. Typically, she is known for extending painting into the larger environment, such as whole rooms, buildings and outdoor fields. Even though the paint stops at the edges of this rectangle, the painting is large enough for the viewer to get lost inside the picture, as well as imagining the color field extending beyond the perimeter.

Like Katharina Grosse’s painting, Gotthard Graubner’s piece proves that color by itself is enough to sustain a painting. With “tulg” Graubner is adding several additional layers of experience. The pillow form is tactile and almost huggable. At first glance the color reads similar to a blood-orange-red, however if you spend some time with the painting, magentas, yellows and rusts are there too. The piece alludes to atmospheric painters such at Rothko and Turner.

Some of the best art advice I ever got was on a camera walk in Yosemite. The guide said that whenever you saw something that moved you, 1) stop and take the picture because you may not find yourself back at that spot, and 2) remember what initially excited you about the scene. Then when you frame the picture in the viewfinder, position yourself so that you move everything extraneous out of the picture frame. Bonnard certainly did that with this painting. One of Bonnard’s trademarks is ignoring the traditional rules of composition, and here he gives almost all the visual real estate to the bathtub. Even today, the idea of, “Let’s do a painting of the model half-submerged in a bathtub that takes up the whole canvas - looking down from above,” would be considered very imaginative.

This exhibit runs through February 15, 2026.

Nazis Erased Corinth from Public View ... for a Profit

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:51:04 GMT

Nazi Government Removed Artist's Work from Public View

I went to the Alte Nationalgalerie last week, thinking I would see more of Katharina Grosse’s work as a part of The Scharf Collection, but that exhibit, come to find out, doesn’t start until October 24. As an alternative, I went down the hall and saw “In Sight! Lovis Corinth, the Nationalgalerie and the ‘Degenerate Art’ Campaign,” a small exhibit of Lovis Corinth’s work, deemed as “degenerate” by the Nazi party. The exhibit was an example how the National Socialist’s campaign to “correct” aesthetics in Germany impacted artists, galleries, collectors and museums. The government tried to define what should be considered “art” by confiscating thousands of art pieces, in order to erase modern art from public view. Interestingly, if the government determined that the “degenerate” art had any monetary value within the international art market, the “degenerate” pieces were sold, and the proceeds funneled into the war effort.

Even though Lovis Corinth died in 1925, eight years before the Nazis took power, the party deemed Corinth’s work as degenerate, and removed 359 of his pieces from public collections. Seven of his paintings were included in the infamous 1937 “Degenerate Art Exhibition” in Munich, attracting over 2 million visitors. Top artists, including Georg Grosz, Paul Klee, Franz Marc, Emil Nolde, and Otto Dix were included in the exhibit, whose purpose was to denigrate modern artists.

The “tentantive” quality of Corinth’s brushwork is not due to a lack of confidence, but is an indication of an exploring eye and hand. The paintings feel open with plenty of oxygen to allow the viewer to move through the compositions without being nailed down visually. If Corinth’s painting style had been tighter, then the pieces would fall in line with thousands of other 19 century works. But, his paintings end up landing somewhere between Impressionism and Expressionism.

The exhibit runs through November 2, 2025.

Josephsohn and Förg Mingle at Max Hetzler

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 16:29:33 GMT

Solidity and Openess at Max Hetzler

“Hans Josephsohn and Günther Förg - A Dialogue” is showing at Galerie Max Hetzler’s vast, two-story, museum-scale space on Potsdamer Strasse in Berlin through October 25, 2025 .

Large paintings by Förg and imposing sculptures by Josephsohn fill the main hall of the gallery, which is almost the size of an airplane hangar.

The Günther Förg paintings are like sophisticated crazy quilts - patchwork shapes, puzzle-pieced together. The brush marks amount to rhythmic stabs, alluding to the warp and weft of textiles (but not cashmere - more of a scratchy Pendleton wool). The washed out color palette consists of mostly mineral tones. In spite of the constrained brush movements and reticent color, the paintings keep your attention - partly due to the large scale. The interlinking block shapes are intriguing. Although I approached these paintings as abstract pieces, there was one where I couldn’t “unsee” the map of U.S. Not sure if that was the artist’s intent or just a coincidence.

All the large paintings are untitled and were completed in 1995.

Smaller acrylic on wood panel pieces by Förg are lined up on an opposite wall. These clear and clean grid pieces feel more like drawings than paintings. The effect is layered, with the darker grid in front, half-concealing color movements and shapes behind. The front grid is heavy enough to become a barrier between the viewer and the background painting. Even though Förg used a consistent grid formula for the panels, each has a unique feel.

Förg had a relatively short-lived, but expansive career, including photography and sculpture. He died in 2013 at 61.

Hans Josephsohn’s weighty sculptures stand in a staggered formation down the middle of the gallery space. The pieces have a similar scale, mystery, and timelessness to the giant heads on Easter Island. Except these “heads” have been worn down extensively by time. At first, judging from the texture and color of the pieces, I assumed they were ceramic, but each was first sculpted in plaster then cast in brass. The rugged surfaces show Josephsohn’s process of adding and scraping away the plaster. The artist died in 2012 at the age of 92.

The Josephsohn sculptures could be taken as obscured artifacts from the very distant past, or as objects from our own time, as viewed a thousand years from now. The ambiguity is what makes these sculptures so powerful.

These pieces also make a strong impact as silhouetted shapes - like the monumental profile of El Capitan.

The only aspect of these sculptures that I had doubts about was the flattened bottom of each piece. Although the flatness made it possible to seat them on pedestals, I thought it might have been better to have the pieces set right on the floor. Try picturing the Easter Island heads on pedestals - much more powerful rising directly out of the earth.

On the second floor the exhibit continues with smaller works by both artists. Most interesting were what I’m calling “sand drawings,” by Förg. They look like drawings made in wet sand; however, they are made of concrete. The pieces vary from grid form to curvy calligraphy. Also interesting are the smaller, wall-mounted sculptures by Josephsohn. They follow a similar theme as the large column figures on the first floor, except these abbreviated pieces portray not just one figure, but a dimly visible narrative. The subjects have been almost complete worn away by the erosion of time (millennia?). The pieces are so dark that the viewer has to allow time for eye adjustment in order to actually see the forms that emerge from the wall - time well spent.

Back to the Wall: Katharina Grosse in Berlin

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 08:54:38 GMT

Back to the Wall - Katharina Grosse at Galerie Max Hetzler

Part 1:

This exhibit was my introduction to Katharina Grosse. I navigated through the luxuriously installed show at Galerie Max Hetzler in Berlin, having no preconception about Grosse or her work or her work history. So, I saw this show with fresh eyes and an open mind.

I described the installation as luxurious, because two of the gallery rooms had only one painting, and the other two rooms had only three each. But these paintings require a lot of breathing space.

This show, titled, “ High Noon Lumen,” consists of eight large, vertical canvases, essentially all the same size (around 8’ x 5’).

This kind of painting is not easy to pull off: large bands of bright color can go south quickly and come off as decorative space fillers. However, these paintings do not go there, and I took them seriously - either because I wanted to or because they really were serious (read on). There are often two sides to how we can approach art: 1) It’s kind of nothing. or 2) It’s really something (and because it’s something, I’m lingering and paying attention to what’s going on here).

Part 2 :

After researching Katharina Grosse’s long-standing and very successful art career and after viewing images of her work history, AND after letting the show percolate in my mind for a day - here are additional comments:

Problem: Create a series of large, abstract vertical paintings, with sweeping gestural arm movements, and limit the colors to … wait for it … orange and green. Give those parameters to Katharina Grosse, inventive artist and educator, and what happens is “High Noon Lumen,” showing at Galerie Max Hetzler through November 1, 2025 . Grosse’s artistic goal has been to free painting from its traditional place on the wall, allowing paint to invade whole environments, such as fields, beaches, architecture, as well as her bedroom (including her bed and clothing).

“High Noon Lumen,” brings her art back to the wall.

Even though the paintings in this series are hemmed in by the rectangular canvas, they don’t feel confined. Color areas are cropped at the edges of the canvas, implying that there is more happening than what we see. The paintings are not so much orange and green, as they are orange vs. green, which creates a useful tension. The orange is the “winner,” but the green holds its own. The orange feels closer to the viewer with the green threatening to move forward or eventually overtake the visual space. Grosse’s greens are convincing. To my mind, green is the most difficult color for a painter to successfully use. Very often green can be formulaic and fall flat. To see good greens, look at Cézanne.

Grosse’s paintings are very warm - they attract with their fireside glow; however, the heat of the canvases signal the viewer to keep a safe distance. The gestural movements of the sprayed-on paint create a human scale to the paintings.

In addition to the eight paintings in the show, a selection of Grosse’s sketchbooks are on view. They show variety of fresh visual ideas. I could see how each of those little drawings could serve as a launching pad for a series of paintings!

Sex, Beauty and Gay History - Warhol Style

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 14:50:06 GMT

Sex, Beauty and Gay History - Warhol Style

“Velvet Rage and Beauty,” the current exhibit of Andy Warhol’s homoerotic art, and the accompanying historical context reveal who Andy was: an extremely creative, hardworking person who knew from the very beginning of his career what he was doing - but due to his times, was obliged to “back shelf” his sexually explicit work. Even though some of this work was exhibited at small venues in Europe and in the United States during his lifetime, Warhol’s New York dealer Leo Castelli, would not show the work, presumably because he either thought it was not salable or he felt he needed to protect his world-class gallery’s reputation.

The Neue Nationalgalerie exhibit, which includes more than 300 paintings, drawings, photographs, Polaroids, films and collages is an unexpurgated representation of Warhol’s sexuality.

From dingy bathroom stalls to the ruins of Pompeii, erotic subject matter has always had a niche in human image-making. This exhibit represents what erotica looks like when aesthetics are at a high level and money is no object. The work in the exhibit ranges from elegant and ingenious to flat and pornographic - the whole range is included in this show.

It’s easy to forget what it was like to be gay before 1970, or for younger people, pretty much impossible to imagine. Repression was solid in every corner of American society - enforced by the law, underscored by families, and condoned by religious organizations. Within this context, Warhol’s erotic work is … erotic of course (maybe even juvenile at times), but also very political. People have a basic right to free expression, and Warhol claimed that freedom - although that freedom would not be completely realized until now, as Neue Nationalgalerie brings this work into public view. The museum posted disclaimers and warnings at the entrances to give the public a heads-up about the graphic sexual images in the exhibit. The most explicit pieces happened to not be in my "favorites" category, so the images I am showing in this blog posting are among the most tame.

Here are some of my favorite pieces in the show:

Demonstrating his wiseacre tendencies in high school, Warhol did this drawing (below), which he titled “The Lord Gave Me My Face, but I Can Pick My Own Nose.” He entered the drawing in a Associated Artists of Pittsburgh juried show, only to be rejected. He retitled the piece, “Don’t Pick on Me,” for a student exhibition later that year.

The lithograph design below for Bodley Gallery in New York City predates his Campbell’s Soup Cans by 6 years. The design shows Warhol’s sensitive line style that he developed as a commercial artist, while giving us a preview of the attitude captured in his later silkscreen portraits.

Already in 1964 Warhol had introduced a revolutionary approach to portraiture: a moving picture that hardly moves. What if you could see the Mona Lisa as a living, breathing, and occasionally blinking young woman? This model is very much like a modern Mona Lisa, who stares at the viewer with almost no expression. I’m surprised that this take on portraiture hasn’t been more exploited.

This self-portrait in drag was taken eight years after the assassination attempt on Warhol and seven years before his untimely death after gallbladder surgery. The Polaroid brings up the question of “Who is this person, really?” However we physically present ourselves on a day-by-day basis, the authentic self exists behind the facade. Depending on the circumstances, we selectively reveal parts of ourselves. But some of the facade actually becomes who we are to others and even to ourselves.

This image of transgender actress Wilhelmina Ross, was part of a series based on over 500 Polaroids taken of 19 models, some of which were used as source material for over 250 silkscreen paintings. Wilhelmina was one of the most featured personalities. The painting celebrates her talent and fortitude in the face of the prejudice and poverty that ended up claiming her life in 1991.

This “out-of-register” silkscreen portrait, in the classic Warhol style, captures Marsha P. Johnson more accurately than any literal interpretation could. Johnson fought on the front lines of the 1969 Stonewall uprising, and her exuberance, warmth, and empathy are expressed in this painting.

By fetishizing the male figure, Warhol transforms how we view the male body in art and updates the concept of what is “classical” in painting and sculpture.

Eliza Douglas' Gift to the Art World

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 11:06:18 GMT

Kittens, Kitsch, and Kids: Eliza Douglas on the Business of Art

Here are some possible reasons people seek out art:

Wanting to see beauty
Interested in collecting art
Looking for something decorative for home or office
Wanting to experience something life-changing
Attracted to something nostalgic
Looking for a moral message
Wanting a visual representation of a political belief
Impressed by craftsmanship and skill
Wanting to connect with and support the artist
Buying art as an investment

I think anyone interested in Eliza Douglas’ show, “Gift,” would fit into categories 2, 6, 7, and 10 - or any combination of those.

When I walked into Contemporary Fine Arts Galerie Berlin, I didn’t know anything about Douglas’ extensive and diverse art career, her personal history, or about her artistic methods. Without knowing any of that, my first impression was that this is “art about art” and about politics. My heart sunk a little to see each painting gift-wrapped in giant ribbons and bows - in fact the exhibit’s title is “Gift.” If I could turn back the clock to 1962, maybe I would have experienced the same sinking feeling upon seeing Andy Warhol’s soup cans for first time, or turning the clock back further to 1917, seeing Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” (a urinal), also wondering,”Has it come to this?” But….both examples became vital turning points in art history. And maybe Eliza Douglas’ work will fit into the same category sometime in the future.

Douglas has an interesting history and resumé, and in interviews, her throw-away, almost self-deprecating comments seem to be designed to intrigue or confuse the viewer. Like Warhol, she talks about taking short-cuts and cutting corners. She might be cutting corners, but there’s no way to disguise workaholic drive. Warhol also made himself out to be a lazybones, but his output speaks for itself.

Is “art commenting on art” like going to a concert, but not hearing any music - only receiving the program booklet? It feels that way. However, I found that Douglas has done so much - painting, performance art, music, and fashion modeling. Her work has been in the Whitney Biennial, The Jewish Museum NYC, and many blue chip galleries in Europe and North America. So she’s definitely serious about what she does and believes in it, and that counts for a lot.

Now, on to the show!

The painting, "Grape Bubbles" (below) is not so much about the exuberance of adolescence, but more about the, “I’m almost grown up, but I can still get away kid-stuff” thing. As with the other pieces in the show, Douglas wraps this painting up in ribbon. Is she saying, “This could be yours for the right price?” or perhaps, “I hate the way art has become a commodity.”

Shifting from portraiture to landscape, Douglas presents a Frederic Remington (cowboys on horses paintings) cloned with an Arnold Friberg (Canadian Royal Mounties calendar paintings), bringing together nostalgic kitsch and conceptual art in the same picture. The angles of the ribbons underscore the diagonals of the horse and the edge of the lake. The bow obscures the face of the rider that we want to see.

This adolescent water sprite bursts to the surface, probably not thinking about diving for gems or anything but how fun it is to be in your face. The painting is wrapped and ready for purchase. The thin painting style communicates an intentional lack of substance. I’m not sure it applies to the work in this show, but Douglas has no apologies for having paintings manufactured in China, then adding some touches to them herself. The only difference between this and Thomas Kinkade is that Douglas does not cloak her use of contracted painters with Kinkade terms like “skilled artisans,” Some of her images originate from AI technology, and she has no apologies for using that as a tool.

In this piece, Douglas has painted representations of paint dribbling behind, on and in front of a pre-teen who is daring the viewer to tell him to pipe down. Although the subject matter of some of the pieces in this show varies, the premise is consistent.

The idea of introducing extreme kitsch into the fine art world is not new. Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein and Tom Wesselman used kitsch elements to great effect. Here Douglas pulls out the quintessential cloying icon: a kitten, in Easter blues and pinks, and again wraps it with a ribbon and bow, hiding the pensive expression on the cat’s face. The radar antenna ears are listening for whispered conversations of gallery visitors and potential collectors.

Instead of staring at the viewer with a confrontational expression, this modern day Mona Lisa is looking passively at something (or nothing) in the distance. I wonder how differently this painting would feel if 1) there was no bow on it, or 2) if the bow was painted on rather than a real bow. I think even without a bow, it would be an interesting painting. If the bow was painted on, I wouldn’t be sure about the “Why?” of the painting. This one definitely needs a 3-D bow to get at the reason behind the painting: a layering of art history and the history of the business of art.

With “Soul,” Douglas chose the Dark Fantasy genre: an abandoned castle, emerging out of the mist by a haunted lake. The leaves on the trees are treated with the dabbed leaf technique practiced and televised by Bob Ross. This one is wrapped up in silver ribbon - again ready for sale to a museum or a wealthy collector.

Beauty Upstages Glamor at Photo Show

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Fri, 24 May 2024 18:17:34 GMT

Chronorama: Photographic Treasures of the 20th Century

Museum für Fotographie, Berlin

The exhibit “Chronorama,” presented photographic treasures of the 20th century through the lens of mega publishing company Condé Nast, including photos from the archives of Vogue, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, Glamour, Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Bon Appétit, and other magazines that have provided a glimpse into how the 1% lives. As long as you accept that rarified viewpoint and move on to the photographs, you can start marveling at the beauty of the pictures. There’s such an interest and market built around celebrity, glamour, wealth, and royalty, that there must be some reason we common folk keep thirsting for glimpses into that exclusive society through print and now digital publications. What is fueling this market? Envy? A need for inspiration? Escapism? Or all of the above?

My favorite photos in the exhibit tended to depict subjects other than the celebrities. Although they are beautiful, celebrity pictures (Sophia Loren, Ursula Andress, Lauren Hutton, and Joe Dallesandro) are hard to see as photos. And I approached this as a photography show, not a tour through Modern Screen, Tiger Beat or People magazine.

Here are some of my favorite images from the exhibit.

(below) George Wolfe Plank was Vogue’s primary cover illustrator pre-1920, before photography took over Vogue. Not sure if a gown like this ever existed, but the illustration captures a lot of visual excitement and artistry.

Adolph de Meyer was the first official fashion photographer for Vogue, starting in 1913. I like the design of this photo: the spherical repeat of the globe and the girl’s head reflect the brightest light. The burlap-y tunic that the girl is wearing and rough, plaster wall add a variety of textures. She is looking right into the camera with a determined expression. This kid is already mature beyond her years!

Edward Steichen’s photo of moth balls and sugar cubes integrates a dangerous combination of something sweet and something poisonous. This spread of similar-sized spheres and cubes and the resulting criss-crossing shadows makes for an interesting pattern.

Southern California photographer Frederick Richard Dapprich took this picture of the Williamsburg Houses the year the project was completed in 1938. The impact of the photo is similar to the previous “Moth Balls and Sugar Cubes” photo - a patterning of block forms. The housing project is gleaming white, in comparison to the older, darker surrounding structures. It’s almost like looking at a proposal photo for the project. Not only did the new housing look white, but was originally restricted to white people, even though the project was funded by the federal government’s Public Works Administration.

Gabriel Moulin did most of his work in San Francisco, specializing in architectural exteriors and interiors. He also photographed the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. In this photo of Templeton Crocker’s apartment in San Francisco, Moulin shows us the modern, spare arrangement of rectangular forms and decidedly non-decorated wall and floor space. Very modern for its time - especially in Victoriana-obsessed San Francisco. The photo is a beautiful arrangement of lights, darks, and mid-grays.

One of my favorite pictures in this exhibit, “Cuzco Children,” is an ethnographic study, a portrayal of human character, and a beautifully designed photo all in one. The two figures are isolated on a light background, giving the two children our full attention. At their young age they already have commanding personalities. The partial silhouetting of the figures and the negative shapes created by the table add visual interest to the picture as well.

Speaking of ethnographic studies, here we have picture of a table arrangement for an intimate gathering in the home of Anderson Cooper’s grandmother, Gloria Morgan-Vanderbilt. Edward Carswell has scooped up the opulence of the occasion by cropping the photo tightly to the table, although we still get to see the Victorian overdo of the space.

If you had the opportunity to photograph a child star, how would you choose to do it? How about taking seven-year-old Margaret O’Brien in a Victorian costume to a bleak Southern California expanse of high-tension towers? O’Brien had just finished the film “Meet Me in St. Louis,” that would have called for a hat and dress as pictured here. The contrast between O’Brien and the angular constructions not only frames the little girl as the star of this photo, but also alludes to the behind-the-scenes nitty-gritty that makes the illusions of the silver screen possible.

Frances McLaughlin-Gill photographed fashion designer Richard Rutledge sitting in a very unnatural position, creating a rhythm of angles, which are repeated in the grid of the floor. The forced pose is uncomfortable, but adds to the impact of the portrait. McLaughlin-Gill was the first female photographer for Vogue.

Cecil Beaton presents Anna Magnani in a style that reflects the volcanic acting style that she was known for. Beaton fractures her image as if a series of film stills have been staggered and frozen. By winning the Best Actress Oscar for The Rose Tattoo in 1955, Magnani contributed to the shift from Hollywood’s glamour mode to more realistic screen characters. Beaton pulls apart Magnani’s face and shows how the Italian actress was “anti-glamour,” and by many accounts, always her own person.

Crowds Line Up to Get a Dose of Romantic Vision

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Tue, 14 May 2024 17:15:35 GMT

Berlin Crowds Line Up to Get a Dose of Romanticism

I was surprised to find time slots already booked up for a month to see “Infinite Landscapes,” the Caspar David Friedrich exhibit at the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Luckily, Mike and I got an earlier reservation as a result of Mike buying an annual museum pass. People who just showed up at the museum without reserving a time, had to wait in line at least an hour before getting in the doors.

Why all the excitement for an early 19th century painter of romanticized landscapes and ruins? The accessibility of the genre is certainly a public draw. The Romantic era’s emphasis on individuality, emotion and passion in the social and political realm, and a longing for the past (imagined to be better), all are in synch with Romanticism’s North Star and popular sentiments of our own times. There is a repeated pendulum swing, that has predictably back-and-forthed throughout art history: Renaissance to Baroque, Classical to Romantic, Victorian to Modernist, Expressionist to Minimalist, and we are currently at the Romantic segment of that arc.

The almost monochrome painting below expresses essential Romantic-era themes: fascination with the distant past, feelings of anxiety and loneliness, and mysticism. The picture could serve as a set design for a number of scenes from contemporary fantasy/science fiction films where medieval-style settings and power-jousting provide the action.

With painstaking detail in the picture below, Friedrich takes in the shadowy foliage and trees in the foreground and the expanse of field and sky further back. We are held back by the “fencing” of the huge oaks at the front of the picture. The sturdy, long-withstanding trees are the main characters in this drama - but are in shadow and almost entirely silhouetted. There is more tension than peace here, creating a fascinating moment in time. Friedrich created half realities/half fantasies like these by doing preparatory work in the field and then adding dramatic elements in the studio.

The painting below by Georg Friedrich Kerstin, friend of Caspar David Friedrich, depicts C.D. Friedrich at work in his studio. It’s not only interesting to see a depiction of Friedrich’s painting method - holding a number of brushes, an easel and a long stick to steady his hand - all in his left hand and painting with his right. Also interesting is the spartan tidiness of the room. According to the exhibition notes, Friedrich wanted no distractions in the studio!

This ink and pencil drawing demonstrates how details in nature captivated Friedrich. He could obsess on tiny elements without losing track of the form and feeling of the subject. Practically every leaf of this tree is drawn out, yet the we can still perceive the light and dark sides of the tree and the weight of the leaf clusters. Not easy to do.

This unusual painting has an odd symmetry with a low, compressed horizon. But because it ignores several traditional rules of composition, it has a documentary feel. A long time ago, I was told in a watercolor class to never include two mountain peaks in a painting, because they always will be seen as breasts. Probably not “always,” but in any case, these are Friedrich’s twin mountains in direct opposition to a clear, but dominant sky. I feel like the sky is pressing down much more than the land is asserting itself upward. There’s also a haunting quality of timelessness here.

The painting below also has a documentary feel. The only person in the picture is the unseen viewer of the painting (you), standing alone, facing the terrain and sky, which will surely outlast the viewer’s lifetime.

“Infinite Landscapes” runs through August 4, 2024.

Naama Tsabar and Joseph Beuys at Hamburger Bahnhof

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Tue, 07 May 2024 08:55:45 GMT

Intellect and Heart:

Joseph Beuys and Naama Tsabar Matched at Hamburger Bahnhof

Israel-born Naama Tsabar is paired with the iconic German visionary and artist Joseph Beuys in an exhibit at Hamburger Bahnhof. The artists compliment each other well. Tsabar’s work adds a softer and humanizing touch to Beuys’ hardscrabble, hyper cerebral pieces.

Beuys’ work remains mostly elusive to me, although the more I dive into it, the more I can find some “hand holds” to guide me. His ideas combine politics, science, education, and economics, while touching on themes of mysticism, empathy, and community. It’s all there, but given to us in a form that is pretty oblique. But it’s that oblique-ness that motivates the viewer to give more time to the art. Even though the materials Beuys uses are tactile: felt, wood, rusted metal for example, the art experience ends up being cerebral. He believed art has the power to transform society and ultimately the world. I agree that when art becomes more than simply a form of entertainment, it really can change lives - sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.

Included in the exhibit is this large portrait of Joseph Beuys by Andy Warhol , and may represent how Andy viewed Beuys - as more of an “art star,” than the artist-economist-social architect that Beuys is remembered as. This silkscreen painting has a frosting of glass dust, giving the piece some bling. The rough-hewn basalt pillars on the floor are similar to the ones used in Beuys’ 7,000 oaks project where 7,000 oak trees were planted as a part of the 1982 documenta 7 international art event. Each tree planted was accompanied by one of the stones.

The “Energiestab” (Energy Staff) is an example of Beuys’ interest in combining science and mysticism. His writings describe the interaction between people and sculpture as his “energy plan.” The sculpture challenges the viewer, who might be trying to figure out if the piece is friend or foe. Does it function like a lighting rod, by keeping us safe from an explosive energy release? Or does it carry a high voltage that could kill anyone who touches it? As with all of Beuys’ work, it involves some puzzle-solving in order to navigate his art.

Naama Tsabar’s Shoe Metronomes - there are three pair distributed throughout the exhibit - effectively mark not only the passage of time, but point out the precarious thread that our lives hang from. The pulse of the metronome shoes is set between 60 to 80 beats per minute, similar to the average, at-rest heart rate. Tsabar wore the shoes for certain periods of time, until the shoes conformed to the shape of her feet. The shoes end up storing both the movement and the form of the artist.

The Tsabar’s Inversion series pieces are built into the exhibition walls, and consist of “sound holes,” framed by bands of earth-toned colors. You have to reach into the holes in order to make the art happen. A variety of sounds occur: singing, cicadas whirring, and synthesized electronic tones. The differently shaped holes allude to the sound holes in guitars and classical stringed instruments, as well as taking on sexual meanings - although the erotic aspects of the series are absent in any of the exhibition literature.

I found Tsabar’s Works on Felt series to be the most engaging part of the exhibit. Large, thick slabs of felt float off the wall. You can feel the weight of these bulky shapes, yet they lift up, as if a breeze is coming through the exhibit. Piano wire is stretched across the felt structures and museum-goers can pluck the strings, creating a amplified note that echoes through the room, but is partially muffled by the felt. The pieces are visually very beautiful, with rich, saturated colors, and the sound from these “instruments” is a plus.

The exhibit runs through 9/22/24.

Favorite Highlights from Gallery Weekend Berlin 2024

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Thu, 02 May 2024 06:59:58 GMT

Gallery Weekend Berlin 2024: Pavement Worth Pounding!

With welcoming arms (mostly), over 50 galleries participated in Gallery Weekend Berlin, April 26-28, 2024. The public responded by streaming in to see what was hanging. Some galleries like Esther Schipper and Galerie Eigen attracted crowds who lined up patiently to get a peek at the shows.

The gallery world - whether in small town, U.S.A. or big-time Berlin - is up and down, meaning just because work gets into a gallery space does not guarantee that it’s interesting. Yes, some of that last statement is subjective, but I believe some of it is verifiable. That being said, there is something exciting about the hunt for good art. Even if the work isn’t life-changing, artists get credit for sheer work ethic. Anyone who’s made it into a blue-chip Berlin gallery has had to have put in some serious studio hours.

Here are some of my favorites from Gallery Weekend:

At Galerie Neu, Andreas Ericsson’s “of stones and lakes” drawings invite you to slow down from the frenetic pace of Gallery Weekend to soak in the small, Thoreau-like moments that Ericsson has found at the edge of a lake. He has curated the shapes, textures and the sounds of nature. The expression is minimal, but Ericsson provides all you need to navigate through and around the environment. These pieces are about eliminating the extraneous in order to see more. I love this exhibit, and “Thank You!” to Galerie Neu for seeing the value of this minimalist treasure trove.

Painter Lili Theilen is at Eigen + Art Lab. Theilen’s dour young women are dwarfed by their oversized coats - which could be symbols of constraint, false entitlement or protective armor. Either way, the reading of the paintings is open, but anyway you go, you’re left with an unsettled feeling. The colors are washed out and the paint is applied thinly; an interesting contrast to the heavy luxury of the coats. Her painting, Malcesine, shows a gaping mouth with 30 teeth (two wisdom teeth are missing). A person is grasping the uvula to pull him or herself out of the depths of the throat. Original content! The painting is pushing you away from the scary, open mouth and at the same time, pulling you in to help the escapee. Is this an anatomy lesson, a modern fairytale, or a political statement? Again this is wide open for interpretation. I like this piece very much. Again, thinly painted, and more “drawn” than painted.

I really liked Sofía Salazar Rosales’ sculptures at ChertLüdde. Her pieces contrast weightiness and weightlessness; solidity and the ethereal. The work emphasizes the materials used - unexpected combinations of metal, cardboard, plaster, glass, gauze, fiberglass and chicken wire. Her varied use of materials is not gratuitous, but serves as a “wake-up” to the viewer. So, once you are “awake,” what is there to see? In the piece “While the wounds are open,” I see a demonstration of how the explainable and the forever mysterious aspects of life coexist.

At Molitor, Lisa Jo’s large paintings are full of movement, and the compositions seem to reinventing themselves before your eyes. Some of the paintings are bracketed to free-standing floor-to-ceiling rods. It’s an elegant presentation that suits these abstractions well. These paintings provide a remembrance of early 20th century art (Matisse, Franz Marc), as well as forward-thinking design and movement. It’s a warm show - mostly earth colors. Even so, the juxtaposition of “warm-warms” and “cool-warms” effectively creates a 3-D visual space. The paintings are accessible, inviting, but still challenging.

I think of Esther Schipper’s gallery as the “Steven Spielberg” art space in Berlin - the shows there are always blockbusting, dazzling, BIG cinematic productions. The Julius von Bismarck “Wolves” and Ann Veronica Janssens’ “Spring Show” exhibits fall into that “Wow!” category, but there is enough meat to both artists’ work to avoid an empty (and expensive) demonstration of technical wizardry. Von Bismarck’s two wolves, done as collapsing toys, stand still and then slowly collapse inward on themselves. This startles unsuspecting viewers. One of the life-sized wolves is a cobbled-together taxidermy job with a menacing gaze that follows you around the room, the other is a wood carving of the famous Capitoline Wolf bronze (the wolf that suckled the founders of Rome, twin infants Romulus and Remus). The paired wolf pieces examine the relationship between nature mythologies and the reality of nature - romanticism and classicism. At least that was my take-away. In the large room, Ann Veronica Janssens’ mega-show is about the beauty of light reflecting off of and interacting with, basically, plastics. Ironic that the much-maligned material that is choking our oceans and land masses, can serve to create art. Walking through Janssen’s show is like taking a garden tour where you want to enjoy the variety of exotic “plantings,” and if the mood strikes, sit in one of the provided swings and leisurely swoop through the air!

Haley Mellin’s show, “Biodiversity and Betadiversity” at Dittrich Schlechtriem, subsumes the viewer in a tangled jungle where light occasionally peeps through and stillness masks insistent growth - however the obvious topic is the threatened environment, particularly the quickly disappearing rainforests. The oversized, gestural charcoal/wax/chalk drawings on linen banners juxtaposed with the tight, smallish, photorealistic gouache and acrylic paintings create a very much "alive" quality to the show. Usually you would expect the drawings to be the smaller, preparatory pieces for the larger finished oil works. Here the roles have been reversed. This is such a standout show, and amazing that the artist has managed to address a familiar political cause in a manner that is fresh and new .

Zhang Ruyi’s exhibit at Sprüth Magers’ is a footnote to the huge “territory” exhibit upstairs, but I found Ruyi’s concrete, rebar, wood, plexiglass sculptures more engaging than the upstairs main show. Ruyi’s work is direct, and what you really see is what you really get. She casts plants and utilitarian objects in cement and in the process changes their significance, at the same time pushing on our preconceptions about beauty. I love her work.

My favorite Gallery Weekend exhibit was Akeem Smith’s “Soundclash” at Heidi Gallery. The large, windowed, open-to-the-street space contained 11 sound sculptures made of salvaged building materials, plus speakers integrated into each sculpture. The pieces formed two widely-spaced rows, which allowed viewers/listeners to wander through the installation and experience changes in scale, volume, and perspective. Nothing in this exhibit was forced. It all felt completely organic, even though the materials were anything but. Definitely my favorite.

Some of my favorites at True North

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Mon, 26 Dec 2022 22:36:36 GMT

Some of My Favorites at "True North"

I am thrilled to be included in the True North exhibit at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art. The juried show, which runs through January 15, 2023, includes work by 43 artist who live in Sonoma, Napa, Marin and Solano Counties. I think the whole exhibit is outstanding, but here a few of my favorites.

Even though this piece’s organic form and glazes allude to a distant epoch, the end result is a contemporary statement. As you walk around this sculpture, the shape changes. I like the high-contrast striping that serves as a “counter melody” to the weighty form.

This seriously playful piece shows how ceramics can take on a conceptual role. Aged and faded primary red and blue colors contrast the two unlikely partners. The forms allude to military or nautical devices. California Funk art roots are present. The piece is comical and menacing at the same time, and as a result holds a lot of staying power for the viewer.

Another California Funk-inspired piece, Carrington’s breezy, personal and intimate painting of a fun but ”haunted” studio succeeds on several levels. It’s a tour through the artist’s mind, perhaps a preview of projects yet to be revealed, and/or an archeological exposé of high and low culture. Carrington uses water media to his advantage, creating breezy transparencies and a casual but focused reportage feeling. I love this piece. There’s a lot here to enjoy!

How is this piece different from an Audubon print? Or from a Robert Bateman wildlife painting? How is this different that seeing roadkill on the side of the highway? Certainly Audubon and Bateman are about answering questions. Steinmetz's piece leaves the viewer asking them. The beauty and details of the piece draw you in closer, but the portrayal of death (or extinction?) push you away. The Victorians framed pressed flowers, butterflies and spiral arrangements of human hair, all of which froze life for observation and contemplation. This is a powerful piece that is not saccharine or sentimental - nor is it clinical. The presentation fits the art. The paper, clipped to the wall, speaks to the vulnerability and temporary nature of life.

This grid design done with horse hair has a brittle feeling. The formal grid structure provides an interesting contrast to the material used. This can be a meditation piece - like an Agnes Martin painting, or a conceptual piece ("crafty" embroidery elevated to fine art). It is a great accomplishment when spartan and simple means end up rendering complex and beautiful results, as in this piece.

Ruddell’s painting captures a haunting mix of ecstasy and fear. There are experiences that we have that are ours alone, and I feel this painting portrays that.

Aside from the open-ended narrative in this painting, the picture offers a whirlwind tour of multiple light sources, compositional intrigues and layers of spacial planes - all adding up to a contemporary classic - somewhat like a silent opera. This painting is truly a show-stopper!

True North is showing only through January 15, 2013.

This is a good one! Don’t miss it!

Museum hours: Fridays through Sundays, 11am - 4pm

New Years Eve: 11am - 2pm

New Years Day: 11am - 4pm

Location: 5200 Sonoma Highway, Napa, California

Note: Sonoma Highway is also known as Carneros Highway and as Hwy 12

Admission: $20 general, $17 seniors (65+), military, students, FREE age 17 and under, and educators with school ID

Hunkering Down at the Alte Nationalgalerie

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 18:32:04 GMT

Hunkering Down at the Alte Nationalgalerie

I was looking forward to viewing the Karl Friedrich Schinkel architectural drawings tucked away on the third floor of Berlin’s Alte Nationalgalerie. Schinkel designed many of Berlin’s iconic neoclassical buildings, including the Altes Museum and the Konzerthaus. However, the third floor was closed due to the installation of an upcoming exhibit. As a consolation, I switched gears and decided to “curate” my own show that might be called “Hunks on the Second and First Floors of the Altes Museum.”

Starting with The Archers (above), this Pre-Raphaelite-style painting updates the classical theme of a group of archers into, for its time, a contemporary picture. Although the figures are idyllic, the body language is naturalistic - the one on the left bending down, bracing on one knee, the one on the right arched back, attentively looking skyward, and in the center the figure is tensed and waiting for the critical moment to release the tension of the bow. The drab, flat landscape is contrasted by an active sky. The men are essentially separate from each other, but connected by their common mission and their nakedness.

Pre-Raphaelite and Symbolist painter Arnold Böcklin, painted this portrait of his friend Karl Wallenreiter. The face is handsomely framed in front of a neutral gray pillar, bracketed by glimpses of turquoise water or sky and neutral green-gray foliage. The quiet drama of the painting moves between the warmth of the face and the hand grasping a music scroll. So much to take in and enjoy in this portrait - not only the technical stuff, but ultimately the presence of an accomplished person.

“Orange Picker” by Hans von Marées was associated with the German Romantics, however his approach to the figure in this painting is a stone’s throw away from Cézanne.

Apologies for the glare at the top of the picture.

Rodin had a Belgian soldier pose for this statue. When the sculpture was first exhibited, Rodin was falsely accused of making the statue from a direct cast of the model. The charge ended up being good publicity for Rodin because it ramped up public interest in the statue. The figure is “open,” meaning aside from the solidity of the torso and trunk, there is ample air space between the arms and the body and between the legs, giving the statue lightness and a feeling of movement. Rodin treads an interesting line between romanticism and naturalism. When looking at the statue, it’s easy to believe that this portrays a real person, yet it expresses “the many” as well.

Casts of the statue are on view at numerous museums, including the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Legion of Honor in San Francisco.

Back to Basics with Anthony Caro

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 20:42:19 GMT

Back to Basics with Anthony Caro

Anthony Caro Six Decades

Galerie Max Hetzler - Berlin

Through October 29, 2022

“Anthony Caro Six Decades” serves as a retrospective on what sculpture is - or was. This is an exhibit of sculpture that exists for its own sake - unattached to the narratives and messaging that many of today's artists have taken on. Regardless, these pieces have a modern and relevant feel. The sculptures occupy the same floor space as the viewer. Except for one piece, the work is not elevated on a pedestal, which would distance the sculptures from the viewer. Even though some of the pieces are larger-than-human, the shared floor space makes the scale of the work relatable, and allows the viewer to fully explore and critique the work.

Caro started his career as an assistant to Henry Moore and came to the U.S. in 1959, when he was influenced by sculptor David Smith and painters Kenneth Nolan and Helen Frankenthaler. He then started working with steel beams, plates, rods and tubes, experimenting with a variety of finishes including paint, controlled rusts. He was a pioneer in asserting that abstract form is indeed as “real” as figurative-inspired sculpture. That belief spread and changed the profile of public sculpture.

Even though he primarily worked in steel, Caro's sculptures reflect a fluid quality, and attest to his spirit of exploration, experimentation and chance-taking.

Jumping into the Now with Rosa Barba

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 15:35:46 GMT

Jumping into Now with Rosa Barba

Rosa Barba - In A Perpetual Now

Neue Nationalgalerie - Berlin

Through January 16, 2022

As a child did you ever have the experience of sitting in a movie theater, and soon after the movie started, forgetting that you were watching a movie? In other words, do you remember being so accepting of what was on the screen that you forgot about the world outside the theater? I remember experiencing film in this manner before I turned 10. It was always a shock when the swelling music, lingering looks and relaxed smiles on screen signaled the end of the movie, and I realized, “Hey, I’m in a movie theater, watching a movie. And the real world is outside the theater!”

Fast forward to adulthood. Even as recent as ten years ago I might have reacted to “Rosa Barba - In a Perpetual Now,” with feelings of inferiority (I’m too dense to “get” this art), or feeling that the exhibit was somewhat of a medicine show - trying to dupe viewers into thinking that this is art. Somehow I’ve turned a corner and I'm “getting” a lot more art that involves video screens or projected images. The key to turning that corner was simply being willing to spend some time with the art.

Originally, I thought I would be in and out of “Perpetual Now” in about 10 minutes. However, once I submerged myself into the exhibit, I lost track of time and ended up spending a couple of hours in the installation.

It is a remarkable show. Images, projected on walls, translucent and opaque screens, projectors, eccentric film spoolers, all bridged by an expansive soundscape. A reshuffling of the projections and sounds ensures a new experience every time you walk through the exhibit.

What is it about? As the title, “In A Perpetual Now” implies, the now-ness established by the ebb and flow of the exhibit’s light, sound and movement asserts itself above any of the archival footage - although most of the projections consist of pure color. The tendency we all have to look at a painting (whether it’s a Grandma Moses or a Rothko) and automatically “read” a narrative (message, subject or feeling) in it, is something that has always happened in art. As absurd as it may sound, this is what the 17th century Dutch hyper-realists and Rosa Barba have in common - they both give the viewer the opportunity to construct something "real" out of thin air.

The Rosa Barba show ties in with the reopening of the Neue Nationalgalerie, after the building's six-year restoration. The artist alludes to the museum’s architect Mies van der Rohe by echoing his design motifs in the steel armatures that support the projectors, screens, and other equipment. She also uses images from the studio of Alexander Calder, whose optimistic work on the upper floor welcomes back museum goers.

As a part of one of the projection pieces, a sidebar of quotations by Barba appear. Here are two of my favorites:

“Music is liquid architecture; Architecture is frozen music.”

“History and geography are inextricable disciplines.”

This is a very rich show, and I plan to revisit it, and again be surprised and again be enriched.

Ina Weber Shrinks to Life Everyday Architecture

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 21:26:17 GMT

Ina Weber Shrinks to Life Everyday Architecture

You never know when or where art is going to sneak up on you, and last night it did in the lobby of Berlin’s Deutsche Oper. I was drawn to an irregularly shaped sculpture pedestal off to the side of the room. On the pedestal was a downsized “city” of ceramic buildings and utilitarian structures, titled “Caretaker’s Lounge,” by Berlin artist and educator Ina Weber. This is an idea I am excited about, in fact related concepts have been the basis of my recent bodies of work (collage pieces, oil and watercolor paintings, and 3-D stage models).

Weber’s buildings are rough-hewn, and are honest, in that their “clay-ness” is apparent. The colors range from pastel to bright glazes. They are big enough and weighty enough to not read as toy-like, but graduate to iconic symbols for the functions these buildings perform: transportation, housing, and recreation. The layout of “Caretaker’s Lounge” loosely represents a section of a small city, and invites the viewer to visually walk and explore this 3-D map. And even though there is an eastern-bloc mood, this city feels familiar. There is a flavor of the early 60’s, but also a timelessness - as these structures function as place holders for how towns, cities and countries organize civic life.

The exhibit has a listing of titles for the individual buildings, but no statement or explanation - which in this case, encourages the viewer to wander through the “streets” of “Caretaker’s Lounge” and draw his or her own conclusions about this place, what kind of society has created it, and to savor the mystery of the aspects that are left unexplained.

Autobahn Restaurant - 2013

Apartment Building - 2012

Bus Shelter - 2013

(foreground) Kiosk Swinousje - 2015, (background, left) Tenement - 2009

Nursery - 2012

Mon Bar - 2021

Four Finalists Show at Hamburger Bahnhof

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 19:42:41 GMT

Current Issues Take Center Stage at Museum Competition

I got my annual pass to Berlin State Museums yesterday! I look forward to sifting through the revolving smorgasbord of exhibits in Berlin this fall/winter. AND while at Hamburger Bahnhof getting my pass, why not take in the Preis der Nationalgalerie show, featuring the four 2021finalists: Lamin Fofana, Sandra Mujinga, Sung Tieu, and the collaborative team of Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff.

Living as we all do in our own regional art “bubbles,” it truly is an eye-opener to see work being done on a different continent. These four artists focus on social and political issues that are present in galleries and museums in the U.S., however these artists have a slightly different approach. All the work in this exhibit is technically masterful, never preachy, and quite beautiful.

Lamin Fofana’s sound work is at the center of his installations. Projected video and photography, contributed by artists who collaborate with Fofana, take a subordinate role. Usually sound provides a background to an installation, but here the sound - almost music - is as important, if not more, than the visual elements.

The rhythmic sound transports you between three different venues - two rooms where video projections show the human figure along with plants, rocky coastal cliffs, sea stacks, and swirling surf, and another room with photography. All the models in the photographs and videos are young and beautiful Africans - to the point where I had to ask myself, “Is this about Black pride, or is this about beautiful people?” Of course it could be about both simultaneously, but then there is that fragile tipping point where the work gets mentally “interfiled” with Chanel and Gucci ads. Aside from those question marks, Fofana’s sound work powerfully seduces you into another world, and manages to leave space for questions about where colonialism has taken the world, and where it is still influencing the fate of many people.

Collaborators Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff’s photography comments on the disparity between our material fantasies and aspirations and the shoddiness of the infrastructure that barely holds our world together. The presentation of photography printed on large, grommeted industrial screens, suspended from awning hardware is effective.

On the walls, behind the awnings, are black and white photographs of what I thought were ocean surf foam and swirling tide waters. However, reading the copy provided by the museum, those soothing water forms are actually shots of sewage in a water treatment plant. I see where Henkel and Pitegoff are coming from, and it makes an interesting and aesthetically beautiful statement about the wastefulness of our consumer society; but it also seems a little thin. Doesn’t every city need a water treatment system? So, in a way I get what they are saying, but in a way not.

Sandra Mujinga’s ghost figures loom over you in two rooms; one room contains a ghost “ship” consisting of skins of woven fabric, barely clinging to a steel armature. The ghosts are represented by totem-like figures consisting of patterned weavings in grays, charcoals and blacks. Mujinga’s work is haunting, but also in some weird way, welcoming. The giant figures just aren’t there to scare us, but to compassionately warn us to not make the same mistakes over and over again. This work is genuine and real.

The Pries der Nationalgalerie has been awarded to Mujinga, and as winner of the competition, she will have a solo exhibit at Hamburger Bahnhof in 2022, accompanied by a printed catalog.

Sung Tieu’s “Song for VEB Stern-Radio Berlin” is about immigration - but the story she tells does not feel personal. Perhaps she is commenting on the impersonal, cold and bureaucratic process of getting migrants from one country to another. The piece is a detached arrangement of lists and electronics in a heaven-like, white environment that leaves you with a sense of weightlessness. You float through this exhibit - with shoes off to preserve the cloud like, white floors. The only touch of humanity is the playful “clip on” ladybugs that sparingly cluster in harmless groups on the inner walls of the exhibit. It’s interesting how this artists translates the experiences of war, immigration and social adjustment into a work that is so beautiful.

The Pries der Nationalgalerie has been awarded to Sandra Mujinga, and as winner of the competition, she will have a solo exhibit at Hamburger Bahnhof next in 2022 and there will be a printed catalog of the show.

My Favorite Pieces at SRAC's "Planet" Show

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 16:00:22 GMT

Artists voice concern over global crises

Here are some of my favorite pieces at the “Our Precious Planet” show at Santa Rosa Arts Center (through August 28, 2021).

“Untitled - Self-Explanatory” (above) by Sharona ChaCha Tracy is an exuberant pile-on of trash-to-go in a shopping basket. This piece feels like an honest and genuine expression that is not over-thought. The end result communicates the passion and spontaneity that was the impetus for this sculpture. The piece is engaging, and ends up twisting the viewer around by addressing a serious global problem (consumerism and the disposal of garbage), but presenting the topic in a playful, tongue in cheek manner. This is a piece you can keep coming back to - maybe to find some of your own garbage!

“Sky Dance 1, 2 & 3” by me. These paintings were inspired by low, fast-moving clouds. I almost feel this piece should be a video, since the clouds were changing shape so quickly and beautifully. The sky serves as a fragile and protective envelope for the earth, as well as displaying ever-changing scenes of beauty and force.

“The West I” and “The West II” by Lois Goff powerfully portray terrifying and all too familiar fire scenes in these small scenic paintings with a 19th century feel. These are expertly done. The subject matter is timely, yet these pieces are so good that they will still be relevant generations from now. These are in the same league as work by contemporary Los Angeles artist Sandow Birk. Birk’s art is mostly on an epic scale, whereas these small paintings by Goff are personal and intimate. I love these two paintings!

“Fire Watch” by Lorna Ho succeeds as an abstract arrangement of shapes, color, and calligraphic marks. It also carries with it a sense of humor - anything titled “Fire Watch,” especially in California, is deadly serious; however the piece has a William Wiley, California-funk playfulness. I like the David Park “chunkiness” of this wonderful painting.

Best of show: Chris Beards’ “Spoiled,” a bird of paradise blossom that has been “preserved” in packing tape. Beards has done it again: transforming, rearranging, and altering objects to communicate ideas he is passionate about - and convincing us to take a look at what's going on around us. This piece can be experienced on a number of levels, including addressing our global crisis to contemplating our own mortality. The piece started out with a fresh bird of paradise cutting, which has faded into neutral tans and grays. The piece will continue to change over time, demonstrating the transformation that happens to every living thing. The plastic encasement is both the enemy and antithesis of the flower, and at the same time, it is the method of presentation and display. Like the Egyptian mummies, this piece is beautiful and a little spooky. Many layers to this very successful piece.

Santa Rosa Arts Center is located at 312 South A Street in Santa Rosa, California.

Hours: Thursday, 12-2pm., Friday and Saturday, 11am-2pm, and Sunday 11am-3pm.

Christian Marclay Updates Pop Art with a Nod to Cubism

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Sun, 21 Mar 2021 13:15:13 GMT

Comic Book Images Get Serious

I am a big fan of Christian Marclay, having seen his monumental work “The Clock” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2013. “The Clock,” which won the Golden Lion award at the 2011 Venice Biennale, is a 24-hour video loop made up of scenes from films and television shows where a timepiece is present somewhere, sometimes in the far background or tucked into a corner of the screen. The time shown in the frame is always the REAL TIME - meaning if the viewer is watching "The Clock" at 3:24 p.m. - somewhere in the currently shown scene is a clock, be it Big Ben or a digital clock on a car dashboard - that is showing 3:24 p.m.

Relative to “The Clock,” the current show at Fraenkel is unassuming - 16 collages, plus one video piece - but regardless the show packs a lot of power. It mostly includes sliced and diced comic book images. All the pieces are engaging, and inventive - which is a hard trick to pull off in the genre of collage. Layers of pattern push and pull against the hieroglyphic story lines. A few of the pieces consist of isolated shapes in the middle of the picture plane, but in the majority of the pieces the image goes to the edge, implying that the picture is a snippet of a much larger vision.

The work pays tribute to and updates the Pop sensibility of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, and bases the architecture of many of the pieces on the cubist principles of Picasso and Braque.

The show runs through March 25, 2021 at Fraenkel Gallery, 49 Geary Street, San Francisco. By appointment only.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the show:

The de Young Open: My favorite 12 pieces

BSHELLEY@SONIC.NET (BILL SHELLEY) — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 02:24:35 GMT

The de Young Open: Twelve of my favorite pieces

This week I went to the artists’ preview of The de Young Open, which features 877 artworks by 762 Bay Area artists. In emails to participating artists earlier this summer the museum stated that the exhibit would be done “salon style - edge to edge, floor to ceiling.” I was amazed that the museum staff had managed to allow for a workable breathing space between pieces. In addition, nine gallery spaces divide the show into thematic chapters that help navigate through the high volume of artwork.

Some works pay homage to art giants like Helen Frankenthaler, Ed Ruscha, Moholy-Nagy, Braque, Dalí, Robert Ryman, Brice Marden, Gerhard Richter and others. But many other pieces are completely original.

The exhibit is well organized, and considering the magnitude, this was no easy task.

Here are tw elve of my favorite pieces in the exhibit. I highly recommend checking out the show, which opens to the public on October 10, 2020 and runs through January 3, 2021.

P.S. My piece, “Nocturne,” (no. 499) is in gallery 6.

Stacey Goodman

My Great Migration

79 x 69.5 x 3 in.

I was captivated by this bigger-than-human, glass, metal and refective-material piece that uses the green, black and red of the Pan-African and African-American flags. The visual presence of this piece is dazzling.

Harvey Brody

Panstheism: Making Sanctuary

66 x 56 in.

Harvey Brody’s “Sanctuary” piece is a record of the artist finding sanctuary through the act of painting - and then passing that sanctuary along to the viewer. His torn and shredded picture ironically has a solid feeling. At the same time the painting has vitality and movement. I love this piece.

Ryan M. Reynolds

Freeway 9

30 x 45 in.

Of course, I have to include Reynolds’ “Freeway 9” in my top ten favorites! I’m partial to everyday subjects that have been elevated (or re-seen) for us by the artist. Weren’t the impressionists doing just that when they painted train stations and contemporary street scenes? Here, the artist has chosen a toll gate - possibly the entrance to the Bay Bridge or the Carquinez Bridge. This is a scene most of us have driven through many times, but maybe in the rush of avoiding an accident while scrambling for our FasTrack-thingy, we’ve not had the opportunity to take in the interesting breakdown of sky/architecture/horizon/middle and foreground. This piece is a formal presentation of a rubber-meets-the-road situation.

TANCHELEV

Untitled (Four Blocks) 2020

29.5 x 29.75 x 2.5 in.

TANCHELEV’s piece, “Untitled (Four Blocks) 2020” holds its own authority on the basis of a deceptive simplicity and purity of form. The artist conjoins beauty, philosophy and humanity here, and confronts the viewer with two worlds at once: the conceptual and the tactile. Very exciting piece!

Randy Dixon

Corbeau

24 x 62 x 13 in.

Randy Dixon’s “Corbeau” is a stunning form that feels stable enough to withstand heavy winds, even though it is balanced ballet-style “en pointe.” It is at once a model for a future building (or future city contained in a building) and an elegant figurative form. The warmth of the materials add humanity. The coexistence of curves and angles create a feeling of hope.

Wynne Hayakawa

As I Lay Dreaming

44 x 44 in.

This dizzying painting divides the picture into halves, yet we are left with a feeling of instability. The whole painting is in motion. The convention of the landscape is upended by the lack of a horizon, and just as trees each year bud, leaf, color and lose their leaves (and symbolically their lives), Hayakawa’s vision provides a reminder of the temporary nature of our own existence. How many things in life slip through our fingers? What does it mean to hold onto something? This painting asks the question of what it means to be alive. Thank you, Wynne Hayakawa.

Marshall Crossman

Maroc 4

40 x 40 in.

This painting by Marshall Crossman captures the vitality of an exotic, far-away marketplace. I can even hear the “buzz” of this swirling gathering spot. Crossman’s control and wise use of color contains the checkerboard darks and lights that punctuate the scene. All his gestural brush movements have a reason to be there. This is a great painting!

Cat Kaufman

Harmony of the Soul

15.5 x 35.5 x 2 in.

The keyboard in Cat Kaufman’s “Harmony of the Soul” represents the elements our music system: 12 tones to the scale, octaves, and chord progressions - all utilized in classical, jazz, rock and folk music. I’ve often thought these music elements have corresponding colors (for example, individual notes might have specific colors and chords might represent color palettes). Here Kaufmann has created a color “scale” parallel to the scale of the keyboard. The piece has a distressed look - like it was exhumed from antiquity (or at least from a ghost town in Nevada). I love the layers of potential stories and the different directions you could take when viewing this piece.

9 .

Martin Lasack

Ravens in Granite

24 x 54 in.

Yes, this painting is a skillful landscape, not only portraying fascinating landforms and the air between the landforms - but it is primarily an abstract composition that would work even if the painting were turned upside down.

10 .

Maru Hoeber

Haiku B

13.5 x 5.75 x 5.75 in.

Because of its almost-white, monochromatic, marble-like appearance, this piece has a classical feeling. The elegant folds, curves and dimples, and the overall verticality allude to the figure. Even though it involves a complicated interchange of forms, the mood is one of quiet balance - so the title, “Haiku B” is fitting.

11 .

Robert Foster

Number 61. “And then the world changed…”

72 x 48 x 5 in.

Robert Foster’s sculpture, “Number 61. ‘And then the world changed…’” portrays a city in decay, but not the usual urban decay - where rebuilding takes place simultaneously. This city is melting away - a place that is an artifact - the color of bone. It’s a bleak picture of the future or a view from the far-far future looking back - as we now view the Parthenon or the pyramids at Giza. The grid pattern is attractive and the aerial view is alluring, however feelings of dread follow quickly. It is a monumental piece, not as much in scale as in feeling.

12 .

Paul Steuerwald

Untitled

24 x 24

This satisfying abstract painting by Paul Steuerwald gives the viewer a puzzle to untangle, paths to follow, and depths to organize. It’s a quiet piece that also has musical qualities - mostly syncopated rhythms - but all contained within a square field. This idea is appealing enough that I want to see ten of these - each version with different subtractions or additions to this composition - or reorderings of which structures assert themselves forward and which fall back. I really like this painting!

Works by Drew Jackson on view at Sebastopol Center for the Arts

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:48:34 GMT

Artist combines hands-on and digital techniques into a unique medium

Currently on view at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts in Sebastopol, California, “fluidity - the art of molten material,” features work by Northern California artist, Drew Jackson, who has used his years of experience as a digital photographer to extemporize on his encaustic wax creations - and in so doing, has combined a “left brain” and “right brain” method of art-making into a unique and distinct medium.

Jackson’s work is color-driven, but his use of texture provides a subtext that adds a gravitational pull to his pieces. He states, “Photography has been a force in my life for over forty years, yet in 2009 I felt the need to become more physically connected to the work I produced. This lead to an exploration of more tactile art forms, and initiated the journey with encaustic painting and image transfer techniques.”

Jackson found a medium and method that he has decided to bear down on, and deeply mine his ideas. It is remarkable what can be uncovered within a closely focused discipline - think of Giorgio Morandi.

“Fire Within” is an aggressive firewall that pulsates and serves as a warning - like a wasp nest. Or alludes to the interior chambers of the human heart. This piece also has a feeling of erosion.

“Down Deep,” a baroque abstraction, has visual staying power and keeps giving to the viewer with following “re-visits.” There is a range of warms and cools and a variety of textures - ranging from spiky to gaseous. Jackson also attains a feeling of the ephemeral, to the point that you wonder if the picture will have changed slightly if you come back to it an hour later. It is tempting to go to the “2001 A Space Odyssey” narrative, but if you resist that reading and take the layers and veils of color and values at face value, that’s all you need to enjoy the ride. This 30” x 30” piece could well command a larger format. I can see this as a 10 foot x 10 foot piece holding court in the International Terminal at SFO or LAX or placed in the 1st floor lobby of any corporate skyscraper.

In “Into the Deep,” color is the dominant force, but texture adds weight to the piece. Jackson pulls off the trick of turning a usually cool color into a hot color - kind of like the hot-but-blue flame on a gas stove. This turn-about prompts a visual double-take, and is a plus for the piece.

fluidity - the art of molten material

Drew Jackson

through March 29, 2020

Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Sat. & Sun., 1 p.m.-4 p.m.

Sebastopol Center for the Arts

282 South High Street, Sebastopol, California

Discover Great Art in Small Towns

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 23:34:44 GMT

Small Town #1: Duluth, Minnesota - The Tweed Museum

The day we visited the Tweed Museum the predicted high in Duluth was 3 Fahrenheit. The museum, nestled inside a bunker-like building at the University of Minnesota Duluth campus, provides a warm and welcoming oasis to any art-seeker who finds him or herself on the shores of this cold Lake Superior town.

The museum was established in 1950 when Alice Tweed Tuohy donated her house and art collection to the University. The home-museum was moved to the UM campus in 1958, and has been expanded and renovated four times since, lastly in 2008.

The exhibit spaces include nine galleries, and the collection focuses on American and European art, as well as highlighting outsider and Native American art from the region.

The museum also holds a collection of the iconic Royal Canadian Mounted Police paintings and drawings by Arnold Friberg. Those hyper-masculine, father-figure images were used on thousands and thousands of promotional calendars during the 50's and 60's.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from the "Asymmetry/Three-Dimensional Works from the Tweed Collection" show, currently on view at the Tweed.

American Greats on the Hill

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 23:21:56 GMT

Philadelphia Museum holds treasury of contemporary American art

Even with much of the building boarded up for renovation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art would challenge the stamina of any museum goer. Sylvester Stallone made the museum steps famous in Rocky (1976), and although I didn’t do the movie victory run, there is an exhilarating feeling when you reach the top of the steps, turn around to view the Philadelphia skyline and finally walk into the museum.
Although there is art from all over the world at The Philadelphia Art Museum, I’m highlighting here some of my favorite contemporary American masterpieces that I saw.
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Untitled, Cy Twombly, 1979, bronze

Although known primarily as a painter, Twombly utilized other forms throughout his career. This bronze casting resembles an archeological find from an unknown era. Even though the piece is a sculpture, it has painterly qualities, adding visual interest. The visual weight of the piece lend a utilitarian look. Is it a plow or an instrument of war? Both options contradict its role as an art object. I love this piece!

On a Blue Ceiling, Eight Geometric Figures: Circle, Trapezoid, Parallelogram, Rectangle, Square, Triangle, Right Triangle, X (Wall Drawing No. 351), Sol LeWitt, 1981, chalk and latex paint on plaster
As normal for conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, he provided a written description of this piece – which in this case is the same as the title - to the museum. LeWitt also specified how many coats and what brand of paint to use, but left the specific interpretation of the description and the execution of the wall drawing to others. The museum purchased “the idea” for the piece and owns the right to erase it at any time. The drawing/painting has a lightness and stillness that imbues the museum hallway with a feeling of reassurance, optimism and calm.

Painting with Two Balls, Jasper Johns, 1960, encaustic and collage on canvas with objects
There were several Jasper Johns pieces that I wanted to include in this blog entry, but I picked this one, because I’d never seen a picture of it before, and because I thought it was funny. This painting – a painting that takes on a sculptural presence – comes at you from a number of directions. Johns is pushing against masculine privilege by actually giving his painting literal balls, and in so doing is implying that paintings without balls are just fine, too – of course! In other words, the masculine viewpoint is not the only vantage point from which to measure the validity of a piece of art. He is also pushing back on homophobia in a “pre-homophobia” time. Gay people weren’t even counted or seen in 1960. The fear and dread of homosexuality was so extreme that heterosexual men who were talented enough to pursue a career in painting or sculpture, felt compelled to deliver overly macho work, as a way of branding themselves as unquestionably straight. This is a great painting where expressionist brushstrokes and the beginnings of new voice in painting exist on the same canvas. Truly a thought-provoking and rich piece.

Pastoral: Ira Joel Haber, Sylvia Sleigh, 1975, oil on canvas
In this full-body portrait the figure seems awkward, unsure, and uncomfortable with being looked at by the artist and presumed future viewers of the painting. Even though he is wearing a swimsuit, the model appears very naked in this almost-impressionist setting. The painting alludes to Renoir’s many naked women bathing in the outdoors. Sleigh has turned the tables here and substitutes a male for the expected female – and in so doing, illustrates the male dominance woven into western art. The weird lawn chair and the distorted bird bath add to the awkwardness of the scene, and add a surreal touch.

The Night, Philip Guston, 1977, oil on canvas
A skull or baseball (?) is being towed by some kind of life form or brain (?) on a dark night at sea – Philip Guston always brings up more questions than answers, but does so with immediacy and direct, in-your-face painting. If this is a self-portrait, or even a portrait of the viewer, it could be a depiction of our true self (the unconscious) being towed towards an unknown destination by our public or known self. Above is the night sky, vastly larger than can be grasped, and below is the dark sea, concealing an alien world of swirling life. Guston’s child-like drawing style is applied to this sophisticated commentary to great effect. I always feel Guston makes us look at what we’d like to forget, reminding of what we already know and what we don’t know yet. In this way, he’s a prophet.

Barge, Ellsworth Kelly, 1955, oil on canvas
Ellsworth Kelly moved to New York the year before completing this painting. Inspired by Arp, Brancusi and Mondrian, Kelly used natural forms and grids to structure his early paintings. The black shape almost completely takes over the picture plane, but still acknowleges authority to the traditional rectangular boundary. Movement is implied as the “barge” prow pushes toward the top of the picture. The minimalistic purity of the piece is its main accomplishment. Soon after 1955, Kelly took his ideas to a larger scale; however, even though this painting is small, it has a monumental quality.

Foxtail, Nick Cave, 1995, metal, wood, synthetic hair, found objects, twine, nails
This piece combines religion and sexuality. Cave has used humble materials to fashion a fetish-like object that is mounted, passively on the wall. I’m left with the feeling that to really “see” the piece, you would need to take it from the wall and use it as part of a dance or in a ritual of some kind.

Religion and Art

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 04:47:33 GMT

Bill Viola retrospective addresses themes that never go away

Before I get into the exhibit “I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like – The Art of Bill Viola,” I have to say the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia is really a unique, beautiful place. The building is straightforwardly elegant, composed of straight lines, which are echoed in a reflecting pond. At one end of the pond, a polished steel Ellsworth Kelly sculpture vaults skyward. At least when I was there, every staff person, from the greeter at the door, to the museum guards, to the people in the gift shop was genuinely helpful. At one point, I was scribbling notes with a ballpoint pen, and a guard came over to me and told me ballpoints weren’t allowed in the museum, which is not unusual, but then she went the second mile and handed me a newly sharpened #2 pencil with a clean eraser on it. Wow.

The collection, which is mostly Impressionist and early 20th century European and American painting, is stacked up the walls, salon style, in the same configuration conceived by Albert Barnes, who founded the original museum in Merion, Pennsylvania.

This small museum alone justifies a trip to Philadephia!

On to Bill Viola!

How many video installations have we all seen that occupy a darkened museum room, furnished with a bench at the back, the only light source being grainy images flickering on CRT TV screen? You enter the room and give it some time, hoping for something to happen. Then you feel a twinge of guilt, because after all, the piece actually made it into a museum, right? I often felt there was a double standard regarding video art, which sometimes didn’t seem to pass the same test as the other modern masterpieces in the building. Technology has leaped forward since video art started claiming museum real estate, and the automatic “ooh’s” and “aah’s” for video work now seem to be harder to earn.

Viola is doing something not currently in fashion, to say the least: He addresses theology and “faith” in his pieces. Sometimes his topics are directly from Judeo-Christian scripture, however his theological ideas can be framed through a humanist lens as well. For example in the piece, “Ablution,” he makes reference to Christian water rituals – baptism and footwashing. But even if the viewer has had no religious education, he or she can get the symbolism of water as an agent of cleansing, renewal, and new beginnings.

I became a Viola fan years ago, simply responding to the visual poetry of his work.

Bill Viola brings vision and technical virtuosity together. His work is “stilling.” Viola puts the viewer on the offense, meaning the viewer is not being asked to passively watch, but to engage.

“I Do Not Know” only includes seven pieces, but with Bill Viola, more is not necessarily more.

Photography is not allowed in the exhibit, so here are some of the sketches I did of the show.

The exhibit continues through September 15, 2019.

Ablution, 2005, 7 min., 2 video panels

Ablution is a dyptich (two vertical screens) reminiscent of an altarpiece. A stream of water flows the length of each screen over over two pairs of hands, a woman on the left and a man on the right. Their unclothed torsos are in soft focus, behind the hands. As Warhol discovered, repetition has power – even if it’s just two.

The Greeting, 1995, 10 min., 1 video projection with sound

This video depicts two and sometimes 3 women in a happenstance meeting on a city street, seemingly catching up on news, sometimes displaying empathy, sometimes distanced and dispassionate. The background is like a stage set, and establishes deep perspective. The mood and colors have the feel of a de Chirico painting. The women are wearing clothes that would be appropriate for a shopping trip or museum-going, but not for work. The flowing dresses have a classical Greek or Roman look and move gently in the breeze that comes from an off-camera fan. Time is passing, but strangely also standing still. Really interesting piece.

Observance, 2002, 10 min., 1 video panel

This piece shows a group of people who are presumably attending a viewing at a funeral. One by one and in pairs, people approach the deceased, who is out of the camera frame, and silently reveal a range of restrained emotions. Like the people pictured in the funeral “reception” line, we the viewers bring our own memories of confronting death.

Catherine’s Room, 2001, 18 min., 5 video panels

This Vermeer-like room is shown on five video panels. Each panel portrays a different time of day and a different time of year. The first panel is morning, the second is the workday, the third is a mid-day assessment of the day’s activities, the fourth is a time of evening prayer, and the fifth is night. The room is a monastically simple setting, and generic enough to represent any living space. The lighting changes panel-to-panel, corresponding to the time of day, and the furniture changes in each panel, which indicates that this is not one 24-hour sequence. This piece is about the rhythm of life, self-awareness, responsibility and completion.

Ascension, 2000, 10 min., video projection with sound

The camera is positioned 25 feet under the surface of the water. The only disturbance in the occasional stream of bubbles coming from down below. Suddenly a body crashes through the surface and plummets down. The person appears lifeless, and with arms stretched out in cross form, slowly rises to the surface. The Biblical references are obvious. In addition, the viewer is captivated by the beauty and technical inventiveness of the scene, and confronted by a limited view of a death that may be due to foul play. The body keeps rising, but before breaking the surface, starts sinking again, and eventually sinks below the camera frame.

He Weeps for You, 1976, copper pipe, live camera with macro lens, amplified drum, video projection

This is a live action video, which shows a macro view of water dripping from a copper pipe, and then the drip strikes a shallow drum below. You're seeing the live hardware and action and the simultaneously projection of that action on the screen, where you can also see yourself magnified within the water drop. The piece compares a “real thing” with a depiction of a real thing. The hardware is interesting by itself, but then the live image provides a "translation" of a 3-D experience into an enlarged 2-D image. It’s like the following question: How do these three experiences differ? 1) standing in front of and looking at Yosemite Falls, as compared to 2) looking at a photograph of Yosemite Falls, as compared to 3) looking at a painting of the photograph. Each one of those experiences is different, but all three have the same content.

Why I like Andy Warhol

Sun, 18 Aug 2019 20:33:52 GMT

Major show at SFMOMA covers Warhol's legacy

I just saw the Andy Warhol exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Even though much of his source material is lifted from the pages of tabloid newspapers, the work is complex and layered with meanings. If he had lived a full lifespan, he surely would have reveled in the digital culture we currently live in – where truly anyone can have their 15 minutes of fame.

Who knows what was in Warhol’s mind? Did he really think art is just a commodity? Did he conflate fame with importance? He said many times he was lazy, and his persona was one of a perpetual party-goer; however, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh holds 900 paintings, 100 sculptures, 2,000 works on paper, 1,000 prints, 4,000 photographs, 60 feature films, 200 short films, and 4,000 videos – and of course this is not even counting pieces in museums, private galleries and collections around the world. So, he was definitely work oriented.

Warhol was a champion of the everyday: Coca Cola bottles, Campbell soup cans, boxes of Brillo Pads, and ubiquitous print images of the famous and infamous. Those icons of the everyday underscore a common visual language. Maybe that common bond is what loosened up attendees at the museum, at least the day I was there. People seemed engaged; there was laughter, reverential silence, and lots of conversation.

Warhol has a “signature technique” which became his brand – just as great singers, like Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Rosemarie Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, and Josh Groben – all have voices that can be immediately identified. So the brand becomes the person and marks their product as “them.” All artists who rise to the museum level have that quality.

I think with Warhol’s work, the idea of the piece – for example the idea of making a series about the electric chair– is almost as interesting as the painting itself. The piece becomes “conceptual,” because the viewer can admire and be inspired simply by the fact that someone would think of that concept. However, the painting ends up being the best way of stating that concept. So in the end the idea or concept and the piece become one thing.

The electric chair paintings are brilliant and one of the most powerful themes in this show. The electric chair is an update of the cross symbol. The cross was a method of execution. Can you imagine people commonly wearing little electric chairs on necklaces as a symbol of their faith? Today, what would that symbol be? – lethal injection implements? I’m not sure if this was the meaning that Warhol had in mind, but I think it’s an interesting angle. Even without any religious implications, the electric chair paintings are a powerful statement about the finality of capital punishment and about mortality.

Warhol’s paintings assert the beauty of repetition and pattern, but also demonstrate a visual “calendar” of our moments, days, months and years passing by. Obviously, Warhol’s death paintings of car crashes, skulls and electric chairs confront us with our own and others’ mortality. We are simultaneously repelled and fascinated by the subject.

At the time Warhol created his homoerotic drawings, paintings, and films, being gay was illegal and unspeakable in many areas of the country. For the younger museum audience, it may not register how “out there” some of the gay imagery would have been during its own time. Now people are used to seeing gay celebrities and even presidential candidates. I don’t think Andy Warhol cared what anyone thought, so I can’t say he was “brave,” but I do think the art itself was very brave for its time.

Warhol was one of those artists we can credit with changing our culture’s consciousness. Film, television, and advertising have absorbed his ideas as part of their visual toolbox. Giving credit to fame for fame’s sake was one of his main themes, and probably reality TV grew from that assertion. Would the Kardashians even exist without the Marilyn paintings?

The soup cans demonstrated how the perception of something being art, can influence its status as “real” art. Duchamp started the ball rolling, and Warhol took the idea to the bank.

Warhol died prematurely at age 58. He was buried in a black cashmere suit, paisley tie, a platinum wig and sunglasses. Who knew who he really was? And in the end, does that matter? His work stands on its own, and is a major chapter of 20th century art history.

One of my favorite Warhol quotes – and there are many good ones – is “When you do something exactly wrong, you always turn up something.” That attitude gives artists license to go for creativity at the risk of making mistakes.

“Andy Warhol-From A to B and Back Again” runs through September 2, 2019.

Here are some of my favorite pieces in the show:

“Pirates Sieze Ship…,” 1961, graphite on paper

The word “Sieze” is intentionally misspelled as it appeared in the New York Daily News headline. I’m sure if he was living today, Warhol would be working with video and installations using the constant 24-hour stream of news feeds that didn’t even exist when he was alive. Of course, the pharmaceutical commercials would play a major role.

“Crowd,” 1963, silkscreen on linen

Warhol’s source for this piece was a newswire photo of a crowd waiting to see the Pope in Rome.

(detail) “Crowd,” 1963, silkscreen on linen

“Large Sleep,” 1965, silkscreen ink on plexiglass

These two stills are from the film, “Sleep,” that Warhol did in 1963. The film was a 5½ hour depiction of his lover, John Giorna, sleeping.

“Nine Jackies,” 1964, acrylic paint and silkscreen ink on linen

The first image was taken in Dallas before the shooting, the second during the funeral, and the third during the swearing in of Lyndon Johnson. This piece is about American history, shared grief, and media saturation.

“The American Man (Portrait of Watson Powell),” 1964, acrylic ink and silkscreen ink on linen

This is a commissioned portrait of Watson Powell, founder and president of the American Republic Insurance Company. The piece ends up not only being a portrait of this high-ranking executive, but a portrait of the standard for American manhood in the 60’s.

“Saturday Disaster,” 1964 silkscreen ink on linen

This voyeuristic piece gives the viewer permission to look at a scene one would normally turn quickly away from. We are forced to confront mortality and the uncertainty of life.

Flower paintings in room with cow wallpaper.

The Flower Paintings celebrate an art cliché, and by so doing, elevates the subject to its rightful place. Can we do the same with vineyards and kittens? The cow wallpaper brings a boutique feel into the exhibit hall. Would Andy have preferred to have this exhibit in the museum gift shop?

“Mao,” 1972, acrylic paint, silkscreen ink, and graphite on linen

This image of Mao, which appeared as the frontispiece for “Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung,” was the single image Warhol used for his series of paintings, drawings, and prints of the Chinese leader, following Nixon’s historic visit.

“Sunset,” 1972, portfolio of screenprints

This is another example of Warhol taking an art cliché, reducing it to its elementary essence – and thus reinventing it as an objet d’art.

“Cross,” 1981-82, acrylic paint and silkscreen ink on canvas

The cross is about death, life, resurrection, western history, violence, colonialism, and more. The red and black emphasize the dark side of the symbol.

“Camouflage Last Supper,” 1986 acrylic paint and silkscreen ink on canvas

“Feet with Candlesticks,” 1956-57, ballpoint pen on paper

This early Warhol drawing is part of a series of homoerotic pieces, some more graphic than others, but all of them communicate tenderness. Warhol was ridiculed as a child for being a sissy, and began constructing his protective persona at an early age.

Post-Depression era prints tell it like it is/was

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 22:18:51 GMT

Regionalist and Social Realist art for middle class budgets

So much to learn about in the art world! Last week I went to “Associated American Artists: Prints for the People,” an exhibit at the Portland Art Museum (Oregon). The show featured mostly prints from the 30’s and 40’s that were the result of a collaboration between the Associated American Artists (AAA) and printmakers immediately following the Great Depression. The AAA commissioned prints and other works of art in order to get quality art into the hands of middle class Americans – and to provide a source of income to artists. Some of the artists who worked with the AAA included Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, and Grant Wood.

Most of the content of the show consists of scenes of everyday life, landscapes, people at work, and even boxing and circus scenes, and is both a visual treat and a fascinating American history lesson. And even if you don’t know that much about how prints are made, the level of techniques on display is inspiring. Part of the magic of these prints, is the familiarity and even homeyness of the images, which then surprise the viewer with more complicated emotions.

Also included in the show are prints from The Taller de Gráfica Popular, a print collective in Mexico City. The AAA linked forces with the TGP to bring the work of Mexican printmakers to the U.S. art market. These prints are direct and powerful, and it’s interesting to see the social movements and economics of the time playing out south of the border.

AAA made prints available for as low as $5 each, which is about $88 in today’s money. They were sold by mail order, in department stores and also through a traveling exhibit program.

Given today’s political and economic headlines, it’s easy to see repeated themes from the 30’s and 40’s, and our own times. The dignity of the individual and economic inequality were major issues back then, and still are today.

If you going to be in Portland, I highly recommend this show. It runs through September 1, 2019.

note: In order to minimize glare, I angled some of these shots – I hope it’s not too distracting!

Grant Wood, “January,” 1937, lithograph

This print quietly tells a story of the cycle of labor in the setting of an American landscape. The rabbit tracks add humor and allude to the fertility of the coming spring.

Grant Wood, “Sultry Night,” 1939, lithograph

Unlike images of muscular figures – as in WPA era bas relief friezes on public buildings of the time, this is a non-idealized farmhand, who is rinsing off after a day of work. This print was deemed “indecent,” and banned from mail distribution. However, it was available to the public over the counter at AAA offices.

Samuel L. Margolies, “R.F.D. #2,” 1940, aquatint

R.F.D. stands for Rural Free Delivery, a service initiated in the United States in the late 19th century to get mail delivered directly to rural farmers.

Francisco Mora, “Mine Worker in Pachuca,” 1946, lithograph

A member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular, Mora’s art focused on social injustice. The AAA commissioned Mora to do a series of lithographs on the Mexican mining industry. This print depicts the claustrophobic and back-breaking working conditions.

Isabel Bishop, “Noon Hour,” 1935, etching

This print depicts two women on a work break. The figures are isolated from any surroundings, so the focus is only on the women. There’s an interesting mix of classical poses and a somewhat tired and desolate attitude in the figures.

Joe Jones, “Windy Day,” 1950, lithograph

Straight-forward and breezy depiction of a seaside or lakeside view. The gestural line work and generalized placement of darks and lights deftly tells the story of this particular day.

Yasuo Kuniyoshi, “Wire Cyclist,” 1939, lithograph

I love the way in this print you first see the woman’s underlit face and arm position, then the balletic posture of her legs, and lastly her precarious balance on the highwire. 1-2-3!

John Steuart Curry, “The Missed Leap,” 1934, lithograph

Curry accompanied the Ringling Bros. Circus for six weeks and created a series of prints capturing circus life. The lighting and the diagonals in this composition underscore the excitement and terror of this suspended moment.

Zsissly, “Victoria,” 1947, lithograph

Considering that this scene is outfitted for a party of some kind, the overall mood of the piece is more like a horror movie. The image is kind of like an Ivan Albright painting, where the picture is on the verge of decay. This is a party invitaton that we would all probably give an “I’ll pass” response to.

Why Community Art Shows Are Important

Sun, 04 Aug 2019 05:36:03 GMT

Good work at Salon des Refusés exhibit

Community art centers play an important role that is outside the mission statement of museums and most commercial galleries.

The art centers give full-time and part-time artists an opportunity to show work, even if their professional “pedigree” does not include an MFA and several, single-spaced pages of exhibit, residency, publication, and grant history. Art center shows can be a great motivator for artists to keep advancing their work and, if desired, preparing to show in galleries and other exhibit spaces. If you’ve only shown work so far to your family and friends, community shows can provide an opportunity to get your work out there and start building that multipage CV!

I think of visiting a community art show like going to a community orchestra concert. At community orchestra concerts, you’re not expecting the same level of over-the-top expertise and risk-taking as you would from a big-city symphony orchestra. Community orchestras are mainly concerned with playing in tune and keeping everyone together – which is important!

At least once in any community orchestra performance a sublime phrase or a focused passage comes together, and that makes going to the concert worthwhile. In the art world, if you’ve spent the day pounding pavement going from gallery to gallery, seeing just one or two engaging pieces can justify the effort.

The Salon des Refusés exhibit includes pieces that demonstrate interesting beginnings, satisfying and engaging statements, and even one piece that would be at home at any museum. It’s worth going to see this show!

The exhibit continues Saturdays and Sundays, August 4, 10 & 11, 11am – 5pm, at Sheishin Studio, off of Art Alley, behind 312 South A Street, Santa Rosa, California.

Here are some pieces that I’d like to comment on.

In the Eyes of the Beholder

Corlene Van Sluizer

I like the red plus black theme. The symmetry is foremost, but divides the piece into two opposing forces. This ends up being a “hot” and confrontational piece. The white in the piece provides enough oxygen for the viewer to visually move left to right and back again. It’s a piece that I can stick with for quite a while, and then come back to. A picky point: I think the patterning on the heavy frame competes with and locks down the piece too much. I’d like to see another presentation for this piece.

Study in Green

Pamela Nachtigall

This still life is very satisfying in terms of all the elements that are “supposed to be there,” such as a stable composition, drawing/painting skills, and an elegant color palette. It’s amazing that such a traditional format can still hold my interest. I guess it’s a testament to the power of painting. There’s something refreshing about a movie that is not filled with explosions and car chase scenes, just as there can be something appealing and moving about a piece of art that is driven primarily by aesthetics like this one.

Exposed

Bridgit Lee

I like the premise of this piece, but I am left craving some small area of focus and refinement as a part of this classical figure. I really like the organic growth or decay emerging from the back of the figure. The colors work well. The juxtaposition of chaos and control is an interesting visual theme.

Blues

Nancy Dempster

Nancy Dempster is one of my favorite local artists, and her piece, “Blues,” is immediately identifiable as “a Dempster.” The swirling paths allude to history, and are partly representational (smoke and atmosphere) and partly a record of emotion and our own unknowable psyche. Always many layers in Dempster’s work. Her use of varied blues – cool and warm – make this piece a quiet adventure.

I’ll See You in Hell – Trapped

Zoë Good

I really like double stories in paintings, or looking through screens onto a second scene or narrative. In this painting the viewer is looking through exposed “bars” to a woman’s face. The contrast between the flatness of the nearer screen and the modeled face works well. I can imagine many alternative paths for this idea, such as the red going grayer or the face going slightly green, in order to push away from the red more. Also I can imagine breaking through the flat red area in a couple of places to let a little more oxygen into the painting. However, that being said, maybe the artist’s intent was to communicate a feeling of claustrophobia.

Jesus Mocked by Soldiers

Nicholas Mancillas

Interesting piece by Nicholas Mancillas. On its own, the piece is loaded with intense, timely references, and for practicing or former Christians, a revamping of part of the passion story. It’s a lot to take on, and Mancillas deserves credit for throwing himself at it. The strength of the piece is his artistic hand, evidenced by the drawing and painting. For me, the plastic soldiers let the piece down a bit. They are important, but I feel they need to be manipulated more. But over all, the piece is really engaging. Mancillas based this piece on Manet’s Head of Christ, which was revolutionary in its presentation of Jesus as a real human being. And related to that, Mancillas’ human mark is the most engaging aspect of this piece.

Plaza

Bill Shelley

My own entry into the Salon des Refusés exhibit, this piece is a tribute to the 17th century artist Canaletto, who painted sweeping scenes of Venice for aristocratic tourists. He most certainly used a camera obscura to nail down his super-accurate renderings of the city, to the point where his paintings are somewhat cold. To compensate for that, he populated his cityscapes with crowds of people. But if you look closely at one of his paintings, the people are just dots and dashes of paint – but standing a few feet away from the painting, they are totally convincing as people. I’m interested in architecture and in public spaces, so this project was right up my alley. I would like to do more of these. Improvements might include strengthening the craftsmanship of the piece and nuancing the colors.

GMO – OMG

Chris Beards

I give this piece, “GMO – OMG” by Chris Beards the “Best in Show” award. This tragi-comedic piece is worthy of any museum. The piece is so right on, on so many levels. Timely and timeless. Political and deeply psychological. Beards is a master at summarizing (and triggering) fears and fascinations with his sculptures, and this piece is totally effective. It takes a current political issue (GMO produced foods) and pulls it into an urgent immediacy by confronting the viewer with a familiar object that has been transformed into a repugnant presence, with the horrific invitation to look and (God forbid) touch the mutant vegetable. Everything about this piece (color, texture, scale) works, and the end effect is quite scary. Congratulations, Chris!

Art crossing boundaries

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 06:49:44 GMT

"Art after 1989" tells the story of reunification and more

Berlin’s premier showplace for museum-level contemporary art, Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart (Hamburger Station – Museum for Present Times), is reason enough to sink 100 euros into a “Classic Plus” annual Berlin State Museums membership. Seeing, digesting and absorbing what Hamburger Bahnhof has on view during any particular season requires five or six visits – which at the get-go justifies the membership – furthermore, the membership card allows free, unlimited visits to Berlin’s 14 other State Museums. During the last three months I’ve visited Hamburger Bahnhof at least 5 times, and still have not seen all the current exhibits. I also made it to nine of the other State Museums. This is just one of the reasons I don’t get tired of Berlin!

All that being said, my last check-in with Hamburger Bahnhof was yet another high-caliber art experience. The exhibit, “Art after 1989 – Works from the Nationalgalerie Collection,” occupies the vast former train station in a spartan manner. The mission of the exhibit is to focus on the process of German reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November, 1989, however the show speaks to themes that supersede Reunification, Germany and even politics in general.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from the show:

Martin Kippenberger and Robert Gober

“Put your Freedom in the Corner, Save it for a Rainy Day” (1990)

In this piece Kippenberger facsimilated a section of the Berlin Wall out of wood, and partially covered it with wallpaper by American artist Robert Gober. The “wall” faces a broken, but crudely reconstructed ceramic vase. Yes, this piece directly expresses the reunification story, but even if you didn’t know anything about German history, there is still a strong statement present about aspirations - broken and hoped for.

Raffael Rheinsberg

“Lokomotive Leipzig” (1999)

Rheinsberg reconstituted sheet metal sections of East Berlin neon signage and created a procession of blocky shapes that allude to both a train, and perhaps a newly evolved language. The piece is a visual story-telling of repurposing East German structures - physical and ideological, as well as an example of creating poetry from found materials.

Sophie Calle

“The Detachment” (1994-1996)

Calle’s piece documents the disassembling of a window or gate (?) in the Palace of the Republic building, which housed the People’s Chamber of East Germany. The large photograph of the “dismembered” gate – sans the East German compass, hammer and wreath symbols, is accompanied to the left by a book which includes people’s memories of the missing insignia.

Nina Fischer and Maroan el Sani

“Klub der Republik” (2002)

This large maquette proposal for a “culture club,” which would repurpose an empty East Berlin building for cultural events. The rough model is elevated on sawhorses, and contains a subwoofer that emits a deep bass line typical of a rave. I really like architectural models, and this piece has a “quick sketch” feel to it, but at the same time there is a refinement to the physical finish and to the premise of the work.

Finally, French artist Claude Closky’s “Do Not Cross” (2007) is a timely statement on borders. Borders as a reality vs. borders as a concept that is only a mental construct. The piece consists of a three-inch wide white line dividing the hall into two halves. On each side of the line, the text, “Do Not Cross” appears several times on both sides. The museum commentary states, “(the text) prohibits visitors from transgressing these markings. It is thus up to the individuals to decide how to respond to this authoritative decree requiring them to remain in their own half.” This WOULD have been true, however when I stepped across the line, a museum guard quickly told me not to step over the line, but to walk all the way around. I wondered if the guards had been informed about the gist of the piece…or if the guard’s reaction was actually part of the piece. In any case, it was effective, and ended up addressing not only historical and political issues, but also class and power issues.

Ahhh…Hamburger Bahnhof! What a great place to dip into the sea that is way bigger than me!

Putting it together

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 09:47:08 GMT

Grand opening for James Simon Galerie attracts big crowd in Berlin

Last weekend I checked out the opening of the James Simon Galerie, which serves as the new entryway to the State Museums on Museum Island in Berlin. The grand opening included music, tours, children’s activities and much media coverage – and was swarming with the curious public.

My take-away: I love it! The modern “acropolis,” designed by British architect David Chipperfield, is an elegant, practical, and much anticipated replacement for the ticket trailers that have been doing the job of welcoming visitors for years. Needless to say, the new building does much more than sell tickets to the island’s five museums. It encompasses an information center, museum shop, café, restaurant, auditorium, and space for special exhibits. Eventually, the James Simon Galerie will be linked via underground passages to the Neues, Altes, Pergamon and Bode Museums.

As you can see from the pictures below, the building design is about columns. But the revised classical theme is trim and timeless, still referencing the neighboring 19th century buildings, but with an economy of line that points towards the future. The scale is simultaneously monumental and human – which is an impressive design accomplishment. When you enter the building, you feel like there are no walls – just columns and glass. As a result, in every direction there are views of the surrounding city.

The building is also a testament to engineering virtuosity. In some areas of the building’s footprint, solid ground is not reached until 130 feet down. Over 1,000 piles had to be anchored underneath the building to construct a concrete foundation shell. In addition, the water table at the site is close to ground level, which presented additional challenges.

The James Simon Galerie is bringing Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one step closer to its transformation from war-damaged ruins to a functional and beautiful art history center history for world view.

Art re-setting itself

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 20:55:41 GMT

Mantegna / Bellini works foretell the future of art

Before seeing this exhibit, the only painting I could remember by either Mantegna or Bellini was the famous “Lamentation” painting (ca. 1475) that uses extreme foreshortening to portray the dead Christ. That painting was not included in the show, but it helped to have that work in my mind as a starting point for viewing this exhibit.

Mantegna and Bellini were brothers-in-law, and worked in close proximity. This exhibit made clear their cross-over influences, as well as their aesthetic differences.

For these two artists, painting was commercial, meaning their work was commissioned by and designed for church officials, as well as powerful secular clients. However, the artists went beyond their paygrade and explored groundbreaking concepts in most of their pieces. Their work exemplifies some of the earliest examples of the group portrait close-up, where Mantegna and Bellini would radically crop scenes, effectively bringing the viewer into the emotional action. Another step forward for these two artists: up until this time the ubiquitous “Madonna and Child” theme was treated very stiffly, and functioned as an icon-altar piece. Mantegna and Bellini took a different approach and portrayed them as actual people, not symbols of people. The Madonna and Child in their paintings often demonstrate very down to earth gestures, such as the baby grabbing Mary’s finger or playfully kicking. In some of the paintings and engravings, Mary’s cheek is gently touching the baby’s face. These two artists were moving painting out of the static, altarpiece world into the world of humanity. This was inevitable, and things of course kept moving in this direction: for example, Manet’s painting, Le déjeuner sur l’herbe/The Luncheon on the Grass (1863), depicting two fully-dressed men picnicking with two nude women. At the time this painting was a shocking re-set of what was expected from art. Duchamp’s urinal piece (1917) was another assertion that art is about human life, including all the “unbeautiful” parts of life. The art world will always be resetting itself.

Even though the work of Mantegna and Bellini was about religious themes and authenticating the rich and powerful, the paintings still survive as pieces that have the power to draw crowds – and in Europe, that crowd would be overwhelmingly non-religious and democratically-minded.

Here are some of my favorites from the show:

Back to the drawing board

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 16:56:23 GMT

Figure drawing will always challenge - and always reward

While here in Berlin, I’ve been attending a weekly figure drawing group offered at Village Berlin, a gay community center which offers a wide selection of events and activities. The facilitator/instructor does a great job of suggesting a variety of approaches to the figure, and gives guidance to anyone who welcomes it. Drawing the figure is and always will be a huge challenge, but once in a while you get a good one! The act of figure drawing – seeing, analyzing, editing, and finally representing those feelings, thoughts, and decisions onto a piece of paper, requires one to gather what you’ve learned from previous drawing mistakes and successes, focus on the task at hand, step out into the unknown, and just go for it! It can be a very exciting experience, peppered with defeats – also known as “teaching moments!” It’s been good to have this opportunity to do some drawing "calisthenics" while in Berlin. The learning never stops!

Sketchbook in Berlin

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 10:46:16 GMT

Daily sketches record inspirations, daily life, and ideas for future paintings

Here's a selection of some of my Berlin sketchbook pages. I treated each entry as a spread, meaning I filled or involved facing pages. Some of the drawings are semi-representational scenes, some are abstract ideas for future drawings or paintings. This Berlin stay has motivated me to add something to my sketchbook on a daily basis, and I hope to continue this practice when I return home.

Honest abstraction carries a heartfelt message

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 20:58:47 GMT

As demonstrated in his paintings, Jack Whitten thought for himself

Last week I saw “Jack’s Jacks,” an exhibit of work by American painter Jack Whitten (1939-2018) at Hamburger Bahnhof - Berlin. Again, this is a painter of note that I had never heard of. I am still working on my art education!

I was very impressed by the show. I read several reviews after seeing the exhibit. Most of the reviews were favorable and overlapped with my own thoughts. One review was pretty mean-spirited, stating that the only reason Hamburger Bahnhof was staging the show was as an affirmative action gesture. Judging from the video interview, which played in the entryway to the exhibit, and judging from the work itself, I think it's apparent that Whitten was not primarily billing himself as an “African-American artist," even though several of his paintings are tributes to African-American historical figures. As he stated in the video, he wanted to be remembered as “just one of the guys.” And I think his painting stands on its own merit as unique and important work. However, even if the museum had concocted the show just for the sake of affirmative action - who cares? The bottom line is that the show is great and deserves to be seen. I hope it travels to the U.S.

His paintings are very materials-oriented. Every painting in the show reveals a unique thought, and also lays out a different visual “navigation path.” All together, this creates a feeling of exploration and adventure for the viewer!

I found this show very sincere and touching. Whitten’s empathy, care, and his spirit of hope really come across.

The show continues through September 1.

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

Life after abstract expressionism

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 21:39:53 GMT

What did artists do after Jackson Pollock?

The exhibit, “Local Histories” at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, explores what artists were doing after abstract expressionism had peaked with the work of Jackson Pollock. Onward they moved to minimalism, pop art, conceptual art, and happenings.

This show, representing 36 artists, includes a wide-ranging compilation from the holdings of Hamburger Bahnhof, the Nationalgalerie, and works on loan from private collections.

The new curatorial style for museum shows is to juxtapose art or objects from disparate cultures, eras, and locations. This forces the viewing public to make connective bridges between pieces and more importantly, encourages viewers to approach the work with a fresh mindset. Although “Local Histories” is divided into chapters, including “The Architecture as Body,” “Living with Pop,” and “Abstract Expressionism is Dead,” those groupings position work from different times and places in shared spaces. I really like this new way of arranging shows. It feels much less passive than the “old school,” Victorian museum model, and it works well for this exhibit.

Here are some of my favorite pieces in the show:

“Big E” by John Chamberlain, 1962

It seems like I’ve seen a lot of “wrecked and wrapped” crashed-car sculptures. Maybe they were all John Chamberlain pieces? In any case, this one is very cool – the car remnants were folded like a soft origami. A metaphor for brittle vs. malleable - or violence vs. peace.

“Untitled 1976” by Dan Flavin

I had to include this Dan Flavin as one of my favorites, because, well, I really like Dan Flavin. Why? Because his art is very much about “being there.” In fact, I don’t see how you can represent Dan Flavin’s work with a photograph. It permeates and takes over whatever space it’s in, so the space becomes the work. I found this piece “kind” and inclusive, not preachy.

“Man Installing Pepsi Sign” by George Segal, 1973

Segal mixes pop art, classicism, and conceptual art together. Also addressing politics, economics and mortality. He leaves many doors open, and how you read his work largely depends on your own personal way of framing life.

“Dublin” by Sigmar Polke, 1968

You can view this as a picture of Dublin - from a distance of 50 feet, or from a normal viewing distance of 5 – 20 feet, see it as a hound-tooth pattern. It’s a demonstration of how abstraction can be more satisfying than realism. When you get far enough away to see the picture of the trafficked boulevard, it’s just a picture of a trafficked boulevard. When you get within normal viewing range, it’s a visual adventure.

“07515 Karlsplatz” by Carl Andre, 1992

This piece combines the purity of mathematics with the organic warmth of wood. Weaving together intellect/analysis with the emotional/mystical qualities of wood. No conflict between the two sides of the brain here. Everything is one with this piece. I think it is very beautiful! The piece reminded me of the transition I went through when I moved from thinking Mozart was cold and unfeeling, to recognizing the warmth and humanity in his music. It’s interesting how our perceptions can change. I think it’s important to remain open to music, art and architecture that we haven’t gotten used to. There may be something there worth unearthing.

Untitled (Wall Painting) by Richard Jackson, 1988/2006

Had to include this as one on my favorite pieces in the show, partly because Richard Jackson is from my hometown, Sacramento, and partly because as goofy as it is – it works for me! Jackson loaded up canvases and used them as “brushes” to smear these paint patterns on the wall. The piece is very expansive, physical, and kind of hyper-masculine. Speaking of gender though, it also alludes to the “feminine arts” of pattern and decorative work: quilting, rosemaling, and crochet. Well, I may be a little out there on that analysis, but it does come to mind for me. In any case, the piece also has a sarcastic, bratty-ness that adds spice to the mix. It kept my attention for quite a while.

This is a show very much worth seeing. Not every piece is a life-changer, but a thoughtful walk through “Local Histories” is a fascinating short course in life after abstract expressionism.

“Local Histories” will be at Hamburger Bahnhof through September 29, 2019.

Seeing the new - again

Sun, 26 May 2019 10:16:26 GMT

Bauhaus centennial photography show brings the past to the future

Yesterday, I went to the “Bauhaus und die Fotographie” exhibit at Museum für Fotografie in Berlin. This show is a reminder that Bauhaus, the German art school which existed from 1919 to 1933, not only was a remarkable influence on its own time, but also continues to widely influence art and design.

The show, which presents both work from the original 1929 “Film und Foto” (FiFo) exhibit curated by Bauhuas instructor László Moholy-Nagy, and current work by students from Hochschule Darmstadt and the Technische Hochschule Nürnberg. The new work in the show springboards from Bauhaus design principles and is true to the innovative spirit that was the core of Bauhaus.

The 1929 FiFo exhibit, which traveled to Zurich, Berlin, Gdansk, Vienna, Agram, Munich, Tokyo, and Osaka, was dedicated to showing the history of photography, as well as predicting the future of this relatively new medium. The exhibit featured 1200 pieces by 200 artists.

By utilizing every-day objects and contemporary scenes as content for art photography, the ground-breaking 1929 show asserted that “beauty” had no boundaries, and that daily life also was worthy of art-status. I couldn’t agree more!

Today, the influence of Bauhaus is so much a part of our living environment that we don’t even think of it. Much of the furniture, advertising, set design, applied arts, and utilitarian objects that we see or touch every day seem “modern,” but actually were conceived in the 1920’s and 30’s at Bauhaus. Case in point: the uncluttered and functional design of the iPhone!

The exhibit will run through August 25, 2019

note: I tried to minimize reflections on the pictures I took of this exhibit, but was not able to avoid them entirely. I hope you can ignore them, and enjoy this sampling of pieces that are in the show!

Music Lessons

Sun, 19 May 2019 07:13:50 GMT

Young performers bring fire to the stage at festival

Why am I writing about a music event? Of course, the different arts converse with each other, utilizing the same principles of design, composition, and engagement. I don’t see a division between the various art disciplines.

Crescendo , an annual 16-day music festival, hosted by the Universität der Künste Berlin (University of the Arts Berlin), features highly-talented music students, as well as guest performers and faculty speakers.

The university is located only a few blocks from the apartment where my husband and I are staying during our Berlin stay, so it has been super-easy to just walk over to the performance hall in the evenings after dinner.

The festival could have been just a standard run of student recitals, but these 20-somethings were not there to mark time or trudge through a series of performances just to fulfill a course requirement. These instrumentalists brought virtuosity and fire to the stage. Whether the music was 17th or 20th century, the care, finesse and willingness to take risks on stage were there. In most of the performances, the musical lines connected, unifying phrases and movements into one fluid entity.

Composers ranged from Prokofiev, Debussy, Carl Philipp Emanual Bach, Richard Strauss, Brahms, Poulenc, Hindemith, Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and the founder of the music school, Joseph Joachim.

Last night’s concert, featuring a suite for cello and wind orchestra by Friedrich Guida. The piece moved from marching band, to abstraction, to blues, to minuet form. It sounds goofy, but the music carried its own authority and the reassembly of music formats and associations totally worked.

It was humbling and inspiring to witness the work these young people have put in order to come to this point. Some of them are absolutely ready for a career as soloists, some will get into orchestras, and some will go into teaching.

One performance we went to paired visual art students with the music performance. The visual artists painted on large canvases while the music students performed. I was really excited about what the visual artists would do. Granted, it’s not an easy to create paintings on the spot in front of an audience, but the contrast in the energy and focus of the music students and the visual art students was obvious. The music students were absolutely in 100%. The other students seemed to be on autopilot. I was kind of surprised at that, given that the standards seemed so high for the music students. In any case, it was interesting to see what the painters came up with.

Crescendo continues for another seven days, and I hope to take in more of these inspiring concerts!

Lessons from Rembrandt

Thu, 09 May 2019 20:53:37 GMT

"Alle Rembrandt" at the Rijksmuseum worth lining up for

Yesterday at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, I took in the exhibit, “Alle Rembrandts” a stunning presentation of etchings, drawings and paintings by Rembrandt. Out of the estimated 340 Rembrandt paintings in the world, the Rijksmuseum has 22 of them, as well as safeguarding around 300 of his etchings.

Before I get side-tracked by details, the most important thing I took away from this exhibit was that Rembrandt’s work even today has the power to achingly empathize with the human condition. To call “Alle Rembrandt” an exhibit or a show is almost a misnomer, because the work’s motive is not to entertain, to fill time, or even to occupy wall space for the original wealthy collectors – although that may be why the original collectors bought the pieces. Its purpose was to pull the viewer in to himself or herself. On the subject of Rembrandt, Van Gogh wrote, “Rembrandt goes so deep into the mysterious that he says things for which there are no words in any language.”

I don’t cry easlily, but I was close to tears standing in the midst of these pieces.

Onto “Alle Rembrandt.” Here are some highlights:

Rembrandt’s “selfies,” a series of etchings where he experimented with capturing himself mugging various expressions: laughing, grimacing, wistfully staring into space, and many others. The tiny etchings are half the size of an iPhone screen or smaller. Amazingly deft and spontaneous. Included here is a small oil painting self portrait. Although much of his face is in darkness, everything you need to see and know is there. What an inventor!

“The Sampling Officials” or “The Syndics of the Drapers Guild” - or as I knew of them as a kid, the guys on the Dutch Masters cigar box. Rembrandt could have painted this commissioned group portrait by simply lining these cloth experts up around a table, but he instead created a dramatic scene and gave us a moment with six real people in 17th century Netherlands.

Just beautiful drawing. These drawings not only put to paper single figures and groups both from the streets and from historical moments, but demonstrate line work that is never redundant and always has a purpose, showing tension, connection and weight. These little drawings also work as one, unified expressive design.

Street people. Rembrandt really saw and captured the plight of the poor. It’s almost like seeing the streets of San Francisco 2019, but through the pen of Rembrandt.

The man with the flowing beard. I singled out these two etchings showing an old man looking downwards. What a masterful understanding and rendering of the human head!

Early vs. developing Rembrandt. The first picture shows the painting world Rembrandt came from: objects and people - a visual inventory of people and things. Rembrandt moved on from that. In the first painting there are lots of people and things. In fact, every square inch of the canvas is full of stuff. The second painting, done five years after the first, is “Welcome to Rembrandt World!” He has eliminated everything in the picture that isn’t about the subject. I included a close-up of the woman’s hands because they are beautiful.

Speaking of hands. “The Jewish Bride” also known as “Isaac and Rebecca,” utilizes the “language” of hands to undergird the story of the picture.

From the look of it, thousands pour through "Alle Rembrandt" on a daily basis. People are still looking for those things for which “there are no words.” And Rembrandt is still offering that to those who line up at the Rijksmuseum.

Gallery Weekend Berlin 2019

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 12:57:03 GMT

Pavement pounding & bike pedaling in search of the best stuff

This was my third Gallery Weekend Berlin, and like my first, the hunt for art involves a lot of pavement pounding, and this year some bike pedaling for the cause of finding the art that will inspire, engage, and offer something that can sort of change your life. Out of the 45 or so participating galleries clustered in four neighborhoods, I made it to 22, and five of those had exhibits that were hands down outstanding. I consider that a positive result!

Even the lackluster shows inspired me, just in terms of the display of raw work ethic and bell-ringing pedigrees and impressive histories of international exhibits in galleries and museums that all the participating artists have under their belt. They have certainly put in their time. However, the ones that are doing the GREAT work not only have put in the time, they think for themselves. That, I believe. makes a big difference.

My stand out favorites were:

Peter Fischli and David Weiss at Spruth Magers Gallery. This show was right up my alley – everyday architecture and objects brought into the fine arts realm. Marcel Duchamp started this concept (right?) and decades later Andy Warhol supercharged it. Fischli/Weiss created a model of a non-descript office building, scaled to be too big to be a real architectural model and too small to be a building. Wonderful! The show also included interesting replicas of everyday objects, such as a candle, an ottoman seat cushion, and a brick – all cast out of black rubber. I thought the double-whammy was powerful – meaning the artists a) took an everyday object and imbued it with art status, and b) they used black rubber, which transliterated the objects even further. Bricks aren’t usually black and they are never made out of rubber.

Ryan Gander at Esther Schipper Gallery. This exhibit occupies a large, gym-size room, and includes a variety of objects: two large carpets, partially unrolled, with impressions of footprints, tire tracks, and dragged objects "embossed" into the carpet; stairsteps made out of white plexiglass and lit from the inside; and an accurate 3-D replica of Gauguin’s chair, as it appears in the Van Gogh painting. The chair is gray with a candle, also gray, on the seat - like in the painting. The candle lights up and extinguishes repeatedly. There is a stunning video showing tree shadows on a white building. Also there is a “gallery mouse” that has nibbled a hole in the wall. This animatronic robot mouse looks pretty real – and it speaks with the voice of what sounds to be a four year old girl. As I describe the show in this posting, it sounds goofy, I know, but it really, really worked. The piece was convincing. I should say, I was convinced. Because everything was monochrome, the show did not carry a circus atmosphere, to the contrary, it felt understated. Completely open to interpretation. Not preachy, but much more about posing questions.

Photographer Axel Hütte at Daniel Marzona. Hütte is a virtuosic photographer, who uses film, then prints BIG digital prints. The shots are scenes of water and clouds obscuring or mirroring the landscape. The effect is very engaging. The photos scramble your sense of where you the viewer stand. Are you looking up at something or are you looking down? Hard to tell – and after diving into these photos, you get so caught up in simply enjoying the adventure that the logistics take a back seat.

Spring Open House at Hammerfriar

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 18:30:18 GMT

Gallery welcomes the season with North Bay art

Thank you Charly and Glenn at Hammerfriar Gallery for putting together a well-attended Open House event! I had three never-seen-before pieces on display. Other participating artists included Art Moura, Penny Michel, Catherine Daley, Andrew Merriss, Frank Miller, Shelley Spira-Burns, Adela Akers, Peter Crompton, Ryan Douglas, and John Hundt. Hammerfriar has a great group of artists under its roof!

Our Mercantile World

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 00:16:39 GMT

Today is tomorrow's nostalgia

photo: Alvin Jornada/Press Democrat 2013

This is a picture from 2013 of workmen moving the Coddingtown Shopping Center sign, off of Hwy 101 in Santa Rosa, for repair work. Today the sign is up and spinning again, however, other than the Whole Foods anchor store at the far west end of the property, the mall is a ghost town. Even during the holiday season there are very few shoppers, and a number of store fronts are boarded up. I remember when I first moved to Santa Rosa in 1981, Coddingtown was always swarming with people. Things change. Recently, my brother was telling me how much he disliked Amazon for several reasons, one of which was that Amazon was destroying brick and mortar businesses. But I reminded him of when we used to get milk delivered to our home. Things really are always changing, and probably a hundred years from now, people will be reminiscing about "the good old days" when we used to get Amazon packages delivered right to our porch!

Take a look below at the real OLD good old days: Canaletto's Venice circa 1730. It's an oversized picture postcard of the original shopping mall!

Support Your Local Arts Community!

Sun, 07 Apr 2019 21:56:08 GMT

Learning by example: Balancing individual goals with community give-back.

(l to r) Bill Shelley, Nancy H Dempster and Chris Beards at the opening reception of Santa Rosa Arts Center Members Show, April 5, 2019.

My friend and sculptor Chris Beards (right) encouraged me to enter something in the Santa Rosa Art Center's Members Show. My drawing, "Shopping Mall Sign," is pictured above. Standing with me are artists Nancy H Dempster and Chris. Chris is really good at paying attention to local art community organizations, supporting them by attending their events, and entering work in local shows, while keeping his own studio activities going strong. I take inspiration from his well-tuned balancing of community spirit and "self nurturing!"

One of the "Best of Shows" in this exhibit is a piece by Chris, called "The Bird and the Bee." You can see more of his work at Paul Mahder Gallery in Healdsburg. Chris also has a fine website at chrisbeards.com . You can see Nancy's unique work at nancyhdempster.com .

The exhibit runs through April 28, 2019. Santa Rosa Arts Center is located at 312 South A Street in Santa Rosa.

bshelley

Collection Includes Classics: Past and Near-present

Collection Includes Classics: Past and Near-present

Nazis Erased Corinth from Public View ... for a Profit

Nazi Government Removed Artist's Work from Public View

Josephsohn and Förg Mingle at Max Hetzler

Solidity and Openess at Max Hetzler

Back to the Wall: Katharina Grosse in Berlin

Back to the Wall - Katharina Grosse at Galerie Max Hetzler

Sex, Beauty and Gay History - Warhol Style

Sex, Beauty and Gay History - Warhol Style

Eliza Douglas' Gift to the Art World

Kittens, Kitsch, and Kids: Eliza Douglas on the Business of Art

Beauty Upstages Glamor at Photo Show

Chronorama: Photographic Treasures of the 20th Century

Museum für Fotographie, Berlin

Crowds Line Up to Get a Dose of Romantic Vision

Berlin Crowds Line Up to Get a Dose of Romanticism

Naama Tsabar and Joseph Beuys at Hamburger Bahnhof

Intellect and Heart:

Joseph Beuys and Naama Tsabar Matched at Hamburger Bahnhof

Favorite Highlights from Gallery Weekend Berlin 2024

Gallery Weekend Berlin 2024: Pavement Worth Pounding!

Some of my favorites at True North

Some of My Favorites at "True North"

Hunkering Down at the Alte Nationalgalerie

Hunkering Down at the Alte Nationalgalerie

Back to Basics with Anthony Caro

Back to Basics with Anthony Caro

Jumping into the Now with Rosa Barba

Jumping into Now with Rosa Barba

Ina Weber Shrinks to Life Everyday Architecture

Four Finalists Show at Hamburger Bahnhof

My Favorite Pieces at SRAC's "Planet" Show

Artists voice concern over global crises

Christian Marclay Updates Pop Art with a Nod to Cubism

Comic Book Images Get Serious

The de Young Open: My favorite 12 pieces

The de Young Open: Twelve ﻿ of my favorite pieces

Works by Drew Jackson on view at Sebastopol Center for the Arts

Artist combines hands-on and digital techniques into a unique medium

Discover Great Art in Small Towns

Small Town #1: Duluth, Minnesota - The Tweed Museum

American Greats on the Hill

Philadelphia Museum holds treasury of contemporary American art

Religion and Art

Bill Viola retrospective addresses themes that never go away

Why I like Andy Warhol

Major show at SFMOMA covers Warhol's legacy

Post-Depression era prints tell it like it is/was

Regionalist and Social Realist art for middle class budgets

Why Community Art Shows Are Important

Good work at Salon des Refusés exhibit

Art crossing boundaries

"Art after 1989" tells the story of reunification and more

Putting it together

Grand opening for James Simon Galerie attracts big crowd in Berlin

Art re-setting itself

Mantegna / Bellini works foretell the future of art

Back to the drawing board

Figure drawing will always challenge - and always reward

Sketchbook in Berlin

Daily sketches record inspirations, daily life, and ideas for future paintings

Honest abstraction carries a heartfelt message

As demonstrated in his paintings, Jack Whitten thought for himself

Life after abstract expressionism

What did artists do after Jackson Pollock?

Seeing the new - again

Bauhaus centennial photography show brings the past to the future

Music Lessons

Young performers bring fire to the stage at festival

Lessons from Rembrandt

"Alle Rembrandt" at the Rijksmuseum worth lining up for

Gallery Weekend Berlin 2019

Pavement pounding & bike pedaling in search of the best stuff

Spring Open House at Hammerfriar

Gallery welcomes the season with North Bay art

Our Mercantile World

Today is tomorrow's nostalgia

Support Your Local Arts Community!

The de Young Open: Twelve of my favorite pieces