Lathered in laughter

An bizarre arrangement of oddities, like a Mr. Potato Head gone wrong, this photograph by Swiss artist, Olaf Breuning, is a shock to our sensibilities...it forces us into visual relationships we thought were not possible...he adds found objects and constructed elements to the figure that we would not expect, but the structure is very similar to how it would exist in reality...those cucumber fingers and the exaggerated hair and yellow ears...We think we have figured it out and then there is another twist in the narrative.

Other expected figurative elements have been removed...absorbed into a conceptual space, where they are no longer necessary...there is a juxtaposition of formal verses informal - the pose, the backdrop against storage below the table and the decorative elements on the figure...a feeling of rigidity, lathered in laughter...Olaf plays with texture and color, pushing us into stranger relationships...can we digest it all?

What have we done?

Sue Coe's work is not meant to be swallowed easily and quietly...they are direct reflections of her experiences...say what you will about her work, as a person, her desire to confront the ugly truth is something admirable...She is quite the eclectic and exuberant individual...I have had the pleasure of meeting her a couple of years ago, while at Miami Dade College...this piece, Meat Fly, is a document of her time at slaughter houses...she is a devout vegan and women's issues advocate...these feelings are brought into the image through visual language, placement and value...they are not happy works, life is dismal, black and white...the addition of limited color shows us that this world is not a make believe, dramatized existence...it is grounded in something real...

The strong value variation on the left hand side, where the the animals are hung to be slaughtered is balanced by the large, primarily grey right space...the whites of the windows allow the eye to flow across the picture plane and the geometries of the room, bars and grate contrast the organic animal forms...the images are conceptually and formally at odds with one another, fighting a battle...the male figures are organic also, alluding to the idea - we are slaughtering are own kind...the blood and milk flow from the cow, directly in the middle of the piece, referencing religious paintings - the lamb of God, birth of Jesus and the manger...

Building bridges one line at a time

I am always fascinated by how artists can combine varied mediums and techniques to create a unified work...some use conceptual connection, like the piece (discussed on this blog, posting 5/22/09) by Joseph Kosuth with a picture of a chair, beside the definition of the chair and then finally, the actual chair. Other artists will use similar color and texture, while some choose to use line or implied line to connect areas of the composition...

This design/drawing by BrenB ties the bottom to the top through a combination of implied and actual line...the position of the arms and hands lie closely to where they might exist in the graphical figure...these are however, drawn, hollow and exaggerated through foreshortening...there is also a connection between the white wound line around the mouth and the words "GIRLTALK." The relationship is purely conceptual but still a connection intellectually...there are hints of color relationships also between the grid background color, areas of the figure and the background...

A natural cube

A tenuous alliance between the natural and the man made...visually controlling the space and holding steady that fragile relationship in a man made geometry...The section of grass with a sign...a piece of suburbia, chopped up and placed in contrast to an ocean predator, the hammerhead shark...there is no possibility this large creature can exist in the small square of water...yet it is there...the tail and the post is broken, bent by the surface and right angle of the contained ocean...

The slant of the sign pushes the eye down to the green grass and up to the shark...the fragmented post around the corner reinforces this upward thrust...the point of the caution symbol is precariously positioned at the soft underbelly of this dangerous creature...reinforcing the possibility of bad things to come...This piece by Josh Keyes makes us feel uncomfortable, fearful, uncertain, upside-down and questioning...how do we make this relationship work?

Texture my world

Peter Beard is a well known fashion photographer..He spent many years documenting his life and experiences while living in Africa...Lesser known, his journals are incredible examples of what can be done out of alternative materials...He utilizes, animal parts, blood and other natural objects, along side his photographs to create beautiful collages...they personify nature...neutral color schemes, visceral and organic...

This piece is a nice example of the scope of materials he uses...the texture is the main character and the focus in this piece, existing in the center of the picture plane...around the edges exist small scale, detailed photographs...framing the main image and collaged on the surface...blood is brushed on the inner edge, reinforcing the rectilinear quality of the piece...which also functions as a decorative element...the conceptual implications of this material is charged and interesting...the blood brush work adds to the overall organic feel of the collage...Peter Beard does an amazing job of combining many different materials, but ties them together with neutral colors, organic forms and black and white photographic imagery...

Something spiritually street

This early Untitled painting has a similar feel to the most interesting subway graffiti drawings...like friend and confidant, Jean Michael Basquiat, their work formalizes street art...I wonder about the status of graffiti in contemporary society...there is something fashionable about it, something base and too self promotional...Keith Haring's works are contemporary, yet reference the past...they are smarter, better organized and pushed art and street together into one harmonious note...

This work is symbolic...simplified...decorative...abstract...curious...balanced and intelligent...the line work on the black background, creating visual vibration and shock, it is contained through the centered, focal figurative image...in the tradition of religious paintings of Byzantium...each mark and symbol has a significance...the context is more broken down and simplified, to get to the heart of the concept quickly...a need for immediacy and clarity...like an advertisement on the street, but with a greater level of sensitivity...there is something so unique and at the same time familiar about Harings work...these are masterpieces in a common language...

Shadow, wall, shape & line

The missing color means nothing to the viewer in this piece by Louise Nevelson...however, the lack of color means everything in the development of this three-dimensional piece...What do we see when we confront minimal hues? It visually tightens the focus and forces us to deal with the cut out shapes on their own merit...the contrast of long vertical strips against the circular and organic edges of the round shapes...variation is scale and shape help build the work to a crescendo...

The space between the shapes, the wall and the negative space become part of the piece...we see through the picture plane, breaking the opposition between the canvas and wall. The all black piece uses light and shadow to enhance the image, all interior and exterior parts of the form are utilized in the sculpture to convey the message...