Jeff van den Broeck on fri 21 apr 00
Alisa, I have no problem with Mr. Arnoldi's pots. I think the problem is
with the clay artist who has the feeling that somebody is playing in his
backyard, It's a problem of territory. Not a problem for a jury, they can
solve 'their' problem if there is one.
Since Duchamp made his Fountain, we learned to live with the idea that art
has no boundaries. There is no academy anymore to tell what is allowed and
what not. This is not only so for painting and threedimensional art.
But clearly nobody ever tought of Duchamps as a plumber or... ceramist.
Picasso made work on clay, ok, he is a genius but not a potter, but who
cares? The public, the curators?
The same about so many artists of the beginning of the 20th century. Who
would suspect Braque, Dufy, Chagall, Gauguin, Cocteau of being potters?
Although they made work in or on clay. For Miro I would like to make an
exception, but he was working closely with a good potter Llorens Artigas.
And the public? It may sound a little bit cynical, but the public doesn't
care. If the show is good, and the publicity done in a professionnal way,
the public will buy, if the product gives it the feeling to belong to the
happy few, or to gain status from it. But this is not different for other
products.
I still remember a Spanish friend who told me that his mother sold the
wooden table, chairs and cabinet of her kitchen to an antique dealer who
told her that furniture in formica was easier to maintain and more
hygienic. Sad? Yes. But his mother was not the only one who exchanged her
wooden furniture for a formica table and chair. They were the proud
proprietors of Formica furniture in the village.
Information is the only way to get out of it, but information is not easy
to spread. Publicity for mass produced or very expensive products is much
more sexy and powerfull. But still there are people around who can
appreciate the true values (like the antique dealer, but this sounds very
cynical).
We have to explain and explain again to those who want to listen, but the
competition with publicity is not fair.
Jeff
Jeff van den Broeck - P.O.Box 1099
Baguio City 2600 - Philippines
jvdb@skyinet.net
Beverly Crist on thu 27 apr 00
I've been following this thread and had to comment on an installation that I
saw at the Getty Center here in L.A. by Adrian Saxe. The Getty Center invited
a dozen or so well-respected California artists to make an original artwork
about one piece in the Getty collection. Saxe chose a very ornate marble and
gilt table with an adjoining pair of light fixtures as his inspiration (sorry
I don't remember the period, etc). He then designed a series of unusually
shaped vessels with cast replicas of the "Power Rangers" and other societal
kitsch as adornment. He hired another artist who is known for faux finishes
to paint the pieces to resemble wood, marble and other types of stone. He
gave credit to this person and the Getty displayed a photo of Saxe in his
studio with his molds for these pieces behind him. In my mind there is no
doubt that this is the work of a very creative person and the fact that he
had help in creating it does not diminish his creativity nor his idea. As
artists we shouldn't negate someone elses working methods if they are
exploring their materials and ideas to there fullest potential and acting
with integrity. It would be like saying that drawing with a pencil is better
then drawing with charcoal. It all depends on what works for each artist and
what he or she can do with it. And in terms of juried art shows and festivals
allowing in commercially slip-cast pieces that are glaze painted, I would
hope that we as artists would design better and more interesting shapes than
the commercially produced ones and also our own glazes that complement them
so that our work would be juried in before this work.
That's just my opinion and I hope I haven't offended anyone. The show at the
Getty is excellent and I would encourage every one in the area to see it.
Beverly Crist, Los Angeles
Diane G. Echlin on fri 28 apr 00
> He then designed a series of unusually
> shaped vessels with cast replicas of the "Power Rangers" and other societal
> kitsch as adornment. He hired another artist who is known for faux finishes
> to paint the pieces to resemble wood, marble and other types of stone. He
> gave credit to this person and the Getty displayed a photo of Saxe in his
> studio with his molds for these pieces behind him.
Exactly. He manipulated the work, gave credit where it was due, and was
forthcoming with the important details. This artist behaved in a most
respectable manner, which I hope other artists will do, as well.
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