Poetry, stories and strange odds and ends from the desk of a writer
Dress to Go Out/Undressing to Go In by Mierle Laderman Ukeles Dress to Go Out/Undressing to Go In1973Modern Photography95 gelatin silver prints mounted on foam core with chain and dust rag “Dress to Go Out/Undressing to Go In” expands on Ukeles Maintenance Art manifesto. By elevating the everyday domesticity of life to art she garnered … Continue reading Dress to Go Out/Undressing to Go In by Mierle Laderman Ukeles
https://youtu.be/pTxowf1zp-E Cheap Imitation1969Performance ArtPiano and performer The last piece performed live by Cage, “Cheap Imitation” is an exercise in postmodern appropriation relying on musical instead of visual quotation. Composed for dual pianists, Cage based the work upon Erik Satie’s Socrate. By quoting the original work the pitches and tones were determined on by chance using … Continue reading Cheap Imitation by John Cage
I wonder what she sees when peering in my curtained heart, do clouds of fortune bring intense reflection as cries of thought invade my mind; can love reside in art?...
Ada in the Water by Alex Katz Ada in the Water1958Social RealismCollageWhitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA Distancing himself away from the avant-garde, Katz worked in a small format in direct opposition to the grand scale of Abstract Expressionism. He returned to larger dimensions later in his career, however, in “Ada in the … Continue reading Ada in the Water by Alex Katz
The Village of Becquigny by Théodore Rousseau The Village of Becquigny1857-1867NaturalismOil on mahogany panelThe Frick Collection, New York, USA A man semi-hidden by the shadows of a tree is walking between rows of thatched cottages beneath an azure blue sky. “The Village of Becquigny” resonates with the man’s apparent loneliness. Inspired by Rousseau’s travels through … Continue reading The Village of Becquigny by Théodore Rousseau
Changing Room by Jeff Wall Changing Room2014Modern PhotographyInkjet PrintThe White Cube Gallery, London, UK “Changing Room” portrays a woman in a changing room within a clothing store. The experience of changing rooms, of trying on clothes is familiar to viewers and perhaps considered to be mundane, but the woman in the photograph is struggling to … Continue reading Changing Room by Jeff Wall
Black over Blue by Ellsworth Kelly Black over Blue1963AbstractionPainted aluminiumSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California, USA After six influential years In Paris, Kelly evolved from panel paintings to reliefs. First exhibited in the Betty Parsons Gallery, “Black Over Blue” is an example of Kelly’s interest in layered works and non-traditionally shaped canvases. Hung away … Continue reading Black over Blue by Ellsworth Kelly
Winston Eggleston by William Eggleston Winston Eggleston1995Modern PhotographyPigment PrintEggleston Trust Once the viewer is aware it is a snapshot of Eggleston’s son then 21-year-old, Winston, the experience of the casual photograph changes. Leaning back on a sofa Winston looks directly into the camera. The askew angle captures the man’s mood while his eyes engage with … Continue reading Winston Eggleston by William Eggleston
Woman Reading by Henri Fantin-Latour Woman Reading1861RealismOil on canvasMusée d'Orsay, Paris “Woman Reading” was the first of Fantin-Latour’s paintings accepted into the Salon de Paris. He often chose his models from his own family, and the sitter for this portrait is the artist’s sister. In stark contrast to the emerging French avant-garde, Fantin-Latour took his … Continue reading Woman Reading by Henri Fantin-Latour
A Basket of Roses by Henri Fantin-Latour A Basket of Roses1890RealismOil on canvasThe National Gallery, London “A Basket of Roses” is among the numerous commission for floral still lifes that Fantin-Latour received during his career. He produced more than 500 such pieces of art, 100 of which were roses. In this piece, a dozen or … Continue reading A Basket of Roses by Henri Fantin-Latour
A Studio in Les Batignolles by Henri Fantin-Latour A Studio in Les Batignolles1870RealismOil on canvasMusée d'Orsay, Paris, France “A Studio in Les Batignolles”, one if Fantin-Latour’s group portraits, is a tribute to Manet, who is at the centre of the canvas. Manet is shown, sitting at his easel with brush and palette, as a mentor … Continue reading A Studio in Les Batignolles by Henri Fantin-Latour
The Victim by Balthus The Victim1938Theatrical Setting “The Victim” is an example of how Balthus employed formal conventions and techniques in the creation of theatrical settings for his work. The title provides a narrative momentum from the start. Viewers are unsure if the subject is wounded, ill, or even dead. Her nakedness does not reflect … Continue reading The Victim by Balthus
The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough The Blue Boy1770PortraitureOil on canvasCollection of Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California Gainsborough’s modernity comes to the forefront with his innovative utilization of colour in “The Blue Boy”. The blue of the boy’s glistening satin outfit is the main colour defining the subject and broke … Continue reading The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough
https://youtu.be/yoAbXwr3qkg 4'33"1952Performance ArtPerformance art, with musician, instrument, and audience Cage created 4’33” whilst at Black Mountain. However, the work does not depend on a number of performers bringing it to fruition, instead, it is dependent on chance and the environment in which it is performed. The composition of three movements does not contain a single … Continue reading 4’33” by John Cage
She is Elegance poised ...
Where We Are Now (Who Are We Anyway) by Vito Acconci Where We Are Now (Who Are We Anyway)1976Performance ArtInstallation (wooden table and stools, painted wall, 4-channel audio)Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA Between 1974 and 1979 Acconci focused on installations incorporating sound and/or video. Moving on and away from the personal and erotic dynamics of … Continue reading Where We Are Now (Who Are We Anyway) by Vito Acconci
In silent darkness curtains swiftly raise The melancholic tones orchestra plays...
Two Wolves, Two Deer by Bruce Nauman Two Wolves, Two Deer1989SculptureFoam, wax, wirePrivate Collection After a twenty-year hiatus, Nauman returned to casting found objects in 1988. Using taxidermy molds found in a shop in New Mexico he created a number of polyurethane foam animal models as a basis for a series of works resurrecting the … Continue reading Two Wolves, Two Deer by Bruce Nauman
Seedbed by Vito Acconci Seedbed1972Performance ArtPerformance/InstallationSonnabend Gallery, New York, USA “Seedbed”, Acconci’s most iconic and notorious performance consists of a wooden ramp set up halfway across the empty Sonnabend Gallery space. Acconci then crawled under the ramp, concealing himself from the gallery visitors. From beneath the ramp, the artist shared aloud his sexual desires and … Continue reading Seedbed by Vito Acconci
Paint drips a happy accident Fruit basket carefully placed Arrangement of flowers casts shadows...
Venus and Adonis by Paul Cadmus Venus and Adonis1936Social RealismOil and tempera on pressed wood boardPrivate Collection From Ovid’s Metamorphoses, “Venus and Adonis” tells of how a Roman goddess, accidentally hit by Cupid’s arrow, falls in love with the hunter, Adonis. In a vision, Venus saw Adonis would be killed by a boar and attempted … Continue reading Venus and Adonis by Paul Cadmus
Inspired by and written for Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – Review - thank you Sue and GC https://youtu.be/vWxl_zfzH6Q Sue and GC are trialling the idea of a monthly review – and I hope they do it. It gives this old hack an excuse to write about my favourite artists and the art I love. Professionally … Continue reading Weekly Prompts Weekend Review – Franz Marc
What I Believe by Paul Cadmus What I Believe1947-48Social RealismTempera on panelMcNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX A tribute to EM Forster, a close friend and profound influence of Cadmus, “What I Believe” is taken from Forster’s 1938 essay of the same title. The painting is roughly divided into two sides: an idyllic paradise on … Continue reading What I Believe by Paul Cadmus
Tannhäuser on the Venusberg by Henri Fantin-Latour Tannhäuser on the Venusberg1864RealismOil on panelLos Angeles County Museum of Art, California, USA “Tannhäuser on the Venusberg” is an early interpretation of contemporary operas, Wagner’s take on the friction between profane and sacred love. Fantin-Latour’s image is taken from the first scene of Tannhäuser’s arrival in Venusberg, the … Continue reading Tannhäuser on the Venusberg by Henri Fantin-Latour
Red Diagonal2007AbstractionOil on canvas, two joined panels.The Art Institute of Chicago, USA During the 1960s Kelly developed the possibilities of relief and continued expanding on this motif until his death. “Red Diagonal” utilizes a bold and striking geometric construction echoing the panels below. The layers extend away from the wall into the viewer’s space. Ellsworth’s … Continue reading Red Diagonal by Ellsworth Kelly
Summer, Mississippi, Cassidy Bayou in Background by William Eggleston Summer, Mississippi1971Modern PhotographyDye imbibition printThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA Eggleston’s photographs are successful because he captures what he knows, the American South. “Summer, Mississippi” the figure of a white man stands in front of the figure of a black man. Both men are … Continue reading Summer, Mississippi by William Eggleston
https://youtu.be/pLbFSia1ga0 Variations I1958Performance ArtPerformers and instruments Cage’s Variations, composed between 1958 and 1967, are a series of eight happenings and intermediate musical scores. “Variations I” was composed in tribute to Cage’s friend and collaborator David Tudor. He made no prerequisite to how many performers or instruments took part. The key was the instructions, comprised of … Continue reading Variations I by John Cage
Samson and Delilah by Anthony van Dyck Samson and Delilah1630Baroque, Dutch Golden AgeOil on canvasCollection of Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria “Samson and Delilah” depicts Old Testament mythology the moment after Samson has been betrayed. A barely clothed Samson struggles to resist the soldiers taking him to his death. Van Dyck captures the climax of the … Continue reading Samson and Delilah by Anthony van Dyck
Pierre Matisse by Balthus Pierre Matisse1938PortraitureOil on canvasThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA Although renowned for his paintings of girls and cats, Balthus also created portraits of some of the most notable cultural figures of the early 20th century. “Pierre Matisse”, a portrait of the successful gallery owner and son of Henri Matisse … Continue reading Pierre Matisse by Balthus
The Black Dress by Alex Katz The Black Dress1960Social RealismOil on linenBrandhorst Collection, Munich, Germany Katz’s wife, Ada, was the cornerstone of his portrait practice and became an abstract icon of his art. “The Black Dress” shows Ada wearing the classic little black dress, repeated in a variety of poses, implicative of Ada’s many facets … Continue reading The Black Dress by Alex Katz
Memphis by William Eggleston Memphis1965Modern PhotographyColour Transparency PrintWilson Centre for Photography, Washington DC Eggleston’s first successful colour negative, “Memphis” was taken as the artist began experimenting with colour photography. For Eggleston, there is beauty and interest in the everyday just as there is in a photograph of something extraordinary. The resulting photograph lifts the portrait … Continue reading Memphis by William Eggleston
Red Blue Green by Ellsworth Kelly Red Blue Green1963AbstractionOil on canvas.Estate of Ellsworth Kelly - The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, California, USA Kelly put great emphasis on tensions between the ‘figure’ and the ‘ground’ within his paintings to establish dynamism with the flat surfaces. “Red Blue Green” his delineated and bold red and … Continue reading Red Blue Green by Ellsworth Kelly
The Birth of Consistency by Angus Fairhurst The Birth of Consistency2004SculptureBronze, stainless steelWalker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK One of a series of bronze works from the mid-2000s featuring stylized gorillas in absurd scenarios, “The Birth of Consistency” makes no attempt to render a realistic gorilla, merely a recognizable one. Fairhurst portrays the gorilla looking at … Continue reading The Birth of Consistency by Angus Fairhurst
Nuova Stazione Centrale di Milano by Antonio Sant'Elia Nuova Stazione Centrale di Milano1912Futurism Sant’Elia collaborated with architect Arrigo Cantoni in a 1912 competition to design the façade of Milan’s New Central Station building. Crowned by a central dome with two smaller domes accentuating the ends of the structure. The majority of the building is lined … Continue reading Nuova Stazione Centrale di Milano by Antonio Sant’Elia
Salon Hödler by Louise Lawler Salon Hödler1992PaperweightPaperweight (silver dye bleach print, crystal, felt)Metro Pictures, New York, USA “Salon Hödler” is an example of how Lawler recirculates her earlier photographs by presenting them in varying alternative forms and allows the viewer to become aware of the evolving nature of the image in both meaning and how … Continue reading Salon Hödler by Louise Lawler
Picture for Women by Jeff Wall Picture for Women1979PhotographyCibachrome transparency mounted on a lightboxThe Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France In his photograph “Picture for Women” Wall continues his investigation of the 19th-century painting within a contemporary photograph. The photograph depicts a reflection of a sparse studio room simply furnished with metallic office-style chairs and a … Continue reading Picture for Women by Jeff Wall
Massenpsychose by László Moholy-Nagy Massenpsychose1927DadaPhoto-montageGeorge Eastman House, Rochester, New York A Dada-inspired collage, “Messenpsychose” consists of figures cut from magazines clustered together in three test tube-like shapes to create a disconcerting effect that suggests a series of potentially violent, absurd, and arbitrary interactions between the disparate collection of individuals. The figures are simultaneously isolated and … Continue reading Massenpsychose by László Moholy-Nagy
Rehearsal by David Park Rehearsal1949-50Bay Area Figurative MovementOil on canvasOakland Museum of California, USA In 1949 when he began working in figurate works Park destroyed many of his abstract works. Exhibited in 1950 at the Artist Members Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association “Rehearsal” provoked surprise and consternation among Park’s friends, colleagues, and critics. … Continue reading Rehearsal by David Park
From seed steep the sun’s tower Keep growing tall, sunflower...
Sailors and Floosies by Paul Cadmus Sailors and Floosies1938Social RealismOil and tempera on linen with wood frameWhitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA “Sailors and Floosies” is the final painting in a series by Cadmus dealing with the subject of US Navy sailors on leave.. He drew inspiration from real-life scenes of cruising the … Continue reading Sailors and Floosies by Paul Cadmus
Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo Da Vinci Lady with an Ermine1489-90High RenaissanceOil on wood panelCzartoryski Museum, Krakow, Poland Commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, “Lady with an Ermine” depicts the duke’s mistress Cecilia Gallerani. Her gaze to the right seems to have been caught by something just outside the frame. Gallerani is … Continue reading Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo Da Vinci
Number Pieces1987-92Performance ArtMulti-media “Number Pieces” was created in the last six years of Cage’s life It is an extensive series of work with each “Number Piece” named after the number of performers involved, ranging from One for a single performer and 108 for an orchestra. The majority of the works in the suite utilize aleatory … Continue reading Number Pieces by John Cage
Picking Apples by Natalia Goncharova Picking Apples1909ImpressionismOil on canvasPrivate Collection With influences from 1908’s Golden Fleece exhibition, “Picking Apples”, painted a year later, had much in common with works Goncharova had seen there, including Cezanne’s “Bathers” and Matisse’s “Le Bonheur de Vivre” “Picking Apple” depicts a group of women enjoying the light airiness of time … Continue reading Picking Apples by Natalia Goncharova
Piano Activities by George Maciunas Piano Activities1963Performance ArtPrepared piano and performers - Staged during Fluxus Internationale Festpiele Neuester Musik, Hörsaal des Städtischen Museums, Wiesbaden, Germany, September 1, 1962 Created by Philip Corner and Fluxus artists George Maciunas, Wolf Vostell, Nam June Paik, Emmet Williams, Dick Higgins, Alison Knowles, and Benjamin Patterson “Piano Activities” was part … Continue reading Piano Activities by George Maciunas
Red Smile by Alex Katz Red Smile1963American RealismOil on canvasWhitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA “Red Smile” is exemplary if Katz’s polished and mature technique with little trace of the work’s creation. He began producing work inspired by the aesthetics of film, television, and commercial advertising in the 1960’s demonstrating his art in … Continue reading Red Smile by Alex Katz
Mask for Firdusi by Marcel Janco Mask for Firdusi1917-18DadaPaper, board, paint, and twineThe Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA Janco’s masks played a large role in the anarchic dances at the Cabaret Voltaire. Created from various materials including scraps of cardboard, glue, paint, and hessian cloth they were left crumpled and torn with ragged … Continue reading Mask for Firdusi by Marcel Janco
Indefinite Divisibility by Yves Tanguy Indefinite Divisibility1942SurrealismOil on canvasAlbright - Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Albright - Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, USA “Indefinite Divisibility” juxtaposes bowls collecting water with anthropomorphic shadows cast by the form beside it to present the viewer with conflicting shapes vying for their attention. Dreams and everyday objects merge with the … Continue reading Indefinite Divisibility by Yves Tanguy
Night in Bologna by Paul Cadmus Night in Bologna1958Social RealismEgg tempera on fibreboardSmithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, USA “Night in Bologna” depicts the longing and sexual desire of the subject in a tragicomic set in the evening hours amidst an arcade of arches and columns of classical Italian architecture. The solitary figure of an … Continue reading Night in Bologna by Paul Cadmus
Photograph of Members of the Mochida Family Awaiting Evacuation by Dorothea Lange Photograph of Members of the Mochida Family Awaiting Evacuation1942Documentary PhotographyPhotographThe Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA The Mochida family awaits an evacuation bus with their identification tags used to aid keeping the family unit together during the various phases of their … Continue reading Photograph of Members of the Mochida Family Awaiting Evacuation by Dorothea Lange
La petite sirène (The Little Siren) by Henri Laurens La petite sirène (The Little Siren)1950SculptureBronzeMildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, USA Inspired by Laurens' trip to the Brittany coast “La Petite Sirène” is part of a series of siren sculptures. Laurens depicts the treacherous mythical woman as an extension of the sea itself, … Continue reading La petite sirène (The Little Siren) by Henri Laurens
About the Jez of It 