The work of Mark Steven Greenfield is currently on view at the Lora Schlesinger Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. ( September 8 through October 14) Raucous doodle-like designs, in vibrant transparent colors cover the large tableaux, punctuated with peep-holes of white and black. While most of the images are purely abstract, there are some realistic icons, heavy with social connotations. For instance, Crucilbum appears to be for the benefit of a feather clad, popcorn consuming observer. Upon first encountering the work, this viewer found the subject matter, and color selections both jarring and confusing. Furthermore, foreground beings appear to be inspired by the Raj, as they are bejeweled and bedecked in beads, yet there is nothing connecting the background and foreground elements. This work left this art lover feeling annoyed, and disinterested. Crucilbum, ink jet print, 54”x 44” 1 of 4 However, wandering further into the exhibition, one encounters a room filled with purely abstract, monochromatic master pieces. While perfectly rendered, single color abstractions vary in scale and proximity, they create the semblance of space which is very endearing and peaceful. The pen and ink sketches are crisp, and precisely executed, with the consistency of a wood or linoleum block print. …show more content…
Apparently, Mr. Greenfield’s work is about “ re-contextualizing racist stereotypes”, and exploring African American life in the United States. Perhaps one has to be part of that community to see those visual connections? Mantras and Musings is the name of the collection of work created from study of Yuruba ancestral ritual culture in Brazil. What is really fascinating is how one artist can use Brazilian native culture as a springboard to create work, while another artist, admiring the work can so completely miss that
On November 8, 2017, I attended the Made in Cotton talk with Los Angeles artist Mark Steven Greenfield, he discussed with the audience his humble beginnings and gave the audience a glimpse of his thought process when creating his art. Mr. Greenfield greets the audience and informs our small group that he received his bachelor degree from California State University, Long Beach; and talks about where he work in his time in Los Angeles. In addition, he elaborated about the time when he and his friends received a ticket for painting a mural on a wall, Crenshaw and 51st street due to the fact it was private property. In fact, he shared, how he
When we look at this piece, we tend to see the differences in ways a subject can be organized and displayed. This assemblage by Betye Saar shows us how using different pieces of medium can bring about the wholeness of the point of view in which the artist is trying to portray. So in part, this piece speaks about stereotyping and how it is seen through the eyes of an artist.
He took his imagery from both the everyday rituals of African American rural life in the south and urban life in the north, melding those American experiences with his personal experiences and with the themes of classical literature, religion, myth, music and daily human ritual” (Ruth Fine).
There are many artist’s who can make an impact with how they convey their work. An artist who conveys his work with elegance, is Tom Killian. He is a local artist from California, and went to the University of Santa Cruz California. Living in California was going to shape his perspective on the world forever, specifically on how he depicted his work. In a work of art of his itled, Monterey Bay from Santa Cruz Pogonip. The work of arts creation came to be in 2002. The process in creating this piece was intricate, it was created from a wooden stamp press, the presses used are hand carved into wood and linoleum blocks. For each of the colors used in the piece, a new block has to be created to ensure that the colors doesn’t blend in ways the
Nicole utilizes a variety of themes and materials in her artworks. Her mandalas come to life on rough hemp canvases where the color gets absorbed by the thirsty texture. As the fibers need to be fed again and again, the mandala motifs arise shyly to the surface. The traditional method of making mandalas through the patient and repetitive movement of the hand dropping sand on a surface is mirrored in Nicole’s approach to constructing her mandalas, with an evident connection to meditation.
Tan has always been known as a very good user of the graphite pencil. This is something he has been practicing since he was a young child and is now very talented. Tan is able to capture in his pencil drawings such a large amount of depth and tonal range. Despite the fact Tan dislikes drawing realistic figures, he proved in his novel, The Arrival that he is quite talented in producing realistic
This piece was created during a time of political and social change. Increased political awareness and a focus on celebrity demanded art that was more
The art world has been host to a vast menagerie of talent, intellect, and creativity for about as long as human culture has existed. It has grown, developed, and changed just as humanity has. Naturally, with such an impressively expansive history, various avenues of art are visited time and time again by new artists. Artists seek not only to bring their own personal flavor and meaning to timeless concepts, but to find new ways to approach them. While not every single creator and craftsman can make such a great impact on art or the world, their efforts have given birth to some truly magnificent and unique works. In an effort to create a more meaningful understanding, as well a deeper appreciation, of the nuances, techniques, and design choices employed in these attempts, a comparison will be made between Edouard Vuillard’s Interior With a Screen (1909-1910) and Henri Matisse’s Blue Nude (Souvenir of Biskra) (1907). In this essay, each artist’s approach to the subject of the female nude will be closely analyzed, compared, and contrasted, as will their styles of painting, handling of visual elements, and their use of the principles of design. An interpretation of each work and what the artist intended when creating it will also be provided.
A visually engulfing and diverse piece, Joe Tilson’s Nine Elements uses a wooden relief with acrylic, pearl and candy paint, to represent those elements that make up mass media pop culture. Tilson uses defined iconography that visually absorbs the viewer through its differentiation within the symmetrically structured borders of the wooden relief. It is a piece that allows the observer freedom to use the representative symbols of senses and concepts present in our every day life to take their own meaning of the piece.
Jon P Geiger is a well-known ceramic artist. His work focuses on the mysticism of the American West. Geiger often challenges the origins of the West and the spiritual and imaginary components found within. At the “Currents 2017- Perception: Color and Content” exhibition, his work “Issue 1” is currently being showed. “Issue 1” is an underglaze ceramic piece.
The use of geometric shapes in this painting allows the subject to be viewed in both a recognizable and unrecognizable state at the same time. Overall, geometric shapes and patterns play an essential role in what the viewer sees, which is further supported by a powerful color palate.
We are seeing a new tradition in the images of Crewdson, Wall and Gursky. Through a process that includes staging and extensive digital manipulation, these artists are bypassing the ‘real’ to arrive at something different. Although not immediately identifiable to all those who view the work of Crewdson, Wall and Gursky; anyone who has visited a movie theatre will (perhaps sub-consciously) be aware of the similarities visible in
This iconic artwork uses even more energetic, broken brushstrokes and compelling single colours to express
The artwork is one of the main ways to express the culture of a region or a country. Therefore, art has played a very important role throughout history. When talking about art, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is probably that art is a painting or it is a sculpture. However, art has many forms of expression, and it closely connects to human’s daily life. Besides paintings and sculptures, art is everywhere around us. I am always interested in how people have linked art with daily life throughout history. For this reason, the two pieces of artwork I chose from my visit to the Museum of Fine Arts are both objects that can be used in everyday life: one is the mixing bowl and the other is an incense burner. Though they are from different cultures, have different making processes, and have a different purpose in usage, they both are good examples to show how artists tried to apply art using different techniques to human’s daily life.
I went to The Art Institute of Chicago on a Thursday when it was free for Illinois resident and when there were different exhibitions going on. There was long line at the entrance near the museum at 6pm in the evening. I went alone because I thought I can have better focus on picking a good art work. I was ready to go through all the magnificent paintings for my art museum paper. As I walked through the museum, there were colorful Indian Modern art exhibited for the occasion. They were big and vibrant. The was also a special exhibition of Tarsila Do Amaral, one of the leading Latin American Modernist artist who paint like Cubism, Futurism and expressionism. Her artworks were childlike in terms of the painting style of objects and people. I was most fond of the modernist and contemporary part of the gallery with painters like Salvador Dali and Francis Bacon. I was fascinated with Salvador Dali’s Venus de Milo with Drawers. The drawers unnaturalistically located on a human body was intriguing. The depth of the human mind and subconsciousness are creatively represented by these drawers on Venus de Milo. Francis bacon’s work Figure with meat was not bad either. Figure with Meat is a disturbing depiction of Pope Innocent X sat in front of a cow carcass cut lengthways in half. (Gould) Like his other painting, the theme is dark and twisted. The carcass is included serve as a direct reminder that death will be at the end await