Tuesday, July 28, 2009

inspiring installations








Marla Olmstead


Poor Marla, I hate that a four year old who just likes painting got caught up in a huge controversy. I really don't think at the time she had any idea what was going and but I really feel like it was dangerous for her. I also feel bad for her mom. I don't think her mom had any bad intentions and she was also trying her best to avoid the whole thing blowing up. Personally I feel like it was the dad provoked the media. In nearly every interview he seemed nervous like he was trying to hide something. Maybe he was just genuinely nervous but he seemed to push Marla a lot to work harder. I think that even if he was helping her it shouldn't have been such a huge ordeal. She was only 4 at the time and 4 year olds do need some direction but I also feel like she never really was the prodigy the media made her out to be. Her mother never considered her anything other than just her 4 year old daughter that likes to paint.


Thursday, July 23, 2009

Christo and Jeanne-Claude





I really enjoy Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work. I think it's really inspiring how dedicated to their work they are. I don't know if I'd be able to handle 25 years of fighting with the city to get a work of art up for 16 or so days. I think the idea though was really cool and very unique I wish I had the money to spend on creating whatever I felt like making.




Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney's Drawing Restraint 9 was a very interesting film to watch but at the same time really difficult to sit through. I liked the way he used barely any dialogue. It makes the viewer have to visually figure out what is going on and how the character is feeling. Although many parts were very awkward and strange to watch and try to figure out an a lot of the time I had no idea what was going on. The pace of the movie was very slow and I found it really difficult to stay focused and pay attention to the movie. At times I think the slow pace is a good way to show a dramatic change in scenery or a period of time having passed but I think many of the long slow aspects of the movie made it difficult to watch and was very frustrating. I think if you don't try to analysis the story too much it's easier to watch and accept. Even though I couldn't sit though the entire movie in one sitting what I saw was very well established and thought out. Overall it was a very odd movie but very artistic and I personally think a good representation of what Matthew Barney is capable of making.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

4-D Animation

installation and performance artists


Elaine Miles

The installation artists I like the most have to be Eva Hesse, Jessica Stockholder and Christian Boltanski.

Eva Hesse- I think Eva made really amazing pieces of art. They look so raw and simple but at the same time can appear really complex.

Jessica Stockholder- I love the idea of going into a space and filling it with colorful objects based just on the way the room makes you feel. It's so spontaneous and strange but really cool.

Christian Boltanski- His work has a very haunting quality to it that is really captivating. I like how he uses light and old photos to bring out a mood that can make you incredibly sad or frightened sometimes even at the same time. I like the idea of using lights and simple objects to make a person feel really strongly about the space and work.

Eva Hesse







Jessica Stockholder






Christian Boltanski






animations I enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bmpFCwZbwM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5IqwECL6bo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjJeCgeyuY

Andy Goldsworthy

I love how passionate Andy Goldsworthy is about his work. All of his work takes so much patience and none of it lasts for very long. It's really impressive how he can stay so calm even when his work falls apart before he can admire it. His connection with each piece of natural material in the art that he uses is really coo;, I don't think all artists have that same connection with their work like he does. I admire the fact that he understands that not all his pieces are going to work out and that eventually they will all be gone.