Month: May 2016

Elements

Episode 28 : Today I talk with Claire Carino of the Au Gallery in Boston. We talked all about the Elements exhibition which is going on until June 18th.

Artists Joerg Dressler and Christie Scheele both engage with and challenge the tradition of landscape painting in Gold Gallery’s exhibition Elements. Dressler’s pieces reflect on what he calls the “unpredictability and mysteries of nature”— the “inherently tame and wild, soothing and disturbing, exciting and frightening, just and unjust…all at once.” His observations of our modern day relationship to nature, as a second hand experience, inspire his choices of shape, gesture, color and division within his pieces. Scheele creates a minimalist representation of a place, where a scene is reduced to it’s essentials, leaving out distractions and visual clutter. This allows the viewer to react to the atmospheric quality made by the soft edges and thoughtful color choices.

CHRISTIE SCHEELE, Blue Tidal Pool, Oil on Linen, 20 x 24″

JOERG DRESSLER, Entropy High XIV, Oil on Canvas, 72 x 48

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

All images used with permission

Chris Martin: Saturn Returns

Episode 23: Today I chatted with Kurt Mueller of the David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles. We talked about the Chris Martin, Saturn Returns exhibit that is going on until May 21st.

Chris Martin: Amy, 2015 acrylic and chalk on canvas 134 3/4 x 118 x 2 1/2 inches (342.3 x 299.7 x 6.4 cm)

Chris Martin Untitled, 2016 acrylic, glitter and oil on canvas 77 x 60 x 1 7/8 inches (195.6 x 152.4 x 4.8 cm)

Chris Martin Untitled, 2016 acrylic and glitter on canvas 77 x 60 x 2 inches (195.6 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm)

Chris Martin Frog 3, 2016 acrylic on canvas 31 x 26 x 1 3/4 inches (78.7 x 66 x 4.4 cm)

Burnt Generation

Episode 27: On this episode, I talk to Fariba Farshad, of Candlestar in the UK. We talk all about the Burnt Generation exhibition, which she created. It was displayed at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois.

This group exhibition seeks to convey the variety of ways in which decades of political unrest and social upheaval have impacted the Iranian people through a mix of documentary photography, portraiture and fine art photography. Moving through urban and rural locales, the exhibition will offer a rare opportunity to set aside the stereotypical, mediated imagery of Iran and enter directly into the worlds of artists who have lived and worked in the country. Many of the images featured in the exhibition have not previously been displayed in the United States. This exhibition is produced by Candlestar, a cultural consultancy based in London and is curated by Fariba Farshad, Director of Candlestar.

The 2015-2016 season is sponsored by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Abramson Arts Foundation, and Nixon Peabody LLCP.

‘Many commentators have said that some of the most exciting photography in the world today is being made in Iran,’ says Candlestar Director Fariba Farshad, who has curated Burnt Generation, Candlestar’s new exhibition of Iranian Photography. ‘We hope that this exciting exhibition will confirm this view… ‘ Burnt Generation, which was on display at Somerset House from 10 April to 1 June 2014, brought together work by eight contemporary photographers that had rarely been seen outside Iran. The photographers were Azadeh Akhlaghi; Gohar Dashti; Shadi Ghadirian; Babak Kazemi; Abbas Kowsari; Ali Nadjian/Ramyar Manouchehrzadeh; Newsha Tavakolian and Sadegh Tirafkan. By presenting rarely-seen work by these photographers, Burnt Generation presented an opportunity to move to a place beyond cliché; a moment to forget the stereotypical images of Iran and enter the distinctive personal, cultural histories of these highly original and intellectually engaged image makers.

The exhibition garnered wide spread press interest, both national and global. Please see below for press coverage to date. The Guardian has featured an article about Newsha Tavakolian and her work, read the article online here. The British Journal of Photography has also written an article about the exhibition which you can also read online. The Financial Times has also reviewed Burnt Generation which you can access here.

You may have access to the exhibition leaflet here: Burnt Generation Leaflet

Robert Kushner: Paintings & Works on Paper

Episode 26: In honor of my 26th episode, I did an on-site chat at the Jerald Melberg Gallery. I got to check out the Robert Kushner exhibit and chat with Jerald about the business side of running a gallery. We’ve decided that this will be the first of many “Gallery Chats.”

Jerald Melberg of the Jerald Melberg Gallery

Robert Kushner
BLACK-EYED SUSANS 2014
Oil, Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas
84 x 60 inches
JMG18037

$55,000.00

Robert Kushner
DIE HAUSFRAU 2015
Oil, Acrylic and Collage on Paper
10 5/8 x 9 3/4 inches
JMG18044

$4,800.00

Robert Kushner
HAWAIIAN POSTAGE 2014
Collage, Ink and Acrylic Mounted on Museum Board
10 x 8 inches
JMG18045

$4,800.00

Robert Kushner
HUNTINGTON LIBRARY CACTUS GARDEN II 2014
Oil, Acrylic, Gold Leaf and Collage on Paper
30 x 36 3/4 inches
JMG18046

$12,000.00

Robert Kushner
HUNTINGTON LIBRARY CACTUS GARDEN IV POLISH ARMY 2014
Oil, Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Joined Paper
60 x 22 inches
JMG18047

$14,000.00

Robert Kushner
JOHNNY-JUMP-UP II 2014
Collage, Ink and Acrylic on Paper
10 1/2 x 10 inches
JMG18050

$4,800.00

Robert Kushner
MIDNIGHT IN THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY CACTUS GARDEN 2014
Oil, Acrylic and Gold Leaf on Canvas
108 x 132 inches
JMG18039 $145,000.00

All photos by Christopher Clamp

Contemplating Character: Drawings & Oil Sketches from Jacques-Louis David to Lucian Freud

Episode 24: Today I chatted with Jerry Smith of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. We talked about the Contemplating Character exhibition they have going on until May 29th.

Vanni Rossi (Italian, 1894-1973), Self Portrait Smoking (1920) Oil on canvas. Collection of Robert Flynn Johnson

Contemplating Character explores the evolution of portraiture from the late eighteenth century to the contemporary, reflecting the many styles and movements during this wide expanse of time. The 150 works encompass artist self-portraits by the likes of Gustave Dore, Adolf von Menzel, Edouard Vuillard, Dora Maar (one of Pablo Picasso’s partners), and even Alfred Hitchcock (a line drawing of his famous profile). Others include portraits of other artists, family members and friends, and famous people, among them a rare, early profile of George Washington and another of author Oscar Wilde.

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (British, 1899-1980. Self-Portrait Profil (about 1960). Pen and ink on paper. Collection of Robert Flynn Johnson

The collection focuses on rare portraits, many capturing the deeper personality of the subjects. Lucian Freud, for example, is known for his penetrating portraits, and there are even two drawings by the legendary cartoon artist R. Crumb.

AubreyBeardsleyCarica ... medtobeOscarWilde

Lucian Freud (British, born Germany, 1922-2011. Peter Watson (about 1945) Black crayon on paper. Collection of Robert Flynn Johnson

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (British, 1899-1980) Self-Portrait Profile (about 1960) Pen and Ink on Paper Collection of Robert Flynn Johnson

Martha Miller (American, born 1954) The Artist’s Daughter 1987 Pastel on paper Collection of Robert Flynn Johnson

The Accidental Tourist

Episode 25 : On this episode, Nicole Royse joins me again to discuss The Accidental Tourist exhibition at the Bokeh Gallery at the MonOrchid, in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Accidental Tourist Exhibit at The MonOrchid, Bokeh Gallery

“Due of the amount of photos being taken by cellphones and the quality is just getting better and better, not to mention there are so many artists and non-artists in Arizona that can not afford a DSLR.”

OShana was honored to jury this exhibition, receiving numerous submissions, resulting in the selection of an eclectic group of 12 local artists. The chosen rooster of artists includes: Amanda Abbott, Chadwick Fowler, Brandon Greer, Andrew Hutchinson, Miguel de Jezus, Johnny Kerr, Heather Kirk, Jon Linton, Michael Mutature, Alex Plasko, George Voellmer and Onna Jeanna Voellmer.

All images used with permission

Nocturnes

Episode 23 : Today I chat with Alice Phillips, Ph.D, director of exhibitions at the UNI Gallery at the University of Iowa.

L. Hugo c. uimi

Nocturnes: Night Skies in Nineteenth-Century Art and The Darker Side of Modern Art

UNI Gallery of ArtKamerick Art Building, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA

Nocturnes traces artists’ portrayals of night skies from the mid-nineteenth century through the present. The night sky has always instilled a sense of wonder and curiosity in earthbound observers, while moonlight has long been associated with illusions, apparitions, and enchantment. The artworks here explore our enduring human interest in observing the atmospheric phenomena, illuminated cityscapes, and phantasmagoria that emerge from darkness. These artists capture the effect of lustrous moonlight on sublime landscapes, the garish glow of gaslight, and renditions of surreal and cosmic universes. This exhibition guides us into starlit skies that inspired Romantic introspection and otherworldly visions in the nineteenth century, fantastical depictions of lunar radiance in the twentieth, and those that continue to compell us to dream.

This exhibition is curated by Alice M. Phillips, PhD, and is organized by Legacies for Iowa: A University of Iowa Museum of Art Collections Sharing Project, Supported by the Matthew Bucksbaum Family.

The Likeness of Labor

Episode 24: On this episode I talk to Christopher Oliver, curator of the Likeness of Labor exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. We talk about the haunting history of child labor in the early U.S.

Obj. No. 75.60 Lewis W. Hine (American, 1874–1940) Addie Card, 12 Years, Spinner in Cotton Mill, Vermont, 1910 Silver gelatin print 4 11/16” × 3⅝”W 11.91 cm × 9.21 cm Image must be credited with the following collection and photo credit lines: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Virginia Museum Art Purchase Fund Digital photo: David Stover © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Ultimate trust…

75.54; Lewis W. Hine, American, 1874 – 1940 (Artist); Italian Madonna, Ellis Island; 1905; silver gelatin print; Sheet: 7 × 5 in. (17.78 × 12.7 cm) Image: 6 11/16 × 4 7/8 in. (16.99 × 12.38 cm); Virginia Museum Art Purchase Fund; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond

A man hides his rotten teeth with a callused hand…

Obj. No. 89.28 Dorothea Lange (American, 1895-1965) Migratory Cotton Picker, Eloy, Arizona, 1940 Gelatin silver print 10⅜”H x 13⅜”W 26.35 cm x 33.97 cm Image must be credited with the following collection and photo credit lines: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund. Digital photo: Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Obj. No. 2011.17 Wright Morris (American, 1910–1998) Uncle Harry Entering Barn, 1947 Gelatin silver print Sheet: 10”H × 8”W (25.4 cm × 20.32 cm) Image: 9⅝”H × 7⅝”W (24.45 cm × 19.37 cm) signed on verso Wright Morris Image must be credited with the following collection and photo credit lines: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Floyd D. and Anne C. Gottwald Fund Digital photo: David Stover © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

The Power of Pictures

Episode 22 : Today I chat with Dr. Susan Edwards Ph.D about The Power of Pictures exhibition that is going on at the Frist Center until July 4th.

Press Release

Arkady Shaikhet, Express, 1939. Gelatin silver print, 15 5/8 × 21 1/8 in. Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York. Artwork © Estate of Arkady Shaikhet, courtesy of Nailya AlexanderGallery

From early vanguard Constructivist works by Alexander Rodchenko and El Lissitzky to the modernist images of Arkady Shaikhet and Max Penson, Soviet photographers played a pivotal role in the history of modern photography. The Power of Pictures: Early Soviet Photography and Film examines how photography, film, and poster art were harnessed to disseminate Communist ideology, revisiting a moment in history when artists acted as engines of social change and radical political engagement. Covering the period from the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution through the 1930s, the exhibition explores how early modernist photography and film influenced a new Soviet style while energizing and expanding the nature of the media. Through more than 150 works, The Power of Pictures reveals how striking images by master photographers and filmmakers were seen as powerful propaganda tools in the new Soviet Union, and looks at photography and film together as influential and formally related media.

Let's Talk Art With Brooke

Perspective is Everything

Month: May 2016

Elements

Chris Martin: Saturn Returns

Burnt Generation

Robert Kushner: Paintings & Works on Paper

Contemplating Character: Drawings & Oil Sketches from Jacques-Louis David to Lucian Freud

The Accidental Tourist

Nocturnes

Nocturnes: Night Skies in Nineteenth-Century Art and The Darker Side of Modern Art

The Likeness of Labor

The Power of Pictures