Tag Archives: artists

Another dozen good pieces on artists from Richard Serra to Robert Mapplethorpe

Posted on April 24, 2024 | Comments Off on Another dozen good pieces on artists from Richard Serra to Robert Mapplethorpe


Here’s 12 good pieces on artists that capture a range of feeling, from sadness to gladness and more.

Sadness: the great Richard Serra passed away recently. So too did Patti Astor, head of the Fun Gallery in the 80s. Her obit is here. Deeply sad is this sobering piece on art being made in  Ukraine during the current war.

Badness: The Tate continues to struggle with racist elements in a famous Whistler mural. This story talks about how they brought in artist Keith Piper to help with that. You be the judge of all that.

Also bad: a story of how Jeff Koons squashed a review he didn’t like. Bad in his own way and so very Damien Hirst:  Hirst shark that sold for about 8m is fourth 2017 work dated to 1990s here. Not bad, but controversial is Gerhard Richter’s most divisive work returning. to Auschwitz.

Gladness: things that made me glad are these prints by Lucy Cooper. These great photos by my friend Jared Bramblett, seen here also fill me with gladness. Also great is this story of David Hampton, an 98 year old artist who think making art keeps you alive. He makes a good case.

Longing: Written during the pandemic, this piece on Jason Polan as a flaneur was worth revisiting…there’s so much longing in that piece. (Image above from that piece.)

Boadciousness: not my word, but I think it applies in this piece on ex-Vogue editor Edward Enninful and his thoughts on  Robert Mapplethorpe.

 

 

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Five good pieces on five great artists for a Friday

Posted on February 2, 2024 | Comments Off on Five good pieces on five great artists for a Friday

The great  Cindy Sherman has a show at Hauser & Wirth on Wooster Street in SoHo NYC. The Times took the time recently to do a long profile on her. I really enjoyed it. It also has a straight up photo of the artist and it was surprising for me to see.

David Shrigley has a very Shrigleyesque work in Australia that involves tennis balls. Click the link to see more to see what I mean by Shrigleyesque.

The Guardian has a review of a Robert Mapplethorpe photography show and they are not keen on it. I was not keen on the review.  If you want to just skip that and check out the (NSFW) show, go here.

The National Gallery of Art in the US was granted a treasure trove of work by the artist Joseph Cornell. You can read more about that, here. (One of his boxes is pictured above.)

Finally the great artist Giovanni Anselmo, of the ‘arte povera’ movement, has died. You can read more about him and the movement, here.

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A dozen or so good pieces on good artists, from Michelangelo to Tracey Emin

Posted on November 12, 2023 | Comments Off on A dozen or so good pieces on good artists, from Michelangelo to Tracey Emin

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(Top image: Richter. Bottom image: Day)

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The difficult of staying controversial as an artist

Posted on August 9, 2023 | Comments Off on The difficult of staying controversial as an artist


It’s hard to stay controversial as an artist. Ask Andres Serrano. This piece in the New York Times explains what I mean:

As Pope Francis met with dozens of international artists at the Sistine Chapel on Friday, he sought both to reaffirm the Roman Catholic Church’s commitment to artistic endeavors and to enlist the artists to act as catalysts for change in areas like social justice.

Yet as the group sat amid Renaissance frescoes by the likes of Michelangelo, Botticelli and Perugino — undisputedly one of the high points of papal art patronage — not all of those present had a traditional religious bent.

Among them were the American artist Andres Serrano, whose photograph “Piss Christ,” an image of a plastic crucifix submerged in a tank full of urine, was considered blasphemous when it debuted in 1987.

On Friday, Francis blessed Mr. Serrano and gave him a cheery thumbs up.

A thumbs up! Not too long ago he was reviled for that work. Now he’s hanging out with Pope Francis. It’s hard out there for an artist to stay controversial. After all, if you go through this piece and check out art history’s most controversial nudes, so many are anything but controversial now. Now they are classics. Serrano’s work will become that way too.

A good reminder to artists: being controversial is fine, but it’s hard to maintain. Best to focus on making your work good first: that is what will remain after the controversy dies off.

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On Sylvia Plath and other fine visual artists

Posted on June 17, 2023 | Comments Off on On Sylvia Plath and other fine visual artists

I knew, of course, that Sylvia Plath was a great writer. But she is also a strong visual artist. This substack post delves into her talent in that regard. (That’s her work, above.)

Not an artist, but their enemy: here’s the obit for the Gray Ghost, famous for painting over graffiti in New Orleans, including Banksy! A fascinating man. Also fascinating is museum met guard Greg Kwiatek and how working there for 25 years helped him make his own art. A third person who is fascinating is  architect Yasmeen Lari.


Check out these Qualeasha Wood tapestries (above) at that link. They are amazing. I didn’t know of her work, but I am impressed.

Of course I know of the work of these two, David Hockney and Anselm Kiefer, both of whom have new work out.

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How to rate Hannah Gadsby’s Pablo-Matic show at The Brooklyn Museum?

Posted on June 15, 2023 | Comments Off on How to rate Hannah Gadsby’s Pablo-Matic show at The Brooklyn Museum?


How to rate Pablo-Matic? Badly, if you are New York Times critic Jason Farago. Ohoh. Meanwhile this piece in hyperallergic argues the show is not great but not terrible. Ok so so-so. Then there is this other piece in hyperallergic that urges you to go because they think the show is good. Hmmm….

I’ve read lots on the show, including how the museum feels (they dismiss the negative reviews). My two takeaways from all that I read are:

  • everyone, no matter how they feel about the show, have valid thoughts and opinions on it. They all come to different conclusions, but the ideas they bring up are worth reading. If you love the show, read the pieces by those who didn’t, and vice versa.
  • the Brooklyn museum can’t lose here. Regardless of what you think, I haven’t read so much about a show in quite some time. Most shows get an objective thumbs up with very little passion. Not this show: people are passionate about how they feel about it. It’s exciting!

I wish more shows were controversial like this. Not controversial in a gimmicky way, but in a thoughtful way. It got me thinking about art and artists in a deeper way than I might have if I went to a non-controversial show.

Finally, I also admire the courage of the curators. It’s like night vs day when I think of other controversial shows like the recent Philip Guston exhibit. We need more courage from people in the world of visual arts. I am glad the folks at the Brooklyn Museum have that.

 

 

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On Bourgeois, Wiley, Grosz, and more. (Art news, April 2023)

Posted on April 19, 2023 | Comments Off on On Bourgeois, Wiley, Grosz, and more. (Art news, April 2023)

Here’s some recent art pieces I thought worthy of sharing:

Sydney is set for a summer of blockbuster art in 2023. Bourgeois spiders and Kandinsky masterpieces will be there. I’m a big fan of Bourgeois: I’d love to see that.

Another person who’s work I’m a fan of is Kehinde Wiley. You likely know him for his famous portrait of Barack Obama. The Guardian has a good profile of him there.

There’s no living artist who I am a bigger fan of than Richter. He’s getting very old, though (85), and he is thinking about giving up painting in the future. But for now, here’s a story of how Gerhard Richter Rides Again, in The New York Times.

Other good pieces: Here’s a good essay on the significance of  George Grosz. This piece is on artists and their day jobs (hint: not as artists). Here’s the obit for British sculpture Phyllida Barlow. RIP. Still kicking: here’s what  Ai Weiwei is up to.

Finally, a piece on Chuck Close:  look a little (Chuck) Closer: Aesthetic Attention and the Contact Phenomenon. And take some time to check out this powerful interactive display of the works of  Michael Ray Charles.

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It’s Saturday. Here’s a handful of good pieces on great artists

Posted on February 25, 2023 | Comments Off on It’s Saturday. Here’s a handful of good pieces on great artists

First up: can art save your life? The artist Robert Moore thinks so. Good artist, good piece. Relatedly but sad, the well known Canadian artist, Mendelson Joe, has died. He wrote about it on his web site, here. RIP, good sir.

On a lighter note, here’s a funny story on the Italian futurists and pasta. Elsewhere in Europe, mystery artists! This is a good story on one such sculpturor from Amsterdam. And this piece highlights the mysterious artist Invader as he unleashes his art on Paris and the world.

Back in Canada, here’s a good story on one of my favorite contemporary Canadian artist, Peter Harris, over at CTV News. Down in the US, this is a terrible story on how San Francisco gallerist Collier Gwin was arrested for hosing down an unhoused woman in front of his gallery. Meanwhile over in Japan comes a wonderful story on what Kazuo Oga thinks about when he thinks about backgrounds.

I love Marcel Duchamp. Here’s a piece on his work, Network of Stoppages. Speaking of Duchamp, here’s an art book on Marcel Duchamp from Hauser& Wirth. As for other old artists, painter Jonah Kinigstein who lived until almost 100 and stayed figurative when the art world went abstract. Hang in there, artists.

I don’t want to forget to bring up this sharp commentary on the great Anselm Keifer, who is always a challenging artist.


Finally these are stunning: Miniature Ships Sail Atop Asya Kozina’s Extravagant Baroque Wigs of White Ships. Thanks to Collosal for this. Aslo from Collosal: Ruby Silvious garments (seen above).

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13 good pieces on 12 good artists (and Damien Hirst :))

Posted on November 7, 2022 | Comments Off on 13 good pieces on 12 good artists (and Damien Hirst :))

I’ve been reading much on artists lately. (If you follow this blog, you know.) I thought these 13 pieces on different artists were all good, even the one on Damien Hirst.

Was Andy Warhol a Lame Copier? Some judges think so. I think that this is crazy, but read it and just for yourself.

Gone and once overlooked, but overlooked no more: here’s something worth reading on Lee Godie, the eccentric Chicago Street Artist.

If you are interested in Keith Haring, this talks about a new showing of his work in LA

For fans of philosophy and art, you might want to read about the links between Nietzsche and Rothko. Intreguing.

This is for fans (and there are many) of Hilma af Klint .

A good obit on a fascinating painter: Pierre Soulages, who painted in one colour ( black).

Ho hum: Artist Damien Hirst just burned 1000 of his paintings and will soon burn more. 1000 paintings? More like 1000 photocopies. Anyway, Hirst continues to do what he does best: make money.

This is a good question: How Did a Minister Come to Own Hundreds of Edward Hoppers?

As a fan of John Atkinson Grimshaw, I recommend this 5-Minute History.

This is a good piece on General Idea.

And this, on Maud Lewis forgeries, is a sign her work is bringing in big money.

I don’t know too much about Rodney Graham but this obit made me want to learn more.

There was lots of buzz recently about how a Mondrian painting has been hanging upside down for 75 years!

(Image is of Paintings by Soulages at the Musée Fabre (photo by Fred Romero via Flickr) – linked to in the piece on him)

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What do Brad Pitt, David Salle, Steve Keene and Diane Arbus have in common?

Posted on October 11, 2022 | Comments Off on What do Brad Pitt, David Salle, Steve Keene and Diane Arbus have in common?

What do Brad Pitt, David Salle, Steve Keene and Diane Arbus have in common? They all are artists I’ve been reading about over the last few weeks and months. Now you can too.

In addition to reading about those four, there are additional pieces below on other artists of note. Most of them are painters but there are some sculptors too. Quite a mixed bag! Enjoy!

(Images linked to those in the Washington Post and Colossal).

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Jeff Koons is going to the moon! Also Katz, Bacon, Guston and Taueber-Arp

Posted on September 4, 2022 | Comments Off on Jeff Koons is going to the moon! Also Katz, Bacon, Guston and Taueber-Arp

Jeff Koons is going to the Moon, according to the NYTimes. Which knowing Koons, is not that surprising. He’s doing more things that are fascinating as well. Read that Times piece for all the details.

I love this work by  George Shaw. They make me think of Christopher Pratt in some ways. Worth a look. Also worth a look are the  Visual Diaries of Pep Carro.  Fascinating.

Here’s two good pieces on Sophie Taeuber-Arp. One is from the perspective of a reviewer and one from the perspective of a viewer. In both cases, they are raising the question of why did the curators not bring forth the African and other influences that infuse her work? I was unaware of that, and I think anyone who loves the work of ST-A would benefit from knowing that.

Here’s a good piece on “The Brilliantly Nightmarish Art & Troubled Life” of Painter Francis Bacon. I put quotes around that because I felt that was over the top. But yes.

This, on Alex Katz is good. I find it hard to believe anyone thinks he is anything other than great, but there are such people. And such people inspire him in an interesting way.

A good critique on curators who would put blinders on gallery visitors witnessing the later work of Philip Guston.

You may not know this artist, but I love his work: Pavement Picasso…on the trail of London’s chewing gum artist.

On the lost work of gay artists of the AIDS era. Sad but worthwhile.

Flaming heck! Damien Hirst is setting his art on fire. A public service, no doubt.

Finally, the Rosalind Hobley Flower Cyanotypes are gorgeous (see below). See Collosal for more.

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On the great painter, Christopher Pratt

Posted on June 14, 2022 | Comments Off on On the great painter, Christopher Pratt

Last week the great painter and printmaker Christopher Pratt died.

I was going to say Canadian or Newfoundland painter — for he was that — but it is better to leave off the modifiers. His greatness can stand against any painter of any time or place.  I am especially drawn to his hyperrealist paintings of roads and boats and houses. How the light in them changes, how your mood changes as you absorb them. There’s an abstraction to them, despite clearly recognizable imagery.

I’ve been a fan of his ever since I read Jay Scott write so eloquently of him back in the late 80s, early 90s and which was captured in this book, The Prints of Christopher Pratt 1958-1991 by Jay Scott; Christopher Pratt – 1991.

Canada has had many great painters. While many people say Colville is their favorite — especially when it comes to east coast artists —  I have always preferred the work of Pratt.

Though he lived and painted in Newfoundland, for decades he’s been represented by the Mira Godard Gallery in Toronto. If you want to read more about him or see his fine work, go there.

(The image above, Summer on the SouthEast, is a link to the Mira Godard website. I can just feel the heat of the east coast summer as I look at it. I can hear the drone of flies, see the brightness of the sun. It’s perfect.)

 

 

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Six pieces on six fine artists

Posted on June 10, 2022 | Comments Off on Six pieces on six fine artists


Sticking with yesterday’s them, here are seven good pieces on artists that I’ve read recently that are good and worth reading:

  1. Unlike the Basquiats, these art works of  Francis Hines really were found in storage and have been released to the public (hooray)
  2. This is a happy story:  Ernie Barnes’s Sugar Shack Painting Brings Big Price at Auction
  3. This is a sad one: Matthew Wong’s Life in Light and Shadow.
  4. David Shrigley is always interesting. I see his work everywhere on social media. You may have as well.
  5. Gilbert and George, here talking about their epic Covid artworks are also interesting, not the least because of their conservative views. Unlike most conservative artists, they’re brilliant.
  6. Last but not least,  Ema Shin. That beautiful image above is of her work. You can click on the link to see more of them and to learn what is the thought behind them.

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On Maud Lewis and the art world and Henri Rousseau too

Posted on May 9, 2022 | Comments Off on On Maud Lewis and the art world and Henri Rousseau too


This is an interesting but odd view of the great Canadian artist, Maud Lewis. It’s somewhat about her, but really it’s more about the art world and how they go about. In short, it’s about how the paintings that she used to sell for a few bucks to buy food are now worth many thousands of dollars. It proceeds to speculate if they will continue to go up in value.

I think it’s worth reading. Her life and work are interesting. I still don’t think the art world knows how to think or talk about her.

If anything, she makes me think of the work of Henri Rousseau. They didn’t quite know what to do with him either. But eventually they did. I think the same is happening with Lewis.

Regardless what they think, I hope you will think she is a fine artist and seek out her work. (And Rousseau’s.) Your life will be enhanced the more you know of their work.

(Image links from Canadian Art and ibiblio.org)

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On Barbara Kruger and her 2021 show

Posted on November 19, 2021 | Comments Off on On Barbara Kruger and her 2021 show

Barbara Kruger

There is a new show of Barbara Kruger’s work called: “THINKING OF YOU. I MEAN ME. I MEAN YOU.” It’s playing from now through to Jan. 24, 2022 at the Art Institute of Chicago.

I had a few thoughts on it. One thought: I believed I had two favorite artists from the 80s (Basquiat and Haring) but it turns out I have three (Kruger).  I had mistakenly not placed her in that era. But as the Times shows:

Since the early 1980s, the engine of her work, and its effectiveness, has been formatting — the candy apple red bar containing white sans serif type, rendered in Futura Bold Oblique, conveying aphorisms that could be taunts or pleas.

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(her work started) much more humbly, as paste-ups made by hand, an extension of Kruger’s work as a graphic designer at Condé Nast magazines. Twenty of her 1980s originals are displayed in a suboptimally lit walkway. Up against the room-size works, they feel like modest afterthoughts. But up close they are deeply moving, almost innocent. Each juxtaposes a gnomic phrase with a stark black and white image, but at this scale, they scan more as private entreaties than global dictates — rave fliers for young agitators.

Second thought: just like Basquiat and Haring took their art from the street to the galleries and museums, so did Kruger.  And just like the two men, she is now a dominant part of our culture. Back to the Times:

And that underscores the complexity of revisiting Kruger at this moment in image dissemination: Her strict-rule paste-up approach to interrogating groupthink has become so defining, so signature that her innovations are now core grammar. Her art is recombinant. It exists whether or not she’s present.

Which brings me to my final thought. Sure it is easy to use elements of her work to mimic her (waves to the folks at Supreme). But looking at the work on display I can see it has power in a way that those who copy her do not. The scale, the colour, the composition: they all demonstrate the qualities she has as an artist that has made her influential and deserving of such a show.

For more, see the Times piece: Barbara Kruger: Infinitely Copied, Still Unmatched – The New York Times. Better still, go to Chicago and see the show while you can.

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Two recent pieces on Basquiat

Posted on July 31, 2021 | Comments Off on Two recent pieces on Basquiat

Here on this blog, I like to post anything I can about my favorite artists, and Basquiat is one of my most favorite. Here’s two recent pieces on him:

  1. How Basquiat and Street Artists Left Their Mark on Hip-Hop Culture – The New York Times
  2. Basquiat’s Painting on an Apartment Door Acquired by Dallas Museum of Art

The last one has this incredible photo in it:

Basquiat with two rich women

First off, the photo is titled: Jean-Michel Basquiat at the opening of Primitivism in 20th Century Art, 1985 (photo by Andy Hanson). I can’t believe that any museum or gallery categorized his work as Primitivism. (Ok, I can.) And then that photo. Basquiat looking cool and sophisticated. The women…well…something else. Anyway….good links. Check them out.

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On what you can learn from the obituaries of the not quite famous

Posted on July 16, 2021 | Comments Off on On what you can learn from the obituaries of the not quite famous


What can we learn from the obituaries of the not quite famous? I thought of that when I was reading the sad fate of Hash Halper, here: Hash Halper, Street Artist Who Adorned New York With Hearts, Dies at 41 – The New York Times.

Obituaries in big newspapers tend to be for the rich and famous and powerful and great. Mainly. But sometimes you read about someone who was none of those things, who was struggling, yet who affected people in a positive way. Someone like Hash Halper.

What we learn, perhaps, is that it doesn’t matter if you were rich and powerful.  Bernie Madoff was rich and powerful. It didn’t make his life better or more worthwhile. Hash Halper did more good with his chalk hearts than Madoff did with all he had. In the end, it all washes away, save for the things you did to affect the lives of others.

We can learn many things from the obituaries of the not quite famous. Maybe we can learn/be reminded of what it is we want to do in the world, while we are here. That’s a very fine thing to learn indeed.

Rest in peace, Hash Halper.

(Image Kholood Eid for The New York Times, link)

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Advice to young (and not so young) artists. (We are all artists in some way)


Here are two good pieces full of advice for artists.

One big: Advice to Young Aspiring Artists from Patti Smith, David Byrne & Marina Abramović | Open Culture

One small: None of us know what will happen – Austin Kleon

Key quote from the Austin Kleon piece is this, from Laurie Anderson:

The world may end. You’re right. But that’s not a reason to be scared. None of us know what will happen. Don’t spend time worrying about it. Make the most beautiful thing you can. Try to do that every day. That’s it. You know? What are you working for, posterity? We don’t know if there is any posterity.

(Image from pexels.com)

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Posted on June 14, 2019 in advice, art, new!

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Where to See Basquiat Around the World

A good item to add to your bucket list, if you are a fan of Basquiat: travel the world and see all the places where his works are displayed. To do that, you will need this list: Where to See Basquiat Around the World – Barron’s. And money. And time.

After you do that, you can go see all the Vermeers in the world!

(Image: Wikiart.org)

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Posted on May 14, 2019 in art, new!

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Can you work a day job and still make great art?

If you are Philip Glass you can. And likely anyone who has the capacity to make art can as well. It may take you longer, but you can do it. To see how he did it, see this piece: How Philip Glass Went From Driving Taxis to Composing – The Atlantic

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Posted on December 6, 2018 in art

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Knowing more women artists: Berthe Morisot


Sadly, I don’t know enough women artists. If this is you as well, then you want to check out this piece: You know Monet and Manet. This female Impressionist deserves your attention, too. – The Washington Post.  I agree: Morisot is one artist you should know better.

As well as doing a good job of summarizing this great artist, hey highlight the travelling show that is currently running and highlighting her work. If you can, it would be well worth visiting it if it coming near you. (Currently it is Quebec City.)

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Posted on August 27, 2018 in art

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The Notebooks of Jean-Michel Basquiat

I hadn’t seen this before, but for fans of the artist, this is a must view: The Unknown Notebooks of Jean-Michel Basquiat – The New York Times.

I love everything about NYC in the 80s, and I especially like this.

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Posted on August 24, 2018 in art, nytimes.com

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