Jordan Post 3

I recently read an interview on abstract artist, David Reed. I was at first confused because this particular artist had an interest in both the Baroque era as well as contemporary art. He would take inspiration and obsess over Baroque (drapery, lighting, figures etc..) while stating that "new art" must be made, and in order to make new art it must be "radically reinvented". I thought what is this guy some kind of walking contradiction? I thought of him as open minded but wondered.. what is the content?

I gained a lot of interest and appreciation when this artist explained that his interest for Baroque art was simply a strong personal interest, the people close to him explained Baroque in such a way that it brought the whole movement to life for him. (I could relate with the many times I have been inspired greatly and personal interest is VERY important in art, no matter what it may be)

He believed in making 2 parts in a painting that always came together (which reminded me of how we will be working with quite a few parts for this drawing). He claimed the lighting from Baroque was natural and from the heavens, while the lighting from most of todays art is more straight forward, artificial and enhanced. He explained he could never do Baroque art because the figures, environment and brush strokes can not be brought from the past, but they are elements that are ongoing and continually new.

This interview was very uplifting for me. Reed explained that he finds there is so much more that could be done and you can indeed have much different art from your contemporaries.  Starting to get overwhelmed about this contemporary content I am CONSTANTLY thinking about, this interview made me think how perhaps when your trying too hard to be contemporary, that is when your not being radical and reinventing. 

In his own way Reed is making contemporary art. He is surprised more artists of today don't dig from the past to inspire their work. By not working from just todays world and coming about with new ways of thinking (even inspired from the past) his way of thinking is still strong in content and new. As Reed brought up, I think it is wise to focus on new ways to go about figure, environment and mark making because these these are things that are always ongoing and new. Another admirable point Reed made is not that he is trying to shoot down any sort of ideas, but just wants to experiment and see how far his ideas could take him, which is what I intend to do for this project.

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel (1536-1541) 

This disturbing self portrait of artist Michelangelo's skin being held by Saint Bartholomew is believed to be depicted because of his contempt for being commissioned to paint. I admire the morbid feeling the painting gives off, however I would like to change the content. I am thinking of ways to transfer the beauty of this fresco into a drawing of my own.

Tiffany post: II

I did this drawing based off of Terrance Zdunich's style of illustration. In most of his illustrations he uses lines to represent shadow. He's done work for Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Molting. I found it quiet interesting how he could represent so much composition in a matter of thicker and or thinner lines, and I was hoping to accomplish the same idea.

Sara: Post III

 This is a plein air drawing I made of the beacon at the end of the jetty in my hometown this weekend. I plan on going back and making more studies and eventually make a painting from them. I want to contrast the idea of the  positive "guiding light" of a beacon with the dangers of going back to what is safe and familiar.  I would make the composition more dynamic, and give the beacon a more ominous feel, maybe through a more exaggerated perspective.

In her drawings and installations, Kim Beck, an artist who shows in the Mixed Greens Gallery in Chelsea, creates a conversation between nature and the man made. I have been interested in the way man has negatively effected the earth, and whether or not she intends it, looking at Beck's work makes me think about that issue.  I remembered seeing her work and looked her up again after realizing that my drawing also brings about the same issue in a subtle way.

Ben 3rd post

Joe Fenton is a huge influence of mine. This drawing is called, "The Lullaby" and i personally admire the mesmerizing lullaby feel to the drawing. I think the title is very fitting, because of the rhythmic feel he's created. Even with the strange, disturbing imagery he has, i still feel the "Lullaby" vibe he was trying to create because of his use of contrast and the general setup of his composition. I'm heavily influenced by all these aspects and try to incorporate them all into my work.
For this weeks daily drawing i stuck to my interest of pen & ink and the use of heavy contrast. The content of the drawing is pretty random as usual, but i'm trying to be very conscious of my composition and the overall feel of my drawings to make sure the feeling i'm trying to convey is getting displayed.

Jon 3rd post

 This is a study for a painting I will be doing I decided that I would use myself as the subject and I may consider using myself as in my work more often. I'm also interested in emotional states of the male or masculine identity in reference to cognitive studies. The study is apart of an exploration of isolation and loneliness. A professor here at the university Steven Antinoff has some interesting theories on the human condition and the dialogue between an individual and them self. 

There are many different types of drawings and erotic drawing is one of them. I am familiar with Tom Of Finland's work depicting mostly overly dramatic conventional masculine men who are homosexual. The work tends to be pornographic however through a different investigation one can find a conversation about a issue of masculinity in the homosexual community. The men depicted are generally set in dominate and submissive engagement with  one another and do not shown as flamboyant or physically "weak" however vulnerable at times.  Masculinity is something that is virtually opened ended to define and left up to controversial debate. This is one theme I have been exploring through my work in some ways however taking the femininity of female forms and submissive forms and bringing macho men in to soft or vulnerable places.

Caravaggio’s  birth name is Michelangelo Merisi  born on September 29^th 1571 In Milan Lombardy.  He died at the young age of 38 On July 18^th 1610 in Tuscany, the Italian painter is best known for his contributions to the Baroque era.  His work is extremely theatric and emotive using light as a device of dynamic compositions.  He was trained under titan another notable painter of his time.  Caravaggio killed a man during a fight and fled to Rome.  He was injured in the fight which leads to his death at 38.  Caravaggio usually uses himself as models for his realistic styled paintings.  He is known for painting very soft and beautiful males usually young boys. In 1595 he painted the Musicians which is currently housed at the Metropolitan museum of art. The painting shows boys classically dressed and playing instruments one of the figures is rumored to be  his lover Mario Minniti and Caravaggio himself is found in the painting as well. Musicians were pretty popular during this time period.

Lauren's Third Post

This week I decided to contrast awkward youth with a portrait of an older man. I find it interesting that our culture is obsessed with beauty, especially when it comes to aging. Although not the most successful drawing I have done of an older person, the fear of wrinkles and balding are there.

Artist: Jesse Payne 

He rendered da Vinci's grotesque sketches, you can see them here....

Payne/daVinci

Not only do I usually enjoy these type of drawings and "grotesque" but occasionally take part in making drawings and sculpy heads. Theres something about the texture, strange sexuality, and expressions of the grotesque that interest me.

Jason Moorer - Post 3 : David Gilmore and Daily Drawing Subject

David Gilmore is a Los Angeles based artist whose work is a satirical commentary on Pop culture. He is an avid fan of reality television and most of his drawings and paintings (which you can view here) are derived from these trashy programs. David creates his drawings by taking various screen caps of his subjects and drawing from them. His medium includes pen, ink, gouache, digital painting and watercolor. Usually the screen caps are not flattering, often grotesque and bizarre. David has become extremely popular for his “Real Housewives” series recaps and drawings. The underlying humor in them is that the subjects on the show view themselves as glamorous and famous; Gilmore then selects the most unflattering image to represent them, creating this humorous commentary. (Below are multiple screen cap ink drawings of the "Real Housewives of OC" cast)

Speaking of Housewives, it relates to my semester subject in many ways. The premise of that series is to present this voyeuristic perspective on “the Joneses.” With Bravo using non-celebrities as its subject, it presents this supposed relatability, like these are just average people who just happen to have money. The problem is that nearly all of the subjects are actually broke in real life but paint this hyper-reality that they are rich. When doing a foreclosure research project last semester, I can across several cast members on this series whose homes are in foreclosure and own tons of money to the IRS. It is bizarre in the attempts that people go to strive for this ideal lifestyle. I think David humbles the subjects with his drawings and also comments on certain aesthetics pertaining to the Nouveau Riche.

This is an example of the type of home these women live in. It screams new money tackiness and yet is very aesthetically pleasing. This woman also has Versace dinnerware, which to me is bizarre, given that you would never wear a Versace dress to go eat ribs but you would eat ribs on Versace dinner plates. Nevertheless, we live in a 21^st century “nouveau” culture, where just about anyone has access to worldly, luxury goods.

My daily drawing subject this week is in relation to our next assignment. Keeping up with the theme of last week, with my drawing of Tony Montana, I decided to capture the Teflon Don himself as a wealthy 17th century aristocrat. I am fascinated by the societal transformation of wealth and class; given that most of the artwork we view in art history are commissioned by affluent patrons and monarchs, it is interesting to live in a culture where reality television stars are somehow in the same social standing (maybe even higher) then lets say a Rockefeller. John Gotti has become a cultural icon of wealth and is probably the most referenced individual in especially urban culture. In many ways, mafia families have become modern day aristocracies.

Sara: Post II

 I've always been one to pay close attention to small details; I remember birthdays like it's my job and I could probably tell you everything I did and exactly what I was wearing a year ago today. When I carry my obsession to detail into my artwork, the act of drawing and painting becomes therapeutic. I spent a few hours trying to perfectly render the contents of this dirty ash tray earlier this week.

With a few confident marks, Michael Borremans shows a great amount of detail in both his drawings and paintings. There is a cold, psychological, and alienating feeling in his work, which I think is a result of his close attention to detail, his desaturated colors, and his strange subject matter. I'd like to evoke those feelings in viewers with my work.