Alex Grey

Alex Grey is an artist who produces are unlike any other I have seen before.  He produces spiritual and psychedelic art that is very intriguing.  He has produced artwork to be used in albums for a number of musicians including The Beastie Boys, Tool, and Nirvana.  His artwork makes use of multiple perspectives at the same time, much like that of the cubist movement, as well as making use of symmetrical optical illusions.  He does this all while making use of a wide array of colors and perspective techniques, making his art mesmerizing.  This also makes the intended subject sometimes ambiguous, which might be Grey's intention.

Technology as Art

As technology gets more and more advanced, we tend to associate certain designs and colors with "new" and more advanced technology.  What is even more interesting is how these same characteristics eventually make the same technology look extremely outdated.  Think of an old apple computer:

At the time, this cutting edge technology with sharp angles, and an off white-ish color made it look extremely hi-tech.  These features now however, are associated with the old technology.  For example, look at a new apple computer:

This is very different to the previous image.  With much more rounded shapes, even in the mouse, and a silver color, instead of an off white, this looks much more "new" to us as consumers, instead of the characteristics associated with the older apple computers.  This is interesting to think about with the color choice, and shape choice in relation to how a computer might sell.

Bodybuilding - The Body As Art

I came across an interesting exhibit that was shown at the New York's Whitney Museum in the late 1970s. This exhibit was unlike any other before.  It was bodybuilders flexing on a revolving platform in front of thousands of spectators.

This was a new concept that suggested the idea that bodybuilders were much like sculptors in the way that that "constructed" there bodies.  Even more interesting, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a "piece" in this "exhibit".  The author of a book called Pumping Iron, which was eventually made into a movie by the same name, was quoted as saying:

"The body itself is an art medium: malleable, capable of being aesthetically dominated and formed the way clay is by a potter."

(Quote taken from: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091158/index.htm)

Protest/Political Art

After reading the Guerrilla Girls excerpt, I started thinking about other kinds of political and protest public art that have made an impact on the world, and are quite recognizable today.

For the most part, political public art is in the form of posters, or it is associated with a particular figure or image, as in the Vietnam war with certain photographs.  One interesting political piece of art that has been around for a while, and has even been used in different situations is the image of Che Guevara.

This image is familiar to most people today.  Che Guevara was a prominent figure in the Cuban Revolution, yet has been used for different purposes today.  Protest bands, like Rage Against the Machine, have associated his image with their band.  This is ironic because the band placed his image on a T-shirt to sell, and fuel a capitalist economy, while Che Guevara was a supporter of communism.

Different forms of political and protest artwork exist today.  The interesting thing to think about, however, is if they will carry the same meaning decades from now, or be used for an entirely different purpose.

Titian Museum Visit

I went to see the Titian exhibit on Wednesday.  It was very interesting.  Initially, it is not what I anticipated to see because we had been talking about the "white cube" in class.  The Titian exhibit had red walls, instead of white, and all of the paintings, or at least the biggest ones, were framed in gold frames.  This created a different feel than the neutral "white cube" feel created in the modern art section of the high museum.  The red walls, and gold frames made the section of the museum seem more like a palace than a modern museum.  This however leant itself well to the paintings because they were originally painted to be seen in grand, palace-like homes or in churches.  This was an interesting visit to see a contrast between the "white cube" and other methods of displaying artwork.

Inside the White Cube

The reading for this Tuesday presents some interesting perspectives on the idea of museums, and how they both present, and interact with art.  One interesting concept that was brought up was the difference between a mural that is permanently fixed on a certain wall, and a painting that is merely hung on a wall, that can be moved around.  A quote from the text is on page 18 "a painted wall is replaced by a piece of portable wall."  This quote brings up the idea that artwork is merely a piece of the wall, yet the idea of portable art is different than in older times.  Art for the most part was permanently fixed in a church or a wealthy person's home.  The new idea that certain art has no permanent "home."

This also brings to light the idea of modern museums that supposedly present every kind of art in an unbiased way that does not add, nor take away from the art.  This is the image of modern museums that we have, the so-called "white cube."  Yet, as the reading points out, the supposed "impartial" museum can have a subliminal effect on the viewers, simply by how the painting is hung, or how the wall is designed.  This makes the idea of a neutral way of presenting all forms of art extremely difficult, and it begs the question:  are certain kinds of art even meant to be presented outside of their original place of creation?

Duncan - The Art Museum as a Ritual

This reading brings up a few interesting points about museums themselves.  Museums, as we know them today, are relatively new compared to some of the art that they house.  Art was typically, in the past, housed in the homes of the upper-class, or in religious buildings.  It is interesting to note how a large number of famous museums tend to either look like religious buildings, or the homes of extremely wealthy people.

This all adds to the "ritual" of going to a museum.  The entrance into a grand building, looking at perfectly preserved works of art that may be hundreds of years old.  Everyone in the building also remains relatively quiet because of both the set of "rules" that one follows in a museum, and because of the aura of the magnificent art that is on display.

Going to a museum is most certainly an experience, and much like going to a concert is much more impressive than listening to a recording, going to the museum is much more impressive than looking at pictures of art online.