Monday, February 1, 2010

My Visit to the Albright Knox

Which artworks make an impact or impression on me? Why?
First I am always drawn to van Gogh's The Old Mill it is always amazing to see an actual van Gogh right before your eyes. This painting I feel expresses a lot of emotion and shows the creative talents of a brilliant painter. It is such a tranquil scene with many cool tones of blue it just brings you to a place of serenity.
Another painting that stand out is Giacomo Balla Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash. Having futurism the only avante guarde movement to come out of Italy in the 19th century and then to have one of the most iconic pieces right hear in Buffalo at the Albright is simply something in itself.
From the Surrealism movement my favorite, Salvidor Dali's The Transparent Simulacrum of the Feigned Image is a must see when visiting the Knox. Even though it is not one of his more famous piece you still understand the concepts behind what Dali was doing. You can see in the mountain a faint portrait of his wife which he did in many of his paintings. Landscape were a concept theme for Dali bringing them into these colorful world that only Dali could create.Joan Miro was another Surrealist painter that in my opinion added a lot of humor and sexuality to his pieces. It's funny to me because every time I go to the Albright Knox kids gravitate towards this painting. I think it's because of the playful it creates. The amusing thing is, is that what parents don't notice. Many of the characters in this piece of uniquely shaped penises and some even with implied vagina's and breast. The title Carnival of Harlequin is suggestive of something more than what we see. Lastly I want to discuss Claes Oldenburg. His plush version of the Island of Manhattan separated into individual plush postal codes is really amazing to look at. During the pop art movement Oldenburg created many ordinary objects into plush sculpture which gave a humorous feel to these objects in our everyday lives. To see one of these pieces is something worth while for this is another iconic piece that the Albright has in it's collection.


Which artworks do I feel a connection with? Why?
I always am drawn to modern art. Anything produced around 1940 to the present gets me really excited. Jackson Pollock I see as the father to the whole shift from what was seen as standard painting to something that was considered the death to painting. So different from anything seen before, Pollock to the actual experience of creating art just as important as the ending product itself. Convergence is definately one of my favorite pieces to see at the Albright Knox.Franz Kline is another artist from the Abstract Expressionist movement I really enjoy. It's simplicity in color reminds me of minimalism but the harsh brush strokes are so powerful filled with emotion. The painting that can be viewed of his at the Albright is called New York, NY. His unconventional use of house paints like Pollock changes the face of art in the up and coming art world. Continuing on another work I feel strongly toward is Andy Warhol's 100 Campbell soups. The pop art era talks about modern consumerism and the mass productions of objects. I can relate to this living in a society of materialism. Even the process of skill screening itself is a form of production. Also during the Pop Art movement is an artist Roy Lichtenstein who did Head Red and Yellow. He uses the dots that were seen in newspapers to create his art work. It reminds me of works done by Seurat but modified for the modern age. My final favorite is the piece done by Robert Rauschenberg called Ace. It is a large scaled piece that again has that sense of unconventional use of paint. Other objects are incorporated often he used cardboard boxes. It gives you a feeling of collage but with other materials other than magazine clippings. The grand scale of this piece has you staring at it forever. I tend to find every time I look at it I find something new.






































Which artworks would I like to know more about? Why?
Well for starters I really like minimalist work. I enjoy the painting by Frank Stella. I would like to further review other pieces that he has done. I'm not a mathematical person so seeing a piece of artwork like this stirs questions in my mind like "What methods did he use to create such a rigid geometric structure?"To venture away from my comfort zone I would have to say Folk Art is not really my favorite. I do find though Edward Hicks, Peaceful Kingdom very interesting. Although I have some ideas about the work I would like to get a little more information on the artist himself. Back to Abstract Expressionism Clyfford Still No. 1 I am familiar with this piece and the story how the Albright almost didn;t even get to have it in its collection but I am not so familiar with the artist himself or other works that he has done. It is definitely worth it for me considering my fondness for this art movement.Now we all know about Picasso and the works he did during the Cubist movement but for me not much is know about his Rose Period. This work called La Toilette was done right before he shifted to Cubist making his most notable piece Les Demoiselle d'Avignon. Lastly I will concluded with William Harnett's Music and Literature. This piece is very eye catching in its realism Trump Loyal to fool the eye. I would like to learn more about the techniques used to create such an illusionist mastery of creating paint into a photo like piece.

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