This guy is amazing, he talked a lot about AI and it’s impact on the future development of the world. Definitely worth watching!
Category Archives: Mentor Artists
Mentor Artist Melissa Mizerak
I apologize everyone, I thought my mentor artist blog posted successfully. Since it did not, I am going to briefly mention that I reviewed John Baldessari’s work as my first mentor artist. The reason was to reflect on my past influences; on my current study of work. The idea of visual culture and covering appropriated images is still a major influence on my work—similar to Baldessari. However, I am going to switch my first mentor artist to Myriam Dion. While I was in Quebec City, my friend and I went to the Musée National des beaux-arts du Quebec. There I saw some of her work, and it was breathtaking. Her work possesses intricate cuts on delicate paper. Her design is well thought out with the color of the newspaper or appropriated images. She beautifies depressed negative visuals.
I think this is where I want to head with my work. Still applying the same process, same visual culture theme, but the last layer of incised oil paint will consist of similar geometric designs such as her cuts. Similar to how I started my work last semester; using the Islamic geometric designs in cut paper. This time I am just doing it in wax on top of images from Rochester.
Mentor Artist- Hannah Hoch ( Brette)
Hannah Hoch- Was a key figure in the Berlin Dada movement and also a founder of photomontage, I particularly was drawn to her work because I am intrigued by her collage techniques and processess. Within my own work I enjoy including a variety of superimposed negatives…..I also began working with photo transfer methods over the summer. Similar to Hoch, I like to fragment photographs on canvases. Hoch exploits the absurd qualities through photomontage as other Dadaists were doing during the early 20th century.
I admire Hoch for being a pioneer and feminist during a male dominated world. Originally form Germany, she died at 88 years old and went into hiding later in her life. Her many talents include painting, woodblock, illustration and printmaking . She makes reference though her artwork that suggests that everyday objects from life may be collected and arranged in meaningful ways as she re configures images from mass media, very intriguing as I am currently researching material culture studies.
Her early life in Berlin included designing patterns for embroidery, textiles and other woman crafts ( as seen in the Red Textile Page 1952). However, she embraces the photograph as the dominant medium in her montages while also juxtaposing images that reflect hardships of the postwar era. She pays special attention to detail in her art work often advocating for feminist rights, ethnic differences and social rights, which I admire greatly especially during this political turmoil we are currently experiencing. Her art seems non objective but radiates passion and meaning.
Her works titled” From an Ethnographic Museum” is a series of 20 figures that challenges stereotypes. I feel like Sally Mann is making similar references to the woman’s role in society through her photographs, as Hoch represents woman as mannequins and puppets ( Sally Mann comes to my mind she purposely chooses subjects that seems to like to make people uncomfortable and reexamine their reasoning for seeings things in such a singular way, similar to Hoch’s decisions for subject matter choices).
Mentor Artist Astor Milan Salcedo
Astor Milan Salcedo’s work at first reminded me much of Gerhard Richter’s overpainted photographs, but as I saw more of Salcedo’s work, I found some series of particular interest that really focused on addressing the place of the image with the painting he utilized. The way the overpainted photographs are described, the painting on top adds a new dimension to each photo and can help create a new feeling for the viewer. His “Construction” and “Once Upon a Time” series have a variety of images showed how he utilized the place and colors of a place to form a larger idea about the place.
My favorite series by him is his Japan series. This is Salcedo’s description of the series:
“Tokyo is an exciting place. Its culture, its people make it unique – even breathtaking at times. The old and the new, the tradition and the visionary are at a constant battle. Each fighting for its place in society and simultaneously fulling its own power from its adversary. The combination makes it perfect in every aspect”.
Both the way that Salcedo applied the paint and colors he chose in both images (above & below) really add to the overall feeling of the image. The hectic, frantic red application of paint adds to the sense of busyness of the streets of Tokyo and the application of the cooler tones creates the opposite feeling in the other image. It was extremely interesting to see the way that Salcedo applies paint and how that affects the feeling of an image.
Mentor Artist 1- February 13th
I chose George Allen Durkee as my first mentor artist. As I have been reflecting on my memories, I notice that the sun has been one of the most important aspects. I decided to look up artists that capture the way light reflects off surfaces and creates the landscapes that we see.
Durkee traveled much of his life and worked very, very hard to become the painter he is today. He mostly works in landscape oil paintings. He creates his paintings out in the streets of San Francisco as a way of marketing his artwork.
His artwork is very inspiring to me because I have been working towards capturing light the same way he does. It actually is pretty interesting because he has educational videos that teach people how to capture light in paintings. I know that Andrea told me that she is not sure about creating abstract paintings, but perhaps I could use my digital paintings as sketches for large-scale paintings. I know that I woul like to use my studio time over the summer to paint.
Photographer Andrea Frazzetta: Post by Brette
I was recently reading the NYT magazine form September and a featured article reminded me of Lindsay W. and her current research involving spaces and places. The images above take place in Eithiopa… . the photographer describes the inspiration for the photos as feeling like a suspension in time and a real feeling of nowhere. When talking about the landscape, the photographer also mentions that the “comfort zone” is completely non existent but you get “used to it” after a while. I was thinking about how Lindsay describes her own workplace and the deterioration that surrounds her constantly. Frazzetta describes the volcano shots as, ” an atmosphere from hell, the noise of the lava, the gurgling, it is incredible but also hell”. Perhaps, we can all view ” Place” as an inspiration for us to rise up above our current situations… and preserver forward! Personally, not having a classroom and traveling all over daily really does feel like “hell” but I am honestly striving to see the positive this year in my own situation, similar to Lindsay’s own frustrations with her workplace spaces…. .
More on artists mapping….from the Big Bang onward…..
Paul Chaney talking about his drawings made recently at Donetsk. Super interesting diagrams of nature-culture interactions, going back to the Big Bang, and forward to this coal town in the Ukraine.
http://tranzitdisplay.cz/cs/vystavy/paul-chaney-donetsk-syndrome-diagrammatic-vernisaz-15-12-1900