Selected American & Contemporary Art at the MFA

Deadline, Alex Antoniadas & Nico Stone
PVC, plaster, wood, metal, urethane resin, 2011
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

I am interested in Deadline for several reasons. First, the sculptors have used the idea of interruption to create a dramatic contrast between solidity and fragility. The styrofoam cup has seemingly worn a hole through a solid beam. The play of light on the piece is also noteworthy, highlighting the structure and its interruption. Suzanne Gauthier, my mentor during my second semester suggested to me that I consider interruption when using directional strokes going one way in a painting (for instance, the runs and drips in my paintings Abundance  and  Pods.) Interruption is one way to relieve a pattern which can become monotonous, or  can fade from the viewer's attention.

Green, Orange and Blue Mirror, Justen Ladda
Pigment, varnish and epoxy resin on red cedar wood, 2010
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

This work by Justen Ladda is referred to as an ellipse. I prefer this term to oval, with its Victorian associations. Ladda has used the wood grain superbly, staining the wood with complementary colors in order to dramatize the beauty of the wood's fibrous texture. The high gloss adds to the mystique as it is a finish one does not expect to see on wood. The viewer's reflection is intended to blend with the pattern of the grain, an interesting and varying effect. Perhaps I will return to the wood ellipse at some point myself in a future project.

Circle du Blé, Matta ( Roberto Sebastián Matta Echaurren)
oil on canvas 1953 Museum of Fine Art,s Boston

I recognize the need to vary the mark-making in my work. Matta's painting incorporates a variety of mark-making strokes, while its abstracted shapes suggest figurative references. I also appreciate the softness of some of the painted areas in contrast with lines that seem to be drawn in charcoal or with a fine brush. Peter Rostovsky, my advisor during my second semester, suggested that I look at Matta's work and now I see why!

Floe IV, Helen Frankenthaler acrylic on canvas  1965
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

My advisor, Jan Avgikos, suggested that I look at Helen Frankenthaler's work. I found Floe IV in the American wing and I was able to study its deep color saturation. The accompanying text on the wall proposed that the artist used a brush in places to move the paint around on the raw canvas. It appears to me that Frankenthaler used something to spread the paint as it stained, although the operation looks as if it was completed quickly.

Chamonix, Joan Mitchell oil on canvas c.1962
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

I also looked at Joan Mitchell's Chamonix, particularly the way the paint was applied: thin runs, drips, scumbling, impasto, direct from the tube. The movement and the delicate color relationships fascinate the viewer easily. To see a photo of the entire painting, go to:

http://educators.mfa.org/objects/detail/127412?related_people_text=Joan+Mitchell

In the MFA bookstore, I purchased a book about Joan Mitchell with several essays and color plates from a retrospective, The Paintings of Joan Mitchell, at the Whitney in 2002.

The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection

The postcards in this show were fun to look at, but my primary interest was study at the way they were displayed. The panels protruding from the wall at an angle broke up the monotony of the wall and framed six to twelve sample postcards with space around them. Each panel compeled the viewer to move closer. This presentation reminded me somewhat of Gerhard Richter's Atlas project in that his arrangements of texts, sketches and photos changed with the material he was using. If I decide to use an archival format this semester for my work, I want to present it in an exciting way. 

Other works caught my attention at the MFA. Perhaps I will write about some of them in future!

I finished my stay in Boston with several contemplative hours at the Institute for Contemporary Art, the subject of another blog post.