On Wednesday, January 16, I went back to the Institute of Contemporary Art and spent several hours contemplating the exhibitions. I borrowed a stool, which was excellent for resting in front of certain works and taking a few notes. Although I had seen
This Will Have Been:Art, Love & Politics in the 1980's before the start of the residency
, this time I took more notice of individual works.
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Necklines, Lorna Simpson 1989
Three gelatin silver prints and two engraved plastic plaques
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago |
In the first gallery, I was impressed with Necklines. The use of three unequal panels with three slightly different viewpoints is intriguing. The text panels add another dimension to the work. Having carved and painted panels over the last year and a half, I am interested in different ways to use them.
To see a much better photo of this work, go to:
http://lsimpsonstudio.com/photographicworks07.html
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| Said, Gerhard Richter oil on canvas 1983 |
Gerhard Richter's
Said provides a lesson in brushwork, color and surface texture. Forms and brushstrokes are purposefully delineated, yet chance plays a major role in the final piece. Richter plays with thin and thick paint, squeegee and brush, as well as complementary colors. I was able to observe the paint texture of splatters over the smoother paint which has been dragged to blend it. Richter's abstract paintings have interested me for several years. They seem to evoke landscapes and natural forms without directly portraying them.
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| Said, detail |
Go to the following address on Richter's website for better photos!
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Preis, Martin Kippenberger oil and acrylic on canvas
Private Collection |
This painting by Martin Kippenberger looks like a collage of fabric on canvas, but the forms and textures are made with paint. I was reminded of one of my paintings finished during my undergrad degree. I made a very small collage and projected it onto a much larger canvas, then painted it realistically. Perhaps I will use collage on several of my present sketches in order to develop departure points for larger paintings.
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Untitled, Jack Goldstein, acrylic on canvas 1984
Private Collection |
Jack Goldstein's painting Untitled of 1984 appealed to me in its combination of photography and painting. I surmise that he used an airbrush to create the blurred white lines, but the effect is one of moving lights at night captured in a slow exposure on film. The blue smoke seems ready to ominously fill the space. An arc of light suggests a moon or planet. Are we in outer space? I like the ambiguity!
There are other works at the ICA and at the MFA which resonated with me. I will discuss some of them in future posts!
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