I am waiting for some paint to dry on a commission, so in the mean time let's talk art. Jenny Saville is an amazing painter. I went to see her work with some friends at the Gagosian Gallery this weekend and was in awe. I first heard about her about 7 years ago when her work exploded on the art scene. She works big and her brush strokes are broad and meaty while capturing emotional nuance. They also displayed some gorgeous charcoal studies. I'm very curious to know if they were done from life since they are so large and one of the subjects is a baby, it's highly unlikely that she would have been drawing that quickly on a stepladder.
Here is a shot of one of my favorite images from the Gagosian website. (on the left) I like it better than the more finished versions because you can see the structure of her painting technique.
The photo above shows one of the charcoal studies. These photos do not show how amazing these pieces are in real life. Each one is 8 1/2 feet tall. I love big work but I always work small with a very controlled light touch. You need a light touch at times but augh, I really need to learn how to let go. I tried to paint large once and it was an utter failure. Seeing this show makes me want to draw and paint again. Lol. I'll try to canoodle some friends into going to an art class or drawing session in the city.
Now switching tracks, another show was up at the same location. This was "The Asian Series" by Bob Dylan. Yep, you read right. Bob Dylan. Talented musician, but we all know he did not get a show in an established New York gallery because of his artistic talent. There is a lot of controversy because while the show is said to be based on the man's own experiences, it has come to light that he basically took some rather famous photos taken but other artists and painted them (and yes i recognized two of them since I am an avid reader of the National Geographic magazine).
Taking an image and reinventing it has always been the norm in art. However, Bob obviously did not put much into reinventing the image. He also isn't technically gifted. The brush strokes do nothing structurally, the colors are straight from the tube (not in a good way) and the lines are tortured. You could see his mincing, unsure hand. And to top it all off, each piece is priced at $375,000! On the last day when I was there, all but three out of about 12-16 had sold. The price is insane. If your work sells for 75,000 as an artist you've hit the big time. For that money you could own a Saville. Which would you rather own? If I were Bob Dylan, I'd be ashamed to have my work hanging in the same building as Jenny Saville. Hopefully the proceeds from Bob's show goes to benefit some good cause because he sure doesn't need that money.
The rest of my weekend was pretty good too. A bunch of old high school classmates/friends turned out for a Bel Argosy show at Legion. Nothing quite like a bunch of crazy intelligent ppl from your past showing up to make one feel awkward and rather dull. Yes I was uncool in a nerd school, and in related news I just learned a few hours ago that my little cousin qualified to take the entrance exam for said school. She's a smart cookie but I hope going to that crazy school won't crack her nut provided that she gets in. ( It was an awesome place I wish I knew to take advantage of it better when I was there but yeah ppl who attended can be a little loopy.)
Hope everyone had an amazing weekend. I will be posting more W.I.P. soon.
EDIT: Was convinced by a friend to purchase an RPG this weekend...well it didn't take that much convincing, I was just sent a link. I'm itching to play but I can see it languishing since I forbid myself to play video games for fear of getting obsessed.
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