October 2018
By Donald Kolberg, Art Bookmarks Editor
Monthly highlights of online resources and websites informative and inspiring for artists or art enthusiasts. Most are free. Suggestions are welcomed.
Taking Stock of Painting Today
John Yau from Hyperallergic.com has put together an article that you should definitely read. Reviewing the Painting: Now and Forever, Part III exhibition at New York’s Matthew Marks Gallery and Greene Naftali this summer, it covers the work and influences associated with more than 110 paintings by forty-six artists, some living some not so much. Happening only once every ten years, this is the third survey of artists.
Beijing Studio Destroyed
Ai Weiwei is again on the receiving end of China’s attack on artists and free speech. Videos on his Instagram feed show the studio’s destruction.
“Farewell,” Ai wrote. “They started to demolish my studio ‘Zuoyuo’ in Beijing with no precaution… Works were damaged due to the unannounced attack on the studio. There was no caution taken. However, compared to the memories which have been lost, compared to a society which has never established trust in the social order, a trust in the rule of law, or a trust in any kind of unity in defending the rights of its people, what has been lost at my studio is insignificant, and I don’t even care. There are profoundly deeper and wider ruins in this deteriorating society where the human condition has never been respected.”
This compelling article cites how, because of the political dissent in artist neighborhoods and the fact that these properties are an excellent source of profit for real estate developers, they have long been targeted for destruction.
Eighteen Art Institutes Closing by Year’s End
You should probably check the list!
Due to what is called declining enrollment, Dream Center, the parent nonprofit that purchased thirty-one art institute schools in 2017, is now going to close eighteen of them by the end of the year. In the face of the closures, students have several options. If they have enough credits, they can complete their degrees by the end of the year. They can also transfer to other Dream Center schools, which would almost certainly involve moving to another state. Here is the full list of closing schools.
Twenty-First Century Art Movements
It would be impossible to claim that there is one art movement in all of the twenty-first century. So maybe we can look at those styles, approaches, and philosophies which are beginning to shape the latest era of human creation.
I’m not saying that the people at Art Acacia have covered everything, but if you’re like me, you like to get a hand up on the information. They provide a beginning and then it’s up to you to find out more.
Why I Did Not See the Picasso Show at the Tate Modern
Over the past year or so I’ve encountered dissolution about my sense of the artist Pablo Picasso. While for the most part, I do not question his creativity, there is so much more to consider. The exhibition Genius did not help. Now an insightful, astute article by author Ksenia M. Soboleva, an independent curator and PhD Candidate at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, has helped me to understand what it is that’s bothering me. The article is “Why I Did Not See the Picasso Show at the Tate Modern.”
I’ll let you read the article to see if it opens your mind to her ideas. But I will leave you with these words by the author: “If we want to create a future that is inclusive of all voices and talents, and not dominated by those in power (who typically came to be so through dubious means), we need to rethink the art historical narratives we present.”
ART TIDBITS
The Art of Old Blue Eyes, yes Frank Sinatra
12 Masterpieces of 21st-Century Painting You Need to Know Now
Who Stole $100 Million de Kooning Painting
And as always feel free to email me with your thoughts at dkolberg@thewoventalepress.net.
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