I hate art camp. No, that's too harsh. Rather, it has not gone as swimmingly I had originally anticipated or desired. Sometimes I feel like I'm learning, but mostly I feel an overwhelming sense of desperation and inadequacy, not to mention tears brimming in my eyes. It's a pretty bleak situation. Everything I've made thus far is tragic looking, simply repugnant stuff. BLAH.
They haven't crushed my spirit permanently though.
On the upside, we have full access to the museum and today I came face-to-face with this iconic portrait by the fabulous Andy Warhol:
This is one of my favorite versions of Mao. It was done later than many of his well-known 1960's silk screen portraits, it's done in a slightly different style. The silk screen is only partial and the brush strokes are more intuitive. This gives it a softer contrast than in a Marilyn for instance. I love it because it has more signs of emotion.
Another artist I've discovered throughout my art education experience at the Corcoran is Inka Essenhigh. I'm giving a presentation on her tomorrow! She puts a kink in mythology and folklore with an oriental infusion. Her work has this ultra-slick aesthetic that I just love. She also makes lavish use of contrast. It almost has a pop- art feel.
They haven't crushed my spirit permanently though.
On the upside, we have full access to the museum and today I came face-to-face with this iconic portrait by the fabulous Andy Warhol:
This is one of my favorite versions of Mao. It was done later than many of his well-known 1960's silk screen portraits, it's done in a slightly different style. The silk screen is only partial and the brush strokes are more intuitive. This gives it a softer contrast than in a Marilyn for instance. I love it because it has more signs of emotion.
Another artist I've discovered throughout my art education experience at the Corcoran is Inka Essenhigh. I'm giving a presentation on her tomorrow! She puts a kink in mythology and folklore with an oriental infusion. Her work has this ultra-slick aesthetic that I just love. She also makes lavish use of contrast. It almost has a pop- art feel.
Anyway, that part of art school is refreshing and enjoyable. I love gathering inspiration from artists that I admire. Must dash!
3 comments:
You have to put this art camp experience into perspective: (1) you will never know whether you can compete in the art world unless you start somewhere. With success and acclaim will come much disappointment. That's part of the territory. (2) No visionary artist was ever recognized immediately for his vision, especially by art teachers. (3) Even great artists go in and out of fashion. Some were never recognized during their lives. Caravaggio -- one of my favorities (and currently in fashion) -- was out of fashion for centuries. That could happen to you, too, but you must make art for art's sake, for its therapeutic effect; for its religious aspects. Do it for yourself. If you are lucky, you can also make a living at it, but that's not guaranteed. If Van Gogh was never recognized and couldn't support himself during his lifetime, you have to realize that rejection is one of the burdens that comes with your talent. (4) You are too young to have a fully developed vision, or technique. Relax, and be happy that you have the next years of your life to learn from art teachers, and to develop your vision. You don't have to be great today. Think about Bob Dylan's first songs. They were nothing special. He had to learn to invoke his genius; it did not come out naturally. xxxxooooo
BTW, I think you are great today. In certain media, you do already have a developed vision and native technical skills. Keep improving these skills, and expose yourself to as many media as you can.
P.S. I think your art teacher is lame. A lot of his pieces are Jeff Koons rip-offs(and not very good ones). Pornography as art was done last decade.
I did not have a full appreciation for Warhol until I visited the Warhol museum in the dreary city of Pittsburgh, where he spent a good portion of his life. Perhaps we should venture there someday.
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