Painting has become so vague, based on expermentation and dabbling and doodling, that it may just be dead in the heart of Portland. Completely mind-numbing, but maybe that is the point as it hangs in a condo.
and what is so wrong with experimentatio, dabbling and doodling? Oh I know paint by numbers or some hokey allegorical 19th century academic style.
Painting's strength is it indeterminate nature and its ability to embody ambiguity as a paradoxically very real thing.
Painting in Portland is alive. I wish this site picked interesting painters like this more often! Some listed here would be lucky to get a cafe show, others really break new ground. Where is the cutoff? Is this just a Modern Zoo style egalitarian mixed bag?
I'd read this blog more often if the commenters were more active, less stupid and the art was less of a crapshoot. If you want this blog to matter it needs to be a little more selective, then when an unknown is offered the choice is provocative.
Take the yellow painting posted above, this is about as dead as one can get. This dibble dabble genre has been acadamia for decades, and all of these artists are educated which makes all of this work academic. You will find more content, emotion and life and times in a cup of coffee and ten minutes of NPR. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think this site has ever posted a cafe show. There is nothing groundbreaking by leaving things to chance as one pushs paint around a surface, or sands through layers to reveal sutleties. How can a artist reach a higher plane if the the act of experimentation is the golden rule of the studio? Of course painting is alive in Portland throw a rock in any direction, right? It is the product that is dead. Like the t-shirt says "I'm with stupid", but the majority of painting in this town is merely wall decoration. We are not Post WWII and those guys knew exactly what they were doing. Film and video is kicking paintings ass all day long. Painters have gotten really soft and narcissistic, afraid to tackle issues, pushing paint this way and that way is just easier.
The reason I haven't posted many (if any?) cafe shows is because I lift images off the Internet. If cafes posted images on their website - or sent me images - I'd be happy to post them. I have posted what artists have emailed me, but I can't post what I don't have access to.
As to anonymous who wishes this blog to matter more and have an agenda, I as an artist already have a big agenda (as most of us do). This is a place to share images that happen here in PDX and not all of them will you (or I, as far as that goes) like. Then say so, fine. It's great that you liked that painting; not everyone will agree.
"...all of these artists are educated which makes all of this work academic." - That's entirely ignorant to say. It's exactly painters and artists that are UNeducated who GENERALLY make the worst work. Repeating themselves or not knowing where they can grow.
7 comments:
Nell Warren @
PDX
925 NW Flanders
Portland, Oregon 97209
Painting has become so vague, based on expermentation and dabbling and doodling, that it may just be dead in the heart of Portland. Completely mind-numbing, but maybe that is the point as it hangs in a condo.
and what is so wrong with experimentatio, dabbling and doodling? Oh I know paint by numbers or some hokey allegorical 19th century academic style.
Painting's strength is it indeterminate nature and its ability to embody ambiguity as a paradoxically very real thing.
Painting in Portland is alive. I wish this site picked interesting painters like this more often! Some listed here would be lucky to get a cafe show, others really break new ground. Where is the cutoff? Is this just a Modern Zoo style egalitarian mixed bag?
I'd read this blog more often if the commenters were more active, less stupid and the art was less of a crapshoot. If you want this blog to matter it needs to be a little more selective, then when an unknown is offered the choice is provocative.
I saw this show and this particular painting (jpeg),was not as interesting as some of the others, although they were very polished.
Take the yellow painting posted above, this is about as dead as one can get. This dibble dabble genre has been acadamia for decades, and all of these artists are educated which makes all of this work academic. You will find more content, emotion and life and times in a cup of coffee and ten minutes of NPR. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think this site has ever posted a cafe show. There is nothing groundbreaking by leaving things to chance as one pushs paint around a surface, or sands through layers to reveal sutleties. How can a artist reach a higher plane if the the act of experimentation is the golden rule of the studio? Of course painting is alive in Portland throw a rock in any direction, right? It is the product that is dead. Like the t-shirt says "I'm with stupid", but the majority of painting in this town is merely wall decoration. We are not Post WWII and those guys knew exactly what they were doing. Film and video is kicking paintings ass all day long. Painters have gotten really soft and narcissistic, afraid to tackle issues, pushing paint this way and that way is just easier.
The reason I haven't posted many (if any?) cafe shows is because I lift images off the Internet. If cafes posted images on their website - or sent me images - I'd be happy to post them. I have posted what artists have emailed me, but I can't post what I don't have access to.
As to anonymous who wishes this blog to matter more and have an agenda, I as an artist already have a big agenda (as most of us do). This is a place to share images that happen here in PDX and not all of them will you (or I, as far as that goes) like. Then say so, fine. It's great that you liked that painting; not everyone will agree.
"...all of these artists are educated which makes all of this work academic." - That's entirely ignorant to say. It's exactly painters and artists that are UNeducated who GENERALLY make the worst work. Repeating themselves or not knowing where they can grow.
Post a Comment