Art and Controversy

I think I've bitten off more than I can chew when I picked this topic out. Maybe a bit too early to go this route and is why that I didn't have this blog up in time for Sunday. But, it's what I wanted to do so I'm hoping it all works out. I had so much trouble figuring out what I should say. Should I keep out my opinions and just give the facts let you explore or just present the artist. I've been told that art should always have meaning, it should say something, it should tell something.. I've come to believe that whether it does or does not have meaning it's the spark of emotion that the viewer receives from the piece. What sparks emotion in one person might not spark in another. It kinda makes all works of art relevant. It's whatever floats your boat right? It doesn't speak to you on to the next one. Then why is it that when a piece is so controversial that someone will protest that they shouldn't be shown in a museum, in a gallery, entered in a contest, exhibited in a government building or funded by the government. How can some art be allowed and some denied. Aren't we all given freedom of speech. When picking this topic about controversial art. I wanted to be specific and show controversy in pieces that dealt with religious themes. As Always please feel free to leave comments.

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

Andres Serrano

It's been 20 years since Piss Christ has been reveled and won in the Southeastern center for Contemporary Arts. And it still causes fury in government Bible thumping officials and non bible thumping atheist who argue that his piece winning(which partial of the reward was funded by National Endowments of the Arts) was a violation of Church and State. The Image is a plastic crucifix submerged in the artist's urine.



milk,blood I just think that Andres Serrano is one of our most thought provoking photographers we have out there. It's sad that he is labeled a controversial photographer. His has a way of juxtaposing of symbolism in his photographer that get people talking. Before setting judgment take time to understand what the artist interpretation. You are free to have your own, but to only have your own keeps your view narrow minded. If Sister Wendy Beckett a self taught art critic can keep an open mind about Serrano's piece Pissed Christ, why can't some just seek out what the actually artist intentions are. Sister Beckett said the work was not blasphemous but a statement on" What we have done to Christ" - that is, the way contemporary society has come to regard Christ and the values he represents.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ)





Andres Serrano is still pushing the envelope with his new exhibition about Shit. It's not my kind of bag, baby. I'm sure we could use some discussion about it since it is something we all do. but.. I don't know. His exhibition doesn't open till Sept 4th and Serrano is keeping a very tight lid on it. here is his Site:
Andres Serrano

And for more on
Sister Wendy Beckett

Andres Garcia Ibanez

Andres Garcia Ibanez had an exhibit titled Los Putrefactos a shocking images of nationalistic Catholic Spain and traditional and Agrarian Andalucian society. In this exhibition, Ibáñez gives an ironic depiction of Spanish Holy Week while questioning the general human tendency for hypocrisy within a religious context. The piece El Cristo de la Muerte (The Christ of Death) questions the participation of the military in Holy Week processions. This painting makes a stand against the alliance between the cross and the sword, a theme that is prevalent throughout the history of Spain.(http://www.halcyongallery.com/artists.php?id=17&cat=1). There is so much that makes this artist wonderful besides being a painter, he is an architect. But today I will only talk about him as a painter. He has very provocative pieces in his collection of works based on paintings of female saints and figures from literature and art by the 17Th century artist Zurbarán. I don't think it takes much to be a controversial artist. You can paint the Virgin Mary and throw feces at it and boom there's your controversy. Ibanez has this amazing talent using traditional painting asthetics and to add his own contemporary provocativeness or to depict religion to be grotesque, stirs so much emotion and creates views not seen. He's not making pot shots, these are really thought about, discovered and philosophized ideas about his culture and religion. He truly is a Post Modern Renaissance Man. To learn more about Ibanez:
Andres Garcia Ibanez

Modernism

I was told that I could talk about what is Modern, but I already had the content in which I was going to post in again my reinvention of this blog. So I will put 2 simple theories what Modernism is and feel free to comment what Modernism means to you.

Modernism is what science and it's achievements have created the manifestation of progress so to live still in pre modern conditions is to be regressive and immature. Modernism is progression.

Modern art is a defiance of all existing institutions and the creation of their works. To be Modern is to belong to no existing institution.

"I do not belong to any school, I simply want to do something that is personal to myself" -- Pierre Bonnard

Dan Flavin

I never gave Dan Flavin a chance to keep my mind open to what his works are. There are certain things I hear about being show in galleries and museums and when I heard he used florescent lights as sculpture. I thought are you kidding me. Anything can be considered art these days. I reluctantly went to the Modern Art museum in Fort Worth on my lunch to see this so called sculptures. I just gasped at this wonderful sight I see. The glowing atmosphere that they create made butterflies in my stomach it's so beautiful it's only something you can experience for yourself. Pictures really just doesn't do it justice. Just the tiniest of glow can take over the room. It made me feel like a kid exploring every piece on my own. I had to come back again on Sunday to really take it all on my own time.

"One might not think of light as a matter of fact, but I do. And it is, as I said, as plain and open and direct an art as you will ever find." -Dan Flavin, 1987.

and in my own modern defiance. I have my own pictures of the exhibit.

Fernando Vicente

Fernando Vincente has blown my mind the first time I saw his work. My lack of understanding the Spanish language hasn't kept me from being intrigued by him either. Born and currently resides in Madrid, Spain he started out doing painting and illustrations in the 80's. He also mixes photographs and paint. You can see his illustrations in numerous publications.

His work of series called Vanitas is what pulled me in. The Illustrations of the exposed ligaments muscles and bones of the beautifully poised models. It is so disturbing at first to see this exposed but the calm serenity of their faces speaks to me in a romantic sullen way. It's as if the women are showing that there is so much more to them that underneath the clothes and skin are complexities that are not shown. So they are pulling back the flesh to give us their vulnerability and truth. I very much love the playfulness of his pin-ups and characterization how easily he can flow from serious to fun to thought provoking.

You can enjoy more at :

Fernando Vicente

Fernando Vicente Blog

Pierre Huyghe

les grands ensembles
Uploaded by Pierre Pell.

Oh where to start with Pierre Huyghe. I got to experience Les Grands Ensembles in person at his One Million + Kingdoms exhibit at the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum and it was amazing! I was lucky to sit alone on this little bench and watch this video installation take place. I was so engulfed it was like I was a peeping tom on this conversation between two buildings. It was like time didn't exist. I could have watched it loop over and over again, but there was so much more I wanted to see.

Mainly Huyghe recycles text and imagery to explore how content is derived and interpreted within our culture. In doing so he deconstructs meaning and creates another dimension to the original text and image's reality and to it's fiction.

Pierre Huyghe mixes fact and fiction, reversing the real to upset traditional expectations of how art is perceived. His strength lies in his understanding that an image always comes with baggage.(nicholas bourriaud http://www.tate.org.uk/tateetc/issue7/pierrehuyghe.htm)

Pierre Huyghe