A Visit to the Magritte Exhibit at the MOMA plus some New Collages

Recently I went to the new Magritte exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art which is closing the second week of January.  Included are 80 works by the artist done between 1926 and 1938.  He was a master of the surreal and the show is outstanding.
 

"Displacement, transformation, metamorphosis, the “misnaming” of objects, and the representation of visions seen in half-waking states are among Magritte’s innovative image-making tactics during these essential years."

I recently completed several collages that were interpretations of some of Edward Hopper's paintings - a continuation of the theme of this semester.  

Edward Hopper - Nighthawks

One of Hopper's most famous paintings is "Nighthawks" pictured below. Visiting the exhibit at the Whitney museum introduced me to Hopper's thorough preparation.  He carefully rendered many drawings visiting the different sites before painting his own vision.

The interpretation that I expanded on involved using the figures, the darks and lights along with some of the geometric shapes.  Hopper establishes a mood of loneliness, alienation in much of his work.  I especially love his use of artificial light emphasizing the inside vs. outside.  Below is my rendition in collage materials.

Edward Hopper at the Whitney

For the duration of my Fall semester in collage we will be reinterpreting the drawings and paintings of Edward Hopper based on a large exhibition at the Whitney Museum of Art.  whitney.org 

I plan on visiting and reporting on this exhibit within the next several weeks but for the first class a drawing of  Hopper's fire hydrant from a city scene became the jumping off point for my collage.

I decided to abstract that image using circles and biscecting lines to create an original influenced by the drawing.

What I Have Been Doing This Summer

I just finished creating two new wall hangings and I want to share them with you.  The client wanted one to be very "girly" for her daughter thus the pink, purple, fairies, flowers, dragonflies etc. and for her son she indicated that he liked musical instruments.  I will soon be returning to my collages and hopefully finish a painting that I began at the beginning of the summer.  Below are the results of the commissioned pieces.

"Metamorphoses" by Ovid

Here are the results of my interpretations of different stories from"Metamorphoses" as pictured below.

This is the tale of Atalanta who could outrun even the fastest men in a footrace.

This is the story of Peleus and Thetis grappling with an enormous seabird its body as powerful as a seal.

This is the tale of Acteon and Diana.  Diana, angry that Acteon saw her naked made antlers of a stag sprout from his dripping head.

Finally, this is the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice who turned to look at her  whereupon she fell away and dissolved.

A Visit to The Cathedral of Saint John The Divine

 I have lived in the New York City area all my life and I had never visited the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.  www.stjohndivine.org  What finally inspired me to go there was a review in the paper about an exhibit by the artist Jane Alexander.  

"Surveys (from the Cape of Good Hope) is the first major North American survey of tableaux, sculptures, and photomontages by important South African artist Jane Alexander. Her artwork speaks of lasting disfigurations in her native South Africa, yet raises issues about human nature that resonate with viewers internationally. This site-specific exhibition at the Cathedral allows audiences to experience the familiarity and mutability of Alexander's universe."

The work consists of sculptures primarily constructed of fiberglass and then painted.  They have an other worldly quality and are both fascinating and disturbing at the same time connecting animal and human forms.  Placing them in a religious setting gives them enormous power.

The Metamorphoses by Ovid

For my summer semester in collage the theme is "The Metamorphoses" by Ovid.  These are stories featuring the figures of classical mythology.  "At its extremes, passion is represented by transformation, or metamorphosis, through love, death, or radical physical change.  Metamorphosis, for Ovid, is a skeleton key to the workings of life itself and the workings of art as well."

The featured collage is interpreted by me from the following passage:
"Meanwhile, Ceres, fearful for her daughter, searched for her in every land, on every sea but in vain.  Dawn coming up from ocean at the break of day with hair still damp saw Ceres looking everywhere, and Hesperus, the evening star, saw her at dusk, looking still.  She lit torches made of pine from Mt. Etna and carried them in each hand through the frosty night, never resting, and still searching for her daughter, searching from the rising of the sun to its going down."

A Wall Hanging For Scarlet

The latest addition to my family arrived about two months ago and her name is Scarlet.  In keeping with my decision to make artful wall hangings for the new arrivals I decided to go ahead a create one for her.  Her mom wanted something "girly" so instead of baby animals I found plastic fairies to help decorate the piece along with flowers, colorful stones and butterflies.  I found a wonderful website where I could custom order unpainted letters to size and the the result is featured below.  I do commissions so if anyone is interested I would be happy to give out further information by writing to me at my e-mail address...sfidlon@gmail.com

"Here We Gogh"

Not long ago I came into the possession of a Van Gogh print and for a number of months it had been waiting for me to do something with it.  In fact, I was inspired by a recent story that featured that particular painting. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/arts/30iht-vangogh30.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

The experts believe that the original colors were different from the ones we are accustomed to seeing. 

The original print as shown below.                         And here is my version.

 

"The Civil War and American Art" at the Met

Recently I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and viewed a very interesting exhibit involving the Civil War.  Here is a brief description from the website:

"This major loan exhibition considers how American artists responded to the Civil War and its aftermath. Landscapes and genre scenes—more than traditional history paintings—captured the war's impact on the American psyche. The works of art on display trace the trajectory of the conflict and express the intense emotions that it provoked: unease as war became inevitable, optimism that a single battle might end the struggle, growing realization that fighting would be prolonged, enthusiasm and worries alike surrounding emancipation, and concerns about how to reunify the nation after a period of grievous division. The exhibition proposes significant new readings of many familiar masterworks—some sixty paintings and eighteen photographs created between 1852 and 1877—including outstanding landscapes by Frederic E. Church and Sanford R. Gifford, paintings of life on the battlefront and the home front by Winslow Homer and Eastman Johnson, and photographs by Timothy H. O'Sullivan and George N. Barnard. The exhibition at the Metropolitan coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863)."

What I found to be particularly interesting is that although there were some artists at the battlefield including Winslow Homer,  they did not depict the horrors of war.  In fact, many of the paintings were more about landscapes and everyday life during that time frame.  However, it is definitely worth a visit.

"The Key Continued"

Recently I returned from two wonderful, exciting and enlightening weeks in Peru with my daughter.  I hope some of the images I saw there will inspire me in my work.  In the meantime, however, I am posting 2 collages that I recently completed for my class on a "homely object" which in my case is a continuation of the key.  Perhaps "Key in the Sea" was subconsciously influenced by the time spent on the Amazon as shown below.

 The second image below is one I call "Reaching For The Key."

A Homely Object (the key) in Three Dimensions

Continuing with the theme of "homely object" I created an assemblage using my favorite small box, some round polished wooden shapes that I obtained on a trip to Costa Rica, an angel, a key, gold paint and paper.  The challenge is not only to come up with an idea, but to create a composition that works.  I don't dwell on the meaning since I depend more on my subconscious dreams, experiences and thoughts to merge into a finished piece.

P.S. I will be taking a 2 week hiatus traveling to Peru and hopefully returning with many interesting ideas for new works.

"A Homely Object" Continued

I often don't have any specific idea in mind before I begin a piece.  I let the materials do the "talking" for me choosing photos, drawings, magazines pages, fabric etc. that somehow appeal to me often in an unconscious way.  Continuing with the keys as the main subject I found a picture that I was drawn to added some photocopied keys and ended up with a satisfying result. The result has a surreal quality that  works well with the background and tells a story.

A "Homely" Object

For the spring session of my collage class we were instructed to choose a "homely" or common object to be used for the full 10 weeks but treated differently each time.  I decided to choose keys.  Week 1 was to create a narrative telling a story in collage.  An iconic image that is quickly recognizable  "The Peaceable Kingdom" was one I decided to alter into "Keys to the Peaceable Kingdom."  I photocopied several keys, added an arm and a figure of a man dressed in an old-fashioned suit.  I also added an ornate frame.  And here is the result:

The "Hatchlings" Series

A while ago I completed an assemblage using a small unfinished wooden box, paint, collage papers, and plastic babies to create a piece I called "Hatchlings."  I felt it was one of my more successful pieces and soon sold it.  I then decided that this concept could be part of a series.  With that in mind I just finished a new one called "Medieval Hatchlings."  Both are pictured below.  In the first piece, I filled the box with straw and rested clay eggs on the surface.  The second box is filled with a fabric pillow that I pieced together and rested clay eggs on the top of it.

I wanted to mention a small but fascinating exhibit I recently saw at the Metropolitan Museum of Art www.metmuseum.org.  It is the sculpures of a Cambodian artist by the name of Sopheap Pich.  Using indigenous materials he creates beautiful forms that are technically and esthetically most impressive.  An example of one of them is pictured below.  Along with his pieces is a fascinating video depicting the process.

Cambodian Rattan

The Sculptures of Sopheap Pich

February 23–July 7, 2013

Galleries 209, 249 & 251

"This exhibition presents ten works by the contemporary Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich (born 1971), who lives and works in Phnom Penh. Pich works principally in rattan and bamboo, constructing organic open-weave forms that are solid and ethereal, representational and abstract. Much of his work is inspired by elements of the human anatomy or plant life. His constructions combine his training as a painter with the spatial conceptualization of a sculptor, creating three-dimensional objects that are largely defined by their graphic character. Pich's art consciously embodies his memories of culture and place. The exhibition is installed in three spaces in the Asian galleries, including an integration into historical displays, and is part of the Museum's contribution to the New York–wideSeason of Cambodia."

Surrealism

A 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind.

The Morgan Library www.themorgan.org has mounted a large show that is open to the public until April 21 and definitely worth visiting.

"Bringing together more than 160 works on paper by such iconic artists as Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, and Joan Miró, this is the first major exhibition to explore the central role of drawing in surrealism, one of the most important movements in twentieth-century art. Once considered a minor medium, drawing became a predominant means of expression and innovation among surrealist artists in the first half of the twentieth century, resulting in a rich array of graphic techniques including automatic drawing, collage, decalcomania, exquisite corpse, and frottage."

I then created a surrealist collage of my own:

Color Studies and Motion

My last two collages deal with 2 elements:  color studies and motion:

What inspired me to create the above piece was seeing "The Life of Pi" for the second time.  The cinematography was so beautiful that I was mesmerized by the amazing graphics and colors especially the scenes on and under the ocean.  I think that is why I chose the fish to be an important part of the collage.  The round form represents the motion and the fish are swimming either toward or away from the shape depending on the viewer.

We all grew up with "The Wizard of Oz" and in this piece I inserted Dorothy and friends in a surreal environment.  I painted wooden triangles to match the original road and then proceeded to display them in a way that looks like the road is breaking up.  I also added shiny black triangles to add more contrast to this fantasy.

Matisse at the Metropolitan Museum

I recently went to the Metropolitan Museum to view the latest Matisse exhibit "Matisse in Search of True Painting."  I have always enjoyed many of Matisse's paintings in particular his strong use of color and shape.  What was particularly interesting to me was to see his process.  Before he finished a painting he would rework it, sketch it, overpaint it many times.  What appears to be a simplistic piece of work was often a very thought out and carefully rendered work of art.  As part of the exhibit, the process he went through is displayed below:

Abstracting a Landscape or Interior

Recently my class was given the assignment to create an abstraction from a landscape or interior.  Duncan Grant's "Interior at Gordon Square" was the example as part of the show at the MOMA "Inventing Abstraction."  Below is an image of his painting:

I took that as an opportunity to create my own landscape using dimensional materials, primarily wooden triangles and cylinders, adding some pieces of grid paper and then adhering everything onto cardboard, and finally mounting the piece on an off- white board.  I created this from looking at a print of an old-fashioned town with many little houses and a waterfall.  Below is the finished piece:

My latest gift for a new baby

I just finished this wall hanging for my great-nephew Felix.  I painted the frame and background along with the letters to match his room.  Then I added paper collage and finally glued on farm animals.  Now it's packed and ready to be flown out to California.  Have a safe trip!  If anyone is interested in purchasing a unique piece, my contact information is sfidlon@gmail.com.

Chained To Time

My latest assemblage is an homage to "The Clock" the film that I mentioned in an earlier blog that I recently saw at the MOMA.  Using different clock faces both found as well as ones I printed, an old clock casing that resembles a piece of luggage, a mannequin, an old chain, some paint and glue I created a 3 dimensional piece that I titled "Chained To Time"  Because the upper part of the mannequin can be manipulated I photographed it in 3 different positions.

Gifts for Babies and Children's Rooms

Some of the things I make are wall decorations for new babies or young children using their names.  Below are some examples.   I am currently working on one for my new great nephew and I am available to take commissions if anyone is interested in a unique, one of a kind gift.  The hand painted letters are decorated with various findings - stones, jewelry etc.

"Dreaming With Balloon"

 

"Inventing Abstraction" is a current exhibit at the Museum of

Modern Art www.moma.org and is the basis for the syllabus for this semester's class on collage.  Two of the artists whose work I appropriated are Paul Strand and Henryk Berlewi and the result is featured in the collage at the right.  I cut up Berlewi's very linear work and then added an old photo of an unknown person and gave him a red balloon to hold.

If you cannot visit the museum and see this excellent show in person, I suggest you go to the MOMA website and click on "Inventing Abstraction".  It is a terrific alternative to being there in person.

Picasso Black and White: The Guggenheim NYC

"Picasso Black and White is the first exhibition to explore the remarkable use of black and white throughout the Spanish artist’s prolific career. Claiming that color weakens, Pablo Picasso purged it from his work in order to highlight the formal structure and autonomy of form inherent in his art. His repeated minimal palette correlates to his obsessive interest in line and form, drawing, and monochromatic and tonal values, while developing a complex language of pictorial and sculptural signs. The recurrent motif of black, white, and gray is evident in his Blue and Rose periods, pioneering investigations into Cubism, neoclassical figurative paintings, and retorts to Surrealism. Even in his later works that depict the atrocities of war, allegorical still lifes, vivid interpretations of art-historical masterpieces, and his sensual canvases created during his twilight years, he continued to apply a reduction of color."

I just returned from this exhibit at the Guggenheim guggenheim.org which ends on January 23.  This is a very extensive show encompassing almost the entire museum.  Picasso's output was remarkable and it was especially interesting to see his work in a monochromatic palette.  One could focus on his use of line and form and see the clear progressions of his work from his early blue period to the cubist and finally to his late works.  By focussing on these elements I was able to understand his great strength and brilliance as an artist.  I totally recommend this exhibit.

My homage to Picasso in color: