Contemporary Art Part 2

                                                                     More Types

                                                                    Neo Dada Art

  Dada was a nonsensical art movement that grew in the aftermath of World War One.  The idea, at that time, was that normal ostensibly rational society led to a tragic unnecessary pointless war and that artists would find release in making irrational or quirky and perhaps humorous artworks.

 That spirit is still alive and practiced in Neo Dada art.  An example shown from 1996 is by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan.  You see a stuffed squirrel in a miniature kitchen or play school set up.   The squirrel is slumped over dead and near his foot lies the gun he used to shoot himself, or so we are to believe. 

          

          Cattelan is the same artist,  referred to as an absurdist, who created quite a stir at the exhibition called Art Basel Miami Beach.  He duct taped a banana to a wall in a selling area and declared it a saleable work. For an image plus interesting quotes visit the on-line article titled "The $120,000 Art Basel Banana, Explained" at vogue.com.

                                                    Appropriation Art

Here, an artist appropriates, some would say steals, an image and changes it somewhat.  Or, perhaps the artist doesn’t change the image at all, but “recontextualizes” it. 

             Modified Copies 

A rather gentle appropriator with modification was Vincent Van Gogh.  In fact his copies of  famous works, for example, The Sower by Millet or selected japanese prints clearly show the stamp of his style.  In fact, some of Van Gogh’s “copies” are now better known than the originals. Wikipedia has an entire article named Copies by Vincent Van Gogh. 

         Andy Warhol appropriated and modified images of Mao or Marilyn and made them into a grid of screen prints.  On the other hand his Brillo boxes looked just like the original, hence they were said to be recontextualized in an art gallery. 

        Direct Copies 

Some modern artists are very blatant about copying ‒ even taking photos of others photos, such as practiced by Louise Lawler.  Another woman artist, Elaine Sturtevant, made a career of straight copying and seemed prescient at knowing who to copy before they became famous.  Somehow, she was even on good terms with the artists she copied.  Warhol, when asked about his technique, said ‒- I don’t know, ask Elaine.  The British artist Damien Hirst copied a toy anatomy figure from a science set.  He copied it exactly but greatly enlarged it.  He was sued by the maker of the science set, settled the claim by paying a modest fee, and went on to sell his large copies for extraordinarily large prices.

                                                     Set Up Photography

Set up photography is not at all candid.  It is carefully staged and arranged.   Note that Maurizio Catellan’s squirrel is presented in a photo set up. 

The artist Cindy Sherman is the most known practitioner.  She photographs staged full scale setups in which she appears in costume and makeup to fit the scene.  She takes on a stereotypical appearance in these scenes which are often reminiscent of well known movies. The result has a classic, ironic, nostalgic but slightly fake and borderline satirical look.  That combination of attributes gives her work a certain charm.   

                                      Juxtaposition Photography and Collage

Martha Rosler makes photographic images of a common-place figure next to a violent scene, for example, a housewife vacuuming her drapes while outside her window soldiers are waging war.

                                                       Celebrity Artists

This phenomenon is worldwide.  The artist creates or has acquired so much media attention and acceptance within the art world of dealers, galleries, and auctions that his persona, activities, and self promotion are in a sense part of his art and pushes up the price of his artworks.  Of course that also enriches all those others who are in a symbiotic relation with the artist.  These artists usually have many assistants helping make the art. They are also entrepreneurs, workshop owners, marketeers, and consummate networkers. 

We usually associate high price with scarcity but these artists actually make a quantity of similar or identical items to “make a market” for their various dealers.  Perhaps it is something like luxury cars at an auto dealership, or  hot new toys, like new Star Wars characters, that have come on the market.  Examples of celebrity artists are Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, and Takashi Murakami.

                                            Autobiographical Art

Autobiographical Art exposes things about the artist’s life, moods, possessions, and memories.  It is aided greatly by the public getting to know about the artist’s life through other means.  A good example is Vincent Van Gogh.  We have his own paintings of his room, self portraits including the one with bandaged ear, ones showing Gauguin, and a full story to go with the pictures through his letters, a song, books, and movies.

Much the same is true of Frida Kahlo.  Through her self portraits we learn of her early debilitating tram accident, and cutting her hair to express her anguish at her husband, Diego Rivera’s infidelities.  Again there are books and movies to give all the background we need.

Marc Chagall claimed that all his artwork comes out of his early experience in the Jewish community of his birth near Vitebsk in Russia during the Czar’s time.  See in particular his painting I and the Village and his painting of a Fiddler on a Roof.  That is where the title of the musical Fiddler on the Roof came from.  Besides his oil paintings, Chagall made many works on paper, stage sets, and stained glass designs.  He is frequently quoted.  One I like is: “If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” 

What  about in the 21st Century?  The headline “David Hockney painting sells for $90 M, smashing auction records” refers to a 2018 auction at Christie's in New York City.  The painting’s title is “Portrait of an Artist (Pool with two Figures)”.  The standing figure is said to be an art student and lover of Mr. Hockney while he resided in southern California.  The construction of the painting shown, composed from photos of different places, people, and times is described on the website of the David Hockney Foundation.  Frequently, Hockney’s works portray his parents, his boyfriends, and his personal surroundings.

Other contemporary artists known for autobiographical art are the following.  Tracey Emin ‒ My Bed ‒ which is her actual disheveled bed with liquor bottles and condoms.  Tammy Rae Carland’s photos show disheveled beds and are called appropriately Lesbian Beds.  Louise Bourgeois has an entire long career of making artworks referring to her life ‒ but obscure to most people.