I find the life and art of Brice Marden extremely inspiring. His classic talent is exhibited well in the first painting Heda displayed, yet the works following moved in a very different direction. A lot of people have a preconceived notion about absract art and misconstrue it as "talent-less." The thought and inginuity of this style of painting gives it "street-cred" in the art world. I think one of the best things about painting is that it can totally take you away from the world while you're working. Abstract painting is a way to convey the feelings or ideas that may be running through your head. Georgia O'Keefe said, "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for." I absolutely agree that art is just another form of communication. If an artist can paint a picture of what he/she is feeling and extract the same emotion(s) from its viewer, the painter has succeeded. In terms of Marden, I think he exemplifies this idea, for me at least, in the Dancers (title?). The colors seem happy and the swirls of the lines not only ellude to silhouettes of couples dancing but also feel like dancing. The smooth movement and sweeping motions, I suppose creating the work might have looked like a dance as well.
Brice Marden and Joan Mitchell both claimed that they took inspiration, at times, from nature. One of the paintings I was studying, with his signature meandering lines, was a mountain as he saw it. I have not been involved with abstract art of speak of, so I have had to spend some time contemplating this interpretation. The essence of the mountain as he saw it? That is what he is suggesting. Joan lived in Paris on lots of grounds with gardens so she abstractly interpreted that also. I have an easier time abstracting nature from her lines then from Marden’s without beginning without end lines. What they both bring to mind is how deep one can go into one’s own psyche to interpret just about anything. It is a matter of the audience that is attracted and compelled by the work. Would you say or think that her drug and alcohol use affected her work? And how? Have they become so popular because of press coverage? As a person that does not know that much about this kind of art, Marden’s and Mitchell’s, I wonder how they have become so famous, rich, powerful, known etc. Selene
Although I was not very familiar with the work of Brice Marden, I am very interested and intrigued by his work. I think Heda did a great job of explaining his paintings and style, as well as the way in which he painted. I found it very exciting the way he painted with long brushes and long sticks. I really enjoy his later work because of the vibrant colors and swirls, which give a sense of excitement and action. I believe that Marden is able to capture a certain feeling in his work and went outside conventional ways of thinking. Not only did he paint very differently than most painters at his time, but he used very interesting methods much like Pollock did.
I agree Hedda, Marden is quite compelling. Best may be a bit stong for me, though. I am especially attracted to the 6th one down from the top. It seems to combine a lot of the qualities some of our recent past artists employed. It has the horizontal-vertical aspects of Mondrian, the splatter techniques of Pollock, incredible depth from some of the classical painters like Titian (though in a much different way) and something about it that reminds me of Calder (either the red or the balance of the splotches). That probably sounds wierd but it's just one guys opinion. I also wanted to give props to Alex for the O'Keefe quote because I think it is so true and important to understanding abstract art as a different form of communication - one that has abilities that others such as writing simply cannot achieve). -Cleighton
I enjoy the form of some of Brice Marden's paintings, particularly the portrait of his daughters(?) (the yellow one). However, I am not particularly drawn to his palette in his other paintings. (Particularly the last painting). I think the fluid lines of the separate panels really unite the piece--keep it from feeling like it is 6 different panels. However the colors contrast that wholeness entirely.
I have been reading more of the references Hedda gave us on Marden. What I have learned about him is that he said he did not want to have his paintings taken too "literally." This leaves alot of room for interpretation for his audience, on his end. He also said he wanted them to be more "meditative" in nature, something to sustain repeated viewing> For me, he has accomplised that goal as i think of his paintings several times a day.
In response to Alex's comment, I definitely agree that abstract art is used to create a feeling in the viewer that cannot really be expressed by words. Art is used in many different mediums to give an artist free range to create whatever feeling they want. Especially while reading the articles on abstract art, I couldn't help but think of many musical artists who use this same idea to express an emotion to the listener that cannot be put into words. I was reading an article a little while ago about Aleksandr Skryabin and his Mysterium, which was to be the ultimate musical experience. He believed that after hearing this music, one would have the ultimate spiritual experience. The problem was though, that he could not complete such a piece since it was too large of an undertaking. The relation of this article to abstract painters is that Skryabin felt the only way to truly have this experience was through listening to the music and experiencing the performance. You can't just read an article or a critical analysis on the piece and know what your experience will be when you look or listen to it. This is similar to what the abstract artists were trying to do when they wanted to create a painting that would express a feeling that had no other means of being expressed.
I hadn't heard of Brice Marden or ever seen any of his work before Hedda presented his work to our class. I must be honest, when I first saw a couple of his paintings that appeared to be only solid squares of color, I thought to myself, "what's the big deal?" However after Chris explained how he layered color and used wax to smooth the surface I developed a much deeper appreciation for his work. My favorite of his paintings was the abstract portrait of his daughters. The colorful lines truly depicted the essense of what he felt for them and how they effected him as a person. His experimentation with chinese symbols shows how the ordinary things can inspire extraordinary art.
I am not particularly drawn to Marden's paintings, but once I realized that the painting Mary mentioned was about his daughters I loved it! Even though his style doesn't really resonate with me, I am able to look at that piece and feel joy knowing that he must care for his daughters so deeply. I begin to wonder why he chose each color to represent one of them, and what their personalities might be like. I see love and sweetness in it.
I agree with Nath and Mary about Marden's painting of his daughters. I wasn't particularly attracted to his work, but the fluidity and playfulness of the strokes in the daughters painting is really striking. For me, I think that I enjoy the painting so much because it is about his daughters. If it had any other title, or was about something else, I don't think I would like it as much. I like to think that Marden was thinking of his daughters dancing around and playing while he was painting it, and in doing that he painted it with a certain type of quality that gives it that playful loving feeling.
13 comments:
I find the life and art of Brice Marden extremely inspiring. His classic talent is exhibited well in the first painting Heda displayed, yet the works following moved in a very different direction. A lot of people have a preconceived notion about absract art and misconstrue it as "talent-less." The thought and inginuity of this style of painting gives it "street-cred" in the art world. I think one of the best things about painting is that it can totally take you away from the world while you're working. Abstract painting is a way to convey the feelings or ideas that may be running through your head. Georgia O'Keefe said, "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for." I absolutely agree that art is just another form of communication. If an artist can paint a picture of what he/she is feeling and extract the same emotion(s) from its viewer, the painter has succeeded. In terms of Marden, I think he exemplifies this idea, for me at least, in the Dancers (title?). The colors seem happy and the swirls of the lines not only ellude to silhouettes of couples dancing but also feel like dancing. The smooth movement and sweeping motions, I suppose creating the work might have looked like a dance as well.
Brice Marden and Joan Mitchell both claimed that they took inspiration, at times, from nature.
One of the paintings I was studying, with his signature meandering lines, was a mountain as he saw it. I have not been involved with abstract art of speak of, so I have had to spend some time contemplating this interpretation. The essence of the mountain as he saw it? That is what he is suggesting. Joan lived in Paris on lots of grounds with gardens so she abstractly interpreted that also. I have an easier time abstracting nature from her lines then from Marden’s without beginning without end lines. What they both bring to mind is how deep one can go into one’s own psyche to interpret just about anything. It is a matter of the audience that is attracted and compelled by the work. Would you say or think that her drug and alcohol use affected her work? And how? Have they become so popular because of press coverage? As a person that does not know that much about this kind of art, Marden’s and Mitchell’s, I wonder how they have become so famous, rich, powerful, known etc. Selene
Although I was not very familiar with the work of Brice Marden, I am very interested and intrigued by his work. I think Heda did a great job of explaining his paintings and style, as well as the way in which he painted. I found it very exciting the way he painted with long brushes and long sticks. I really enjoy his later work because of the vibrant colors and swirls, which give a sense of excitement and action. I believe that Marden is able to capture a certain feeling in his work and went outside conventional ways of thinking. Not only did he paint very differently than most painters at his time, but he used very interesting methods much like Pollock did.
Brice Marden is the best
Brice Marden is TOTALLY the best
Brice Marden is TOTALLY the best
I agree Hedda, Marden is quite compelling. Best may be a bit stong for me, though. I am especially attracted to the 6th one down from the top. It seems to combine a lot of the qualities some of our recent past artists employed. It has the horizontal-vertical aspects of Mondrian, the splatter techniques of Pollock, incredible depth from some of the classical painters like Titian (though in a much different way) and something about it that reminds me of Calder (either the red or the balance of the splotches). That probably sounds wierd but it's just one guys opinion.
I also wanted to give props to Alex for the O'Keefe quote because I think it is so true and important to understanding abstract art as a different form of communication - one that has abilities that others such as writing simply cannot achieve).
-Cleighton
Hedda is TOTALLY the best.
I enjoy the form of some of Brice Marden's paintings, particularly the portrait of his daughters(?) (the yellow one). However, I am not particularly drawn to his palette in his other paintings. (Particularly the last painting). I think the fluid lines of the separate panels really unite the piece--keep it from feeling like it is 6 different panels. However the colors contrast that wholeness entirely.
I have been reading more of the references Hedda gave us on Marden.
What I have learned about him is that he said he did not want to have his paintings taken too "literally." This leaves alot of room for interpretation for his audience, on his end.
He also said he wanted them to be more "meditative" in nature, something to sustain repeated viewing> For me, he has accomplised that goal as i think of his paintings several times a day.
In response to Alex's comment, I definitely agree that abstract art is used to create a feeling in the viewer that cannot really be expressed by words. Art is used in many different mediums to give an artist free range to create whatever feeling they want. Especially while reading the articles on abstract art, I couldn't help but think of many musical artists who use this same idea to express an emotion to the listener that cannot be put into words. I was reading an article a little while ago about Aleksandr Skryabin and his Mysterium, which was to be the ultimate musical experience. He believed that after hearing this music, one would have the ultimate spiritual experience. The problem was though, that he could not complete such a piece since it was too large of an undertaking. The relation of this article to abstract painters is that Skryabin felt the only way to truly have this experience was through listening to the music and experiencing the performance. You can't just read an article or a critical analysis on the piece and know what your experience will be when you look or listen to it. This is similar to what the abstract artists were trying to do when they wanted to create a painting that would express a feeling that had no other means of being expressed.
I hadn't heard of Brice Marden or ever seen any of his work before Hedda presented his work to our class. I must be honest, when I first saw a couple of his paintings that appeared to be only solid squares of color, I thought to myself, "what's the big deal?" However after Chris explained how he layered color and used wax to smooth the surface I developed a much deeper appreciation for his work. My favorite of his paintings was the abstract portrait of his daughters. The colorful lines truly depicted the essense of what he felt for them and how they effected him as a person. His experimentation with chinese symbols shows how the ordinary things can inspire extraordinary art.
I am not particularly drawn to Marden's paintings, but once I realized that the painting Mary mentioned was about his daughters I loved it! Even though his style doesn't really resonate with me, I am able to look at that piece and feel joy knowing that he must care for his daughters so deeply. I begin to wonder why he chose each color to represent one of them, and what their personalities might be like. I see love and sweetness in it.
I agree with Nath and Mary about Marden's painting of his daughters. I wasn't particularly attracted to his work, but the fluidity and playfulness of the strokes in the daughters painting is really striking. For me, I think that I enjoy the painting so much because it is about his daughters. If it had any other title, or was about something else, I don't think I would like it as much. I like to think that Marden was thinking of his daughters dancing around and playing while he was painting it, and in doing that he painted it with a certain type of quality that gives it that playful loving feeling.
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