Art News Galore

Barry Flanagan at Tate Britain

Filed under: Exhibitions — Alan @ 5:55 am

Through the 1960s and 1970s one of the greatest names in the British art scene with Barry Flanagan. His sculpting moved away from the norm and during the 1960s his work was reduced to only process and material. Much of his work made viewers of it wonder why he was doing such strange sculptures, for example, he would have a pile of sticks supported by nothing but gravity.

One of his most notable sculptures was a sack that contained only sand. At the time these works were regarded as exciting because they were taking sculpting to a whole new area. Today however these sculptures look out of date, to the modern art fan they are experiments and little more.

Flanagan’s work at the time was something that curators and critics loved but the public simply found boring, Flanagan is a perfect example of how experimental art doesn’t last.

The Tate Britain is holding an exhibition dedicated to some of his works. Bronze hares are on display at the end of the exhibition and it shows how the subject matter evolved from initial carvings made from stone, to his final works of art.

Many people who remember the first time these bronze hares were shown might have forgotten how strange they were, this exhibition is a good reminder. These bronze hares were created at a time when animal sculptures were not often done and bronze was a material not often used.

Today David Tremlett seems to be taking the place which Flanagan held all those decades ago. His work today seems to be breaking the same ground that Flanagan’s used to. What is different about the work of Tremlett is that he is making his work more visually appealing. Generally, it is unusual to see his work in the UK so while it is on display at the Tate Britain make sure you take the time to see the exhibition.

That said, there is no real hurry, the exhibition is set to go on for five years. The work on display is interesting and involves a wide range of colours and makes good use of the space the exhibition has been allocated at the gallery.

John Martin an under-appreciated talent

Filed under: Exhibitions — Alan @ 11:51 am

In his time, John Martin was an artist who was also a best seller as his paintings were so remarkable, displaying their apocalyptic scenes that they were wondered at by the crowds of the 19^th century. His art was so popular that it was not just shown in art galleries, but in theatres and music halls because they could accommodate more guests.

Martin was also known because he came from a family living in poverty in the north of England and he became a friend of the royal family because of his art. This was something very remarkable in a time where class was even more notable than it is today.

What is strange is that his legacy today has somewhat faded, for someone who was so popular at the time he is strangely not of note in today’s art world. The Tate Britain will be hosting an exhibition starting this September that they hope will answer some of the questions surround his career and lack of legacy.

He was born in the late 17^th century and began his work as a painter of coaches but he later moved south to London, where he became a different kind of painter. He became famous quickly for painting vast canvases filled with scenes showing the end of the world. His art work was so popular that it is estimated that around one third of the population saw at least one of his most famous pieces. Others were so controversial that they had to be kept guarded from the public to prevent vandalism.

His work was very popular and often found on the walls of European dignitaries and emperors from around the world. The art critics at the time though were less flattering about his work, saying that it was designed to appeal to those who were unsophisticated.

Martin Myrone is the curator of the Tate and has said, “It is interesting to read what critics at the time said about him. Their opinion was that if art appealed to the man on the street it was probably not that good.” Today’s art world believes that this criticism isn’t a judgement on the quality of Martin’s work but more a statement of the snobbery of the 19^th century art world.

What also made Martin notable was that he had a much greater commercial sense than other painters at the time. He realised that there was a value in reproductions of his paintings and was a pioneer of printing reproductions – he would then send these to fans around the world and in doing so accumulated a fortune.

The director of the Tate Britain is Penelope Curtis and she has said, “The politics that existed in the art world at the time meant that Martin did not get the critical praise to match his commercial success. The art scene at the time favoured a type of art that was less showy. Today though the situation is different and some of the art being produced today is full of showmanship.”

Tate Britain, Rude Britannia, stand up

Filed under: Exhibitions — Alan @ 6:01 pm

The new exhibition at Tate Britain, Rude Britannia, combines the best of art and comedy in order to create an intellectual, sensory, and instinctually experience.

Co-curator of Martin Myrone, Cedar Lewis, sees the new exhibit as a source of enlightenment that defines the distinction between stand up comedies of fine art and tosses them aside.  Lewis stated that Tommy Cooper can be seen as a performance artist or Martin Kippinberger’s paintings seen as the work of a clown.

The curators at Tate Britain worked along with many of the best curators from around the world in order to create an exhibit that is a composite of comedy performers, satirists, and comic publishers creating a large body of comic art from around Britain dated from the 17^th century up until the modern day.

The exhibition is split into several thematic sections allowing each feature comic to have a distinct presence in the rooms such as the Scarfe room which shows political disgust down to Martin Rowson’s room which presents the policies of Tony Blair in regards to the Iraq war.

Also notable is Gillray’s room, which shows William Pitt as the top public enemy in the face of his nation and Hill’s room which is best described as a blend of provocations and puzzles.

Paul Sandby also has an image of an exploding bottom in order to present the Georgian obsession with ballooning as well as several objects pulled out of popular culture such as a flask that is made in the form of a potato.

Throughout the Tate Britain exhibit, the viewer is constantly reminded that British comic art is often grotesque but remains highly meaningful.

Richard Wright takes the Turner

Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 7:15 am

Richard Wright who has been known as one of the quietist of the flamboyant artists received the Turner Prize Award which totals £25,000.

Wright is known for his ‘out there’ style of works which are usually made of some rare and weird materials such as a whale skull or cows’ brains.

Wright said that he was shocked to find out he won the award, and that he has no idea what he will spend it on outside of some bills.

Aged 49, Wright was the oldest artist on the shortlist for the Turner making the list by one year.  His work was often drawn directly onto the gallery walls in which it was displayed and at the end of a show he often whitewashes his work.

One of the unique talents of Wright is that he does not preconceive his work; instead he simply stares at the blank wall as a canvas and then gets to work.  His entry for the Turner Award was a covering a large wall at Tate Britain with wallpaper with a Braque print of gold leaf geometrical patterns.

The Jury for the Turner Award including the director of Tate Britain, Stephen Deucher and Mariella Frostup the broadcaster.  Both stated that they admired the beauty of his work as well as its originality.

Wright was born in London but moved to Scotland at a young age and was schooled at the Edinburgh College of Art.  Currently Wright resides in the town of Glasgow.