jen to rob art blog!: November 2008

Thursday, November 13, 2008

please please please, gift ideas?

This entry is relevant to the previous entry below it. In Boston, after every visit to the MFA, I would sit Indian Style, unnoticed, behind and between the book shelves. Next to me would be a stack of books that I couldn't afford from the gift shop. The books there more than 98% of the time are not available at the public library, so I would make the gift shop my own library. I'm so slick, I never got caught. I would take notes, write down the names of artist I wanted to learn more about, and just browse and enjoy the books briefly. It kind of sucked, because had I had the money to buy them I know I would have enjoyed them so much more thoroughly, and had the chance to be influenced by them to true potential.

I bought this 90$ book on Andy Warhol, including works, biography, and interviews. I am well aware that 90$ is absolutely ridiculous for a book. However, I feel in my honest opinion that it was the most valuable 90$ that I have ever spent. I was influenced, intrigued, and driven so much by the works, interviews, and facts. In fact, I still look at the book from time to time when I am in need of some inspiration. It works every time. So much good and inspiration has leaked out of me from reading that book cover to cover a countless amount of times.

I have narrowed it down to these books that I absolute AM DYING TO READ. No, I lied. I need them. I need to read, be inspired, and create.

"New Illustration Play: Craving for the Extraordinary"
by Victionary

"Fashion Wonderland" by Victionary
(Incorporating Illustration into Fashion)

"Formulas for Now"
by Thames & Hudson

Gilbert & George

Today I went to the Brooklyn Museum. There was an exhibition on Gilbert & George, a pair of unusual yet extraordinary artists whom I had done a research paper on last fall for my 2D Design class. I had never even heard of them before last year. Well, that was sort of the point of the project. Paul Paturzo, our instructor had given us a list of artists. We each were to pick one we hadn't known and write a research paper and give our own 40 minute presentation. One thing about Gilbert & George is, besides that they are strange old men (are never seen outside of their suits, are provocative, out to offend others through art, and that they are without a care as to how people view them) is that they rarely ever have exhibits outside the U.K. Therefor, this would have probably been my only chance to see them.

I must tell you, seeing how the pieces actually look in person, is astounding. HUGE! I also got to see some work outside the highly publicized pieces, more illustration and hand drawing, which I liked because a lot of their stuff, though they were the ones to do it first, seems very digital. The fact that it looked so digital kind of took away from the experience of seeing it in person. It's kind of like when you see an Andy Warhol original of the Marilyn Monroe portrait. It looks just like all of the prints and takes away from the experience. I am much more moved when I see his scratchy hand drawings.

Here are some photos from the exhibit:

Large Scale Paintings

These are the large scale hand drawings I admired most. They filled the entire room, each with a paragraph or two, as if they were the use the room as on big illustrated story book.

I'm thinking of applying for the early education internship at the Brooklyn Museum either for Spring 2009, or Summer 2009. After 1-2 years working with children in a studio or classroom, I would be able to apply as a children's art instructor for their studio program. Well see, I kind of have a lot of different things coming up especially after starting my new internship at Collective Hardware Productions. It should be getting really hectic, real soon.