Judith Greer-art collector

Judith Greer is an American art collector who is originally from Seattle, Washington. Her, her husband Richard, and her three children constantly move around the world, searching for a comfortable place to settle down. They lived in Seattle, Tokyo, and now London, among other places. She loved Tokyo, but has grown to love London just as much.
What made her move to London an easier transition was her love for art. She became focused on making her home a "post modern mecca for art". She now has a very extensive collection of many different kinds of artworks. She also recently published her own art collectors guide book.
I think that Judith Greer is a very remarkable person. She was having trouble adjusting to London, but found piece within herself through the use of art. Judith Greer has changed her life through her new found love in art.

-O.D.

Judith Greer is a well renowned art collector. She loves art so much she has moved around from home to home in many different cities and countries all for her passion of art. Her art collectors guide book is really a well detailed book on the basics of art collecting. She is a big collector and realized that she wanted to help other collectors too by making a guide book. I feel this is very generous of Greer. Greer could have been selfish with her collection but instead she decided to help other collectors like herself doing the thing she loves most. The thing she loves most is collecting art. I believe many people could learn a lot from Greer whether it art or as being a person.

- Owen

Fred Wilson-Dark Dawn

Conceptual artist Fred Wilson was born in 1954 in The Bronx. He describes himself as of "African, Native American, European and Amerindian" descent.Wilson received a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in 1999 and the Larry Aldrich Foundation Award in 2003. He is known to have an uncommon touch with common things, which makes his art very different and unique.
This picture is a photo of Fred Wilson's "Dark Dawn" that he created in 2005. I think it is very different and strange. I don't see the beauty in it, and I wouldn't exactly call it the greatest piece of art I have ever seen. Nevertheless, Fred Wilson is famous for making artworks like these and has made himself into a well known artist because of his unusual style.


-O.D.

Fred Wilson's approach to art is very to different to that of other famous artists. He was a conceptual artist, but his wasn't always normal. A good example is his 'Dark Dawn". When looking at this piece it reminds me of ink. I believe that was what Wilson was going for too, but it is very different. It seems as though the ink is spilling everywhere and it actually gives a pretty interesting effect. The blobs or bubbles on the floor give the ink effect too. The droplets falling down the wall give it a flow also that gives it a sense of movement. Fred Wilson's work is very interesting but at the same time it can be very odd but he is considered a great artist for having this ability. 

- Owen 

Bourgeois-Spider

Louise Bourgeois was a renowned French artist and sculptor, best known for her contributions to both modern and contemporary art. One of her most famous works is a spider structure, titled Maman, which resulted in her being nicknamed the Spiderwoman. She is recognized today as the founder of confessional art.
In the late 1990s, Bourgeois began using the spider as a central image in her art. Maman, which is a very large spider, is made from steel and marble. It made its first appearance as a part of Bourgeois' commission in 2000. It is the largest Spider sculpture ever made by Bourgeois.
I think this sculpture is very creative. I like the idea of a giant spider, because I think spiders are very cool. I really like the detail of the spider and the real-life look that it has. By looking at this piece of art, it is no mystery to me as to why Bourgeois is recognized as one of the most famous confessional artists of her time.

-O.D.

Louise Bourgeois's Maman is not only an amazing art piece, it is an amazing sculpture. People don't realize how hard it is sculpting something out of nothing. Sculpting is a very unique artist trait and it is not easy. Sculpting is Bourgeois's way of expressing her art. It is no wonder why she is credited for being such an amazing artist. Another interesting fact about the Maman is that its made of steel and marble. Not only is it a gigantic sculpture it's medium is metal and stone. I find that simply amazing. She constructed this spider not using wood or paper, but metal and stone. In my opinion I think it is truly amazing how an artists sculpts and for Bourgeois to make something out of steel and marble is truly an amazing feat.

- Owen

Marina Abromovic- 7 easy pieces

Marina Abromovic was born on November 30, 1946 in Serbia. She is now a New York-based performance artist who began her famous career in the early 1970s. Active for over three decades, she has recently begun to describe herself as the "grandmother of performance art". Abramovic's work explores the relationship between performer and audience, the limits of the body, and the possibilities of the mind.
One of Abromovic's most well known works is 7 easy pieces. In 2005 she presented it at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. On seven consecutive nights for 7 hours she recreated the works of five artists first performed in the 60s and 70s, in addition to re-performing her own works.
I really like this performance the Abromovic put on. I think it must've been very tiring and physically exhaustive for her. The performances definitely involved a great amount of mental concentration as well. I think that this performance solidified herself as one of the most famous performance artists of her time.

-O.D.

Considering yourself the "grandmother of performance art" is a pretty tall order and Marina Abromovic belived that. Her work mostly explored the audience, the body, and the mind. 7 easy pieces is quite the masterpiece because it is about the performing body and how the people and audience confront it. It is a moving piece that took seven days to complete. Also because she took work from the 60's and 70's it was very old school modern art. Also that each work was seven hours showed much detail and time went into each piece. I find it very interesting and notable that she did this. She obviously put so much time into this work and it has given her the fame and glory of being one of the best performing artists of our time.

- Owen

The Biscuit City-Song Dong

Song Dong is a Chinese artist. One of his most famous works, The Biscuit City, is pictured here. Over three days, Song Dong constructed a city from biscuits and sweets in Selfridges department store in London. On the last day visitors were invited to eat the city.
I really like Song Dong's work. I think that it is very creative and unique. I like the fact that he spent so much time on it, and went into such detail. I think this is definitely one of the more amusing works I have seen in a long time.


-O.D.

What is so interesting about Song Dong's Biscuit City is that over 72,000 treats and biscuits were used to make this master piece. Over the couple days it took to make the city workers explained that they even used modern buildings as ideas. One worker stated they used the Empire State buidling as an example for on the biscuit buildings. I find this very interesting and it is a very different way to look at art. People who make decorative foods and cakes is an example of art also and I enjoy looking at the finished products and eating them also. Song Dong's Biscuit City is quite impressive and is amazing at the same time by using thousands of biscuits to make a piece of art.

Owen

Matthew Barney

Matthew Barney was born on March 25, 1967 in San Francisco, California. He is an artist that works with sculpture, photography, drawing and film. He became famous for creating the Cremaster Cycle, which is a series of 5 films between 1994 and 2002.


Barney's epic Cremaster cycle is a project consisting of 5 feature-length films that explore processes of creation. His concentration in sculpture is strengthened by his use of video. Barney uses video to sharpen his sculpture by evaluating positioning, lighting, size and shape, using video as a means to his end product of sculpture. He has became very famous among the art world because of this particular work.


-O.D.

Matthew Barney is a very interesting artist. His work is very fluent and creative. Although he is a great artist, I do find many of his pieces disturbing. I don't know if its his style or just the pieces he makes. They just are very odd and strange.  He loves changing his own image, especially his face. He always puts makeup on to make scars, gashes, or just odd affects that wouldn't normally be on a human being. Also for his large and full body pieces, they come off as just scary to me. His work is very unique and different and has given him fame and glory among the art world. But, I can't particularly say I am a fan of his work. 


- Owen

Ann Hamilton

Ann Hamilton was born June 22, 1956 in Lima, Ohio. She is a contemporary American artist best known for her installations, textile art, and sculptures, but is also active in the fields of photography, printmaking, video, and video installation. Ann Hamilton was named a 2007 Agnes Gund Foundation Fellow and awarded a $50,000 grant by United States Artists, a public charity that supports and promotes the work of American artists. In 2008, she won the 14th Annual Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities. She has created many famous works and is highly regarded in the art community.


One of her most famous works, the tropos, she covered a 5,000 factory space entirely in horsehair. I find this very strange but it was looked at as a tremendous work by the artist. Ann Hamilton created a very strange work that made her famous, and I find that very unique.


-O.D.

Ann Hamilton's work is very inspiring and she is regarded in the Art world as a very creative artist. Her work and work ethic are like none other. She has worked on pieces for long periods of time, even years to complete them. In the video we watched in class she explained how one piece took seven years and that another piece took twelve years. In my opinion, I find that amazing. I think working on one piece for a couple weeks is a long time. I can't imagine the effort and concentration that needs to go into a piece that has to be worked on for months and years. I commend her for this because she truly loves her work and what she does. She is a very hard worker and I actually admire her love for her work. If more artists took after her, I feel there would masterpieces by many known artists today. 


-Owen

Barack Obama-Fairey

Frank Shepard Fairey was born on February 15, 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina. He is a contemporary artist and graphic designer. He became famous for his "Andre the Giant has a Posse" work but is widely known for his "Hope" poster of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign election. He is now regarded as one of the known and influential street artists.

The "Hope" poster is widely described as iconic and became synonymous with the 2008 campaign. The image depicts some of Obama's main messages, including "change", "hope", and "progress". I really like this poster very much. I think it shows Obama in a light that is very realistic to his message and his goals. I believe that this picture helped Obama spread his ideas and thoughts during the election and eventually helped him win the election.

-O.D.

The "Hope" poster is not only an iconic image of Obama, it is also a tribute to our country. The colors used in the poster are only red, white, and blue, the colors of our country's flag. Also Fairey adjusted Obama's head/angle sightly to give the picture a more stern pose. In the photo it was taken from Obama's head is slightly tilted to left. I feel this poster is a reflection of the United States of America and the word below "HOPE" shows our country has faith in our nation's leader. We believe in a strong leader and government who will help us prosper in the future. The poster is a moving image and is meaningful for our future.


- Owen

Contemporary Art

“One of the principal ways we can change our relationship to difficult art is by repetition. An unpleasant piece of music may, the sixth or seventh time we listen, reveal new beauty. If we study one of Josef Albers's seemingly simple paintings of different colored squares, the colors start to shift. Of course, difficulty doesn't always give way to revelation - sometimes what follows is, alas, frustration. But when it does, we get that additional sense of satisfaction: The arduous ascent has been rewarded with a panoramic view.”


I think that the preceding quote tells its readers that practice and constant focus on difficult art leads to us opening our minds and finding a deeper meaning in the artwork. By concentrating and viewing the art continuously, we will be more likely to find a new beauty in the artwork and also be able to discover the underlying message in the artwork that the artist may have been trying to convey.

This painting is called "Shoes" by Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh was a Dutch painter who lived from 1853-1890. A lot of his work had a great influence on the 20th century because of his use of vivid colors and emotional impact.Although he wasn't very famous during the time that he lived, he is now widely regarded as one of the worlds best painters and an important contributor to modern art.


"Shoes" was created in 1888 with oil on a canvas. I find this painting very unusual because I don't really see the beauty in it. The shoes look old, dull and worn out and the colors seem boring and inanimate. I think this painting symbolizes more of a sign of struggle and hardship more than it does beauty. Nevertheless, this is one of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous paintings. 

- O.D.

This picture is by Stan Lee. Stan Lee is a comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, and former president and CEO of Marvel Comics. Stan Lee is the creator of Spiderman, Iron man, the Hulk, and many other comics and comic book characters. He is known for his comics throughout the world and is one of the comic book giants and still is even to this day. 

I find this piece as contemporary art because in this picture spiderman, iron man, and daredevil are all portrayed as insects. I find this very odd and the picture is a little creepy. When one thinks of these superheroes, you think of their comic book image not this one. Also as you can notice in the bottom right corner Stan Lee is in the corner himself. The picture is just very odd and I would say it is a contemporary art piece in my opinion. I like the values and colors and the detail is done very well. Just a very odd picture in my opinion. 


- Owen