Marc Quinn: Self
I have been wanting to see this ever since I first heard about it. I really do feel this is a very smart piece.
Luke Smalley & Bruce Davidson
Luke Smalley: Sunday Drive @ ClampArt
I was only able to see about 8 openings yesterday because I had meetings and couldn’t come out until 6pm. And, out of the 8, 6 of them sucked. I found more people agreeing with me as I ran in to other people looking for new and fresh art. My biggest pet peeve was how many portrait photographers were flooding the art scene this week. I guess oversized shots of people’s faces just didn’t resonate with me. I understood the concepts, I saw their value, and I saw the effort and work behind them but they really didn’t “wow” me. Would I want to have a 3′x4′ photo of a homeless person looking at me from behind my sofa? And will that REALLY be socially significant in 5 years?
There were two photographers that DID stop me. One was Luke Smalley. I won’t say why I liked all of his work, I just did. That’s the thing about really good art: you just like it. Artwork with reds sell better than artwork with browns. And art with cows have a MUCH harder time selling at Christie’s and Sotheby’s than artwork that doesn’t have cows. People will never say “I like this because the red” or “I like this better than the other work because there are no cows in it,” but people will make up SOME story in their heads. So I don’t know WHY I liked Luke’s work but I DID like it. In fact, MANY people liked it (ClampArt does an exceptional job at bringing in really good work).
Luke was presenting in the same gallery as Jill Greenberg. I understand the appeal of her work and I liked the large shots of bears with her signature lighting but I kept thinking they compared to kitten posters with taglines like “Hang in there.” She is going too commercial for my taste (it doesn’t help that her monograph is loaded with sales pitches by comedians and celebrities). Maybe that is why ClampArt stuffed her in the back room.
Bruce Davidson @ Bryce Wolkowitz.
The other was Bruce Davidson showing at Bryce Wolkowitz on 24th. The gallery was featuring shots from around the US dating five decades. There was a lot of cultural significance in each of the photos. I was eavesdropping on one of the dealers while she explained each piece to a potential buyer and, well, everything about the presentation from mounting to explanations was just sweet. The photos were approachable, the gallery staff was approachable and the small space was accommodating.
Bruce’s work in portrait was everything the other portrait shooters lacked. They all had an eye however he has a sense for art and telling stories. He wasn’t just shooting blank faces and attaching some meaning as the others were doing, Bruce shot people and let people attach their own meanings. He wasn’t “trying” to be someone else (you can read that in SO many contemporary artists!) but he was just himself and at peace with his work.
I missed everything at Pace Wildenstein and several other key galleries due to getting caught up in conversations with friends I hadn’t seen in a while (I tried to go in to Pace Wildenstein but it was closing. Chuck Close was leaving and our eyes locked briefly, I feel like he was saying “Yep… come back tomorrow. You’ll enjoy yourself”). Also, I was told Bill Viola at James Cohen Gallery was really good so I will be sure to check it out Saturday when I have some free time before a shoot.
(PS: I have this habit of changing the home page on every Mac I see to my site, MichaelDonovanPhotography.com. So yesterday I changed the homepage at ClampArt to mine just as I got caught. I hope they have a sense of humor. Please let me know if you need me to come in and change it back.)
I Won’t Have A Gun up in my Home
Andy Warhol’s “Gun.” (No, Jose Mugrabi did not pay me to post this…)
David Hockney, “Bigger Trees Nearer Warter” @ Pace Wildenstein
My mind can’t release the images of Hockney’s giant paintings he made for “Bigger Trees Nearer Warter” I saw Thursday evening at Pace Wildenstein. The web do an awful job showing the paintings for what they really are and the energy they give. They’ll be showing until December 24th and I suggest you pop in if you haven’t already.
Defining Art
Technology, music, fashion, dance, architecture, design, painting, sculpture, engineering, math, literature, film, cooking, serving, leading, science, sales, photography, comedy and everything else all need art. But Art doesn’t need each of them to survive. And Art will continue to grow with or without its users. And that is why some of us choose to be artists and others choose to be slaves of the games artists play.
Beauty Story
Here is a piece I shot and saved for myself. It was created during the making of an editorial I directed and shot earlier this month and will be be featured next month in an art/fashion/culture mag.
Artist: Damien Hirst
I’m not getting in to the debate, i am just posting some of the work.
Sculpting + Painting + Photography
This is my first attempt at sculpting, painting and photography.
Birth of Beauty
This was my first studio shoot in 4 months. Before that, I hadn’t shot in the studio since I lived in Chicago. This is also the first time I shot editorial/personal work in about a month (I shot for a few clients in the last month but I really didn’t shoot much). Overall, I feel it is a success!
Photos by Irving Penn
Here are some of the photos that have really inspired me. It is hard because many of the great shots are still not online, but I’ve done my best with what is available.
RIP Irving Penn
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/arts/design/08penn.html
It’s a sad day. Irving Penn has passed away. This will be old news by the time most people find it on my blog; but right now it is pure sadness. Irving Penn changed the world and it will never be the same thanks to him.
Irving Penn is a God of photography. I have spent days worth of time studying his work and his life. It is impossible for me to shoot with a strobe in a studio without thinking “What would Irving Penn do?” Look closely at my still life and you will see heavy influences of his work. He was a master. I listed him as my favorite fashion photographer a while back. The best part of his work is that he treated fashion photography as a fine art.
