Cy Twombly

Cy Twombly
Poems to the Sea 1959

Wittgenstein said that "philosophy is not a theory but an activity" (1918) Giacometti claimed "If there's no picture that's too bad. So long as I've learned something about why" (1957) Cy Twombly is categorised as a doer - his paintings are activities, actions on the canvas - not in the same fashion as Pollock, but as a puzzle broken down to decipher it, understand it and communicate its message.
so many of the abstract expressionist painters gain a representation for producing nonesense that spectators can not make anything of. the translation is too hard, but by all accounts, Twomblys work is created cautiously and through calculated moves, "Twombly is endowed with the gifts that mark true painters of automatically sustaining flatness over the whole extent of the canvas and of imparting a certain stillness to the canvas regardless of how mouvemente the composition is." (David Sylvester, 1997, About Modern Art, p374)

Twombly's work reaches out to the viewer as many abstract, expressive pieces do. through trying to search for the meaning you come across frantic scrawl passionately inscribed into the thick surface of paint which blocks out the canvas or writing beneath, they are descriptions of a place, a response, a calculation. they are hidden away in doubt yet bold in their energy. the spectator can not dismiss his gatherings of information, they require a personal translation and understanding - that moment in front of the painting, which holds you in adoration.
there is a stillness in twombly's paintings, even in his most crowded, heavily worked canvas', there is space - of quiet contemplation.

WAR HORSE

Topthorn (Puppet)Photo by Simon Annand

I am very much looking forward to going to see Warhorse at the National Theatre, though the puppets scare me a little bit.

WOW

wow, this is part of the Street Art show currently on at the TATE Modern, where there has been some critisim over how the work has been displayed, i.e not really in keeping with the ethos of creating street art, however - its pretty good. this is JR Partizan’s wall covering on the corner of Lexington Street, London. pretty impressive me thinks.

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/streetart/default.shtm

The Turner Experience.

The Turner Prize nominees were announced recently, and of the four, i only recognised one - and that was only because she used to teach at DOJCA (she may still). The work of the four is not the most interesting i have come across in the Turner prize, which i will not join others in saying has gone downhill - but i did lose interest slightly when it went to Liverpool TATE. However, this year it will be exhibited at the TATE Britain - will this make a difference to my following it? possibly, because i am more likely to go to London and have a relationship with the work, rather than just reading about it through skeptical reviews. It does go to show the impact the work can have as expressed through the media and experienced first hand.
i do regret having not seen Tracey Emin's "My Bed" for myself.
i wish all the contenders insightful thoughts in producing the work and present an interesting, engaging and challenging show in September.
- i will report back.

Installation Art

"Almost any arrangement of objects in a given space can now be referred to as installation art, from a conventional display of paintings to a few well-placed sculptures in a garden. It has become the catch-all description that draws attention to its staging, and as a result it’s almost totally meaningless." - Claire Bishop, Tateetc.
http://www.tate.org.uk/tateetc/issue3/butisitinstallationart.htm

what is installation?
Installation is defined in the dictionary as to place something in a position....which marries my own interpretation of the definition in that in order to create a piece of installation art, one is composing the space as much as the individual pieces of work.
this is more than having a series of work, but a connection between the series. by working with the space you are inviting the audience to relate to the work in a specific way - enabling them to make the connections and provide a provoking engagement.

some critic are quite scathing about installation art because many people term their work this way, when it might be a series or a set of sculptures, plus, installation art is tainted by the pretentious brush of some, which does not help when defining media. i personally think there are some great installation artists out there, among them - Ilya Kabakov
one of my favourites and a great source of inspiration.

missing puffins

Bempton Cliffs.
after a short visit to Yorkshire (which turned into a slightly longer visit) i went out to Bempton Cliffs, on the East coast, between Scarborough and Bridlington
where the RSPB nurture a thriving bird reserve. http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/about.asp
the cliffs are some of the fiercest in Britain, they are over a 100m high at some points and pretty craggy, but this all makes for good nesting. the hundreds of birds which are currently resident are frantically making homes on this rough facade. it is incredible to see the sheer volume of birds which seem to be attached to the rock face with velcro. Guillemots stand upright and look most uncomfortable. Gannets seem too big to rest for any length of time and are often swooping above and below, whilst the sea crashes unforgiving against the white chalk.
these walls seem to stand firm and strong against the elements - and yet 10 miles up the coast, houses are facing a threat of collapsing into the sea as the land beneath them slides away, taking brick and mortar with it. will it be the case that in x number of years when Driffield is by the sea that Bempton cliffs will be stood alone? a 100m tall island of nesting birds.

one missing resident was the puffin, bit early for him.