The De-definition of Art

Lucio Fontana, Spatial Concept, Waiting, 1960



I'm reading The De-definition of Art by Rosenberg. Highly recommended.

"Fontana...called himself a "spatialist," his gouging holes in his canvases had always seemed to me a Dadaist nose-thumbing at the formalist dogma of "preserving the integrity of the picture plane." With his punctures Fontana transformed his paintings into a species of relief (they are sometimes referred to as sculptures)."

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Lawrence Fane

I just came across Lawrence Fane and completely fell in love with his work, more of which you can see here at his website.

His current show is Studio Alchemy at the Zabriskie Gallery in NYC.

You can also buy a book about his sculpture: Machines of the Mind

Koons Tenets

I'm reading Art on the Edge and Over by Weintraub right now--I find Koons to be one of the most interesting artists in this book, as he explains that his work, "is about embracing guilt and shame and moving forward instead of letting this negative society always thwart us--always a more negative society, always more negative."

Koons' artwork is based on the following Tenets:

Tenet 1: Sex is not embarrassing, private, illicit, or sinful

Tenet 2: Egoism and exhibitionism are prerequisites of fame

"I was there with two pigs--a big one and a little one--so it was like breeding banality. I wanted to debase myself and call myself a pig before the viewer had a chance to, so they could only think more of me."

Tenet 3: Fine art is a commercial enterprise. (Koons is not a hypocrite)

Tenet 4: Kitsch is captivating.

"I try not to use it in any cynical manner. I use it to penetrate mass consciousness--to communicate to people."

Tenet 5: Price determines desire and merit.

"What I'm saying is that the seriousness with which a work of art is taken is interrelated to the value that it has. The market is the greatest critic."

Tenet 6: Art is a luxury item.

"I'm...trying to capture the individual's desire in the object, and to fix his aspirations in the surface in a condition of immortality."

I rather enjoy egotistical artists, probably because I am one myself. You have to be at least a bit narcissistic to be a great artist, I think.

Peter Plagens: A Painting as it's Painted

Untitled
mixed media on canvas, 96 x 144 in.
2007

Peter Plagens is a painter and critic in New York.
What is unique about his website compared to other artist websites is the slideshow of the above work in progress, "A Painting as it's Painted."
You can also read his essays and see examples of his other work. And make sure to read his artist statement while you are there--since he is a writer it's quite good.

I came across Peter Plagens because he reviewed the book, Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton in the current Art in America. The review was so good I had to see who this guy was. I do think his work is really interesting.

As far as said book, here is a quotation: "In [an art] world that has jettisoned craftsmanship as the dominant criterion by which to judge art, a higher premium is put on the character of the artist. If artists are seen to be creating art simply to cater to the market, it compromises their integrity and the market loses confidence in their work."

More on Seven Days in the Art World
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Music Book Art

Yes, they are books that make music.
And they are for sale here!

Texan artist Jennifer Khoshbin also makes other amazing book art, which you can view here.

Definitely check out her site it is a treat!

Wisdom by Andrew Zuckerman

One of my favorite and most influential quotations ever is included in this film/book:

"Inspiration is for amateurs. I just get to work."
--Chuck Close

See more

Buy the book

New Fave Publisher

The publisher is Laurence King, UK-based, and they publish books on architecture, art, design, fashion, graphic design, and interior design. Just browsing through their website is delightful. I found out about them because I WON a copy of Key Urban Housing of the Twentieth Century from a Dezeen contest. I never win anything!

Soon I am having a give-away of my own so stay tuned :)

Especially exciting is Laurence King's new book Stickerbomb--the first collectable, fully peelable sticker book featuring illustration, graffiti and graphics. It is filled with an amazing collection of more than 250 specially commissioned stickers by artists, illustrators and graffiti writers from around the world.

Their books are very reasonable on Amazon! Check out my Wish List.