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Tag: Bad Review

Diebenkorn in New Mexico

Published June 23, 2008

I’m a big fan of Richard Diebenkorn, however to be fair, this show is a great disappointment.

In what amounts to a show of his artworks while earning his masters degree, the show falls flat. I think the problem could be that this work is clearly not mature – in fact it is fast, thin, and a little bit generic in its feel. RD was at the time of his New Mexico experience, painting in the style of the abstract expressionists – I should really clarify that – because of the diversity of images created by that group, Diebenkorn was mining a style that felt like deKooning with a touch of Robert Motherwell thrown in. As far as student work – that is all well and good, the problem arises in that the questions that the ABEX painters were addressing is completely absent in these works. They come across as a series of images of wanting to be taken seriously without providing enough firepower to support that approach.

I rarely do a bad review on this site – I think enough people are negative enough as it is – why add to it. However in this case, I had pumped this show up twice before seeing it and was so let down I felt that I owed at least some semblance of my truth to you the reader after actually seeing this show.

There was one thing I was really hoping to see after I realized the weakness’s of the show. That is the sense of place that Diebenkorn has transfixed in his Ocean Park series, I was really hoping for that same kind of place in these paintings. Unfortunately that is not here. Lets hope that a show of his more mature work will be making the rounds soon – this is not the kind of show that does a reputation any good, especially the stellar reputation of an american master like Richard Diebenkorn.

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Whitney Announces Curators for 2008

Published February 9, 2007

The 2008 Biennial will be a homegrown affair, the New York Times’ Carol Vogel reports. Heading the group are two Whitney curators-Henriette Huldisch and Shamim M. Momin-with Donna De Salvo, the museum’s chief curator, overseeing the project. Three outside advisers are also in the mix:

Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem
Bill Horrigan, director of the media arts department at the Wexner Center for the Arts
Linda Norden, a curator and writer who was the commissioner of the United States Pavilion for the 2005 Venice Biennale

The complaining begins now….

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When bad things happen to good drawings

Published December 20, 2006

Archie Comics has decided to “update” the look of Betty and Veronica. While I’m sure this is viewed as a great idea, in execution it is quite a poor one. Dan DeCarlo’s drawings have been the source for these american icons for years – well since the mid sixties. I feel DeCarlo’s drawings have always set the standard and basis of style for a number of comics – from the Hernandez brothers (Love and Rockets) to the newish Disney stuff. Increasingly the older drawing style works in both a “High” and “Low” style, this might be due to its more iconic approach – less like a young persons take on what they might look like. I guess its like seeing a movie made of a book or comic you have known forever. And hating it.

Anyway. this is not the usual artblog stuff, but I thought it was worth noting. By the way, the new issue is on the left.

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Sensorium (Part I) at MIT List Visual Arts Center (Boston)

Published November 6, 2006

This is an unfortunate show for the most part, although there are two highlights that I think deserve mention.

1.Mathieu Briand, “UBIQ, A Mental Odyssey” is lacking in its virtual reality goggles and immersive artificial world – the installation, a direct quotation of Stanley Kubrick 2110 A Space Odyssey is spot on. I just enjoyed walking through that space more than the actual technological experience.

2. Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, “Opera for a small room” is an installation in a room inside the space – feeling like the unabombers cabin but stocked with turntables, records and speakers. This mechanical performance is the most engaging of the entire exhibit. It’s use of technology – not for the sake of technology but to use the technology to go beyond the presentation is quiet and spectacular.

Most of Sensorium felt like a science experiment masquerading as art – these two pieces are the standouts of a poorly executed and lackluster curatorial approach to the experiential nature of art. I hope part two is quite a bit stronger.

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