Powerful imagery...raw and oppressive anguish

Although I was hesitant to go, I did attend the exhibit to see the work in person. There was a dark silence in the rooms filled with her work. The watercolors and oil washes were potent and dark. They were powerful and executed with expressive washes and strong graphic qualities. The show was difficult to be with for any length of time. I see influences of Edvard Munch. 

A review by Roberta Smith in the NY times describes much of the work as "superficially painterly"  and speaks hopefully that "Ms. Dumas’s best work may lie ahead, and in the direction of greater variety."

Here is a slide show of more of her work.

Marlene Dumas

The work has haunted me a little. I still think about it , although I saw it a few weeks ago.So I am trying to articulate more precisely what draws me and yet repels me. This will help me to become more fluent in my own work.

I want to feel uplifted when looking at art. I want the work to nurture the spirit within me. I do not feel that with this work. But I have learned  more about the power of a singular focus that harnesses will and talent to convey a message!

I'd be interested to hear what you think about the work.

Looking at art changes your point of view

The new year brings with it a natural opportunity to begin freshly looking and creating!First stop is , MoMA and Marlene Dumas: Measuring your own grave ! I went to her show because I am drawn to her use of watercolor, thin oil glazes and yet powerful graphic impact

To remind me of images that constantly inform my work, I went to see Bonnard. It is amazing how each personal perspective informs us of new ways of looking at the world.I've found that everything I look at informs my perception and in time, my drawings, paintings and soul. Choosing to make time to see, read and experience what moves me can only help to deepen my work and consequently, my inner person.

 What do you choose to see to expand and deepen your life actions? Hmm.. a good question for the 2009!

Art & the global economy

I had the opportunity of going to MoMA yesterday evening. I was actually there for a lecture on economics! Hmmm... It was an opportunity to reflect upon "America and the New Global Economy" with the guest speaker Lawrence H. Summers. He navigated through the complex financial challenges we currently face. As former United States Secretary of the Treasury and current Harvard professor, he certainly has spent a lot of his life reflecting and predicting economic fluxes and solutions. He sees a window of opportunity ahead in which we will be able to reshape public policy to maintain flexibility and fiscal strength as we practice inclusive prosperity and create systems of government to manage our global economy.Concurrently, it was inspiring to take the opportunity to visit "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibit! This link provides a great opportunity to explore the plethora of exhibits. The flexible thinking that was mentioned in the economic lecture was reflected in the visual explorations that we were immersed in as soon as we walked through the intuitive doors! There is so much to search through, but it is amazing how intuitive our designing is becoming. One of my favorites is sketch furniture. A chair and table are sketched in 3D and then created by computer data and lasers.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zP1em1dg5k&eurl=http://www.frontdesign.se/sketchfurniture/]

Another way of expanding thinking is found in TextArc using visualization and mapping to visually analyze patterns and concepts in texts. try Visuwords yourself! For a simpler version that I have used for a while, try Visual Thesaurus.

These are just two amazing embodiments of the human imagination for your investigation at MoMA.

I find this exhibit to be a stimulating companion to the economic and political lecture summarized above. They both describe the need for the elastic thinking necessary for us to flourish together on a global level.