Anyway, artists.
Tom Friedman, "Untitled," 1990, soap and pubic hair
- Is this a juxtaposition of crudeness and precision, or is it wrong to label the use of pubic hair as crude? I think it's wrong. I think this is clean and beautiful. We may be a little quick to jump to the default disgusted reaction at any reference to the human body.
Cathy De Monchaux, "Wandering about in the future, looking forward to the past," 1994, glass, velvet, ribbon and metal
- From the Tate website: "Set at regular intervals, the elaborate fastenings and black ribbons pull the fleshy lips apart to reveal small clusters of ruched, red and pink leather evoking female genitalia." Valuable lesson here: if you don't know what a piece of work is about and you aren't terribly fussed, just figure out which gender's crotch it most resembles. Kudos to whomever wrote that, actually. You have to look REALLY close to see the vaginas.
- I like the contrast between the rigid and the gravity-affected.
Raymond Pettibon, Goo album cover, 1990
- This is visually bold and clean, which reflects the lack of confusion and pretentiousness of art that is created for specific commercial purposes.
Jim Shaw, "Dream Object," 2008, pencil, wood and resin
- I like the contained chaos. That's something I've been aiming for so that the chaos in my work seems less accidental.
Annette Messager, "Remains (Family II)," 2000
- Someone recommended her work to me, stating that her work and mine both resemble outsider art as they don't aim for a particular aesthetic (currently).
Martin Creed, "Everything is Going To Be Alright," 1999, neon lights
- If this were by an American, I would likely perceive it as a genuine attempt at affecting the public's mood, coming from a twee, simple schoolteacher type. However, it is British, and thus seems sarcastic and sincere, simultaneously, somehow. I said something relating to British humour/pessimism/realism earlier. Those themes may be leaving my work temporarily.
Peter Blake, "The Toy Shop," 1962, mixed media
- This is another contained chaos type of thing. I'm interested in the way Peter Blake uses both collections of objects as well as his own painting, as I've been considering bringing painting back into my work.
