The Culture Enthusiast: Contemporary Art

The most overrated and underrated: Andrew Wyeth

Art 10:28 PM

Above the Narrows - Andrew Wyeth (1960)

Andrew Wyeth was a contemporary American realist painter. Even though Wikipedia calls him one of the best known artists of the 20th century, I first heard about him last month. I was at the National Gallery in D.C. and saw this painting:

Wind from the Sea - Andrew Wyeth (1947)

I was blown away (the reproduction doesn't do it justice, it's much, much more impressive live). As always, I researched more about him when I got home (a month later).

His works have this constant melancholic mood, but are also very beautiful and evocative. Some are even painfully sad and bleak.

Adrift - Andrew Wyeth

To my surprise, many critics dismissed his work as corny Americana. Funny enough, when asked to choose the most overrated and underrated artists of the 20th century, art historian Robert Rosenblum said Andrew Wyeth was both.

Luckily, many critics like Paul Johnson are admirers of his work. His work even inspired the look of M. Night Shyamalan's movie The Village. The house were Joaquin Phoenix's character lives was based on the one in Wyeth's painting Open Shed.

Source

Plus, doesn't Bryce Dallas Howard's character wear a yellow coat like this? (And there was all that talk about the "bad color" and so on. It's been a while since I last watched this movie!)

Squall - Andrew Wyeth (1986)

Anyway, it's great to know that an artist I just discovered and loved is being rightly admired.

What do you think of Andrew Wyeth's work?

All images from WikiPaintings (except # 4)

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Paintings from an Espionage insider

Art 10:15 AM

Waiting in the hotel room by James Hart Dyke

Even though I am a sucker for all things James Bond, I am less than excited about the new Bond movie, Skyfall. (True story: today I eagerly checked Youtube for Skyfall's trailer just to realize I had already seen it weeks before - talk about lasting impression).

Meeting an agent by James Hart Dyke

This is why I was fascinated by James Hart Dyke's series of paintings entitled "A Year with the MI6".

In 2009, the centenary year of MI6, Dyke was invited by the British Secret Intelligence Service to depict the secret world of espionage. According to Dyke, "the pictures represented an outsider’s unique interpretation of an existence that, for those who work in SIS [Secret Intelligence Service], can often be dangerous and surreal".

Agent giving information to SIS officer by James Hart Dyke

The paintings are incredible, because they seem to have a balance between the insider's and the outsider's point of view.

The insider knows that an agent's job is more boring and less glamorous than what we see in movies (they have meetings, they exchange information etc).

The outsider thinks spies date a lot of gorgeous women, break the law all the time, get involved in car/airplane/boat chases because most of the information he has of spies comes from movies and books. And the paintings are, as Flavorwire described them, "shadowy". They are dark and blurry just like the world of espionage is to us - we never really know what goes on there.

Espionage by James Hart Dyke

Maybe Daniel Craig's jaded eyes are closer to life than Pierce Brosnan's suave charm.

You can check all paintings in the artist's website.

What do you think of Dyke's paintings? (In a related topic: Are you excited by the new James Bond movie?)

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Books about Postmodernism

Books 9:25 AM

Untitled, 1970 by Robert Morris

"Of course, works of art should 'call into question' - what else does the tradition of tragedy from Antigone to Hedda Gabler do? But they need to do so in far more complex and enduring ways than we find in most recent postmodernist art." Christopher Butler in Postmodernism

I usually have two difficulties when studying about Postmodernism: to figure out exactly what post-modernism is and to find neutral/critical analysis of it. Authors sometimes seem unwilling to define it and quite often people writing about postmodernism are its own proponents.

I've recently read two excellent books who manage to explain quite well what post modernism is and what's wrong with it. The first book is Postmodernism by Christopher Butler. It focuses more on culture and it covers a lot of concepts that are connected to postmodernism like feminism, deconstructionism, Marxism, irony, pastiche etc.

The other book is called Explaining Postmodernism by Stephen Hicks (available online). Hicks' book is incredibly interesting and focuses more on philosophy. He looks for the roots of postmodernism and finds them in the Counter-Enlightenment philosophers. We understand where post modernism comes from and what it proposes.

Books like these two, that talk clearly about postmodernism and neutrally analyse it, are not that easy to find - believe me.

Image source

Have your read any books about post-modernism or about our current times?

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Romantic realism: Danielle Richards

Art 9:00 AM

Do you guys remember we were talking about the impact photography had in the arts? Well, take a look at this:

Petite Juliette by Danielle Richards

This was painted by Quebec based artist Danielle Richard. Notice how her paintings are successful both at portraying reality and conveying emotion. Her work is so delicate and beautiful - I just can't stop admiring them.

Brigitte sous l'arbre

By the way, I had never heard the term "romantic realism" before - it sounds like such a paradox. But if this is the result... give me more!

Le repère

A special thanks to Blog of an Art Admirer who got me acquainted with this fabulous artist. All images are from the artist's blog. You can check more of her paintings on her website.

What do you think of the paintings? Do you prefer paintings that are more realistic or more emotional (or a mix, like romantic realism)?

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Collage art: Matthew Cusick

Art 10:14 AM

Chasing the Dragon by Matthew Cusick

I've been so suspicious and weary of Modern art that I think I'm a little negligent when it comes to discovering and appreaciating contemporary artists. I recently discovered the amazing work of American artist Matthew Cusick through The Jealous Curator.

The Rachel's Wave

Many Rivers

I love collages and I love maps, so how can I not love this? All the pieces above are from his series Map works. You can check out more on his website.

Do you like collages? What other contemporary artists interest you?

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