Lecture 8 - Museum Visit

Museum Chronicles! 

I know I'm late posting this... BUT.....better late than never! I loved the museum and the large tour I took, it didn't hurt that the tour guide was pretty awesome. I used my phone to make a little "movie" of the art that caught my eye the most. I do plan to visit the museum as well as others regularly. I can't say I have a favorite painting but one that caught my eye more than others would be:

City Landscape by Joan Mitchell (oil on linen).

It's a beautiful collection of color, distress and movement. 

 

https://goo.gl/photos/Y2nCardCzF3wYbXh6

Hope you guys like my "movie" I will see ya around campus this semester!

Whoot Whoot to my first semester at St. Xavier!!
 (Forever a Boilermaker..... Way better than Iowa! hahahah) 

Lecture 7 - Pray - Infamy

This is a interesting film. This film journey's across a few different states showing how artist live and work with graffiti art, how it becomes their life. It was an ok film but nothing I'm going to spend alot of time talking about. P.S. This is my last blog post! It's been fun Professor Peck!!

"Why did people carve the rocks - put up mount rushmore - they got a kick out of big faces or they wanted to leave a mark - they are our founding fathers - who gave them permission to mark the mountain - why didnt they get arrested that's not their mountain." - TKO Member

The first group is out of California naked TKO. This group is not a gang but a group of people that hang out together that love graffiti. Many of these artist do end up killed due to their surrounding and friends. They are each other's support system through the tough times. What started out as a support system has grown into a Nation wide group.

The next person interviewed is Claw - she is a woman out of New Jersey who also owns a clothing line. Her family is not 100% supportive of what she does but sees her passion in it.

The Claw - Street Art

A funny individual was Joe Connoly - this man needs a new hobby or a better life! He drives around his neighbor and removes all graffiti, on his own, no pay involved. He even climbs onto billboards. The graffiti Guerrilla he calls himself, he has good intentions but he just seems a little loony to me lol!

Now we journey to Philly, I did not know there were so many different style of spray painting in Philly. There are 8-9 types of tagging and if you don't tag or throw up your work is covered. As you watch the men work fast and with meaning you can tell the things they spray paint or create are not senseless they have meaning, even if I can't read it.

Philly Tagging - What does that say? But pretty cool!!

Finally we venture to San Fran to see Saber. A child who had a tough childhood friend wise he is now a well known artist in San Fran who loves to spray paint train cars. He is also shown doing spray paint on a car - pretty cool! Saber feels that spray painting has taught him respect and work ethics.

Saber - LA Canal 

Saber - Graffiti Art

This film is different from Banksy solely because it shows the tough side of graffiti art, the part where you can easily be killed or beat up for tagging someone else's wall. This film is more of a street film not a documentary but it's great none-the-less.

Lecture 7 - Banksy- Banksy

The infamous Banksy film I have heard so much about from my friends. I was actually excited to watch this one (alot of my friends were art majors).

Alright, this film journey's across America from Los Angeles to London. The film produced by Banksy but it is not about his at all, it is about Mister Brain Wash. It is a very interesting film, showing how friends with good intentions can want everything that you have.

The film starts out by following Terry the recorded. Terry records everything and everyone until he finds his outlet in graffiti/street art. His first subject was Space Invader out of France (Terry's cousin). As you watch his home videos you see the artist from beginning to end, the effort that is put in to manufacturer the art and to install it. One artist that became famous for his OBEY logo and President Obama's painted face, is Shepard fairy one of the early artist, he introduced Terry to many artist in the Los Angeles Area.

President Obama 2008 Campaign Poster - Shepard Fairy

Now that Terry has been introduced to many artist around the city he began to point out specific artist he wanted to follow and record. One particular artist was Banksy out of London. Banksy became known for installing his own art in the Luv of Paris. He later began to do iconic murals around the world, all while keeping his identity a mystery. 

Israel-Palestine War - Banksy

Banksy and Terry become very close, Banksy a very private person lets him into his world. This was a mistake that Banksy now realizes. As their relations become stronger Terry takes part in Banksy illegal acts of graffiti/street art at Disney World and is questions for hours. 

Banksy - Guantanamo Bay - Disney World 

Banksy now wanted all tapes to be made into a documentary, to see how street art as evolved and to let the public know the meaning and the intentions behind their actions. 6 months later Terry produced a video I will call it of little value or substance. Because the video was unusable Banksy decided to make the documentary resulting in this film we are now watching as a class. Great Job Banksy!!! 

While Banksy worked on the film he informed Terry to start painting and put on a "little" show. The word little escapes Terry and it becomes a week long production. Terry now known as Mister Brain Wash begins to hire individuals to make his visions come true. Not a painter by trade Mister Brain Wash allows others to execute his work. 

Mister Brain Wash - Life is Beautiful Show

Artist around LA and the world did not appreciate Mister Brain Wash and the style of art he was producing, there was no originality. Unlike others he did not start with humble beginnings and work his way up, instead he started at the top because of his connections. Artist did not care for this at all. By the end of Mister Brain Wash week long production he managed to sell millions of dollars of art, described as pop art and street art. With a lack of originality Mister Brian Wash burned every connection he had made in the art world, artist were not enthused to speak about him on film. 

?Andy Warhol made a statement by repeating icons until they became meaningless - he was iconic in the way he did it. Then Terry really made them meaningless" - Banksy

Lecture 7 - Davis - Basquiat

"The Radiant Child"

This film took me a second to watch solely because I had to youtube it, BUT it was great! Lets begin!

This documentary showed how Basquiat transitioned from a homeless teenager to a Billionaire by the age of 23.

In his early years Basquiat became known for "tagging" buildings with sayings and catchy phrases, all signed by Samo. "A Pin drops like a pungent ordor" - SAMO. These statements helped him go from a homeless teenager to a well desired teenager that everyone wanted to be around. He became a night club face, a face that many wanted to see succeed.

Annina Nosei was his first art dealer, she gave him a space to work in along with money to begin his art journey. His very first show he participated in was the Time Square Show, this show set the share for him as a artist. In 1981 He put on his own show where he went from a broke teenager to making $200,000 in one night (all of his paintings sold).

When looking at his paintings they look like a childs painting with no direction, alot of scribbles, I'm confused about the direction of his vision. As I continue to watch the film Basquiat never answers what exactly his direction is.

"I cross out words so you will see them more' the fact that they are obscured makes you want to read them."

People would describe Basquiat's work "not patch work like cubism but everything being equal and a collage"

As his success grew and grew he later became close friends with Andy Warhol, one of his greatest idols. This friendship becomes a big part of Basquiats life and his work.

As society was changing around him his paintings started to reflex the world and the problems that society faced. He used his paintings to talk about black culture and being kings and queens. He also used his paintings to talk about police brutality in New York and around the world.

   

                 50 Cent Piece                                                            Jim Crow 

His fast transition into the art scene and every desire to please both his father and society later caused the down fall of Basquiat. He could not take the pressure being placed on his, allowing drugs to consume his life.

After the death of Andy Warhol, Basquiat began to use drugs heavily and could not find many individuals he trusted. So for his last show Basquiat painted like many artist do, foreseeing his future. His paintings were large and spread out, some of his best work. They were lose and scary, more simplified and riding with death.

After this showing Basquiat would die to an drug overdose. His presence in the Pop Culture and Graffiti art was strong and influential, a presence that is still current today.

"It's like Sony signed Basquiet, He gave it all he got, and now the nigga don't paint the same, damn - J. Cole. (rapper 2015)"

Lesson 7 - Lecture

This week the lecture video takes place outside, in the neighborhoods of Professor Peck; Pilson, Wicker Park. We want to understand the art form of Graffiti and murals. As the film journey's through the Wicker Park neighborhood we see murals covering the sides of buildings done in spray paint. But what is Graffiti? Is it a name, scribble or vandalism?

How do you distinguish what's graffiti and what is not. Graffiti has transformed from just being a vandalism approach to expressing yourself to advertisement such as stickers and large scale works. Direct PSA Professor Peck does not encourage vandalism!! We not begin to notice that neighborhoods are allowing, well accepting pieces of artwork in the form of graffiti but now these are called and identified as murals. Murals are different than graffiti because the artist is given permission to paint the scenes. One particular mural shown the film is done by one of my personal favorite artist - Hebru Brantly.

Video Mural - Wicker Park - Hebru Brantly

Lawn in front of Museum of Science and Industry Summer 2014 - Hebru Brantly. 

Lesson 6 - Painters Painting

Lesson 6 - PBS - Warhol

"Why not create something new? Because it's easier to do!!"