Photo By Gail
Made primarily of blocks of wood, Marisol’s sculptors combine painting and figurative drawing with found objects — such as the sneakers and door in The Family (1962). “In the beginning,” the artist explained, “I drew on a piece of wood because I was going to carve it, and then I noticed that I didn’t have to carve it, because it looked as if it was carved already.”
Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Marisol, The Family
Photo By Gail
Claes Oldenburg has consistently embraced contradiction to transform and animate everyday objects. In his art, hard becomes soft, miniscule becomes monumental and, as in Soft Calendar (1962), flat becomes three-dimensional. Oldenburg’s stuffed fabric sculptures originated in 1962 as props to his art events, or Happenings, and evolved into independent artworks. The giant numbers of Soft Calendar are sensuously rounded and pillow-like. Each Sunday is called out in brilliant red, while the remaining days of the week are coated in white enamel. Photographic documentation suggests that Soft Calendar was assembled by Oldenburg and is partner, Patty Mucha, at Green Gallery in 1962, in preparation for the opening of his solo exhibition.
Photographed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
Robert Smithson, Untitled [Record Player], (1962); Record Player with Found Objects and Collage (All Photos by Gail)
When Robert Smithson died in a plane crash in 1973, his fame as an artist was based on his creation of monumental earthworks such as Spiral Jetty, or minimalist sculptures using both Mirrored and regular, plate Glass. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Robert Smithson, Untitled [Record Player]
Photo By Gail
One of the most accomplished abstract painters and influential teachers of the 20th century, Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) shaped three generations of artists, both in Europe and the United States. These students included Joan Mitchell, Larry Rivers, Allan Kaprow, and Marisol. As a painter, Hofmann is best remembered for his exhilarating large scale compositions that explore dynamic color and spatial relationships, topics about which he wrote widely-read essays.
Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Hans Hoffman, Veluti in Speculum
British Comedian/Actor, Marathon Runner and Action Transvestite Eddie Izzard was born on this day, February 7th, in 1962. That makes him exactly one day younger than Axl Rose! Just take a look at the two of them and see who is better preserved at this still relatively young age! I just saw Eddie perform here in NYC on Monday of this week while car shopping and he was completely hilarious! Happy Birthday, Eddie!
