The Museum Within
The artist is obligated to address human issues pertinent to modern society. The views expressed by artists often engage activism through visual dialogue. With this in mind, how important is the viewer response? I should clarify what I mean by response. I am talking about the viewer interpretation, interaction, and reaction. All these play a role in the sucess of the work. Viewers in this sense become an extension of the artist, an extension of the creation. Without the holistic value placed on the meaning, the art would cease to function and the artist would find an empty canvas, void of purpose. For this reason, the audience plays a significant role in not only appreciating, but also in the creative process. The audience is acted upon, an extension of the artist's vision.
One such artist that comes to mind is an ingenius 20th century visionary, Bernard Buffet. He is an illuminary, pulling the masses into his expressionist style. Buffet works in oils and uses bold brushstokes and freshly raw palette. His pallete is however quite tempered, showing masterful color combinations, not gaudy, but harmonious it their almagam. He appeared in the Paris ast scene in about 1946, with his first major painting called, "A Painter's Portrait." This was a marvelous execution of his self portrait. and very probably launched his career. Buffet is versatile in his subject matter, able to explore a range of ideas including landscapes, portraits, still-lifes, and religious pieces
One such artist that comes to mind is an ingenius 20th century visionary, Bernard Buffet. He is an illuminary, pulling the masses into his expressionist style. Buffet works in oils and uses bold brushstokes and freshly raw palette. His pallete is however quite tempered, showing masterful color combinations, not gaudy, but harmonious it their almagam. He appeared in the Paris ast scene in about 1946, with his first major painting called, "A Painter's Portrait." This was a marvelous execution of his self portrait. and very probably launched his career. Buffet is versatile in his subject matter, able to explore a range of ideas including landscapes, portraits, still-lifes, and religious pieces
Nature Morte
Nature Morte Au Melon et a l’Ananas, 1989, h: 165.1 x w: 254 cm
Benard Buffet 1928-1999
Benard Buffet was born in Paris, France and studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts. In 1955, he was awarded the first prize by the magazine Connaissance des arts. He had a significant retrospective in 1958 at the Galerie Charpentier. In 1973, a museum was inaugurated in his honor in Suyrugadaira, Japan. Perhaps, due to his battle with Parkinson's disease, he commited suicide by suffocating himself in a plastic bag, taped over his head.
His paintings continue to influence a postmodern contingency of expressionist painters.
His paintings continue to influence a postmodern contingency of expressionist painters.
Postmodern Scribes
I refer to the title, "Postmodern Scribes," in a kind of tongue-in-cheek manner. I refer to the scribe, as a tool used by the printmakers. Specifically, this tool is the mainstay of those who etch printmaking plates, where the scribe creates lines that can be etched in acid. Ink is wiped into these graved areas and then printed using an intaglio press.
Printmakers or etchers can easily be overlooked in our world of large installations and cutting-edge art. The printmaking medium is understated in its size and also in its limited pallette or black and white imagery. The other concern levelled by critics is that prints are usually editioned, thereby losing their uniqueness, particularly in the maket. Traditional printmaking also lives under the stigma of tame or overused ideas. However, this is not necessarily the case.
Printmakers or etchers can easily be overlooked in our world of large installations and cutting-edge art. The printmaking medium is understated in its size and also in its limited pallette or black and white imagery. The other concern levelled by critics is that prints are usually editioned, thereby losing their uniqueness, particularly in the maket. Traditional printmaking also lives under the stigma of tame or overused ideas. However, this is not necessarily the case.
Printmaker's Spatial Realm
Peter Milton
"Mary's Turn"
1994
resist-ground etching and engraving
plate: copper 18 x 28 inches (45.7 x 71.1 cm)
An example of excellence is work produced by Peter Milton, who has a plethora of luscous and quite orginal imagery. He explores a world of memory, a strong persistence of past and present, merged into a strange dimension. His pieces often dialate time into a present definable moment, as in "Family Reunion, "
"The Train from Munich," and "Mary's Turn."
"The Train from Munich," and "Mary's Turn."
The Plate's Edge
The gambit of traditional prints is not always limited to tame themes. Ralph Slatton questions his psychological boundaries, devouring the plate surface with formidable vigor. He literally bites the surface, destroying the safety of control. He is not afraid of the raw qualities of the metal, a foreshadowing of the rawness of his images. Slatton works with unknown animal forms that dominate his plates with primordial purpose. His work has a peculiar dated, yet modern feel. It's almost like reviving the age old process of intaglio, yet bringing it full circle in our contemporary spheres.
One last note about the print process. It is not an easy medium; maintaining spontaneity is always the difficult foe, because the process is seldom a one-step endeavor. Printmaking usually requires a myarid of levels, before the final product is realised. As stated earlier, Slatton's work seems to exploit that quality. His plates are a history of stray scratches, open bites, and all the layers of processing. Unlike Milton's work, Slatton sidesteps precision for an expressive primitive language.
One last note about the print process. It is not an easy medium; maintaining spontaneity is always the difficult foe, because the process is seldom a one-step endeavor. Printmaking usually requires a myarid of levels, before the final product is realised. As stated earlier, Slatton's work seems to exploit that quality. His plates are a history of stray scratches, open bites, and all the layers of processing. Unlike Milton's work, Slatton sidesteps precision for an expressive primitive language.
In our Postmodern world of breaking all the rules, printmaking enjoys the stability of tradition. Regardless of trends, it holds its rightful place. Although its physical prominence is often dwarfted by other mediums, its voice is just as loud.
