Artwork

[sisyphus]

thanks, la. i'm working on a big series of bee paintings i'm excited about, and some sculptures in the same vein... i love collecting stuff from markets, too.

ya know what they say about people with nothing on their walls? they ain't got no soul....

[RocDoc]

I was surfing along and this style leapt out at me:

_{Aurel Schmidt}

Speaking of bees, this guy also did stuff made up of bees...flies too I think, but COOL.

_{www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=147}

[Thorngrub]

whoa ! talk about a creepy flower-eyed moth-mouthed monster ! *sweeet*

[Thorngrub]

[Thorngrub]

[Thorngrub]

^ Those are cameraphone pics of drawings I made with sharpees

[pauledwardwagemann]

Here's some of my artwork. It's not too great--I havent ever put too much effort into tryingto be an artist, I jsut do it for fun. None of these really have titles either, but I'm considering the 4th one down as the cover for my book...

[RocDoc]

M K Ciurlionis' "Symphony Of The Sun"

[JACkory]

I worked up some photo art this afternoon that I'm quite pleased with. I don't have time to upload them all to a photo server, so here's a link to where I've posted them on my b.l.o.g.

I would appreciate any feedback, either here or in the comments at the bloggy woggy.

EROS SERIES

[Matheus]

nice, JAC... except the breasts on the gravy train. i was kind of mortified by that. my poor little eyes.

disturbing...

kinda like...

[JACkory]

Nothing disturbing about that.

Art is, among other things, the expression of the myriad phases of humanity. If one finds any work of art to be "disturbing" then that art has succeeded on a certain level. It has tapped into a corner of one's soul that has been sheltered for so long that it has come to refuse or deny the possibility that such things exist, if not in the world, then in the world of imagination.

Male-male eroticism does no disturb me in the least. It is commonplace, by this point. Hell, it was the norm in ancient Greece.

Not that the commonplace is not, at times, disturbing...and I don't know why, but the film "Sick" by Turner prize winner Martin Creed succeeds in the goal. It consists of 19 scenes of people actually vomiting:



There is another "commonplace" work by Creed that makes me cringe. If you look at it from afar it's an interesting abstract image. But the closer you get, the easier it is to recognize as a pile of shit. Interestingly shaped shit, but shit no less. It's so nasty, you can almost smell it. Is that art? I don't know. I tend to think that even if the subject itself does not seem to merit artistic status, the fact that the presentation of it elicits such a strong reaction in any and everyone who sees it...that's art.

I have a friend who is somewhat artistically inclined, and he worked up a whole set of photographs with fecal matter as a theme. Oh, God, it was gross. One showed him behind a semi-transparent shower curtain, bathing, rubbing shit all over the thing, all over himself. Another was of a mirror on the floor over which he squatted and defecated. You could see the crap on the mirror and the mirror reflected his anus where it came from. Other shots showed his hands all covered in shit and toilet bowls full of it.

He had the entire work exhibited at a university campus in New Mexico. Needless to say, it stirred not a small bit of controversy. He sent me prints of the set, but I found that I could not keep them. They were just too powerfully visceral, I tore them up and threw them away (though I never told him about that). But I did see at least some of what he was about with those photos. It had to do with "defecation as catharsis". He had been abused when he was a child by a minister in the family's church. When he told his parents they refused to believe that the preacher was capable of such a thing. In his work, the shit symbolizes all the shit that he went through that has filled his life with guilt, distrust, fear...he's expelling it, liberating himself from it, even if temporarilly. He's got it on his hands, examining it, trying to understand why the events in the past have shaped his psyche in the way they have. He smears it on the shower tile and curtain, symbolizing how the abuse taints everything around him. The shit floats in the toilet as cruelty and selfish desire fill the world.

It's not surprising that these photos and the conception of this art came about very soon after my friend came out of the closet, confessed his homosexuality to his parents and was effectively excommunicated from his family (he even changed his name in his own gesture of defiance against their decision). He moved several states away from his hometown and began living a very openly gay lifestyle (in fact, he was a gay activist for some time, a member of Queer Nation). His art was an extreme symbolic rendering of the liberation he was in the process of gaining and the transformation takiing place in his life at that time. Perhaps, knowing this, the shit series begins to make more sense...even if it doesn't counter the sickening factor. But I have always maintained that it was art of the highest order. You looked at it and in less than a few seconds it was able to cause a reaction and fill your head with questions like "why?" and "what does it mean?" and "is it really art?" and "what kind of person is responsible for this?" and "why does it make me feel queasy? I take a shit every day and it's no big deal" and "why does it seem like a big deal when someone shows pictures of it?" and so on and so on... It's not possible to answer all those questions, but the fact that it sparked such an arsenal of curiosity tells me that it has succeeded as a work of art, that it IS art.

This painting by Maria Lassing is the kind of thing that disturbs me:



On so many levels this painting creeps me out.

[Matheus]

Nice post, JAC, and very true.

What offends you?

I mean, I don't really have anything to add to what you said. I'm not even half the writer you are... but it is a question I'd like to hear an answer to.

What offends you?

[JACkory]

matheus said:

Nice post, JAC, and very true.

What offends you?

I mean, I don't really have anything to add to what you said. I'm not even half the writer you are... but it is a question I'd like to hear an answer to.

What offends you?

Let's see...

Pedophiles and child abuse
Rape and murder
War
Abortion and euthanasia
Televangelists
Close-minded self-righteousness
Child pornography and the people who consume it
Beastiality
The smell of raw fish
Compulsive liars
Snobs and condescending people
Death worship
The news media's tendency to report on stuff that doesn't mean shit to anyone
About 90-95% of all that's shown on MTV
Maury Povitch
Television ads that insult the intelligence
Smash Mouth

That's the short list.

[Matheus]

It’s 4am. I’m listening to in rainbows, so I thought I’d do something while listening.

Pedophiles and child abuse
I watched Gregg Araki’s film “Mysterious Skin” a couple of days ago. It’s about child abuse. One kid (years after the abuse) becomes a gay prostitute, and the other one doesn’t remember. He thinks he was abducted by aliens. It’s about what their lives become and how they find each other (culminating in quite an emotional ending, which I won’t ruin). When I ordered it via Netflix, I was excited to see a Greg Araki film, and after watching it I was disturbed. I don’t know if I recommend it, because of the content. You don’t see what’s happening, but you know what’s going on. Emotional, touching, yet disturbing. Reminded me of a couple of gay friends, and in some ways, myself.

Rape and murder
Reminds me of the Tori Amos song “Me and a Gun.”

War
I’m with you on this one. It is interesting to note that in our current situation and in past events that we’re taught about “religious wars.” That offends me even more. The term. I once had a history professor (total pacifist) who said that no war was ever started because of religion. I think he’s right. It’s about struggle for power. If it were about religion, there would be no wars. It’s the power. The more I study history (currently in a class studying Early Modern Europe) the more this point is reinforced.

Abortion and euthanasia
I’m probably one of the biggest anti-abortion liberals ever. It feels wrong to me, especially when there are so many alternatives. Life isn’t supposed to hand us what we want, it hands us… well, that’s a whole other conversation. As for euthanasia, I don’t know how I feel about it to say much at all.

Televangelists
Haha. Ever see that Osteen fellow? Sometimes I’m flicking through the channels, and I stop to watch him. He seriously creeps me out. It’s like a blank slate. I sometimes also stop on the religious channel (not sure of the name) to watch the nuns reciting. They always seem so bored. I would have thought that nuns would be more passionate.

Close-minded self-righteousness
Haha. Throughout my years, I have talked with many people. A lot of people mention religion when they talk about “close-minded self-righteousness,” and I must say that I’m lucky. I talk to religious people all the time, less so since I haven’t had time being in school, but it happens. Especially at work (great place, eh?). Everyone I have ever talked to has been amazing helping me with my own questions on the spiritual quest. Always willing to point me in a direction but never coming off like their way is the only way. I’m sure it’s the way they think is right, but they listen, and never make me feel like it’s the only way for me. With one exception. My cousin’s father. She’s struggled a lot with religion thanks to his “you’re going to hell unless you’re predestined not to” Calvinism. Every time I’m around the guy he creeps me out, and yes, he is self-righteous and close-minded.

Child pornography and the people who consume it
It goes without saying. Child abuse and pornography are the very definition of the killing of innocence. We struggle so much in our teenage years and adulthood that this is the ultimate wrong in my eyes. I can’t begin to understand it.

Beastiality
I don’t really understand sex with animals, either. What’s the emotional/spiritual connection in that?

The smell of raw fish
I like sushi, so we don’t agree here I’m sure.

Compulsive liars
I’m a compulsive liar, but always in jest and it’s realized in the moment. I had a girl at work completely convinced that I am accomplished in ballet. I obviously let her in on the joke, and it was fun. People who lie and never let anyone in on the lie, in my opinion, are pushing the world away or trying to get unneeded attention.

Snobs and condescending people
See the part about close-minded people. My cousin’s father is the very definition of a condescending person. I hate to judge, but fuck… if it looks like a duck.

Death worship
I have never experienced this, and I’m not really sure what you mean.

The news media's tendency to report on stuff that doesn't mean shit to anyone
Like Paris Hilton? Britney Spears? Dogs trapped on ice? I’m with you. The popular media is funny. Sometimes I wonder if politics are even worthy of report anymore. See the part about compulsive liars (or should we use the less offensive word of manipulators here?).

About 90-95% of all that's shown on MTV
Once upon a time, I was an MTV whore, and now, I never watch it. Last time I watched it, I DVRed the MTV Video Awards so I could see Britney’s performance. I hated myself for it, but it was so worth it.

Maury Povitch
Reminds me of the days where mom and the sisters sat around the kitchen table watching this show. Every day it was someone trying to figure out if a guy was their baby daddy or not. Always offensive.

Television ads that insult the intelligence
I love DVR and being able to buy shows on DVD. I hate commercials, period. I’m a marketing student, and I hate commercials. Go figure.

Smash Mouth
LMFAO. I can’t say Smash Mouth offends me, per se. I will say that they most definitely offend these ears. To each their own, I guess.

[Matheus]

A few things that offend me:

"Lazy" parents.
I cannot stand parents who are not invested in the well-being of their children. It disgusts me. I have so many relatives who are too busy doing their drugs rather than raising their children. The outcomes have been less than stellar to say the least. It's sad. I wrote a paper back in Sociology about the book Home Alone America. It was interesting. I do not think people should have kids unless they're willing to love them, to nurture them, and to teach them. Life is hard enough without love, nurture, and some sort of direction. If you aren't capable then adopt them out to people who can. Unfortunately, it's an ideal, and it makes me feel judgmental, but I can't help it. I've seen way to many great children getting fucked up and ending up in a bad state.

Blind hatred.
Blanket statements or hatred towards people based on pre-conceived notions and/or ignorance. It disgusts me.

American Idol.
I am guilty of watching on occasion, but I don't really get the point of the show. It's called American Idol, but it's a singing competition. I don't understand the concept. Being an idol and singing ability are completely separate.

College.
I'm doing it, and I have to say, there are many times that I think to myself, what's the fucking point? It is the biggest scam on the face of the planet. Once upon a time, people went to university to gain an education, and now, one goes to university to get a job.

My short list to add to yours.