Painting Styles

Minimalism 

Minimalism is unique in all artistic expressions.  In simple terms, it means art that rejects the need for social comment, self-expression, narrative or any other allusion to history, politics or religion.  It is based on creating beautiful objects.  Minimalists reduced their work to the smallest number of colors, values, shapes, lines and textures. By distilling their works to the most basic forms and colors, practicing artists created works like nothing seen before.  These paintings and sculptures were enjoyed for their pureness and cleanness.  Nothing but the “bare-bones” of a subject was portrayed.

Probably the most important part of the history of Minimalism is that it is uniquely American-born.  The movement was a reaction to the formal, pretentious abstract paintings of the Abstract Expressionism movement.  Its origins are credited to the works of Frank Stella when he exhibited his “Black Paintings” at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, in 1959.  Then, in 1966, a group exhibition in New York entitled “Primary Structures” was a key element in the history of the movement.

Minimalism usually employs designs that are precise and hard-edged.  Geometric forms, often in repetitious patterns and solid planes of color, are all hallmarks of Minimalism.  Color plays a huge part in the works—normally cool hues, unmixed or combined, straight from the tube.  Mathematically drawn grids and the use of industrial materials were common.  The purpose of these materials and practices was to remove all evidence of the artist’s hand in the creation of the work.  The idea was to offer work that could be seen at its basic physical appearance and appreciated at face value—nothing deeper and no hidden meanings, just pure design and simplicity.

Artists who participated in the Minimalist movement included Frank Stella, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Morris, Sol LeWitt and others.  They all came to Minimalism after experiencing other styles of work.

Frank Stella first studied at Princeton University and then moved to New York and became a house painter.  In 1959 he began painting in a Minimalist style by experimenting with solid blocks of color and pattern with no visible brush strokes.  Later in his career, his work took on more Art Deco characteristics as a result of his interest in such style.  His latest works have a sculptural form, as they include three-dimensional aspects and more color.

Donald Judd started his art career as an art critic for Arts Magazine.  He first experimented with painting, but settled on sculpture in the 1960’s.  The work he is most known for is his box arrangements.  His first works were of wood and later included industrially manufactured metal boxes.  In the early 1970’s his work became more monumental, with works displayed outside.  At this time he moved his studio from New York to Texas, where he bought and converted an army base into his personal studio.

Ellsworth Kelly led the way in hard-edge paintings.  It was his reaction to the Abstract Expressionism movement in the 1950’s.  His paintings were very concise and simple—often sets of panels, each a different color.  Kelly was also the first artist to use shaped canvases, and he created prints and sculptures as well.

Robert Morris was a leading advocate of Minimal art.  He also pioneered other movements including Conceptual Art, Land art and Performance art.  Remarkably, he also had time to become a sculptor, working in large geometric shapes.

Sol LeWitt’s career took a leap in the 1960’s when he adopted Minimal art in his sculpture.  He joined Morris with his involvement in Conceptual art and Land art.  His most memorable sculpture work involved the creation of a large metal cube that he buried underground and then documented the slow disappearance of the material.  He wrote extensively on Conceptual art and was also a printmaker.  Sol LeWitt died on April 8 at age 78.

Many other artists were involved with the Minimalism movement.  Its roots were deep within the artistic community and still influence the work of up-and-coming artists.  Simplicity, clean line and an economy of materials interest an ever-increasing number of artists to this day. 

Minimalism questioned the nature of art and its place in society.  It was considered by many critics as unapproachable and void of humanity, but some saw it as revolutionary in concept and aesthetically strong. In whichever light you see it, Minimalism remains one of the strongest of all American art movements.  It endures and is enjoyed by a huge contingent of the public as well as a growing number of artists and designers.

Minimalism/Postminimalism may be viewed at the Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR, through May 13.  The exhibition showcases printmaking, an integral part of Minimalist and post-Minimalist practice.  Nearly 130 prints, with several multiples by 21 artists, are on view.  Included are screenprints, lithographs and etchings by Mel Bochner, Donald Judd, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold, Brice Marden, Agnes Martin, Dorothea Rockburne, Robert Ryman, Richard Serra, Frank Stella, and Richard Tuttle, among others.

Competitions

AARP 2008 Calendar
AARP Foundation

Attention seniors who are members of AARP!  The Foundation is looking for exceptional artwork from members to feature in its 2008 calendar with the theme “America:  From Sea to Shining Sea.”  Eligible are original paintings in oil, acrylic or watercolor.  Fourteen winning artworks will be exhibited at the AARP Life@50+ National Event & Expo in Boston in September.  Call 888-687-2277 or go to www.aarp.org/calendarcontest.  Deadline:  May 31.

National Watercolor Society
87^th Annual Exhibition
City of Brea Art Gallery
Brea, CA
October 13 – Dec. 9

Eligibility is open to all artists.  Paintings must be primarily water-based media on a paper surface and unvarnished.  Other media, if used, must be in conjunction with the water media.  No digital media, photography, prints or reproductions.  Artists may submit one slide only.  There will be over $25,000 in purchase, cash and merchandise awards.  For info or prospectus, call 714.974.6173; or visit www.nws-online.org.  Deadline:  June 9.

35^th Annual Open Juried Exhibition
Pastel Society of America
National Arts Club
New York, NY
Sept. 7 – 30

Approximately 200 pastel paintings will be selected from over 1,300 entries that come from all over the U.S. and the world.  All artists may enter the competition, but works done in a school or under instructor supervision will be rejected.  All subjects and styles are eligible, from traditional to contemporary, in soft pastels only.  More than $20,000 in prizes will be awarded.  Call 212.533.6931 or download a prospectus at www.pastelsocietyofamerica.org.  Deadline:  July 10.

Art Destinations

New York, NY – The Big Apple

As an art destination, few cities compare to New York City for volume, content and variety of attractions.  First on the list is the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53^rd St. (212-708-9400). It is home to the largest collection of artwork created between 1880 and the present and is also an architectural wonder.  It is dedicated to being the foremost museum of modern art in the world.  Their concept of “creating a dialogue between the established and the experimental, the past and the present, in an environment that is responsive to the issues of modern and contemporary art, while being accessible to a public that ranges from scholars to young children” makes the experience a “must see.”  www.Moma.org.

Children’s Museum of the Arts, 182 Lafayette St., between Broome and Grand Streets, 212-941-9198 or 212-274-9086.  Included in the museum are lots of interactive workshops for kids, from art creation like puppet making to storytelling by the “Brothers Grin.”  The Children’s Museum of the Arts is a great family destination with lots to do and see and ways to engage children of all ages.  www.cmany.org.

Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 W. 83^rd St., 212-721-1234. Loaded with interactive activities and excitement, this is a great family destination that will keep youngsters busy and interested. It focuses on early childhood education, creativity and healthy lifestyles. www.cmom.org.

New Museum of Contemporary Art, 583 Broadway, 212-219-1222.  This museum focuses on experimental ideas and exhibits portraying the development of emerging artists.  The extensive collection includes unusual abstract art from around the world.   www.newmuseum.org

International Center for Photography, 1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43^rd St., 212-857-0000. This site is a combination museum, school and center for display, devoted to photographers and the art of photography.  Exhibits change often and the variety is astonishing.  Old and new methods and techniques are exhibited. Subjects and presentation make the changing exhibits very enjoyable. www.icp.org.

National Museum of the American Indian, The George Gustav Heye Center, One Bowling Green, 212-668-6624.  This museum is dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of the cultures and history of the native peoples of the Americas.  Through an extensive collection that includes archaeological objects from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, they convey their interest and devotion to preservation.  There are also film and video archives and contemporary prints and negatives that bolster the collection’s reputation.  www.si.edu/nmai/.

For architectural buffs, don’t miss The Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Place (at Nassau St.), 212-968-1961.  Founded in 1996, The Skyscraper Museum is a private, not-for-profit, educational corporation devoted to the study of high-rise building.  Past, present and future are explored.  This educational site is one that should be high on the list for architectural students and designers.  www.skyscraper.org.

Museum of Arts and Design, 40 West 53^rd St., 212-956-3535.  This museum focuses on all aspects of crafts.  Decorative and functional crafts are featured, including materials, the processes involved and designs of projects.  Huge variety is their strong suit, making this a stop well worth the time for all interested in the history and creation of crafts in America.  www.madmuseum.org.

American Folk Art Museum , 45 West 53^rd St., 212-265-1040.  Imagine 4,000 works of folk art in one location!  And the location is an eight-story museum that is full to overflowing with folk art of every description.  Fun and interesting for the entire family.  www.folkartmuseum.org.

If you are headed for New York City, this is just a tiny list of the myriad options for the visual stimulation associated with art and creativity.  When you plan your trip, visit the websites for further information and enjoy!

Paper

Sketching Paper and Pads

When you need a sketch pad or papers you have a vast selection from which to choose.  There are many qualities of paper, many sizes and a wide range of colors at your disposal.  Depending on the medium you are using, the paper aisle at the local retailer is like being in a candy store.  So many choices!  And every one offers possibilities.  Following are a few of the products with brief descriptions to help you in your decisions.

Sketch pads come in several forms.  Binding varies from glued to spiral or bound.  The pull-away sheets of a glued binding are favored by many because there is no loss of sheet size.   Spiral binding is very sturdy and can withstand transport very well.  Each sheet is removed in one of two ways:  You can tear away from the spirals or tear at tiny perforations just below the spirals, creating a clean sheet. 

Bound book sketch pads are the most elegant and costly, but will last a lifetime.  They make wonderful trip journals where you can sketch, draw, use very slightly damp watercolor, and then write notes about the location.  Many artists create images in a journal on every trip they take, ending a life with a pictorial, written documentary of their travels.  Bound sketch pads are perfect for this type of long-term, lifelong use and storage. 

Borden & Riley manufactures several high quality, acid-free sketch pads that can be used for a variety of dry media.  They even offer a pad specially created for use with markers and other wet media line tools.  Other pads include cotton papers, rough and smooth qualities, micro-perforations and more—all well worth investigation. Visit www.bordenandriley.com.

Strathmore is a long-time leader in the manufacture of fine quality paper pads for all applications.  Their drawing and sketching pads are offered in a wide range of weights, colors and textures; and now they even offer a 100% Windpower produced paper that contains 30% post-consumer fiber and is acid-free.  Now that is forward thinking and makes artists feel great by supporting a cleaner environment! Strathmore also offers a great selection of single sheets in varying weights and surface qualities in larger sizes.  In addition, they market several lines of stationery that can be used with all sketching materials.  Visit www.strathmoreartist.com.

Savoir Faire offers a line of elegant artists’ papers including papers created using 2,000 year old techniques.  These papers are still manufactured in the traditional way and brought to market by Savoir Faire.  Colors and textures are subtle and alluring.  In the department of rigid papers with bright colors (especially great for pastel and chalk work) there is no better selection than Fabriano Elle Erre.  The tones and great texture make these sheets perfect for a wide range of artistic applications.  Savoir Faire’s line of papers also includes stationery items well suited for dry media work.  Visit www.savoirfaire.com.

Art Events

Kids and Kites Festival
Lawn of Museum of Science & Industry
Chicago, IL
May 5 - 10a.m. to 3p.m.

At Mayor Daley’s semi-annual festival free paper kite kits—that you can make and decorate—will be provided for people of all ages; or bring your own special kite to fly.  Professionals will be on hand to show you how it’s done and families can enjoy entertainment, face painting and more.

Grand Opening Weekend
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle, WA
Special Exhibition Gallery
May 5-6 - 10a.m. to 9p.m.

The Seattle Art Museum will be open for 35 hours straight as it kicks off the grand opening of the newly expanded downtown facility.  Come in the wee hours of the morning to experience SAM in a completely unique way.  Festivities will include live dance and music performances, art activities for kids and adults, photos with Sammy the Camel, sale of limited-edition gifts designed by Olympic Sculpture Park artists and refreshments.  Admission is free all weekend, but will require entry tickets with specific times.  Tickets will be available onsite only on May 5 and 6, not in advance.

Mother’s Day Out
Images of Women from the Exhibition Femme, femme, femme
New Orleans Museum of Art
New Orleans, LA
May 13 - 2p.m.

Spend an afternoon with your mother at NOMA by listening to a lecture by Victoria Cooke discussing the extraordinary roles of women as seen in the exhibition Femme, femme, femme:  Paintings of Women in French Society from Daumier to Picasso from the Museums of France (on view through June 3).  In honor of Mother’s Day, the focus will be on images of women as they are depicted in their various roles—from parenting and raising children to participating in the workforce to enjoying leisure time.

SOFA New York
The Park Avenue Armory
New York, NY
June 1-3

The International Exposition of Sculpture Objects & Functional Art showcases masterworks that bridge design, decorative and fine art.  A special featured exhibit is MAGMA:  Contemporary Icelandic Design, a reflection of the vibrant art and design scene in Iceland today.

Airbrush

Quick Tips

The Table-Top Cleaning Station – Cleaning the airbrush without sending overspray into the environment has been a challenge confronted by the airbrush artist for years. This has been solved in a multitude of ways, both simplistic and amazingly complex.  Now the development of the new Iwata Table-Top Cleaning Station has provided a simple and effective solution to the problem. The Cleaning Station consists of a 24 oz. (700cc) glass container with a screw-on top that has both an airbrush hanger and a filter.  Just spray into the easy-to-clean container and overspray is eliminated. The airbrush hanger attaches to the cap to hold your airbrush in place while cleaning or when not being used.  Included with the station are two extra filters as well as a metal handle that attaches to the cap for easy portability.  The cleaning station weighs less than two pounds and takes up only inches of space.  It comes in a plastic container with a screw-on top that can be handy for storing airbrush parts. See your retailer and visit www.iwata-medea.com.

Handheld Templates – The term “handheld templates” usually refers to those designed to be moved around the work surface in the development of an image.  Rather than being an exact image of an exact size, they are more a component that can be sprayed along to develop a specific shape.  When using a template of an exact image, artists are restricted to a particular size; but with a handheld template they can work in any scale desired. 

Artool has developed an array of handheld templates that provide artists with a large selection from which to choose.  Since these are not adhered to the work surface, they can be moved around in conjunction with spraying to develop interesting shapes; and they can be held either tight to the surface for hard edges or off the surface for more muted, softer edges.  As you can see, handheld templates are not the entire picture but instead provide a variety of shapes that can be incorporated into developing a picture.  See your retailer and visit www.artoolproducts.com.

Shooting from the Hip – The person who works with a spray gun is experienced in the method of triggering it like a pistol — holding onto the handle and pulling on the trigger located below the spray gun.  This is a totally different feel from the traditional method of triggering an airbrush from the top.  With the recent development of Iwata’s pistol grip airbrushes—triggered identically to a spray gun—the painter can now easily make a transition from spray gun to airbrush for fine Kustom automotive spray.  Check out the new Iwata Kustom Series line, which includes both bottom feed and gravity feed brushes, at your local retail store or online at www.iwata-medea.com.

ArtPourri

Honorees Named – The Bard Graduate Center has announced the recipients of the Eleventh Annual Iris Foundation Awards:  Liliane H. Stewart, Henry Hawley, Barry Bergdoll, and Eric N. Shrubsole.  The awards were created in 1997 to recognize scholars, patrons and professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the study and appreciation of the decorative arts as expressions of taste, ideology and cultural aspirations.

New Galleries Opened – The opening of a new complex of Hellenistic, South Italian, Etruscan and Roman galleries completes the reinstallation of the permanent galleries of the Dept. of Greek and Roman Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.  This new wing houses some 5,300 objects in more than 30,000 square feet and concludes a 15-year project for the complete redesign and reinstallation of the Museum’s extraordinary collection of classical art.

NEA News – The NEA has announced grant awards totaling $1,360,000 through the Challenge America Reaching Every Community Fast-track grant program.  One hundred thirty-six grants of $10,000 each will be given to primarily small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations.  Visit www.nea.gov for details.

Forces Unite – On March 16 about 400 fully functional USPS mail collection boxes decorated as the beloved Star Wars character R2-D2 appeared on street corners from coast to coast.  This was just the beginning of a campaign to honor the 30^th anniversary of Star Wars.  A commemorative sheet of 15 new 41-cent postage stamps featuring images from all six movies in the saga will be released on May 25 at the 30^th Anniversary Star Wars Celebration IV at the Los Angeles Convention Center (May 24-27). Vote for your favorite image (only through May 23) online at www.uspsjedimaster.com; the winning stamp will be issued as a single stamp to go on sale later this summer.  Renowned artist Drew Struzan designed the Star Wars series.  May the force be with you!

New Work Acquired – The Hirshhorn Museum has acquired a new work by Yoko Ono, Wish Tree for Washington D.C.  During the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, visitors were asked to write down wishes and tie them to one of 10 trees in the area.  The museum’s tree, a white Japanese flowering dogwood, will be the only one to remain in Washington as a permanent installation, a gift from the artist.  Wishes from trees around the world will be gathered to create Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower, to be inaugurated in October in Iceland.

Exhibitions:

Stockbridge, MA – Norman Rockwell Museum – Picturing Health:  Norman Rockwell and the Art of Illustration offers a rare glimpse at paintings by Rockwell from the Pfizer Collection that are among the finest examples of the artist’s imagery for advertising.  These explore the subjects of the doctor/patient relationship, physical fitness, and health and healing across the generations; and are accompanied by original works exploring similar themes by today’s most prominent visual commentators.  Through May 28.

Phoenix, AZ – Phoenix Art Museum – Curves of Steel:  Streamlined Automobile Design is the first exhibit in an art museum to present and explore the impact and influence of streamlining and the science of aerodynamics on automobile design. Approximately 22 spectacular classic automobiles exemplify the elegant designs created from the 1930’s through the end of the 20^th century in both America and Europe.  Special admission fee.  Through June 3.

Saint Petersburg, FL – Salvador Dali Museum – Dali & the Spanish Baroque presents Spanish master paintings alongside works by Dali from the Museum’s permanent collection.  The exhibit seeks to demonstrate an important aspect of Dali’s approach to painting and its pictorial language, which is the incorporation of elements from Baroque painting.  Through June 24.

SIGN UP - FREE ARTtalk e-Newsletter©
Search all of ARTtalk!!

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 17 No. 7 — May 2007