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Off-topic - which artists do you like?
About open air exhibits: In Arch of Triumph: A Novel of a Man Without a Country there is a great line about how Egyptian artifacts are fine in closed museums but Greek statues fit best out in the open under the sky, in the fresh air and wind. i couldn't agree more. There is a great museum and open air exhibition in Provence: http://www.fondation-maeght.com/index...
Gill are you perhaps thinking of this in Sweden?:
Milles Gården
http://www.millesgarden.se/
Or perhaps this in Denmark:
Louisiana
http://www.louisiana.dk/udstilling/sk...
Another open air park that is beautiful is located in Antwerp, Belgium
Middelheim-hoog
http://www.middelheimmuseum.be/Museum...
There are so many great ones all over the place. I like walking around outside seeing art! That is the best.
Thanks, Chrissie. Yes, it's Louisiana. I could only remember that it ended in Ana which made looking for it pretty tricky!It was the 1960s when I went there, and I still remember what a fantastic initial experience it was. I had never seen anything like it before. The sensation of walking through the gardens with sculptures in, is very very clear in my memory.
Thanks so much!
Adding that, it's strange, because I've only stayed in Denmark once, but I know I've been to Louisiana twice. The first time was with my mother in 1962, when we were staying in Sweden. I guess we must have gone to Denmark by ferry for a day. The second visit was in 1967, with a friend when we visited Sweden and Denmark.
Gill, glad I could help.I love Milles Gården. My dentist was nearby so I always treated myself to a visit after that!
Great links, thanks Chrissie :)Were you a student abroad, Gill, or did I (mis)read that in? What subject did you study? I don't think you've done a "my reading journey" have you, so you are a woman of mystery! I'm not even absolutely sure what your job was.
I like the Louisiana sculpture garden best from the photos :)
Ah, but only if you know what you're looking for Chrissie! It's about knowing what question to ask. The latest mystery novel (final Inspector Morse) I read informed me that this is called the "Socratic dialectic"! LOL
I went to Louisiana last year Gill, and really enjoyed it. They have a brilliant video channel by the way with documentaries and interviews with artists http://channel.louisiana.dk/.I love sculpture, both classic and contemporary, and I really like when sculptures are placed in a city environment or landscape, so you get to live with them. I love the work of Antony Gormely and of Juan Munoz for exactly that reason. I think their strength lies less in the the individual beauty of their sculptures, but in the relationship they build between sculpture, environment and most of all viewer. So I guess this is where both of them build the bridge to installation art. This one is by Antony Gormely and it is merely a man looking out at the sea, sometimes up to his neck in water, sometimes just looking at the shore depending on the tide. There's something really powerful about this to me:
(it is copied from a blog, since it has pin-it add-ons, I assume copying is encouraged. She took a whole series of pictures of the Iron Men by Gormley: http://lemonloves.co.uk/tag/sea/Juan Munoz is similar in his way of making you part of the piece of art. There's a nice article about him from 2008 in the Guardian, and I remember taking forever to make it across the room the article depicts (I saw it in a museum in Porto) because I was so intimidated by that figure on the wall (and the floor that makes you distrust your balance due to it's pattern) http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008...
Another great city for sculptures is Prague, particularly if you like contemporary art. Running into an odd David Cerny sculpture there at least once a day really is quite entertaining, despite the fact that you may not want them in your living room from an asthetic point of view. How much the Czech like to make fun of themselves is nicely illustrated by the sculpture of two man peeing a puddle in the shape of the Czech republic right outside the Kafka museum. They are of course peeing famous literary quotes by czech authors (or so I've been told).
Jean wrote: "Great links, thanks Chrissie :)Were you a student abroad, Gill, or did I (mis)read that in? What subject did you study? I don't think you've done a "my reading journey" have you, so you are a wom..."
No, I always studied in England, my degree was in Economics, but I never used it. I did have a place for postgraduate work in Uppsala, Sweden, but I didn't get a grant so couldn't do the course. Now that would have altered the course of my life!
We have statues of people with briefcases etc standing on street corners and in the Bourke Street mall in Melbourne. It's embarrassing when you bump in one and apologize!
or this:
But my favorites are the classic sculptures.
A few years ago there was this art installation in Richmond of Mao in an acrobatic dance on Lenin's head:-(I wasn't able to post the image :( )
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tTCyS07dYVs...
Antony Gormley is also one of my favourites. This was a very good documentary about him. He usually uses himself as the cast for his pieces, which I hadn't realised before, and so those with multiple figures, perhaps looking off the top of tall buildings or amassed on a beach, are particularly tiring for him.I like his "cloud in a box."
And in this book Belief, a whole chapter is devoted to him expounding on his beliefs about whether there is a God, and other such major questions. I found him refreshingly down to earth.
I love statues that make you laugh and that are set right in among people. In Brussels the is one of a dog peeing on a light-post. At this museum (http://www.fondationfolon.be/collecti...) there is a statue of a man holding an umbrella and it is only raining UNDER the umbrella. Foulon does many illustrations for children's books and they are all magical. Surreal Belgian style.
Me too, Chrissie. And I'd love to see those surreal statues :DThe only trouble is that now with street theatre, and "living statues," I can easily be fooled by a circus performer spray-painted silver, for instance. And then for some reason my pediophobia kicks in and I get all twitchy...
Jenny - However do these "living statues" stay still for so long? Do they think great thoughts - or recite poetry internally, perhaps? It seems even worse than what Antony Gormley puts himself through with his swathes of bandages and plaster-of-paris up to the neck! They must be incredibly disciplined, anyway! Suffering for their Art, like dancers' corns?
Jean wrote: "Me too, Chrissie. The only trouble is that now with street theatre, and "living statues," I can easily be fooled by a circus performer spray-painted silver, for instance. And then for some reason m..."Jean, the one's from 'Another Place' on the beach at Crosby luckily aren't actually alive, but as far as the living ones go: this year a good friend of mine had to stay entirely still with eyes closed for 20 minutes and he was panicking before every performance. I guess you have to find a way to turn it into an meditation practice.
I guess that might be a way, yes, Jenny!Those cast-iron figures, 100 of which are on the beach at Crosby, (and many other installations) are the ones which Antony Gormley himself was the original for, swathed in bandages and plaster-of-paris to make the cast.
He must have dreaded the phone ringing while he waited for the plaster to set :D
Jenny wrote: "...I love sculpture, both classic and contemporary, and I really like when sculptures are placed in a city environment or landscape, so you get to live with them. I love the work of Antony Gormely and of Juan Munoz for exactly that reason. I think their strength lies less in the the individual beauty of their sculptures, but in the relationship they build between sculpture, environment and most of all viewer. So I guess this is where both of them build the bridge to installation art..."I am just now catching up with this discussion & would recommend Seattle as another American city with sculpture. I was very impressed when I visited there several years ago... here is a snapshot I took:
I loved the way the art was also a playground for those teens!
Any idea who the artist was, Leslie? I'm wondering what it's made from. I guess it must be steel, as plastic wouldn't have the strength - and would just deteriorate too quickly.
Jean wrote: "Any idea who the artist was, Leslie? I'm wondering what it's made from. I guess it must be steel, as plastic wouldn't have the strength - and would just deteriorate too quickly."I don't recall off the top of my head. There is a sculpture garden in Seattle but I am pretty sure that this was located near the Space Needle...
Leslie wrote: "Jenny wrote: "...I love sculpture, both classic and contemporary, and I really like when sculptures are placed in a city environment or landscape, so you get to live with them. I love the work of A..."How fun!! Practical art!
Hey I just spent ages trying to find this thread! I'd thought it would be under "non-fiction" just as books on "Science/Nature" etc all have their own threads.But I accept that discussing actual works of Art is not quite the same as discussing books on Art. On the other hand, we usually end up discussing the ideas in the Science, Philosophy, Psychology etc threads too. It's a bit of a moot point. Should it be considered "off-topic" or not?
(I'm very pleased that you set it up though Gill, even if I did lose it for a while!)
Perhaps we need 2? One for off-topic chat, and one for books about Art. But then we already have the "Illustrated Books" thread. Hmm.
What I actually wanted to say was that I've just finished reading Impressionist Women by Edward Lucie-Smith. It's a wonderful book! Igave it 5*Here's my review
Does anyone else like the paintings of Edward Hopper?Perhaps his best known painting is 'Nighthawks'.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighth...
Jean wrote: "Hey I just spent ages trying to find this thread! I'd thought it would be under "non-fiction" just as books on "Science/Nature" etc all have their own threads.But I accept that discussing actual ..."
There is a thread in Non-fiction for art & literary criticism books, located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
How did I miss that one?! Thanks very much, Leslie ;)
Gill wrote: "Does anyone else like the paintings of Edward Hopper?Perhaps his best known painting is 'Nighthawks'.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighth..."
I do like Hopper - his most famous works have an almost photographic quality but he also did some lovely watercolors of New England (mostly Maine) early in his career. Here is one of a Maine lighthouse:
Wow! That is stunning. I could definitely believe that was a photo in the thumbnail
This is my photo from the Holocaust Memorial Park in Budapest. Each leaf on the weeping willow tree is inscribed with the name of a different Hungarian Jew who was murdered in the Holocaust.The sculptor is Imre Varga.
Gill ,Thanks do much for this - beautiful and moving .
Mod
What a poignant, unforgettable image, Gill
Have just discovered this thread (been offline for a bit) and am discovering some new artists in the process! Those sculpture parks look amazing - I'll have to try and get to the one in yorkshire at least.@ Jenny - I'm not a fan of Anthony Gormely as I can't forgive him for the angel of the north but I kind of like those chaps on the beach looking out to sea so I've softened towards him a bit now thanks to you ;)
Are we including buildings in this discussion or is that making it too broad?? If we are then I'd like to mention Antoni Gaudi's work which totally blew me away when I visited Barcelona a few years ago - absolutely beautiful.
Some sculptures I saw today at Henry Moore's home
Gill wrote: "Does anyone else like the paintings of Edward Hopper?Perhaps his best known painting is 'Nighthawks'.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighth..."
Hopper is one of my favorite artists, along with Andy Warhol. I know... very different styles, but I love them both equally.
And just to give you an idea of the scale, here's part of that last one again...
Dwayne wrote: "Gill wrote: "Does anyone else like the paintings of Edward Hopper?Perhaps his best known painting is 'Nighthawks'.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighth..."
Hopper is one of my ..."
I am very much with you on Hopper! Infact I made a comment on the poetry chat thread yesterday about a recent discovery of mine: Hopper by poet Mark Strand.
Wow Jean. They are very impressive statues and really beautiful
I loved it there Heather - there were so many I'll be sure to go back to reach the "outer limits" :)
Good to see these again as I also visited Perry Green this July. For those who like Moore, I would also recommend Tate Britain and AGO in Toronto.
It was a long overdue visit, Suzanne. And you have provided me with the perfect excuse to visit the Tate Britain again, as I can't remember many there... We didn't see all of the ones at Perry Green - there are about 50 of the monumental ones apparently :)
There is a Turner exhibition on at the Tate which I want to go to soon. I've always loved Turner
Ooo thanks for the heads-up Heather :)
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Gill - Yes, please do tell us about that!
I want to go to the Henry Moore Foundation at his home in Perry Green, Herts, link here before the summer ends. We were rained off last time :(
I seem to remember Bretton Hall (next to the Sculpture Park, isn't it?)used to be a teacher training college specialising in Art and Music together. My Art teacher at school wanted me to go there, my English teacher wanted me to go to university; I ignored them both and initially went to Art College... but that's another story