We're not quite ready to talk about collecting affordable art yet. This posting is just about art--and how we respond to it.
A friend told me that a sculpture she saw on a trip to Denmark, 30 years ago when she was a teenager, still haunts her. It was a seated dummy. His forehead was dented and scarred. Directly opposite him was a big round bell. Every few minutes, the dummy would leap up and bang his head against the bell, then settle back into his previous position. As my friend and her family moved on to other exhibits, they would hear that bell ring and know that the scars on the dummy's forehead were getting deeper and deeper.
When I heard that story, I became haunted by it, by how the dummy brought the pain on itself by standing up and "willingly" taking more and more blows. I suspect there's a lesson here.
That's one of the things I love about good art: it stays with you. You experience it and draw your own unique meanings from it, meanings that might be quite different from the artist's intent, meanings that might change for you over time. Christine Van Doren, a graduate of the Simmons arts administration program, is an avid museum and gallery goer. She says, "Sometimes I am focused on patterns, shapes, and color; other times I am focused on the history behind the art or the way it was made. I am greatly affected by aesthetics, time, and place, and have a connection to art that makes me feel more in tune with my feelings and thoughts, more open minded and creative."
What does art do for you? Have you encountered unforgettable works of art?
I have art by Robert Wells (www.robertlivseywells.com/w_bio.html) that has made it impossible for me to see the sky the way I did before I saw his paintings 25 years ago. John Biggers' (www.tfaoi.com/aa/5aa/5aa200.htm) representations of black Americans living in shacks call to my mind more immediately an aspect of life that I was aware of, but fortunately didn't live personally. The cramped contemporary "journal" drawings by Martin Wilner (www.bravinlee.com/artists/wilner/index.html) make me think about the overheard random conversations of strangers in a new way.
Although these particular works of art are out of the price range for this blog, we'll be discovering many others that cost $250 or less--sometimes a lot less. (Check out info below.) So, if you think you might want to start collecting original art, keep watching (and leaving your comments on) this site to find out how to do it.
_______________
The affordable artwork on this post is by Jennifer Kapnek (www.jenniferkapnek.com). Bright Green Study costs only $45. The blue one, Shadow of the Fish, is $250. Both are painted on wood. Neither needs to be framed. I've never met Jennifer, but she has been quite helpful discussing her art with me via email: fineart@jenniferkapnek.com.
Hi Lynette,
Enjoyed your article "How Art Moves Us". I agree with you that art must move you and you never know what you will move you and how. Sometimes it the medium, sometimes the space that it is displayed or the artist and the colors they chose.
Growing up in NYC I found myself repeatedly going to the Guggenheim and MOMA (Metropolitan Museum Of Art) and of course the Museum of Natural History. My biggest thrill was to visit Paris and visit the Louvre and seeing the Mona Lisa in person. I also appreciate sculpture. Nothing was more stunning to me than when I saw viewed Micheal Angelo's Pieta. To see the hard marble looked like draped fabric fascinated me.
My all time favorite piece of art was a painting a friend of mine created. The name of the painting was Neptune's Eye. It was an explosion of color and movement and each time I looked at it, I saw something new and different. In fact I need to give her a call and see how she is doing.
Blog you later!
Gorgeous!
Love your article. Keep up the good work
Lynette,
Beautiful blog. This is a much needed topic. I have always loved art in all forms. I thought there was no way I could ever afford to have original art in my home. Please keep this info coming. I thought my only option was to buy cheap prints of art on the web.
I have also been haunted by an art exhibit. Several years ago my husband and I visited the Musuem of Modern Art in Montreal, Canada. The exhibition was quite disturbing and I never forgot it. Loud robust moaning sounds were coming from the lower level of the museum. The were bekoning us it seems. When we arrived at the exhibit, I let out a little yelp. Behind the plexiglass was an elderly man with a long flowing beard sitting naked on a tree stump in what appeared to be a staged forest scene. He never moved, not even an inch!! He would only blink occassionally. Moans and sighing sounds were recorded and played continuously. Children and adults made faces at him and he remained stoic. We were told he would sit like that all day without a break. My husband and I couldn't walk away and we didn't "get it" either. Haunting nonetheless. I still wonder if he got leg cramps,if he was thirsty or hungry and most importantly, how in the world did he relief himself.
Ava Carder
Lynette, I enjoyed the article and look forward to learning about collecting affordable art. I have a close friend who recently had her first open studio. I was so excited for her and thrilled to see so many of her art works (two of which I hope to own, if I can only get her to sell them to me!). It seems that whenever I’m around art, my “thinking” deepens. I’m always fascinated by the drive in people to express and interpret and also by the endless ways to do both. It’s important to support creativity in ourselves and in each other. Many thanks for helping to keep me connected!
P.S. I like Jennifer Kaprek’s work.
Lynette:
In your research are you finding that artists of "affordable art" are struggling in this economy? Are they using other channels besides Open Studios and galleries? I wonder if these historically revenue generating events are now being used as networking and if artists are using online channels like facebook and etsy to generate sales. Yes, these are things that keep me up at night. :-)
Thank you for sharing your favorite artists.