Untitled
1984
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas
81 x 69 14/4 inches
The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection, Los Angeles

well he is the big dog. mister commodity thanks to the help of friends. i have avoided writing about this piece for some time now. it is an amazing memory of mine, actually touching the cradle of this piece.
i was in the high museum of art a few years back...checking out the new exhibit that...exhibited specifically, the Marlyn Monroe prints of Warhol and this piece of Basquiat's. i was drunk and someone dare me to touch the cradle that housed the piece. not the painting itself but the housing. i did it. it may have been the the alcohol, but i felt at that moment that i could understand this messy jumble of beauty.

Burton Callicott, Embrace #4, 1983. Oil on canvas.

Burton Callicott. madela series #1

i am in the processes of writing a paper on spirituality in art. the reason that i am blogging today is because of my lack of understanding on the topic. within the art world today, it has become apparent to me, that the overuse of symbols is over used. as a community, that will cause a change in the way we view spirituality, i say we return to the studies of color and light.
for example i would like to offer the work of Burton Callicott, co-founder and professor at the Memphis College of Art. in his later works, the spiritual presence is in color and light. this is an example of art, that is spiritual without the overbearing connotations that are evident in the symbols that we are so accustomed to. i do not intend to present Callicott's asthetic as the only possible sollution to the question i posed. I intend to present him as one of an endless number of possible solutions that can be found by a extensive study of color and light. within painting, sculpture, drawing, and digital media... there are endless posibilities to express ones spirituality. and i feel that it is important to continue to create art that serves the same porpose as the very first marks on the wall.

confused about meaning

I missed class y'all! Did not try to do that.

we have recently discussed the idea of an art world with out the artist retaining the authorship of the pieces they create.If the author should die...then so shall the art critic. if authorship belongs to the viewer then the art critic has nothing to offer, that is of greater importance than the bum on the corner.
what am i to do when the bum on the street tells me that my painting illustraits the way rats fuck? cry. as an artist and critic i see a need for both to hold authorship. Art that does not educate, inspire or inform is simply intertaining. and who wants that?
i need feed back on this one. any one who can and will respond to this.

snap judgements

man. i really liked this show, mostly because i enjoy seeing African art.at first i viewed this show and enjoyed it. but the second time, on another day it seemed to me that the show missed the point. it was said by the curater that the show represented the whole of Africa, which was problematic because the majority of the artist in the show were not residents of Africa. Not to mention the lack of painting sculpture and other genres of art. it was a show of photos, an art created by Europeans. there were only two pictures of space outside of the cites which mirror life in our own cities. i am not saying that these pieces do not belong in the show. i am saying that in order for there to be a show that represents the whole of anything, it needs to include all components of the person or thing it represents.period

anti drug

I understand that it is important to educate children about drugs. Also, that it is important to assist adults in breaking their habits.Regardless, anti-drug commercials should be banned because they are ineffective, absurd, and a waste of money.
It would be hard to count many times that have viewed a "truth" ad without laughing.
not because of the large pile of body bags, or the people dropping dead in the streets, but because the year is 2008, and any one old enough to understand the commercial, also understands the danger of smoking. i doubt that the pot head on his couch contemplates quiting when he is watching a boy being walled up inside of a weed cocoon! My point is that these ads do not work.a commercial is not going to fix the drug problems of America. There will never be a drug free America.
these ads are absurd because they exaggerate the effects of the drugs. for example, the "this is your brain on drugs" campain...your brain does not look like scrambled eggs when you take drugs...well, with the exception of ecstasy. these ads are absurd because they attack the wrong drugs. what about crack, cocaine, acid,and pill poppers? are we to forget about them? can their souls not be saved my commercials as well? no. why? because these are curious addictions that need serious physical and mental help. the commercials that are on TV now focus on drugs like alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine. all three, i am sure, have there down falls.lol. but what's most important are the crack heads! they are the danger to society, not the pot head on his couch.
this is a waste of our money. tax payers pay money to here things about drugs that they already know. Wouldn't this money be more useful if it purchased more rehabilitation centers, as well as funding more studies of drugs and there effect on America and the world? maybe I'm just bitching.

how i planned to do some class work

For my final presentation in my art criticism class, i would like to discuss present state of spirituality within the art world in contrast to the spirituality of those out side of the art world. My position is that we need a new way of understanding our position within the time and space of the universe. More importantly,that there should be more of this type of work. i feel this way because i understand that from the beginning man has invented his religion in an attempt to explain his conditions. if we understand this, then why should we have settled with our first guess. With the resent discoveries in science, i find it hard to remain within any religious group. although i understand and respect many of our woulds' religions, i find them to be problematic and detrimental to the advancement of mankind. the reason why the art world should be the ones to make a change: people look to the news and to the government and to the church and to schools to tell them all that they need to know. Though i feel that this type of practice is not to be shunned, i have realized that the "rhetoric" is what inspires the pens of their scribes and the "rhetoric that fleas the mouth of their orators. this realization lead me to the conclusion that art, whether it be poetry, music, film, or high art; is the only means for an individual to have complete control over there message. without the need to fit into preexisting religious groups, artist can offer something that would be pure, as the idea admittedly came from the mind of a human and still embodies many of the same positive morals shared world wide. art should be the news! go to the gallery for your politics and world event coverage. have a nice day people...

if you read this far...i think your cool. if you read this far you deserve to get the real plan for my final project. i will discuss the work of fine artist Burton Callicott, in relation to spirituality in art. my position is that, i would simply like to see more spirituality in art. the why; art was originally used for spiritual practices. the cave in Lascaux's, France. in the year 2008, i do not propose that we focus only on the spiritual...for there are many issues that need to be addressed. i only ask that we do not forget. to think beyond the worldly q&a, for the universal truths and testimonies.

there are many ways to respond to a work of art. but what interests me the most about this particular piece, is its tangible quality.
I have viewed more bullshit art from high school than I am comfortable elaborating. This is different. I have viewed thousands of paintings on cardboard, but this is different. There is a tangible permanence draws me to it. I do not know the artist name, or what he or she looks like, but I have found meaning in my ignorance.
It is very common for a work of art to be critiqued out of the original context and without the presence of the artist or an artist statement. Personally, I enjoy the freedom that is granted to the viewer in such a situation. I say this because I feel that sometimes, it can be possible for a viewer to experience a more personal dialogue with the work of art. It was something special about this painting. Or rather, I projected something special on to the painting that made it have more relevance to my state of mind.
When I looked at this painting I felt like the artist and I shared the same…something. It was a mysterious painting. A young man is listening to music underneath a sky of text. He is wearing a sweater.
The sweater lead me to believe that the piece was about warmth and meditation.
The words, for me, represent his conscious and unconscious self.
Posted by MammothTuna at 12:52 PM