Whitney Museum of Art
When I visited the Whitney Museum of Art, there were several pieces that appealed to me among the many other great works of art in the museum. I was able to view work from some of my favorite artists, Jackson Pollock and Milton Avery and also artists that I have never heard of yet. I enjoyed interpreting their work.
Trenton Doyle Hancock’s “Rememor with Membry”, is a very unique piece within the gallery. He used acrylic (plastic) on canvas to create this work of art. He used the entire space of the canvas which made the forest emerge when taking a first glance. As you move closer you were able to see the details and the word “rememor” which entices your brain to think you are seeing the word remember. This work depicts the forest from the Legend’s perspective after the forest vegans have punctured the legend with holes. The legend looks up into the trees, and sees the branches, sky and forest floor interlacing with the words rememor and membry which appears to mix together the words remember and memory.
Each new work by Hancock is a contribution to the saga of the Mounds, portraying the birth, life, death, afterlife, and dream states of these half-animal, half-plant creatures. Influenced by abstract expressionism, Hancock transforms color, language, and pattern into opportunities to create new characters, and convey symbolic meaning. This piece caught my eye because of the immense detail with the usage of text and the black and white theme with just a few pieces in a blue-ish color.
Milton Avery’s work combines both abstract and representational elements in his paintings. Seashores and beaches were frequent subjects for Avery. His “Sea Glazers” 1956, uses flattened planes of color and simplified shapes to represent a couple sitting under umbrellas at the beach. Avery is a master of two-dimensional objects, and yet in his scenery of shapes and colors he achieves an immediate sense of space which is natural to the work itself. I feel that his abstractions and representations have achieved a new kind of unity. As I looked at this piece, I felt very relaxed because his use of colors and brushstrokes brings that smooth feeling to your eye. He leaves details and just paints the essential shapes which I feel makes his style unique from other abstract painters. I was drawn into the simplicity of colors and the beach. I was also interested in this piece because it is not one of his most popular, yet I was able to see another gentle minded composition. If I was a painter I think I would use his techniques because I truly enjoy the simple yet attractive outcome of the work.
Jackson Pollock’s designs in his painting have no relation to the shape or size of the canvas. When he would paint he had no fears of making changes or destroying the image because his paintings had a life of their own. In his # 17, 1950 (fireworks) piece enamel and aluminum paint on composition board the paint splatter resembles a firework. I like how he has a black background (like a night sky) along with the color splatters for the fireworks. I was drawn to this piece of art because I am able to spot Jackson’s work from a far without looking at the tag. I like how he uses objects like sticks or knives to create the lines and shapes in his work. I think when looking at this piece your mind is able to drift in any direction with the many abstract lines and spots on the canvas. Even though many people feel like they could create pieces like his themselves they wouldn’t be able to put themselves into the piece like he is able to do. He works on the floor, so he could get at the canvas at any angle and become part of his creation. His pieces were either praised or dismissed because of the lack of detail and planning that went into them. He lived an unhappy life so I feel this painting were a way for expressing his pain through the many lines and strokes to symbolize his depressed and frustrated thoughts. The dark color theme in this piece could possibly symbolize his anguish which wasn’t known if you didn’t know his life behind the canvas when viewing his art.
David Hammons “Untitled” 1992 sculpture reminded me of a spider and a sea urchin. He created his big sculpture from cover wire and hair. There were stones on the bottom which I believe held in the several long skinny hair covered sticks that were popping out all over. Because he used found objects to create such an abstract piece it worked, Hammons justified his use of such non-art materials; which marked a reaction against what he saw as ‘clean’ art, by pointing to Dada for an example. This sculpture caught my eye because it was so different and hairy; it was shedding on the floor. Since Hammons is centered in the black urban experience, he often uses sarcasm as a means of confronting cultural stereotypes and racial issues. After viewing this piece for several minutes I couldn’t come up with his motive to create this piece, but I do like how he is able to create something unusual out of found tools. The untitled model is very balanced and protrudes out all around from the rocks at the center of the room. I wish he named this piece to let the viewers know a little bit more of his reasoning for this sculpture. I would like to know what the many stick like objects symbolize, and if he had a vision of this before he created it or if it just came to mind as he was working.
These are just a few of the best pieces in this museum. I like to interpret each piece I come to, and try to figure out how and why the artist used the color and elements that they used and what came to mind to make them express their feelings on canvas or through other medias.
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