More Laeann behind the break
Read more »
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Sharon Core photographs by painstakingly baking, coloring, arranging, and lighting her re-creations
Sharon Core, a 1998 Yale MFA grad, sprang into the art world’s consciousness with her 2004 show at Bellwether Gallery, “Thiebauds”. A photographic re-creation of the artist Wayne Thiebaud’s famous food paintings, Core reversed the conventional practice of paintings copying photographs by painstakingly baking, coloring, arranging, and lighting her re-creations and then printing them the same size as the Thiebaud originals.
Four years on and now showing at Yancey Richardson, Core has found new inspiration in the 19th century still life paintings of Raphaelle Peale. Unlike the Thiebauds, however, this time Core has not copied specific paintings. Instead she has analyzed Peale’s work in terms of subject matter, composition, coloration, lighting, and scale in order to understand exactly how they are made and then proceeded to create her own new works in an act of art historical homage.
It’s a difficult feat to pull off, but Core has succeeded where many others have failed, primarily by the softness of her lighting and her mastery of 19th century composition and perspective. As Core fully understands, if you’re going to go for it, you’ve got to go all the way.
Weekend Video - Stacy McQ
Last weekend was parents' weekend at my son's boarding school, and one of our favorite traditions is to go to "Grasshopper Night" - a review/talent show put on by the students. The performances are always of a remarkably high standard, but this time a 10th grade classmate of my son's, Stacy McQ, performed a song she had written that was so good it seemed ready to be recorded by any one of the country/pop stars who regularly top the charts (if not Stacy herself).
Monday, January 17, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The British Crowngate
The British now have a name for it – Crowngate!
As reported earlier, the controversy began when Annie Leibovitz photographed the queen of England. A BBC documentary crew recording the portrait session for a documentary on the Queen, caught a moment when Leibovitz told her royal subject she might look better without her tiara. In a subsequent trailer promoting the film this scene was followed by a shot of the queen walking through Buckingham Palace, saying, "I'm not changing anything. I've had enough dressing up like this, thank you very much." The implication was that Leibovitz had offended the Queen, who then stormed out of the session. In fact, the clip of her walking through the palace was shot before the portrait session but was falsely edited to create buzz and also apparently to make Leibovitz look like a crass American. (This ethical lapse led to the resignation of BBC1 controller Peter Fincham.)
After a regal silence on the subject, Annie Leibovitz finally gave her side of the 'Crowngate' photo shoot last week at the opening of her exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The Queen was, in fact, "storming into the shoot" said Leibovitz. "They could have had just as good a story just showing that she got a little pissed, a little perturbed, a little bit frustrated. That was interesting enough, I think, and they had to go and make something else up."
Leibovitz defended the Queen's right not to be in the best of moods. "Most people don't like to be photographed," she said. "It's pretty normal that you can have that rough start. As she came in she said, 'I don't have much time'." By the end of the shoot, however, everything was fine, however, and apparently the Queen loved the photos.
Meanwhile Leibovitz's use of the word "pissed" in connection with the Queen's mood has given the British press even more to chew on!
Hope
A personal note:
It’s been worrying these last few weeks to follow the polls and listen to the news and hear the constant stream of negativity and distortion from the right. Democrats have become so accustomed of late to having defeat snatched from the jaws of victory that there’s an underlying sense of uncertainty which I hope is only a precautionary defense mechanism – unnecessary preparation for an outcome that will not come about.
So here’s the good news (as far as I'm concerned). This past weekend I was out at our house in Suffolk County, Long Island - a generally Republican area. To my surprise, however, as I drove around I only saw Obama lawn signs, and when I went out for a run I came across this beautiful tree towering over yet another Obama sign. So I hightailed it back to get my camera and take what felt to me like a symbolic picture of a season of hope and change.
The concept of an intelligent, thoughtful, inclusive, forward thinking, and positive President, who happens to be an African-American, is so true to the promise and nature of this country that before all those golden leaves fall off this tree, I can only hope and believe there will be a new spirit lifting this country.
American Photographs: Traditional Themes by Contemporary Photographers
With a new president comes a new print giveaway!
In 1991, I put on an exhibition called “American Photographs: Traditional Themes by Contemporary Photographers”. The show comprised work by Sally Mann, Lynn Davis, Bruce Weber, Annie Leibovitz, Richard Misrach, and Robert Mapplethorpe - each covering a traditional American photographic theme - family, natural wonders, clouds, pioneers, the road, and the flag.
In conjunction with the show, I published an edition of 100 posters of Robert Mapplethorpe’s flag picture, of which I have just a few left. Measuring 20 x 24” and printed on heavy paper, one of these is the new giveaway.
As before, the rules are simple. Just post a comment that includes a way to contact you. The winner will be chosen after one week by randomly picking one of the comments posted.
Good luck!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
