ART ON BERGAMONT

BERGAMONT STATION OPENING NIGHT

On October 24th 2015, the Bergamont Station  gallery row is buzzing with life!… It was packed! Parking was full! There were so many events simultaneously that it was barely possible to visit them all,

Craig Krull Gallery, Ned Evans Oct 24, 2015

I was very enthusiastic to see what is in show – some of the invitations were  informative I was actually looking to an Art Talk at Samuel Freeman Gallery , just to find out that they have moved and I simply have forgotten… Ugh.

Andrew Weiss Gallery Oct 24 2015, Photo: ArtChronicle

But there were many new galleries in the place of the ones that have moved elsewhere . Attending the openings was very exciting for me! Especially this Saturday , the Gallery Row seemed to be brimming with life! I went with a friend of mine, who is a couture designer –  and we did a series of gallery  openings. Some – in and out – others kept me in to savor the Artists work. Some of them shows  were great – others outstanding…
One thing   didn’t make me happy – the SANTA MONICA MUSEUM OF ART has closed its doors….. This was a sad moment – but I am sure it will be resolved in matter of  months. I have been there a few times – and ever since it opened – it looked more like a gallery. Perhaps because my idea of an Art Museum as institutions like MOCA or LACMA or TATE …. Anyway – regardless of what I thought – it was a great start for a future institution. Arts have in disfavor f lately by lawmakers and budgetmakers , cutting art programs from schools –  so any organization that enhances public ‘s interest in  Art  is good. Santa Monica Museum of Art , despite its small size was a plus…It remains to be seen what the fate of this art establishment will be.

Laura Korman Gallery,Artist Katherine Tsu Mann, Oct 24, 2015

CHARISSA BARGER Harp at Laura KORMAN Gallery

The truth is– most of the shows were good, some of the shows were even fantastic ! ANDREW WEISS GALLERY, located in the place of the James Gray gallery had a great opening of small works on paper by Larry Bell and Ed Moses among others. It had the feel of a San Francisco gallery… GREG KRULL GALLERY had works by Ned Evans, RUTH BACHOFNER Gallery was showing Virginia Katz and Audra Weasner, LOIS LAMBERT had Kinetic Art and LAURA KORMAN has Katherine Tsu Lynn Mann. All galleries were curated and staged to perfection this season. .Some of them displaying quite a classy presentation with a performance by classical harpist( Charissa Barger at Laura Korman) . The effort extended past the Art and contributed to an air of a celebrartory feel. Hopefully this will reflect in the sales. Bergamont Station is making a come back!!Public’s interest in Art is making a come back! This is the best news as of lately. Yes! Finally! Thank you LA!

Your truly,

 

 

 

 

Tsvetana

for TheArtChronicle

 

THE SECRET OF ART

ART, DESIGN AND THE WISDOM OF MILTON GLASER

Two days ago I was checking my FineArt America newsletter and I came across an interesting topic, that stemmed from a popular blog by a prolific and super talented Graphic Designer Milton Glaser. He is the creator of more than 300 posters for clients in the areas of publishing, music, theater, film, institutional and civic enterprise, as well as those for commercial products and services.

In the Article that I read – that actually was a talk he has given quite a while ago – Mr. Glaser touches interesting subjects that no one talks about. The everyday search for work, the effort to preserve integrity despite the pressure to earn income, the everlasting pull-push relationship between Client – Consumer – Designer. Mr. Glaser is a graphic designer. However – his insights are equally valid  – probably even more so for Artists. I know – some Artists are looking down on Designers – for some inexplicable reason. How I know? I am a Designer.   Has been one for all my life. But I am also an Artist . A good one too. Ultimately I am hybrid of the two.  Where does the Designer end and the Artist begin?

I wondered many times. Once of my Facebook connections – I saw a comment about a Designer – by a novice Artist saying: “…. He is just a trained technician – that is what designers do …”  I  laughed out loud. I could no believe that someone could be so narrow-minded. This made me think.  What is the difference between Artists and Designers? And where is the fine line between the two – if in fact it does exist?  Here is my view on this . Designers are Artists, who learn how to harness their talent and skills to the specific need of a market of a Client, who use their creativity to produce an great amount of designs. Their final result is measured by the reaction of the Client and /or their Public – and in that sense it might be geared to a specific extroverted effect. Designs can be groundbreaking, innovative, uplifting, flattering, complimentary…. Designers seldom stand and admire their own work…. They are already on the next project…. While Art is more intuitive, introspective, meditative and philosophical .  Artists vision is unharnessed by their Clients wishes – rather, they are expected to provide their own criteria and   aesthetic value. Designers act  like aesthetic agents for their clients while  Artists possess an  aesthetic nucleus,  which is a reflection of their own perspective on life. Their Collectors ( Clients)  follow.

In general, however  – Artists can learn a lot more from Designers. Designer  work requires more discipline – freedom is conditional. Yet – in essence – the two professions blend in a way that leaves us asking for more. It is not an accident that the best projects in Public Art are a result of the successful amalgam of  Design (Landscape Architecture)  and Art or Sculpture and architecture or poster designs and contemporary painting. And if anyone wants to dig deeper through the centuries – they can go as  far back as Gian Lorenzo Bernini – or his successor Michelangelo. They were both Sculptors and architectural designers. I suppose these titans of art were the harbingers of interdisciplinary practice of blending design and art seamlessly.

So – here are  the 10 things Milton Glaser has learned…. My fellow Artists, are you listening?  Good Designers are Artists – and good Artists are Designers. I will let ponder this on your own.  I found the text below – both incisive and rather an eye opener. Here it is:

10 Things I Have Learned – The Secret of Art

 Ten Things I Have Learned, Part of AIGA Talk in London, November 22, 2001

1.YOU CAN ONLY WORK FOR PEOPLE THAT YOU LIKE.

This is a curious rule and it took me a long time to learn because in fact at the beginning of my practice I felt the opposite. Professionalism required that you didn’t particularly like the people that you worked for or at least maintained an arms length relationship to them, which meant that I never had lunch with a client or saw them socially. Then some years ago I realised that the opposite was true. I discovered that all the work I had done that was meaningful and significant came out of an affectionate relationship with a client. And I am not talking about professionalism; I am talking about affection. I am talking about a client and you sharing some common ground. That in fact your view of life is someway congruent with the client, otherwise it is a bitter and hopeless struggle.

2.IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE NEVER HAVE A JOB.

One night I was sitting in my car outside Columbia University where my wife Shirley was studying Anthropology. While I was waiting I was listening to the radio and heard an interviewer ask ‘Now that you have reached 75 have you any advice for our audience about how to prepare for your old age?’ An irritated voice said ‘Why is everyone asking me about old age these days?’ I recognised the voice as John Cage. I am sure that many of you know who he was – the composer and philosopher who influenced people like Jasper Johns and Merce Cunningham as well as the music world in general. I knew him slightly and admired his contribution to our times. ‘You know, I do know how to prepare for old age’ he said. ‘Never have a job, because if you have a job someday someone will take it away from you and then you will be unprepared for your old age. For me, it has always been the same every since the age of 12. I wake up in the morning and I try to figure out how am I going to put bread on the table today? It is the same at 75, I wake up every morning and I think how am I going to put bread on the table today? I am exceedingly well prepared for my old age’ he said.

2.SOME PEOPLE ARE TOXIC AVOID THEM.

This is a subtext of number one. There was in the sixties a man named Fritz Perls who was a gestalt therapist. Gestalt therapy derives from art history, it proposes you must understand the ‘whole’ before you can understand the details. What you have to look at is the entire culture, the entire family and community and so on. Perls proposed that in all relationships people could be either toxic or nourishing towards one another. It is not necessarily true that the same person will be toxic or nourishing in every relationship, but the combination of any two people in a relationship produces toxic or nourishing consequences. And the important thing that I can tell you is that there is a test to determine whether someone is toxic or nourishing in your relationship with them. Here is the test: You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energised or less energised. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished. The test is almost infallible and I suggest that you use it for the rest of your life.

4.PROFESSIONALISM IS NOT ENOUGH or THE GOOD IS THE ENEMY OF THE GREAT.

Early in my career I wanted to be professional, that was my complete aspiration in my early life because professionals seemed to know everything – not to mention they got paid for it. Later I discovered after working for a while that professionalism itself was a limitation. After all, what professionalism means in most cases is diminishing risks. So if you want to get your car fixed you go to a mechanic who knows how to deal with transmission problems in the same way each time. I suppose if you needed brain surgery you wouldn’t want the doctor to fool around and invent a new way of connecting your nerve endings. Please do it in the way that has worked in the past.

Unfortunately in our field, in the so-called creative – I hate that word because it is misused so often. I also hate the fact that it is used as a noun. Can you imagine calling someone a creative? Anyhow, when you are doing something in a recurring way to diminish risk or doing it in the same way as you have done it before, it is clear why professionalism is not enough. After all, what is required in our field, more than anything else, is the continuous transgression. Professionalism does not allow for that because transgression has to encompass the possibility of failure and if you are professional your instinct is not to fail, it is to repeat success. So professionalism as a lifetime aspiration is a limited goal.

5.LESS IS NOT NECESSARILY MORE.

Being a child of modernism I have heard this mantra all my life. Less is more. One morning upon awakening I realised that it was total nonsense, it is an absurd proposition and also fairly meaningless. But it sounds great because it contains within it a paradox that is resistant to understanding. But it simply does not obtain when you think about the visual of the history of the world. If you look at a Persian rug, you cannot say that less is more because you realise that every part of that rug, every change of colour, every shift in form is absolutely essential for its aesthetic success. You cannot prove to me that a solid blue rug is in any way superior. That also goes for the work of Gaudi, Persian miniatures, art nouveau and everything else. However, I have an alternative to the proposition that I believe is more appropriate. ‘Just enough is more.’

6. STYLE IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

I think this idea first occurred to me when I was looking at a marvellous etching of a bull by Picasso. It was an illustration for a story by Balzac called The Hidden Masterpiece. I am sure that you all know it. It is a bull that is expressed in 12 different styles going from very naturalistic version of a bull to an absolutely reductive single line abstraction and everything else along the way. What is clear just from looking at this single print is that style is irrelevant. In every one of these cases, from extreme abstraction to acute naturalism they are extraordinary regardless of the style. It’s absurd to be loyal to a style. It does not deserve your loyalty. I must say that for old design professionals it is a problem because the field is driven by economic consideration more than anything else. Style change is usually linked to economic factors, as all of you know who have read Marx. Also fatigue occurs when people see too much of the same thing too often. So every ten years or so there is a stylistic shift and things are made to look different. Typefaces go in and out of style and the visual system shifts a little bit. If you are around for a long time as a designer, you have an essential problem of what to do. I mean, after all, you have developed a vocabulary, a form that is your own. It is one of the ways that you distinguish yourself from your peers, and establish your identity in the field. How you maintain your own belief system and preferences becomes a real balancing act. The question of whether you pursue change or whether you maintain your own distinct form becomes difficult. We have all seen the work of illustrious practitioners that suddenly look old-fashioned or, more precisely, belonging to another moment in time. And there are sad stories such as the one about Cassandre, arguably the greatest graphic designer of the twentieth century, who couldn’t make a living at the end of his life and committed suicide.

But the point is that anybody who is in this for the long haul has to decide how to respond to change in the zeitgeist. What is it that people now expect that they formerly didn’t want? And how to respond to that desire in a way that doesn’t change your sense of integrity and purpose.

7. HOW YOU LIVE CHANGES YOUR BRAIN.

The brain is the most responsive organ of the body. Actually it is the organ that is most susceptible to change and regeneration of all the organs in the body. I have a friend named Gerald Edelman who was a great scholar of brain studies and he says that the analogy of the brain to a computer is pathetic. The brain is actually more like an overgrown garden that is constantly growing and throwing off seeds, regenerating and so on. And he believes that the brain is susceptible, in a way that we are not fully conscious of, to almost every experience of our life and every encounter we have. I was fascinated by a story in a newspaper a few years ago about the search for perfect pitch. A group of scientists decided that they were going to find out why certain people have perfect pitch. You know certain people hear a note precisely and are able to replicate it at exactly the right pitch. Some people have relevant pitch; perfect pitch is rare even among musicians. The scientists discovered – I don’t know how – that among people with perfect pitch the brain was different. Certain lobes of the brain had undergone some change or deformation that was always present with those who had perfect pitch. This was interesting enough in itself. But then they discovered something even more fascinating. If you took a bunch of kids and taught them to play the violin at the age of 4 or 5 after a couple of years some of them developed perfect pitch, and in all of those cases their brain structure had changed. Well what could that mean for the rest of us? We tend to believe that the mind affects the body and the body affects the mind, although we do not generally believe that everything we do affects the brain. I am convinced that if someone was to yell at me from across the street my brain could be affected and my life might changed. That is why your mother always said, ‘Don’t hang out with those bad kids.’ Mama was right. Thought changes our life and our behaviour. I also believe that drawing works in the same way. I am a great advocate of drawing, not in order to become an illustrator, but because I believe drawing changes the brain in the same way as the search to create the right note changes the brain of a violinist. Drawing also makes you attentive. It makes you pay attention to what you are looking at, which is not so easy.

8. DOUBT IS BETTER THAN CERTAINTY.

Everyone always talks about confidence in believing what you do. I remember once going to a class in yoga where the teacher said that, spirituality speaking, if you believed that you had achieved enlightenment you have merely arrived at your limitation. I think that is also true in a practical sense. Deeply held beliefs of any kind prevent you from being open to experience, which is why I find all firmly held ideological positions questionable. It makes me nervous when someone believes too deeply or too much. I think that being sceptical and questioning all deeply held beliefs is essential. Of course we must know the difference between scepticism and cynicism because cynicism is as much a restriction of one’s openness to the world as passionate belief is. They are sort of twins. And then in a very real way, solving any problem is more important than being right. There is a significant sense of self-righteousness in both the art and design world. Perhaps it begins at school. Art school often begins with the Ayn Rand model of the single personality resisting the ideas of the surrounding culture. The theory of the avant garde is that as an individual you can transform the world, which is true up to a point. One of the signs of a damaged ego is absolute certainty.

Schools encourage the idea of not compromising and defending your work at all costs. Well, the issue at work is usually all about the nature of compromise. You just have to know what to compromise. Blind pursuit of your own ends which excludes the possibility that others may be right does not allow for the fact that in design we are always dealing with a triad – the client, the audience and you.

Ideally, making everyone win through acts of accommodation is desirable. But self-righteousness is often the enemy. Self-righteousness and narcissism generally come out of some sort of childhood trauma, which we do not have to go into. It is a consistently difficult thing in human affairs. Some years ago I read a most remarkable thing about love, that also applies to the nature of co-existing with others. It was a quotation from Iris Murdoch in her obituary. It read ‘ Love is the extremely difficult realisation that something other than oneself is real.’ Isn’t that fantastic! The best insight on the subject of love that one can imagine.

9. ON AGING.

Last year someone gave me a charming book by Roger Rosenblatt called ‘Ageing Gracefully’ I got it on my birthday. I did not appreciate the title at the time but it contains a series of rules for ageing gracefully. The first rule is the best. Rule number one is that ‘it doesn’t matter.’ ‘It doesn’t matter that what you think. Follow this rule and it will add decades to your life. It does not matter if you are late or early, if you are here or there, if you said it or didn’t say it, if you are clever or if you were stupid. If you were having a bad hair day or a no hair day or if your boss looks at you cockeyed or your boyfriend or girlfriend looks at you cockeyed, if you are cockeyed. If you don’t get that promotion or prize or house or if you do – it doesn’t matter.’ Wisdom at last. Then I heard a marvellous joke that seemed related to rule number 10. A butcher was opening his market one morning and as he did a rabbit popped his head through the door. The butcher was surprised when the rabbit inquired ‘Got any cabbage?’ The butcher said ‘This is a meat market – we sell meat, not vegetables.’ The rabbit hopped off. The next day the butcher is opening the shop and sure enough the rabbit pops his head round and says ‘You got any cabbage?’ The butcher now irritated says ‘Listen you little rodent I told you yesterday we sell meat, we do not sell vegetables and the next time you come here I am going to grab you by the throat and nail those floppy ears to the floor.’ The rabbit disappeared hastily and nothing happened for a week. Then one morning the rabbit popped his head around the corner and said ‘Got any nails?’ The butcher said ‘No.’ The rabbit said ‘Ok. Got any cabbage?’

10.TELL THE TRUTH

The rabbit joke is relevant because it occurred to me that looking for a cabbage in a butcher’s shop might be like looking for ethics in the design field. It may not be the most obvious place to find either. It’s interesting to observe that in the new AIGA’s code of ethics there is a significant amount of useful information about appropriate behaviour towards clients and other designers, but not a word about a designer’s relationship to the public. We expect a butcher to sell us eatable meat and that he doesn’t misrepresent his wares. I remember reading that during the Stalin years in Russia that everything labelled veal was actually chicken. I can’t imagine what everything labelled chicken was. We can accept certain kinds of misrepresentation, such as fudging about the amount of fat in his hamburger but once a butcher knowingly sells us spoiled meat we go elsewhere. As a designer, do we have less responsibility to our public than a butcher? Everyone interested in licensing our field might note that the reason licensing has been invented is to protect the public not designers or clients. ‘Do no harm’ is an admonition to doctors concerning their relationship to their patients, not to their fellow practitioners or the drug companies. If we were licensed, telling the truth might become more central to what we do.

To learn more about this prolific and wise artist , please visit his website MiltonGlaser.com. The design Company is located in NY, if anyone is interested to subscribe for their newsletter visit their website.    Milton Glaser, Inc. 207 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016   T: 212-889-3161  F: 212-213-4072     studio@miltonglaser.com.

Tsvetana For Art Chronicle

“PASSION FOR MOTION”

At last! It has been quite a few years since I have started planning the publication of this book. Planned as a monograph – with some insights and personal experiences surrounding the creation of each work – along with high quality photography by Kelsey McNeal- this book is long overdue. It marks symbolically my formal entering into the sphere of multidisciplinary blend of contemporary public art and  landscape, art and architecture. The book is a crowning completion of a decade devoted to figurative sculpture, portraiture and large scale abstract painting. The format is large – 11 by 11 inches, hardcover with a dust jacket. It is the first of a possible series published by The ArtChronicle. A few other California Artists/Sculptors are already been selected for this art book  series.
Publishing is planned by high quality printing company MIRA Publishing  in in Missouri. As soon as the final touches are added – and the newest sculpture titled ICON is finished and photographed – it is ready! Indiegogo campaign is in storeandthe rewards are amazing in their value! Please stay tuned for the INDOEGOGO fundraising campaign, which will feature exciting gifts , from signed posters , unique and stylish experiences like tickets for a concert and/or diner for two at well known places in Beverly Hills and similar exclusive locataions to sculptures, especially remastered for the occasion.

Stay tuned! Exciting news ahead!

Tsvetana, for ArtChronicle

BOGDAN ALEXANDROV – A Modern Bulgarian Master

Dear Friends, it has been a while… forgive my inconsistency! While the desire to write about artistic events and work that interest me is as usual boundless – time seems to be the only limitation. However – for those of you who enjoy these writings, that come from the heart of my love for Art , I am restarting my writing with this post– about a Bulgarian artist, whose work has crossed boundaries. I have always wanted to devote special posts to my Facebook ‘discoveries’. Some of these Artists  are unbelievable.  Susanne Kessler ( a sophisticated installation Artist from Germany ), Philip Geist, Ross Ashton ( brilliant Multimedia artists from Germany and Great Britain ) ,  Cliff Garten ( a California Public Artist with incredible visions) to name a few.  These artists have something in common – they are absolutely brilliant! And inspirational!

     SUSPENDED (E)MOTION

As I promised in the beginning – I only show you artists who have in some way astounded me and inspired me. That is a promise I will keep! So before I resort to presenting each an every one of them in time, allow me to present you a very talented and masterful BOGDAN ALEXANDROV, whose latest work, that was exhibited in Yuzina Gallery(2013) –  I also encountered on Facebook.  The genuineness of his vision is undisputed. His latest exhibition in Sofia  has created quite a sensation. It id here – on the West coast by means of digital  media. The large canvases  by Bogdan Alexandrov convey a certain mood, that seems to captivate the viewer and leave a lasting impression. And makes us think. Makes us relate to the people in the images. ” What are they thinking? What are they talking about…? “After these questions fade away , we discover that it does not really matter. What matters is – that these paintings have captured a moment in time – that will never happen again. The eternal ‘now” as the Zen philosophy points it. The only moment that actually exists.

Regarding his method, in Mr.Alexandrov’s own words: ” Nowadays , people document life with greater ease than ever.” Says the Artist. ” Equipped with new technology, reporters, filmmakers and artists are “capturing” images constantly. The digital medium transmits images in a format, where the image is reduced to a time code and is modified by the imperfections of he optical systems being used.” These imperfections have been superimposed and intelligently used as the foundation of his method, that is difficult to define – by creating the illusion of the movement, without the still  frames…

The Artist: “In my works I depict the characters by synthesizing multimedia images in a series of transitional transparencies. Their hands, faces, gestures and movements are in a state in which the conventional two-dimensions representational painting is replaced by the dynamic of the movement.”

The Artist Bogdan Alexandrov lives and works in Bulgaria, his website and his blog  are: http://bogdanaleksandrov.blogspot.com/

Enjoy !

Your Truly.

Tsvetana  for

TheArtChronicle

For Your Viewing Experience – Below is Bogdan Alexandrovs List of Exhibits

__________________________________________

Bogdan Aleksandrov, Born in 1960, Vidin, Bulgaria.

 

1989 – “St. Cyril and Methodius” University, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria,

M.A. in Fine Art Painting.Lives and works in Vidin, Bulgaria.

Solo Exhibitions:

2012 “Purgatorium”, Rayko Aleksiev gallery, Sofia, BG. Curator Desislava Moneva.

2012 “Creation from nothing”, St. st. Cyril and Methodius University Veliko Turnovo, BG. Curator Georghi Minchev.
2012 “Local cooling”, Gallery L’Union, Plovdiv, (BG), painting.

2010 “Panta rei”, painting, Novi Sad, Serbia.

2010 “Noise”, Sofia City Gallery, Sofia,(BG), painting, sound installation.

2008 “Entrebaillement” Cite International Des Arts, Paris, France,  Video projection and performance

2008  “mixed”, Art Alley Gallery, Sofia, (BG), digital print, painting, video,drawings.

2007 “Initial E”, Gallery L’Union, Plovdiv, (BG), Video installation, work on handmade Japanese paper.

2007 “Replacement” , Nikola Petrov Gallery, Vidin (BG), painting and video projection,  curator Gordon Carter

2006 “Residual image”, Narodni muzej, Zajchar, Serbia

2005 “Residual image”, Stara Capetanjia Art Gallery, Zemun, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro

2003 “Anthropomorphous version”, National Art Gallery, Sofia (BG)

2002 “My Glagolitsa”, painting, Sofia Art Gallery, London (UK)

2001 “Shores”, painting, King’s Head Gallery, Presteign, Wales (UK)

1999 “Metamorphoses of the Instant”, painting and plastic arts, “Art 36” Art Gallery, Sofia (BG)

1997 “DURE” Art Gallery, Timishoara, Romania

1997 “Stalbata” Art Gallery, Sofia (BG)

1994 Painting, “Spectra” Art Gallery, Veliko Tarnovo; “Ilia Beshkov” Art Gallery, Pleven (BG)

1993 “Agora” Art Gallery, Reshitza, Romania

1993 Painting & Drawing, Art Museum, Kalafat, Romania

1992 Painting, “Nikola Petrov” Art Gallery, Vidin (BG)

1990 Painting & Drawing, Higher Institute of Architecture, Sofia (BG)

1990 “Version of Progress”, Kinetic installation, Higher Institute of Architecture, Sofia (BG)

　

　

 

THE LA ART SHOW 2013

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THE LOS ANGELES ART SHOW AS SEEN BY THE ART CHRONICLE

The LA Art Show was much expected by Artists and Collectors and Art lovers just the same. It was here and it is gone now. I was able to attend for a brief Saturday afternoon – and it was packed! I thought I was in some kind of futuristic Art version of Neiman Marcus … Not that Neiman was ever that packed with visitors. That was the curious part – apparently, the organizers did a wonderful job promoting it.

Most impressive part was the variety of Art and the presence of Chinese Artists and Galleries. Among the American Galleries, who are always present at every show like ABBY TAYLOR GALLERY (Boston) and LUREI GALLERY (Los Angeles) just to name a couple – the presence of Chinese art galleries was strong both as number of galleries and quality of Art. The Chinese traditional mastery was possibly the most impressive – A wonderdful large-scale portrait of an elderly lady stayed with me long after I left the show. Impeccable brushstroke – and emotion for detail. For the short time I was able to view the show  – one other thing made an impression on me – very little sculpture. Almost nonexistent. Could it be that this means a Sculpture Art Show is in the making for 2014?  Hmmm – Maybe next ART SHOW  will have a special section exclusively for sculpture – Contemporary and Traditional Figurative…. In any case – LURIE GALLERY had two California Artists, both dramatically different in their sculpture technique – Jon Krawzhyk – contemporary abstract medium, usually  large scale and Daniele Matalon – traditional figurative third to half-life size bronzes. Daniele Matalon’s “Petra” is exquisite, sensual in a contained kind of way, and masterful in its execution. Daniele Matalon is a Sculptor, who started her career in early 2000. ‘Petra’ reminds me of a sculptural version of an Var5gas and Olivia’s glamourous pin-ups. To view the show , for you is a brief video on the Art Chronicle YOUTUBE  channel ( click on the red text to activate the link).  See you soon!

 Yours Truly,

 

 

 

Tsvetana Yvanova,

for The Art Chronicle

ANGEL – THE PRISONER- ARTIST

THE SAN CLEMENTE FREE SPIRIT

That January morning,  the 12th,  I accidentally caught on a TV clip about a prisoner, who  started painting in prison. San Clemente – if I am not mistaken. This man, of Mexican descent,  incarcerated for something he did in, was in  great pain and deep  remorse of his actions.  Pouring out his pain     –  and  his disappointment  from his own mistakes by drawing on the prison wall. In these brief few minutes, the presenter let him speak. He said, that when he draws and paints – he is at peace.e has time to think and look deeper in his soul. He kept drawing on the walls, with (permission of the guards) without  having any formal training. His enthusiasm was so contagious, that the other prisoners started supplying him with  whatever they can, so he can continue his work. Pencils, crayons.
It was admirable! Watching this human being, who fell  prey to circumstances and his  to  own temper perhaps, and entrapped himself – to elevate himself and rise from the ashes of self-destruction. He found a way to awaken a   talent , he did not know he had  – and found a noble  way to bypass anger and  channel  it into  a whole new level  of thinking.

Talk about the transformational quality   of Art!
It made me think  about imprisonment  of the spirit. Imprisonment of the spirit, that has nothing to do  with walls  – everything to do  with the limitations in our minds. Do we imprison our spirit when  we  surround ourselves with people, whose superficiality is  numbing ? Do we imprison our spirit when we distract ourselves with things that have no relevance to the world around us or within us? Do we imprison our minds when we squander valuable time and devote time to  exploring limiting belief systems, that impose on us ready-made values, impose on us how to think, how to react -to the point that we become a mere reflection , not a source?
Angel – the  imprisoned person with a   free spirit – made me think.
The power  of this unusual  uplifting of a human being still stays with me. The paintings were a pure expression of his pain. The mural was executed in mixed medium  – crayons, pencils and acrylics – whatever he finds.  (I presume there are no art shops in prison…. ). Not only does he lack the conventional environment of being an artist – not only is he lacking in mental stimulus of his environment  by virtue of a formal art education!  Yet the little glimmer of opportunity, time and space became his main motivator. After all – he does have the encouragement of the other prisoners and even of the prison guards, who gave him a permission to draw and paint. He needed permission to draw!!!!!

Think about it!
The sheer focus and determination he had! Many of us would try to achieve and sometimes it simply does not work. Could it be that the more freedom and  time we have – the less our desire to value it?

Could it be that the very presence of obstacles generates light and power beyond one’s expectations not only to overcome but  to excel?

Is it any wonder that some of the greatest creations of art have been created under impossible circumstances. Maybe the obstacles are simply  a spark plug that gets the desire to create in a  mode, that  overrides the trivial,  the unimportant and  the minutia?
Some of us create, because they love art and have spent time to develop their  skills and talents and want to share with the world. We simply breathe and live Art. Others create – because they have an obligation for a project or  a commission  or a gallery. Lucky ones! And then there are  many levels of creativity  between the highly skilled professional and the dilletante. But to create in the face of insurmountable obstacles  – is probably the highest form of Art.  What he lacks in  training – complements in inner desire to express  and  reflect the life-changing experience  his life.

Angel – the prisoner – artist , whose spirit  is anything but imprisoned. I was hoping I could find some  photograph of his work – but none was accessible. What I saw – was a complex composition, a large mural, depicting the events of his life, that lead him to this corner. So, I have no pictures  of Angel nor of his murals.  Just a deep impression from an accidental TV show about a prison and an incredible human being. And a deep admiration of the human spirit  and the  transformational power  of Art.

Stay inspired, my friends! Stay inspired, despite all odds! Stay inspired – no matter what!

Yours truly,

Tsvetana for TheArtChronicle

PS.The photo inset above is by Gerhard Richter.

And the Signature Image below is a Painting by this Author..

TONY CRAGG – ABSTRACT SCULPTOR

One cannot not notice once in a while a giant  among us. A giant, that is the same height, same stature like everyone of us – only his  mind and his prolific resume make him a giant. Meet Tony Gragg. An unbelievably prolific sculptor – in a class of his own.

Tony Cragg was born in Liverpool, England in 1949. Internationally recognized as one of the leading abstract sculptors of his generation, Cragg has produced a highly influential body of work centered on the manipulation of shapes and surfaces as they relate to the human environment. Using such diverse materials as bronze, glass, and found objects, Cragg has created enigmatic works that meld bio-morphic shapes with otherworldly textures. In 1988, Tony Cragg was awarded the Turner Prize from the Tate Gallery, London, England. Tony Cragg has exhibited in museums throughout the world including The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; The Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas; the Tate Gallery, London, England; Musee National d’Art Moderne – Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Wiener Secession, Vienna, Austria; and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain.

London Art Award nomination Tony Cragg: ‘I’m not a religious person—I’m an absolute materialist—and for me material is exciting and ultimately sublime. When I’m involved in making sculpture, I’m looking for a system of belief or ethics in the material. I want that material to have a dynamic, to push and move and grow.’

The Telegraph: “His move away from assemblage towards a material freighted with art-historical baggage could well have made Cragg look antediluvian. But as a show at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art reveals, over the last 20 years Cragg not only faced the challenge but revelled in it, making bronzes that weigh many tons, and yet look as though they’d been freed from the laws of gravity and inertia, zigzagging giddily upwards, as vertiginous in their verticality as Brancusi’s Endless Column. In these amazing sculptures Cragg appears at times to be engaging in a private conversation with the great masters of early 20th-century sculpture.”

Cragg: “There is this idea that sculpture is static, or maybe even dead, but I feel absolutely contrary to that. I’m not a religious person—I’m an absolute materialist—and for me material is exciting and ultimately sublime. When I’m involved in making sculpture, I’m looking for a system of belief or ethics in the material. I want that material to have a dynamic, to push and move and grow.

“I also want that to happen over the course of making things, so that as soon as one generation of sculptures has gone up, another generation is coming on and things are growing up around me. That’s how it seems to work for me.”

The Liverpool-born visual artist is currently the director of Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, and has lived in Germany since 1977. He won the Turner prize in 1988, and for his services to art received a CBE in 2002. He also opened a sculpture park in Wuppertal, Germany. All his sculptures are handmade, and he is well-known for scorn of factory-made art; likening non-handmade works to relatives that one has never met.

 View Tiny Craggs work in a Waldfrieden Sculpture Partk in Germany

Tsvetana,

for the ArtChronicle

FINE ART STORIES by TSVETANA

THE  “CHAOS&TRUTH”  STORY

Wow ! What a title! How did it come to coin this name, someone asked me once…

Here is how this name came to be one of my most cherished paintings….CHAOS & TRUTH. It started one  summer in early 2000. Summers in Southern California can be scorching – especially  for some of us, born in moderate  European continental climate  across the ocean. The trees in my luscious mini forest –  seem to take it better than the patio, which is turning into an oven for many hours   a day.

I had just begun to experiment with large scale abstract painting, as a diversion from the endless and tedious hours of sculpting. In large scale paintings – every layer consumes   a great deal of paint and needs to dry completely before the next layer be applied. So – the more I experimented – the more  time it needed to dry. The temperature is never the same – so all I could control in the process was the time, not the exposure. Eventually, the frames that I especially create for each piece, stays for great periods of time- waiting its turn  to be completed.

In reality – these new large scale  abstract pieces are as much of a creation of the Sun as they were by me. Really! The temperature makes its own changes on that particular layer – sometimes they are spectacular in its effect! Other time – not so much. In these cases – you have to start over form that point on. This is the spontaneous part I like. Constant discovery!

One time – I had imagined a very large, sprawling canvas, that is very gentle at the sale time…I wanted to make a piece that is very large, horizontal, that has this strong, but calming presence. I make my own frames – it is an involved physical, a little tough – but while I am laying out the wood and the fabric – it gives me time to  put even more thought in  the end result. So I built the frame  36″ by 120″ and let is wait. I used a very fine , but strong blend of linen and silk.  I believe in integrity – when you create something – make sure it is genuine to its  core – including the materials. The purity of material is important to me, whether it is sculpture or a painting.

One summer passed – the large frame stayed untouched. The next summer  I did one layer.  Another summer passed. Then – 3 years later – I put it outside, where I usually work under the blue sky – and  I let my imagination free.
Then one afternoon – in 2009 I had this moment of  discovery and innovation. I was ready to do something entirely different from the ZEN SWIRLS I first did   in 2000. And right there , on the  ground – next to the blossoming orange trees –  I started  layering  the spontaneity of many  years of suppressed intentions to complete for this piece.

The more my determination grew – the softer I wanted it to look! Somehow it always takes more effort to make something  that looks effortless…
Like the ancient  hieroglyphs – which express and entire event – not just a single thing! It is almost impossible to register the thoughts that were occupying my mind at that time. At this moment, you may say – this is my own private performance. It is full of emotions, joy, wonder,  discovery, impatience, – it runs the gamut of  human expression. Then you wait a few hours, because the heavy layers need to settle and be protected from everything – from falling orange blossoms petals –to the tiny cute faced lizard, who live under a near  by  decorative rock  to a wanderer squirrel or a cat, who see this is just a part of the yard , only wet and slippery …
If one had a glimpse of the scene, while I was doing this painting    – it would have been quite baffling to the unknowing eye – the scene would have been closer to a dance, than to painting, simply because of scale. And that is maybe the reason why  each of these large scale paintings have so much meaning for me.

In a few hot summer days in 2010 I managed to complete  CHAOS & TRUTH. There was this gentle lace-like effect, when you look from a distance; when you come close to explore in depth  – it transforms itself into an organic  universe with unexpected spatial depth, impossible to describe.  In the end – this canvas is as appealing vertical as it is horizontal.

The truth is – this piece is very dear to  me. It took years to complete. And I fulfilled my goal – to have a complex large scale painting, that changes with the distance it was viewed. And the chaos, that preceded its completion was simply a precursor for a truth, that emerged in the end.

Isn’t that always the case  – Truth always emerged from Chaos.
Chaos always  preceded the Truth.And that is my very own story behind this piece! Hope you enjoy  it!

 

Yours truly, Tsvetana for TheArtcChronicle

PS. The CHAOS & TRUTH is featured in a DVD, which showcases in  videoart  the paintings of  Tsvetana Yvanova. The idea is to find a brand new way to experience the viewing of art  – a very artistic way of viewing . This DVD selection is available for the first time on Amazon.com.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR YOUR ART LATELY?

HOW RELEVANT IS YOUR ART?

A few weeks ago a good friend sent me a cut our from an article in a Northern California newspaper. The cutout was missing the subtitles in the corner … However – reading this short and yet powerful article – I decided as soon as I can – I will post it on this blog, since it is so relevant! In our daily lives as Artists and designers – recognition sometimes never comes soon enough . There are moments when you just wish you were someone else – not constantly working,  struggling – and when it comes to promoting your art- you take a back seat. No reason. Maybe you thin your art will speak for itself.  Or maybe it is too close to your heart  – or  you still think it needs to be perfected  … whatever the reason, you let it sit  in your studio. And time passes . The truth is – once you have created it – you have an obligation to share it! Forget the sales – forget the fact that very few can afford to purchase art. A sale may come or not – but if your art is worth it – it will leave a mark in someone’s life.  A memory – will awaken hope or  a dream or a sense of  belonging . Whatever the case may be – your art mean something to someone  – and you must show it for that t reason only.

Have we become do corrupted that we cannot say the word Art without infusing the word Money in it?  VALUE does not always have to do with money. The intrinsic value of your art is the one you must show the world.

What is intrinsic value?:” The intrinsic value of something is said to be the value that that thing has “in itself,” or “for its own sake,” or “as such,” or “in its own right.” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

If you put your heart in your Art – it will have value; intrinsic value to someone. And that is worth a lot more than any extrinsic value, expressed in modern currency. And that is worth a lot more than any extrinsic value, expressed in modern currency.  In the grand scheme of things – this form of value is of less importance, isn’t it?

What have you done for your art lately? Who did you show it to?

Here is Patrick Lydon’s Article:

ARTISTS MUST SHARE THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR WORK

by Patrick Lydon

Recently a fellow San Jose Art Commissioner was speaking to a former firefighter. She mentioned her position on the commission, to which the man replied: “ Art? What is Art? I see them installing sculptures in front of the fire stations, but what does it do for us?”

The former firefighter essentially saw public art as a poor use of money that could be diverted to other utilitarian services. The commissioner dutifully retorted by explaining her point of view on how public art inspires us, educates us, makes us think, laugh, smile, fosters a sense of Community and generally makes our neighborhoods better places to live.
But Art is far more than this community and generally makes our neighborhoods better places to live. But Art is far more than this.
If you are an Artist, you might not notice the ubiquity of the firefighter’s sentiment, especially when you are around friends and family who support you. However, an overwhelming majority of people today for one reason or another do not understand how and why art and creativity are important.
And it is not their fault!
As artists we can’t so easily blame art literacy on those who don’t understand it, on school boards who cut it from the curriculum or on government for not supporting it financially. It is difficult to admit, but we first need to blame ourselves.
Those of us who understand the importance of art and the creative spirit are largely failing at making it a part of others lives – failing at teaching the importance of our craft, failing at reminding others every chance we get how important the arts have been to us, failing at showing how art and creativity can and should be an important part of everyone’s life.
Although art often competes poorly in people’s minds when put alongside science, math or even shopping, the use of art as an integral part of life actually predates the oldest of these activities by some 30,000 years. (See Chauvet in France, the topic of Werner Herzog’s new film “Cave Forgotten”) Art has long been one of the basic components of a balanced life.
Throughout history, the most successful developed societies have valued artists highly, not only for what they produce directly but also for the positive tangenial effect that their uninhibited creativity has on society as a whole. This mysterious gift of creativity that Artists wield has had a large part in shaping our world into what it is today. As difficult an idea as it may seem, without creativity and the arts, you and I could quite easily still be living in caves – and caves without drawings on the walls at that.
The definition of art is often confined to painting, sculpture and perhaps performing arts, but the art is far more broad than these disciplines. Whether we recognize it or not, art surrounds us. From the music on our iPod to the design of the chair we sit in, the effect of art enters our lives hundreds of times dally. Art is not relevant to us unless we are educated as to what it is and why it is not only important but necessary.
In order for that relevancy to be understood and maintained, the stories of art and creativity must be told again and again, and in as many times ways as possible for as many different types of people as possible.

So – for those of you who know the value of arts and creativity: WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE ART STORY? AND WHOM HAVE YOU TOLD LATELY?

A few words about Patrick Lydon:

WHO IS PATRICK LYDON?

http://www.SocieCity.com

Editor-in-Chief
San Jose State University
About

A student of art, music, technology, and of the world around him, Patrick Lydon gained aesthetic and communicative training and interactions while earning his B.A. at San Jose State University. Following his studies, Lydon spent seven months traveling throughout East Asia and Europe, studying the energy and interactions between people, art, nature, and the urban space. From those experiences, his social/urban/nature research venture SocieCitywas formed, with content from a varied cast of authors, researchers, and artists, produced for consumption by the majority.

___________________________________________________

Perhaps Mr. Lydon does not realize it – but  his point of view has inspired  many.  This is my way of saying ‘Thank you!’

Yours truly,

Tsvetana Yvanova

for Art Chronicle

WILLIAM TURNER GALLERY in 2012

A few notes of my favorite gallery – William Turner Gallery has represented mid-career and emerging artists since its inception in 1991. William Turner Gallery began on the historical “Market Street” in Venice, California. The gallery now occupies an impressive 5000 sq. foot space at the Bergamont Station arts Center in Santa Monica, California.

Focusing on museum quality exhibitions and secondary market art sales, William Turner Gallery has upheld a reputation for representing some of the most exciting contemporary artist’s in LosAngeles. The gallery’s knowledgeable staff works hand in hand with clients, contemporary interior designers, and architects to match investment quality artwork with the most refined living and corporate spaces.

The Gallery is  located at  2525 Michigan Avenue,Santa Monica, CA (310) 453-7535.

The reception is at 6 pm .  Hope to see you there, Art Enthusiast!!!!

Yours Truly,

The ArtChronicle

LA ART SHOW IS FINALLY HERE!

THE LA ART SHOW  HAS A NEW FORMAT!

Seems that the New Year 2012 – The Year of the Dragon – starts off with a splash for the Art world! With new ideas, new shows, new enthusiasm, and a new format for the show! It is actually three shows in one –  read on – and most of all ATTEND!  Seeing the work of so many creative powerhouses can be a very spiritual experience …It is for me!  I remember in past Art  shows – how impressed and moved I was by the transformational power of Art – especially the Los Angeles Company, The LA ArtMAchine-– who channels the talents of  local Graffiti Artists to elevate their ideas to a new plateau.  This transforms lives. ART transforms lives.  Art has the power to save! Better than religion, better than politics and certainly better than wars . Art and Love has always been intertwined in  literature in poetry. It is because it is in the very core of our DNA to create.  Creativity is based on light, truth and has a power, that transforms. You may disagree – but you know I am right. Read on!

…and have  A Happy New 2012 Year!!!!!

David Arquette, The Art of Elysium, the J. Paul Getty Museum Education Department, the Fine Art Dealers Association, the International Fine Print Dealers Association, Los Angeles Art Show LLC., and KR Martindale Show Management cordially invite you to attend the Opening Night Premiere Party of the 2012 Los Angeles Fine Art Show, LA Art Show, and the LA IFPDA Fine Print Fair.

Join David Arquette and LA’s top collectors and benefactors for an evening celebrating creativity, diversity, and charity. Enjoy culinary, visual, and cultural delights as well as the unique compelling artistic expressions of Jim Dine, Ed Ruscha, Gorky, Thiebaud, Warhol, Botero, Guy Rose, Picasso, Camille Pissarro, Renoir, and more. Participate in the must-attend event of the year, support the community, and enjoy a magical evening of art.

DON’T FORGET TO ATTEND!!! JANUARY 18 HERE IS THE LINK: THE LA ART SHOW

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE 2012 OPENING NIGHT PREMIERE PARTY An installation by performance artist Mark Mothersbaugh, who will debut a much anticipated artwork combining sculpture and music in an interactive experience.A special re-creation of The Myths of Rape, originally performed in 1977 by Leslie Labowitz-Starus as part of Three Weeks in May. This unique event is part of Three Weeks in January, a new work by Suzanne Lacy presented by LACE as part of Pacific Standard Time.                                CHINA PAVILION: Classic Buddhist Paintings: A Retrospective of Xia Jingshan. This unprecedented exhibit in the US will feature a retrospective of important works by this renowned Chinese master brush painter and will introduce the work of Xia Jingshan’s preeminent student Tong Hongsheng, bringing the voice of the next generation of the master’s Beijing-based school, Xia Xue, to light. The exhibition will also showcase the re-creation of an elaborate reading room of an antique Qing Dynasty wooden home from Southern China.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Yours Truly,

Tsvetana Yvanova,

For TheArtChronicle

Kristan Marvel Bronzes at Warner Center

THE ART ART PROJECT with Curator Jeff Phillips

is presenting Kristan Marvel in  CONTEMPORARY BRONZE  show.

“CONTEMPORARY BRONZE”

July 15, 2011 – September 15, 2011

Kristan Marvell

Opening Reception
July 30th, 2011   5-8pm

SCULPTURE @ THE PLAZA GARDENS

WARNER CENTER
21st Century Plaza
6301 Owensmouth Ave
Woodland Hills, CA 91367

THE ART OF KRISTAN MARVELL

Kristan Marvel’ s sculptures derive from a technique, which he developed and has worked with over the last twenty years, that he calls spontaneous carving. His  bronze sculptures begin as monolithic chunks of Styrofoam. As a stone carver has marble, Marvell has Styrofoam. The sculptures evolve as Marvell pulls and  manipulates large hot wires through massive blocks of Styrofoam. This process   allows for the improvisational removal of material and produces a unique visual    vocabulary. Also, Styrofoam, a material devoid of sensuality, an industrial    emblem, is in a sense corrected and made sensual as it progresses towards its  transformation into bronze.
Through this visual vocabulary Marvell explores the confrontation between the  natural, the organic, and man’s manipulation and reconstruction of the world.
On the most obvious level, the natural landscape is used as a point of inspiration, a visual ode to the raw power of its geological beauty. The work acknowledges and utilizes nature’s ability to elicit emotional transcendence. However, the sculptures are not replicas of natural formations. As a sculptor, Marvell, is interested in thematic or formalist concepts such as the relationship between mass and density, or volume and spatial balance. He likes the enigma of creating sculptures where mass is levitated in unusual ways, where unwary fragility is able to bear great weight. By way of modernist formal concerns the work references the concept of man’s transformation of nature through the intellectual event of manipulation.
As the eye wanders the sculptural planes, there is a sparseness, a focused control of surface and texture, in which the hand of the artist is evident. In that organization of space, a thoughtful and heart felt integrity emerges, imbuing the sculptures with emotion and grace, reaffirming the power of the object.

by Nicholette Kominos

For  The Art Chronicle

LONDON-CASS FOUNDATION SCULPTURE PLANS 2012

LONDON. Exhibition Road, home to the South Kensington museums, is to be lined with ten new and recent sculptures by UK artist Tony Cragg during the 2012 summer Paralympic Games.

The scheme to take over the pedestrianised thoroughfare is led by the Cass Sculpture Foundation, a charitable trust that commissions and sells monumental work on display at its 26-acre estate at Goodwood, near Brighton.
“As a partner of the Cultural Olympiad, we have been working on the Exhibition Road project for the past two years with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea,” says entrepreneur and philanthropist Wilfred Cass, who established the foundation in 1992. ( Right, Photo of Tony Cragg, Sculptor-www.tony-cragg.com. View a video of on Cragg’s work, click here.)

In another significant move, culture minister Ed Vaizey has expressed interest in the unique funding model of the foundation. Ahead of the 20 October comprehensive spending review, the politician was no doubt keen to discover how the organisation has survived without receiving any funding from state-backed bodies such as Arts Council England.
“The charity’s simple business model effectively means that no outside funding is necessary,” says Cass. “The overheads of the foundation are paid for in full by admission charges and events.” Ed Wilde, technical director at the foundation, says: “When a piece by a particular artist is sold, we will commission another work from them using the foundation’s half of the proceeds. This effectively means that the artists will benefit from 100% of the net profit of a sale, even though the contractual fee is 50/50.”

The sculpture park attracts about 18,000 visitors a year, who pay £10 each to enter. Major sales recently have been to foreign collectors such as Portuguese billionaire José Berardo.

“People find it difficult to understand that a charity can also be commercial but isn’t this the kind of scheme favoured by the current government? With institutions such as the arts council and museums throughout the country facing major cuts, we see our role as working more closely with these bodies,” adds Cass.

 

 

 

VITAL FACTS ABOUT THE CASS SCULPTURE FOUNDATION

The Cass Sculpture Foundation has won a broad international reputation by carefully honing its expertise in the commissioning and sale of large-scale sculpture from the finest British artists.

Profits from all sales are split equally between the artist and the foundation to date we have displayed over 440 new sculptures and have provided an internationally renowned platform for a significant number of British sculptors.
We are now extending our visibility and international profile by planning a major series of events outside of Goodwood.

 

 

Tsvetana Yvanova

Editor,The Art Chronicle

LONDON-FRIEZE ART FAIR BRIEF REPORT

Big bold art –  sober prices

By Georgina Adam, Charlotte Burns and Melanie Gerlis

LONDON. Dealers were delighted to see hedge-fund honcho Steven Cohen, one of the world’s biggest art buyers, at the preview of Frieze yesterday morning. “It’s my first visit to the fair,” Cohen said as he viewed the work accompanied by his adviser, Sandy Heller.

But Cohen wasn’t the first in. At the front of the line were Dallas collectors Christen and Derek Wilson. “This is my favourite fair,” said Christen, a member of Tate’s North American acquisitions committee. British collectors Frank and Cheryl Cohen sauntered past Tate supremo Sir Nicholas Serota, who was deep in conversation with über-collector Charles Saatchi outside Sadie Coles HQ (C15). Adding serious glamour, Russian collector Dasha Zhukova swished towards Marian Goodman (F16), while supermodel Claudia Schiffer eyed up Thanksgiving 1985 (Table) by hot US artist Roe Ethridge at Andrew Kreps (A7).

Fellow stars included rock’n’roller Keith Richards, photographer David Bailey and an assortment of artists: Ai Weiwei, a wheelchair-bound Tracey Emin, Gavin Turk and Mike Nelson. Early-bird collectors also included Chicago’s Stefan Edlis with Gail Leeson, Hong Kong’s Richard Chang and Brazil’s Ricard Akagawa.

Greeting them were dealers on stands that boasted bigger and bolder displays than in the last two downturn years. Not to be outdone by the usual powerhouses of Gagosian (D8), White Cube (F15), Hauser & Wirth (C12) et al, most galleries this year are ratcheting up their ambitions with larger pieces.
So why is big back? Dealers claim they aren’t driving the trend: “It’s not my ego,” said New York gallerist Friedrich Petzel (D3). “Artists are producing bigger works.” His sales included a large-scale John Stezaker—Untitled (Veil Tiger), 1982—for around £50,000 to a European buyer.

“There are a lot of ambitious collectors still out there,” says James Lindon, visiting the fair from New York’s Pace. He added: “Dealers might be slimming down in terms of production, but that doesn’t impact scale.” In line with today’s more sober mood, many of the materials used are humble: cardboard, paper, flags or found objects.

READ ON …….

 

Tsvetana Yvanova,The Art Chronicle

BILLY ZANE – The surprise of Bergamont Station

A Saturday visit to the Bergamont Station galleries was full of surprises. Me and a good friend, made an appearance on all  of the openings that night. The excitement, the buzz was there. Sometimes when expectations are high – impressions are  almost always slightly below. We were zigzagging from gallery to gallery faster than Mao Tse Dung breezed through Versailles . . . .Unril, I discovered Billy Zane exhibit at Laurie Frank Gallery ( Frank Pictures Gallery ). It lacked the hip and stylish arrogance of its neighbors – but it compensated in wonderfully curated Billy Zane show, well under its way. I was surprised both by the name as well as by the quality of his work. Robert Rauschenberg comes to mind. Obviously, Billy Zane’s talents have little boundaries. His work displayed controlled spontaneity and artistic confidence.

Below is their promo for the show.

Frank Pictures Gallery is delighted to present, Killing With Love. Billy Zane’s first show of paintings with an opening reception for the artist. Zane, best known for his achievements as an actor in over 80 films, most memorably as Caledon Hockley in the 1997 film Titanic, began painting during his seven months of filming the blockbuster with James Cameron. It didn’t take long for his interest in painting become more than a pastime, it became a consuming passion, often interrupted by his on set responsibilities. Since then he has set

Frances Fisher, Billy Zane & Friend

up makeshift art studios on almost every location he is filming in, the cultural influences and limitation to local materials influencing his spontaneous abstract offerings. ‘I love the mystery. The joy of making do with what you have to work with. The Hardware store is my art store and most countries, cities and villages have one in some form or another. If I can’t find canvas, I find old signage, shelf liner, or shipping crates. If I can’t find enough paint I use soil, clay, wine, spit, anything that adheres.”

He has been further influenced in his art by his practice of the Japanese sword fighting martial art Kendo. “In Kendo, or Specifically the Samurai ethic and art of swordsmanship, before it was diluted into a sport after WW2, one should not insult their opponent with a mincing, poorly executed cut It should be decisive, effective, a clean kill, informed with respect for ones adversary and ones own skill. In painting, it’s this commitment to task that interests me most, the cut, the stroke. The act supersedes the message. Logic and meaning, if any, emerges after the fact, but is also inherent, like the sculpture in the stone, and only evident when I have been guided by an almost brash confidence. Painting for me, is more physical than psychological or even emotional. Although, I derive great joy from the act and serve an almost insatiable desire to sling paint.”

That maybe so – but many have had the desire to ‘sling’  paint, few have done it well. And Billy Zane does it very well. The FRANKS PICTURES GALLERY is located on the address below:

Bergamot Station Gallery A-5, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica California 90404, Tel. 310-828-0211, Fax. 310-828-0221

Moblie. 323-839-6166 .They  are open Tuesday – Saturday from

11:30 am – 6:30 pm or by appointment. Laurie@FrankPicturesGallery.com

They have a New York affiliate gallery – Johnny Wong.
Johnny@FrankPicturesGallery.com

Yours truly, Tsvetana Yvanova

FOR FINE ART PUBLISHERS AND GALLERIES

Attention: FINE ART PUBLISHERS and GALLERIES

FINE ART PUBLISHERS, who wish to  inquire about reproduction rights of Tsvetana Yvanova’s art – sculptures, digital lithographs, paper prints, giclees, please fill in the contact form online or simply call between 9 am  and 5 pm weekdays to discuss all available options.Specify your field of interest.

FINE ART GALLERIES, who wish to  inquire about representing Tsvetana Yvanova in their  gallery – figurative  sculpture editions, original paintings, limited edition  lithographs, please fill in the contact form online or call between 9 am  and 5 pm weekdays to discuss all available options. Specify your field of interest.

When requesting a  catalog, for the purposes of reproduction – specify  the focus of your interest – Sculpture,  Portraiture, Figurative; Contemporary Paintings, Large Scale Digital Lithographs ( Giclees) or Museum quality Paper Prints.

Meet Alan Bamberger – Art Consultant

Alan Bamberger -Art Consultant, Advisor, Author

ARTBUSINESS.COM’s site principal, Alan Bamberger, is an art consultant, advisor, author, and independent appraiser specializing in research, appraisal, and all business and market aspects of original works of art, artist manuscript materials, art-related documents, and art reference books. He has been selling art since 1979 and rare and scholarly art reference books since 1982, and has been consulting and appraising for artists, galleries, businesses, organizations and collectors since 1985.

Bamberger has appeared live on CNN’s Daywatch, KTLA’s Making It (Los Angeles), and KRON-TV in San Francisco, and answered art business questions on New York City Cable TV’s Project Art Show. He’s been quoted in numerous media including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the International Herald Tribune, Great Britain’s Guardian Unlimited, the Toronto Star, Marketplace (National Public Radio), the Los Angeles Times, New York Newsday, the San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, ESPN Magazine, Real Simple, ARTnews, The Arizona Republic and Wired and has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Examiner, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Your Money, and other publications.

Bamberger has written about the art business since 1983. His syndicated column, “Art Talk,” debuted in 1985 and appeared in antique and collectibles newspapers and magazines nationwide including Antique Week, Mid-Atlantic Antiques Magazine, Yesteryear, Antique and Collectables, The Collector, Antiques and Auction News, Antique Gazette,Old Stuff, and Collectors Journal. Bamberger currently writes the “Turning Pro” column for Coagula Art Journal, has been a columnist for Art Calendar Magazine, and has written numerous articles about the art business for publications like American Artist, Antiques and Fine Art, Antiques West, Antique Trader, San Francisco Review of Books, and Art of California. He has also written three books, Buy Art Smart and Art For All, published by Wallace-Homestead in 1990 and 1994 respectively, and The Art of Buying Art, published by Gordon’s Art Reference in 2002, and then revised and enlarged in 2007.

He consults on legal matters involving art, has given expert testimony in court, done numerous radio interviews, spoken with Spencer Michaels of The News Hour With Jim Lehrer regarding a PBS news story about eBay, consulted with financial columnist Andrew Leckey for annual predictions on what’s hot in the art market, been interviewed by Random House editors for the art section of their book The Practical Guide to Practically Everything, and is a listed expert in Tony Hyman’s Trash or Treasure. He also speaks to museum and collector groups across the country and was the original moderator of the “Topics in Art” forum on the Antique Week website.

Bamberger is a member of the Association of Online Appraisers (of which he has served on the Ethics Committee), the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers. He has served on the board of directors of Creativity Explored, an organization dedicated to encouraging artistic expression in the developmentally challenged, on the exhibition committee of Visual Aid, a service organization serving artists with life threatening illnesses, and worked with ArtSpan which produces San Francisco Open Studios

I have found Mr. Bamberger’s website to be of incredible value to Independent Artists. His Articles offer a wealth of knowledge and experience.

He may be contacted through his website as well as email: alanb@artbusiness.com

Yours kindly,

Tsvetana

The Art Chronicle Principle

Tsvetana Yvanova Sculpts Barack Obama

Video of  Sculpting A Visionary

The Barack Obama Portrait is completed – and the few minutes of videotaping are showing the  final touches – they are  interesting to watch as well. It was quite challenging and exciting experience  to constantly  study the features of a historical figure such as Barack Obama – regardless of one’s belief system  – one thing is certain – Mr. Obama is a historical milestone in the American history, that marks  a change in the way America  thinks and the way the world perceives America. A Visionary.

By clicking on the highlighted link, you may view the YouTube Obama Art Video or  click here for  Tsvetana Yvanova’s YouTube channel.

Hope you enjoy the video! Tell us what you think of the  image?

I can tell you this – in real viewing – people’s behaviour becomes a bit more  respectful, as if the President himself is there and not a sculpture of him . . . . Subtle, but eloquent! That is a real  seal of approval for me.

Your truly,

Tsvetana

A Ghost Forrest in The Heart of London?

Ghost Forrest Art Project | Angela Palmer |Trafalgar Square

I am always deeply impressed by Artists, who cross boundaries – or erase the them. An Artist, who  is capable of organizing an installation with a message of this caliber – deserves special attention. I myself love with trees. Period. I have no explanation. Just love trees, their grandeur, their  ability to be complete habitats for thousands of  flora and fauna and last but not least – their genetic design to last for over a  milleneum and sustain our very own life on Earth. I can go on and on .  We owe the existence of any civilization on earth to the existence of trees. Few things create more indignation in me that cutting down rainforrest species, under the pretext ( and ignorance ) that they will grow again . . .I also happen to be a deep believer , that with common efforts we can preserve  our environment  healthy  and even  reverse the damage done to the environment up to this point. This is why I was taken by the efforts of an Artist Angela Palmer to create this installation showing  the stumps of Rainforrest species – after they have been cut down due to the  greed, ignorance and plain  miopia of the effect of such cutting.  I do not use the word  ‘harvested’, ( harvesting would mean that it was planted by the  party, who has cut it) – even harvesting trees is equally damaging.  Not to say that ‘harvesting’ trees is justifiable  in any way ,  shape of form. Below follows  is a part of Angela Palmer’s  statement for this installation  in her own words –http://www.angelaspalmer.com .

‘The connection between deforestation and climate change, and the challenge to express that visually, is the basis for my most ambitious and logistically challenging work yet. The concept is to present a series of rainforest tree stumps as a ‘ghost forest’ – using the negative space created by the missing trunks as a metaphor for climate change, the absence representing the removal of the world’s ‘lungs’ through continued deforestation.’

‘Over the past few months I’ve made several field trips to a commercially logged primary rainforest in Ghana where we sourced a group of 10 tree stumps. The Ghost Forest was exhibited in Trafalgar Square in London November 16-22, courtesy of the GLA. It then moved to Copenhagen from December 7-16 to coincide with the UN Climate Change Conference, and was situated in Thorvaldsens Plads, a magnificent city centre square next to Parliament Square and the National Museum. More than 12,000 delegates from 193 nations attended the Conference where the future of rainforests was a key component of the agenda.’

‘Both locations provide a powerful stage: Trafalgar Square is one of the world’s most visited tourist sites and the epicentre of Western industrialisation over the past 200 years. Nelson’s Column stands over 50 metres (169 feet) tall, the approximate height many of these trees would have stood. In Copenhagen, Ghost Forest stands as a symbol of threatened rainforest trees throughout the world. Seven indigenous species are represented – Denya, Dahuma, Danta, Hyedua, Mahogany,Wawa and three varieties of Celtis – all with a rich and varied ecology and all with equally diverse uses by man.’

‘It is important to explain the source of these particular trees, Ghana. The tropical rainforests of the Congo Basin are the closest to Europe, just 3,000 miles due south from Trafalgar Square along the Greenwich Meridian. Having lost 90% of its primary rainforest over the past 50 years, Ghana now exercises strict regulations in sustainable and responsible forestry. Last year it became the first country in Africa to enter the VPA (Voluntary Partnership Agreement) with the European Union in an effort to outlaw illegal logging. Its remaining concessions are all selectively logged, which means the retention, crucially, of the forest canopy; the natural regeneration of the forest; and a viable and sustainable timber industry for the local workforce: the installation therefore carries a message of hope and optimism.’

‘The project has the support of Deutsche Bank, the main sponsor; Arts Council England; the Global Canopy Programme; Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute and the Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests; and several other charities and companies. In addition many passionate individuals have given very generously, both financially and with their time. We are still raising funds to complete the Ghost Forest Art Project. I’d be incredibly grateful for any contribution, however small. You may make a donation, and if you wish, leave a message on the Ghost Forest Donation Tree, which is here.

‘My interest in Climate Change began two years ago when I had a dream that I went to the most polluted place in the world wearing a floating white outfit. I then went to the cleanest place on earth wearing an identical white outfit, and exhibited both in a stark white gallery. When I woke I resolved to do just that. I spent a week in the most polluted place on earth, Linfen in Shanxi province in China, a city in the heart of China’s coal mining region, which according to official surveys has the world’s most polluted air and water. I then visited the cleanest – Cape Grim in the North West tip of Tasmania, which benefits from the cleansing blast of the winds of the Roaring Forties. In both places I wore an identical white outfit, and brought back film, photographs, water and air samples, all of which I juxtaposed for my final show at the Royal College of Art in London. The work will be exhibited next month at the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road in London. Entitled ‘Breathing In’, the show opens on October 20.’

‘Many people have commented that at the core of my work is a desire to ‘map’; the work is almost always accompanied with a narrative, often the result of months of research involving many specialists. In a way it is old fashioned story-telling, perhaps largely informed by my background in journalism. A common theme running through all my projects is the collision between art and science, and almost without exception the work is the result of collaborations with scientists in every conceivable discipline, from engineers specialising in bio-fluidics, to dust-mite and spider experts, radiologists, veterinary scientists, paediatric dentists and specialists in ancient Egyptian dyes.’

To view the entire text and Angela Palmer’s website -just click on the link.

SOME FACTS YOU PROBABLY DO NOT KNOW:

1.One of the tallest rainforrest species is  Brazil Nut Tree ( Bertoletia Excelsa) is one of tghe largest species in the Amazon  Rainforrests, reaches 100 – 150 feet and may live 500 up to 1000 years. It reproduces with difficulty – its reproduction depends on a certain type of orchid. Withg a straight stem, 3 -6.5  feet in diameter, and a crown that towers over all other canopies of  surrounding tees.

2. Other common  species – in California – Platan (Platanus Occidentalis)  very  tall as well – up to 130 feet, can live up to 2300 years if left alone.

Sincerely,

Tsvetana Yvanova, ASLA,

Artist, Designer & Tree Lover

Tsvetana Yvanova Fine Art Videos

YouTube is a platform like no other

My art  Professor Angelakov  used to say –  you have to be able t create with anything that is available to you – if you have a pencil – use a pencil, you have oils – use oils; if you have nothing else available- paint with your fingers – if you have no canvas – draw on anything that comes to hand . . .’  His wisdom still follows  me.  The message was clear – never be swayed by  limitations – be it of materials or anything else.  Let your creativity flow no matter what. His words have nourished y creativity all these years.

A new medium has been added to my presentation palette – YouTube and Vimeo.  A skeptical attitude at first has prevented me to pay closer attention to  this popular public channel of  information. But as soon as I watched a science lecture from Harvard University about Nano particles and  not long after I discovered the most talented video artists of all time Philip Geist – I was a ‘convert’!

A special regular editorial will be dedicated to my Facebook and YouTube  ‘discoveries’.  It is only fair to say – I  am incredibly pleased to find out that there are so many unbelievably talented Artists out there! Has it not been for these networking platforms – I would have missed out on this knowledge ! I am very pleased  that  I am ‘in’.  My scepticism was a thing of the past – I was ‘converted’. Just like Facebook has modified my perceptions about social networking.

Here is a link to my latest video – I tried to make a bronze figure to dance . . . .You will know if I have succeeded. The music of  Antonio Vivaldi became a perfect background for the dancing ballerina. If you log in to The Dance Lesson – you will have the opportunity  to see the result of the new video – www.youtube.com/stylevieworg.

Enjoy it!

Tsvetana Yvanova  for

Tsvetana Yvanova Fine Art