It’s a good sign when the artist wears a t-shirt that says, “Don’t Worry, I Got Your Back.” That’s because our impression of graffiti is of outlaws in dark alleys. But most graffiti isn’t like that. Instead it is a form of marketing, advertising art galleries and events with spray paint.
The artist even had a booth at the fair where he was selling his own t-shirts, $20 each. The best one said, “I Got Your Back.”
Graffiti is a way to make art accessible to people who can’t afford an expensive gallery show. It has always been part of the New York art scene, but recently it has become more popular in other places–in part because of social media. We have seen it here in Iowa City, for example. And since the marketing aspect is important, the artist wants to control the message and make sure you know where it comes from; hence his professional clothing and booth at the fair.
It is more than two years now that we have been doing this blog, and it feels good to think back on how far we’ve come. It started as a hobby, then we thought why not to do this for money? But in the end we decided to go for passion and write about art everyday.
It feels amazing to get so much support from our readers and followers. We are grateful to all of you who are reading this piece of writing right now. We never thought that our blog will reach such heights and make us feel so proud of ourselves. We have received countless emails over the last one year and a half, which shows that people really like what we write about and encourages us to work even harder.
We aim at bringing up the things that you don’t see elsewhere, be it an artist or a particular type of art form or even something new or unheard before. We try not to follow any pre-written book, rather we roam around in search of new names, new issues, new perspectives on art and artists, some new stories and some fresh news items.
So keep visiting us regularly for your dose of contemporary art!
Like most artists, I’m a huge fan of art criticism, and an avid reader of reviews. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself being increasingly annoyed by the way art criticism operates. I’m not alone in this: there’s been a lot in the news recently about the way art is judged, and how reviewers and critics seem to operate. After all, if you’re no longer a naive kid just discovering the art world, who are you supposed to write for? And why?
If you’re an artist, you might have heard something like this: “I made this work because it meant something to me.” And then someone else says: “But what does it mean to me?” If a critic can’t tell you what your work means to them, did they really get it?
I was thinking about this after reading one of David Salle’s responses to criticism of his painting. His critics dismiss him as self-absorbed; he points out that he’s an artist who is also a person. The critics want him to divorce himself from his lived experiences; he refuses. One can see both sides; and yet one can also see that there has been a lot more going on than meets the eye. To me, anyway.
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A criticism of the art world is that it is a boys’ club, and in many ways it is. But I’m not sure how relevant that is to this issue. If you look at who’s getting published, shown and reviewed in the major art magazines, you’d still have to say it’s pretty much all men. But I don’t think there’s a conspiracy at work here. What I see instead is an interesting mix of artists and people who support artists who are men, and a few women.
Great artwork can be amazing, but art is not just about the final product. It’s also about the process and the struggles.
So I’m here to help you see things from all sides. To help you understand what inspires artists, what they go through, and why they do what they do.
Art is an important part of life, and I hope this blog helps you fall more in love with it.
We have already covered the main reason why artists need to be aware of copyright: it is a necessary evil in the current legal climate. This is the first of a two-part series about copyright and art, with an eye towards how we can change laws and policies to better support artists.
Troy Duster’s essay, Copyright as Cudgel , is excellent on the history and context of copyright law. My focus is on what that means for artists and art education. In this post, I’ll talk about how to protect your work from copyright infringement. In Part 2 , I’ll talk about copyright reform and alternatives to traditional copyright models.
I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice. Please consult an attorney if you have questions about specific situations or issues.
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is a rare sequel that’s even better than its predecessor. It’s directed by Matt Reeves, who was behind “Cloverfield,” and it stars Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings.”
This is the third installment of this rebooted franchise, but it’s not necessary to have seen the first two to appreciate this one. Like some of the best summer blockbusters, it’s all about spectacle: there are chases, battles and close-ups of apes doing what look like ape things, but with cool special effects.
It will be hard for any sequels to top this one. But then again, that was also true of “Rise,” the 2011 film that introduced Caesar (Mr. Serkis), an ape who rises to lead his species against human oppressors.