The 2015 L A Art Show just wrapped up at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The tone of the show has continued to evolve over the years. It seems sculpture and contemporary art are the big players that are drawing, delighting, and even shocking the crowds. I can’t tell you how many people I saw during the opening night gala taking selfies with Dali, Warhol and Kim. The Warhol and Dali silicone sculptures were almost twice the size of a normal head, and as you can see by these images, remarkably lifelike. I’m sure all of these men would love being brought back from the grave in such a grandiose way… except Kim. He’s basically in what looks like a Coca-Cola branded Machine, forever on ice, as part of the artists series Refrigerator Dictators.
When I go to this particular art show I’m usually looking forward to seeing remarkable paintings that will both inform and inspire my own paintings. However, on this particular night, that didn’t happen. What inspired me to lift my camera were the sculptures seen above, along with a few really great Korean paintings. Unfortunately, so many of the paintings that I did see, didn’t seem well crafted, which in my mind translates to they won’t stand the test of time. Dare I say that to the gallery owner who represents those artists? I simply look at the artwork and pricing and make my mental notes. Usually that mental note is I wouldn’t spend MY money on that… but what do I know? So I look, and I ponder, and do my best to understand what I’m missing. I’m not immersed enough in the art world to know what the current thought is regarding contemporary painting. And to be honest with you, I’m quite bored by this entire Street Art scene, where anything that looks like it’s been made with cans of spray paint qualifies as art. I believe it will be recognized in the annals of art history as a bonafide art movement, however, I have absolutely no interest in collecting it. Give me true technique that requires the thoughtful and skilled process of applying layers and layers of oil paint to create an image, whether its abstract or representational. Or the skill required to apply layers of resin and then sand away bits of it to create an image. Spray paint or acrylic paint thrown on a canvas or board with a high sticker price simply doesn’t impress me… I think there’s a name for it: THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES!
These are the reasons we should all go to gallery exhibitions and museum exhibitions, to educate ourselves and form our own opinions. Once you’ve seen a few thousand paintings you start to know what resonates with you and whether or not you’d like to live with it. Does it take you someplace when you look at it? Are you exhilarated or depressed by it? Would you want the energy of that artist living in your home with you on a day to day basis, especially if money were no object?
The Palm Springs Fine Art Fair is coming up February 12 – 15 during Modernism Week 2015. My experience with that show in years past has always been very favorable. I could easily drop six figures on paintings at that show and not think twice about it. I wish I could afford to support the arts in that manor. The quality of the paintings at that show always inspire me. Lets hope this years show is more of the same.
Lastly I find it very interesting that artnet News, an online publication that I subscribe to, singled out six of the eight pieces I’ve featured above, as newsworthy to write about…. I must be on the right track.