"What Is Painting?" At THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART Part II

James Kalm responds to a gracious invitation from MoMA to attend the press preview of this timely exhibition. Like the coming of summer, or the swallows returning to Capistrano, the cycles in the art world have returned to focus on the practice of painting. Organized by Anne Umland, this show spotlights 50 works of art that are painting, or relate to, the question, "What is Painting?" and displays works from the museum's permanent collection. Ann Temkin, curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture leads viewers through a brief walk-through and delivers an insightful explanation of the works. Artists represented include Francis Bacon, Robert Colescott, Gene Davis,Carroll Dunham, Wade Guyton, Al Held, Shirazeh Houshiary, Martin Kippenberger, Sherrie Levine, Andy Warhol, Agnes Martin, Elizabeth Murray et al.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• James
• Kalm
• painting
• Museum
• Modern
• Art
• Andy
• Warhol
• Francis
• Bacon
• Kippenberger
• Agnes
• Martin
• contemporary
• New
• York

[rembrandtsca]

I guess "Evolution People", for Doublebboulbe means:

Ambiguous, Empty, Blank, Meaningless, Easy, Lacking, Unsure, Vague, Week, Lacking, Tacky, Tasteless, Deceitful, Ignorant, Sickening, Cheap looking, Irrational, Clumsy, Ridiculous, Skill-less...

BORING AND FREACKING UGLY?!!!!

[jameskalm]

This is great, I posted this video over two years ago and it still raises hackles. There's a Tony award winning play that's been running forever on Broadway called "Art" about an all white canvas and three friends opinions about it. If this issue didn't get blood boiling so much, it obviously wouldn't be so artistic.

[MrWowforever]

dear mr.kalm.......the monochrome has become an entry level invitation to piss off the uninformed. It seperates the wheat from the chaff. it demands that context be as important as execution. It eliminates skill and by design invites the opposite, excessive labor. The empty surface is rich if you know what came before (history) and as an artist, it gives the greatest permission: you are free to do anything. The monochrome angers the non-creative and liberates the artists:) thanks mr kalm!!!

[jameskalm]

Hey Wow,

this is an hilarious enigma. The white monochrome might be the ultimate goal of high Modernism or it might be the first (or last) refuge of scoundrels. If an artist ends up there after twenty years of investigation it's profound.  If an artist starts, and ends there, it's a cliche. It seems less about the painting than the questions it implies, (philosophy, not painting)

[DoctorLawyerWhatever]

@jameskalm So, what makes you think that controversy, or, for that matter, a lack of it, has anything to do with something being artistic?

[jameskalm]

@DoctorLawyerWhatever Because part of art's mission is to get people to think, If something is controversial then it has at least attracted enough people to it that people are talking and thinking about it.

[danielmesarosiu]

@MrWowforever  there's nothing intelligent about a pure white painting bro.

[proust2020]

It is amazing how much anger this discussion generates. I completely understand why a blank canvas upsets folks but I also understand why an artist would make that statement. If you think of the history of art as one big conversation, some artists have very interesting contributions and others have less interesting things to say. All are valid. Context molds what an artist makes. Cultural and political forces play a big role in the game. There are high/low points on the art graph. You decide.

[JeffersonDinedAlone]

@jameskalm Carnival barkers attempt to draw people in to a freak show, as well. And after viewing it, people may talk and think about it for a time. However, does this in any way mean that it is neccesarily worthwhile? It does not. Controversy only means that people have different perspectives on something. People have different perspectives on everything. Controversy has no relevant correlation, whatsoever, to art. Controversy may generate curiosity, but that is all.

[ChrisTube3333]

@dOUBLEDDOULBE Evolution? Its a canvas covered in white paint by a man with no artistic talent/skills for painting or anything... If thats evolution, i think we are going wrong way!!!

[Krzwl]

hmmm.....If one paints, writes, composes, records/plays a masterpiece and it stays in the drawer where no one can see it....is it an artistic masterpiece or not?

[uh0oo]

How does she give a diffrent interpretation for each white "painting" when they all show the same, Im fasinated with art, but the concepts, and philosophies are hard to grasp sometimes.

[cosg9531]

@jameskalm I didn't know that art had a "mission", or needed one. It is not neccesary to "get" people to think. Those who wish to think will do so, the rest will not. Quality of work should be the only attraction, and if someone responds to that by saying that quality is subjective, then they don't know what quality is, and are incapable of creating it. Controversy may generate exposure, however, it has nothing to do with quality. There is precious little quality in art. Or in anything else.

[irishluck43]

The joke is on you, peeps. It's a whitewashed canvas. The only thing it "says", is please paint me.

[SuntzuMocro]

this is so funny robert ryman was a fucking a security guard at a museum before becoming an artist. he just fucking laughed at all those modern artists and gave them a fucking WHITE painting in ur face Biatch,

and everytime someone questioned this....they are ignorant so ignorant lets climb a tree.

[mattier3030]

@jameskalm FUCKING GAY