Ralf Broeg, Artist's Talk - 25/10/2011

German, based in Dusseldorf. Currently teaching sculpture (4 days in a month) at Sunderland.

Stimulating talk, good timing as I have seen much 'contemporary art' recently which I felt had little to offer me, despite working quite hard at it!

•   crosses a range of disciplines -sculpture, graphic design, silk screen, painting and probably more
•   often works in collaboration- composers. cabinet makers, electricians....
•   site specific work and free standing works

Sculptures in glass, perspex, wood, metal. Very strong spatial sense, much work has 'Bauhaus' austerity.
Kinetic qualities explored with moving elements, rotating forms etc.

Interestingly painted/ manipulated gallery floor to strengthen relationship of two paintings placed at right angles to one  another.

His 'Fuzzy logic' series were exciting - often referenced from well known paintings Monet, Goya...
Executed through series of dots of differing size and densities -computer generated prior to silkscreen printing. Great sysnthesis of digital and analogue work, referencing well known paintings but providing a totally new statement. The discipline of the underlying grid coupled with apparently random dots/ fine aethetic judgements provides the basis for powerful, stuctured work.

Tremendous energy, competence coupled with aesthetic judgement - one to watch.

What to do?

 Thinking around current work on Isla del Sol sketch

• VB comment -working at too large a scale, work out palette at smaller scale/ collage bits etc.

Contemplating this at 5.0 am having delivered granddaughter her bottle...trying to articulate what I  am aiming for (prerequisite for aiming it would seem, otherwise aimless??)

landscape concerns

• landform, particularly related to erosion and influence of man
• settlement patterns influenced by topography/climate
• landscape as a serial viewing experience / passage of time (seconds/seasonal/geological/memory)

Figurative / Abstract

Abstraction as a means of accentuating character

1. degree of abstraction- should retain some demonstrable link with source landscape
2. colour and its role in defining / creating space
3. importance of 'intention'

Intestingly Chris Jenks, in Visual Culture, argues that 'abstraction' can be regarded as a perspectival issue, that it is concerned with altering the size and relative prominence of aspects of phenomena in relation to their original place. Essentially traditional perspective is a form of abstaction- it simplifies the relationship between the eye, brain and object.

Move over

Move over

Another soul on the planet.
Friday 7th Oct at 0330 hrs. Reuben, Jerome, Veitch, weighing in at 7lbs and 13oz- a son for Ruth and Robert.
A hard won delivery but both mother and baby doing well ( father still in shock!). Even as a grandfather it is still  an exraordinary experience and such a happy time when things eventually work out.

Anthony Faroux Durham Cathedral Artist in Residence (16/10/2011)

Exhibition at DLI museum Durham City

Interested to view having heard him speak  to student's at Sunderland.

Exhibiton has an interesting take on " a preoccupation with movement and stillness in lanscape" The exhibits comprised a video and related paintings.

Video shot in mountain landscape and cuts between trees, moving water, fog and wider landscape shots.
The mist is effective in cloaking and then revealing landscape elements. The sound track is just as important with passages of stillness contrasted with the sound of moving water /wind etc.

Liked the idea of related painings but  felt that  most failed to provide sufficient resonance with the video and were not, in themselves, sufficiently good to stand alone.

On balance felt the work showed great sensitivity to landscape and atmosphere/mood.

Studio 1- progress

Hard business getting back in after travelling- too many ideas.
However, need to commit and see what happens...

Working up landscape from sketch made on Isla del Sol, lake Titicaca.

Field Sketch

1) First painting attempting to convey something of the heat and space experienced - result too literal, pinks not that warm.    

2) Second attempt more fluid and tighter palette

Considering version 3 to be more abstract. Discuss with VB who suggests experimenting with collage. Produce own coloured sheets as basis for collage palette.
Also referencing back to Robbledio painting from Extramadura -interst in relationship of development to topography. Links to south America as many of the conquistador footsoldiers came from Extramadura which, then as now was one of the poorest areas in Spain
Collage picks up on village form, derived from Robbledio sketch, to some degree. Discussion with JH suggests looser approach addressing colours/ shapes/ space without referencee to anything else.


Sketch / painting/ photo
as source material

 Collage process quite liberating

First collage using painted sheets, then cut/ torn
to provide largely random shapes














Attempt to express central spine of village

The Sixteen- 14 /10/2011

Performance in Durham Cathedral by The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers.

Programme devoted to Marian works by Victoria -( late C16 Spanish ,with stint in Rome) Contemporary of El Greco, though not known if they ever met- almost certainly new of each others work.
Top quality performance that you can just relax into.
Attempt to viualise in terms of colour/ pattern. Cathedral provides large, symbolic space. Dark shadows and recesses contrasted with warm yellow light. Backdrop to well saturated colours?

Struggle to visualise as a painting

• Perhaps best as crayon drawing on dark,warm, neutral paper. Polyphony provides a series of clear pulses of sound, high notes soaring way up into the mysterious darknness.

• Rich, saturated lower notes/ colours, lightening as they ascend

Frieze experience 13/10/2011

Train trip down, attempting to get into 'Visual Culture' edited by Chris Jenks- some quite interesting observations about dominance of  interpreting the world through visual means (See what I mean? What is your view?). Part of his argument is that this somewhat formulaic approach dulls our perception.

Coffee at St Pancras, now a wonderful space to be in -a few minutes refuge behind the Americano, playing the voyeur to the London tableau.

Regents Park- ( Frieze - 173 galleris  from 33 countries)
Great venue and setting for the sculptures

•  Will Ryman's huge red flower hits you in the eye but does little else
• Circular piece of metalic,silver dancers, obviously referencing Matisse but without his sense of joy- what is dance without joy??
• Gavin Turk's 'Ajar' - door and frame set in the grass- an invitation to a new experience, I hope so?

Approaching the tent and queuing with a heightened sense of anticipation.
I try to open my mind, but as someone who has strong interest in painting beyong pattern making.......

What is fascinating is the variety of what is on offer:

• Works with homour, 'ready made' etc. How far can this be taken? E.g. Claire Fontaine's work- a neon sign spelling out " This neon sign was made by Vladimir Rustinov for the remuneration of one hundred and sixty thousand rubles"....The Artist's intention fabricated by a specialist.. once this point is made what else is there? It is not particularly pleasing to look at- if I look at  it tomorrow would it tell me anything else? If not why would I wish to purchase /own??

• The ultimate 'Ready made' .Christian  Jankowski's boat - bought for £65m, but selling it as ,art for £70m. Options:

1. Tophy for the super rich / super gullible
2. Emperor's clothes
3. Art

          My great fear is that Sunderland may educate me to see this as ART!

• Scott King's poster entitled "Marxist disco cancelled" brought a smile and a train of thought- perhaps its done its job? How much should you look for in a work of art?

Some of the works which caught my eye............

 

Interesting that some of the 'big names' on show seem to have big names for a good reason- their works are good! e.g. Tacita Dean, Richard Long, Richter....

Richard Long

Tacita Dean

Gerhard Richter

                                                                                   
Antidote to Modern Art

Called in at British Library en route to KingsX
Viewed Jain Sacred Texts - low light levels, few people,quiet, imtimate, contemplative.
Multiple, small, semi abstract images - reds and golds. They appear rich, full of life, with evident skill in their execution and despite being from a different culture, speak directly. Not something I found much at the Frieze!

View from the hill- First entry from a Novitiate

Greetings 
The ceremony was so low key, no blood, no promises of loyalty or devotion, just some images on a screen and the clicking of a mouse - yet it is daunting, will I learn to love/hate/ignore/obsess over?
Pixel power is perplexing for a mind nurtured on pencil, ink, paper. I miss the response of the mark making, the forgiving nature of the paper, the blot, the crossing out, folding it and putting it in my pocket... Now my electronic umbilical stretches out across space to deep wells of knowledge undreamt of and remaining just out of reach until I have mastered the cool logic of command and execution.