This issue is all about that. Nobody much cares for modern art anymore. And why should they? It's become the 'salon art' of our day - the dried-up art that the Impressionist rebels fought against over 100 years ago in 19th century France. Painting, drawing, and all its offshoots have become cold, impenetrable, shallow, and at this point in time, they have no connection or relevance to your life or mine. It's a wonder anyone cares about modern art at all. But I do.
I care about it so much, I want to end it and replace it with something great again. This issue is all about that.
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First a reprint from Musea #108 about the exact moment when modern art ended on 1/08/02. Then in part two I offer a manifesto of the newer art I suggest should replace modern art. And finally I talk about my world of art, art projects, and more (with 2200 works of my own completed over the years).
Art lovers rejoice (the few of you that are left). There is hope for great art yet!
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THE LAST MINUTE OF MODERN ART
Can CONCEPTUAL ART be used to end the abuses of conceptual art? It all began this way. I was walking home from a taco place and thinking about Martin Creed and his Art Prize. He won the annual Turner Prize that goes to the best art work from a British artist younger than 50. The prize was a check for $31,500 that was handed to him by Madonna.
And what was his art? Now this is hard to even say - even let the words sputter out of my mouth. The reason being I, too, am an artist. I have been one for decades, have studied and copied the masters, done work in almost every media (pencil, acrylics, and colored pencils are my favorites). And I worked hard to have some scope to my art whether portraits, landscapes, still lifes, abstracts, or just about everything in between. I love the stuff. I breathe art. I love to know everything there is to know about art and artists.
So what was HIS art? He got the yard-wide novelty check from Madonna (representing a couple years of my income) for his exhibit of flashing light bulbs in an empty room! (His previous works include a scrunched-up piece of paper and a ball of clay stuck to a wall). British art curator Simon Wilson notes: "He wants to make art where he is doing as little as possible that is consistent with doing something. The fact that many people find his work so baffling indicates that he's working on the edge."
Oh I see. Now I am getting it. Now I am figuring out the "NEW" rules. Creed himself comments, "If I can make something without adding any objects, I feel more comfortable."
And then it DAWNED ON ME. I would bring modern art to its end. I would suggest the ultimate. The ultimate in baffling minimalism. I would get the 'plastic' check from Madonna.
So on TUESDAY 1/08/02, at 1:30-1:40 PM, as I, Tom Hendricks, was walking home from the taco place, I took art to its ultimate. This was the last minute of modern art. It could go no further. Where Creed had flashing lights in an empty room, I would ... IMAGINE A GALLERY IN MY MIND THAT WOULD HAVE NO LIGHTS ON AT ALL! And that moment marked the end of modern art.
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NEXT
My suggestion for the art that replaces modern art.
Well then, what's to replace modern art? Generally speaking its art that has relevance again - that touches the lives of the entire world - that enriches the world.
1. I suggest first an end to the gallery system of art. There is a trio of elite insiders that are keeping art out of the world and into goofy-land. They consist of the gallery owner, the artist, and the buyer. The general public isn't rich enough, trendy enough, or 'well versed enough' (I say foolish enough) to play the 'art' game. So, what initially began decades ago as enlightened gallery owners respecting new and innovative art work - has turned into a shell game with three nuts vying for art as worthless as the pea they chase!
2. Make use of all the tools of art, all styles, all genres. The new art has scope again. It is not a one-trick-pony. It's not a pigeon-hole. And its artists are not locked into one style or format or subject mater. Finally any painter can explore in all the styles from realism to abstraction. (It's taken the art world hundreds of years to go from realism to total abstraction. Now we are the first generation able to use the full range of those styles. Let's make use of that privilege). And add all subjects too: portraits, landscapes, still lifes, abstractions, illustrations, surrealism, and all the rest. The new painters strive for wide ranging skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, as well as many other modes of art expression.
3. Painting and Drawing Reproduction. Technology has also given our generation the first chance to mass-market paintings on canvas (and drawings too). Let's make use of that. And (as I have mentioned this many times in past issues) exact canvas reproductions of paintings allow copies to travel, to exhibit anywhere in the world from the largest city to the smallest hamlet. It allows painting copies to travel the world while the original works are safely ensconced in well protected modern museums. It allows paintings to be sold and become best sellers. It fires artistic competition and allows artists to make royalties on canvas copies while retaining control of the original work. It shifts the emphasis from galleries and museums to town halls and art centers anywhere. It takes art out of the hands of elites and puts it into the hands of all. Look what mass marketing has done for books and recordings, and films. Now its art's turn.
4. It's art that communicates without added explanation. Great art has never needed manifestos to explain it. Sophisticated art and art ideas are certainly challenging. but sooner or later the world catches on. The people speak, debate, and consider the art, and in the end the majority of art lovers like it. And all along the art piece itself communicated its message loud and clear. Only bad art doesn't communicate clearly. Great art always does.
5. Art is put back to work. The new art works. It illustrates a novel or a kid's book. It adds a mural to a public building. It expresses religious fervor. It reflects an event in history. It's a design for a building or a pattern for a dress. It's a landscape of a treasured spot on earth. It's a protest against abuse or an expression of political beliefs. It's a picture of the future. It is an expression of our lives here and now. Art's indolent days are over.
6. The emphasis switches back. The emphasis of art is switched from the diva artists - back to the art work itself. It's the quality of the art not the novelty of the artist's life that counts.
7. Shift from public subsidy to the public. Instead of government subsidy to artists or art groups, it is invested in city art centers. These multi purpose centers allow for all local or visiting artists of any kind to show their work, or perform, or talk, or anything else the community wants to do with its art center. Promote all art not specific artists, art groups, or art agendas.
8. The New Art celebrates all art. Along with the new developments in art, the new art celebrates, preserves, and protects all art from the past. It also promotes art education for everyone everywhere. It enriches every life with art.
9. Technical skills. The new artist has enough technical skill so that lack of technical skill is not an issue of contention. Also the new art critics have enough skill to tell the talented from the trendy, and enough courage to challenge art abuses in every aspects of art.
10. Art in Schools. And finally the new art suggests that a part of all student's study is the ability to draw. We have schools that teach reading/writing skills (one of the two hemispheres of the brain) but little to no teaching of visual language skills. The new art, teaches art, respects art and goes one step further. It brings back fun, excitement, relevance, and ultimately a world full of great art.
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MY WORLD OF ART.
Let's talk art. Here are some ideas about the world of art in general and my art in specific - peruse.
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Quote: Let's take art out of the galleries and bring it back to the world." - Art S Revolutionary.
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Three Ideas: Sometimes direction is needed to martial artists into bigger projects. Here are three collective projects that might prove exciting
A. Yearly Contest/Exhibit. Each year suggest an art theme for a contest and exhibit open to all painters of the world. Offer substantial prizes to the winners and exhibit all or most all of the entries. You could also send the best paintings on a world tour. Examples for the theme might include: religious beliefs, nature, political issues, still lives, portraits, landscapes; or you could suggest a style - abstraction, surrealism, symbolism, or you could suggest a specific purpose: book illustration, cartooning, murals. Competition, when done fairly, often pushes artists to greater heights and achievement.
B. Painting Cycles. One of our first great painters in the western tradition was Giotto 1276-1337. One series of paintings he did was the Life and Passion of Christ in the Arena Chapel in Padua. The idea of doing a series of a paintings illustrating a story is a good one, and except in cartooning it is seldom done today. I suggest that artists consider painting cycles, or telling a larger story in a series of paintings. Monet did his series in a different 'light' so to speak. He often painted the same scene under different atmospheric conditions during different times of the day. An idea of mine is to show a landscape through a 4-painting cycle with each painting representing one season of the calendar. But no matter how the artist connects up his series, it is an idea that will take visual art to further refinements and complexities.
C. History Mountain. This idea demands scope - a lot of it - and either a mountain or a very big building to house a model of a mountain! What I suggest is a collective art project open to all painters. Its purpose is to represent the history of the world through paintings. The paintings would be arranged from earliest times of civilization to the year 2000. And they would be exhibited on a mountain shaped dome inside a museum such that the earliest achievements or events would be at the base of the mountain, and those nearest 2000 AD at the peak. All artists from all countries would be eligible to submit paintings (or art works of any kind: crafts, photos, sculpture) for any moment in time, or any biography of an important person, or any great work of art, or book of science, or battle, or founding of a new country, or any other aspect of world history. In the end you have a massive history museum in paintings. And one leisurely walk up the mountain will take the visitor through thousands of years of time and past history.
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Depth of Painting Idea. I think there is a correlation between the depth in a painting and the depth of feeling in a painting. Flat paintings or paintings with all surface decoration just don't seem to connect in the same emotional way as those paintings with the artifice of 3D. And the deeper the 3D the more the feeling.
I also think this idea can be carried to other aspects of art. I note that cave art by our most distant artist ancestors is often in the deepest parts of the cave structure. Perhaps the psychological meaning of that positioning is this - the art farthest away from the entrance represents the deepest recesses of their feelings and thinking. While the art work nearer the cave opening represents that which they openly exhibit to others.
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Dialogue from the Internet. Internet newsgroups can hook you up with some fascinating people and diverse opinions. Here is an exchange I had about art with 'Paul" or "Rusty". I am not sure which (or if its both) - I will use the name Net. I have edited it a little bit to skip redundancy:
Net: I feel the same way as you about some work, but dismissing modern art in general as a joke doesn't make any sense!
TH: Oh I think it does. The Impressionists had to do the same thing. The very basis that modern art is built on is opposing the abuses and academic mess art had become before the Impressionists came along. And they faced the same resistance as I see in these posts. Same difference now.
Net: Not all modern art needs to be explained to be appreciated. Granted, in some cases it helps to have a good grasp of modern art history. For example, Mondrian and Pollock are easier to understand in the context of their earlier work that is not seen as often. But there's a ton of great work out there that anybody can understand.
TH: There are exceptions for sure - but almost all of the best of modern art (and most of it is no good) are technically good work based on previous art innovations - even the best abstract painter today, is no more than a clone of what the pioneer action painters did. Surely you don't think they should get the same respect as those that invented the form? Or (take for ex.) the work of Duchamp (perhaps one of the most intellectually innovative artists) Yet who among these moderns can hold a candle to his work done almost a century ago? Have you read why a conceptual art moment on 1/08/02 ended the abuses of modern art? Please read it. It's posted a few places, such as http://literaryrevolution.com/essays/essays.tom.B.htm
Net: Have you seen Art 21? Did you see the Whitney Biennial this year? I don't see how you could possibly dismiss all of that work as pointless. There's so much wonderful stuff out there.
TH: No I didn't. But if it supports (silly) conceptual art, more clone abstraction, bad video art, and other clones of better work (dada did a lot of this better in the 20's) then most of it is just derivative and a waste of time and canvas, and materials. I'm also opposed to the gallery system of art and art selling, I'm for the idea of mass market reproducing canvas copies and having major exhibits of the copies; for ending the stranglehold of the rich collectors and patrons of art; for dumping gov. grants for the arts and replacing them with art centers that can be used for any purpose the community wishes to; for painting and drawing as part of education curricula, and many many more changes. And if you'll be honest I think you'll find that very little mod art communicates or has the ability to touch the lives of anyone other than a few 'experts'. Art should be more than a joke without a punch line. It should have value. Modern art ended in the 1/08/02 event - perhaps the most important conceptual art moment in recent art history, brought conceptual art down...
Net: It seems like you saw some stuff you didn't like and just decided current art sucks. Doesn't sound like you're even giving it much of a chance anymore.
TH: After 40 years of looking at the stuff, I'm not impressed. You shouldn't be either - especially if you have (had) a strong art history course.
Net: There are new art forms emerging. Electronic art, net art, video game art, interactive art. I think light/space art still has a lot of potential for new development. New evolved forms of art related to comics (not just Liechtenstein rip-offs). And it seems that a lot of art lately is about the process of making the art, almost as much as it is about the final product itself.
TH: Yikes, and all that is pretty scary. It's dancing around what is sincere , meaningful, and passionate for novelty. Too often video is bad film and bad painting, and bad acting - too often one feels he's being talked into art as something with value; much like the tailors talked the emperor into wearing no clothes. The abuses of this silly art have gotten out of hand... What should replace it? Art that isn't jokey. Art that has some value. Renaissance painters were treated as rock stars because they were valued by all - not just some inside gallery owners, and juries of elites.
No painting today has much ability to communicate much of anything and really is only valued by those that have been trained, or brainwashed, to 'get it." It seldom has substance - and even as lite entertainment it is too often jokes with no punch line that has been done so much better by those originating dada, surrealism, Zen! Art should be replaced by - not a more narrow one-trick-pony style - where the artist does his bit over and over, but instead, I think art should value those artists that: paint, and draw, and sculpt, all the mediums and styles, realism, impressionist, abstraction, design, and paint landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and isn't afraid to illustrate books, design clothes, or chairs, or buildings, or do collage or connect up with not only contemporary artists, but art history and that which has gone before.
There is a snideness and shallow arrogance about (modern art) too. There is much more on my website, so I'll let it go at that...
Net: You complain about "clone art" while it sounds like you're doing a lot of that in your own work, and your suggestion of where art should go is basically back to older styles!?
TH: No its an amalgamation of all of them plus some new.
Net: But you dismiss new media art without even bothering to look at it or give it a chance?
TH: It is bad film for the most part, or bad painting. Or bad both. Sometimes (rarely) it is something novel, but rarely.
NET: If you really think you can debunk current art, this is not the way to go about it. You have to study it carefully, listen carefully to what others say about it, and write about it in a well thought out manner...
TH: Been there and done that for over 12 years as editor of Musea and an artist studying art for over 40 years.
Net: ... Become thoroughly educated about the most current art, and write in specific response to critics who praise it.
TH: I am one of those critics and I don't praise it. See my review of a recent issue of Art in America. I think you are opposed to critics who don't bolster up this nonsense.
Net: Glancing at something and ranting about how it obviously sucks isn't going to convince anybody.
TH: Not those with minds shut. But more and more see modern art for what it is. It now is the provincial art - safe and established. I'm for taking chances not repeating ad naseum. That, too, is what the new art is about. And it's fun too. Being inconsequential is one thing, being over the top dull is another - Modern art now is both.
Net: Fact is, when I see some of these new kinds of work, it just clicks for me. It's like a light goes on and I feel a sense of exhilaration. Sometimes I just KNOW when I see a compelling work of art. It's beyond logical thought and discussions of art history.
TH: The good stuff is always like that. I couldn't agree more.
Net: You make the assumption that if you don't get it, then nobody gets it and they're just being herded through the galleries like cattle. But I'm telling you, I get some of this stuff! It makes me feel something!!
TH: Some in the court saw the emperor's clothes too. Look no one supports education in the arts more than I - see the website. But the more you know the more you see this has degenerated from great heights 100 years ago. And one more thing about other critics - note in my review of Art in America, how bad the modern art critic is. He has lost his insight and unbiasdness too.
Net: Good luck with your zine/posts/reviews ... There IS good art/music/film/etc out there.
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Two Inventions: Here are two inventions that I would support. Or maybe they are products that are already available somewhere that I don't know of. If so let me know. They would sure help me in my art work, and I would think it would help other artists too.
A. Giant Mechanical Pencil. When I discovered mechanical pencils, my drawing skills rocketed up. But when it comes to larger drawings we're left with chunky charcoal. How about a large mechanical pencil with a wide, dark line that the artist can use like a paintbrush or thick pen.
B. Magic Slate. When you were a kid you probably played with these grey slates. You'd draw on them with a plastic pen, then lift the gray cover sheet and the drawing would disappear. Once in an antique mall I saw an old one of these. It was more durable, more stout, made out of wood not plastic. How about some company making these sketchpads for us artists. I've often used a kids one for quick preparatory drawing studies. How about one for professional artists? And maybe make it so that we can save a drawing (through copying or transferring it) if we happen to draw a good one.
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Conceptual Art With Punch Lines: In this issue and other writings I have often made fun of the abuses of conceptual art. I've often claimed they are jokes without a punch line. But what if you had a punch line? In other words what if you did conceptual art that was actually fun and engaging? Here are some samples I suggest. (And I don't for one minute take these too seriously or as major art works, and neither should you.)
A. Umbrella Room. Set up a room with a painted cloudy sky roof. Then fill it with umbrellas hanging from strings. It would make a great photo op for visitors who could wander under the umbrellas and have their picture taken.
B. Time Enough. In my first Tommy skit (see Musea #130) I suggested a clock shop where Tommy is dozing in spite of thousands of clocks ringing. Recreate the clock shop filled with old clocks in various styles, and all ringing at various times - some accurately , some not. Another great photo op room for 'timely' visitors.
C. Key to the Situation. Design a glass trunk with a padlock. Fill the trunk with old keys donated by anyone who wants to contribute. Then toss the padlock key in with the others, and lock the trunk. Mystery - which of all those keys opens the padlock to the box, and why is that key inside the box with all the others?
D. Radio Waves. In my opinion hardly any machine built for the home is more artistically designed than old time radios. Fill a room with the best looking radios from the past. Another photo op for visitors (and let them revel in the cacophony of sounds too).
E. Moon Loony. In Musea #119 I outlined an idea for a film based on celebrating everything about our Moon, called Moon (but of course). Why not a Moon Museum celebrating our nearest celestial neighbor? It's the least we can do for such a faithful planet!
F. Take A Seat Please. Imagine a round room with 3 tiers full of well designed chairs (a chair museum actually) and maybe a spiral staircase in the middle that leads to all the levels. Then imagine a photo op where anyone can sit in any of the chairs on any level, anywhere in the room and camera buffs can take their picture.
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My New Styles. I've completed about 2,200 art works so far. Most are pencil drawings on paper, or acrylic paintings on canvas, (I first tried oil but hated the smell and switched to acrylic. Also I love acrylic because it dries quickly and you can repair mistakes fast); and sometimes colored pencils, or pen, or pastels etc. My subjects include landscapes, still lifes, portraits, abstractions, ideas for sculptures, etc. I do works in styles that include realism, abstraction, surrealism, symbolism, etc.
That's the bulk of my art and in many ways that is fairly traditional. But some things I do in art are, if not original with me, are certainly less mainstream. Here they are.
A. Constructions: This is a type of abstraction of mine that has a 3D effect to it. They look like lumber piled in a warehouse, or in more painterly terms, 3D cubism. Numerous 3D planes are stacked together. The best of these look like rich abstractions with a 3D depth that adds another 'dimension' to them. I've done these in both pencil and paint. Most are in the normal rectangular shape but I've also done a series of them in the shape of a circle , and others in the shape of an oval.
B. Envelopes, 4-Sided Cards, Handmade Books, and other Collages. I received a homemade envelope in the mail decades ago, and began making my own out of those glossy magazine photos. A good envelope collage will have a dramatic picture on the front, a secondary statement on the picture on the back, and a deeper meaning by the picture under the envelope flap. A simple envelope can be quite an artistic statement. I've done a thousand of these. I also branched off into other types of collages - 4-sided cards that, like a greeting card, have a cover an inside visual statement, and a back cover finale. I've also done large collages as a single sheet work of art, bookmarks (art works set up like a bookmark and then laminated. Any copy shop can do these for you), and finally I've done a few small one-of-a-kind hand-made collage books.
C. Color Over Copies. This is one art innovation that had to wait for copy machines to be invented. I make copies of my drawings. Then with colored pencils, paint, or sometimes colored pens, I color in copies of my own drawings. I think it makes for an interesting comparison to see the original drawing along side one or more different colored versions. Also you can enlarge or reduce the size of the original when you copy it. Some drawings improve with color, some are better off left alone. But overall it's a way to take favored works and expand their possibilities through colored variations.
D. Starry Eyed Works. Many of my more recent works include works about biology (see Musea #122) or astronomy or astrology. One idea I've invented, is painting a natal astrology chart in pictorial form. If you have the Moon in the 4th house, I paint the Moon in that quadrant of a picture of the sky when you were born. At the end you have a painting of all the planets in space positioned as they were when you were born. I would also like to do a major 12 painting series representing the 12 signs of the zodiac (and I've done some preliminary drawings for this). Also I have done numerous imaginary sci-fi portraits (spacemen, robots, and other fantasy figures), alien landscapes, alien flower still lifes, and starry night paintings; that I would like to use to illustrate a large fictional project I'm working on called "Writings in Science" (My recent novel, Library Planet was a section of this large sci-fi work).
E. Muse Murals. Two large murals of the 9 Muses. See Musea issue #98 for preparatory drawings.
F. Tommy Comics. I've got a lot of art projects for sure - no one can deny that. One that would highlight all the rest is this: Have talented cartoonists (I've done some cartoon work, but just a little, and I know enough to leave it to better artists in the field) help me with a comic exploring all my activities in a monthly comic book series. They would cover real life events, art ideas, and fictional adventures based on some aspects of my work.
G. Copy Copy. Because I can copy small color works for $1 each (and less if you can get 2 or more small works copied onto one sheet) from my local copy shop, I can share virtually exact copies of my work with others. This, along with the current 'mail art' tradition of exchanging art works through the mail - is leading to an entire new and notable way to show, and distribute art.
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Tommy's Renoir. Did you know that this editor owns a Renoir? Yep, had it for 30+ years. Am I rich? Nope. It's a restrike - that's a print taken after Renoir's death. Though its a real Renoir etching, the master did not approve of it and it is not a limited edition in any way. It cost me something over $100. And I paid it off $10 a month to a local gallery. I've seen it advertised in art magazines. It's called Le Chapeau Epingle from 1894 and shows one girl pinning a bonnet on another. It is quite charming.
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MORE TO EXPLORE.
If you enjoyed this issue on art, you might want to explore these related items:
A. Portraits My short novel on painters is really two stories. The first is a love triangle between a painter, his girlfriend, and his secret admirer. The second tells the story of a group of painters working together to form an artist co-op and change the art world.
B. You can find examples of my art in 1. Many issues of Musea. (See Musea #124, and #82 for Architectural drawings, Musea #126 for drawings of clothes designs, etc.) 2. Scattered throughout the Musea website. Webmaster Donna also features a new work every month on the title page. 3. Or published in other zines or chapbooks. (Also some of you may have seen my Asel Art Center Exhibit back in '84). And finally - here's an insider's tip. The Dallas landmark, the Inwood Theater, has 4 of my works on display if you know where to look: The Two Jellyfish in the upstairs lobby balcony. Usher's View a picture of the outside of the two upstairs theaters at the top of the employee only stairs to the offices. Antique Machine A drawing of our computer screen in the box office. And a painting copy as a header on the Musea zine stand in the lobby that changes month to month.
C. Art Guides. On the Musea website are numerous arts-of-all-kinds guides. One looks at best painters of all time, in a number of categories.
D. Painter Review Service. Musea guarantees reviews for all painters (along with all artists of all kinds). Also for those interested in reviews - see the first 40 art reviews for samples - ex. The scathing review of a recent issue of "Art In America".
E. Art Copies. I'll be glad to give free copies of drawings, small paintings, or 'envelopes" to any that request it, while they last - for a trade, or $1, or 3 stamps.
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UPDATES
Hunkasaurus and His Pet Dog Guitar will release their first CD in September. (And that will take the place of the October issue of Musea.) It'll contain about 30 songs! and cost $10. That's a lot of money but I'll also offer this money back guarantee. ANYTIME that Musea is in existence (1,5,10, 40 years from now) you can return the CD (if undamaged - normal wear and tear is fine) for a full refund. Reserve yours now. And hear what I've been recording all summer and playing live at the Inwood for the last decade!
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Stay revolutionary! - Art S Revolutionary.
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