January 20, 2009

Tension, 2008
Michael Murphy
2'x2'x9' - 1000 feet of steel high tension wire, black enamel and poplar base
image: mmike.com

I've looked for Obama art before but this is the first time I've come across the fantastic blog,
The Obama Art Report. There were endless works to choose from and I went with Michael Murphy as he actually has been focusing on making art with Obama as a focus.

The significant amount of inspiration that this election and Obama himself has causes is amazing. Works range in levels of artistic merit, but regardless of their placement in the world of "art" just knowing that the events taking place are warranting such an outpouring of artistic creation is wonderful.

From profiles to head shots, paintings, drawings and more, there aren't too many sculptures that I've come across. On Murphy's website you can see the drawings that led to the sculpture which stems from a simple silhouette. The emergence of the face of Obama out of what appears to be a tangle of wires is striking. The transition of a 2D drawing to a 3D drawing (as I see this sculpture) creates not just a physical depth to the image but a visual and emotional one as well.

I was going to share a straight up fun image using the techniques I am working on in my own work so check out Pez Prez here.

I have never been particularly eloquent so I won't be able to provide any good testament to the significance of today, Inauguration day, but I will be watching the Inauguration speech at my computer at work tomorrow, sending out hugs and smiles and shouts to my friends and family who were able to make it to D.C. to be a part of a better history to come.

Cranked Fish

Goldfish Bowl, 1929
Alexander Calder
Private Collection

As a child, Calder mobiles were some of my favorite works of art. I loved to just stand under them in galleries, waiting for a breeze to make them move (I think I even blew at them, but from a child's height it doesn't do much good). No wonder, considering their movement, and affinity with toys. I am happy that not only have I discovered a whole world of Calder I was unfamiliar with at the Whitney Museum of American Art a few years ago when I saw Calder's circus, but a new exhibition catalog at work has introduced me to where much of the wonderful came from.

Goldfish Bowl was Calder's first mechanized wire sculptures Calder made when he was in Paris (1926-1933). It is crank-driven and when cranked, the fish "swim"! ("Alexander Calder: 1898-1976, NGA press release 1998) These wire sculptures were his form of expressive drawing in space, which we can see by the fluid yet marked connections made by the wire.

The catalog was produced to accompany the exhibitions "Alexander Calder: The Paris Years 1926-1933" which opens at the Whitney October 16 and at the Centre Pompidou sometime next spring, so you must check it out if you luckily live in NYC (been experiencing some withdrawal syptoms this week) or Paris! The Whitney has Calder's circus up on permanent display (and play the film of Calder performing the circus) so next time you are in the city or just on the upper east side, stop by. Here is a taste... and notice in my blogroll, a new artistquote of the day...