2008 Woodie Awards
Picasso inspires artwork
Joel Kopplin
Issue date: 9/10/07 Section: Intermission
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This past weekend, the Walker Art Center ended a near three-month run of its wildly popular "Picasso and American Art" exhibit.
Extending the gallery hours for the final weekend, art enthusiasts were given one last chance to see works that completely transcend creative boundaries.
Using Pablo Picasso as a reference point, the exhibit had a variety of artists on display who were all influenced by the uninhibited freedom of Picasso's work. Important American artists such as Jackson Pollack, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and Max Weber were all represented with a variety of different pieces.
I'm by no means a learned art scholar, but I found this particular exhibit to be rather stimulating for a variety of different reasons. I particularly enjoy art, whether it's writing, music, film, painting or otherwise, that creates a platform for the debate of what qualifies as "art."
This exhibit is sure to spark all sorts of conversation on that front. From canvases splashed with streaks of color, televisions playing video of odd performances (a man rocking back and forth on his heels banging into a wall, for example), to sculptures with seemingly no purpose or desire to actually look like anything, it had everything one could have hoped for as far as ethereal, abstract artistry is concerned.
The exhibit was set up so that you'd see a piece by Picasso and nearby are the modern American artists, their work clearly reflecting a direct influence of the celebrated visionary.
There's something entirely refreshing about art without boundaries, completely free to roam the creative landscape and end up wherever it may.
Paintings by Pollack range from completely impenetrable (some works resembling a cluttered nightmare of colors and patterns) to surreal and unsettling (one particular painting depicted a group of faces that were all anguished).
The odd sexuality of works by Max Weber can be both beautiful and disturbing, sometimes within the same initial reaction. Other works allow colors to run, to bleed, distorting faces and shapes until they blend into one oddly beautiful form.
Not everyone shares the same sentiment toward modern art, which is what makes the debate so much fun. There were a few spectators present at the gallery who clearly find modern art to be something of a sham; a foolish, miasmic movement that has only been spurred on by pseudo-intellectuals.
Their argument isn't entirely without validity. Can you simply splash paint on a canvas, smear it around and defend it as "art?" Of course you can, but you'd better be prepared to do so.
Always a great spot for culture and creativity, the Walker Art Center has something for everyone including the new Catherine Sullivan exhibition "Triangle of Need" that will be going on until Nov. 18.
Also, starting at the end of October, there will be an exhibition of artwork by famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. For more information, visit www.walkerart.org.
Extending the gallery hours for the final weekend, art enthusiasts were given one last chance to see works that completely transcend creative boundaries.
Using Pablo Picasso as a reference point, the exhibit had a variety of artists on display who were all influenced by the uninhibited freedom of Picasso's work. Important American artists such as Jackson Pollack, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and Max Weber were all represented with a variety of different pieces.
I'm by no means a learned art scholar, but I found this particular exhibit to be rather stimulating for a variety of different reasons. I particularly enjoy art, whether it's writing, music, film, painting or otherwise, that creates a platform for the debate of what qualifies as "art."
This exhibit is sure to spark all sorts of conversation on that front. From canvases splashed with streaks of color, televisions playing video of odd performances (a man rocking back and forth on his heels banging into a wall, for example), to sculptures with seemingly no purpose or desire to actually look like anything, it had everything one could have hoped for as far as ethereal, abstract artistry is concerned.
The exhibit was set up so that you'd see a piece by Picasso and nearby are the modern American artists, their work clearly reflecting a direct influence of the celebrated visionary.
There's something entirely refreshing about art without boundaries, completely free to roam the creative landscape and end up wherever it may.
Paintings by Pollack range from completely impenetrable (some works resembling a cluttered nightmare of colors and patterns) to surreal and unsettling (one particular painting depicted a group of faces that were all anguished).
The odd sexuality of works by Max Weber can be both beautiful and disturbing, sometimes within the same initial reaction. Other works allow colors to run, to bleed, distorting faces and shapes until they blend into one oddly beautiful form.
Not everyone shares the same sentiment toward modern art, which is what makes the debate so much fun. There were a few spectators present at the gallery who clearly find modern art to be something of a sham; a foolish, miasmic movement that has only been spurred on by pseudo-intellectuals.
Their argument isn't entirely without validity. Can you simply splash paint on a canvas, smear it around and defend it as "art?" Of course you can, but you'd better be prepared to do so.
Always a great spot for culture and creativity, the Walker Art Center has something for everyone including the new Catherine Sullivan exhibition "Triangle of Need" that will be going on until Nov. 18.
Also, starting at the end of October, there will be an exhibition of artwork by famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. For more information, visit www.walkerart.org.