TB-9 at the Crocker Art Museum

         Over the break I had the opportunity to visit the Crocker Art museum and I found that many of the pieces that actually interested me were from the 1800's; apparently I am an old soul.  Mostly I just prefer paintings that look realistic. I have never really been able to connect to contemporary art or abstract art. I did visit Sam Francis' exhibition at the museum though, but I could not connect with it. Instead I chose to revisit a few pieces I already knew and explore some that I had not yet seen. In honor of the Remembering TB-9 lecture I attended a few weeks ago, I chose to revisit Robert Arneson's work and a few other TB-9 artists.

         First I chose to revisit Robert Arneson's self-portrait, Overcoooked. It's a piece I've seen many times before and very much so enjoy for his sense of humor. Robert Arneson as many of you may know was a professor of ceramics at UC Davis and is also known for his involvement in the funk art movement. Throughout the 1960's his work became more personal as we see in this self-portrait bust and others that he created. His humor in these busts were of utmost importance which we see in the face of this one, with it's tongue sticking out. In the back of the bust he places a kiln to represent many of the goods that he bakes. I find this to be the most interesting part of the piece and the decision to include the kiln is by far my favorite part.

 

 Robert Arneson, Overcooked, 1973. Terracotta.

 

 

          In the same room that Arneson's piece is found, is work of Wayne Thiebaud, a painter best known for his colorful works depicting commonplace items. Thiebaud was also an assistant professor at UC Davis where he remained and influenced many art students into the 70's.

 

 

         A few pieces of Thiebaud's that have always had some interest to me are his pie pieces. In Boston Cremes, and Pies, Pies, Pies he places his subjects up against a light colored background and then outlines his subject with a halo of rainbow colors to emphasize his subject. He also uses blue shadows to create contrast between the pies and the surface they sit on. Although he was associated with the pop art movement for his bright colors and repetition, he stands out from Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein in the way that he plays with the paint medium to emphasize his subjects and make them appear more life like. Although these pieces are considered contemporary and fall into the pop art movement, they still have a realistic look to them which catches my attention.

 

 

Wayne Thiebaud, Boston Cremes, 1962. Oil on canvas.

 

Wayne Thiebaud, Pies, Pies, Pies, 1961. Oil on canvas.

 

           Last, but not least, I made sure to visit Stephen Kaltenbach, one of the artists who spoke at the Remembering TB-9 lecture, Portrait of My Father. Of all the times I have been to the Crocker, I can't recall having seen this one before, but I do remember other pieces that were displayed in the same room. I don't know how I could have missed such a large and awe inspiring piece! The portrait is a memorial of a loved one who passed from this life to the next. The detail of the facial hair and the spark of life that looks as if though it is his last breath leaving his body, almost has the look of a nervous system which to me, although it may have nothing to do with this, represents not only his dying breath, but the nervous system as it shuts down. It also has a very spiritualistic look to it as if though Heaven's light is shining down upon him. The detail and technique put into this work is one that was well worth it, Although it is very life-like and portrait like, you know from the texture and overlaid design that it is indeed a work of art and an inspiring one at that.

 



Stephen Kaltenbach, Portrait of my Father, 1972-79. Acrylic on canvas.

 

        Overall it was a pleasant visit to the Crocker Art Museum and I enjoyed seeing familiar works of the TB-9 artists and even those I had not seen before. I hope to make it back again to take another look at Sam Francis' work before it is taken down and maybe even make it to U-Nite this year! 

Video: William Kentridge: Drawing the Passing

William Kentridge, born April 28, 1955 is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films. In the video William Kentridge: Drawing the Passing, it shows Kentridge’s process of drawing and making his animated films. It is very different from many animated films that I have seen, as it is done in charcoal and chalk. He begins with sheets of paper and a film camera and constructs 20-30 drawings which are altered many times. He will draw out his first scene, film it, and then erase and redraw certain elements, re-filming it again to create a new sequence.

 

When William Kentridge first started out, he believed that to be an artist, he had to work in oil paint, but he felt most comfortable creating work with charcoal and chalk as his medium. In the end, if he hadn’t chosen this as his medium of choice, he could not have made all of the art that he has created up to this point.         

 

The technique he uses, is a sequence of time and progression. Kentridge begins with an image or key element in mind, but he doesn’t know how it will evolve. He goes with his first impulse even if the final meaning of it is not yet clear at the starting point. In the process of creating a sequence, new ideas are formed and the real work starts when they are being filmed so his process is very quick.

 

William Kentridge, Drawings (video stills) for Stereoscope, 1998-99

 

I find some of his pieces and films to be a little dark or to have a deeper meaning, and although some if his work is not something that would grab my interest, his process of creating, filming, and reworking, does grab my attention. I think his process is key and is a very important part of his work. It’s very different from animation art that we usually see that is created on a computer or is happy and playful, and I think that is what really makes Kentridge and his work stand out.

Artist Lecture: Remembering TB-9: Steve Kaltenbach, Peter VandenBerge, and Jerry Walberg in Coversation

On Thursday March 6^th, I had the pleasure of attending the lecture, Remembering TB-9, a conversation between the artists, Steve Kaltenbach, Peter VandenBerge, and Jerry Walburg. The lecture began with an insightful introduction by Professor Elain O’Brien about the artists who would be speaking.

Photo by Shannon Veach

 

TB-9 stands for Temporary building 9 and it was an art and sculpture building at the University of California in Davis. Richard L. Nelson was the one responsible for founding the art department at UC Davis and hired faculty such as Manuel Neri, Wayne Thiebaud, William T. Wiley and of course Robert Arneson. Arneson, commonly referred to by the artists as Bob, began teaching at UC Davis in 1962. He and several other artists began to abandon the traditional manufacture of functional items in favor of using everyday objects to make confrontational statements. This new movement was called Funk Art and was a Neo-dada and pop-art style and Arneson was the father of the Ceramic funk movement.

Robert Arneson pictured in front of TB-9

 

I first heard about TB-9 and Robert Arneson a few semesters ago when I attended a lecture at Sac State about the Candy Store, an art gallery owned by Adeliza McHugh. This gallery housed many artworks that were produced through the funk art movement including the works of Robert Arneson, Wayne Thiebaud, and William Wiley, all who were apart of TB-9. Shortly after this lecture, I visited the Crocker Art Museum and saw Robert Arneson’s self-portrait, Overcooked, which portrays him as a chef, on top of some of his famous bricks and in the backside of the chef there is a kiln. I love this self-portrait and I loved it even more because I knew about the Artists as a person. So naturally, when I heard about the lecture, Remembering TB-9, I didn’t want to miss it!

Robert Arneson, Overcooked, 1973. Terracotta

 

The artists in the lecture, Steve, Peter, and Jerry, as they were referred to during the discussion, were all students of Robert Arneson, and they had a conversation with us the audience, and themselves, all discussing and remembering TB-9. Peter, was the first to arrive at TB-9 and it was after meeting Arneson at a fair, that he was invited to work at UC Davis, so when he finished his master at Sac State, he headed over to TB-9. Steve arrived a year later and was Arneson’s first student. They all loved the environment of TB-9 and Jerry mentioned that in his first semester there he took a casting class and loved that the space was always available for them to do whatever they wanted and with the pressure and support of their peers, they were always encouraged to work.

Peter VandenBerge, Steve Kaltenbach, and Jerry Walburg

                Arneson would make the artists build something and then break it, just so they wouldn’t get too attached to their work and would be working for the sake of learning. He also encouraged the artists to explore different materials and to stand behind their work and defend it.

 

                Jerry applied to TB-9 with clay work for his graduate school and worked in clay entirely, until he began working with geometric shapes, in which he was then encouraged to try working in metal. He worked in metal for quite some time and then was encouraged to go back to what he knew, which was clay.

                Steve also worked with geometric shapes and moved from clay into other mediums, in which he had to defend his wok, and that was perfectly fine as long as he could negate it.

                Peter recalled Arneson telling him and other students to try something different and if they negated it, he would joke about smashing their work, but the students would joke back about smashing his work, and he would just laugh. It was the perfect environment for you to be challenged, but it also allowed for humor.

                Jerry was encouraged by TB-9, to take over ASL at Sac State and he did so in 1968. If it weren’t for him ASL might still be a Forestry and Fish and Game building or an empty storage space.

                When talking with the artists, all three of them believed the most important thing they took from TB-9 was the obsession with the work. They feel that obsession and communication with the work is lacking in today’s art. As an art major, I feel I should have this obsession and motivation with my own work, but I am sometimes lacking in that area. When I asked how someone might find motivation in their work, it was suggested that trying new things and experimenting with new materials and supports can sometimes help. I am hoping that as I find more free time after I am through moving into a new house and planning a wedding that I can find the time and the motivation to try new things and find the obsession with my work that I really need to have. These artists are truly an inspiration and I hope to aspire to find that same motivation.

The Land The People, A Review on Contemporary Korean Prints

                   The Land The People, an exhibit currently on view in the Library gallery at Sac State, features Contemporary Korean prints from ten different artists, who were selected to present the diversity and scale of contemporary printmaking in South Korea. The work shows a wide range of techniques from linocut, traditional wood cut work, digital art and even silicon casting. The artists, An Jeong Min, Chung Sang Gon, Jung Won Chul, Kim Eok, Kim Joon Kwon, Lee Sang Guk, Lee Yun Yop, Suh Sang Hwan, Ryu Yeun Bok, and Yoon Yeo Geul, all brought uniquely diverse styles to contemporary printmaking which made the exhibit truly amazing and it was beautifully curated by Kim Jin Ha, Koo Kyung Sook, and Sac State’s very own, Ian Harvey.

                For someone who knows very little about wood-cut and linocut art, both techniques of traditional printmaking, this was an excellent show to experience and really broaden my knowledge in art. As an art major, professors are always trying to get you to expand your vocabulary with art and branch out and use new materials and supports as well. This is really an eye-opening exhibit, in its allowing you to experience new and old techniques of making art. Although printmaking has been around for centuries, not everyone has had the opportunity to view it, and I think it is great that the university, the art department and the contributing artists have allowed for this experience.

                Kim Eok and Ryu Yeun Bok’s landscapes are truly breathtaking and are really representative of the land in The Land The People.  Ryu’s series of twelve prints depict Gumgang Mountain, but rather than documenting the terrain, he conveys the symbolism of the landscape. His choice of using color in his woodcuts brings together past and present techniques of woodcut art; although his style alludes to traditional woodcut art, the color adds a modern twist and really alludes to the symbolic power of the landscape, which is at the center of political controversy.

Ryu Yeun Bok, Gumgang Mountain, series of 12 woodcuts



 

             The panoramic-like woodcut, Namhan River- Dangyang, by Kim Eok really stood out to me. The choice to produce it in bird’s eye view really allows for the beauty of the landscape to shine through. This is what I imagine when I picture traditional wood-cut art, but it is not as traditional as it appears, seeing as how it was produced in 2009. It reminds me of a landscape that you would see produced on a Chinese scroll, but it is in fact woodcut and the attention to detail is unreal; I appreciate the details of the bridges and boats that are shown in motion, along the river.

Kim Eok, Namhan River - Danang, 2009, woodcut

Lee Yun Yop’s installation, Sparkling Eyes, was by far my favorite piece in the exhibit, and the choice to display it in the back corner where it could fill a space entirely was genius. This installation of woodcuts was created to support demonstrations and activist activities. It had a look to it that reminded me of both collage and graffiti work which I think made the piece strong as an activist piece. It incorporated the largest amount of color in the show and was a stand-out piece. It was a strong way to end the show.

Lee Yun Yop, Sparkling Eyes, 2013,  Installation of woodcuts  

The Land The people offered a broad range of subject matter and technique with many of the installations dealing with narratives addressing Korean culture and political protest. It was full of culture and pride and made a powerful statement about both the land and people of Korea. If you have not yet had a chance to experience this show, I highly recommend it.

There is an upcoming lecture that will be held on Wednesday March 12th that one of the curators, Ian Harvey will be speaking at; Although, I will not be able to attend myself, I hope those of you who can will make an effort to attend. I think it will be a great opportunity to learn more about this powerful exhibition.