Eye On Art: Alexander Archipenko

 He was born in Kyiv, Ukraine in 1887, but his pursuit of art took him to Moscow, Paris, and eventually New York, where he was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, in the Bronx, when he passed in 1964. Archipenko is credited as having been the first to apply Cubist principles to architecture and the creator of "sculpto-paintings", which are pieces that combine 2-D painted art with 3-D sculptural components on a canvas. 

"Médrano II" 1913-14. Painted tin,
wood, glass and painted oil cloth.

My introduction to Archipenko was entirely incidental. I had biked over to my local library and was looking at a book on Cubism, hoping to find some spark of inspiration that might ignite the pilot light of my imagination and result in a sketchbookin' session. I don't recall the exact title of the book, or its author–not that it's entirely important here–but on a page amongst some quarter-page reproductions of Fernand Léger's and a couple of Braques, was this tiny black and white picture of an Archipenko sculpture. It was this tiny, Post-It note-sized reproduction of Médrano II (1913). It stuck out like a neon sign. As much as I adore Léger's cartoonish pop color compositions, and Braque's broken-mirror-reflection building scapes, this tiny little insert photo was able to draw my eye away from the featured stars and put a bug of determination in my brain that buzzed to know more about this artist and his work.

"Femme assise" 1920. Gouache on paper.

"Femme Marchante" 1912. Sculpture in bronze.

There's a certain dynamism in Archipenko's pieces that vibrates with an aesthetic resonance in tune with those to whom Mid-Century abstraction appeals. Archipenko's work not only encapsulates everything that I find appealing about Cubism, both in form and principle, but also, as stationary, inanimate objects, his sculptures seem to resonate with a frenetic energy that other Cubist sculptors like Joseph Csaky and Jacques Lipchitz don't. I'm not disparaging either of those artists, Lipchitz's series of angular figures Le Guitariste (1918), Pierrot (1919), Harlequin With Clarinet (1919-20) and Man With Guitar (1920) would be tempting purchases if money were not an issue; but speaking subjectively, it's the negative space that Archipenko incorporates into his forms that create a sense of movement. He commented on this practice by saying:

"Traditionally there was a belief that sculpture begins where material touches space. Thus space was understood as a kind of frame around the mass... Ignoring this tradition, I experimented using the reverse idea, and concluded that sculpture may begin where space is encircled by the material." 

"In The Boudoir" 1915. Oil, graphite, photograph,
metal and wood on panel.

"Der Tanz" 1912. Sculpture in plaster.

"Carrousel Pierrot" 1913. Painted plaster.

"Venus" 1954.

"Red" 1957.

"Torso In Space" 1952-53. Lithograph, screenprint and embossing on paper.

Obviously this is just a taste of Archipenko's prolific output. Some of the pictures above were gleaned from Archipenko.org, which is an amazing resource that breaks down his life by decade and allows one to really see how his process changes, how his work progresses. It's definitely recommended to dip your toe into, even if you just want more eye candy.

Expressionist, Surrealist, Adventurist - Three Inspirational Artists

I'm back! Yes, it's been a while, but after straightening out some things I am back on the Blogger train  with the planned itinerary of stopping to post twice a week. If I have anything to say or show, that is. I thought I'd drop a little art history visual inspiration here today. There's no thematic rhyme or reason for the content beyond the fact that they are particular pieces or works of artists that I really enjoy.


PAUL KLEE

Paul Klee "Flußbaulandschaft" 1924

Paul Klee "Fool In Trance (Narr In Trance)" 1929 

Paul Klee "Der goldene fisch" 1925

Paul Klee "Schwartzer Herold (Black Herold)" 1924

There are a number of things that pull me in to Klee's work. I'm fascinated by the combination of the expressionist and cubist styles that he was a student of, along with what appears to be a fascination or love of primitive art. For example, the figures in "Der goldene fisch" seem to have the simplistic form reduction common to expressionist art, but the piece also appears very reminiscent of figural representations and patterning seen on Polynesian tapa cloth pieces. Some of the representational codification of nature and common objects seen in "Flußbaulandschaft" look very much like the visual language utilized in cave paintings and rock etchings of ancient peoples. I'm not an expert on the Bauhaus movement or even on Klee's work specifically by any means, but I've read that he had a very dry sense of humor and it was supposed to be evident in his painting. I can definitely read a sense of whimsey in his compositions. There's a timelessness to it as well. It seems to me that his "Schwartzer Herold" could easily have adorned the sign hanging in front of a Greenwich Village coffee house in the late 1950s, or been the logo for some English instrument manufacturer. 

REMEDIOS VARO

Remedios Varo "Phenomenon" 1963

Remedios Varo "Naturaleza muerta resucitando (Still Life Resurrecting)" 1963

Remedios Varo "Les feuilles mortes (Dead Leaves)" 1956

Remedios Varo "Música Solar (Solar Music)" 1955

Remedios Varo "Vampiros Vegetarianos" 1962

Remedios Varo is, hands down, one of my all-time favorite artists working in any visual medium, period. I could full a blank book as thick as a major metropolitan's Yellow Pages with everything I might have to say about the woman and her work, but to keep things short and to the point, her mixing of supernatural speculation, fabricated folkloric imagery, and humorous-yet-disturbing surrealist fancy make the perfect artistic stew for my eyes and brain to chew on.

EARL NOREM

Earl Norem "Surf Pack Assassins" from MALE magazine, Aug. 1967.

Earl Norem "The 5 Wild Wife Swap Party Games" interior of TRUE MAN
magazine, May 1962. 

Earl Norem "Mars Attacks" 1994

When those familiar even vaguely with the subject think of pulp adventure magazines and early paperback artwork for action, science-fiction, horror and fantasy novels, the names Richard Powers, Robert McGinnis and Norman Saunders all come to mind. Perhaps more prolific, though shamefully less known amongst the layman, is Earl Norem. If you grew up admiring the enticing blister card artwork on your Masters Of The Universe and G.I. Joe action figures, or were drawn to thumb through or purchase the large treasury edition comics in the 1970's and 80's featuring the likes of Conan The Barbarian or Marvel's supernatural-leaning output, then you are already familiar with Earl. In the 1950's and 60's, he was all over the newsstand with Men's pulp magazines, drawing readers in with his exciting covers which often oversold the content within, and made much of the fluff inside more enticing with his black and white interior illustrations. After the pulp era transitioned into the comic book market, Earl kept busy with covers and trading cards. Even into the 1990s, Mr. Norem was creating pop art promotion for film and television tie-ins with magazine covers and order-through-comic book bedroom posters featuring licensed materials the likes of The Six Million Dollar Man, Planet Of The Apes, Mars Attacks and Alien. Were you an early Dungeons & Dragons player? Then you were privy to Earl's illustrations as well. Seen by most as kitsch or disposable commercial window dressing, I for one have a whole lot of respect for the craft and talent portrayed in his work. Not to mention the subject matter!