As a gamer I have a healthy appreciation for art. In an earlier post, I kinda ranted on about the importance of the storyline in video games, but that isn’t to say that video game art isn’t important. Every great storyline needs great graphics to accompany it. The other day, I decided to pay homage to the ancestors of digital art by frolic around around D.C. visiting art museums to “broaden my horizons” and gain insight to the various artworks and art styles of others. I immensely enjoy going to museums and taking in the quiet and creative atmosphere, so I thought I would continue to share my trip with you all! This is my attempt to be a “art critic.”
Credentials? Ha! Who needs credentials to judge art?
Image via
Lucio Fontana
Spatial Concepts: Nature (1959-60)
20’x 12’ total area; each sphere is about 2’ in diameter
Bronze
This piece of artwork is located outside of the Hirshhorn Museum; it was one of the first ones that I saw. The piece itself consists of balls made out of bronze situated on a grassy area. There are a few feet between each of the spheres. Nothing really stands out about this piece of artwork; it was bronze and grass. However, it did remind me of artwork that would come from Japan because of the connection to nature I always make with Japan; they have those stone gardens that promote peace and Zen. It is somewhat calming to look at because it isn’t very complicated. Because the spaces between the spheres vary, I was immediately drawn to the space in-between each of them. Also, the spheres weren’t perfectly round. They had notches in them that made me think on nuts. When viewing the spheres as nuts, it was easy for me to imagine squirrels spending a lot of time there, which connects to nature, which is what the art work is about: nature and space.
Image via
Roy Lichtenstein
Brushstroke (1996)
16’x5’
Mixed Media (Painted Aluminum)
This artwork was the first one I saw when entering the Hirshhorn. The artwork is very large, so you can’t help but notice it. It’s only two colors: black and off-white. It is suppose to represent a brush stroke of paint. This piece seemed very simple. However, the bold, black lines seem cartoony; as if it was something out of a comic. Aside from that, othing really stood out about it to me, just its size. Since the off-white color is representative of the color of paint being used, then maybe if the brush stroke were a different color, then it would appeal more to the masses and garner more attention. Using a vibrant color such as red would evoke a feeling of passion, while a vibrant orange would surely catch the attention of others. Because off-white is such a plain color, this work is easily forgettable.
Amusebox 