This is the Tate Modern. This is the gallery that was on the top of our "must do" list, while in London. It didn't disappoint....well, not in its diversity at any rate....but in not having a few more well known artists.
Be that as it may, it was an eye-opener and we both soooo enjoyed it.
My artist friends have always told me as a 'newbie', that there is no such thing as wrong or right, good or bad art. Art is all about individual expression and creation, no matter what it is. Its a personal journey where creation is as you see it, as you feel it....and then, just maybe, by chance, by good fortune, by talent, something you create may feed anther's psyche in some way. An artists greatest blessing is to have a single person identify with, appreciate and empathize with your innermost being. We all seek like-mindedness. Its where we get our strength. To find a co-joined spirit is what we as human beings, subconsciously, have been seeking for since our first breath...throughout all our life journeys. Art is a need to openly look for validation and recognition of something within us which is shared with another soul. Sometimes we manage, sometimes, we don't.
This is some of Gerhard Richter's work. I don't identify with the end product, but I identify with the creative process... big squares of simple starkness.
Claude Monet...yay!...really excited to see this. One of his better known pieces. Waaay bigger than I expected. The colours are really beautifully used and you can see the sun dancing on the water....but to me, it looked as if he completed his picture, woke up the next morning with an almighty hang-over and lost the plot.
Personally, this did absolutely nothing for me. I learned nothing from this....nothing inspirational that is! Four humungous pieces of red scribble. At this stage, I was wondering what qualifies an art piece the privilege of being allowed to hang up in the Tate...but then, there's also the question without an answer..."What is art??"
Sorry, another really, really bad picture which, hopefully, I can replace when I get one, but this was awesome. Standing in front of this 'half egg' shell, my reflection showed on the top. The artist that created this has obviously got a resonant mind and a truly creative soul..beautifully done, with thought, patience, passion which inspires an observer to WANT to investigate its meaning, method and how it relates to them.
I loved this. I've always been fascinated (and intimidated) by cubism and the ability to create form and shape from it...especially round shapes. His ability to use colour in creating depth is awsome.
I'm going to try cubism one day,...... possibly after a good dose of mountain cabbage or an entire bottle of Constantia port..... not because it speaks to me, but just for the challenge.
Once again, in this picture, I loved how the colors were used so subtly in creating the shape and depth. As with Picasso, there are not many colors used here, but the ones that are used create an almost realistic effect, more so I think, than if done in bright colors. I know that these artists all started off as 'fine' artists...doing realistic pencil sketches, and experimenting with conventional techniques, but how does one morph into this?
I had an absolute O..M..G moment when I walked in and saw this. This is perfection, this is wild, this is brilliant!
I think every single artist should create something that is big, bold, impractical, useless. This stimulated my mind in a way that few art pieces do because of its sheer size and useless, pointless perfection. Pretty much like the Tibetan monks who work on an intricate sand mandala for a whole week, bent over double, in meditation...only to break it up on completion.
So, what will happen to this piece??..It's made from degradable materials...it will simply disintegrate..its huge, where could it be used other than at a gallery on exhibition?....who would purchase this? This is art. This is done to feed one's artistic soul...it is not timeless and has no real 'worth' other than for the artist and people like me who were smacked in the chest, just by looking at it.
This artist is a realist, although his technique, use of color is leaning towards surrealism...a British born artist that was a predominantly commissioned portrait painter. So, what is he doing in Tate Modern....ummmmmm....dunno....especially not in relation to some of the other literally-off-the-wall stuff which we saw. Still, after seeing a lot of weird and some wonderful art, this was a jolt home for my senses. I love his work.
This circle of stones may look simplistic, and maybe yes, when looking at the great artists and their talent and ability to create something timeless, maybe this can be seen as a total cop-out. It has its own expressive strengths, but I wondered while looking at this. If the building needed to be evacuated through fire, would anyone really be devastated if this wasn't saved??
How's this???....another O...M....G moment....but this twit has made a gazillion teeny-weeny, hand-painted, little life-like sunflower seeds.........to pile up on a gallery floor. I had to contain myself from running full tilt and diving straight into the middle (in which case I would still be in London).
This is complete and utter 'dribble-from-the-mouth' crazy stuff! Apparently, this is only a small portion of what he has made...there's an entire warehouse full somewhere. This didn't get me thinking, this emptied my mind.....out of self preservation!
Maybe he had 'mouse' issues as a child....maybe he's passionate about sunflower seeds, .......maybe he has just completely and utterly lost his mind (under his pile of seeds??)!! Good for him!
Surrealism....finally, after years of painting, I can identify my art-style.......oh, that it was this good!!
But, yes, I'm a surrealist . I loved this so much: the misshapen torso of the pale, skinny white man, grotesque...proudly 'lording' it over his beautiful, perfect black.......(wherever your imagination may take you)lady friend.
An installation piece.........Absolutely no comment.
Some other art pieces which were interesting:
Loved this!!!!!
The Tate Gallery has some pretty thought-provoking works. A visit is worth every penny, every second, purely because it's art crosses boundaries of convention and allows the mind to extend beyond whats comfortable.
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