A work you like and think is good
Joan Jonas
Title: Reanimation
Date: 2010/2012/2013
Medium: Four videos (color, sound and silent) on custom screens within a prefabricated house structure, two custom benches (made by Ed Gavagan), and crystal sculpture; two wooden theater
Joan Jonas piece Reanimation, 2010/2012/2013 in the Museum of Modern Art amalgamates multiple mediums such as video, sculpture, sound. The piece is an immersive experience for each viewer that will vary from person to person. Personally I enjoy this piece because I have always wanted to work with combined mediums (i.e. sound, video, painting, etc). Just from viewing this piece on a computer screen I can tell that when I step foot in the installation I will be taken into another worldly environment which is a feeling I want to create with my art.
A work that you don’t like and don’t think is good
Bruce Nauman
Title: Days
Date: 2009
Medium: Stereo audio files, speakers, amplifiers, and additional equipment
The piece Disappearing Acts, 2009 by Bruce Nauman doesn’t look appealing to me due to the fact that it is made up of primarily only sounds. By looking at images of this piece on the computer I am unable to listen to what the works that are playing in the museum are. I may be wrong and actually enjoy the installation when I hear the sounds myself. This piece isn’t personally my cup of tea because I want visual accompaniments to sounds if it is being displayed as such in an art museum.
A work that you like, but suspect might not be good
Jack Whitten
Title: Siberian Salt Grinder
Date: 1974
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Jack Whitten is one of my favorite artists to look up to for inspiration, but he is not as well known as some other artists. Whitten’s piece Siberian Salt Grinder, 1974 is not as complex as some of his other paintings such as Atopolis: For Édouard Glissant, 2014. Personally I still find the painting intriguing to look at and pick apart due to the combination of smeared paint and open areas of under layers of the painting. However once again comparing this painting technique wise many people would say this is the type of painting that “I [viewer] could paint that” due to its more simplistic style.
A work that you don’t like but have to admit is good.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Title: Mona Lisa
Date: 1517
Medium: Oil on poplar panel
An unpopular opinion I have is that I don’t particularly adore Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa 1797. Personally I think the painting is too “hyped” up and when I saw it in person the piece was quite overwhelming yet underwhelming at the same time. The crowd around the piece was huge and people were shoving one another. The painting itself was quite small in real life and looked quite aged due to the harsh lighting in the museum. However technique wise the painting is done beautifully because it was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. Mona Lisa is a not personally a favorite but definitely deserves some of the recognition due to the craftsmanship.
