Marcel Van Eeden

You really can't deny the draftsmanship of this artist. Very inspirational work.

Eoin McHugh

 Division. 2008. watercolor on paper

Untitled. 2006. mixed media on paper

 Untitled. 2007. watercolor on paper

Untitled. 2007. watercolor on paper

it's a Collage and mixed-media kinda day

"Art is magic. Magic is based on man's confidence that he can dominate nature directly"

Just working on some new collages and works on paper.

"Carol Burgess" Graphite and Collage on Board

"Woman" Collage and silkscreen on paper

"Low-priced" Collage and wood on board

"Train of thought" monoprint, chine-colle, and silkscreen on paper

"Young Juniors" collage on paper

Dada: expression with scrap materials

Dada artwork, or also known as the movement "Dadaism", is commonly termed 'anti-art'. However what began as protest to World War 1 soon grew into a logical stream of expression.

The emergence of assemblage artwork during this time is of notable importance to the future development of modern and post-modern art history. These assemblages consisted of found objects, wood, wire, metal, and trash that were combined in an interesting manner. Most noted for his assemblages was Kurt Schwitters, a German artist and contributor to Dada. Schwitters searched out for materials on the streets to create his art works. With essentially useless materials, he created unified designs that incorporated all elements of design.

The image above is titled "Merz Konstruction" by Kurt Schwitters

Here is another one of Schwitter's pieces. His is also fully recognized for his collage work, which he bagman making at the age of 30. As a side note, I also discovered that his work was banned by the Nazi regime in 1937 and dubbed as "degenerate" artwork.

This movement also provided inspiration for other artists in the 20th century that did not align with Dada. With that being said, Joseph Cornell and Robert Rauschenberg. Both these artists used appropriation to create the aesthetic the Dadaists strived for.

Joseph Cornell, an assemblage artist born in the early 1900's, teetered the distinct line between constructivism and surrealism in his artwork. Unlike Schwitter's, Cornell didn't use trash but fragments of once precious objects.

This assemblage, titled Defense d'Afficher, is from 1940. 


Robert Rauschenberg, on the other hand, used trash and common place items to construct his combine artworks. I believe there is still a tangible remain of Dadaism in these works. The way these artist's reject working materials in favor of trash, objects, and scrap materials is very similar to the Dada standard and mimics their voice of rejection to intellectualism.

"Canyon" by Rauschenberg. 1959

Art is a place

Choosing an appropriate setting for a painting or installation should require thoughtful consideration. In some cases a weak environment can distract from the artwork and contribute no aesthetics whatsoever. For myself I choose found objects for my artwork and then attempt to recreate the environment they came from. Rather than placing art in or around a sparse room I tend to believe the art itself needs to be aware and familiar with its surroundings. 

This is called Birthday by Ed Kienholz

History as a Planter
1961
Paint and resin on metal oven and mannequin parts with metal Jew’s Harp, newspaper, wood, plexiglass, tin, Wandering Jew plant, and electrical cord
33 1/4 x 20 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. (84.5 x 52.1 x 36.2 cm) closed
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

To Mourn a Dead Horse
1989
Wooden table, television, light, photograph,
horse’s hoof, cloth, barbed wire, artillery shell,
pencil, paint, and polyester resin
60 x 29 x 14 in. (152.4 x 73.7 x 35.6 cm)
Collection of Nancy Reddin Kienholz

One of Robert Rauschenburg's Combine paintings

 Anselm Kieffer

 Ed Kineholz

"Bed" by Robert Rauschenburg

 Robert Rauschenburg

This isn't an actual art installation-But it exemplifies how much of an impact a setting makes. Unabomber cabin in a FBI storage facility in Sacramento, California

Steve Adair

Painting flesh: artists who deal with portraiture

After high school and the first year into college I became acquainted with the work of Tai Shan Shierenberg and Lucian Freud. Both artists primarily worked in portraiture from direct observation however their approach to applying paint was completely different from other artists. Instead of blending flesh tones meticulously they made marks with individual local colors within the face. Lucian Freud for example would mix an entirely different color for each mark. This may be painstaking to some however this technique can lead to very exciting and expressive work.

Lucian Freud

Shierenburg

Ann Gale

Egon Shiele

schmidt rottluff

 Nick Lepard

Jenny Saville

Steve Adair