Category Archives: A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: Mickalene Thomas

I visited the North Carolina Museum of Art this week, and there was a great surprise in the contemporary galleries – a new large scale painting by Mickalene Thomas called The Three Graces. Painted this year, the piece measures an impressive 9 feet by 12 feet, and is made of thousands of rhinestones and acrylic paint.  And it’s absolutely beautiful!

The painting re-casts the Three Graces from Greek Mythology as African American Women dressed in 70’s clothing.  According to the artist’s website, she “introduces a complex vision of what it means to be a woman and expands common definitions of beauty.  Her work stems from her long study of art history and the classical genres of portraiture, landscape, and still life.”

Mickalene Thomas has gotten a lot of attention recently – a similar painting now hangs permanently in the window of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  I  feel lucky to have one of her most significant paintings in the permanent collection of our local musuem.

-Robert

image 1: mickalenethoms.com

image 2: artknowledgenews.com

image 3: lehmannmaupin.com

A Closer Look Series, Architecture

A Closer Look: Julius Shulman

You may not have heard of Julius Shulman, but I bet you’ve seen his photos.  Schulman (1910-2009) was the foremost architectural photographer of the 20th century, and was responsible for spreading the popularity of California modernism all over the world. 

Shulman lived in Los Angeles, and got his start when the architect Richard Neutra saw a photograph that Shulman had taken.   In the early 20th century, new ideas about architecture were spread mainly through images and publications.  Much like today, most people experienced design through photographs rather than personal experience.  At the forefront of architectural photography, Shulman shaped the way the rest of the world saw the newest buildings.

His unique way of composing photographs was true to modern aesthetics, and architects from around the world continued to seek his expertise until his death in 2009.  He was known for employing single-point persepective in his pictures; he held the camera horizontally so that all lines converged toward a vanishing point in the center of the frame. 

It may sound simple, but this trick allowed him to emphasize the clean lines, sweeping views, and dramatic perspectives inherent in modern buildings.   Tom Ford, famous Gucci designer,  once remarked that Shulman actually made buildings appear more beautiful than in real life. 

I highly recommend the 2008 movie Visual Acoustics, which chronicles the life and work of the photographer.  The film is narrated by Dustin Hoffman and features interviews with Frank Gehry and Tom Ford.  It also features numerous photographs and footage of modern landmarks – the next best thing to seeing these great buildings in person.  Here’s the trailer:

There is also a gigantic three book set on Shulman available from Taschen –  it’s defintely worth a look, though its price is equal to its heft!

I hope you’ll take a closer look and find that Julius Shulman has already influenced how you see the world.

-Robert

image 1: New York Times

image 2: blogspot

image 3: fascina

image 4&5: design kultur

A Closer Look Series, Architecture

A Closer Look: Francis Cape

Can woodwork be fine art?  After seeing the work of Francis Cape, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

This artist, originally trained as a woodworker in England, has brought the mastery of his craft to galleries and museums in the US, and he’s getting a lot of attention.

But his work isn’t quite what it seems.  Taking paneling techniques from the Shakers and other traditional sources, Cape takes woodworking to a new level.  Unlike its traditional inspirations, the only function of these cabinets is visual.  The doors, even with their carefully-installed hinges, don’t open.

Cape’s removal of function casts cabinetry in a new light,  opening new possibilities for the medium.  Many of his installations reference history and memory, serving as mediator between the physical present and a romanticized past.  His works force us to consider the spaces we inhabit, while reference meaningful architectural spaces outside of the gallery – from church confessionals to historical monuments.

Most of Cape’s work is painted, but his choice of color is anything but expected.  Not-quite-garish colors that are clearly out of fashion set many pieces apart from their contemporary background.  Perhaps these are a historical reference, or a way of bringing an overlooked art more clearly into the open.  Either way, Cape certainly has me thinking differently about cabinetry these days.

For me, Cape’s work hits close to home.  We spend a lot of time as Design Lines creating cabinetry for our clients.  Of course, it almost always serves some purpose. It was an eye-opening experience to see how Cape turns this functionality on its head, transforming simple wood panels into something loaded with meaning.

-Robert

all images: http://www.franciscape.com & www.murrayguy.com

 

A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: The Farnsworth House

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, often called Mies – was one of the most important pioneers of modern architecture.  He began his career in Berlin, where he soon established a reputation as a talented and capable designer, despite lacking of a formal education.

In 1937, Mies reluctantly emigrated to Chicago, where he began a program of teaching at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).  He became well-established in Chicago and designed many projects over his 31 year career there.  Many of his buildings, including the Federal Court Complex and Lakeshore Drive Apartments are still an important part of the city’s skyline.

But one of the most unusal projects that the architect undertook was a home for a physician named Dr. Edith Farnsworth.   Built in 1950-51, it is a one-room weekend retreat in a once-rural setting, located 55 miles southwest of Chicago.  The building consists of simple slabs of concrete supported by steel columns.  The entire perimeter of the home is made of plate glass that stretches from floor to ceiling. 

This building is simplicity at its best.  And it’s no surprise, considering Mies van der Rohe is sometimes credited with coining the phrase “Less is More.”   But the building’s simplicity belies the fact that it was actually very expensive, at a cost of $74,000 (that’s about $1 million in today’s dollars).

The main materials are wood cabinetry, travertine floors, steel structure, and silk curtains.  Inside, everything is simple, harmonious, and plain.  An ingenious in-floor radiant heating system even eliminates the need for air vents.

The home is open for public tours – and it’s definitely worth the trip. Check out the wesbite: http://www.farnsworthhouse.org/

-Robert

image 1: http://projects.cbe.ab.ca/glendale/showcase/2011gr56/inquiry_karshproject.html

image 2: flickr

image 3: philobiodesign.blogspot.com

image 4: ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com

image 5 & 6: picasaweb.google.com


A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: Carlo Scarpa

Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) is my favorite architect.  He was a master of timeless proportion and detail.  But he was also an inventor – creating works that are constantly surprising, and seem fresh even decades after his death.  It seems he never designed anything the same way twice.

His work was modern in style, but what made him unique among modernists was his reverence for traditional materials and crafsmanship.  Born in Venice, many of his projects are located there, and blend its history seamlessly with the present.

During his lifetime, Scarpa’s decorative style became a model for architects wishing to revive the use of craft and beautiful materials in their work.



I love his buildings for their beautiful forms.  Scarpa was a master of techtonic forms – in his buildings, volumes and planes seem to constantly slip past one another, giving movement to the heaviest of materials.

I am also intrigued by the details he designed into every project – from masterfully-designed museum pedestals to careful juxtapositions of materials.

His masterpiece is the Brion Cemetery near Treviso, Italy.  This complex incorporates some of the best examples of his architecture and landscape design.

Scarpa’s work has a timeless beauty.  I hope you’ll take a closer look and see how it speaks to you.

-Robert

image 1 &5: fakebuildings.blogspot.com

image 2: wvcarch64.wordpress.com

image 3 &4: flickr

image 5: brookegiannetti.typepad.com

 

 

A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: Zoe Strauss

In the past few weeks I’ve been busy organizing a show for Philadelphia artist Zoe Strauss to be held next Saturday at Iceberg Projects in Chicago.  Iceberg Projects is a non-profit gallery space that began last year, and so far has exhibited a variety of excellent artists from all over the United States.

Zoe Strauss is one of my favorite artists because her photographs speak intimately about her surroundings and bring dignity to people that are often overlooked.

A heart-warming generosity pervades her work and personality;  at many of her early shows, she gave away her prints for free to anyone who attended.  She also makes all of her photographs available on Flickr, including those that don’t “make the cut” for exhibitions.   It gives the public a rare opportunity to see inside the painstaking process of refinement inherent in her practice.

The Iceberg Projects exhibition will feature a narrated slide show of photographs she took documenting the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  In addition, she will show photographs printed on vinyl banners, a format more closely associated with outdoor signs and advertisements.

gusher site_3827 web

Splash Image

 

Take a look, and I know you’ll find beauty in unexpected places.

-Robert

You can find out more about Zoe on her blog.

(all photographs by Zoe Strauss)

 

 

A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: Eva Zeisel On Design

 “Beauty is not appreciated through reason – it is enjoyed through feelings.  There is no objective beauty, it goes right to the heart.” – Eva Zeisel

I’m reading a great book right now: On Design: The Magical Language of Things by Eva Zeisel.  Zeisel is a famous ceramicist and industrial designer whose work is in major museums all over the world.  As it turns out, she’s also a great writer, and anyone interested in the process of design would benefit from reading this book.

 

A large portion of the book focuses on Zeisel’s design philosophy rather than her work.  She sets herself apart from modernism as she rejects its tenets one by one.  Specifically, Zeisel is against the way in which modernism tried to silence historical references and the ability of design to communicate emotion.  

She argues that the early 20th century was a time when geometric forms replaced natural and historic ones, resulting in objects that lacked what she calls the “magical language of design.” 

Zeisel’s philosophy struck a cord with me because it is not that different from how we work at Design Lines.  Sure, we’re often drawn to the beautiful simplicity of moderism, but our eyes are always looking for something more.  

In all of our work, you’ll find us trying to create designs that communicate and evoke emotion.  According to Zeisel, all great design must be “pleasurable, comfortable, and elegant.”  For us, those are words to live by.

-Robert

images:1, 4, 6, & 7: swanklighting.com 2:  formedwithart.com  3: amazon.com 5: nearanddear.wordpress.com

A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: Jasper Johns

Just in time for the 4th of July weekend, I want to introduce you to an artist with southern roots that everyone should get to know.  Jasper Johns is an artist who was born in Georgia, raised in South Carolina, and rose to fame as one of the most important American Painters of the 20th century.  Take a look at one of his most famous works: Flag from 1954.

With Jasper Johns, things are not always as they seem.  He used the flag in order to comment on flatness in modern painting, and used dense brushwork to imitate the strokes of Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock, although in a controlled and deliberate manner.  Here’s a closer look at the above painting, which shows his use of encaustic (wax mixed with pigment):

It has also been suggested that the flag is a sort of autobiographical reference, referring to Johns’ time in the military, or the Revolutionary war hero after which he was named.

Johns’ breakthrough move was to adopt popular iconography in painting, paving the way for pop artists like Andy Warhol.

Take a closer look at Jasper Johns’ work and see what it means to you…

 

Have a Happy 4th!

-Robert

 

 

A Closer Look Series

A Closer Look: NYC Favorites Part 2

There are so many things to do in New York in the summer that it’s hard to pick favorites.  Here’s a list of some things you definitely won’t want to miss:

1. Public Art.  There’s no better place to see public art than in New York City.  But see as much of it as you can, because many of the public sculptures are changed-out regularly.  Below are some of my favorites from this summer (clockwise from upper left: Jaume Plensa’s Echo in Madison Square Park, Egyptian Temple of Dendur permanently installed at the Metropolitan Museum, various sculptures by Sol Lewitt in City Hall Park, Robert Pruitt’s Andy Monument near Union Square).

 2. Window Displays at Bergdorf Goodman.    I thought the old days of glamorous hand-made window displays were over… until I passed Bergdorf Goodman on 5th avenue.

3.  Chickpea and the La Maison du Macaron are two of the best places to get a quick snack.  Chickpea, with several locations throughout the city, is known for baking instead of frying it’s falafel- a delicious and healthy alternative. But save room for Desset at La Maison du Macaron (where I learned that Macarons are not Macaroons).  You can get these delicious Frrench treats made with egg whites, sugar and almond powder in almost any flavor imaginable.  My favorite is the Rose variety, beautifully decorated with flecks of gold leaf.

Happy travels!

Robert

A Closer Look Series, Architecture

A Closer Look: NYC Favorites Part 1

As I was reminded during a recent trip, New York is always abuzz with things to do and see.  If you’re planning to visit sometime this summer, here are some of the best things going on right now:

1. Alexander McQueen’s posthumus Exhibition “Savage Beauty” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  This is a must-see for anyone who loves design or fashion.  Make sure you get there before 10am to avoid the crowds, because it’s no secret that this is the best show in New York right now.

2. The Morgan Library:  Located in Mid-town Manhattan, this old favorite is a complex of buildings that orginated as the private collection of entrepreneur Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913) and has expanded to include the architecture of Renzo Piano.  Highlights on display now include an original score by Mozart and an enviable collection of famous journals – from the likes of Bob Dylan, John Steinbeck, and Tennessee Williams.

3. Eataly.  There are tons of places to eat in New York, but few are as unique and fun as Eatly, a 50,000 square foot complex owned by famous chefs Mario Bertoli and Lidia Matticchio.  You can grab a bite to eat, drink a glass of wine, or browse the market for fresh produce, meats, and imported italian products.  It’s like a visit to an Italian village, and the food is just as spectacular.

Stay tuned for the rest of the list next week!

-Robert

photos: flickr.com