Artist #39: A. R. Penck

System Painting, 2007.
Acrylic on canvas
63 x 70 3/4 inches

A. R. Penck (real name Ralf Winkler) was born in Germany and studied painting and drawing for a year in 1953 with Jürgen Böttcher. He is mostly self taught, as he was unsuccessful at applying for art academies. That probably explains why much of his work looks rather primitive. His works can be seen at the Michael Werner Gallery website or at the MOMA Collection website.

"Ingrid and Bärbel", 1977
Acrylic on canvas
143 x 179 cm

What makes his work interesting is his symbolism and figures (that are reminiscent of cave drawings). The simplistic forms, pictorial, signs motifs and symbols against a neutral background hold an intense energy. It also shows his influence from Picasso.

Artist #38: Kiki Smith

Carrier

Kiki Smith is a German born artist who now lives and works in the United States. She started as a sculptor in the 1970s. She is best known for her sculptural work but has worked in a variety of media. In the 80s she began working with prints many of which can be seen here. Over the years she also has worked with a variety of different themes: politics, feminism and other social issues such as AIDS. She has been collected extensively throughout the United States and the world.

Untitled

I saw one of her works at the VMFA. The sculpture, known as Ice Man, which was inspired by the 1991 discovery of a man from the Stone Age frozen in a glacier. It is embraced by life and the importance of life even in his lifeless form. The disfigured figure work may also have something to do with her response to AIDS.

Ice Man, 1995-6, Bronze.

Artist #37: Elizabeth Huey

 Elizabeth Huey was born in Virginia. She received a BA in Psychology from George Washington University and went on to study art and painting at Marchutz School of Art in France and New York Studio School of Drawing. Huey received a MFA from Yale University in 2002 and has since been exhibited both in solo and group shows in various museums across the United States. She has also won various awards and residencies and has had paintings featured in publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post, and LA Times. Here is her website.

The Superintendant, 2006.
Acryllic and Oil on Wood Panel.
Photo by me from VMFA.

I saw one of her works, entitled The Superintendant, at the VMFA. Her works are usually large panoramas of landscape that has strange juxtapositions of space. They also generally are about history and mental health. This particular work is based on the life of Thomas Kirkbride who was a mental-health reformer and architect. It shows an alienation theme along with simultaneous narrative (Thomas Kirkbridge appears 5 times in the work including him as a patient in the tranquilizing chair, undergoing sensory deprivation) and composite perspective.Violence is also a common theme in Huey's work where the line between good and evil becomes blurred.

Artist #36: Gehard Demetz

For my Fathers
2009 260x51x90cm

Gehard Demetz is another artist from Italy. Demetz does wood carving sculptures. He has been exhibited across the world in both solo and group shows since his debut in 2005.

I hear the spirits while I whisper
2007 166x105x37.5cm

I came across his artwork from this website which displayed many of his works. They are fabulously constructed and capture the viewer with a disquieting nature. The child figures are often missing sections or blocks out of them and yet still appear very realistic in shape. Their sad faces and the innocence of children is estranged with the dark, tortured and broken bodies they show. His art and info was taken from Gehard Demetz's website, here.

You Have Stolen my Silence
167.5x55x38cm

Artist #35: Fracesco Clemente

Allen Ginsberg, Francesco Clemente  Images from Mind and Space  1983  Watercolor on paper  5 5/8 x 15 5/8 in  14.3 x 39.7 cm

Francesco Clemente is an artist from Italy who currently lives and works from New York and India. Clemente studied architecture in Rome and then traveled to Afghanistan and India with a friend. In India he became very inspired by their traditions and art and lived there for many years. Clemente also did art collaborations with poets and their poetry. He has been exhibited and collected around the world for decades. Much of his work is shown on his website.

After Attar’s “The Conference of the Birds” V  2010  Watercolor on paper  45 x 45 in  114.3 x 114.3 cm

In many of his works from the 1970's the India art influence is very apparent. Clemente also has a lot of strange sexual imagery in his work. I love his watercolor work the best. I also love the collaborations of poetry and art. This interests me a lot because I also write poetry and like to integrate the two things together as well.

Something I Heard  2001  Oil on linen  68 x 79 1/2 in  172.7 x 201.9 cm

Here is an interview with Clemente. All of the images are from Francesco Clemente's website.

Tree  1993  Watercolor on paper  44 1/4 x 46 in  112.4 x 116.8 cm

Artist #34: Francesca Galliani

This is another artist that I found featured on the blog 500 Photographers. Francesca Galliani was born in Italy and moved to the US when she was 19. She got a BA in Fine Art from the Cocoran School of Art. Galliani has had her photography exhibited throughout the United States and Europe in both solo and group shows. Her work was used in many fashion magazines as well. She is also collected across the world for her unique photography style.

I love the mixed media style that Francesca Galliani has. She uses painting and collage and writing along with the photographic medium to create strong imagery that captures a viewer and pulls them in to tell a story about Galliani's subjects. The images are from Francesca Galliani's website portfolios from the sections asia, movements, nudes, and transgender.

Artist Post #33: Lalla Essaydi

I'm not sure where to start on these anymore. Its just been so long... Its not that I haven't thought about it. I took the time to pick out enough artists and save all the websites to finish at 50... but whether for being busy with work, tired from work and getting ready for school, or general laziness/depression from being alive. Anyways... here I am again..trying to get back on track, so here it goes with an amazing artist~!

Les Femmes du Maroc: La Grande Odalisque, 2008

Les Femmes du Maroc: After the Bath, 2008

Lalla Essaydi is a photographer of fine art who was featured in the blog 500 Photographers. Yet she also does other sorts of media as well including painting and video. She grew up in Morocco and lived in Saudi Arabia for many years where she became inspired by the Arab women's complex identity. Currently Essaydi lives in New York and has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Many of her works are photographs of women draped in fabric that usually has the same pattern as the background. Other photographs depict the women covered in Islamic calligraphy on the fabric, background, and on their bodies in henna.

Converging Territories #30, 2004

These works are so beautiful and full of meaning. The calligraphy adds a new language of which to understand identity of these women. They also almost always seem to blend into the background with is so interesting. I love the use of written word is visual art. It always adds another level to what you are communicating with the audience. It reminds me of my use of braille as an element to paintings I did in Color Theory and will probably continue to use. The images by Lalla Essaydi and the information about her and her works are from the Schneider Gallery website and Edwynn Houk Gallery and Lisa Sette Gallery.

Harem #10, 2009