From "Living in the End Times"

"...if we change reality only in order to realize our dreams, without changing these dreams themselves, then sooner or later we will regress to the former reality."

Slavoj Zizek

A Self Portrait

Gwen John

End Title

Lyrics by Nico

You Forget To Answer

When I remember what to say
When I remember what to say
You will know me again
And you forget to answer all

You seem not to be listening
You seem not to be listening
The high tide is taking everything
And you forget to answer all

Giorgio Agamben Says

"At the point you perceive the irreparability of the world, at that point it is transcendent."

(From The Coming Community)

Revised

Mona Hatoum Says

"I don't think art is the best place to be didactic; I don't think the language of visual arts is the most suitable for presenting clear arguments, let alone for trying to convince, convert, or teach...When you present someone with a statement in an artwork, once they get it, they either agree with you or dismiss your argument and move on to the next thing - no need to look again."

Alex Katz Says

"Content is not an idea that's given beforehand; it emerges in the interaction between the painting and the spectator. You create a situation in which rich content can emerge."

Two Paintings by Two Artists

Tuymans 2002 (Top)
Vuillard 1890

(Bottom)

Christian Boltanski Says

"A good work of art can never be read in one way."

Red

Vija Celmins Says

"There’s a time when you are in your 20s and maybe in your early 30s when the whole idea of making something is so much of a fire in you and then you make these friendships and you look at each other’s art. I often think that’s such a wonderful time. I wish I’d had more camaraderie instead of feeling a little more isolated than I did. But now I don’t even think about it one way or another, because now I realize we’re all sort of alone. I just don’t think there’s an avant-garde or movement anymore. It’s relatively grim in the art world. It’s every man for himself, but at the same time full of wonderful surprises. As for my work, which is not that entertaining, or about entertainment, the one thing that I always wish to have is my small handprint, so that it would be considered one gesture from one human being to another."

Summer

As painted by three artists.

New Textures

To be painted.

Artist Statement On Titles

"I like the title to work alongside the piece rather than lead you down a path."

Jessica Stockholder

Artist Statement

"I think it's better if you don't tell people what to look for; I think it's better if they discover it. I don't give them, as you might say, little entry areas. I don't give the viewer a lot of help."

Robert Mangold

Last Week In NM

Agnes Martin Gallery, Harwood Museum, Taos NM

Verdi Square, Upper West Side

Just before the Saturday afternoon performance of La Traviata starring Angela Gheorghiu.

Three Faces At The Cloisters

Vacation time

Not enough in this country.

Quote For Today

"I'm just attempting to find a language to express my genuine thoughts, which more often than not are about bringing back forgotten desires, about building something you can't not fall in love with." Malcolm McLaren

Another Painter Recently Discovered

http://www.eharrisgallery.com/Scott%20Richter/richter_2010_html/sr_2010.html

A Painter Recently Discovered

Victor Pesce

Born April 10, 1938

Died March 28th, 2010

http://www.eharrisgallery.com/vp2009.html

An April Passing

On April 21, 1924, the first "modern actor", Eleonora Duse,

died in Pittsburgh while on tour in the United States.

"Every great actor must, almost of necessity, be a highly complex creature: potentially both demon and saint, with countless delicate degrees of good and evil jostling and overlapping between the two. And Duse was the greatest actress of her time - perhaps of all time." Eva Le Gallienne

An April Birthday

The screen's greatest actor, born on April 5th.

Highly Recommended

A Change of Scenery

Something Textural

Tulips

Springtime

Not Just Another Violetta

As everyone interested in such things knows by now, Monday's opening performance of "La Traviata" had its problems. Simply put, the conductor and the singers were not always in sync. Even so, it wasn't difficult for the audience to remain engaged with the work, largely due to Angela Gheorghiu's definitive portrayal of Violetta. One of the few sopranos since Callas to truly make the role her own, Gheorghiu moved past instances of uncertain timing to propel the drama to its well known conclusion. Just one example of her ability to take the music to places others seldom go could be heard in her stirring account of "Amami Alfredo". Personally, as someone familiar with Gheorghiu's voice from repeated listenings to her recordings, the evening provided a first opportunity to hear and see the soprano live. In such situations one finds oneself merely adjusting to the fact that the artist is actually present; I spent the initial moments saying to myself: "It's really Angela". To some degree, this state continued throughout the performance and remains even now five days later. I'll be going back for the April 17th matinee for another look and perhaps some further observations.

A Lovely Evening

Two Quotes

"A good artwork needs humor, distance, and a good title." Marlene Dumas

"When you work on a painting you can't possibly know what the hell you're doing, right? When you finish it, people tell you." Alex Katz

A Small Works Show

A Painting At Charmingwall Gallery, NYC

A Euphemism

"_ _ has decided to pursue other interests."

A Quote

“What I’m shooting for is for something to look right."
Sculptor Ken Price

A Question

Why is everyone painting pictures of deer and other animals?

A Thought

Every artwork should leave room for the viewer to enter. If the artist gives too much verbal or written information along with the presentation of the work, the viewer has no place to go. It is as if a stop sign has been put up without the opportunity to turn left or right.

The Tragic Muse

Pietro Roccasalva

http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/through_the_looking_glass/

Artist statements

Are they necessary?

Painting titles

Are they necessary? Here is an example of the kind often seen today:
"I'm leaving now, never to return again, I'll miss the stars, the birds and the way you smiled at me"

At MoMA yesterday

Favorite things: Gabriele Orozco, particularly the large table containing various odds and ends.
Jacob Lawrence paintings
Joan Jonas video installation

The cheapest way to get to NYC from Baltimore, MD

http://us.megabus.com/

A wonderful recording

A quote for today

"Paintings have a long life span, which turns them into very abstract elements. Paintings were the first transmitters. No matter how long they are hung in a museum, three years or 400 years, they still give you something." Luc Tuymans

A Cezanne

http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/timage_f?object=45986&image=8534&c=gg80

Some trends in contemporary painting

1) Animals (particularly deer, rabbits, and bears)
2) Chandeliers
3) Bands of young women doing various things with strings and hair in a white or undefined environment.
4) Urban landscapes which seem to have exploded.

Texture painting

One in a series combining craft paint with fine art
canvas.

More at http://www.etsy.com/shop/lmsmith55

About the title

My own variation on a line in Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SISMyPbU3s

Blanche speaks of art, music, and poetry as that which defines human sensitivity and feeling. She implores her sister Stella (and the rest of us as well) not to "hang back with the brutes".