THE ORIGINAL MASH-UP ARTISTS
In a world of YouTube mash-ups and blog aggregators, it feels right to revisit the original pasticheurs of the art world. "The Pictures Generation", a new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, collects the work of 30 artists who originated the art of appropriation in the 1970s and '80s, prying lose images from everyday life and injecting them with new meaning.
Perhaps inevitably, the show is a mishmash. There are 160 works in every kind of media, including film, photography, painting, sound, collage, artist's books and drawing. Richard Prince makes multiple appearances, as does David Salle, Robert Longo and Matt Mullican. Of particular interest are Sherrie Levine's brain-expanding collages and Cindy Sherman's self-transformations, both of which are richly represented in the show.
But what makes this a "generation"? Holland Cotter, himself irked by the show's title, ventures a sound explanation:
They were born in the mid-1940s to early ’50s, in a prosperous but paranoia-prone cold war era. They were the first kids to be raised with television, fast food and disposable everything. As teenagers they were soaked in Pop Art, rock and rebel politics. As art students, even in traditionalist programs, they felt the effects of Conceptualism. Ideas replaced objects and images. Painting was pushed to the side. The movement questioned what art was for and redefined what could be art.
Appropriation is all about context. Upon entering the gallery, viewers are greeted with three pieces by Jack Goldstein, which feature tiny figures clipped from unknown sources and placed on swaths of monochromatic background. A deep-sea diver lifted from his ocean realm looks lonesome, while an astronaut floating in coloured space seems weirdly trippy. These works force us to re-examine images we take for granted.
Dara Birnbaum's "Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman" is a video monitor with scrolling lyrics of the "Wonder Woman" theme song as it plays. I found I couldn't help but boogie a little to the thump of the tune while reading the lyrics as they dragged across the screen. The result was to witness myself becoming absorbed in pop-culture frippery so ditzy and dumb that I had to hand it to Birnbaum for her masterful manipulation.
Whether because of its variation or the cleverness and vitality of its artists, "The Pictures Generation" is more energetic than most galleries at the Met, making it a perfect palate cleanser between the heavier rooms of El Greco and Monet.
"The Pictures Generation" runs until August 2nd 2009
Picture credit: Barbara Kruger, "Untitled (You Are Not Yourself)", 1981
Private collection, courtesy Skarstedt Fine Art, New York
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Even though The Pictures
June 22, 2009 - 17:07 — Visitor (not verified)Even though The Pictures Generation has only been open a few short weeks, there is already a mountain of commentary on this superlative show. Much of it centers on who was included, whether these artists in different locations were really a “movement”, how this work related to Minimalism, Pop Art, Conceptualism, Postmodernism and plenty of other theoretical constructions, how feminism impacted the development of this work, and how the baby boomer environment contributed to the varying but related approaches these artists took. All of these are fruitful and necessary lines of thought, given the breadth and depth of this exhibition.
Even though The Pictures
October 22, 2009 - 20:59 — auto insurance quotes (not verified)Even though The Pictures Generation has only been open a few short weeks, there is already a mountain of commentary on this superlative show. Much of it centers on who was included, whether these artists in different locations were really a “movement”, how this work related to Minimalism, Pop Art, Conceptualism, Postmodernism and plenty of other theoretical constructions, how feminism impacted the development of this work, and how the baby boomer environment contributed to the varying but related approaches these artists took. All of these are fruitful and necessary lines of thought, given the breadth and depth of this exhibition.
so these r the original
October 22, 2009 - 21:00 — auto insurance quotes (not verified)so these r the original mashup artists? good to here.. thanks for posting
Even though The Pictures
November 8, 2009 - 08:18 — Carros japoneses (not verified)Even though The Pictures Generation has only been open a few short weeks, there is already a mountain of commentary on this superlative show. Much of it centers on who was included, whether these artists in different locations were really a “movement”, how this work related to Minimalism, Pop Art, Conceptualism, Postmodernism and plenty of other theoretical constructions, how feminism impacted the development of this work, and how the baby boomer environment contributed to the varying but related approaches these artists took. All of these are fruitful and necessary lines of thought, given the breadth and depth of this exhibition.
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December 17, 2009 - 02:28 — thai silk (not verified)Cool post, thank you for the info - I dont really ever post on these thingy’s but enjoyed the info. Awesome stuff!, I bookmarked your blog!
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December 17, 2009 - 05:20 — moving blankets (not verified)Wow! thanks For sharing this!
Original art
December 17, 2009 - 06:11 — Fiat vans for sale (not verified)It seems to be a very big topic at the moment using other artists work to create what may be considered a new original art piece reflecting our era.
There have been a number of
December 30, 2009 - 23:40 — Diane (not verified)There have been a number of novelty records and one-off hits that have included uncleared samples. The song "Your Woman" by White Town features an uncredited sample from a 1932 song "My Woman" by the Lew Stone Band taken from the soundtrack of the Dennis Potter series
A mashup, bootleg is a song
January 7, 2010 - 14:33 — Visitor (not verified)A mashup, bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the music track of another.Daniel Manson
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