Fred Tomaselli, Hillary

I visited the Tang Museum at Skidmore College on Saturday, April 17th. The first thing I realized about the museum was how bizarre it was to find a renowned plopped in the middle of a college campus. I guess after being a student at a school that has only one art building it seems odd to think about a building that houses famous works by famous artists is right amongst young college students. However as soon as I entered the museum I did not feel like I was at a college. The Tang did not disappoint, it was large, modern, white, and high ceilinged. I found it sad to find the museum nearly empty, especially because it caused the guides to jump all over you when you entered their designated area. I personally like to view art on my own without someone looking over my shoulder. Once my parents and I were able to escape the young college student stationed at the Tomaselli show we were able to immerse ourselves in the work (maybe a little too much, we couldn't resist from lightly touching the works and taking quick pictures on my phone for this project). The overall generalization I found about Tomaselli's work is that it can look completely different depending on how close or far away you position yourself from the wall. If I took a step back I saw the geometry, the overall layout, the manipulation of color, and the design. But if I stepped in closer I saw the intricate details of the magazine/book cutouts, prescription pills, marijuana leaves, and paint drips. It was almost overwhelming to try to see every little detail in each of his works. But I prefer works that are almost too much over works with minimal detail because with Tomaselli's work I could stand there and discover new things by the second. Some of the works gave me vertigo and made my feel dizzy just looking at them. The work title Black and White All Over gave the me the most delusion. It was placed in a narrow hallway over the lobby of The Tang with glass walls on either side. The piece instantly made me dizzy and then after I realized that I was on a little bridge made me even more dizzy. This made me wonder if the museum works purposefully place certain pieces in specific places.

Fred Tomaselli's work is extremely psychedelic as I assume he was a rather far out guy after seeing numerous marijuana leaves used in his works. One of his works is even titled All the Bands I Can Remember Seeing and All the Extinct Vertebrates in North America Since 1492, 1990. Most of his pieces seem to uncover troubling thoughts in Tomaselli's mind. According to the description provided by the Tang, "Tomaselli amasses actual pills and plants along with a range of images-among them flowers, birds, and anatomical illustrations-carefully cut from books and magazines."

Tang Museum Exhibitis, Nancy

On Sunday, April 18 I visited the Tang Museum at Skidmore College.
The first thing that came to my mind when I arrived at the Tang Museum was the architecture of the building. From the outside it looked almost like a contemporary art museum. Although the architecture didn't resemble, it did remind me of the outside of other contemporary museums such as the Guggenheim Museum. The museum was a lot smaller than I expected, having only three contained floors.
The first exhibit I visited was "Los Carpinteros." I have to say that I enjoyed this exhibit. I thought the idea of taking a bed and formatting it into the shape of a rollercoaster is pretty cool. When I first saw Los Carpinteros I thought the artists just randomly came up with the idea of making a bed into the shape of a rollercoaster. It wasn't until I read the caption that there was a meaning behind it. The meaning was that "not everyone is what it seems" or "things can be made differently" which I thought was an interesting interpretation for the artist.
Along the first floor there were many other exhibits such as Andy Warhol. One portrait that struck me was "Get A Life" by Jane Masters. I thought it was very humorous and to the point which is why it probably stood out at me. I also liked the "Man Dollars" portrait because it was portraying the idea that America revolves around money at times.
The Fred Tomaselli was probably my favorite out of all the exhibits. I thought the images were very unique and colorful. His portraits had a "trippy" effect but it wasn't where it was "loud." It felt very calming looking at Tomaselli's works. Some of my favorite images were "Avian Flower Serpent", "Millennium Phosphene Bloom", "Migrant Fruit Thugs", "Field Guides", and "Super Plant." I thought Tomaselli's drug portraits were interesting. It was funny how he arranged the types of drugs in a star constellation. Not sure what the exact interpretation was but I thought the idea was cool.
I have to say that I did not enjoy the "Amazement Park" exhibit. I thought it was very odd and unsightly. The artists intentions may have been good but I personally did not find anything interesting or flattering about it.
Overall visiting the Tang Museum was interesting. I never really took time to visit a contemporary art museum so it was a good experience to become familiar with artists of present day.

20x200. Hillary

After visiting the web site 20x200.com and browsing through all the artwork I chose this piece by Jennifer Sanchez. It is titled ny.09#19. I would buy the 16"x20" edition at $200. I was first attracted to this piece because of the colors and intricate designs. It reminded me of random little doodles that I like to draw for fun. I like how its a collage that is all mixed together. It looks messy but it works. The longer you look at it the more you'll discover. I also like the fact that there are drips and splotches that don't seem planned. Sanchez has stated that her work is an experiment and that she goes into it having a broad idea of what she wants to create but she never can guess what will happen. To me this is a metaphor to life. You may have a plan but it does not necessarily play out the way you had hoped. I think the artist embraces this fact and accepts that life and art isn't always geometrically perfect.

20x200 Red Plastic Plates, Nancy

When I went on the 20x200 website many images "spoke" to be because they are so colorful and unique. This image in particular captured my attention, "Red Plastic Plates" by Ann Toebbe. The artists said that the image was made by cutting our pieces of paper and painting them. It's funny because the red plastic plates weren't the first thing that struck my attention when I saw this image but rather the dimension and view. The upper wall where the kitchen entrance is in normal 2-D but the rest of the image is flat. I think this gives a lot of character to the image and how artwork can be viewed in two different ways even though it is one image. The idea of cutting out the objects from pieces of paper was the reason that the table and plates and down flat. I also like this image because it reminds me of a nice, well kept house. Many contemporary images of rooms in houses remind me of my own home.