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."