Each of these commentaries will introduce you to an aspect of what I think of the current condition of art and painting.
“I Don’t Deconstruct” is a kind of personal manifesto, and a protest against “artspeak.”
“Warhol's 32 Campbell's Soup Cans and The Decline of Connoisseurship” is about the way that Andy Warhol’s silk-screened images attacked and damaged the tradition of painting.
“When Appreciating Works of Art, Being There Is Always Best” is my reflection about the fact that most of the art I see these days is on the internet. Art should be experienced, and virtual art viewing has some serious shortcomings.
“When Fame Replaces Art” expresses some of the worries I have about the over-commercialization of art. Damien Hirst’s “Spot” paintings are my targets in this essay.
“Mike Kelley (1954-2012) and Thomas Kinkade (1958-2012) Have Gone Home” is about a surprising connection between two artists whose work could hardly be more different.
These commentaries are presented in the order in which they were written, between June of 2010 and April of 2012.
- John Seed