Who am I kidding?

So yesterday I got all “who am I kidding?” -suburban housewife writes about art- what a joke, but then I don’t profess to know what I am talking about so that’s ok….. I got onto this partly because I was considering going to a new gallery/studio “Manky Chops” and realised that it was probably not my best idea and that I have the street cred of a potato.

However that and other conversations did get me exploring the idea of how different art impacts differently on you and how part of this is being “of it” or not.

Examples - yesterday I read a story that I immediately identified with and it resonated (I think due to it being beautifully written). At the same time I was looking over some poetry that did not have the same resonance (a different frequency perhaps) but spoke sharp, cutting truths. Both works were wonderful but for completely different reasons. Also others who read the story just didn’t like it AT ALL. It made me look further and I found this great article by James Brown (the poet), who makes these comments.

“The two most revered New Zealand poets are probably Baxter and Curnow, and people tend to prefer one over the other. I used to be firmly in the Curnow camp…but the truth is in recent years I’ve found myself reading Curnow less and less, and now I think I’ve moved toward the Baxter camp…I don’t think Curnow’s poetry has aged as well as Baxter’s. Curnow is a high modernist, and his poetry seems trapped in that period, whereas Baxter’s later voice resonates better today…Curnow is probably New Zealand’s foremost technical practitioner…brutal, tactile and also deeply philosophical, this is not poetry for the people.”

Diversity it beautiful. I have no expectation that what I like (which is a pretty mixed bag) and what others like will be the same. We might connect in some areas, even be a similar ‘tribe’ but our views on occasion can be diametrically opposed.

Which is why some people like/buy Monet and some Duchamp. And why you don’t need to sound apologetic to say an artist “is not really to my taste” and also ok to understand a work and appreciate it on an academic and technical basis but hate it on a gut level. And why a “pick and mix” approach to life is probably ok too. 

So to end today’s lecture some more stuff I like.

Industrial Decay
Flox

by Flox

A small life

Today a friend came round and we watched some of the Lovely Rita ‘extras’ - Betty’s Blouse and the piece on the Angus House and Dane Mitchell’s ‘Thresholds’ work. Mitchell’s work was not really ’up our alley’ even though the subject matter held potential. I looked up some of his other stuff and found “In past works he has collaborated with mediums and psychics to explore the phantom inhabitants of art galleries and museums. In his meddling with the unknown, Mitchell has commissioned witches to curse Starkwhite Gallery, Auckland; created a portal to the spirit world in the Auckland Art Gallery; and summoned the spirit of famous New Zealand painter Rita Angus, interviewing her via a medium.” Hmmmmm - while the idea of cursing Starkwhite has promise, is it really art?? :-) I guess it is, as I read Mitchell has just been awarded a one-year residency at the international DAAD artists-in-Berlin programme.

My friend and I were saying that we felt our interest in Bette’s Blouse is female reaction though, as perhaps was that lovely huge curtain of Anna Miles’ installation The style of address, (1994). Wystan Curnow says “My mother fashioned this jacket out of two identical aprons she bought at Woolworths.” Maybe because we are both have an interest in ‘homely arts’? It just intrigues me that someone like Rita Angus, a woman but not other/homemaker/50s housewife blah blah blah - in fact possibly the antithesis - painted in such detail and with such care this wonderful portrait of Betty with the centre piece being this rather flamboyant homemade blouse. Such a dichotomy (maybe not the correct word?)

Portrait of Betty Curnow (1942) Rita Angus

It got me thinking about the maleness and femaleness of some art and how we identify with some things/images (more on this in another post methinks).

I was reading a blog recently which said the author was living a small life just now and I think that’s a very good description of mine too. The internet (and this blog) is a window to the world for me and some days there just isn’t much ‘art in my life’. And so I was thinking how it might be nice to join one of those ‘blogger get-togethers’ in Wellington sometime, but none of them are really ‘a fit’ for me (you know - too old, too young, too hip, etc etc) Well I guess I might bump into people at the City Gallery this weekend - must organise that T-shirt….

Lastly - how do NZ Blog ratings actually work and why do they only rate political and news sites? Not that I care too much about ratings, as I note that some of the highest ratings site can be rather tiresome rather than informative and that’s not what this blog is about anyway. Mind you, I’ve apparently stepped on few toes already - not intentionally but probably via ignorance and clumsiness.

A little bit of history

You can buy anything on Trademe including a Hotere or two - but look at this.

Here is the picture because the link will disappear eventually.

From the auction: “This easel was owned by my Grandmother, Elizabeth (Betty) Curnow, who was a painter and printmaker for many years. She was also the subject of a well-known portrait study by Rita Angus - ‘Portrait of Betty Curnow’ - whom she knew as a friend throughout her life. So there may be some historical value there.”

Good Viewing

Firstly, I have fixed all the broken links on former posts (I hope). A little editing trouble with my new blog.

Well the holidays have brought some amazing TV viewing amongst the usual dross. “Lovely Rita“, the final episode of “The Big Picture” and “Being Billy Apple” were a few and so good to see (yay for The Charter).

Lovely Ritawas a fantastic Gaylene Preston doco about Rita Angus. Preston does great documentary work and there were some wonderful moments. I love the bit where they discussed the portrait of Betty Curnow  and being all theoretical about the ovular nature of the work and how it was a pregnancy portrait and then Preston just blew the interviewee away by saying it was Angus who was pregnant not Curnow. I wish I could remember the name of the interviewee/artist who had recreated the fabric of Curnow’s shirt (I want some!). EDIT - It was Anna Miles - See Wyston Curnows comments. Gosh and another major artist who lived in Waikanae (for a short time)

Being Billy Applewas also intriguing. I have seen a few Apple’s (I like NFS and Sold) but I didn’t realise he doesn’t actually paint them himself. See you can tell I have no education in this area. His work is so clever. It was interesting to see his personal evolution as an artist and artwork. You have to love the scrubbed floor installation and I finally clearly understand the meaning of ‘conceptual artist’.

I guess I was a little disappointed in Hamish Keith’s final episode of The Big Picture. Maybe because I’d read the book or seen a critique of his braided river analogy. It left many questions. I wondered if John Walsh was excluded because of his association with Te Papa. Someoneiknow was also disappointed that he didn’t provide more context on the Militant Artists Union. We both disagreed with Keith’s issue with bi-culturalism. Although I agree New Zealand is definitely multi-cultural, the Treaty of Waitangi (our founding document) is between Maori and Tau Iwi (everyone else - or ‘other’).

I am happy to say I recorded all of them but our TV reception is terrible so hopefully they will be out on DVD at some point.