artist commentary

So my friend had exposed me to the awesomeness that is Banksy over a year ago, and I think he's absolutely amazing. I'm always on the lookout for the possibility of seeing something from him, and I almost feel like something I saw in Spain over spring break was indeed his. But I could be totally wrong. His work is always just so eloquently comical and poignant at the same time, it kind of boggles my mind. I feel like usually when people are trying to say something about the world today, they end up saying something trite and boring. Banksy does the opposite for me. I think his work is one of the few effective attempts at making statements about war and consumerism. Mostly because his works aren't presumptuous or pretentious or ill-informed or anything... rather, they just kind of originate from real human emotion and affect, which is why they are so easy to comprehend and relate to.

Fekner and Crumb are kind of two artists that I think are important, but the reason why I like Banksy so much is why I don't really care for Fekner or Crumb. For me, they use satire and appropriation to call attention to human waste and decay in a way that's blatantly ironic, which is probably totally the point, but because of my own background and knowledge of art, I don't really feel very moved by it even though within their time, they were probably doing something remarkable. It's probably because my eyes aren't fresh to that kind of work though. Maybe other people would find it more impacting.

I like the idea of Joy Garnett's work, but not all of her paintings and drawings really translate well enough (personally) to evoke a true emotional response. Every now and then I came across a painting with a really beautiful color combination and stroke that I appreciated but even so, I don't feel completely sold on how these works represent media images (but maybe that's the point?).

Damien Hirst is always really really interesting. Breaking down ideas of life and death, of the link between art and truth, art and science. And pretty much perfect for looking at decay. Regardless of whether you're for or against him (especially given his reputation and subsequent art fame), you have to admit that any artwork that ends up making people question themselves or others is worth considering.

The jury is still out on Mark Tobey and Glenn Brown. Mostly because I don't think I fully understand or relate to their works quite yet, but the possibility is still there. Glenn Brown's stuff looks amazing, but I don't know if I've related it to the right sentiment yet. Also, I'm just not really sure how to go about looking at Tobey's work. It feels like unchartered territory somehow. HMmm... perhaps after hearing about them in class, I'll know better how to react to them.

Anyways, I hope that's enough? I kind of just rambled on, didn't I?