Walker Art Center Response
Although some aspects of modern art do not appeal to me, there were several pieces at the Walker Art Center that I thought were phenomenal works. Among these outstanding pieces was one of the first paintings I saw, an untitled 1953 oil painting by Japanese painter Shiraga Kazuo. To paint it, Kazuo hung from a rope and used his feet, “painting with action�, which is one of the themes Kazuo liked to explore in all his works. I loved this painting to a degree I almost can’t rationalize; the paint stuck inches off the canvas, almost like a sculpture, and not only did Kazuo capture his own actions, but he also captured the very essence of painting – the motion, the violence, the layers of paint and chaos. Looking at this painting was like being part of it; being another ‘brushstroke’ within it.
I also enjoyed the work of Italian artist Lucio Fontana, whose unique, “Spatial Concept Series� – 1968, really intrigued me. One of the works, aptly titled “Expectation�, appears at first glance to be a plain white canvas with a thin black line painted in the center. But in actuality, the canvas is slit, revealing a black canvas behind. I really appreciated how Fontana exploited the viewer’s expectation, reminding us never to take anything for granted. Another one of his works in this series, “Spatial Concept�, featured a canvas which seemed to be bubbling away in the center, revealing the gallery wall behind. Again, by playing with expectation and space, Fontana creates fascinating conversations with his viewer, even though only his art is present to pose his intellectual questions.
Finally, I was incredibly inspired by the work of Yto Barrada, a French female photographer who works primarily in Tangier. Her work entitled, “Sleepers� featured a series of six gigantic photographs of men asleep in public places. The composition of the men forms a circle, connecting the photographs; however, the frames of each photo separate them. I found this juxtaposition extremely compelling and beautiful. The photographs themselves were fascinating - some of the men appeared dead or abandoned – but it was the clever composition that I enjoyed the most.