G.R. Swenson: What is Pop Art?
Roy Lichtenstein: I don’t know—the use of commercial art as subject matter in painting, I suppose. It was hard to get a painting that was despicable enough so that no one would hang it—everybody was hanging everything. It was almost acceptable to hang a dripping paint rag, everybody was accustomed to this. The one thing everyone hated was commercial art; apparently they didn’t hate that enough either.
--ARTnews, The First Word on Pop (1963)*
Yesterday I stopped in again to meander through the Joseph Nease Gallery (23 West 1st Street, Duluth) and grab a few snapshots of Kathy McTavish's installation ticket. I'd been thinking about the bad rap commercial artists get, and also wondering about bridging the gap between the fine arts and commercial art.
While reading a 1963 ARTnews interview with several leading voices in the Pop Art movement (Warhol, Lichtenstein, James Dine, Robert Indiana among them) I saw that the belittling of commercial art probably had its origins mid-century past. Have attitudes moved away from such harsh indictments today?
Roy Lichtenstein: I don’t know—the use of commercial art as subject matter in painting, I suppose. It was hard to get a painting that was despicable enough so that no one would hang it—everybody was hanging everything. It was almost acceptable to hang a dripping paint rag, everybody was accustomed to this. The one thing everyone hated was commercial art; apparently they didn’t hate that enough either.
--ARTnews, The First Word on Pop (1963)*
Yesterday I stopped in again to meander through the Joseph Nease Gallery (23 West 1st Street, Duluth) and grab a few snapshots of Kathy McTavish's installation ticket. I'd been thinking about the bad rap commercial artists get, and also wondering about bridging the gap between the fine arts and commercial art. While reading a 1963 ARTnews interview with several leading voices in the Pop Art movement (Warhol, Lichtenstein, James Dine, Robert Indiana among them) I saw that the belittling of commercial art probably had its origins mid-century past. Have attitudes moved away from such harsh indictments today?
The Balance published an article inquiring about and attempting to define the difference between Fine Art and Commercial Art. In essence, it has to do with intent, they said. Yet when I posted this article for discussion on a Facebook forum, the first comments noted that this was overly reductive. UMD Art History professor Jamie Ratliff pointed out that "so-called 'fine' art, even when it's in a museum like the Louvre, is still part of the commercial art market. Just look at the 'Leonardo' that just sold for $450 mil. The Louvre is in negotiations to get that on indefinite loan."
To which Kathy McTavish, whose work is displayed above, added, "I know of few artists that don't feel engaged with the struggle of sustenance. I think also that for an artist to feel that they are doing a 'pure' form of expression devoid of context would be quite delusional. Creative expression whatever its form, if it has power, "sells" something::: enhances / strengthens or disrupts something. It is our job to reflect / uncover / honestly reveal those impacts / motivations & to hone / wield that voice responsibly & articulately even if what it is articulating is below the surface / un-utterable / non-verbal. I think we have to try to understand what it is our work is 'sell- ing or breaking."
* * * *
The photos fail to capture the full impact of ticket, in part because there is an audio component as well as the fact that it is a series of Chrome monitors plus projectors in continuous motion, animated graphics as it were. One "commercial" application I envision would be as intro to a Hollywood film about AI, the soundtrack included, as the opening credits roll. Fade out at the film's end would repeat the opening and fade to black. Other commercial apps, less ambitious, might include the myriad business and educational videos dealing with technology, philosophy and science that have been accumulating on YouTube in recent years. The work is original and not a copy-cat of anything else, hence its appeal to the creative spirit.
The gallery hours begin at noon, Wednesday through Saturday. Their inaugural exhibition is titled Three States, with Matthew Kluber, Kathy McTavish, and James Woodfill.
Care to join the discussion? Leave a comment.
1 comment:
Thanks for posting Ed and getting a good comment from Kathy McTavish. When you think of her work in "ticket" (or "chance" at the Tweed Museum), it uses commercial components but the intent does not necessarily relate to the components used - it is just that the computers and projectors are the means to convey the message. We also have James Woodfill's "Wayfinding" at the gallery, it also uses common components (speakers, monitor, lights, motors, speaker stands, wood) but here part of the intent is to marry together disparate components and create something new that is, in part, about those components. Two different ways that artists show that "commercial" and "fine" art are part of the same thing. Is it intent or is it context?
Joe Nease
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