A seminar with Francis Bacon …

Well – he has never taught art to others officially, and has never been taught art by others in such a manner …
And while not being entirely sure, if just because or despite of that  – Francis Bacon excels as an art (painting) tutor. I found him so lucidly articulated, so continuously and deeply [...]

Raffi Lavie: ‘In the Name of the Father’

Raffi Lavie (1937-2007) Late Israeli artist representing Israel at the 53rd International Biennale in Venice.
A painter, educator, art critic, music connoisseur, and curator. The most central, charismatic figure in the art scene in Israel for the past four decades until his death in 2007.
Influenced by Paul Klee, Jean Dubuffet, and Robert Rauschenberg, as well [...]

Contemporary Art (7) – Marlene Dumas

“My best works are erotic displays of mental confusions (with intrusions of irrelevant information).”

Marlene Dumas (b. 1953, Cape Town) – one of the most important, influential figurative painters working today.
With Dumas one may easy get into a trap of ‘an infatuated viewer’. Trap she has crafted herself [...]

New toys of a dirty boy – Eric Fischl

A gifted boy with dirty imagination is back.
Eric Fischl (b. 1948, NY) has apparently abandoned his flamboyant yuppies and bad boys lost in their hedonistic activities on daddies’ yachts and in flashy apartments. Or rather – he grew up with them, since the new characters of his painted stories are middle- aged couples, lost again, [...]

“First step…” – Western Contemporary Art in Poland

Phillip Taaffe, Artificial Paradise (Loculus), detail,  2008, oil on linen

Miquel Barcelo, Des Meduses, detail, 2000, mixed media on canvas

Eric Fischl, The Bed. The Chair. Touched, detail, 2001, oil on canvas

Andreas Slominski, Untitled, 1993-94, bike/plastic bags
Well, this exhibition may serve perfectly those who know, how the bipolar disposition works.
One moment – one is proud and full [...]

Studying Art (19) – Recent Work

On this Work (Artist’s Statement)
What do we know about the universe and how do we know it? How does nature maintain its order and beauty being a maze of random matter and forces? What is the origin of life and what is its essence?

This work bridges my theoretical interests in science and philosophy with [...]

Studying Art (17) – Why do you paint?

I’ve been challenged with this innocent question recently, and though I came up with an immediate answer at that moment ‘of truth’, I still keep pondering over it now, as if looking for a deeper, fuller view…

Why do you paint? Why do I paint?
My photographs say most of what I want to convey, my writing [...]

Contemporary Art (6) – Jakub Julian Ziolkowski

Untitled , 2007,  oil on canvas,  15.75″ x 12.5″

The Great Battle Under the Table, 2006
Oil on canvas
190 x 165 cm / 74 3/4 x 65 in

The Garden, 2008
Oil on canvas
105 x 82 cm / 41 3/8 x 32 1/4 in
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Jakub Julian Ziolkowski (b. 1980) – Polish painter, lives and works in Krakow, Poland.
Well, there [...]

Contemporary Art (5) – Peter Doig

A friend has challenged me to pick out one artist, whose work will still ‘matter’ in 40 years time. Well, imagine we’ve got 2050; the number alone looks pretty surreal; doesn’t it? The same can surely be said about the quantity of the imagery out there – buzzing, flashing, tempting, repulsive, genius and rubbish… But [...]

Contemporary Art (4) – Burkhard Held

Flicking through the last issue of ARTFORUM I came across this not known to me German painter. Burkhard Held (b. 1953) lives and works in Berlin. He’s been exhibiting persistently and widely for the last few decades.
His “Roter Berg” from 2008 – oil on canvas, conventional size, yet another application of the neo-expressionist language. Yet, [...]