Ron English "POPaganda"

Go out on the street…look for him on walls, in magazines and in galleries. The work manifests as sculpture, paintings and toys along with his own movies and cameos appearances. Ron English is just about everywhere. “POPaganda” is the name of choice he has dubbed his art and his claim to fame is with much warranted. That being said Ron takes on contemporary and counter-culture ideas and art. He is recognized in both streams and duly respected.  

The work is colorful, hyper-real and extravagant. His sometimes bizarre references on contemporary consumerism, culture and art history are amusing and at times disturbing. English does not believe in leaving his viewers with any lack of zeal. His hand is sure and the technique masterful.  He has influenced elections as much as any artist especially in the campaign of Barack Obama (2008). His work “Abraham Obama” was inspired from his feeling that there was a definite similarity between the 16^th President and the then to be 44^th president in looks, demeanor and historical relevance.

                                                                                         

You can look for Tony-the-Tiger, Cap’n Crunch and Toucan Sam as enlarged obese symbols of American obsessive habits and addictions in the English oeuvre. The Frankenstein Monster, the Incredible Hulk, the Marlboro Man and Homer Simpson are not spared English’s scrutiny and abuse. Creatures from the animal kingdom are hardly spared or excluded; English is very generous in his appetite for extreme satirical candor.

It is actually Pablo Picasso’s Guernica that English has referenced to the largest degree and number. His recreations and improvisation on the bombing of the small Spanish village (one of the world greatest and utterly heartless acts of crimes against humanity) that continues to intrigue and inspire the contemporary artist. His parody’s can be humorous and ironic but some are equal to the original even daring to surpass in horror the original.   

English continues to work and explore the infinite. He is an artist well into but still in his prime and expands his inextinguishable thirst for creativity. His journey is one that is open to the world. I can only encourage you as he would love you to join along.  

Picasso Sculpture @ MoMA

When the “New” Whitney opened earlier this year in Lower Manhattan (NYC) it became the most talked about museum among the many celebrated museums in the city. It was dimming the luster in particular of one of the New York greats; MoMA. I had wondered what the folks at MoMA would do to return the talk and the buzz as the leader in Modern and Contemporary Art. “Picasso Sculpture” featuring 100 pieces opens there Monday. It seems to be their response to the Whitney and promises to be a Block Buster.

The exhibition will feature many of the 20^th Century master’s best efforts. Picasso is noted as quite possibly the most innovative and prolific genius of all time. His sculpture attests extravagantly to his fame and ability. Picasso’s choices of materials range from bronze to plaster to cardboard. Found objects and assemblage rate highly among his sculptural works. The hand and mind of Picasso, always exciting, always exuberant on full display here should charm and delight every eye to behold each brilliant object.  The man is as strong a sculptural presence as any of his sculptor contemporaries, including Moore, Brancusi, Calder and Duchamp.

We are edging further into the 21^st century and there are no shortages of new artists on the contemporary scene. At every level Picasso continues to rank highly. There is a definitive, ageless quality to his works. I am including an extensive portfolio of the Picasso Sculptures and yes; I hope to visit them and MoMA soon.

"The Greedy Child"

Mrs. Wonderley was everything her name suggested. She was joyful, energetic, vibrant…she taught with a passion and love of the thing; Art. Her knowledge of the subject ran deep. Art’s history, movements and techniques were all introduced to her students. Her classes ranged from pottery to macramé and from mixed-medium to painting, drawing and graphics. Mrs. Wonderley taught from her head but she taught mostly from her heart and love. Her gift to us was a richer understanding and meaning to what art was and could be. She inspired and was wonderful!

The methods of teaching she choose were tried and true and from the respected scientific laws of seeing. Drawings from plaster models and life were done in her art room as we learned the importance of symmetry, perspective, form and composition. There was little she missed but one of the simplest and yet most extraordinary things she did was after instruction and background on our assignments she would jump in and do her own version of the topic. There was no competition in this but she knew as did Leonardo that working with a superior more experienced artist would only make us better. The reality is that she truly enjoyed expressing herself as she continued her own learning and artistic growth. At these times she would most often create originals but copies would sometimes be her choice of expression, depending on her whim. 

On one occasion as we students worked on assignment Mrs. Wonderley chose to copy something from Picasso’s Blue Period, “The Greedy Child.” To see her copying as a drawing this master piece of 20^th century painting, this modernist marvel from a master’s hand was a thing of beauty onto itself.  She worked with a relaxed diligence that showcased her talent and ability to see and reproduce both the detail, depth of feeling and nuance of the original. It was impossible to discern any real difference between the graphic structure of the image she copied from and the image we saw unfold on Mrs. Wonderley’s paper. Her choice to copy “The Greedy Child” would increase my admiration for my teacher as well as for the masterful, Pablo Picasso.

Forty years later while walking, relaxing, passing through the National Gallery in Washington, DC my grandchildren and I would stop to sit before a work from the museum’s permanent collection. This was an opportunity to study and further enjoy a painting of beauty, worthy of deeper reflection. It was a gift of sort from me to them. I felt something wholly unique and special as we look at the miraculous, this original work of art “The Greedy Child.” I thought about Mrs. Wonderley and as we looked; the wheel turned. Within this rarest of moments I somehow knew the essence and meaning of art.

Cubism

Imagine shattering the wall of reality and then putting it back together based on the relationship of light to shadow, random juxtaposition of geometric forms and color guided only by the particular artist’s own whims and fancy. Picasso takes the world our vision senses as reality, steps away from it, bludgeons it with a sledge hammer and reassembles it with the care of a madman. This was his genius.