art movement | Outside The Lines

Renaissance. Baroque. Romanticism. Realism. Impressionism. Expressionism. Postmodernism. What might the next art movement be? Murmurs of an odd, but undeniably relevant, phenomenon might be the next big thing: an art movement that is all about “me.”

The term “selfie” encompasses the act of taking a picture of yourself. In reality, long before camera phones, people were taking pictures of themselves. And before we used cameras to snap shots from arms-length away, people were capturing their images through painted portraits. You’ll remember that some of the world’s most well-known artists, like Rembrandt, Frida Kahlo, Picasso and Vincent van Gogh, created self-portraits. But a painted self-portrait in the age before cameras is far different then the ego-centric art of today.

In an article for Artnet.com, JJ Charlesworth proclaimed, “The Ego-Centric Art World is Killing Art.” However, it has been said that such cries were heard every time a new art era dawned and another became history.

Might we be entering a new era where artwork does not call us to look through the eyes of the artist as much as it beckons us to look into the eyes of the artist? Are we about to embrace art that does not lead us to think about events, places, people, or emotions but rather look inward to the sensations we experience and benefit from as a result of art?

Charlesworth uses the example of Marina Abramović’s exhibit “512 Hours” as an example of ego-centric art. Abramović’s performance show seemed to resemble more of a self-help empowerment course than an art display, implies Charlesworth. Known as participatory art, Abramović guided the museum visitors on ways they could live in the present, find themselves and be themselves. These are not bad things, and some people believe the journey to such enlightenment has always been a form of art. It is just different.

For hundreds of years, art has led us to think broadly about the world around us, often teaching us something new about a place or time we could never be in. Now, this shift is leading us to look deeply into ourselves, at a place and time we know all too well: the present.

And, in the ego-centric art era, if art isn’t all about us, it is all about the artist who created it. Charlesworth prompts us to recall Shia LeBeouf’s 2014 performance art show “#iamsorry,” where he invited people to gawk at him wearing a paper bag over his head that read, “I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE.”

Another artist who creates work directly inspired by her life is Tracey Emin. Her first recognizable art work was titled, “Everyone I Have Ever Slept With,” where the names of past lovers (even those whom she was not intimate with) were posted to the inside of a camping tent. Later, Emin created “My Bed,” which was an installment of her bed and the mess of items she kept by it.

Speculators of art seem to recognize the growing presence of ego-centric art, but it has yet to be recognized as a movement. Although, this may be because much of the world is snapping selfies and discussing the latest Facebook copyright ordinances, claiming their posts belong to them. It is, to some, their art. The art of “me.”

Read more Segmation blog posts about art and color:

Émile Bernard – Making Ideas Art

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The Natural Side of Art

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Have you ever heard of Clyfford Still? Many modern-day art lovers have not. The irony in this is that Clyfford Still was and is incredibly influential to the art world. In fact, Still, who was born in 1904 and died in 1980, was one of the pioneers of abstract expressionism.

Still’s early pieces (from the 1930’s), which depicted farmhands during the Great Depression, give a nod to Alberta, Canada and Washington State, the locations he was raised in. In the following decade or so, Still’s work began to take on a more abstract shape. It would be later in his career that Clyfford Still would help father the movement of abstract expressionism.

The young artist spent some time in California, then moved to New York City, a place where other would-be abstract artists, such as Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning, lived. While Still shared some commonalities with these artists, his artwork was decidedly unique and strayed from geometric shapes.

People had begun to take notice of Still around 1951, but by then he had chosen to separate himself from the commercial art world. Still was certainly not forsaking his art by doing this, but rather devoting himself wholly to it by distancing himself from distractions. This noble decision was probably one that prevented Clyfford Still from becoming widely well known.

After relocating to Maryland in 1961, Still consistently produced painted artwork on canvases and pastel drawings. He did all of this independently of the commercial sector of the world of art.

While in the past Still has been somewhat obscure, the opening of The Clyfford Still museum in Denver, CO, might change all of that. The museum shows only a portion of Still’s pieces of art, which are “considered the most intact body of work of any major artist.” Even more of Still’s works are being uncovered as curators discover pieces from his farmhouse. As this man’s collections are viewed by more and more people, it is likely that recognition of him and his contributions to art will increase.

Is fame necessary to validate an artist’s brilliance? Clyfford Still’s life proved that the answer to this question is no. Still was truly devoted to art and obviously cared little for the accolades of man. But while Clyfford Still didn’t receive all the praise he deserved on this earth, his life is beginning to speak in increasing volumes to a new generation of artists.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/09/living/artist-clyfford-still-profile/index.html?iphoneemail