It warms the cockles of your heart...

 As the nights grow longer and the temperature drops there is that need to bring a little warmth to the hearth and what better way to do it than to follow the ebb and flow of the art world.

 "Lucky for me, when I went to art school we were a generation where we didn't have any shame about stealing other people's ideas. You call it a tribute". Damien Hirst

We all felt a little temperature rise when we heard that 'The Jackdaw' had brought out an article where the adorable and cuddly Damien Hirst had been 'exposed' (allegedly) of even more plagiarism than before.

So what do we think?

To put it in context here is one of the more abbreviated articles that have neen flying about and then we can have a chat.......

Dalya Alberge The Guardian

Charles Thomson, the artist and co-founder of the Stuckists, a group campaigning for traditional artistry, collated the number of plagiarism claims relating to Hirst's work for the latest issue of the Jackdaw art magazine.

He came up with 15 examples, with eight said to be new instances of plagiarism. The tally includes the medicine cabinets that Hirst first displayed in 1989, and its development in 1992 - a room-size installation called Pharmacy.

One of these is an original idea. Or maybe not.

"Joseph Cornell displayed a cabinet with bottles on shelves called Pharmacy in 1943," said Thomson. Nor were Hirst's spin paintings or his installation of a ball on a jet of air original, he said, noting that both were done in the 1960s.

"Hirst puts himself forward as a great artist, but a lot of his work exists only because other artists have come up with original ideas which he has stolen," said Thomson. "Hirst is a plagiarist in a way that would be totally unacceptable in science or literature."

Aggrieved artists include John LeKay, a Briton who says he first thought of nailing a lamb's carcass to wood like a cross in 1987, only to see it reproduced by Hirst. Lekay previously claimed in 2007 that he had been producing jewel-encrusted skulls since 1993, before Hirst did so. Lori Precious, an American, says she first arranged butterfly wings into patterns to suggest stained-glass windows in 1994, years before Hirst.

Imitation may be flattery, but not when Hirst is taking both the financial and artistic credit for their ideas, say Lekay and Precious. LeKay has never sold anything above £3,500, while Hirst's set of three crucified sheep was a reported £5.7m. Precious's butterflies sold for £6,000 against Hirst's version for £4.7m.

While Hirst is one of Britain's richest men, LeKay cannot live off his art. Accusing Hirst of being dishonest about where he gets his ideas, he said: "He should just tell the truth."

Although LeKay recognises that artists have always found inspiration in each other, he says the great ones adapt ideas to create works with their own individual and original stamp.

He said: "Damien sees an idea, tweaks it a little bit, tries to make it more commercial. He's not like an artist inspired by looking inwards. He looks for ideas from other people. It's superficial. Put both [crucified sheep] together and … it's the same thing."

In the 1990s, they were friends and shared exhibitions, which is when Hirst may have seen his sheep. Since then, LeKay has become more interested in Buddhism than material wealth, so he does not plan to seek compensation.

Precious recalled her pain at seeing Hirst's butterflies in a newspaper: "My artist friends and collectors called to tell me they couldn't believe the similarities between Hirst's work and mine, and … at first I too thought it was my work."

Although the patterns are not identical, she said: "It's the same material (butterfly wings) and the same idea (recreations of stained-glass windows)."

Without the funds to pursue legal action, she no longer produces butterfly works.

'''One of these men may be wealthy thanks to the other.''

It emerged in 2000 that Hirst agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to head off legal action for breach of copyright by the designer and makers of a £14.99 toy which bore a resemblance to his celebrated 20ft bronze sculpture, Hymn.

David Lee, the editor of the Jackdaw, says Hirst's compensation was an admission of guilt. "The fact he was willing to fork out the money is an indication that he knew he was plagiarising the guy's work."

Hirst declined to comment.

So what do we think??

A sheeps carcass is surely not an infringement of copyright or intellectual property is it?

Damien Hirst has been 'borrowing' ideas from his friends, his rivals and history for as long as he has been creating art.

His 'spin' paintings were done by many including John Armleder, Thomas Dowling, John Robinson and Crown paints!! Skulls were John Lekay. Tablets and Pharmacy are Joseph Cornell 'originals' blah de blah.

Yes, I know, I could go on forever..... I rather like Sir Francis Bacon as the 'owner' of the crucified sheep but then again, it was done before him.

I don't care if you like Hirst or not. Is his work pretentious, lazy and unoriginal?

Quite often, yes.

Is he a marketing genius who 'tapped into the wealthy need for a 'home' to their uneducated art knowledge?

Maybe.

Is he a man who plays the market and continues to keep contemporary art in the spotlight?

Yes.

Are many people jealous and target him because he has done what he does so well?

Definately.

Me, I say if you think it is your work, sue him (he has a history of settling out of court) and if not, shut up.

And remembe the next time you paint a landscape or cast a dancer or shoot a nightscene, remember, I did it first!!

NB

Maybe Hirst doesn't take other peoples ideas. Maybe they are 'his own' as he becomes other people. In the Jackdaw, Lekay said the following "One time in the taxi going to Ashley Bickertons house, he (Hirst) said that he thought he was becoming me. Talking and acting like me. It was very strange...I thought he was mentally ill at that point, or on coke."   

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 So now your blood is boiling and the unfairness of it all is leading you to consider giving it all up before someone steals your idea for a million dollars.......but wait, breathe a little, in, out, in, out......there you go...

We have been looking at sculpture whilst on convalescence duty and it is inspiring.

Mostly.

I don't know if it is just me or has sculpture become a bit stuck in a rut?

I understand the need to make commercially viable work for most artists but so many appear to be leading towards their version of abstract but frankly they don't have the talent.

Abstract sculpture is a beautiful, emotional (good and bad) journey of discovery. It shocks you, caresses you and often does both as it appears to you different on every viewing.

But a lot of sculptors appear to have run out of ideas and just turned to abstract as a means to 'show new work'.

   

So I looked and behold, in Plaissan I found Carol Acworth www.carolacworthsculpture.com

Carol is an interesting lady to say the least and her love of social issues knows no bounds...... but she can sculp. 

My heart leapt, the tears welled in my eyes.....ok, maybe not BUT I tell you now, the woman is an artist.

From the love and sexuality of 'Sensual' to the flowing form of her 'Dancers' Carol has an eye for the form and emotion of her subject matter.

And more than that, she can translate what she sees into her work.

Go have a look, we did and we liked it.

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Who wants an iPad?

In the next issue of L'Artiste Magazine we have two of them courtesy of those lovely little munchkins at Apple.

And what do you have to do to win one?

You have to watch this space......and get ready to be creative!

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So this week I'm off to see Gabby and Richard over at ANPQ, I haven't seen the expo yet but feedback has been very good. Remember Richard, I love you big man.

Also writing a review on 'Leonardo' and Pav Populaire.

Good to be back and thank you all for the cards and messages.

Until later,

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Time for change

Art is alive!

And rumour has it so am I.

It has been a time of reflection and change at L.A. towers but from tomorrow we have the blog back and it will be WEEKLY!!!

Tasters??

OK....

Damien Hirst and THAT argument that keeps popping up

The Sculpture of Carol Acworth

The Leonardo exhibition

Al Weiwei

L'Artiste in the LA world

Art Club and podcasts and.......... the big competition!

See you tomorrow!

And more on abstract........

Peter writes.....

"We should not be concerned about categories of art - there is only good art and bad art, both abstract and figurative. Good art needs to have soul and be able to effect the viewer. C'est tout."

Surely a relevant point for all art?

But as Martine writes....

"Abstract art is not dead at all, there is a growing market for abstract and colourists in the market place. It is still an exciting and innovative form of art that truly allows the viewer to work with the artist on interpretation.

The problem comes with some artists who think that by picking some bright colours and using them without thought makes them abstract artists. 

But I believe that all forms of art have good and bad representatives but to say that abstract is dead is narrow minded and insulting."

So what of those who agree with my friend.

Monique writes...

"At last, someone who is not afraid to say what a lot of us think. Abstract has had it's time, it was a whimsical 'fashion' that gained popularity based more on the personality of the individual and the galleries that wanted a revenue spinner. I believe that abstract art was the beginning of the celebrity artist and the pretentiousness that has invaded the art world."

Jez writes....

David Abse has written a thoughtful piece. However, for every artist who thinks about the idea there are 100 who just 'splash and dash'. My local gallery in New York now produces such complete drivel to publicize the latest 'Abstract offering' that I have refused to go there. 

Yes, I have been tarnished.

And to David again, I say that the politics of the individual, however disgusting to me individually do not mean I won't listen. People need to answer these narrow minded people to show the stupidity of their beliefs or to at least understand the views so that it can be stopped.

What I found interesting was that even though his personal beliefs obviously led his writing and thoughts, there were points that are relevant in 1940 and 2011.

Abstract art is now muddied by the many who see it as a route to artistic fame. The artists who are left now have to fight for their place as artists in this genre."

Other comments....

"What is the fuss about? If you don't like something don't go and see it."

"Abstract art isn't thoughtful or provoking, it is based on 3 shapes I totally disagree with LA, it IS dead (and if not, should be)."

"People that don't 'get' this art should try to open their minds instead of being sheep that can't think for themselves."

"I first saw a Jackson Pollock many years ago and it inspired me to paint. That alone makes it an art form that will live forever"

"Crap, meaningless self indulgant crap."

"Why do you give time to the imbecile who said this? De Kooning is one of the greats, period."

So mes amis, it looks like Abstract art has it's followers and it's dissenters.

I think that the fact that it brings such differing views to the table gives us the answer.

It is Art.

It is what art does, it is divisive, it makes you think and it ALLOWS opinions that cause debate and for me (yes personally) that is one of the fundamental attributes of art. 

It allows for individualism. Your most nearest and dearest, your closest friend, your mortal enemy can agree or disagree on the art they like. It is one of the few areas of life (and this is where artists are brave) that one can form an opinion on a person without knowing them.

Art gives no definitives.

Abstract art is another genre that gives you the same fellings as other disciplines in art.

I for one like Abstract Art, I like to be involved in the work, to try to analyse the thoughts and feelings of an artist. Some I walk past, some I stay awhile but as a whole, I will support it.

But one thing I will tell you. I will always listen to the other side because art is individual and you can always learn from it.

Many thanks to those that have commented.

There is always room for discussion and debate.

Abstract fights back......

Hello one and all.

I know, I know, once a month is the blog but after our previous blog and the recital of the 'Abstract Issue' we have received a number of comments.......

If you haven't read the blog it is below this but in summary I like abstract art (in most forms). Now like any art, within the genre there is some I like and some I don't but in general terms, I am a supporter of abstraction.

An acquaintance of mine on the other hand, is vociferous in his dislike of the genre and simply put "thinks it is boring.

And so..............

Within 2 hours of posting, I had 11 emails. Five supported the 'dislike' and six were 'like'.

Of the likes, 3 were abstact artists and then one of L.A.s' favourite artists, David Abse commented on Twitter that a response was needed.

And here we are.

Below in full is Davids esponse to the blog.

I will write nothing more, the discussion is open via email, twitter and facebook.

Tell us what you think of Abstract Art.......

David Abse writes.....

In favour of abstraction

The arguments made by those who do not like abstract art cover a wide range. They range from the less well-argued “It’s shit, anyone can do it” to the smug argument that it was a movement invented by American art-dealers and galleries who needed a quick turnover of paintings, somewhere in the middle of this is the argument that “it’s finished” , played out.

In 1940, as the second world war was in full swing and the world was just becoming aware of the horrors of the holocaust, Wyndham Lewis argued that abstract art had died “of boredom”. It is no coincidence that Wyndham Lewis was politically of the far right. So far to the right in fact he had written the book ‘Hitler’ in 1931, portraying Hitler as a great man. Also it is no coincidence that at this point in time artistically this was towards the end of his career (he was blind by 1950) and his days as a modernist and a vorticist were far behind him in his pre-first world war days.

So, given the political and personal contexts, can his view be taken seriously? Wyndham Lewis was siding with Hitler, who derided abstraction as ‘decadent’, and with the establishment in arguing that abstraction was over, and ‘nature has won’.

Abstraction ‘not dead’ shock

Far from being dead, historically abstraction was just about to leap to the forefront of art movements. Post war, abstract expressionism became the, if not the dominant, the most electric and exciting of modern art movements.

Painters like De Kooning and Pollock in the USA (the new centre of culture – and everything else) created paintings that had no natural visual reference at all. They were paintings about ideas, emotions, colours, space. And the natural extension of this: they were paintings, sometimes, about painting.

Jackson Pollock, for example, wanted an end to the viewer's search for representational elements in his paintings completely, and so he abandoned titles and started numbering the paintings instead. Of this, Pollock commented: "...look passively and try to receive what the painting has to offer and not bring a subject matter or preconceived idea of what they are to be looking for." Pollock's wife, Lee Krasner, said Pollock "used to give his pictures conventional titles... but now he simply numbers them. Numbers are neutral. They make people look at a picture for what it is - pure painting."

Abstract painting can be about anything. The key thing about abstract painting (as is obvious) is that it isn’t representational – although it is amazing the amount of  ‘real’ things people see within an abstract painting. Abstract painting opens the door to endless possibilities: and it is this that causes problems. It causes problems for those who like representational work exclusively, because the abstract painting challenges their boundaries, whilst conversely it challenges the ‘post-modernist’ who believes abstract painting is ‘played out’ and offers nothing new.

But what does it mean?

Abstract painting has always created a problem for the viewer: What is it? What does it mean? The feeling of being unable to identify anything in a picture can cause a feeling of panic, and cause fear in the viewer who worries they “don’t get it”.

But it is not enough for an artist to defend abstract work by attacking the viewer. It is not the viewer’s ‘fault’ (necessarily) if they don’t “get it”. Abstract painting is not “tabasco spilled over mustard.. voila” , otherwise the earlier quoted criticism would be correct: your five year old child COULD do it.

What’s difficult about abstract painting is not the paintings themselves, but the idea of the paintings: the idea: why do they work? Why is a Jackson Pollock painting so much better than a lot of splodges on a canvas created by a five year old? (At this point those who don’t agree with that statement should leave the room). I can only surmise that there is a connection to those simple, easy to recognize issues in representational art: talent and skill. An artist like Pollock understands use of colour, texture, space – his/her training and natural talent enables them to make and reject choices in creation that the five year old simply cannot. However, I would argue that “getting” abstract art is not difficult at all. The secret is to stop trying, and to appreciate what is there: as Pollock says “look passively”.

If you reject this thesis because “it’s out of date” I can offer a different argument: a different perspective. An artist recently told me that there had been no new art movement in the last 30 years, and that everything that was being done now was a re-hash of everything done before. In some ways this is true: but does it make the art being created less valid? If one removes the flashy-tinted spectacles of fashion, it remains a fact: what is good is good. To reject art out of hand simply because it is ‘old’ is ridiculous – and is to put oneself in a cultural vacuum. Further, to reject all art because “it has all been done before” is again short (or maybe narrow) sighted. It is true that there is nothing particularly new about any art now being created. Nothing being created in art schools, or being shown in modern galleries now is radically different from what was being made and shown 30 years ago. But does it make it less valid? Not if it’s good: and the same goes for art influenced by work created 50 years ago, or 100 years ago – or whenever.

Fashion dictates too much in art: and some of the blame for this can go back to those involved in the post war New York art scene as critics curators, who pushed abstract-expressionism on the world. Now we have a strange ‘post-modern’ art world where the idea that ‘anything can be art’ is being pushed almost to the furthest extreme. Again, abstract-expressionism can take some of the blame for this, as so much is being created that almost no one ‘gets’, which many galleries and curators take as a mark of art achievement. We now have the bizarre situation in the art world where the establishment is demanding that they be challenged to the extreme: and then they put it in a gallery. Art is eating itself in the way the music business did some years ago when record labels realized that rebellion sells.

Perhaps something new will come along, but in the meantime, there is nothing wrong with exploring what we have, and what we can do. Has every abstract painting been done? Has every pop song been written? Has every horror film been made? Abstract painting is a genre that still survives, and still leaves room for exploration and development. Whether it is done on canvas, on paper, on wood, or on giant tents: there’s still room for development and progress within that one genre: and still validity. To suggest it is ‘finished’, or ‘boring’ intimates a position adopted for a purpose, rather than an aesthetic appreciation or criticism. Abstract art – like other genres, is still there, and is still alive. It still challenges viewers, and still provokes debate.

Tell us what you think

Oh the joy......of Abstract!

Hello one and all.

Summer is now officially gone!

No seriously, the Féte de Music which celebrates the longest day in France has passed us by and now the nights draw in.

Depressing don't you think?

Well stop! Right now!

July is almost upon us and it is a time of wine, sun and ART.

Oh yes, the galleries are in full swing, artists are in a good place and the world looks better.

Get out there my friends, no excuses.

Montpellier, Beziers, Séte, Pézenas, Nimes, everywhere you look there is something to see.

So don't delay, see it today!

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Abstract art is a product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered.

Al Capp 1909 - 1979

Abstract - Does it really still have a place??

I had the pleasure this week of having a discussion about Abstract Art in all it's guises.

The conversation was based on a statement by my host that Abstract Expressionism was founded in America and i put forward the case for Germany in the 1920s.

The discussion moved from Robert Coates using it in the mid 40s' to my preferred stab at it being used in Germany in a magazine (Der Sturm) in the 1920s.

What we both agreed on was that it was A Barr talking about Kandinsky in the mid 20s that really started the wagon rolling.

So then the discussion went into the point of Abstract at all.

So I threw the big guns into the fray.

Kandinsky, Pollock, Kline, de Kooning, Sterne, Rauschenberg, Vasarely,  Rothko, Braque, Mondrian, Picasso........

Impressive eh, I was so winning this discussion it was like taking candy from a child.

And then he said "So which discipline (laughed at this point) of abstract are we talking about"?

"Um, well, all of them. Obviously there are the big three" I calmly said. "Cubism, Neoplasticism and Abstract Impressionism but really you are just nit picking".

"Oh right. Shall we add Bauhaus et al into the conversation? Don't you see, abstract art is boring! It was fun, it was interesting but then it just branched off into whatever everybody wanted to do at the time. There has been nothing new in this genre since 1918".

"Ok", said I, "but let's just slow down a minute. Are you telling me that you have never looked at a painting by any of the above mentioned artists and liked it in any way"?

"Quite the contrary, but look at the facts."

"Rauschenberg went to pop art and his obituary stated he was that."

"Mondrian had to coin his own movement "Neoplasticism and  the main topic of his work is the thickness of the black lines'"

MoMA is accused to this day of promoting Abstract Impressionism and in fact single handedly created the market for the American Abstract Impressionists...no-one bought the damn things."

"Do I need to go on?".

"Abstract was fun, it was an excuse and now it is boring and has been for 80 to 90 years".

Well that was that....in a fit of pique I threw Tabasco sauce across the table which in turn knocked over the mustard and salt and I made a Jackson Pollock!

"I can't agree" I said and then stated to mention more and more wonderful painters and the influence they have brought to bear on todays artist and then suddenly I stopped talking.

I had mentioned the wonderful Wyndham Lewis and I knew I was doomed.........

"Hold on a moment....."

And I knew what was coming next........

And here it is for you, written in 1940 by the man himself.

The End of Abstract Art by Wyndham Lewis

When an art dies, there is no announcement in the newspapers, as in the case of the demise of an eminent citizen. So no one knows that it is dead. It is still spoken of as if it were alive a modest little affair, though it made a great stir at the and kicking.  

This article is a sort of obituary notice. It is written to announce the death of "abstract art."

At last the Cube, the Cone, the Cylinder are still forever. They will never again stalk the streets of Paris. The Equilateral Triangle has breathed its last. Bracque's abstract bric-a-brac is fast becoming junk. The most amusing collage will fetch nothing in Europe. Brancusi's Egg has gone to join the Dodos.

But in all its forms—not only in its purest absolute—abstract art is no more. It is in vain to cite Picasso—his latest spawn is merely reflex action, from a lower center, that does not count any more than the stampede of the chicken after its head has been severed. A little kicking goes on, of a morning, in Monsieur Leger's studio, no doubt (for he is still alive, of course). But all such activity today—however corrupt and involved with natural form—belongs to a movement that is dead. It just runs on for a while, here and there, the work of practitioners no longer young. But it always was, I am afraid, a bit of an automaton.

Abstract art—the real article, the simon-pure—was a modest little affair, though it made a great stir at the time. It had no pretentious metaphysic. It sought to be a visual music—a perfectly respectable ambition—but it was classed (by Herr Hitler among other people) as a peculiarly decadent idea.

Myself. I painted a number of “abstract” fugues, which nobody could understand, but which were in fact severely classical. Had this been revealed at the time there would have been a considerable scandal. People supposed these incomprehensible oddities to be so revolutionary and satanic that the thought of them kept them awake at night.

No, there was nothing “decadent” about these enterprises, of an austerely pioneering sort, any more than Polar explanation is decadent. There was nothing of the sort of thing in which Dali, say, indulges: for it is only nature that is decadent, or that can be decadent, indeed. And there was no trace of nature there.

It is with genuine regret that I announce the  passing of that jolly little movement—just as in a sort of way I should hate to see the last swollen-footed Picasso nymph clump off the stage for the last time. I like to see her lumber on, in the Modern Museum, and squat there, staring blankly at Hoi Polloi.

The abstract is dead of a very customary complaint of civilized man: boredom. It was never very hardy, I am afraid. The last war hastened its end—in Europe, I mean. For here in the United States it arrived much later. Its effective life was of a very few years' duration. Already in 1924 I had dropped it, and although about five years ago several people in England (notably a certain Mr. Ben Nicholson) attempted to apply artificial respiration, 1913 to 1923 was its utmost span in its lands of origin.

Miss Georgia O'Keeffe is probably its best known exponent in America. When it began here I do not know; but Miss O'Keeffe left it some time ago for the red hills of New Mexico and the pea-green valleys of Quebec. Those are very "abstract" places, or lend themselves to a diluted abstractionism. But they are mere shadows of the real thing.

All along the line nature has won. There is, I think, no one today in America (I am sure there is no one in Europe, unless you count Mr. Nicholson as a person) who will pursue forms and colors for their own sakes. No one any longer pretends to that disinterestedness. Nobody will have anything to do with forms and colors unless they are hills, or trees, or faces. They are esteemed only because landscapes and men have to be made out of them. They are the stuff of which men and things are made; and their sole meaning to men, today, is this function of theirs; and that is the end of the matter.

In stating that Abstract Art died of acute boredom, I meant boredom on the part of both public and artist.The public got bored because these things meant nothing to them, and they only went to see them in the first instance because they made them laugh. After a bit they became a stale joke. The artists' boredom was of a more complicated order. I will endeavor to explain it.

The public reaction, or lack of reaction, counted for something. But economic considerations, or ridicule, have never stopped any man from pursuing a line of research which he felt would lead somewhere. Artists are just as susceptible to the appeal of novelty as the rest of men. Picasso jumps about so much because he gets bored very quickly. While the idea of a visual music was still a novelty, everything went swimmingly. But it turned out that the visual world could not be reduced to those terms, simply because it is there in front of us all the time, and is so much more interesting than the "abstract" volumes of our visual-musical world could ever be.

Picasso and his cubists recognized this by never departing from nature: they would distort and interpret it in the most violent manner, but all that they did started as a plate of apples upon their table, or as somebonhomme they had studied at first-hand (probably holding a guitar, or dressed as a harlequin). What they did was merely a very witty, geometric commentary upon an assemblage of objects, or a scene beneath their eyes. That of course was why in 1920 I attacked them as nature-mortists. I could not see why one should depart so far from nature if one did not depart altogether. And still, in a sense, I do not see why. When one has purged natural forms entirely of their organic or natural reference, and made abstract counters of them, they are in themselves very empty and dull. Their relations to each other may be interesting, in the abstract. But, visually, the whole set-up remains vacant and impoverished. For you have to empty a form so much in order to drain it of all natural reference.

If to escape from this, you blotch and pockmark your surfaces, as nature does, the result, like badly faked old furniture, has a bogus look. But the main difficulty is that it is as if you were living by yourself upon a small island, all the few trees, rocks and fauna of which you knew by heart. You can get terribly sick of the same old hypostasized tree, or the same little platonic brook.

Then with the purist abstractionist, nature is always lying in wait for him. In certain relations his synthetic shapes look like houses, in other relations they look like people, or like clouds. There is nothing in nature in the least like a Bach fugue. But the human eye has a different subject matter and a different function from that of the human ear. Without mixing nature in (as most of us ended by doing) your visual music is dull and monotonous. The "abstractist" comes to long for a big juicy trompe l'oeil, just as prohibition drove men to the bottle.

Abstract art had to be attempted; it had its bootleggers, too, namely the dealers. But as was suggested by the present writer in "The Caliph's Design," it is a (fantastic) branch of architecture, rather than anything else. Architecture having recovered and become reinvigorated, there is no further excuse for it.

 Now before you write in, let's make sure you have something to write about.......

I devour abstract art, some call me foolish, some wear the same silly befuddled look as I do when they see it. But do not take us for fools.

Don't think a splash of colour and a few lines will pass muster to us.

Abstract art is a living, breathing piece of work but do it properly or do NOT do it at all.

What do you think??

You know where to write, let us know.

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Now without a hint of disagreement in the air, it is one of those times when we should all stand up and applaud.

The BBC in association with the Public Catalogue Foundation are putting in the region of 200,000 oil based paintings online for public viewing.

This is not a time for politics, this is a celebration of access for all to some of the finest paintings of the genre.

I salute you!

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Chinese Artist and all round good egg (sorry sunflower seed)

Ai Weiwei has been released.

It is with a joyous heart that I heard this news.

His stance against the opression of his home country is something that should be noted and we ourselves campaigned for his release in our sister magazine L'Artiste.

You know there is a 'but' coming don't you?????

BUT

I had to smile

How very western to be arrested for 'Tax Evasion'

And the best part...........

The brutal and unjust ruling party have shown the full draconian measures at their disposal by

BANNING HIM FROM TWEETING

Need I say more?

And as a footnote, I would like to say I am glad he is in the public eye again so that we can get back to talking about him the way we should be.....

His art 

And why I think it is rubbish!

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 And finally today, please have a look at the new Arts and Culture Magazine that we have produced.

Derain, Combas, Warhol, The Cult of Celebrity and so much more.

To receive a years supply delivered free of charge to your door with a promotion of 25% off

please click HERE

SUPPORT THE ARTS

And so we come to the end my friends,

Until next time, remember

ART IS EVERYWHERE

Ciao

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London to Pézenas in 8 days.........

So what's been happening in your world for the last couple of weeks?

No, I'm serious, tell me!

Do we talk enough or is life about emails and texts and Facebook?

The weather is beautiful, the cobwebs have surely been brushed away and all is right with the world.

Go to an exhibition, meet in a Café and discuss the world.....I know it is old fashioned but it is fun, really.

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What have we been up to at L.A.?

Well let's see.........

I placed a bid or two on a a chinese painting but as it went for $65 million we dropped out at $150.

But seriously, China is now the most profitable art market in the world with over 33% of all sales going to China.

Is this a recession scenario?

Probably not, the super rich are growing so is it something else?

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I had one of those pre-mentioned meetings with a friend (and artist) the other day and he said that "older artists are going to make a comeback". He continued to state they had not been away, they just got bypassed by the 'bright young things' that galleries and the press seemed to fawn over for a while.

And further confirmation arrived with a meet with DAVID ABSE.

David lives in Les Matelles with his family and also has a wonderful space which is his studio (room to share if interested) and a small bijou gallery space attached.

One interesting man is David.

Approachable, knowledgeable, interesting and also a fine artist.

David has recently exhibited in New York, Gignac and on the roadside of Pic St Loup(?)

He tells a wondeful story of being in New York and hitting the road to visit galleries to show his work.

The response was a little lacklustre and he came to the conclusion (as have we in many cases, see previous blogs) that he should have hired a 'cool, hip, New Yorker' to enter the galleries.

We have a Bio of David HERE and a full interview in L'Artiste.

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Whilst in London I had a meet re "STATIONS", a wondeful idea and set of monoprints from Peter Maher.

Successful meeting it was (although I was in front of the wrong person initially, hey, happens to us all) but more on that in other pages from next week.

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Went to the Tracey Emin expo at the Hayward Gallery in London.

There is a notion that the up and coming 'bright young things' of British Modern Art are moving away from the 'shock and awe' tactics of the last YBA's so it seemed appropiate to see one of the 'originals' in her first retrospective.

Emin is not to everyones taste.

Her autobiographical slant on art and her 'discussion' of her life, loves(!) and seeming obsession with genitalia can put off a number of people.

But let me tell you something........the woman has intellect, a brain and dare I whisper these words....she is growing up.

Review on this exhibition HERE

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Today was a good day, a local artist has allowed L.A. to do some targeted marketing utilising the web and web 2.0 (you know, I go on about it enough, Facebook et al).

Anyway, a Hong Kong based businessman has just paid a deposit to buy an original work fom the artist.

Now I keep telling you, get out there, use the tools available......it works.

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Now closer to home.

Some of the exhibitions on now or coming in June prove the diverication and standard that makes the Herault so good.....so get out of your house, garden or boat and support the Arts in YOUR region.

We are lucky people, don't miss it!

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Can we just say a quick hello to a couple of people.

Robin at Wow.

He continues to promote Whats On in the region magnificently and for an overview of news and things to do is rapidly becoming the only place to get your info from. L.A. Supports WOW.

Secondly, the one and only Henri Cartayrade, one of the unsung heroes of information distribution in the region.

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Just to finish, I was in Clermont L'Herault a while back and saw this on a wall......

Art is everywhere........open your eyes.

Websites

I missed you!

We are back and hopefully better than ever.

Thank you to those that wrote or called to see how we were and to all of you who have supported the site since inception.

It is down to you that we took the time to rebuild and (hopefully) improve the site and tie it in to the new magazine coming out next month.

Thanks to Liv for inspiration! 

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Magazine

Exciting times for L.A. and we are publishing an English / French magazine on Arts and Culture.

News, inteviews, opinion, editorials and so much more.

Keep watching this space

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I'ts that time of year again.......

Tate and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art today announced the four artists who have been shortlisted for The Turner Prize 2011. The artists are (in alphabetical order)

Karla Black, Martin Boyce, Hilary Lloyd and George Shaw

Much much more on this later.................but the good news is that the prize will be awarded at the Baltic in Gateshead.........brilliant decision.

www.balticmill.com

Press release: 5 May 2011

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(Whine) Art

Those that read this blog often know my feelings on artists that exhibit in Caves or shops.......I don't like them AT ALL and yes it does make me grumpy.

I like wine and I like art and the two will only ever mix at vernisages or as we admire the work in your, my or someone elses home.

But twice now I have had to (grudgingly) nod a 'well done'.

First up was Marc Deotte last year and this time was last week at 

"Au fil du vin"

in Clermont L'herault.

I'm not going to tell you about it, it deserves better.

Go next door to the Post Office and look at the Photographic Images.

Worth the trip.

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Websites

Hello one and all.

How are we today? I'm not in the best of moods and do you know why?

I'll tell you...........

What is it with Galleries in France?

Ok, let me rephrase that with a question.

How do you tell the difference between a Musée and a gallery in France?

Let me give you two answers and focus on the second one.

A Musée is funded by the town, city or region and you often pay to go in.

Galleries are privately owned and normally free!

But there is a second giveaway to tell if it is a Musée.......... in 70% of cases the website is either non-existent or quite frankly not worth the time to look at.

Now France is pretty good for making things difficult in many areas (although it is improving) but I thought culture and the arts were high on the agenda over here?

One of the best museums for modern art in the region if not the country is on our doostep in Serignan (Beziers) and it is testamont to the people and vision of the region that we have it but go on, I dare you....look up the website and be impressed. It's not a bad website like others, it hasn't got one!

Ok, so I am being sarcastic. But seriously, I only highlight this one because it is a must see space and continually pushes boundaries and so with all that passion why oh why can't they show it off with an online presence.

There are, as always, exceptions but even a lot of these let themselves down with difficult navigation.

At a time where I believe that art and culture is needed even more as life appears to close in on many, please improve the way we communicate.

I am personally writing to every Musée in the region highlighting their online NON presence!

More on this subject on our next Podcast!

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I want a book to read

How many of you have purchased books electonically online?

From Amazon, ebay, google books, apple bookstore or websites for the bookstores?

How many of you know what a 'Kindle' is? Or a 'book reader' or a 'tablet'  (see ipad or the best one out there now, the 'Acer Iconia').

Whatever your age demographic I think you will be surprised if you ask around.

So is there hope for bookstores? Scrub that, is there any need for book stores?

Amazon alone sold 22 million electronic books for their Kindle last year. They passed the cut point where they sold more e-books than paperbacks recently.

“Since the beginning of the year, for every 100 paperback books Amazon has sold, the Company has sold 115 Kindle books. Additionally, during this same time period the Company has sold three times as many Kindle books as hardcover books.” CEO Jeff Bazos

Waterstones recently culled 100's of stores after being partly responsible for putting independent bookshops out of business.

Is this the death of the bookshop?

Who cares? 

I do!

I love books. I love buying them, holding them (sometimes) lending them.

I buy more books at the airport than in a bookshop I admit but even WH Smith at Gatwick still has a seperate location for it's books as well as having a good range in amongst the papers and confectionary.

JK Rowling inspired children to put away the gaming console and a whole generation picked up a book and read again.

But will that save the book from the march of electronics?

Fact.

Amazon is targeted to the 'connected' consumer. You search online, buy online and use electronics so their figures (which are amazing) are obtained from one market. Also, the Kindle is the best selling product from Amazon and is exclusive so why wouldn't they have great figures?

Fact

Until VERY recently, bookshops had lost their mystique. Do you remember when you went to a bookshop and everyone was different. There was an aura of knowledge and an understanding that you were in a wonderful place of learning and fun and entertainment.

Then it became corporate, all stores were identical and you ended up buying your holiday romance at Tesco's.

Well I have hope!

The individualism of bookshops is coming back. Even Waterstones have seen the light.

The success of the e-book has started a response to traditional books. 

I do read e-books but never will I not buy a dead wood product.

Books have an ability to start discussions. Do you ask what book someone is reading on a pc or Mac?

Oh, and the book I just bought?

Scepticism Inc by Bo Fowler.

Theology in a mad world

It is out of print and yes I got it from Amazon....

The paperback.

Buy it, you'll love it!

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Look at these images........

Are you offended?

Enraged?

I admit that I could have shown you more graphic images but these images by Paul Brainard and Sarah Kurz were included in an exhibition in New Yorks Allegria LaViola Gallery entitled "Pornucopia".

The exhibition was to examine excess and pornography in artwork.

All very well but it reminds me of a conversation I had recently about where erotica fits into art.

Where and how do we draw the line in what is acceptable and what is not to display for the publics perusal?

I won't go into the ins and outs (is that appropriate) here but just to say that common sense is a wonderful thing.

It has been reported that this exhibition was visited by the police on 3 occasions due to the pornographic nature of the exhibition.

I'm sorry. Have I missed something?

DON'T go in.

I believe the description of the exhibition pretty well summed up the works on display.

Do these people have nothing better to do?

Even the Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier (without it's own website see above) often advises about the content on the second level of it's gallery.

Are you offended easily? Better be careful then haven't you.

Or don't go in.

Do we have the right to censor art?

I think not.

I don't approve of incitement to hate, or x rated pornography but again.....

.......common sense is a wonderful thing isn't it?

You tell me. mail@lheraultart.com

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Guess what?

As of today you can no longer see the Sunflower seeds at the Tate Modern.

Ai Weiwei's Turbine Hall exhibition which you could then couldn't walk upon has (finally) come to a close.

I love, yes, love the Tate in all it's forms but substance over politics over celebrity is getting a little bit stupid. Yes I admire his human rights stance but as an exhibition?

Hmm!

Is the Turbine Hall a step too far for some artists?

Maybe, but at least you can buy a sunflower seed - 100kg for up to £120,000

And what's next I hear you ask...........

Tacita Dean

Now that could be better but what really excites me is 2012.

TINO SEHGAL

Until next time mes amis,

Art? Show me the money!!

Hello all, and welcome to "Le Blog"

Here's Gatsby

Did you miss me?? Oh come on, someone say yes........please.

Exciting news in La La land as we prepare for the grand launch of the magazine........that's all you get for now but keep watching this space.  

A new podcast goes out on Tuesday and thank you all for listening, I promise that as this grows there will be less of my voice....... as requested you meanies. But on a serious note, the take up on it has been much much more than was expected so a big thank you to all. If you have missed it, listen HERE

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Photography Competition

Don't forget the LA Consortium Culturel Photography competition.

Great interest in this and it closes MARCH 06, 2011 so enter NOW!!

ENGLISH   FRANCAIS

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Exhibitions

Living in the South of France there are always exhibitions to go to. And for that I thank all of you for having the courage to show and share your work.

And as the weather changes (and the mindset) more and more invites come into our laps.

But are we missing something?

Is there more that we can / could do to promote our work?

Are we all getting a bit stuck in a rut with our own promotion?

Come on, it is a cynical world out there and you have to grab it by the proverbial horns and shake it people.

For all you conservatives (with a small c), what are you frightened of? 

Think outside of the box, spice it up....... we are artists so historically we are the thinkers and creators and visionaries in this world, the romantics, the dreamers, philosophers and lovers!

Some say art is the precursor to social and cultural trends so...........

Break through the norm and push the boundaries.

Or have we forgotten what we do or is it just that life has overtaken our abiity to lead or has notoriety, fame and the dollar become the driving force?

Below is a letter that we received from an artist who we won't give the surname of yet (but he will be on the site and in the magazine) and his musings on the subject of where his art is at the moment.

Do you agree?

Disagree?

Tell us: mail@lheraultart.com

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Ah the ways of Art.

I have been invited to bring you a different view of Art on this website.

My name is Tom and I am an artist.

I paint, in oil and have been categorised by people who purportedly know what art is and where I fit into it.

Well that is good, they look at my work, don't speak to me or contact me and suddenly "know" all about me.

I have been an artist for 34 years, I have had exhibitions, been in publications and given workshops and you know, it appears more and more to be irrelevant what anyone thinks about my art, it is all down to marketing.

Take celebrity.

Gormless Gormley, has he produced anything apart from his ego recently?

Does he now just produce work in order to give interviews so he can hear his own voice?

Am I the only one who believes that the pretentious tosh that is presented as instalation art at the Turbine Hall, Tate Modern is little more than a whim to fill column inches?

Warhol, has anyone looked at how and why his latest "rare" piece comes to auction every 90 days?

Matisse was a genius but is no longer an artist, he is a corporation. I call him McMat as the suited idiots that promote him market him in much the same way as Mcdonalds do.

I have seen the future.

The London Olympics 2012 sponsored by The Matisse Corporation, Coca Cola, Tracy Emin Talk show productions. Commentary by my voice Antony Gormley.

Where has art gone. Even local artists here in London talk first about how much they can charge and then where to show it to get an "A" list audience and newspaper columns.

Galleries in major cities are pretentious money laundering bastions of faux elitism and often take more time in promotion of the gallery than the art on display.

I am not a pessimist, really I am not.

I do okay, I paint, I exhibit and I sell enough to make a living and I am happy.

I now spend a lot of time looking for artists who do what they do for their own sake.

Art is filled and fuelled by ego. It is a default status that should be embraced.

But we are losing the start points.

Draw, paint, sculp, create from love, from passion, need, emotions.

Then admire your work yourself. My loft is full of works I don't rate or haven't finished or just moved on from.

But I keep them all.

They are me.

I am writing this because I spoke to L.A. and looking at the site and talking it appears (I hope I am right) that predominantly the people covered and seen look like the art comes first and the sales and ego comes second.

Art is one of the few mediums left in this high octane society we live in that is both able to show a personal side and yet offer contradictions in general discussion.

Stop looking to be "ccol" or "happening" or "in fashion" and remember what it feels like when you first take up your pencil, charcoal,pastels etc.

Remember the excitement....... the trepidation........the hope.....?

That is art in my book.

Disagree with me?

I don't care.

Let's hope L.A. keeps on looking at Art for Arts sake and reminds us what people do as individuals, not societies current trend.

Regards

Tom

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Advertising!

Love it when it comes on? Or hate it?

Flash mobs, Guinness adverts, Virgin tv adverts, Valentino........they are everywhere.

It doesn't really matter whether you see it on television, in newspapers or magazines or on your computer next to Google, Safari or Bing, it is everywhere.

It's budgets are in the billions and it has always taken a lead from art. But as advertising becomes the supreme "revenue stream" (internet advertising etc) the search and inspiration of art becomes more and more obvious.

We will be bringing you the best (and worst) of Art in advertising soon.

To start this discussion how about the image below?

Is this a highly thought provoking piece of advertising or a deeply disturbing commentary on race and status in America today?

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Back to local Art now.......

I have to tell you we have seen an exhibition that we just love.....

Until March 15 if you go to Clermont L'Herault find the post office and pop in next door.

Currently showing  Catherine SEMPRE.

And if you go on a Wednesday, have a look across the road and you may see a group of artists (and occasionally us) having a cup of coffee and saving the world!!

Say hello!!

CLERMONT the HERAULT 2, Roger Aisles Salengro (next post) 
Tuesday February 8 to Tuesday, March 15. 

Hours Tuesday-Saturday: 

from 10h to 13h and 16h to 20h Thursday-Saturday evenings 

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LAstly but not least, please take a look at our latest reviews, in the next 7 days we have the Paul Valery Musee in Sete, the Q and A of Poet of the month Tony Stringfellow, artists review on Robert Combas and a new podcast. www.lheraultart.com

Thank you all for being there, it really is appreciated.

Flash? Me? Oh go on then....

Greetings my Web 2.0 junkies.

How are we today?

"Bell me" used to be a pretentious farewell to arms but now the world is 2.0 active.

Are you on Facebook? Twitter? Bebo? CafeMum? Black Planet? Myspace? Orkut? LinkedIn?

Need I go on?

Did you know that Facebook was recently valued at 50 billion dollars?

Or that 1200+ patents are pending for new Social Networks in the US alone.

So what has this to do with art?

Well for starters, can you imagine how many people you can show your work to? 

Billions.

And advertising companies now spend more than 40% of their budgets on viral marketing through social networks?

But that is another story........what we like is the fun (and business uses) that can come from Web 2.0

In an age when people don't interact as they used to have you noticed the growing number of emails you receive saying "this is fantastic"!

know what I'm talking about yet?

Oh and by the way, WATCH the videos, if they don't move you then check for a pulse!

Read the following from Georgina and let's do it!!!

Paris

It  seems a big thank you  is owed to Bill.... that's  Mr. Wasik to you, senior editor of Harper's magazines.   Since Bill's "Love rug" debut, shopping malls, department stores, parks, metros and public spaces anywhere in the world from Stockholm to Shanghai,  have all become potential meeting places for flash mobs who appear from nowhere and strut their stuff, or burst into unexpected song, or create strange and innovative art, then disperse again like the outer rings of a huge ripple, leaving shoppers and  passersby dazed and possibly slightly glowy.

If  flash mob  is a new term to you and you are picturing groups of people in long Macs loitering around parks ready for some sort of en masse exposé, throw that thought away  now and think of the recent T Mobile advert on TV....  in which the busy  arrivals lounge at Heathrow's Terminal 5 is suddenly transformed into an all singing, all dancing spectacle, both tender and funny, as seemingly random individuals step out of the crowds in bursts of song, so perfect in word and tone that your first reaction is to suspect that the entire scene has been rehearsed,  including the reactions from the new arrivals and their waiting friends and families. But not so.  

Technophobes out there, fretting about a world in which individuals no longer gather or socialise, consider this: Flash mobs,  "swarms", "improveverywhere" and "shopdroppers" (more of this motley crew later) use  telecommunication, social networking or viral emails to organise meets; posting videos of dance moves for participants to learn at home and instructions depending on the type of performance intended via 2.0 applications (you know, YouTube, Facebook, etc.). Then it's just a question of when and where. 

Were you by chance at Victoria Station in 2004 where some 4,000 people danced in silence, plugged into their personal headsets? Or maybe you've  ridden a subway in New York and wondered to yourself why so many of the passengers in your carriage that day were wearing only their underwear from the waist down?  No strange co-incidence, not a one-off, but an organised annual no-pants-on- the-subway flash mob celebration of silliness, which has already got Australians under-dressing before setting off to work; and there are rumours afoot that it may catch on in Paris.

All of this sounds like jolly good fun, as well as a great way to meet new and slightly unstable (thank God, the world needs them) people. But is it art? It is certainly pageantry and performance. As one arts blogger writes there are no sales, no authorial attribution, but there is more often than not artistic intention, which for me is at the root of deciding whether or not we can call something 'art'.

It is a concept that offers artists of all genres a new way of getting art to the public. If you can't get people through gallery doors and into theatres, take it to the people. Not an idea new in itself, street art and theatre has been around for eons, however with  communication technologies available at most of our finger tips in the western world, events can be staged with a fresh dynamism, calling upon the participation of larger numbers of people, without the need of long and arduous planning or relying on everyone making all those pre-event meetings.

And then there are 'shopdroppers' mentioned earlier? Originally an art movement that sprung from the West Coast of America that sought to take over public spaces of stores for artistic and political purposes, but which continues to spread using similar methods as flash mobs. Employees worldwide are currently dealing with the influx of shopdropped items, such as a book shop in Ohio where local poets and playwrights shopdropped their own works,  put price tags on them and left them on the shelves.

"Similar to the way street art stakes a claim to public space for self expression, my shopdropping project subverts commercial space for artistic use in an attempt to disrupt the mundane commercial process with a purely artistic moment." (Ryan Watkins-Hughes, on shopdropping.net, 26 Dec. 2007)

So how about it? All you budding artists, singers, dancers......isn't it about time Herault was hit with a bit of impromptu performance art?  11am then next Saturday......Cafe Des Arts.....I was thinking a tap dance routine...we'll paint the place red....I meant literally! Text all your friends. I'll see you there.

If you are interested in getting involved or would like to organise your own flash mob you can find more details and inspiration on: http://www.flashmob.co.uk/

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Most excellent don't you think!!!

And just to remind you, we'll be bringing you a podcast in 5 days so if you are not reading then please listen in.

Remember, Art isn't just for christmas.........

Ciao ciao