Albright Knox Visit

For this module, we were instructed to visit the Albright Knox Art gallery in Buffalo. The Albright Knox is an incredibly beautiful gallery, and was displaying mainly a large collection of contemporary works from 2002-2012. It was amazing to see how many different mediums and canvases were used to create art, and I truly enjoyed being able to see works that we'd discussed in class, in person. We were given a set of questions to ponder while enjoying and analyzing the amazing works of art. They are as follows: Which artworks make an impact or impression on me and why? During my visit, I found several works of art that made a huge impact/impression on me. However, I also felt a personal connection with some, and have decided to include them in the next section. There were two works of art at the Albright Knox that had an extreme physical and psychological impact on me. Yet, they still left beautiful, impressions in my mind. Both of these works included sets of stairs. One work of art was actually found on the stairs themselves, the Zobop (Stairs), in vinyl tape medium by artist Jim Lambie in 2003:

The other work of art was found on the landing between 2 sets of stairs. The work was untitled, but a computer video installation created in 1993 by Jennifer SteinKamp:

Both of these vivid, colorful artworks affected me physically and psychologically. I could not look down when walking on the Zobop (Stairs) for fear of falling, because in my mind the lines and rectangles flowed together and I could not tell where one step began and the other ended. This work of art still left an impression on me however, because of its vibrant nature and color, the optical illusion it created, and the statement it made. I had a similar experience with the computer video installation, because the image was constantly moving, and it made the floor look something like lava. Even though I could see the floor, this work of art made me feel like I shouldn't walk on top of it, again for fear of falling. In fact, someone saw me hop over the corner of the work in order to get to the normal flooring and laughed :). This work of art left an impression on me because it was amazing to see what computer manipulation and generation could do to an artwork. I liked the psychedelic, trippy nature and tie-dye effect of the piece as well. One last piece that made an impact and impression on me was the 2008, The Quiet of Dissolution, Firestorm, by Sonja Braas. The work is a color print edition in which Sonja Braas photographed natural and man-made disasters and catastrophic landscapes and made a diorama to look like LA engulfed in flames. How the work was created and the message the artists was trying to convey really left a lasting impression on me, as the work was so horrifically beautiful and life-like, I just couldn't take my eyes away.

Which artworks do I feel a connection with and why? I felt a strong connection with the first artwork that I photographed, Toccata and Fugue, by Arman (1962). The work featured sliced violins mounted on wood. I am a musician, and my primary instrument is the violin. I was immediately drawn to this work of art, and it's title made me chuckle. Although my beloved instruments were cut in half, it didn't bother me because the overall effect was awesome and each violin had its own unique wood grain pattern that gave the work texture and beauty.

The second artwork that I felt a connection with was Reed Andersons' acrylic on cut paper, Midnight Peacock Music, created in 2006. The artwork was extremely involved and detailed and had an interesting color scheme. I loved that everywhere you looked in the piece, you could discover something new: an owl, a peacock, a flower, a leaf, a firework. There were so many paintings within a painting and it made me intrigued. The work also had splashes of strategically placed neon color bursts and splatters that made it visually appealing when contrasted with the black and white of the majority of the work. The shape of the work reminded me of Celtic knotwork, and the details, colors, and animals drew me in, I almost felt like it was a representation of myself.

Which artworks would I like to know more about and why? Clare Woods' enamel on aluminum artwork, Failed Back (2004), took my breath away when I walked into the room where it was on display. The work was enormous and interesting and unique. White is contrasted with dark, camouflage colors and a few specks of bright orange and yellow. The artwork itself was gorgeous, but when I read the description underneath the title of the work, my interest and intrigue grew. The description gave a snapshot of how the artist created this work by taking photos with a flashgun and combining them to form the 4 pictures that make up this work of art. The description made me want to learn more about the artist's process, see more of the artist's work, and look into the medium of the work.

The second artwork that left me wanting more was Mark Fox's untitled work with a crazily involved combined medium of ink, watercolor, acrylic, marker, gouache, graphite, pencil, colored pencil, ballpoint pen, and crayon on paper with PVA and piano stool. The shape and use of color were what drew me to the artwork. At first, I thought that it was a bunch of deconstructed cardboard boxes on top of the stool, but I was incorrect. Then, I looked at the description of the work and was amazed by the varying mediums that the artist used. I immediately wanted to know why he did it, how he did it, if he created this just sitting around coloring at night, etc. A million questions flew through my mind as I observed this beautiful, colorful structure, and it left me wanting to learn more.