Recently in Art Category
The French have a mania for injecting culture into some of their oldest and most notable architectural environments, with a greater or lesser degree of success. Here in Lyon, for example, one of the largest and best preserved Roman amphitheaters plays host every year to an ambitious season of music, dance and theater. You can sit on the ancient stone seats, with the city and the hills beyond stretching out into the distance, as I did one evening this summer during Leonard Cohen's farewell concert tour. A magical moment.
I last featured the extraordinary Demeure du Chaos—literally Abode of Chaos—over two years ago. Rather than rehash that long post, I encourage you to give it a quick read before proceding, since it provides the background on an artistic call to arms recently launched by Demeure creator and lead artist Thierry Erhmann.
There's something intriguing about a daily, self-imposed task that imposes formal constraints but which is flexible enough that creative exploration is possible. More than possible—the work is actually stimulated by the rigors of the premise. Luc Grateau's paintings of commuters rendered on Paris subway tickets are a perfect example. And closer to home is Stefan G. Bucher's playful series of Daily Monsters, which recently concluded with number 200.
Has there ever been a better time to be a creator of visual content? With the exception, perhaps, of being active in Florence in the days of the Medici. Content creation tools continue to provide unanticipated capabilities (Photoshop Extended, anyone?), there's a solid and growing market for fresh work, while the net places creatives just a few clicks away from potential clients.
The gesture that is what we call the making of art takes many forms. But it can be argued that at the heart of this ancient act, which binds all of us as humans, lies an essential urge to somehow make sense of life, the universe and everything. A complete artistic engagement can take the form of a life devoted to the creation of such work. Or for those who share in the artistic spirit, it can manifest itself amongst the wealthy as a committment to enable artistic creation, in the form of purchases of existing works or the sponsorship of new ones.
