Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

[Stark Evade]

MOCA in L.A. is having an exhibit of works from their permanent collection. The most notable section is a large room devoted to eight Rothko painting. It's an incredible room to be in. Check it out if you have time.

[iFemale]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

Incredible room? I'm an artist and I wouldn't make an effort to check that out. I appreciate art in most of it's forms and enjoy contemporary art such as the ones in that "incredible room" but I'm not about to stand there in awe and wonder how it was structured with different forms of fine bristles. I hate it when big chunks of blobbed squares like that make it to the museums when I've seen much more valuable pieces done by the works of others. Anywho, I hear the Getty Museum is preeetty incredible.

[Stark Evade]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

Incredible room? I'm an artist and I wouldn't make an effort to check that out. I appreciate art in most of it's forms and enjoy contemporary art such as the ones in that "incredible room" but I'm not about to stand there in awe and wonder how it was structured with different forms of fine bristles. I hate it when big chunks of blobbed squares like that make it to the museums when I've seen much more valuable pieces done by the works of others. Anywho, I hear the Getty Museum is preeetty incredible.

Mark Rothko is and deserves to be one of the most important artists in all of art history. Art is not about technique; technique is just a tool to achieve art. People often look at works like this and say "I can do that!" But they're missing the point. They didn't do it. You didn't think of it and probably never would have. And you don't understand why it has a place in the ever-evolving world of art. The idea is the most important aspect. That and the personal touch that bridges a connection between you and the artist. There are lots of paintings out there that are very difficult to paint, real exercises in technique and ability. But they are at the same time artistically vacuous. I'm sure no one would claim that anything difficult to paint is automatically an excellent work of art. And that is because to some degree, whether they realize it or not, people feel that the artistic value of something is almost completely independent from the difficulty of its execution. If I tell you that behind door no. 1 is a painting that is very difficult to replicate and that only 10,000 people could probably do it... and behind door no. 2 there is a painting that can be replicated by 100,000 people... If I were to then ask you which painting has the most artistic value and has made the most impact in the art world, would you honestly be able to answer the question? I don't think so. The difficulty then is to consciously accept what you already feel at some level unconsciously. It doesn't matter that it is simple.

There is of course another thing to consider: the fact that those who say "I can do that" actually probably can't do it. Rothko's painting's have a very unique texture -- texture and color subtelty (of which Rothko is also a master) get lost in photographs -- and though the impact is simple, one wouldn't be able to copy it without being a very practiced painter.

You need to stand next to these paintings to really feel how beautiful, meditative and clever they really are.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

MOCA in L.A. is having an exhibit of works from their permanent collection. The most notable section is a large room devoted to eight Rothko painting. It's an incredible room to be in. Check it out if you have time.

DAMN!!! That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!! Just look at the buff and shine on those wood floors!!!

[Yedtarts]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Looks like a crap, maybe it's just a crap. it smells je_wsy

[Yedtarts]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

DAMN!!! That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!! Just look at the buff and shine on those wood floors!!!

what about the light? I like the lights

[iFemale]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

Mark Rothko is and deserves to be one of the most important artists in all of art history. Art is not about technique; technique is just a tool to achieve art. People often look at works like this and say "I can do that!" But they're missing the point. They didn't do it. You didn't think of it and probably never would have. And you don't understand why it has a place in the ever-evolving world of art. The idea is the most important aspect. That and the personal touch that bridges a connection between you and the artist. There are lots of paintings out there that are very difficult to paint, real exercises in technique and ability. But they are at the same time artistically vacuous. I'm sure no one would claim that anything difficult to paint is automatically an excellent work of art. And that is because to some degree, whether they realize it or not, people feel that the artistic value of something is almost completely independent from the difficulty of its execution. If I tell you that behind door no. 1 is a painting that is very difficult to replicate and that only 10,000 people could probably do it... and behind door no. 2 there is a painting that can be replicated by 100,000 people... If I were to then ask you which painting has the most artistic value and has made the most impact in the art world, would you honestly be able to answer the question? I don't think so. The difficulty then is to consciously accept what you already feel at some level unconsciously. It doesn't matter that it is simple.

There is of course another thing to consider: the fact that those who say "I can do that" actually probably can't do it. Rothko's painting's have a very unique texture -- texture and color subtelty (of which Rothko is also a master) get lost in photographs -- and though the impact is simple, one wouldn't be able to copy it without being a very practiced painter.

You need to stand next to these paintings to really feel how beautiful, meditative and clever they really are.

Hey....I can do that!

DAMN!!! That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!! Just look at the buff and shine on those wood floors!!!

I did that.

[Stark Evade]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

I assume then that you exceptionally clever people don't like Arshile Gorky's work either.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

I assume then that you exceptionally clever people don't like Arshile Gorky's work either.

Being exceptionally clever, I will merely assume that the Gorky works that the Art establishment like most will not be the Gorky works that people here might like. Nobody gave a f** about his figurative works when he was alive (or for the first 30 dacades after his death). It was only when people started to write about his life that they became popular - mostly because it is hard to gleam (or, more often, invent) any powerful meanings from his abstract paintings.

[Stark Evade]

Re: Exhibition at MOCA in L.A.

Meanings? Meanings are not so important when interpretting art.

Here's a good example... I just made the attached. It has lots of meaning - how I want to be with my grandfather and I'm wearing his clothes to be close to him but really it's useless and he's still dead. And it's crap art. Meaning is great as a source of inspiration for the artist but neither that nor technique is responsible for carrying the esssence of its art.