Friday, September 23, 2011

Glenn Ligon - PK

The Interview Magazine

I appreciate it when we get a chance to actually hear from the artist himself, and this was a great example of that. Glenn Ligon seems like a man who has gone through a lot, being an African American, a homosexual, living in New York with siblings and mom, but he still has that positive tone in his words, he doesn’t seem to dwell on the negative, but instead he takes it and puts it into his work. He fuels his artistic drive through his experiences.

The New York Times

This piece recaps much of what was said in the Interview Magazine, but the quote that stood out to me is from Holland Cotter: “Mr. Ligon’s drawn words have their own mystery. Seen through a haze of charcoal or in raking gallery light, they’re hard to read, but their ideas are big.” After looking at a few of Ligon’s pieces I agree. They are extremely hard to read, they blend into one another, but the message is there and it is strong. And it’s really impressive to read that the president chose one of his pieces to put in the White House, that’s truly monumental for an artist. It shows that his work is being appreciated for what it is and it’s taken seriously not just by other artists but by he general audience as well, whomever they might be.

ARTINFO

This last reading is more aggressive and condescending in the way it describes Glenn Ligon and his work. The writer is more straight forward in his descriptions, whereas the New York Times has to be neutral, as to not upset their loyal readers. It’s interesting to read this; it actually says what I was thinking, when it discusses the theme of Ligon’s work, identity, and not being able to pin down the exact meaning.

The piece I chose is by Glenn Ligon as well. What I find interesting is that Black And Die is illuminated, while Black And Live is not. I’m not sure what to think about it and how to interpret it. It seems sort of controversial, at least to me, but I understand that these are the thought provoking pieces he is famous for.

2 comments:

  1. Paulina, I appreciate your comments on how good it is to actually hear from the artists themselves, especially since the final article, as you mentioned, is very blasé and (even though I hate using this term) "politically correct" in nature. I think that the general public is far too consumed in the comments and critiques of art experts, historians, and critics. Perhaps this is why the ideas behind a piece seem so unattainable to the average person -- it takes a whole career of work and study to properly understand pieces. But when you hear what the artist him/herself has to say, it takes away the middle man, so to speak, and we are left with clear and meaningful communication.

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  2. I agree with you! We're so used to having others tell us our opinions (usually media) and hearing from the author just clears that up! Unless the media edits what the author says, then we're back at square one!

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