In some circles this made quite a splash. I had done a post about Alma and what research I did caused me to admire and respect her. She's a great artist and to make a big deal out of this is just silly. On the other hand I find it quite repulsive that the pompous Damian Hirst has just presented us with new paintings in the style of Francis Bacon. And what he's done is to prove beyond all doubt that he, all by himself, cannot paint. . . . . Yes, artists do copy other artists.
I just presented the comparison without judgment, the viewers can draw their own conclusions. Alma Thomas was a competent painter and in hindsight it would have probably been better if a different painting had been selected for the White House.
No one is suggesting that artists don't copy other artists, it can be part of the learning process. It's generally better if the 'copies' remain in the background of ones oeuvre.
Damian Hirst is a poor choice for an argument. Along with Koons, he's the art worlds favorite whipping boy when someone wants to make an example. For anyone with a bit of an eye, Hirst's new paintings don't resemble Francis Bacon's at all. Damian Hirst's new paintings are modestly successful but uninspiring. They suffered from an overly pretentious presentation that they weren't up to. That said, I suspect they are better than many paintings seen in the NYC galleries. (That's not all that hard to do either.)
2 comments:
In some circles this made quite a splash. I had done a post about Alma and what research I did caused me to admire and respect her. She's a great artist and to make a big deal out of this is just silly.
On the other hand I find it quite repulsive that the pompous Damian Hirst has just presented us with new paintings in the style of Francis Bacon. And what he's done is to prove beyond all doubt that he, all by himself, cannot paint.
. . . . Yes, artists do copy other artists.
I just presented the comparison without judgment, the viewers can draw their own conclusions. Alma Thomas was a competent painter and in hindsight it would have probably been better if a different painting had been selected for the White House.
No one is suggesting that artists don't copy other artists, it can be part of the learning process. It's generally better if the 'copies' remain in the background of ones oeuvre.
Damian Hirst is a poor choice for an argument. Along with Koons, he's the art worlds favorite whipping boy when someone wants to make an example. For anyone with a bit of an eye, Hirst's new paintings don't resemble Francis Bacon's at all. Damian Hirst's new paintings are modestly successful but uninspiring. They suffered from an overly pretentious presentation that they weren't up to. That said, I suspect they are better than many paintings seen in the NYC galleries. (That's not all that hard to do either.)
December 1, 2009 9:57 PM
Post a Comment