Art Gallery Visit: Responding to Artwork

A.) Which artworks make an impact or impression on me? Why?

B.) Which artworks do I feel a connection with? Why?

C.) Which artworks would I like to know more about? Why?

A.) I was lucky enough to visit the Albright Knox while the exhibit, Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective, was still running. The large sculptures of "Love" throughout the exhibit grabbed my attention immediately. Such a simple word that holds so much power, which Indiana captured through his bold sculptures. One of the gallery workers shared with me that one of the sculptures was made of a stone that was suppose to release a feeling of happiness, and I found that very interesting. Another piece that had a lasting impression on me was the Pumpkin sculpture, by Yayoi Kusama. Being an artist I admired, I loved being able to see her work up close and personal. The porous pumpkin evoked a feeling of discomfort in one sense but also a sense of familiarity. Halloween is a huge celebration in my family, so seeing a giant pumpkin reminded me of autumn and family gatherings. The holes in the pumpkin were unsettling and made me feel like it was rotting or being eaten away, despite its resilient gold finish.


B.) One artwork I felt a connection with was Frank C Moore's, "Niagara" painting on canvas. For me Niagara Falls reminds me of my childhood and my father's side of the family. It's somewhere we would often go to and visit, and the colors captured are vivid and bright. Unfortunately, that feeling of nostalgia was ruined after I read the description and realized that toxic chemical compounds were laid out on the water. This showed the affects of pollutants caused by years of tourists and lack of environmental upkeep. Another piece I felt connected with was George Segal's "Cinema" sculpture. In High School our art club participated in Art Alive and we decided to recreate George Segal's Holocaust Memorial. He was and still is an artist I admire to this day, so being able to see one of his creations in person was amazing.

C.) One artwork I would like to learn more about is the massive blinking installation in the Robert Indiana exhibit that read, "Hug, Eat, Err, Die." It was definitely attention grabbing and caught my eye immediately. It made me feel that life is fairly mundane, despite the bright blinking light the words were portrayed on. What does the "Err" signify?
Another artwork I would like to learn more about is, "Titled(Art As Idea As Idea)" by Joseph Kosuth. The contrast between the bold, dictionary style font printing against the deep, black canvas lured me in. I found in interesting the snippet of Poe's "The Raven", along with other uses of the word "nothing". I would like to learn more on the artists though process for picking certain texts in the artwork, and the deeper meaning behind it.