Maria Lassnig
Born 1919-2014
Austria
Maria Lassnig is a painter who ‘empathetically refuses’ to make pictures and finds other ways to represent her internal feelings of ‘self’. She uses the term Body awareness and her work is more about how her body feels from the inside. Her career spanned over 70 years and during this time many of her works were informed by her own vulnerability and the lack of consistency of her own self image and how she felt she was seen by the world ( a woman, a painter, and a person who has lived through a changing world of technology).
At the age of 94 Maria Lassnig had her first New York show however due to her age she was unable to attend it herself.
‘Transparent Self Portrait’ , 1987
Maria Lassnig
Image
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/10/her
She attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna during World War II when expressionism was banned for being degenerate and only realist painting was sanctioned. She spent time in Paris during the 1950’s and 60’s where she was introduced to Abtract expressionism and realism. Since this time it is noted by the serpentine gallery that she has continually been engaged with successive generations of contemporary artists. This keeps her work vibrant and fresh. Lasnig works from a feminist perspective producing work that is ‘introspective’ that investigate ‘human emotions and bodily sensations’ (Serpentine Galleries, 2008). Lassnig writes that she developed her body awareness technique to go beyond skill, beyond the security of the real and into unchartered territory (Scott, 2014)
As quoted by Andrea Scott in The New Yorker March 1, 2014
‘She uses her imagination and what she calls “body awareness,” a unique approach to Expressionism that she hit on in 1948. Simply described, she paints from the inside out, taking cues from her body’s sensations. If Lassnig doesn’t feel her ears as she’s working, they stay out of the picture. The same goes for her hair. She seems to be aware of seeing and breathing; her faces tend to have eyes, mouths, and noses. The results can suggest an Alice Neel portrait of an extraterrestrial’.
Maria Lassnig
Schlafende/Sleepers, 2009
Oil on canvas
78.74 x 59.06 inches
Image http://www.artnews.org/friedrichpetzel/?exi=26059&Friedrich_Petzel&Maria_Lassnig
References ; http://momaps1.org/exhibitions/view/376
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/10/her
http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/maria-lassnig
http://www.artnews.org/friedrichpetzel/?exi=26059&Friedrich_Petzel&Maria_Lassnig
Li Tianbing
http://ca.blouinartinfo.com/photo-galleries
I really like the integration of the portrait into the landscape using an type of ghosting technique. I wonder how the artist achieved such a thing, but wondering is pointless so I copied the image and put it into my art journal so that I can go back to it later. Is it printed, or is it painted?
Li Tianbing
Self-portrait with Red Umbrella
This I also like, because of the image and the perspective and layering of colour. It is unlikely that I will ever be taught how to do this unless I investigate myself. It reminds me a bit of Charles Billich;s work in Sydney.
Li Tianbing
Me and the Monkey Baby
Charles Billich;
Charles Billich is one of Australia’s best known living artists and his career spans some forty years. Billich describes himself as not conforming to a dogma whether it is ideological, religious or cultural.
He vents his frustrations on the canvas and states that the canvas is thankful and receptive by responding and giving him a creation beyond his expectations. He expresses an emotion and paints what he wants to say. ( http://billich.com/about-charles/charles-billich/)
Elwyn Lynn;
It was suggestedThat I take a look at the work of Elwyn Lynn. Although there were book and articles written by the artist in the UOW library there was not one book talking about his own art. I even enlisted the assitance of a very helpful library assistant, but nope…… no books or articles on his work were to be found. So I found what I could online.
Elwyn Lynn ‘s work is essentially abstract. The work demonstrates a physicality about it and the viscous layers of paint present themselves in a physical form. His work has been compared to that of John Olsen and Fred Williams. I enjoy the work of Elwyn Lyn although I feel that it gives me a sense of oppression and is depressed. I guess this is subjective depending on the viewers mood or mental reception to his work
Reference; 2004 Art Collector, December issue. http://www.artcollector.net.au/ElwynLynnAbstractRenown
JOHN OLSEN
John Olsen was born in Newcastle in 1928. He is recognised as one of Australia’s significant artists. He is inspired by the landscape and the life that is held within them. After early abstracts in the 50’s Olsen turned his work to more of a landscape and figurative style with recognisable forms across many of his works. He painted the Kimberley regions and took on a topographical type aerial perspective to create landscapes with no horizon. His landscapes show sensitivity to the environment. He has won the Wynn prize in 1969 and 1985, the Sulman prize in 1989 and the Archibald in 2005. He has been awarded the order of the British Empire in 1977 and the Order of Australia in 2001 for his services to the arts.
An Internship at Bundanon with Jeanette Riley 