Altered States

Well, I think I am back to "normal" again. I was talking to my bud FX yesterday because I was so happy to be able to re-fi and get a rate of 4.875 fixed for 30 years ( like I'm gonna live that much longer....hmmmm ) . He interrupted me and said..man Frank, You sure unloaded a lot of Art Angst with that last post!". Ok FX. I am sorry about my self indulgence...but don't you think I got a good rate? I almost bought into the doom and gloom that nobody is able to get a loan these days. Yeah Yeah Yeah...stick to Art Frank.

Which leads me to the " Cup We All Race For"........ like a low interest rate Frank? Well maybe.

This painting was done by John Peto 1854 - 1907 . He actually painted on the side and sold his "ART" at a local drugstore. He was in actuality a Coronet Player. He was discovered in 1947.

But this painting is " precious" to me. What is he trying to say? What does the cup signify? What picture was torn from the surface? Why is he mentioning the word " Race". A race involves competition and Darwinian survival. I like pictures that get me to think. I am a hybrid between a classic art method ( Lukits ) and " Concept is King " (at Art Center ). So I have a broad range of tastes and I at least try to understand what the artist is trying to do before I dismiss it out of hand. I just love the fact that Peto used regular wood planks as the frame and integrated it into the final presentation.






Words painted into a picture has always been around. But the 1900's saw an explosion of Art where the WORD dominated the painted field. Ed Ruscha made a name juxtaposing enigmatic word structures and a background image. Is he talking about taxes? Or the mountain climbing fee?





Of course the surrealists loved to bend nature and challenge the onlooker with altered states. This is a painting by Rene Magritte. Advertising Agencies have regularly used his concepts and art in selling consumer goods.

What strikes me about all 3 paintings is that Peto was producing during a time when technical skill and draughtsmanship were very much valued and he died around the time when the Armory Show would set the Art World Ablaze with new concepts and a "New Man" and a "New Art".