Hello, dear readers and subscribers. I really enjoyed writing and researching this one, hence the longer video. What are your thoughts and/or concerns about this current trend in abstract art? As always, I am looking forward to reading your comments. Furthermore, please find all the links mentioned throughout this video below: - Discover Squarespace: squarespace.syuh.net/75a56A - Promo code (10% off): CONTEMPORARY10 - Complete tutorial by CAI: ua-cam.com/video/2MfKKDw_WAA/v-deo.htmlsi=jxTJcnWvuzaEdty3 - Consult the complete article here: www.contemporaryartissue.com/11-artists-revisiting-the-gradient-in-contemporary-art/ Thank you for tuning in and chat soon! All my best, Julien & Perrier
Nature has the best gradients, check the sky at anytime. Like the matrix it is everywhere 🌈. Great subject, even your furry friend found it interesting . ❤
They are derived from the official artist biographies from their galleries, and sometimes they are indeed rather complicated. Seeing the art on mute is also very enjoyable, if not more. Thank you for watching
Nice video! I love the work of Ann Verónica Janssens and James Turrell. I also like Pieter Vermeersch work. And I discovered a few new names thanks to this video. (I was waiting for Stefan Peeters and I thought you forgot him but you mentioned him at the end 😊)
So good. Thank you. My favorite is Lee Ufan. Wow, and I got to see his work up close in Naoshima Island last year where there is an entire museum dedicated to his work. Such depth and simplicity. The shapes and the white spaces are so important in his work. James Turrell is always an inspiration for me. I was blown away by seeing his installation at Mass Moca in North Adams, MA USA this summer.
A "mistake" in your reply raises an issue I'd love for you to address. You wrote, "Sounds like a terrific show." I wasn't sure if you were referring to Lee Ufan at Naoshima Island, Japan or James Turrell at Mass Moca in North Adams, MA USA. But in both cases the installations were permanent (though we could have a philosophical debate about whether the concept of permanence is real or imagined), they were not part of "shows." I am so conflicted about permanent installations. I like the idea of site specific installations, especially in regard to sculpture. The Storm King Art Center in the Hudson Valley in New York is so inspiring to me. Large sculptures find a home in the landscape (e.g. Mark di Suvero) at a place dedicated to the role that art can play in uplifting us. Storm King has a very small exhibit space for temporary "shows." Now cross the Hudson River and visit Dia Beacon, a contemporary art museum dedicated to the concept of permanent installations. About 5 years ago they added one space for rotating exhibitions. I think they have since added more because of public pressure. The permanent installations express a deep commitment and bold confidence in the vision of the museum. But with limited space and money it gives outsize representation to white men coming of age in the second half of the 20th Century. I think some of the installations will lose relevance over time. For example, Richard Serra's massive piece "2000." When I first saw it 10 years ago I loved it; it moved me. But the world has changed, I saw it in 2021 when things were just starting to open up again and I found it intrusive and overbearing. Will it truly be there forever? Should it be? Have the curators made a big mistake?
@@shaigluskin1225 I too have issues with Richard Serra's brand of machismo and bravado but I disagree that, because "the world has changed," Serra's Dia installation should be removed, if that's what you're suggesting. The world has changed since Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel so should this be painted over to represent a more pluralistic world? Should we also blow up James Turrell's crater because he's a white male? Americans are fickle. For the cognoscenti, Serra is old-hat at this point but much of America has no clue who Richard Serra is, nor Pollock, nor Rothko, nor any of the white men in 20th century art. To disregard their work because they're white has nothing to do with the content of the work. Are the beautiful paintings of Joan Mitchell more relevant than DeKooning because she's a white woman? It's obscene to think that political correctness has infiltrated art to the extent that it has. Yes, I too prefer a lighter, less forceful kind of art than Richard Serra, such as Ad Reinhardt and Agnes Martin, but the hard hitting force of Richard Serra is undeniable and singular. He deserves to be in the pantheon of art history and I certainly don't question the Dia's commitment to his work. Besides, at the Dia, simply walk upstairs to see Louise Bourgeois's remarkable installation. Should Dia remove this too? You did say, the world has moved on, or should she stay simply because she's a woman? I can't believe the art world has devolved into this.
I love your videos they help so much! I am a sound artist and I would love to see videos about non sight space art! How to format an artist portfolio outside of the painting sculpture realm... It would be great!
Very good idea. Sounds very niche, as there are only very few sound artists today, but it could be an interesting topic. I have written it down on my to-do list!
Hello, sweet doggy! ❤ this is an interesting video. Gradation seems to still be delimited by sharp edges, in many of these pieces. Does contemporary art still have to be edgy?
‘Exploration of light and color…reflection, refraction…’ In the first ten here… most have a meaning to what they are doing while often adopting unique materials as well. It isn’t like suddenly coming across a spray booth and finding it just cool. Please correct me if I am wrong… overall their approaches simply used what turns out to be gradient hue application to work in their interested space as an artist. And people must like it… and collect it? Gradients, as you show, are in so many things… abstract versions as early indigenous weaving and beadwork exist as well… often to communicate nature and deeper, spiritual fractal worlds…not seen by everyone. ‘Psychedelic’ artworks carry gradients as well… due to the accessing other levels of consciousness… and whatever else😜 In the end, for works to stand in quality, growing, contemporary Art… it is evident from this… that there is more involved than just a spray paint can and enthusiasm. Thank you. Pieter Vermeersch, Shen Chen, and Lee Ufan I appreciate overall. Much appreciation to you and Perrier for your commitment to great communication and presentation.Great to see you. Take good care. Sincerely, Janet
Dear Janet, It's great to hear from you again. You are absolutely right. Also, great selection with Vermeersch, Chen & Ufan. And I appreciate at least as much for your ongoing support and dedication to the CAI channel. Greetings from Belgium 👋🐶
Some artists do use it as a gimmick, which is the luring threat I discuss at 17:33 and onwards, but others do really interesting things with it using it in a timeless manner. Thank you for tuning in
@@contemporaryartissue Color gradient "art" is extremely favored by and important to interior decorators because it can be neutral, in harmony with the color of the year, and produced to fit very specific size and color requirements. While this may not qualify all color gradient art to fit in the Louvre, it should not be denigrated solely because it is used fill this vital consumer niche.
Berkowitz definitely! Peter Alexander possibly, indeed. Spalletti predominantly used hard edges, so I'm not so sure. When it comes to Rothko, the color transitions had no hard edges and monochromes, nor did they have true gradients. Thank you for your contribution!
Color field painting predominantly refers to the historical era of color fields in abstract expressionism (e.g., Rothko are color fields, Pollock is more expressive) in the 40s and 50s followed by post-painterly abstraction and minimalism. The gradient was explored only occasionally throughout these movements as a motif-and, therefore, not as a movement or sub-movement. Today, the gradient remains a motif. Thank you for tuning in!
Can some please explain in layman terms how color gradient can investigate the dynamics of human agency and self deterniancy within built and virtual spaces
If the gradient is the subject then, yes, it's difficult to, "investigate the dynamics of human agency and self determinacy." If the gradient is used as tool for the subject, then the possibilities are endless. As mentioned, Loie Hollowell doesn't use the gradient as a conventional tool for spiritual calm and enlightenment. She uses the gradient as a tool for investigating female autonomy and sexuality. Hollowell's work is a force and is especially prescient in post-Trump America, where female bodies are increasingly becoming owned by the state.
Though not a "trend," but as a serious investigation, one of my favorite monochrome painters is the Italian painter, Joseph Marioni. Check his work out.
у нас сейчас выставка "передвижников" в новой Третьяковке ( новее, чем пресловутая на Крымском валу), там одна картина, которую я видела впервые, стою у нее по пол часа, Эмилия Шанкс " Новенькая в школе" , это фигуративная картина,. Там диалог белого мела и чернильницы; чёрной кляксы на стене с голубыми обоями и белым узором( справа скраю),; двух ушей девочек для одной другой девочки , стоящей рядом 👂👂👧... Интересно Ваше мнение об этой картине. 🤗
@contemporaryartissue выставка проходит до 6 апреля . Welcome 🤗. (на самом деле, всем любителям искусства и профессиональным любителям особенно я бы очень советовала🤗 обязательно посетить Третьяковскую галерею на Крымском валу ( это улица такая),
Should art follow trends? It’s a dirty word. Maybe “movement” is less gross 🤢 (or tendency, pattern, style, school…) “Trend” insinuates fashion, commerciality , superficiality. Unfortunately that’s how many artists and galleries think these days. Its all about the money…
Does art follow trends, or are trends the development of art? Trends occur organically by different artists working from different locations. Only later do they start to interact consciously-which happens a bit quicker these days due to Instagram I guess. But the word has indeed a negative connotation, which does not make any sense as trends/movements/schools have always been part of art. Concerning the money issue, from my experience, the people who care about art will make the most money in the art world.
The gradient is often just a side-effect of depth, contour, shape, light and shade, using several colours in one brushstroke… And can we talk about the massive male/female imbalance of the list of contemporary artists at the end? Seriously? Aren’t we past all that? Evidently not 😢
Concerning the imbalance here, abstraction was very male-dominant throughout the 20th century. Today, fortunately we are indeed passed all that. But some disciplines or subniches seem to be dominated by a particular sex. Painting in the 20th century was predominantly male, and performance and textile art is dominated by female artists. Today, I feel there is no longer such a clear distinction, although that heritage and cultural differences continue to play a role.
To focus on a supposed " massive male/female imbalance" is to disregard the enterprise each of these artists have dedicated their lives to. Imbalance may in part be due to the lack of access, the lack of resources, of will, of familial, religious, cultural, and economic pressures. Throughout art history there's been a severe imbalance of women represented, so do you then discount Vermeer and Velasquez? No. We change the political and economic structures so that women have equal parity to opportunity. Don't confuse opportunity with criticality and quality, however. You can insist that the art of Lee Krasner is equal to that of her husband, Willem DeKooning, but you'd be wrong. Conversely, you can say that work of Agnes Martin is superior to the work of Al Held and that Bridget Riley's work is superior to Victor Vasarely. In the end, quality of thought and practice matter, regardless of gender or status of the artist. In 2024, I see no shortage of great and successful female artists. What I don't see are many female artists using the gradient as a motif. Why should they? Sometimes the gradient is the subject. Sometime the gradient is a tool. Why should women be equally represented on this list if the gradient isn't what they're interested in or if the work isn't of the highest caliber? The gradient as a motif is safe and conventional at this point. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Much of art today that's celebrated, made by both men and women, straight and gay, black and white, is drivel anyway, and won't stand the test of time. It's noble to fight against prejudice but policing the art world to have equal representation is a recipe for mediocrity which is, sadly, exactly what the art world has become. Check out The New York Times article on the matter. "Young Artists Rode a $712 Million Boom. Then Came the Bust."
There are definitely some who work in this way to "hack the art market" but in time, the practice collapses. And it becomes obvious to the market. Eventually works drop in prices and sale frequency.
@@contemporaryartissue I do too, the point is - therewill be a new trend like this every year as those paintings are utilizing the primary market buyers, not caring about drop that comes later. My main problem is when the normies start concidering this as "art" without realyzing that even the art world cringes from those things a couple of years later
@taoszen True, but what a shameful practice. Whats worse, somehow paintrrs like me are concidered to be in the same camp as them when talking about art to normies
@@alpotap ahhh i get you. There's a Subjective to Objective Evolution of how the status of art is conferred upon an object or event, due to weight of influence and mass acceptance. So the fringes of the artworld and artworld public will be more accepting. And they will and in some sense must continue to buy couch matching paintings. For the reasons that 1. Thats what they want anyway. 2. They can seldom afford works from artists pushing forward or against common c culture or capital C culture.
I don't mean anything bad by this, but your descriptions sometimes get a bit comical like an SNL skit. Lol. Regardless, I consume the content. Thanks for the entertainment.
They are derived from the official artist biographies from their galleries, and sometimes they are indeed rather complicated. Seeing the art on mute is also very enjoyable, if not more. Thank you for watching
Some of these artists you could call op-artists. I am somewhat unconvinced. Some of James Turrell's work with light looks almost identical to Wang Guangle's ink/paint works. I accept the real world experience will be different but it illustrates the artistic straitjacket in which these artists work. I do find many of them calming but in many ways dull and polite. You mentioned Brian Eno and I assumed he was the same Brian Eno as the musician who seems to specialise in ambient music. Figures, these are ambient paintings. I was reading somewhere pink prison cells can calm a violent prisoner down but after 20 minutes it will start sending the prisoner nuts. I feel the apocryphal prisoner's pain. That said, my preferences are for punk-ish expressionist imagery and the work of some conceptual artists but by no means all. I suppose I am probably the wrong audience for these artists. Not all the jig-saw pieces fit as the saying goes but a very interesting video which has increased my awareness of what is going on..
Hi Keith, thank you for tuning in. Some could indeed be called Op-Artists, although hard edges are the more dominant color transition in Op Art as well. There is a clear connection between Turrell and Guangle. The first consists of light, the other of paint. However, I'm afraid I must to disagree with the straitjacket you refer to. For the purpose of this video, I have focused on their gradients only, but their practice is more versatile than this video shows, so feel free to have a closer look at these two artists. Happy to hear you think the video is interesting and has given you a new perspective on what's happening today in the art world despite the color gradient not being your cup of tea. So thank you for watching, as always, and for sharing your thoughts! All my best, Julien
@@contemporaryartissue Always a pleasure and we all have our opinions and it would be a boring world if we didn't but you have given me food for thought so thank you. Keith
Hello, dear readers and subscribers. I really enjoyed writing and researching this one, hence the longer video. What are your thoughts and/or concerns about this current trend in abstract art? As always, I am looking forward to reading your comments.
Furthermore, please find all the links mentioned throughout this video below:
- Discover Squarespace: squarespace.syuh.net/75a56A
- Promo code (10% off): CONTEMPORARY10
- Complete tutorial by CAI: ua-cam.com/video/2MfKKDw_WAA/v-deo.htmlsi=jxTJcnWvuzaEdty3
- Consult the complete article here: www.contemporaryartissue.com/11-artists-revisiting-the-gradient-in-contemporary-art/
Thank you for tuning in and chat soon!
All my best,
Julien & Perrier
Your doggie likes your talk as much as I do, great presentation ❤
I find it hard to concentrate he is so cute!
Thank you so much, and we enjoyed your comment very much 👋🐶 Have a great day ❤
This is timely. I was discussing with my curator earlier today about gradients and background colours.
Perfect! Wishing you the very best!
Nature has the best gradients, check the sky at anytime. Like the matrix it is everywhere 🌈. Great subject, even your furry friend found it interesting . ❤
Absolutely! Thank you for tuning in and for your kind words 🙏🙏
I like the gradient of your dog's fur.
Lee Ufan's art looks very cool. Really loved this, thanks for introducing his works to me.
Some of these descriptions towards these simple gradients are wild.
They are derived from the official artist biographies from their galleries, and sometimes they are indeed rather complicated. Seeing the art on mute is also very enjoyable, if not more. Thank you for watching
Thanks you very much for sharing ypur knowledge
The pleasure is all mine!
Enjoyed this and learnt a lot from your video
That's wonderful, thank you for watching!
Nice video! I love the work of Ann Verónica Janssens and James Turrell. I also like Pieter Vermeersch work. And I discovered a few new names thanks to this video.
(I was waiting for Stefan Peeters and I thought you forgot him but you mentioned him at the end 😊)
Great selection! Very nice choice of subject. Would love to see one about monochrome painting. Many thanks for the good work. Cheers!
Great suggestion! Would make an interesting video indeed. Thank you for tuning in and have a great day
This is really interesting. Exactly what I’ve been doing in my tapestry art.
Sounds, interesting-two trends meeting one another. Feel free to share a link to your work and wishing you the very best!
Brilliant video, I love the fact that you're using the same sample sounds as Red Letter Media. Great minds think alike!
Very useful video this helps me to develop my art style while discovering new artists especially Belgians.
That's wonderful. Wishing you all the best! 🇧🇪
your videos helped me become a better artist, thank you
So good. Thank you. My favorite is Lee Ufan. Wow, and I got to see his work up close in Naoshima Island last year where there is an entire museum dedicated to his work. Such depth and simplicity. The shapes and the white spaces are so important in his work. James Turrell is always an inspiration for me. I was blown away by seeing his installation at Mass Moca in North Adams, MA USA this summer.
Great artists indeed. Sounds like a terrific show! Thank you for tuning in and wishing you a great day
A "mistake" in your reply raises an issue I'd love for you to address. You wrote, "Sounds like a terrific show." I wasn't sure if you were referring to Lee Ufan at Naoshima Island, Japan or James Turrell at Mass Moca in North Adams, MA USA. But in both cases the installations were permanent (though we could have a philosophical debate about whether the concept of permanence is real or imagined), they were not part of "shows." I am so conflicted about permanent installations. I like the idea of site specific installations, especially in regard to sculpture. The Storm King Art Center in the Hudson Valley in New York is so inspiring to me. Large sculptures find a home in the landscape (e.g. Mark di Suvero) at a place dedicated to the role that art can play in uplifting us. Storm King has a very small exhibit space for temporary "shows." Now cross the Hudson River and visit Dia Beacon, a contemporary art museum dedicated to the concept of permanent installations. About 5 years ago they added one space for rotating exhibitions. I think they have since added more because of public pressure. The permanent installations express a deep commitment and bold confidence in the vision of the museum. But with limited space and money it gives outsize representation to white men coming of age in the second half of the 20th Century. I think some of the installations will lose relevance over time. For example, Richard Serra's massive piece "2000." When I first saw it 10 years ago I loved it; it moved me. But the world has changed, I saw it in 2021 when things were just starting to open up again and I found it intrusive and overbearing. Will it truly be there forever? Should it be? Have the curators made a big mistake?
@@shaigluskin1225 I too have issues with Richard Serra's brand of machismo and bravado but I disagree that, because "the world has changed," Serra's Dia installation should be removed, if that's what you're suggesting. The world has changed since Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel so should this be painted over to represent a more pluralistic world? Should we also blow up James Turrell's crater because he's a white male? Americans are fickle. For the cognoscenti, Serra is old-hat at this point but much of America has no clue who Richard Serra is, nor Pollock, nor Rothko, nor any of the white men in 20th century art. To disregard their work because they're white has nothing to do with the content of the work. Are the beautiful paintings of Joan Mitchell more relevant than DeKooning because she's a white woman? It's obscene to think that political correctness has infiltrated art to the extent that it has. Yes, I too prefer a lighter, less forceful kind of art than Richard Serra, such as Ad Reinhardt and Agnes Martin, but the hard hitting force of Richard Serra is undeniable and singular. He deserves to be in the pantheon of art history and I certainly don't question the Dia's commitment to his work. Besides, at the Dia, simply walk upstairs to see Louise Bourgeois's remarkable installation. Should Dia remove this too? You did say, the world has moved on, or should she stay simply because she's a woman? I can't believe the art world has devolved into this.
I love your videos they help so much!
I am a sound artist and I would love to see videos about non sight space art! How to format an artist portfolio outside of the painting sculpture realm... It would be great!
Very good idea. Sounds very niche, as there are only very few sound artists today, but it could be an interesting topic. I have written it down on my to-do list!
Hello, sweet doggy! ❤ this is an interesting video. Gradation seems to still be delimited by sharp edges, in many of these pieces. Does contemporary art still have to be edgy?
‘Exploration of light and color…reflection, refraction…’
In the first ten here… most have a meaning to what they are doing while often adopting unique materials as well.
It isn’t like suddenly coming across a spray booth and finding it just cool. Please correct me if I am wrong… overall their approaches simply used what turns out to be gradient hue application to work in their interested space as an artist.
And people must like it… and collect it?
Gradients, as you show, are in so many things… abstract versions as early indigenous weaving and beadwork exist as well… often to communicate nature and deeper, spiritual fractal worlds…not seen by everyone.
‘Psychedelic’ artworks carry gradients as well… due to the accessing other levels of consciousness… and whatever else😜
In the end, for works to stand in quality, growing, contemporary Art… it is evident from this… that there is more involved than just a spray paint can and enthusiasm.
Thank you. Pieter Vermeersch, Shen Chen, and Lee Ufan I appreciate overall.
Much appreciation to you and Perrier for your commitment to great communication and presentation.Great to see you.
Take good care. Sincerely, Janet
Dear Janet, It's great to hear from you again. You are absolutely right. Also, great selection with Vermeersch, Chen & Ufan. And I appreciate at least as much for your ongoing support and dedication to the CAI channel. Greetings from Belgium 👋🐶
Grading also has been used in houses. Interior design
Spot on!
My guess is …this “trend” is not going to age well.
Seems a little gimmicky and safe.
It's not a "new trend"...it's been around for quite some time and will continue to hold its place...timeless and safe, not "gimmicky and safe"
I have to say, it seems a fashion and many of the paintings my philistine ex would love to hang above her couch.
@@KeithBrighouse-r3k not quite as artistic as a copy of Goya's "Naked Maja" and probably is a better color match for the couch
Some artists do use it as a gimmick, which is the luring threat I discuss at 17:33 and onwards, but others do really interesting things with it using it in a timeless manner. Thank you for tuning in
@@contemporaryartissue Color gradient "art" is extremely favored by and important to interior decorators because it can be neutral, in harmony with the color of the year, and produced to fit very specific size and color requirements. While this may not qualify all color gradient art to fit in the Louvre, it should not be denigrated solely because it is used fill this vital consumer niche.
What about Leon Berkowitz, Mark Rothko, Ettore Spalletti, Peter Alexander, Etc.. Etc...
Berkowitz definitely! Peter Alexander possibly, indeed. Spalletti predominantly used hard edges, so I'm not so sure. When it comes to Rothko, the color transitions had no hard edges and monochromes, nor did they have true gradients. Thank you for your contribution!
The gradient is a sub group of colour field?
Color field painting predominantly refers to the historical era of color fields in abstract expressionism (e.g., Rothko are color fields, Pollock is more expressive) in the 40s and 50s followed by post-painterly abstraction and minimalism. The gradient was explored only occasionally throughout these movements as a motif-and, therefore, not as a movement or sub-movement. Today, the gradient remains a motif. Thank you for tuning in!
Good👍
Thank you! 🙏
Can some please explain in layman terms how color gradient can investigate the dynamics of human agency and self deterniancy within built and virtual spaces
Feel free to rewatch the description of the two specific examples/series I mention for this particular case. Have a great day!
If the gradient is the subject then, yes, it's difficult to, "investigate the dynamics of human agency and self determinacy." If the gradient is used as tool for the subject, then the possibilities are endless. As mentioned, Loie Hollowell doesn't use the gradient as a conventional tool for spiritual calm and enlightenment. She uses the gradient as a tool for investigating female autonomy and sexuality. Hollowell's work is a force and is especially prescient in post-Trump America, where female bodies are increasingly becoming owned by the state.
@@davidhunternyc1 Thx for taking the time, much appreciated
@@gfok 👍🏼
Let's also not forget the works of Turkmenbashi and the Kims of North Korea, who seem to be obsessed with gradients.
+ Wojciech Fangor :)
And…. Jimi Gleason
Yes!! Great suggestion
autonomous
Indeed! Thank you for watching
Next trend will be solid colors.
Solid colors have always been the standard in abstraction, as with the painters we have discussed in the introduction. Thank you for tuning in
Though not a "trend," but as a serious investigation, one of my favorite monochrome painters is the Italian painter, Joseph Marioni. Check his work out.
у нас сейчас выставка "передвижников" в новой Третьяковке ( новее, чем пресловутая на Крымском валу), там одна картина, которую я видела впервые, стою у нее по пол часа, Эмилия Шанкс " Новенькая в школе" , это фигуративная картина,. Там диалог белого мела и чернильницы; чёрной кляксы на стене с голубыми обоями и белым узором( справа скраю),; двух ушей девочек для одной другой девочки , стоящей рядом 👂👂👧... Интересно Ваше мнение об этой картине. 🤗
Sounds interesting. Would have to see the work in real life and have a chat about it indeed! Enjoy the show and thank you for watching!
@contemporaryartissue выставка проходит до 6 апреля . Welcome 🤗.
(на самом деле, всем любителям искусства и профессиональным любителям особенно я бы очень советовала🤗 обязательно посетить Третьяковскую галерею на Крымском валу ( это улица такая),
Should art follow trends? It’s a dirty word. Maybe “movement” is less gross 🤢 (or tendency, pattern, style, school…) “Trend” insinuates fashion, commerciality , superficiality. Unfortunately that’s how many artists and galleries think these days. Its all about the money…
Does art follow trends, or are trends the development of art? Trends occur organically by different artists working from different locations. Only later do they start to interact consciously-which happens a bit quicker these days due to Instagram I guess. But the word has indeed a negative connotation, which does not make any sense as trends/movements/schools have always been part of art. Concerning the money issue, from my experience, the people who care about art will make the most money in the art world.
The gradient is often just a side-effect of depth, contour, shape, light and shade, using several colours in one brushstroke…
And can we talk about the massive male/female imbalance of the list of contemporary artists at the end? Seriously? Aren’t we past all that? Evidently not 😢
Concerning the imbalance here, abstraction was very male-dominant throughout the 20th century. Today, fortunately we are indeed passed all that. But some disciplines or subniches seem to be dominated by a particular sex. Painting in the 20th century was predominantly male, and performance and textile art is dominated by female artists. Today, I feel there is no longer such a clear distinction, although that heritage and cultural differences continue to play a role.
To focus on a supposed " massive male/female imbalance" is to disregard the enterprise each of these artists have dedicated their lives to. Imbalance may in part be due to the lack of access, the lack of resources, of will, of familial, religious, cultural, and economic pressures. Throughout art history there's been a severe imbalance of women represented, so do you then discount Vermeer and Velasquez? No. We change the political and economic structures so that women have equal parity to opportunity. Don't confuse opportunity with criticality and quality, however.
You can insist that the art of Lee Krasner is equal to that of her husband, Willem DeKooning, but you'd be wrong. Conversely, you can say that work of Agnes Martin is superior to the work of Al Held and that Bridget Riley's work is superior to Victor Vasarely. In the end, quality of thought and practice matter, regardless of gender or status of the artist. In 2024, I see no shortage of great and successful female artists. What I don't see are many female artists using the gradient as a motif. Why should they? Sometimes the gradient is the subject. Sometime the gradient is a tool. Why should women be equally represented on this list if the gradient isn't what they're interested in or if the work isn't of the highest caliber?
The gradient as a motif is safe and conventional at this point. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Much of art today that's celebrated, made by both men and women, straight and gay, black and white, is drivel anyway, and won't stand the test of time. It's noble to fight against prejudice but policing the art world to have equal representation is a recipe for mediocrity which is, sadly, exactly what the art world has become. Check out The New York Times article on the matter. "Young Artists Rode a $712 Million Boom. Then Came the Bust."
The lazier it is, the more modern it is. In the world of marketing and maximized shareholder value, agile painting development trumps quality
There are definitely some who work in this way to "hack the art market" but in time, the practice collapses. And it becomes obvious to the market. Eventually works drop in prices and sale frequency.
I completely agree with the comment by @taoszen on this matter
@@contemporaryartissue I do too, the point is - therewill be a new trend like this every year as those paintings are utilizing the primary market buyers, not caring about drop that comes later.
My main problem is when the normies start concidering this as "art" without realyzing that even the art world cringes from those things a couple of years later
@taoszen True, but what a shameful practice. Whats worse, somehow paintrrs like me are concidered to be in the same camp as them when talking about art to normies
@@alpotap ahhh i get you. There's a Subjective to Objective Evolution of how the status of art is conferred upon an object or event, due to weight of influence and mass acceptance. So the fringes of the artworld and artworld public will be more accepting. And they will and in some sense must continue to buy couch matching paintings. For the reasons that 1. Thats what they want anyway. 2. They can seldom afford works from artists pushing forward or against common c culture or capital C culture.
I don't mean anything bad by this, but your descriptions sometimes get a bit comical like an SNL skit. Lol. Regardless, I consume the content. Thanks for the entertainment.
They are derived from the official artist biographies from their galleries, and sometimes they are indeed rather complicated. Seeing the art on mute is also very enjoyable, if not more. Thank you for watching
Some of these artists you could call op-artists. I am somewhat unconvinced. Some of James Turrell's work with light looks almost identical to Wang Guangle's ink/paint works. I accept the real world experience will be different but it illustrates the artistic straitjacket in which these artists work. I do find many of them calming but in many ways dull and polite.
You mentioned Brian Eno and I assumed he was the same Brian Eno as the musician who seems to specialise in ambient music. Figures, these are ambient paintings. I was reading somewhere pink prison cells can calm a violent prisoner down but after 20 minutes it will start sending the prisoner nuts. I feel the apocryphal prisoner's pain.
That said, my preferences are for punk-ish expressionist imagery and the work of some conceptual artists but by no means all. I suppose I am probably the wrong audience for these artists. Not all the jig-saw pieces fit as the saying goes but a very interesting video which has increased my awareness of what is going on..
Hi Keith, thank you for tuning in. Some could indeed be called Op-Artists, although hard edges are the more dominant color transition in Op Art as well. There is a clear connection between Turrell and Guangle. The first consists of light, the other of paint. However, I'm afraid I must to disagree with the straitjacket you refer to. For the purpose of this video, I have focused on their gradients only, but their practice is more versatile than this video shows, so feel free to have a closer look at these two artists. Happy to hear you think the video is interesting and has given you a new perspective on what's happening today in the art world despite the color gradient not being your cup of tea. So thank you for watching, as always, and for sharing your thoughts! All my best, Julien
@@contemporaryartissue Always a pleasure and we all have our opinions and it would be a boring world if we didn't but you have given me food for thought so thank you. Keith
“Dull and polite” I liked that