A complex web of influencing factors when it comes to socio-political movements, there’s no doubt, and the comparison of constructivist art & architecture is pertinent; it’s architectural projects fail to inspire the same admiration as it’s art.

What resonates most strongly is the conceptual nature of constructivist art, there’s a minimalist stripping away of decoration and a focus on pure form – a very modern and current approach to art and design, embraced by Europe, and notably the Bauhaus, but continues to be a hard sell to us Brits.

The constructivist aesthetic appears to be one of hopeful projections of the future – a better life, and a world that reflects growth in human awareness; could it be that hopefulness surges forward in correlation to turbulence, a hope for greater freedom? 80′s ‘glasnost’ was the flag for freedom of speech, and if the correlation stands, then radical shifts in art are bound to go into decline, because Russians were suddenly occupied with learning to breathe freely, live freely, and create some stability for themselves.

What about the next era of Russian/Slavic art? The 80′s also delivered a telecommunications revolution – Russians have the web too – those coming out of Russian art schools in 2012 will already have assimilated the very best that global art scenes have to offer – a new Russian art wave could be just a matter of time – the question is will it be an evolution, or a revolution?

I’m looking forward to this exhibition.

Comment on The Guardian article ‘The constructivists and the Russian revolution in art and achitecture‘

The Guardian: ‘The constructivists and the Russian revolution in art and architecture’ Owen Hatherley

Vesna Abstract Art: Guardian clipping

Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture 1915-1935

29 October 2011—22 January 2012

Fernand Léger, portrait of the man and his art

Léger, Ce primitif des temps modernes

A young Fernand Léger at his easel

Léger with Picasso

Léger with Le Corbusier

Léger, la palette

Fernand Léger, devant La Grande Parade, 1954

Les Grands Peintres: Fernand Léger, 1956 book cover

]]> http://www.vesnaabstractart.co.uk/?feed=rss2&p=2304 0 http://www.vesnaabstractart.co.uk/?p=2291 http://www.vesnaabstractart.co.uk/?p=2291#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:12:44 +0000 vesna http://www.vesnaabstractart.co.uk/?p=2291 Filey Beach, near Scarborough, Friday 28th October

Gallery V also included works by Paul Huxley, Cornelia Parker, Ian McKeever, Tim Allen, Cathy de Monchaux, and Tess Jaray.

Royal Academicians Christopher Le Brun and Michael Craig-Martin developed the main characteristics of this year’s exhibition. This year the Selection Committee had agreed that there will be no theme, instead deciding that Gallery 3 would be hung in the style of a ‘salon hang’. A unique presentation of recent and new work of all sizes by both artists from open submission and from the Academicians. The aim was to exploit the grandeur of the Academy’s principal room with a memorably dense and rich visual experience.

Taking advantage of all available hanging space, paintings were hung from the dado rail to the picture rail. The ambition of the Committee is that by the careful arrangement of the hang, each work will be properly seen and ‘read’ in its space, and that the cumulative effect – which will have echoes of Summer Exhibitions of past years – will be to infuse the gallery with life and energy, providing a central focus to the exhibition and contrasting dramatically with other more sparsely-hung rooms.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 7th June – 15th August

…in the meantime, while I play catch-up, I hope you enjoy the new-look website! Thanks to Bertie & Ben at Click Creations, pucker job!

…the Bernard Jacobson Gallery held a preview of William Tillyer’s new paintings, a series of metal lattice works inspired by Tillyer’s cloud study of the Helmsley sky in Yorkshire.

My friend & I had the opportunity to ask Mr.Tillyer daft questions like ‘what prompted you to start painting?’, it was like asking a fish why it swims. More insightful, however, was Tillyer’s description of his long-standing interest in utilizing interactive materials as part of the creative process. ‘Do you remember every piece of work you’ve ever created?’ we asked. ‘Oh yes, every one’ Mr. Tillyer replied. At the age of 71 that’s not bad going, given that I seldom remember what I had for breakfast. The latter part of the artist’s wall-mounted paragraphs are note-worthy; an insight into this painters motivation in artistic endeavor:

‘This simple observation states my need to ‘prick the bubble’ and operate in today’s ever narrowing gap between order and chaos, the romantic, scientific, rural and urban, and most of all between control, and letting go.
In setting down these brief notes, I have started with the least important aspects of theme, or any other body of work. It is the very last point, that gap, that space between, for which I have no real name that is important, and in the end that which I am unable to verbalize.’ William Tillyer 2010

William Tillyer etching Clouds 2010

Tillyer etching Clouds, work in progress 2009

Tillyer Bloworth Blue

Ed: note that from June 24th, the Bernard Jacobson Gallery is holding the first exhibition of new work by Pierre Soulages in London since 1972.

www.TILLYER.com

www.jacobsongallery.com

Rob Jones abstract paintings at York Open Studios 2010

♦ar

ceramics by Ruth King

Monochrome geometric abstract painting by Rob Jones in a mix of gloss, metal and wood.

Ruth King has been creating ceramics for 30 years – earthy tones blend with gentle abstract forms and stunning finishes – Grays Court was the perfect stage for King’s sophisticated ceramics.

York Open Studios is a well organized annual event, offering a platform for local artists – well advertised and a great initiative.

www.yorkopenstudios.co.uk
www.ruthkingceramics.com

Apart from the obvious argument for sustainable art & design, there is something very satisfying about using found objects in the creative process.

Broken Dreams 2009 by the Campana brothers

…Soul Fragments

…a group of paintings on paper, using blue and black ink. I’m blending calligraphic style brush work with the mental domain of geometric forms. Narrowing the colour palette allows for concentrated experimentation with form and texture. The calligraphic and textural elements are indicative of the etheric body, while the geometric personalities represent thought forms.
This current project has been ins

pired by the shamanic practice of soul retrieval, of which the aim is to reintegrate soul fragments that have become disconnected through trauma.

an excerpt transcript from the Findhorn Retreat

“…the original reason for all art is the sacred, to be a portal, an access point for the sacred… in it you see yourself reflected, the formless reflected, shining through the form, that is true art…“

Some music can have a divine function too… in some rare cases it still has.
Music that comes out of the stillness… it comes out of that state of consciousness, and then it assumes a form, and yet the form is fresh and new, and it has come out of that and the stillness still clings to it as a fragrance, it still emanates that, even if its sound.

And that’s the beauty of all art, true art, it reflects still that state of consciousness out of which it comes.

And then you have a lot of pseudo-art in this world where clever minds are trying to be even more clever – ‘lets think of something new, what can we do here? Maybe we can put that here or that could go there, that would look clever…’ They call it art, but it lacks something, its totally trapped in form, there’s only manipulating old forms, nothing new has come in, and nothing that can lead you back to the formless, which is the original reason for all art is the sacred, to be a portal, an access point for the sacred, so that when you see it or experience it, you experience yourself, in it you see yourself reflected, the formless reflected, shining through the form, that is true art, always there is more than what you see or hear…there is more than that, and that shines through the form…

What is the new state of consciousness that is arising?
It is the state that is balanced – the two dimensions, the manifested and the unmanifested, balanced in a human being. And that is such a radical transformation that when a certain number of humans live in that way so they become what before was a work of art, you become the work of art, you become that which is transparent to the formless, the divine… that will change the entire world, the human-made world will be changed completely… the important thing is for us to enter that new state.
What that does to your story who knows?
You cannot predict, nor do you need to predict that. Are you going to become a great artist, are you going to win Wimbledon? Bear in mind that great artists and the tennis players are not enlightened masters – they have access to that which is greater than the limited human mind in the small field of their activity, and most of them, when they go back into normal life, away from where they have mastery, they are just as mad as everybody else – and sometimes even more mad – because sometimes the mind-made entity gets in there and looks at what they did and says ‘I did that, that was me’ – the greatest illusion. Then of course… the ego identifies with whatever came out of the state of no ego… and then begins to believe what other people are saying about you, and that you are the greatest – they project their images of specialness onto you…

…where there’s even a glimpse of aliveness and freshness, yes there’s something there, and then the personality, the person comes back the moment they step back from the act of creation or the performance, they step back and there’s the old personality, and sometimes it’s a dreadful burden for some ability that comes from the non-personal realm to be integrated into the person, and they just can’t do it, it’s totally misperceived, just as the world misperceives it, and then they believe themselves to be very special – and there comes a huge conflict between power that comes out of the formless and the limited person that misinterprets it and claims something out of that.

The magic that comes from the formless realm into your life, when you look at our civilization, seems to be gone completely, because the civilization is almost totally not sacred, it is profane – it is a dreary burdensome structure that humans have created – when you look at the mainstream civilization. So many humans seem to be tired… there’s a weariness that they carry, the civilization is grinding them down, another day of pointless running around, and even those that are still running around, they know that it is pointless – what’s the point?

And so there are many reasons why the entire civilization is reaching a point of collapse, and one is that the humans that are still sustaining it, they can’t carry the burden of their self-created structures anymore – absurd complexity for the sake of complexity – mind created, just a reflection of their state of consciousness, in which there is no gap in the stream of one thought after another – the voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form, that is obsessed with things – and it therefore knows nothing of that which you could say is the most important dimension of human existence – the sacred – the stillness – the formless – the divine – all these have become meaningless in our civilization. And yet, many humans are beginning to realize what’s happening, and so there is in many a search for something else – and that number of humans is growing everyday – and that’s the beauty of it.

…you could say there is the canvas on which the perception is painted, there is a background of spacious stillness, that’s yourself, that’s the consciousness that you are – formless… there is something within you that recognizes the impermanent nature of all life forms… and the more you realize the impermanence of all forms, the more you are aware of the formless within yourself… awareness aware of itself.