The High Museum of Art Atlanta

The High Museum of Art introduced me to the work of Gerhard Richer. The artist's work is Abstract and focuses predominantly on colour exposure. The technique used involved smearing and blending the paint on the primary surface to expose contrasting colours beneath. The work stood out to me because I was pleased by the generous helpings of paint used. I thought the artist's technique was fairly primitive, which reminded me of painting as a child when using my hands to spread the paint and not being afraid to get messy and I think smearing paint is a brave and fairly reckless skill. 

The exposed multi-toned patterns of colour were formed in geometric and figurative shapes. I really liked the colours and the texture formed. The way in which the paint dried in certain areas allowed the light to work with the texture highlighting the artist's smearing techniques.    

Below is a photograph I took of the of the overall painting:

Here is another painting by Gerhard Richer. The colours blend in really well together and the overall effect is serene in comparison to the more so turbulent image above. This has a lot to do with artist's use of colour but also the smearing technique. In my opinion the colour has been introduced gradually.

 When the contrasting colour has been introduced moderately it blends into the primary base when observed from a distance. This creates a different overall effect because instead of creating individual shapes with colour an overall multi tonal effect is created.  

Below is a photograph I took of the overall painting:

I was impressed by the work of El Anatsui who created a series of metal cloth sculptures using aluminium and copper. The scale was huge showing patience when the fragments of metal used were so small in comparison. I thought the colours were pretty and from a distance the sculpture looks like a patchwork. The artist is based in West Africa and the pieces of metal used come from discarded bottles and tins. The artist used scrap metal to create beautiful art and raise awareness to the social and cultural conditions in West Africa. 

There is currently a Modern by Design Exhibition ongoing at the High Museum of Art July 1st-August 21st. The exhibition specializes in modern design. 'Acrylic Stool' was designed by Shiro Kuramata. The piece is a celebration of the acrylic material. The stool is solid and angular yet the feathers contained inside look like they are gently floating. The feathers can be seen from all angles and have maintained their soft and fluffy characteristics within the acrylic.  

'Cabbage Chair' by Oki Sato of Nendo was my favourite piece. The environmentally friendly chair consists of the paper discarded as a by product from the manufacturing process of a garment pattern cutting/pleating technique. The garments are cut and sewn together first and the paper is fed into a heat press where garments are pleated. As a result, there is a large waste of paper. The cabbage chair has been made up of a large roll of the left over paper which is peeled back through layers to create a comfy chair. Resins are added to create strength and the pleats add elasticity and comfort.