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News & ArtsThursday, June 10, 2010
TV / Visual Art A Review of Bravo's "Work of Art": "I'm Really into Lilies Right Now."
Posted by Jen Graves on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 9:16 AM
- Your cast, ladies and gentlemen.
The show was horrible. Really, truly awful. Critic Jerry Saltz was the biggest disappointment for me: Is it the editing, or does he really believe that the mission statement of art is, "Art is a way of showing the outside world what your inside world is like." So is vomiting.
Mark Velasquez, the Cornish grad in the lineup, made a cheesy Photoshop portrait of a guy he'd just met—each artist was assigned the challenge of making a portrait that captured the "inner essence" of someone they'd just met—told the camera, "I think the judges should be impressed with my work because my Photoshop skills are pretty damn good."
The Christian blonde made a portrait of a black lady artist, and called her "noble." I'd only have been mildly surprised if she'd have added the word "savage." The black lady artist made a terrible painting that looked like wallpaper that needed wallpapering over.
There's a folksy, I've-got-no-training-and-I'm-just-here-making-this-clown-painting artist; an egomaniacal holier-than-thou "conceptualist" who declared "I'm not responsible for your experience of my work"; a lady who declared, "I'm really into lilies right now"; a young prettylady artist who hates the older lady artist, who creates images of cartoonish cats that incorporate the word "pussy" and who announced that "Pussies put me on the map." (Didn't pussies put us all on the map?)
The Tim Gunn character, auctioneer Simon de Pury, seems like he is hopped up on goofballs, and for his sake, I hope he is.
Oh, and Sarah Jessica Parker, who made a THRILLING cameo appearance, "grew up in a time when the government supported art." (Girls just wanna have fun-ding.)
Yep, I'll be tuning in next week, when the show reverts to its regular time of 10 pm.
2
What a coincidence! I'M into lilies TOO!
I've got this waiting for me on my DVR. I can't help it, my gay heart still skips a beat when SJP enters the room.
I've got this waiting for me on my DVR. I can't help it, my gay heart still skips a beat when SJP enters the room.
4
Awful and wonderful indeed! I'm going to love/hate hate/loving every second of it!
(Jen your "so is vomiting" comment is perfect and far wittier than any word uttered on the show last night.)
(Jen your "so is vomiting" comment is perfect and far wittier than any word uttered on the show last night.)
5
Isn't government funding of art at an all-time high? Don't forget all those 1% for art stipulations; that's government spending too.
Not to mention the fact that SJP wouldn't recognize art if it vomited down the front of her dress.
Not to mention the fact that SJP wouldn't recognize art if it vomited down the front of her dress.
6
@5, FTW!!
But you mean Bravo made something worse than "Top Design" and "Blow Out". Wow, I am amazed but can't wait for the new season of Flipping Out starting later this summer!!!
But you mean Bravo made something worse than "Top Design" and "Blow Out". Wow, I am amazed but can't wait for the new season of Flipping Out starting later this summer!!!
7
Thanks Jen
You're GOOD. Really. I've always been a fan.
"The show was horrible. Really, truly awful. Critic Jerry Saltz was the biggest disappointment for me: Is it the editing, or does he really believe that the mission statement of art is, "Art is a way of showing the outside world what your inside world is like." So is vomiting."
Hah!
Best,
Jerry Saltz
You're GOOD. Really. I've always been a fan.
"The show was horrible. Really, truly awful. Critic Jerry Saltz was the biggest disappointment for me: Is it the editing, or does he really believe that the mission statement of art is, "Art is a way of showing the outside world what your inside world is like." So is vomiting."
Hah!
Best,
Jerry Saltz
8
This is truly the ultimate fail of the contest reality show sub-genre. As Mrs. Jack said last night, "OK, paint this lemon...and... GO!"
The show was horrendous and proved that "art" created for the sole purpose of pleasing other people will always suck.
My favorite line of the night was Nao's. "I am not responsible for your experience of my work." Any artist who creates for a critic's approval has neutered themselves. If the whole show was the artists creating what they want to create and telling the critics to go fuck themselves if they don't like it, I'd watch 7 nights a week. As it is, never again.
On the plus side, they've got a cast full of drama - they'll make a mint. But they won't make art.
SPOILER ALERT:
Creepy clown guy should have gone home. Wallpaper woman at least had ability.
The show was horrendous and proved that "art" created for the sole purpose of pleasing other people will always suck.
My favorite line of the night was Nao's. "I am not responsible for your experience of my work." Any artist who creates for a critic's approval has neutered themselves. If the whole show was the artists creating what they want to create and telling the critics to go fuck themselves if they don't like it, I'd watch 7 nights a week. As it is, never again.
On the plus side, they've got a cast full of drama - they'll make a mint. But they won't make art.
SPOILER ALERT:
Creepy clown guy should have gone home. Wallpaper woman at least had ability.
10
I also thought this show was a highly entertaining trainwreck. And the girl who was really into lilies right now was also into hermaphrodites. I can't wait to see that painting.
12
Jerry,
I hope you do feel the love. I'm prepared to succumb to the illogic of this experiment—how can I not? Art is my team, period. (Also, as an aside: I like what you wrote about potentially risking your sex life with your critic wife in order to do this show: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/201….)
I'm particularly sensitive to your every move on the show since I can't help putting myself in your shoes as I watch. Should the lone critic stand for nuance or flash? If there's too much nuance, don't people just stop listening, anyway? (Slash—doesn't it get edited down, anyway?)
I will share with you my somewhat embarrassing, dorky thought process during last night's portrait exercise:
"Wait—a portrait is not always an exercise in 'capturing inner essence.' What about outer essence? What if the essence of the artist is a hundred times more interesting than the essence of the subject? Or vice versa? What if the artist and the subject sit there and contemplate each other and just get nowhere? Can a good portrait still come out of that? Is a great portrait necessarily a true portrait?"
ETCzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
This thought process, clearly, would not be the stuff of entertaining television. But maybe it would be the stuff of a good after-conversation, and so it goes.
Therefore I will cheer and I will jeer. I will root for your sex life.
Best as always,
Jen
I hope you do feel the love. I'm prepared to succumb to the illogic of this experiment—how can I not? Art is my team, period. (Also, as an aside: I like what you wrote about potentially risking your sex life with your critic wife in order to do this show: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/201….)
I'm particularly sensitive to your every move on the show since I can't help putting myself in your shoes as I watch. Should the lone critic stand for nuance or flash? If there's too much nuance, don't people just stop listening, anyway? (Slash—doesn't it get edited down, anyway?)
I will share with you my somewhat embarrassing, dorky thought process during last night's portrait exercise:
"Wait—a portrait is not always an exercise in 'capturing inner essence.' What about outer essence? What if the essence of the artist is a hundred times more interesting than the essence of the subject? Or vice versa? What if the artist and the subject sit there and contemplate each other and just get nowhere? Can a good portrait still come out of that? Is a great portrait necessarily a true portrait?"
ETCzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
This thought process, clearly, would not be the stuff of entertaining television. But maybe it would be the stuff of a good after-conversation, and so it goes.
Therefore I will cheer and I will jeer. I will root for your sex life.
Best as always,
Jen
14
I loved it. I cringed, I laughed, I winced, I cheered, I was impressed, I was horrified, I recognized, I dismissed, I stayed up too late.
And a bunch of people in the public sphere are talking about art that weren't yesterday. You can bet I'll watch it until the bitter end.
And a bunch of people in the public sphere are talking about art that weren't yesterday. You can bet I'll watch it until the bitter end.
15
@14: Oh, right, that was the other thing -- Premiere at 11:00?!? I think that tells us about what Bravo thought of the show?
16
Jen Graves, do you ever say anything that matters?
Or are you just jealous of people that actually do something with their lives?
Make something and stop bitching, or better, get a life and stop writing for the slog!
Or are you just jealous of people that actually do something with their lives?
Make something and stop bitching, or better, get a life and stop writing for the slog!
17
a fine exercise in self-loathing. am so happy that this is how "artists" are now presented to the broader audience, as if there isn't already enough bullshit to wade through. thanks much to the participants in this show. hope the 100k is worth it. assassins!!!! like the joke about gold-digging individuals, the punch-line being: "we know what you are, now we're just haggling about the price...." ughhh....
18
What, no mention of Miles? That kid is best thing about the show. He's got such a funny little 60s disaffected youth vibe. I love him. His spazzy little hand rubbing when they told him he'd won, and his awesome baggy mustard colored sweatshirt, rumpled hair, and rolled jeans? He just looks like such a natural not trying-to-hard weirdo. Plus, I don't know anything about art beyond the visceral, but his piece looked pretty great to me.
19
I am a classical realist painter (currently back in school) with an undergraduate degree (painting and art history) from a highly conceptual school. That being said, I adore this show.
20
I don't know what's worse: Work of Art or this review.
First:Jen and the producers of this show (SJP, I love you but I am pointing at you) assume there are "types" in the art industry. There isn't. Artists have something to say and something to show the world like everyone else. They use imagery as weapons. They are vicious, mean, kind, and gentle. They are all these things.
Second: You do have to have talent in the art world. People don't have to like you. That's why clown painter should have been sent home and wall paper lady should have stayed. She was dull but she had talent.
Third: Nao is annoying as hell but the line Jen ragged her about: I'm not responsible for your experience of my work" is dead on! Believe it or not--art's main purpose is not to please you or me. That's why this show should not have been produced in first place. As cheesy as it sounds art is suppose to move you; if that means it pisses you off, makes you cry, makes you confused, makes you smile--then so be it.
Someone else on this comment section has said this already but this show at least gives Art some exposure to those who would not look twice at a canvas, painted or other wise.
First:Jen and the producers of this show (SJP, I love you but I am pointing at you) assume there are "types" in the art industry. There isn't. Artists have something to say and something to show the world like everyone else. They use imagery as weapons. They are vicious, mean, kind, and gentle. They are all these things.
Second: You do have to have talent in the art world. People don't have to like you. That's why clown painter should have been sent home and wall paper lady should have stayed. She was dull but she had talent.
Third: Nao is annoying as hell but the line Jen ragged her about: I'm not responsible for your experience of my work" is dead on! Believe it or not--art's main purpose is not to please you or me. That's why this show should not have been produced in first place. As cheesy as it sounds art is suppose to move you; if that means it pisses you off, makes you cry, makes you confused, makes you smile--then so be it.
Someone else on this comment section has said this already but this show at least gives Art some exposure to those who would not look twice at a canvas, painted or other wise.
22
The show's really better than I expected. AND IT IS ABOUT TIME THERE IS SOMETHING IN THE PUBLIC ARENA ABOUT ART!!! (Haven't we had enough stupid, uncreative/non-entity HOUSEWIVES who can't do anything except act cheap/uncultured and spend their husbands' money??~!!)?!) I was very suspicious of SJP's connection, but thank god we haven't had to SEE her! I think some of the "assignments" were decent, if a little art-schoolish, and some of the results were very interesting. I am pleased with those who made the Final Cut. I think they chose the best three.
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