A new qualitative study, commissioned by Axisweb, focuses on how artists receive validation for their work outside of the ‘traditional’ gallery setting. I think this is particularly poignant for all artists including self-taught artists and those who are not or do not wish to be aligned with the gallery agenda. The researchers working on the study … Continue reading Valid Art: creativity and affirmation
Category: Art Theory
Brian Gibson: Real Art… Really?
Above image: Transient Graffiti on Bath Abbey (courtesy of http://www.suitedandbooted.org) Brian Gibson: "It’s 2015 now and after recent events the world seems a lot more complex … so I'm heading back to the relative calm of late 2014. Like a lot of people over the festive break I got myself hooked into various forms of social … Continue reading Brian Gibson: Real Art… Really?
Brian Gibson: Fessing Up
Featured image: Agnes Richter, needlepoint jacket [notmodernart.tumblr.com] Following Brian Gibson's fantastic previous post, entitled 'What does it mean to be an Outsider?', he has written again for kdoutsiderart. This time, focusing on 'confessional' art. Here, her discusses whether artists who have experienced trauma or health issues feel 'obliged' to create art that is overtly confessional? … Continue reading Brian Gibson: Fessing Up
Process Vs. Product in Creative Practice
Recently, I have been considering the importance of process and product with reference to art making. Is the process of making the art the most important thing for the artist, or is there something equally as important in having this work shown to the public – whether this is an exhibition, a performance or a … Continue reading Process Vs. Product in Creative Practice
Brian Gibson: What does it mean to be an ‘Outsider’?
I asked artist Brian Gibson for his thoughts on the term 'Outsider Art' and what it means to him as a practising artist. Below is his response and a display of his own artwork. Click here for more information on Brian and his work. I have never been quite certain as to where I fit … Continue reading Brian Gibson: What does it mean to be an ‘Outsider’?
Otto Dix: The ‘Madness’ of Modern Warfare
Above image: Otto Dix, Sturmtruppe geht unter Gas vor (Stormtroops advancing under a gas attack), 1924 [Courtesy of: lewebpedagogique.com] I recently visited an exhibition of German artist Otto Dix's series of prints entitled Der Krieg (The War) at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, East Sussex. I studied this series for my undergraduate dissertation … Continue reading Otto Dix: The ‘Madness’ of Modern Warfare
Outsider Art.. or ‘Inside’ Art: January Thoughts
Above image: Henry Darger Happy New Year everyone - I hope you are all enjoying what 2014 has had to offer so far. I thought I would do a bit of an off the cuff 'rambling' blog post talking about a couple of ideas I have recently had relating to the term 'outsider art'. Hopefully … Continue reading Outsider Art.. or ‘Inside’ Art: January Thoughts
Pre-World War I: Primitivism, Nostalgia and the Rise of German Expressionism
German Expressionism was born out of the influence of a variety of earlier movements, styles and subject matter, and of course, through the discontent of many avant-garde artists with recent modernisation and the alienation of urban living. Paul Gauguin (1848 – 1903), a French Post-Impressionist, proved significantly influential on the works of German Expressionists. Gauguin … Continue reading Pre-World War I: Primitivism, Nostalgia and the Rise of German Expressionism
Social and Political Theories of Alienation and the Appearance of ‘Madness’
Germany, at the turn of the twentieth century saw major shifts from an agrarian economy to a modern industrial economy. Under Otto von Bismarck, who oversaw the unification of Germany in the late nineteenth century, the years 1870 until 1890 saw a huge period of transformation and an increase in Bourgeois power; these years were … Continue reading Social and Political Theories of Alienation and the Appearance of ‘Madness’
Introduction to the Links and Similarities Between German Expressionism and Outsider Art
I am going to begin a series that looks at the links and similarities between German Expressionism and Outsider Art particularly between the years of 1905 and 1945. This will include contextual factors, pre-world war one, the Weimar period and then finally, the Degenerate Art exhibition organised by the National Socialist Party in Germany. Here … Continue reading Introduction to the Links and Similarities Between German Expressionism and Outsider Art