For your next art exploration, check out this web exhibit from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, featuring the work of the late artist, Robert Arneson. Read his biography, look at photos in the gallery and watch 3 short video interviews.
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click here: Robert Arneson
46 comments:
The video that stood out the most to me was "Robert Arneson on Becoming an Artist," because I thought it was interesting, and almost comical, how he thought of himself as someone who could "do almost everything." How narcissistic! However, when I actually saw the drawing that he created, I was surprised by the technique because it was one that I have been taught in the past as well! Furthermore, I really liked what he said about sculpture being his favorite medium, because it is the most "comfortable" and the most flexible of all of the mediums that he had worked with. My personal opinion on his disposition aside, he is very talented!
I really enjoyed learning about Arneson and watching his interviews; he has a very interesting personality! His goofy-looking "self-self-portrayed" sculpture is quite unique, and it seems like something that would be very entertaining but difficult to make. I do agree with Bella that Arneson seemed a bit egotistical, but it is interesting that by doing a self-portrait, you are the "simplest person to abuse without offending." I also enjoyed his view on sculpture that one can record his/her existence with a fingerprint. I'm glad that Arneson was very enthusiastic about his artwork.
I liked that he was presented with three different videos showing his inspiration, his talent, and his "self-self-portrayed" personality. I think its interesting that he uses himself as a subject because he can't offend himself. He is an interesting artist to watch create a piece because of the way he starts over or makes changes. For example, when he takes the sponge and erases the cartoon he'd drawn but it gives that cool red background or he takes a piece of wood to make the right shape for his forehead.
I thought the interviews were really interesting It seems like he takes a laid back approach to his art, which is kind of understandable due to the fact that there weren't many people when he was growing up that considered sculpture art. It was extremely interesting to see how he drew and sculpted himself in many different ways, i had also never heard of someone portraying themselves in art so they wouldn't offend anyone. I just really thought that was a cool way to justify multiple self portraits.
I think that Robert Arneson is a very interesting, and unique artist. His approach to his art is interesting, because he likes that he is able to add, subtract and other things. He is very talented and his self-self-portrayed sculpture is very impressive, as he can "offend himself" so it is easier to do an accurate representation. Great artist!
I think Robert Arneson is a very talented and unique man. I really liked all of his work including the type writer and the toilet. But what I liked most was his self portraits and sculptures. What stood out most from his interview was when he was praising Voulkas work and knew that it wasn't possible to make a masterpiece without spirit and total involvement of the self. I really liked Arneson, he's super cool.
like most artists, i see Robert Arneson as a man/artist of many visions and talents which are represented in a way that most people may not fully understand at first. In his videos, Arneson explains his reasons for the way he creates his pieces. when he explains his reasoning for producing so many self portraits of himself, i saw it as very humble. his train of thought which leads to not wishiong to offend anyone when making portraits shows his insecurities in a way. this was interesting to see because when i think of artists i do not think of them as having any self issues or regrets in their pieces.
I really enjoyed getting to see all the different faces he created of himself and the different materials he made them out of. It made me really jealous how he was so sure and confident on creating what he had. When I look at myself to do a self portrait I feel, worried but at the same time I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, I want something to look a certain way and it doesn't. He seems like a narcissist but at the same time he can create the art so beautifully.
I love this guy. In his video he talks about Peter Voulkos and that what he learned from his work was that it was ok to break the rules. I think that Arneson really incorporates that lesson into his own work, and he isn't afraid to be realistic about life and in your face. None of his portraits are idealistic, but very realistic and you can see the personality of the person he was creating with his image. I also loved his notion that he used himself in all of his work because he was the one person that he could abuse and offend without being ridiculed, and so the seemingly "self-portraits" aren't really self-portraits at all. During the introduction video I also loved watching him work, and then erase everything he drew, because that is an extremely hard yet satisfying thing for me to do on my own work.
I think my favorite of the videos was him on "becoming an artist". It's funny to me because I kind of have the same idea of myself now, I can hardly consider myself an artist. I really enjoy the way he works, too. He seems like a great artist, and that's not something I can say about too many people now. I also liked him talking about Voulkos. It's interesting to see an artist's inspiration...your favorite artist's favorite artist. haha.
Learning about Robert Arneson really intrigued me because of the way he described how he uses clay: its able to not only make a piece, but add to it and if needed erase from it; he describes it as producing many opportunities resulted with using the medium. One of the most interesting aspects of his artwork is that he solely bases his pieces on himself capturing the different aspects of his personality. The realism that his art portrays not only is visually appealing, but it also allows the viewer to understand his pieces better because of the familiar tone one can identify with. I also found his personality to be very comical as a young boy who could "do almost anything."
OH this guy i have seen him in the art 21 videos. i really like his work. he said in one of the videos that his work is no portraying himself but i think it is in a way like a different side of him and also he is also mocking himself through his art.
After watching the videos, Arneson appears to be beyond clever, and probably has a wicked sense of humor. His self-confidence is apparent when he talks about using his own face because he won't offend anyone else. The sculptures on the site were instantly relatable not only because they were realistic, but also because they made you smile in response to it. For the most part, his figures had comical expressions, which, juxtaposed with this struggle with cancer, is pretty interesting. He was a cool artist to see (although the typewriter and sarcophagus creeped me out a bit) especially as we play with clay ourselves.
I liked the video and Athought that Arneson was actually very personable. It was interesting to see him at work while they were interviewing him and hearing how his aspirations changed because his "personality kept seeping through," or something like that. I went through the gallery also and I think some of the self-portrait busts that he made are really funny.
While watching these videos, I couldn't help but wonder how Robert Arneson was able to work with clay and make things so flawlessly. His clay sculpture of half of his body was an exact replica of what he had planned on creating, I loved how the sketch faded and became the sculpture. My favorite video was the self portrait, but in a different video he said you never know how things will turn out after they enter the kiln and I completely agree.
I liked the videos of Robert Arneson. I think that the most interesting thing that he said was that the sculptures/drawings of himself that he made weren't "self portraits", and they weren't really a portrayal of his character. I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a drawing of himself that he made not a self-portrait.
Another thing that stood out to me in the videos was that Robert thought that working with clay was his way of leaving his mark on the world, and making his memory last forever.
Arneson came off more egotistical when he said that at a young age, he could "do almost everything", than in his "self-self portraits". I feel like artists either are really confident or always insecure. I think there's definitely more to "because I am the simplest person to abuse without offense" in Arneson using himself as the subject of a sculpture though, because there are definitely other options.
I'm a bit surprised that although Arneson mentioned several times that he was quite interested in cartoons, I feel like his work doesn't reflect that interest to a great extent. However, I don't know what aspect of cartoons did Arneson enjoy; the art, humor, or something else?
I really enjoyed watching these videos. Arneson has a very laid back feel, yet you can tell he take art seriously. The video that I liked best was "Robert Arneson on self-portraiture" because he made a lot of sense when explaining why he creates so many self-portraits. If I were an artist I think I would feel the same way. I also found it interesting Robert Arneson didn't want to be an artist, but he wanted to be a cartoonist.
I really liked Robert Arneson's use of clay when making sculptures. I admire him for being so comfortable when creating art, and letting his creative juices flow. He's very enthusiastic and you can sense how passionated he is about his pieces of art. I really enjoyed learning about Arneson.
I thought that Arneson did a great job of displaying his emotions through sculpting. I also admire his detail and intricacy that he put into each sculpture. He clearly spent several years of hard work and dedication to art to make. The typewriter sculpture he maid really blew my mind!
In the interview videos, Robert talks about doing "self-self portraits" because he can make sculptures of himself look like anything without offending anyone. I wonder if Robert started making these and using himself as model after his George Moscone sculpture caused much uproar and negative feedback. Mh...
Also, I admire that he loves that clay sculptures ultimately are in the hands of the gods since one cannot predict what the outcome is after putting it in the kiln. For me, that would probably be very frustrating; spending hours and hours on a piece and having it come out not like what you wanted!
Amy Jiang
I didn't get much from this video. The comparison between clay and drawing was pretty much the only significant part of the video for me.
I found that while what he said was interesting, it was equally as interesting to watch him work and see some of the techniques he used for planning as well as sculpting. For example, it one shot, it shows him sculpting and he has a collection of images he is working with showing his head from many different angles to use as a reference when carving specific parts of his head. I also really enjoyed the drawing he made with what looked like chalk or some sort of pastel. His technique in drawing was really cool!
One thing that I found very interesting about this artist was how he described the medium he worked in. I thought it was very cool how he liked to woek in clay because he was always able to add and deract from it. It very much adds to the idea that art is this ever changing form of expression.
I really liked Robert Arneson, the artist. I totally agree with him when he says how he likes drawing to be one of the best art forms because he feels at ease that he gets to erase. I personally love drawing more than anything else, but her was also very good at sculpting with clay. I especially love the photograph of him "styling" his clay statue's hair while looking back at the his reflection in the mirror. That was a great composition with the photo and a very well sculpted Robert Arneson.
I liked Robert Arneson a lot. I really liked how he viewed clay as an eternal material that once its fired the imprints that you make will stay there forever. I thought how he only uses himself very interesting because he views himself as an abusable object for his art.
first off, I really like his artworks. You know beautiful hand-made stuff exist, but it never ceases to put me at awe every time I see it.
Haha.. Arneson is really interesting. and it reminds me of the payton mindset kind of.. when I was younger, I was always really proud of myself and I thought I was so smart and that I could do and be anything I wanted. I guess that he knows he is talented and he doesn't hide it.
but definitely, I'd feel absolutely terrible if I had to make a clay face of someone else. I'd feel terrible if it looked weird and I'd feel like a creeper if I had to stare at someone's face enough to make a sculpture of it... haha very creepy.. also this is victoria j
I like how Arneson said that clay is the one medium that everyone is looking for, it's the one medium where you can actually leave a print of your hand and fire it, and it can be preserved for eternity! You can add it AND take it away... now that sounds familiar (hint hint). But his work is pretty fascinating, I like his pieces that are more about social commentary, rather than the typewriter and other more- dare I say- boring pieces. My favorite piece of his is the one of the three military generals sitting on top of a coffin with a skeleton in it, acting like the skeleton isn't even there. The piece is called Sarcophagus, and the generals' faces are all animalistic and demonic and pretty gruesome, but I admire how Arneson had the guts to portray them that way. You can always count on artists to not be afraid of offending people to get their points across.
I like how robery anerson used himself as the subject.he also made fun of himself alot in his self portraits. I liked his creativity and courage. Great guy.
I really liked the videos, and they gave an interesting insight into his life. It's funny how when he started off, he said sculpting was more of a craft than an art, and today it's just as much a part of the art world as painting.
I went through the gallery, and the "kiln man" definitely stood out to me. They showed it while he said that you'll never know what your art looks like until it comes out of the kiln, which is a great part of sculpture. There's always a part of the final product that's just chance.
i liked the video of his ideas about self-portraiture, and how the only reason he did so many of his own likeness was that he would never be offended by the work he produced. i also really liked the kiln/ chimenia/ oven thing that had a face in the chimney and then faces inside- it was really interesting to look at. i was a bit irritated that his pieces were all of himself though because i think he is really talented and i think it would have been cool to see his portrayal of other people or maybe other subjects. i am also really jealous that his heads are so big! i feel like it would be a lot easier to get details and what not into the clay if we were working with bigger pieces
I thought Robert Arneson was a very interesting person along with being a very talented artist. I find it interesting and somewhat egotistical that he only did self portraits. He may not have been able to offend himself but it was also like he saw himself as a great subject for art.
Robert Arneson is a very interesting artist, and person in general. His personality really compliments his art, in that he actually portrays how he feels, other than just portrayiong his skill of "art". I found the scultures of Arneson and his fight with chemo and cancer very interesting. These pieces seem to exploit the reality and pain of the cancer process, despite how its victims may pretend to not feel. I believe this art should be appreciated because not only does it portrays what is seen, but it may encourage people to view also what they don't want to see within themselves.
In one of the his interviews, Robert Arneson said that no one would consider you an artist if they knew you were working with clay, and i think changing that way of thinking was important to him. He said that when he was younger he wanted to be a cartoonist, and i can see that in some of his work (like the toilet, the typewriter, or the six pack of bottles). It's hard to tell from the picture but i think the typewriter has fingers instead of a keyboard? The pieces are detailed and colored, yet they still look oddly unfinished. the edges are sloppy and unrealistic, almost like a rough sketch of something. His work is somehow humorous.
I really liked Arneson's work because it was realistic in the sense that the concepts were self portraits but were unrealistic in the unique creation of them. His approach to sculpting had no rules and he worked off of his mistakes or dislikes by changing it to portray something else. His personality is shown through all his work and I think that's the most important thing for an artist to convey in the end because then you know that, whatever the art medium may be, they love to do what they are doing.
Anerson's laid back approach to art makes me really admire him. Especially in Payton, many people are so used to only thinking about how to get an A and never really get the chance to relax and enjoy what they're actually working on. Anerson was also really versatile with the different mediums in which he used clay. I liked seeing his video, i thought it was hilarious how he didn't want to offend anyone else so he stuck to making portraits of himself. I never really thought about it like that until he said it, now i'm glad and appreciative that i will only be making myself.
i personallly liked all of his videos his reasoning behind sculptures and working with clay is very uniquie and deep. i never thought that working with clay marks your existence on earth and will live for ever through the clay....i also like the fact that he makes self potraits because unlike other people he will not be offended how he is portrayed...he is a very great artist
I also believe that Robert Arneson is narcissistic since he incorporated his face and features in almost all of his sculptures. He loves himself and that is the first step to achieving happiness. I would like to visit san fran and view some of his artwork. His bust is the coolest since his hair is so wild.
i watched the one about him working with clay, talking about becomeing an artist and the third about his 'ego' maniacism, hahaha
i loved how he kept talking about leaveing his mark... his finger print, his proof of existance.. i can relate because thats somthing id want to do
and my self portraits are so offending to myself i can see what he means when he says he does it to himself because hes the only person he cant offend, i know id offend A LOT of people if i ever tried drawing them. haha, i think hes a fun and cool artist, he reallt looks the part.. like an old guy waiting to play chess with someone in a park while sketching a crowd.. hes cool
After watching a couple of Arneson's videos, the one video of him talking about becoming an artist was interesting. He has a lot of opinions on art in general. I also liked the one about clay-making. I thought it was interesting how he said once we leave a thumbprint on a piece of clay we have proven our existence and that people want to feel that sense of "eternity". I have a totally new perspective on clay-making now.
I was intrigued by him drawing himself in the last clip I watched, but other then that I felt he was semi redundant in his work. He definitely knows how to craft himself, but the clips didn't reveal anything other then that, I wish I could have seen more of his work. (The chimney was pretty neat though)
The most interesting interview I have to say was the one on self-portraiture. I found it very interesting how he justifies so many self-portraits of himself. It's not because he "thinks he's all that" or he admires his physical features but rather because it gives him freedom. Self-portraits give him the freedom to distort and create more liberally. Thinking about our self-portraits in class, I realized while they are very hard, they are also very easy. It is very hard to create a fully honest portrait of yourself but the fun part is creating something new about yourself! This freedome would not be readily available to you if you were portraying someone else.
I really really like this guys style. The idea of of him leading an ceramic movement entitled "Funk Art" is highly intriguing. My favorite works of his include his self portrait sculptures. I feel that, "The Assassination of a Famous Nut Artists" and the "California Artist" show the two sides of which he perceives himself.
I really liked what he said to explain the reason why sculpture/clay is so popular among teachers, students, artists, etc. He said it was seductive which I laughed at at first, but after thinking about his comment, I came to agree with him. Clay is so easy to manipulate with tools but it also personal material because we can also use our hands as tools, which I guess is the reason for its seductiveness. Also, I liked the video he had on self-portraits because one, I think it's fitting with our projects, and two, we should take the liberty right now to really experiment with our own self protraits without offending anyone and to really be able to manipulate how we see ourselves or how people view us.
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