Roy Lichtenstein

Today I attended the Roy Lichtenstein exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. I'm an avid believer that it can never be a bad thing to experience things you are unsure of or may not particularly enjoy (at least, when it comes to art any way) as I like to keep an open mind and don't "knock it" before I try whatever it is. "It" in this case, Lichtenstein's art, did not originally appeal to me as his graphic-like canvases are - in texture and technique - simpler than the art I tend to enjoy.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to see such a variety of his work displayed throughout the exhibition. Ceramics dotted in primary colour and glamorous brass sculptures - two things I was most definitely not expecting. And in addition to this, the size of the canvases he produced was just spectacular. 'Interior with Waterlilies' was particularly illuminating; it was such a large canvas and incredibly bright, I actually had to squint a little when I saw it.

Some of Lichtenstein's experimentation with brush strokes and line drawings were also displayed, which I loved instantly. Quite a few of his paintings resembled Cubism (Lichtenstein openly admired Picasso as an artist) which I was instantly drawn to. 'Reflections on Interior with a Girl Drawing' I liked especially, but was most disappointed when I couldn't find a postcard of it. 

Lichtenstein's black and white collection was rather interesting as the form of the compositions became prominent and I thought his take on Chinese art was lovely. 

I didn't think I would be as drawn into the exhibition as I was; needless to say, I am glad I went. Details on the exhibition here for anyone who might be interested.

Juergen Teller

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the ICA in London where Juergen Teller's exhibition is currently being held. It was extremely interesting - his collection of photographs displayed on the walls in the "reading room" were strange, graphic, unexpected, yet humanly natural. I highly recommend giving it a visit.

On the same day I also went to the Photographer's Gallery, currently host to the works of many collage artists. I was particularly excited by Peggy Franck and Laura Letinsky's work, both of which have given me inspiration (something I seem to lack recently) for my own art projects. I think I'll be taking another visit soon as I attended both galleries in a group and feel I did not pay the exhibitions as much attention as I could.

London Calling

I don't have much of my own work to post as of this moment, however I have been out in London these past couple of days visiting various places that are relevant to my project research. This week I visited Wolff Olins which although wasn't entirely useful for my Fine Art course, was a new experience and it was interesting to hear about how they designed the London 2012 logo (more information from them about that here). I also visited the Saatchi Gallery and the Design Museum - both of which I found fascinating and useful for inspiration and research relating to my various art projects. Not only that, but I enjoyed viewing different kinds of art and design that I wouldn't normally expose myself to, which is something that I definitely need to do more often.

Just a few photos from the Saatchi Gallery (above) and from the Design Museum (below).