Monday, July 21, 2008

Favorite Art

In spite of the fact that I am engaged to a painter, and live in New York City, there are very few museum shows that have really blown me away, and very few major painters or sculptors that I find myself thinking about in my free time. So this is going to be a VERY short list, at least for now.

Da Vinci

Turner

Klimt

Rothko

Vija Celmins

Murakami

Robert Longo (The director of the terrible Johnny Mnemonic believe it or not; I have no idea how he landed that one random pop culture gig. Longo cannot be appreciated except in person: he does large scale charcoal drawings that are so fine they look like photographs unless you are two inches away from them).

Duane Hanson

Chris Ofili

John Currin

Jeff Koons

Antonio Gaudi

and my friend Jennifer Tomaiolo



and Sara Reiss, my fiancee (who will have a new website up shortly with lots of her work)


18 comments:

jennifer said...

is it just a coincindeence that you like many of my favorites too? hmmm... or is it many of the museum visit have been with me?
i'd add:
Paul Klee
Heironymus Bosch
Jan Van Eyck
Robert Campin
Rogier Van der Weyden
(last 4 names... i have a soft spot for 13th c. Flemish painters :)
Francisco Goya
Shazia Sikkander
Kara Walker
Ernesto Caivano
i'm sure i am forgetting someone i adore...

Christian O. said...

How about Mucha, Schiele, Klimt and Munch?

Don't have time for a long post, so just the one that immediately popped into my head.

Christian O. said...

PS. Casanova has been optioned as a movie.

Paul said...

Even though he is more known for his sculpture, I'm a big fan of Alberto Giacometti's drawings and paintings. Dark, sketchy, and brilliant.

Anonymous said...

Am I at total philistine for having nothing for this list? Uhm, I like that painting with the melting clocks?

Geoff,

Is the Murakami you list Hiroku Murakami the author? My friend Shaun is always raving about that guy.

Geoff Klock said...

Scott: no it is Takashi Murakami

sara d. reiss said...

to these I would add:

Julie Mehritu
Helen Frankenthaler
Lee Bontecou
Egon Schiele
Henri Matisse
El Greco
Velazquez
and
Mucha

btw, the guy who paints the melting clocks is Salvador Dali. I have no patience for surrealism.

Anonymous said...

Sara,

I know Dali painted the melting clocks... I also know the work is titled "The Persistance of Time" ... I was just bein' silly :)

Streeborama said...

As mentioned above - Salvador Dali is a favorite of mine - as is M.C.Escher and Goya.

Goya's horrific imagery still resonates today.

sara d. reiss said...

sorry, you never know with art. especially imagery that has become part of everyday pop culture. while pretty much everyone knows andy warhol, every one else ('cept maybe damien hirst?) is up for grabs. I didn't mean to insinuate that you were dim, I was just trying to be helpful. Mine is a small and lonely field.

i stand by my earlier statement about having no patience for surrealism. although I am partial to this one Magritte that is in the Peggy Guggenheim museum in Venice. The one where the house is painted as if it were nighttime, but the sky behind it is daytime blue. Tis pretty.

Geoff Klock said...

Christian - thanks. I am adding Klimt. I forgot about him. Oh, and Duane Hanson.

angelina ballerina said...

Pablo Picasso, Francisco de Goya, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí (his Disney movie is worth checking out), Diego Velásquez (can you tell I was a Spanish minor? They used to teach us conversation by making us talk about art), Mary Cassat, Edgar Degas, Gustav Klimt, Edward Hopper, Wassily Kandinsky. Also, whoever illustrated Rainbow Fish. And William Blake's prints are unbelievable.

jennifer said...

i second sara's Lee Bontecou

sara d. reiss said...

y'know. I would throw Gerhard Richter on my list.
OH! and Andy Goldsworthy!!!

thanks for seconding my Lee Bontecou. We did go to her school after all...

jennifer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
jennifer said...

remember alan?
he was convinced all andy goldsworthy's ideas were stolen from his work...

Paul said...

I saw the Murakami exhibit in Brooklyn this past spring. Very excellent!

Anonymous said...

I always see art, expect to remember who painted it, always forget. I was going to sit this out but I like plenty of what other people have listed, so.

Heironymus Bosch
Jan Van Eyck
Robert Campin
Rogier Van der Weyden

(Thanks Jennifer, I would've forgotten those last two! I'd also add Pieter Jansz Saenredam.)

And continuing the Northern European tip:

Annemarie Busschers
Manfred Juergens

Goya
Schiele
Blake
Hogarth
Walter Sickert
Weegee
Diane Arbus
David Shrigley
Robert Crumb
Gary Panter
Ron Rege Jnr.
Jerry Moriarty

That's all I got. But plenty to look up from other people! Neat.