Here is a photo of my painting class watching slides in the critique room. The slide is of Damien Hirst's diamond encrusted skull. My painting critique classes freak me out, to be honest, they're pretty harsh compared to what I've been used to.
Here is one of my latest paintings from our last critique. I did it over two days. It's supposed to be a painting that has no conclusion, that goes no where, that was my intention. Also, I wanted to incorporate drawn figures into the painting, and just fill them in. Some of the comments from the critique about my paintings were:
A student: "I wish you would take a stand on something, anything! You just take what's cool and put it in your painting."
My teacher said I should stop looking at contemporary art magazines and look at older paintings. She also said I am very detached from my images, and not to go to the Picture Library anymore, We are not image collectors! Um, what else, oh yeah, she said I was giving them "just enough". Other students came to my defense, "I disagree", said my studio neighbour, "it's a painting that has no conclusion" other people liked some of the elements of the painting, like how I sculpted the faces, and how I painted the shirt on the guy on the right. I was really confused, because as I was making the painting I really liked it, and so felt quite unconfident about my painting choices after this. Also, I was a little freaked out while doing my last three paintings because I had to do them in something like four days, after being sick, and after my first attempt at a painting did not work out. So, now I can see, that yes, I was doing, "just enough". But I do like how I painted the horse and the waterfall pictures in the painting. I seriously hate how I've painted the guy on the left, plus other things about it, too. Oh well, I'm here to learn.
In the last couple days, I've been thinking, "wtf - it's only paint on a canvas, I'm not going to be so serious." And I'm also taking more time to do my next three paintings - 1 per week - quite the pace! I've already painted over the painting I've shown above.
2 comments:
holy crap! that sounds so intense! we are having the complete opposite experience, i think. I have only been working on two paintings this entire time! they are pretty big, but still. everyone here takes their time and likes to think and look and just sort of let stuff happen. how can they expect you to be making your best work under such pressure and time constaints?
don't lose your sense of humour about painting. god, they sound so uptight. i have my first group crit this friday... we'll see what happens then. I really have no idea what my peers think of my work so far.
Hi Lianne, thanks for your message, it is intense! I don't get the point of it, so many of the other exchange students here are saying they couldn't imagine working under this workload for a whole four years.
My two friends who are exchange students who go to Glasgow find that here there is not a lot of concept to the work by students at risd because there's no time to figure out the direction you want your work to go. It's ridiculous.
I hope your group crit goes well!
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