Albright Knox

On Friday, I ventured out into the snowstorm to visit the Albright Knox.  I didn't think we were allowed to take pictures so I found most of them online (Blue Velvet and Nana were not pictured online, so I found similar works of art by their artists, Ed Moses and Niki de Saint Phalle respectively).  Also, I couldn't find any information on scale anywhere at the gallery.

Which artworks made an impact/impression on you?

1.) Andy Warhol, oil on canvas, 100 Cans, roughly 3' by 5', 1962.

I was surprised to see such an iconic work of art here in Buffalo.  It was interesting to find out that the Albright Knox had some extremely famous paintings that I recognized.  I appreciate how simple of an idea 100 Cans is and I like the fact that it is so popular despite being so repetitive.

2.) Niki de Saint Phalle, mixed media, Nana, roughly 3' tall, 1965.

Right behind 100 Cans was this extremely interesting sculpture.  I was surprised to see such a chubby figure, but I was almost mesmerized by it when I saw it.  Besides the interesting figure of the piece, I liked the hearts that decorated the body - it gave a good reason to title the piece Nana.

3.) Sol LeWitt, graphite on 3 walls, an entire room, Wall Drawing #1268: Scribbles: Staircase, 2010.

Since we learned about Sol LeWitt's work earlier in the course, it was interesting to actually see it close up.  I was amazed by the control of value the different artists used throughout the piece - when the wall needed to be black, it was black!  I was also amazed that there were no smudges throughout the piece.

Which artworks did I connect with?

1.) Jehan Georges Vibert, oil on wood panel, The Marvelous Sauce, roughly 5' by 3', 1890.

Besides being the most realistic painting I saw during the entire visit, I connected with this painting because I am Italian and sauce is a very important part of my life!  I have tasted sauces many times with my family with the same results.  I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw this one.

2.) Ed Moses, acrylic on canvas, Blue Velvet, roughly 7' by 4', 2008.

This was my favorite work of art from the entire visit.  To be honest, it reminded me of my bedroom.  I loved the colors and I loved the technique Moses used throughout the piece.  It was mysterious and interesting to look at.  I wish it was for sale because I probably would have bought it!

3.) Barnaby Furnas, urethane on linen, Untitled Flood, roughly 12' by 6', 2007.

This was a close second in terms of my favorite piece.  I loved Furnas' use of sweeping strokes and vibrant reds.  Despite there being a gigantic, shiny silver work of art in the middle of the room, this painting immediately caught my eye.  I was also interested to see that Furnas is a younger artist, since many of the works of art I saw were either very old, or painted by older artists.


Which artworks would I like to know more about?

1.) Ellsworth Kelly, oil on canvas, Blue, Yellow and Red, roughly 1.5' by 7', 1969.

This was the first piece I really stopped to look at.  It was so simple - the three primary colors painted in equal proportions on a crooked canvas.  There wasn't much to the painting other than that.  I am interested to see if all Kelly's paintings are like that and, if so, the inspiration behind painting such simple works of art.

2.) Brice Marden, oil and wax on canvas, Red Yellow Blue Painting No. 1, roughly 4' by 4', 1974.

Right after checking out Ellsworth Kelly's painting, Brice Marden's painting caught my eye.  The two paintings are so similar, I initially thought it was going to be another of Kelly's works of art.  The paintings were done five years apart - I wonder if Marden took any influence from Kelly.  I was mostly interested in this piece because of the striking similarities between the two and I would definitely like to know if there is any connection between them.

3.)  Paul Pfeiffer, LCD video monitor, DVD, and metal armature, Long Count III (Thrilla in Manilla), 2001.

I really didn't expect to see something like this in the Albright Knox.  At first, when I looked at the LCD screen, I thought it may have been an optical illusion.  It kind of threw off my equilibrium for a moment until I saw the metal arm behind it.  It was also interesting to see that the boxers on the screen were completely transparent, though still visible.  This piece was just bizarre and I would like to know how Pfeiffer removed the boxers from the video so successfully.