2/15/2006

Garth Weiser

63 comments:

Anonymous said...

Frank Gehry re-invisions Barbies dream house?

Painter said...

http://www.guildgreyshkul.com/artists/garth_weiser/index.php?id=0


Guild and Greyshkul

Corny said...

Never seen his work before, thanks Painter. I just checked out the link and the black ones are just beautiful.

zipthwung said...

i like architecture so I like this.Am I an idiot? Probably. If I owned it I'd have to sandwitch it between something macho like that scuplture of a guy humping a tree and something domestic like soutwestern indian pottery.

Anonymous said...

i've been loving weiser's work for a while now. he is really pushing the idea of brush stroke as architecture, but not in the usual, obvious way. architecture as sculpture as painting!!!! yeah, corny - the black ones...

Anonymous said...

Isn't this guy like 26 yrs old!!??
My inital reaction was 'gosh, these are really nice', but he's another one of those 'I'll make a model and then paint a picture of it' guys' and I'm not sure if that's interesting enough anymore to me anymore...
That being said, his palette is very unusual and interesting and I like his 'cool' application of the paint.

Anonymous said...

this was one of the radest paintings in Greater New York!
Really nice and fucked up!
Awesome,
Erik

Anonymous said...

Isn't Lois Dodd like 150 yrs. old?

Isn't this guy like 26 yrs old!!??

BB what age do you think an artist makes their best work?

JD said...

I agree that the black ones seem pretty interesting. They are very physical and you feel like you could just roll around in those greasy urban spaces. Need to see in person, of course. The pink one seems more familiar looking and the space is not as interesting.

Now here's me being ungenerous and green-eyed and snipey: EXPECTED DATE OF GRADUATION from Columbia (where else?), 2005??!!!! Look, if this guy really has the brains and the chops, who am I to begrudge him? I mean, I love Dana Schutz's work, no matter how much hype she gets. But I feel that this youth-obsession is a bit like grabbing virgins before they've been "used", or something. Why? Can't galleries give the fledgling birdies some time to grow mature feathers, and show some artists who've really had a chance to mature and find their own voices? Could this partially explain why so much art in Chelsea looks the same? Everyone is from the same generation, their cultural references are the same, and they're learning the same things in art school. Not healthy for art, IMO.

JD said...

Hmmm, I guess the guy already graduated. What a relief.

Anonymous said...

Anon:

32 but next year, I'm thinking 33...

Corny said...

August Macke alreaty made his stamp on german expressionism by the time he died at the age of 27.

Anonymous said...

Who?

JD said...

True, Corny. Some super-young 'uns make art that rocks. I guess I'm speaking in general terms; sorry Garth, you're bearing the burden of my iritation.

Corny said...

Jd,
I agree. But god, thats a can of worms. I've tried to turn dealers on to older artists and the response goes something like, well if they havent made it by the time their 40-50 then something is wrong, dammaged goods syndrome. Or something. But then I think it turns a corner, if your older like 60-70- you regain a kind of outsider status and are viable. I'm heartened that Sillman's career really took off in her late 40's.

Corny said...

BB, cracking up, who?
You know , Germany between the wars, lots of keyed up color with mystical signifigance... you missed that day of art history class?

JD said...

Corny, your tale is sobering, though it shouldn't surprise me based on what I see in Chelsea, and all of the excellent artists I know (over the age of 25!!) who don't have representation. Susanna Coffey is another artist who started showing in her late 30's or early 40's, if I'm not mistaken.

Anonymous said...

Just Kidding, Corny.
An artist's age and the quality of their work are entirely unrelated. It is troubling, our youth-obsessed culture, but I think after the last biennial and the relatively poor reception of the PS1 greater NY show, attention is starting to slide back towards the older artists. And yes, the 'damaged goods' thing is true! It's really lame...

sloth said...

Adam Cvjianovic in another artist who has become a hot commodity post-40. I think the work was just so strong it buoyed him despite the age "problem."

sloth said...

sorry... Cvijanovic

JD said...

Yes, Sloth, Adam Cvjianovic makes great work and his tale is a heartening one. How about James Siena? His career got huge relatively recently, no?

sloth said...

I'm with you, ww.

sloth said...

shoot, blogger is doing the time warp...

Anonymous said...

i freaked out a couple weeks ago because my birthday rolled around. but then i decided fuck it. maybe the damaged goods thing can be sexy, if you work it right, you know? especially if the pendulum swings back, like burrito brother says. you can't worry about it. weiser's a good painter. i don't care if he's 26 or 66. i'm just sick of the shitty young painters getting hyped. as long as it's good, i support it.

sloth said...

There are all kinds of career arcs:

the pan-flash, famous at 26, then *poof*
famous at 26, then gradual decline
the slow burn, chugging along gradual incline
late bloomer
double-arc comeback
etc. etc.

The "famous at 26, enduring success througout lifetime" situation is very, very rare.

Of course, there are many flatliners out there, too. Painful fact.

Anonymous said...

Investigating the grid is cerebral, but he counters that with his flamboyant pinks. And the texture of the grid lines is heavy; it's not like drafting with a T-square. As for the promise of youth: Frank Stella was 23 when he showed at MoMA. Egon Schiele had produced thousands of drawings before he died at 28. On the other hand, Hokusai bloomed late at 70. Garth Weiser seems smart enough to be middle-aged.

Anonymous said...

i agree with all thats been said that an artists age should not or does not have anything to do with the quality of owns work there is good work by young artists, as there is good work by older artists. there is also bad work by artists of any age. however, there is a smartness that comes with experience, a willingness to take risks and a desire to push the envelope that can only come from deep expreience rather than youthful brashness. also, as to this artist, the work looks interesting i love the use of pink by a man, it is read differently, there are a lot of good artists who's careerrs have taken off after they are 40, look at Mary 'Heilman, James hyde, Joanne Greenbaum, Steve Dibenetto, Sillman, and a lot more that i cant remember but hard work does pay off eventually if the artist keeps working and does not give in to the stereotypes that the youth obsessed society puts on the artist. work againest the dictum of not making it by 40, and i know that most dealers wont touch anyone over 40, but they are shortsighted, because a lot of really innovative work is being ignored. etc etc.

Anonymous said...

A 26 year-old sticking to a strategy as tediously repetitious as this is depressing, not enviable. But nothing helps a brand name like tedious repetition.

If a man using the color pink is what passes for innovation in this crowd, we're all in a lot of trouble.

Anonymous said...

i didnt say pink is an innovation by any means its just read differently thats all.

Anonymous said...

anonymous - this is tediously repetitious? are you nuts? how much of his work have you seen? your pink thing is way off the mark, too.

Anonymous said...

Pink is experiencing a resurgence, e.g. Garth W, Will Cotton, and Ann Craven. I heard Robert Ryman was spotted eyeing a tube of crimson at Pearl Paint, and I think Hilton Kramer said, "Pink is the new Black." (just kidding)

Anonymous said...

and you can't knock anyone's so-called "strategy." what appears to be a strategy to you may be someone's legitimate process. everyone has their own radar; their own set of influences. you never know until you've chatted them up in the studio, and even then...

Painter said...

The Black ones are really nice, but I was afraid to post them because they look so much like sculpture I didn't want to make an embarrassing mistake.
I didn't know he was 26 or went to Columbia. I actually thought he was a different painter all together until Erik mentioned he was in PS1. Thanks for coming on Erik.
Happy belated birthday W.W.

triple diesel said...

Painter, I also thought they were sculptures when I first saw them online. In person, however, I didn't even consider the "illusionistic" space they suggest, and instead went for the surface.

sloth said...

I don't usually go for the "cake icing" style of paint application, but I think this guy actually pulls it off pretty well, from what I've seen in person. Not an easy thing to do.

Anonymous said...

ww:

Yes it is. No I am not. Enough. I repectfully disagree.

and,

Yes, I can, if it's still a free country. Maybe, but not in this case. Maybe, but that doesn't make them good artists. Go chat him up, then... I'd rather not.

Anonymous said...

poor anonymous. just know that a career in art isn't everything. no need to be a poor sport.

ahab said...

I can't handle all the vying for, "I know more painters' names than you do," and remarks geared to seed yourselves in some sort of scenester ranking.

Just to confirm any sneaking suspicions about me, I'm not a painter, I'm a sculptor. Whatever I'm looking at, whether an artwork or a cereal bowl, I look at it with an eye to how it can be a better one of its kind.

I'm following Professor Mouth and that other Anonymous dude out of here. I might look in at the paintings again from time to time, but I give up on commenting. It's a vile atmosphere that I would simply ignore if more commentors cared about trying to communicate with clarity.

Best of luck painterpaparazzi with the "conversation on painting," sincerely.

Anonymous said...

Too bad about Ahab, but honestly he was a real bore

Anonymous said...

Ahab, what the heck are you talking about?

Anonymous said...

corny you saw weiser's work in that show at artists space last summer that a.l.steiner had a video in. (i know you were there cuz i saw you at the afterparty.) ps i liked the tone of your name so i took a similar one. i used to be an anonymous but i dont want to be confused with some of the asshole anonymouses.

ok everyone listen up: i believe that "pink is the new black" -- was said by DIANA VREELAND, the former editor of vogue magazine. NOT HILTON KRAMER for godssake. i think it's engraved on the wall of the met as you descend the staircase into the fashion basement. i am not kidding.

Anonymous said...

ps
i am bummed that professor mouth, hey mayberry, some of the anons AND ahab are leaving. but i guess i can understand. it got wierd here.

Anonymous said...

I liked a lot of what Ahab had to say. He will be missed...

Anonymous said...

i for one will not miss them. bullying grandstanders.

p.s. anon, if you think sculptors are any different, you are sadly delusional.

Painter said...

i am bummed that professor mouth, hey mayberry, some of the anons AND ahab are leaving.

What? Hey Mayberry is leaving? Since when?

Professor Mouth I starting reading your broken flowers at Spoonbill today. I really liked it.
Take care even if you don't come back and this blog isn't for you.

Anonymous said...

Well I think the conversation on painting is still happening, obviously and maybe some of the departers will come back in other guises. I don't know much about this painter's work and have nothing constructive to add....it's late, I missed all the fun. It's pink, it's brown, it feels smeary and maybe likeable in person. I liked the Maureen Gallace though and always enjoy when the conversation veers to other related painters...like bringing up the Lois Dodd, haven't thought about her in ages.

It's up to the commenters to make the conversation on painting productive, I guess. The Pharisees as Ahab referred to them in an earlier post. Which continues to crack me up.

Later painter, looking forward to tomorrow's goody.

Anonymous said...

Also, thinking about Weiser's piece in relation to the emptiness plus emotional content of Gallace's painting is interesting - what looks like a really "formal" space becomes more porous, a place to project into - this unfinished semi-object made from smeary bands of paint - it looks like a sculpture in a tiled bathroom or something.

G'night. Hey Mayberry and Professor Mouth I hope you will come back.

Professor Mouth said...

'like i said before, this is why painters are the intellectual lightweights of the artworld. a bunch of whiny infighting little children. you're fat! no! you're fat! no you are! you are! no im popular, no you are! my feelings! my feelings!
pitiful
i'll take rachel harrison any day over this fucking pap'

For someone so 'above' the discourse of this blog, you sure can go on.

If your assholishness wasn't such a transparent ploy to distinguish yourself from the rest of the artist/professor/critic/wannabees, I might sympathize with your frustration over the painting discourse. But let's face it, your persona is the biggest gimmick of all. Not to mention, a fucking cliche. Shouldn't you be driving a car into a tree right about now?

I agree with you about Rachel Harrison, but why would she want to hang out with such a fucking bore.... err... intellectual heavyweight? P.S.... You are fat. Inside.

But I'm here about my 'plug'.

Thanks, painter! Sorry, but I was lurking. You 'started reading' Cut Flowers? When I was a kid, there'd be a dickwad clerk yelling 'this ain't a liberry' at me when I browsed the comics. Pick up a copy! I'll LEND YOU THE FIVE BUCKS!

Cheers.

Anonymous said...

Yeah Ahab, Angry Anonymous is Jesus, the Holy Temple is painting and the "insidery" bloggers are the Pharisees. How did you come up with that? It was a brilliant, if sadly misguided argument. Born again Christians should really have more of a presence in the "discourse" surrounding art.

Anonymous said...

professor muff why do i bother you so much? you seem to be the angry one, forced out of your self imposed exile to rail against me for finding the whole mutal sympathy scene here boring. you need to get laid son

Anonymous said...

i dont know professor muff, i wish there was a way to get through to you. there are lots of different resentments here, from people obviously embittered about youth and privilege, to people bitter about their experiences being inside of the art world.maybe someone has colitis , a missing child. who knows why they hate everything you say. the problems that come with the job. it's not a fantasy kid, its not a projection , or persona, a strategy - it's 9 to 5. it's the anger of getting old and being busy. im the same in real life. but of course, not dealers or collectors. or trustees. but sometimes unfortunately to my family and friends. some people can afford to be in a good school, some can't. some don't need it. or care. some are sent from god. if you dont believe it, why bother?what you'll learn is that real artists are fucked. cliche or not. crazy, irrational . we are making art. other people pay their tuition, and they are good at having blogs and being perfectly even at all times, like a swamp. i can't be a good student, and have a flikr account, and comment on blogs with a studied demeanor and a folder full of positions. make my parents happy. plug in my laptop at a cafe. but i can charm a room full of people and leave everyone making money.

Anonymous said...

whats with this rachel harrison stuff, prof. i dont get it

Anonymous said...

Anon of charm and cafe laptop plugging, I want to know more about you. What is your artwork like? You should have a blog. I like the way you write.

Anonymous said...

I have to admit that I am getting a little bitter about the art world. I want to be positive about art still and see the good in people's efforts in painting. That's what made me what to paint in the first place. The excitement I first felt when I saw something beautiful or inventive still keeps me going. I also think about what it takes for someone to devote themselves to this craft. There is so much sacrifice and it seems like very few get the goodies. Plus the agist attitude is really depressing and scares me. But still isn't it awesome that we all care about this? We are lucky to meet other people who find painting meaningful.

Anonymous said...

I agree!!

Anonymous said...

Does this work present anything more than how well(or not so well) garth weiser can execute a "value study"? I sense that these are exercises in skill which is only one part of the equation of art and representation. I am left with the thought that this painting is an ilustration and not a painting.

the dedication is in the learning. careers come and go.

Anonymous said...

i think theart world is an incredibly cruel place and that it is a miracle that anyone has good days at all. you should cut eachother some slack and realize that NO ONE, not even the heavies at the top are secure. Everyone is always paranoid and vying for more attemtion and power. it is a bit like 7th grade or something except the stakes are higher and the standards are completely unclear.

Mountain Man said...

Dedication is in the learning, we should try our best not to be bitter and paranoid, and definitely the standards for success are completely unclear.

fairy butler said...

Agreed MM.

Professor Mouth said...

p.s. Painter, I was just kidding about you buying the comic. One of the other bloggers in real life told me I came off as snippy. Didn't mean to. Cheers, PM

Painter said...

http://commentsmoments.blogspot.com/

PM I didn't take that way. Don't worry. But another blogger posted your comment on their blog.

Anonymous said...

p.s. painter i was just kidding about you buying the comic! DIDNT MEAN TO SAY THE WRONG THING!!!!!!!!! CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

This blog is rocken,lot of insight on the NYC scene and now paint fights to. Its a lot more informative than the NYTs