ArtSmartTalks

My big news is the announcement of my ArtSmartTalks, small-group salon type classes which begin the second week of October at my studio in Berkeley. My passionate love for and extensive knowledge of Art and Art History has been honed in teaching AP students for the past 12 years, and now I'm very excited about sharing that love and knowledge with adults, families, and anyone else interested in getting more out of the wonderful world of art. No homework, no papers, no required reading - just the pleasure of better understanding and enjoying art and art history. ArtSmartTalks will also be available as custom classes for travel, special occasions, and office events, and I'm planning to organize at least one travel opportunity each year. Visit my website http://www.artsmarttalk.com for information and details.

Art and More Art

I'm down to my last two days for this long stay in Paris, so over the weekend I went exploring. Paris has exploded out of its summer cocoon and is in full glorious swing already, although it's only the start of what is going to be a really great Fall season, featuring a three part major exhibition on Picasso and a big show of Mantegna at the Louvre. Saturday called for a little formal wear - heels and a black jacket - to attempt to fit in with the crowd at the big Antiquities Bienniale. As expected it was quite elegant, as all things should be under the wonderful Art Nouveau ceiling of the Grand Palais (a remnant of the World Expo of 1900.) The jewelry section was very popular, but my interest was in the array of different periods and artists, and in the 'shopping mall' aspect of art viewing. Big fairs like this are always interesting, whether contemporary or traditional arts, because you're in a different relationship with what you're seeing than you are in a museum. "How much is that little Matisse drawing?" is a legitimate question, even if you have no realistic ambitions to actually own it. I spent a few lovely moments with one dealer and her extraordinary collection of works on paper, including a beautiful red chalk Tiepolo head, and an extraordinary sketch by Corot. The next moment I was in a stall of a dealer in antiquities, looking closely at a tiny, exquisite Egyptian face from 2500 bce. The weather was gorgeous on Sunday so I took advantage of free bikes and a more casual dress code, and rode all over the city finding outdoor events. I started at the "Marche de la Creation" near Montparnasse, a fairly predictable arts fair that's held every Sunday (these take place in several locations on a published schedule) showing the work of local artists. The quality was fair to excellent, as anywhere, but I found several really interesting artists, including two photographers, an etcher, and a painter whose work reminded me of Basquiat - very powerful and bright with a great spontaneous hand. I actually bought one of his small works for the grand sum of 30 euros. (He's the one in the sun hat - which is from the San Diego zoo!) Later I came across a small collection of potters along the Viaduc des Arts, with a table set up to teach children to build french castles out of clay!

New Art in an Old City

Some people think art in Paris begins and ends with the Mona Lisa and the Louvre. You don't, or you wouldn't be reading this, so here's a plug for contemporary art in Paris. There seems to be more and more of it, and some very interesting stuff. I was at a 'vernissage' Friday night at Dorothy's Gallery, a very nice space in the 11th arrondisement owned by an American with adventurous good taste in contemporary art. In this group show featuring a wide range of styles and subject matter, I was especially taken with the work of Valentine Fournier, who makes chatty little dioramas with playfully arranged photos and miscellaneous objects, and with the narrative photos of Maia Rogers, which hint at strange stories through oddly juxtaposed figures and objects, obliquely reminiscent of Cindy Sherman's work. A 'vernissage' by the way, is an opening, but the word means 'varnishing' and originates from the grand official salons of the 19th century. The vernissage was the day when artists raced in to put the final touches - the varnish - on their accepted paintings, just before the doors were opened to the public. An artist friend in Paris has the same complains as artists everywhere, including expensive, hard to find studios, difficulty finding places to show, etc., but France does offer support for its living artists in a number of ways. There are city-owned spaces that artists can apply for to show their work, and there are also public displays of work on a regular basis. Each summer the Luxembourg Gardens hosts a scattering of sculptural works grouped by a rather lofty theme, usually to do with spirituality or human potential. This year featured a gigantic Buddha-like head in bright gold, but there was also a wonderful ring of Giacometti-like figures in bronze, whose attenuated bodies topped with graceful, spooky heads spelled out the word 'Tolerance.'