Author: Richard Bledsoe

Quotes: The Essence of Academicism

Richard Bledsoe Commentary, Quotes, Remodernism, Richard Bledsoe

“It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. There is no such thing as good painting about nothing. We assert that the subject is crucial and only that subject matter is valid which is tragic and timeless. That is why we profess spiritual kinship with primitive and archaic art.”

-Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb

It’s ironic that Rothko, the painter of rectangles, railed against a lack of subject matter in art early in his career. At the time, in the early 1940s, he was exploring fragmented mythological themes, blunt figures like broken chunks of classical statuary. The zones of color he later became famous for were already present-but only as backdrops.

Rothko ended up claiming that the removal of imagery liberated his art. The validity of that idea is challenged by Rothko’s ultimate fate: suicide. He slit his wrists in his art studio.

To lose the image was the great mistake of Modernism. The Remodernist artist commits to imagery. It’s a gesture of faith-the acceptance of the actual.

 

Commentary: Cultural Geography vs The Hegemony

Richard Bledsoe Commentary, Establishment, Remodernism, Richard Bledsoe

These days, why does so much art look the same, no matter where it was created?

The adaption of Postmodernism as an international style has largely erased local cultural influences in institutional art making. When art largely consists of assembling appropriated images from globally available electronic mediums, then it’s hard to identify origins.

Non-objective and abstract art is similarly generic. Smeared paint looks pretty much the same no matter where it comes from.

Rejection of the anonymous, slick styles favored by establishment artists is a characteristic of Remodernism. The art is personal, reflecting the unique quirks and experiences of the artist.

A truly personal art will inevitably communicate the intimacies involved in where an artist lives, works, the environment they experience, the terrain they navigate. Remodernism is a home grown and diverse expression, glowing with  local color.

Video: The Next Big Thing

Richard Bledsoe Commentary, Culture War, Establishment, Optimism, Video

BLOOMBERG: Contemporary Art Market Sizzling

The theory presented in the video is the art market will continue to thrive, based on the liquidation of great collections build decades ago.

But what about the artists of today? Who are the future super stars of art?

That is the problem with 50 years of agenda based art. Because quality and vision have been sacrificed for ideology and sensationalism, the productions of the current art world offer meager hope for enduring relevance and value.

Remodernism is not part of the elite’s plan. The arts establishment assumes they continue to dictate success in the arts based on cronyism and obedience. The idea of a grass roots movement that not only rejects current cultural institution expectations, but seeks to actively destroy their corrupt system, is inconceivable to them.

The feeble offerings of the contemporary art market can only exist in a monopoly format. If there were true freedom of expression, and a diversity of thought, then the art market would be out of the control of the self-proclaimed taste makers. The good news is this freedom is coming, whether they like it or not.

Remodernism will alter the course of Western civilization by restoring to art the principles that made our culture great.The forces of decadence and decay will be confronted and defeated.

What kind of price can you put on ideas that change the world?

History: Citywide Studios Part 5

Richard Bledsoe History, Richard Bledsoe, Writings

An ongoing description of my two years living in an art studio warehouse 2001-2003

The 2/3 of the room I made my working studio filled many additional functions. On of the primary uses was display space.

For many of the months I lived there, I signed up to be part of the First Friday gallery tour. Buses would come and deliver patrons to tour my studio.

For these events I would clear as much as possible out of the front space ahead of time.  I’d mop the cement floor with Spic and Span, and 409 the heck out of the bathroom.

I hung a new exhibit of work every month, originally my own, but in time I expanded to include guest artists as well.

In addition to First Fridays, every spring a weekend arts festival was held called Art Detour. Then I would be open all day Saturday and Sunday as well.