art discussion question 800 words

800 words 

We are talking about modern work and a bit about abstract expressionism in Lesson six. I want to bring in my favorite artist to this discussion as he is a leader in these groups: Cy Twombly. I went to The Menil in Houston to see the Cy Twombly gallery a few summers ago. It was much like a pilgrimage for me. I am going to put up a link to the Menil here in a bit. But first I want to talk about Twombly. It took me awhile to come to terms with his work. I want to encourage you to look at all the links closely. Try to spend some time just looking at the work with out forming too much of an opinion if you can. Try to just be with one or two of the pieces for a few minutes. Then come back and post some ideas about Cy Twombly and Abstract Expressionism. How does it differ from Minimalism?  

Remember to avoid blanket statements like "I just don't get it." Try to give reasons and think about the context of the work as well. Credit will not be given for statements that do not contain use of key terms, formal analysis skills or have some sort of reasonable point about the work. How would your analysis sound as a discussion of a novel or play? Would you write that a novel wasn't your "cup of tea?"  Probably and hopefully not. By now you should have some good terms and analytical skills to apply to the work in question.  You should also consider the size of the work, medium and date.

Here are a few links on Twombly:

Tate Collection

http://www.cytwombly.info/

See the following links to learn more about abstract expressionism:

www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm

www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/tl/20th/abs-expr.html

Here is a general overview of Modern art as a time line (not comprehensive)

www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/timelines/modern_art_timeline.htm

And a few other notable Ab Ex painters:

http://www.moma.org/collection/artists/1974

http://www.moma.org/collection/artists/3240

http://joanmitchellfoundation.org/work/artwork/cat/paintings

optional additional discussion topic: 

Here is a recent news story that stretches almost 80 years into the past. What do you think Museums should do if they find out art work they purchased was work that was stolen or looted previously? Should it be returned to the family?

Read this article and post your thoughts. Consider how you would feel if you were David Toren. Also, how could this case affect other future cases?

Should Museums provide additional documentation of sale history for older work? Or, does this place too much of the burden on Museums?

https://news.artnet.com/people/david-toren-villa-griesbach-465407