Septbember 22, 2009 (1pm-2pm); Sydney Mishkin Gallery on 22nd Street
The Arts at Baruch: Mercedes Matter workshop was interesting. I actually misinterpreted the title before I got to the workshop. I thought it meant ‘Mercedes’ (either an art technique or the car) ‘matter’ (as in that it had some sort of importance). However, as soon as the tour started, the tourguide explained it was a female artist’s name. Matter did mostly oil painting and charcoal and a lot of her works were still-life compositions. The tourguide went into detail about techniques that the artist used to achieve the desired color and texture. Matter’s later works appealed to me the most. They seemed like it would easily be incorporated in the decor of a luxury condo.
The tourguide left us with something to think about. She said “Never ask ‘What is it?, ask ‘What is the artist trying to do?” Now that’s something to think about.