Date: November 17, 2009
Time: 1:00 – 2:00PM
Location: Mishkin Gallery
This workshop is basically an art tour or an art gallery of Mercedes Matter’s abstract paintings and art works. It’s a showcase of her quite bizarre, strange and colorful paintings. It is not an art for everyone, especially for those who doesn’t really appreciate the type of art one believes a child can do.
I selected this workshop because I desperately needed a workshop for Arts at Baruch. And I, myself do create art through drawings and sketches due to the influence of my mom, who is also a painter herself. It didn’t take me out of my comfort zone at all. I find it quite interesting, actually. I learned a lot about the artist, Mercedes Matter. I learned that she has been a painter all of her life, incorporating her unique takes of ideas through abstract painting. I noticed this in her use of vivid colors and the movement within the patterns and the strokes of her paintings and drawings. What strikes me the most is that she spent months, sometimes years in some of her paintings.
It somewhat failed my expectations because I was quite excited to be in an art gallery, but her paintings and charcoal drawings did not really appeal to my taste. I do appreciate the colors and the brush strokes, but I’ve seen these kinds of artwork before. Abstract art isn’t really my cup of tea when it comes to art, unless it’s by Pablo Picasso, who I think effectively conveys meanings and emotions behind his bizarre artworks. I would recommend it to another student if he or she desperately needed an Art workshop or is in the mood for a nice stroll in an art gallery.
I learned a lot about Mercedes Matter and her passion for art — she began painting at the age of six— which is what really impressed me about her. This workshop definitely encouraged me to continue with my own passion for drawing and appreciating other’s artwork.