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The brush is a muscle that can move the world
Sunday, August 5th, 2007 09:42 am.
HERE is a fascinating video about artist Phil Hansen. Not only does he create timely art that comments beautifully on current issues, but he also exposes the process of creating them by inviting viewers to watch him doing it via webcam. Thus he throws open the doors to art, making it transparent and egalitarian.
This video really impressed and touched me. The pieces discussed include a portrait of Kim Jong Il painted in the artist's own blood, a piece done by soliciting life-changing experiences from web viewers and then writing them on a moving circular board, a series of paintings on plaster bandages on his own chest depicting his art influences (he painted the pieces in layers, painting over each one in white before starting the next one), a portrait of Bruce Lee painted by dipping the edge of his hands in black paint and applying them to the canvas in a series of karate-style chops, a collage mural of the Ku Klux Klan made up of tiny scraps of Bible verses, and others. All of these were documented on video for the edification of his viewers.
This is art of a very high order, in my view. Not only is Phil creating beautiful pieces (and they are beautiful - I'm not a fan of ugly or unfathomable art), he is transforming the process from a private one into a shared paradigm. He creates beauty and changes minds and the world while he's doing it. That's true art right there.
You can follow Phil's work at his web site HERE.
HERE is a fascinating video about artist Phil Hansen. Not only does he create timely art that comments beautifully on current issues, but he also exposes the process of creating them by inviting viewers to watch him doing it via webcam. Thus he throws open the doors to art, making it transparent and egalitarian.
This video really impressed and touched me. The pieces discussed include a portrait of Kim Jong Il painted in the artist's own blood, a piece done by soliciting life-changing experiences from web viewers and then writing them on a moving circular board, a series of paintings on plaster bandages on his own chest depicting his art influences (he painted the pieces in layers, painting over each one in white before starting the next one), a portrait of Bruce Lee painted by dipping the edge of his hands in black paint and applying them to the canvas in a series of karate-style chops, a collage mural of the Ku Klux Klan made up of tiny scraps of Bible verses, and others. All of these were documented on video for the edification of his viewers.
This is art of a very high order, in my view. Not only is Phil creating beautiful pieces (and they are beautiful - I'm not a fan of ugly or unfathomable art), he is transforming the process from a private one into a shared paradigm. He creates beauty and changes minds and the world while he's doing it. That's true art right there.
You can follow Phil's work at his web site HERE.
