Contemporary Artwork, Classic Materials

Mad Meg (detail), 2010. Judith Schaechter (b.1961). Stained Glass Lightbox, 52 x 21 in. New Britain Museum of American Art, Paul W. Zimmerman Fund, 2010.66.

There are countless contemporary artists who have appropriated classic materials to create their works of art. In selecting acculturated media, such as stained glass, these artists infuse the resulting artworks with powerful connections to the past. They confront the traditions of society to engage the viewer in a conversation about what art is, where it came from, and where it is going. The New Britain Museum of American Art has recently acquired two striking examples of contemporary art that are born out of classic traditions and materials from centuries past.

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Museum Ethics: Examining Religion through Art

The Anunciation, ca. 1430. Stefano d’Antonio di Vanni (1405-1483) and Bicci di Lorenzo (1373-1452). Tempera and gold leaf on panel, 64 ¾ x 56 15/16 x 10 in. Walters Museum of Art, Acquired by Henry Walters, 37.448

Across the world, religion and art have long been tied together. Religious objects are often artistically embellished and art objects have been executed with religious themes. Although these particular practices are not as prevalent as they once were, art is still used to explore religious themes. Interestingly, artists, collectors, curators and publishers are finding this vein to be a contentious issue.

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Digitally Created Artworks by Julian Opie

Graham, guitarist; Alex, bassist; Damon, singer; Dave, drummer, 2000. Julian Opie (b. 1958). C-type color print on paper laid on panel, 34 1/8 x 29 7/8 in. National Portrait Gallery, Given by the Art Fund, 2001, NPG 6593 (2), NPG 6593 (3), NPG 6593 (1), NPG 6593 (4).

When reading the NBMAA blog post “Blending Cultures: Alexis Peskine,” the British artist Julian Opie comes to mind, who also implements computer technology to create his artworks. Fans of the BritPop movement might know Opie’s album cover that he created for Blur: the best of with a portrait of each of the band members. The cover itself was free of any text. Instead, the album title was printed on the spine of the jewel case. In a limited edition release, the band’s name was embossed onto the middle of the casing. Opie made these “digital drawings” by outlining his photographs of the musicians. The artworks were created in three different sizes. Blur owns the small-sized set and the National Portrait Gallery in London is the proud ownder the medium-sized set.

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Blending Cultures: Alexis Peskine

Identité, 2007. Alexis Peskine (b. 1979). Nails and lacquer on wood, 3 x 4 ft.

Alexis Peskine, born in September of 1979, grew up in Paris with his mother and father. It is evident in Peskine’s work that he takes his incredibly diverse heritage and cultural background very seriously.  As a single person, he is Black, White, Jewish, French, American, Russian, and Brazilian.  He produces many works with American culture in mind.  He is currently both a resident of Paris and New York City.  Many people with diverse backgrounds tend to focus on one or two predominant aspects of their heritage in their art, and Peskine is no exception.  He uses his varied heritage to his advantage, and clearly, he’s doing it successfully.  His works first began to be exhibited back in 2003 when he was just 24 years old, adn today he is one of the most promising rising artists.

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