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| ABOUT TRaC |
Fast TRaC Spring 2005
East Village USA At first glance, the New Museum's East Village USA seems rather condescending. It is like the opening page of a Book for Dummies, written for an ignorant, older and Caucasian generation seeking to become more involved with its youth and a pop-cultured society. The location of the museum brings with it a certain degree of expectation, if the audience is knowledgeable: Chelsea galleries display nonconformist work often done from a political standpoint without reservation. Because it is the modern artist's chance to succeed and make a living, he/she often disregards the rules of all traditional art according to its history. Instead, the work seen is done with a modernist influence, but in an original and nouveau style. Thus, in entering a space with a post-modernist exhibit, one may already have a certain mindset and attitude. As the spectator, one expects themes regarding drugs, homosexuality, violence, racism and sex. Although hoping for a contradiction of one's expectations and a setting that is not mundane, these desires may not be met. The work took the eye directly into the late 1980's to the Lower East Side, where graffiti was just becoming the trend and where the city was no longer safe at night, due to robberies and promiscuous and taboo activities. The naïve viewer may have experienced shock in this environment, for the images portrayed completely deteriorate any sense of idealism: someone that is not aware of this age of artistic production grasps that here it is not the material of the image which is essential, but what the artist made of his particular subject. In the age of David Bowie and Keith Haring, the artists did not have traditional training in any sense of the word. They sought to completely recreate what art was thought to be by the elitist audience. Art was no longer commissioned as it was in Renaissance Venice, but instead it was the artist's chance to shine and make his mark on either a throng of fanatics or an appreciative audience. The boundaries were much dispersed and did not really exist any longer, in terms of limits, with messages that were expressed. Simple icons like Mickey Mouse were taken and recreated, for everyone was familiar with the image; however, duplicating the Disney character several times on a canvas automatically sent a political message regarding consumption and national obsessions. These were the thoughts that ran through my head as I looked at one piece in particular. It was a cartoon done by Kenny Scharf, which was set in a fantastical world. Set against the aqua-colored backdrop are images of Felix the Cat, Sonic, the Jetsons and other rather familiar figures. This category is somehow separate, however, from artists who turned to complete originality, such as Jackson Pollack: he created a technique which is now imitated, but has previously never been attempted. One artist who falls into the category of artists making an inventive mark on the world is Basquiat. He became a popular icon due to his relations with Andy Warhol, but he was completely unique. He was not well supported financially, but he had thoughts he wished to express publicly. He also had a limited education, and in particular had not studied art with anyone of note. His work consisted of bringing complicated "adult" themes into very childish images, like those that would be produced by a second grader. The fact that critics of this time period did not hesitate to allow an unrecognized artist to flourish is very clear. Because this was a rebellious age for the current baby boomers, the population sought to completely rewrite all laws and limitations which had been followed previously. This is readily seen in the visual arts produced during this period: colors are vivacious and topics are controversial. In order to gain an accurate understanding of this age, however, a critic's comprehension is not sufficient; a visit to this museum is more than necessary for the general public.
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