I have previously seen the work of Picasso in Munster in Germany a few years back. Before going I can't say I really had any particular interest in his work, it never had the same appeal that other work did for me. However, after seeing his work in Germany I was really growing quite fond of him. The work showcased in Germany was the 'hidden' works of Picasso, the lesser famous pieces that nobody took too much interest in. When going to the collection I was greeted with more work that was lesser famous, and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to look at it. Here are a few pieces I noted down from the exhibition:
The Rape, from the Vollard suite (1933)
The Cock, Illustration to Buffon's Historie Naturelle (1942)
The Lizard, Illustration to Buffon's Historie Naturelle (1942)
The other key artists work that stood out to me throughout this exhibition was Salvador Dali. Previously I had seen a few key pieces of Dali's work, but never held that much of an interest in him due to his style not really inspiring me. Due to these pieces all being concentrated on the aspect of prints, these works I however felt had a much different feeling to the work of his that I had previously seen.
These French railway posters of Dali's I found to be very inspiring. The mixture of the original railway poster, and Dali's own strange printing on top. Each poster still featured and incorporated the original famous landmarks for each city and the city name.
The mixture of colours and patterns in this piece 'Paris' (1969) are what first attracted me to the piece. The piece has a very feminine feel to it. The large black center piece to me represents the females head form, with long flowing black ink as locks of hair. The butterflies and colour seem to explode from out of the form, creating a sky of colour. Paris is typically linked with being 'the city of love', and love is related to being a very feminine emotion. I believe Dali has used this throughout the work to capture the essence of each of the cities.
The Blue Owl (1968)
I also enjoyed this piece by Dali. This etching caught my eye due to my fascination with owls and animals in general, but also just the pure illustrative value that it holds. It captures the feeling of children's stories and books, and makes the animal seem playful and sweet. Owls are birds of prey, but Dali's looks as if it is ready to be cuddled up to during the night. I also enjoyed this piece as it is practically pure havoc. The owl is made up from many chaotic lines thrown about everywhere.
The work of Matisse and Warhol sadly left me with much to desire, and more inspiration needed. However, this trip to the Usher I found to be very inspiring. It has made me think about the possibility of creating work using print more in the future.
Lastly a quote from Andy Warhole that I found to be interesting; 'They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself'.
