Richard Notkin is a bold and incredibly talented artist. His political commentary is strong and not all ceramic artists (or patrons) may agree with it, but the skill and talent behind the work can nonetheless be denied. When I first started at San Francisco State, I was shocked by the fact that none of the other students to whom I mentioned him knew who I was talking about. I guess you could say, Notkin is high on my list of ceramic artists we should be familiar with, not just as other ceramic artists, but as students of ceramic art especially. This is why I'm sharing Notkin today, because he is an essential and prolific contemporary artist in our medium.
Notkin reminds us of the possibilities for using our medium as a means for social commentary and dialog, especially in times of such political, environmental, social, and economic unrest. Part of our jobs as artists, though many may disagree as they have in the past, is to breech subjects others might not be able to. Art has a great power to ignite conversation and instigate understanding between people. Just remember that...
(images via Ferrin Gallery and ArtAxis)
1 comment:
Political concepts may turn off half of your viewers (since we're such a polarized two-party country in so many silly ways), but I kind of wish there was more of this in art these days. Even though when it comes to politics I'm very cynical myself. Maybe I should be creating cynically political sculptures . . .
Love his work. I think my fave is the dog and the fire hydrant.
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