So, despite the chaos of Super Bowl week, i was able to sneak away for a few hours to visit the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg. I highly recommend it. My Art Director Jaime and Gallery Director Carol took a drive over the LONG bridge to St. Pete. I was impressed by the sheer scale of so many of Dalí’s paintings. And i was pleased to see that the evil influences that took over his print market in the 1980's did nothing to dimminish his reputation and legacy. He was so far ahead of his time and in fact, his work is virtually timeless. The museum was full of original works, many of which had never been seen anywhere else before. His work reflected his eccentricities and his deep desire to be unique and to carve out his own niche in the world. I feel an affinity with Dalí, the artist…if not with Dalí, the man. I am driven to carve out my own place in artistic history and to create a body of work that reflects the tone of the times in which I am living…, but as those of you who know me can attest, i am definitely NOT eccentric. Actually, i'm pretty boring.

Dalí is an inspiration to artists today. His vision of the world…the way he literally stretches the boundaries of reality, but at the same time tells the story of his world…gives us a goal to reach for. Communicating an idea…a feeling…a concept through a painting…there was nobody better than Dalí.

I was reading a great blog entry last week about Andy Warhol and a biography written about him, Andy Warhol Prince of Pop. The author wrote:

Andy Warhol is inseparable from American Pop Art – an art movement that started in the 1960s and continues today. What made Warhol famous over and above other Pop artists (such as Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wasselmann, James Rosenquist, Claes Oldenburg) was his application of this art form into media such as advertising, design, books, films, TV production and fashion. Besides, when other famous Abstract Expressionist artists of the time (such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko) remained true to their oeuvre, Warhol shamelessly experimented with different media, form and content, extending the boundaries to establish his own style and standards not only on Pop Art, but also on contemporary American culture.

Andy Warhol is often referred to as the Father of the Pop Art Movement, which began in the 1960's. My first exposure to Andy Warhol's work….other than the famous soup can paintings….was his 3D movies in the 1970's….Andy Warhol's Dracula was a personal favorite. He was so avant garde in his film making. His sense of feeling wasn't like any movie i had ever seen before…very dark with strong sexual overtones. Very interesting for a movie about Dracula.

I think that what made Andy Warhol so incredibly special was how he was able to move into so many worlds with his artwork….very similar what Robert Rauschenberg accomplished but even more so. Warhol was into art, films, fashion, architecture, and advertising. His influence permeated every facet of popular American culture. He was a newsmaker and a celebrity presence.

What is amazing for me as an artist is to note the way that he was able to apply himself with equal energy to so many pursuits. For me, just creating the artwork that i create is all-absorbing. It's all i think about and all i do. It takes a great deal of energy. I can't imagine how much energy and focus it took for him to express himself in so many different ways.

I was once asked whether or not i was part of the next generation of pop artists, carrying on the work of Warhol, Rauschenberg, Rosenquist, etc. It's a hard question to answer. I look at how many of those artists were considered commercial and today are revered as famous fine artists. Sometimes i feel like i am going in that direction too – i hope so. I do believe that i and my contemporaries are the next generation in a sense…maybe i unconsciously feel an obligation to carry on the movement…but that makes it sound too important. It's not something i think about very often because it's too much pressure and i'm just not there yet. I ASPIRE to be considered the “next generation” and to have that responsibility…but only time will tell if that's how my work is seen.

–Charles

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I know i'm a little late commenting on the death of the great Robert Rauschenberg, but someone mentioned his name to me today and it got me thinking…His death in May was a big loss to the art community. He was one of the few artists who successfully worked in and was influential in so many different media. He was a painter, a sculptor, a filmmaker….and even an entrepreneur. He was similar to other artists of his generation in that he took every day items – even junk – and made them into art. He was at the forefront of the whole pop art movement to which I claim to be a part.

Admittedly, I was never a huge fan of his paintings but I know how impactful he was to the way the world views artists of all types. He was eye-opening and so important because of what he was able to acccomplish during his life. You see that a lot more now….artists evolving their work into different media. Rem Koolhaas is another great example…he's a fantastic artist who has made an incredible name for himself in architecture. His work is just amazing.

As a 3D pop artist, I always aspire to work in different media and so far, i've tackled painting, sculpture, children's books, and I guess entrepreneurship…..someday maybe i'll try filmmaking.

Goodbye Robert….and thank you!

–Charles

I recently had the chance to see the Red Grooms exhibit at the Hudson River Museum here in Yonkers, NY. I first saw his work about twenty years ago at an exhibition inside Manhattan's Grand Central Station. I was amazed by the scale of his pieces. They reminded my of my own pieces but they were huge – life size actually, and in sculpture form. You could walk right into them. I've loved his work ever since. The closest I have come so far to creating that kind of feel with my work was a project I completed for the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. My original works were incorporated into the design of a new Childrens' wing with big sculptures, furniture, and architecture…all based on my art. I'd love to do more of that.

Here are some links you can explore:

Red Grooms on Wikipedia
The Hudson River Museum