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12/25/2007: "Mr. Speivolgel"
Recently I attended an art opening at an upscale gallery in Manhattan. It was an exhibit showcasing the work of eight artists from different parts of the world. Very eclectic show: abstracts, representationals, oils, acrylics and so on. The air was charged with energy and the works were presented by the gallery in a sleek and sophisticated setting. Three of the canvasses were not only unframed, but rusty tack marks, puckers and tears were clearly visible on the raw sides of the canvasses. The three paintings were the work of a known artist. They were beautifully executed for subject matter, but I was surprised at the presentation. I was shocked that the gallery hung them as such, because the "Unfinished Look" was distracting and had nothing to do with the subjects of the paintings. It was not as if these works were making a statement for a work in progress. The paintings themselves were quite finished. They were not of the "grunge school," either. Even if the works had been neatly stretched and left unframed, it would have been less obtrusive and more in keeping with the quality of the show and the prices!
In another part of town, I attended a photography show that exhibited the work of 50 emerging photographers. Much of the work was neatly if not beautifully matted and/or framed. There were many standard sized metal frames and mats: I use these sometimes, too. Framing is very costly, especially when the artist has used money for materials and, of course with most shows, everything is on spec anyway. At this particular photography show there were some photographs presented in poorly cut mats and cello sleeves. There were actually two artists who simply thumb tacked their work to the walls.
I think that if work is not well presented, it's a turn off. I have been to numerous out door art/craft shows, malls, street fairs and I frequently gravitate to the attractively presented items. I may have no particular interest in what the vendor is selling, but I am definitely drawn to a visually appealing exhibit. I do not necessarily believe that making a good presentation has to be enormously costly either. If time and care are taken, a simple "package" can look quite wonderful. However, it often seems that people do not want to and/or cannot take the trouble to craft a presentation.
One of my passions is to photograph the old carvings on buildings all over New York City, New England and Miami. There are incredible ornamentations that are no longer incorporated into buildings because it is too expensive to do so even if the builder could find the artisans. These carvings represent the immense time and care that used to be taken when an artisan was crafting a work. I marvel at the details: feathers, flowers, gargoyles, intricate interlocking ribbons of stone and metal, and so on. These works of art were commissioned by builders in the United States as late as the early 20th century. Of course they come out of the magnificent tradition of European ornamentation. Other areas of the world, as well: Africa, Asia, the fabulous Inca motifs beautified the exquisite building facades of that era. Eventually, vendors of stone and other building materials manufactured precut ornamentation for facades that were used on the humblest establishments. Now, it's all being replaced with modern, glass and steel structures. Nothing wrong with a stylishly simple building. Minimalism. Environmental Design. I'm devoted to Frank Lloyd Wright, I. M. Pei, Philip Johnson, but it is sad to think of what is gone. In previous times, even the humblest, poorest brownstone or factory was adorned with the beauty that hands carved artistically.
This lack of craftsmanship extends to many other areas of contemporary life. I believe however, that many people long for and miss beautiful craftsmanship. The ubiquitous cooking shows on cable TV are endlessly stressing presentation. I appreciate the efforts that the chefs take with the way that the food is plated so that it is visually pleasing. I am a very visually orientated individual, I suppose. I was never more surprised by lack of attention to detail than when I went to the preview of Princess Diana's clothing which was auctioned off for AIDS. Although I thought that the gowns were stunning, as I got closer, I saw that the workmanship was lacking. Beading was cut and seamed together, stitching was obvious and the work that, in the past would have been done by hand, was machine produced. Perhaps I was the only one who noticed or cared about the finishing of a dress that must have cost thousands of dollars, but I was truly disappointed that a certain dedication to detail was not evident in the creation of the gowns of the most famous princess of the twentieth century.
Recently, my aunt's sister died at 94: lovely woman, a teacher. Her passion had been clothes. Her father, Mr. Speivolgel, had been a tailor in the 1930's. His daughter, Minnie, took up knitting and crocheting garments. The two created a fabulous wardrobe for Minnie. When she died, I inherited her clothes. Never was craftsmanship or the current lack of it more evident than when I tried on suits tailored in 75 years ago and still in perfect condition, knitted dresses that fit the body as clothing should, attention to detail that created wearable garments that flattered the body. Unlike much of today's clothing, most of which begins as "sale" items, Minnie's suits, dresses, coats were custom made with an eye to the completed creation as worn to its best advantage. Those days are gone. Cost to buy such garments would be prohibitive, even if there are skilled tailors to produce the clothes. The same with architectural ornamentation and many crafted items. But I took a leaf from Mr. Speilvolgel's book and am concentrating on the craftsmanship of my presentations while recording the wonderful efforts of the artisans who spent their lives attending to the details that would make even the most modest thing a thing of beauty.
Replies: 16 Comments
on Wednesday, January 2nd, vanessa said
I get some nice art magazines from speedimpex.amazonwebstore.com and foreignmags.com check them out. They have some great stuff.
on Thursday, December 27th, Ellen said
Olga- A sad commentary! I guess we have to continue to pruduce the best quality work, in total, that we, as artists, can.
on Thursday, December 27th, Olga said
Yes, Ellen:). But gallery is happy to have that show - it brings a lot of people&buyers from another area of culture. The guy is very powerful
on Wednesday, December 26th, Ellen said
Mark-I've been SO there! People told me it's OK: show the work this way. I KNEW it was a REALLY BAD MOVE, but I did it ....That happened when someone convinced me, when I was 16-years-old, to put drawings on illustration board & "frame" the edges of the paper with electrical tape rather than matting or years later to buy cheap lucite box frames & cut my drawings to fit when I was 30. I wanted SO BADLY TO EXHIBIT THE WORK that I did not hold out for the presentation I wanted. Thank God, for my own self-respect, I finally GOT IT! Olga- Isn't that the PITS! Going to that kind of show!! Very arrogant of the artist! Thanks to both of you, Olga & Mark, for your responses! Walt- I'd love to meet GG! She could probably give me pointers!
on Wednesday, December 26th, Olga said
Ellen, I was recently visited one gallery in Manhattan as well. And I also had the same impression. The artist is quite well known in his area (he is not professional artist:)), so he had no problem with sales...But the quality and presentation..Auch! I think he does not care what other artists think about him. He is already there, at the top.
on Wednesday, December 26th, Mark said
For a very short time I was in a gallery in Savannah, GA. (it closed down shortly after I began showing there, hhmmmm hope I didn't close it down, LOL) the owner was having a 'New Artist' show, and she told me not to frame the work. I painted the stapled sides so as to give the canvas something more then just a raw look (I stretch my own canvas)the painted edges looked sorta, kinda OK. The owner loved the work and hung the show. I went to the opening and was very disapointed, I should not have listened to her and put some kind of frame on the work, never again I swore. Even now I find simple wood lattice or square moulding around the edges is better then nothing, even square cut (I can not miter to save my life) is better then nothing. Certainly nice frames (I prefer simple frames as I find buyers usualy change the frame anyway) can enhance a work. I often buy frames from a mail order chop shop (outsourcing here too) to save money and they are usualy fine. Any way I agree Ellen, simple framing is better then nothing.
on Wednesday, December 26th, walt said
Ellen, my grandkids call her GG for Great Gramma! She has 8 grandkids and 8 great grandkids. Now that she's getting used to her hip therapy she's looking for something that isn't terribly taxing to keep herself busy.
on Wednesday, December 26th, Ellen said
Merry Christmas Jose! Here is an interesting concept: When I was a child in the 50's, there was very little "poster art:" the printed framed art that is selling everywhere. Where did it come from? It became too costly to use ceiling/baseboard/chairrail mouldings in new homes & apartments. All those gorgeous interior details were eliminated because of overhead. Thus, the moulding manufacturers went into ART! The fine art poster business increased 80-90% because of the framing business generated by the about to be defunct moulding manufacturers. Voila: deck your walls for $59 while you live in "Little Boxes." I DO like framed posters, but the cost of beginning/jump starting THAT business was very high aesthetically. Jose- Why don't you contact some Eastern people in your area. I know several Eastern framers in NY and the orientation is more kindly towards the artist. I do not deal with people who are unaware of the competition or take advantage of immigrants. My contacts (Eastern & European Americans) are just more willing to accomodate artists. Art seems to have a more significant place in their traditions than in those of other framers with whom I've come into contact.
Walt- Sounds like the perfect time for your Mother to get back into painting/drawing! Grandchildren usually provide artistic stimulation: my Alice does!
on Wednesday, December 26th, jose said
Merry Christmas Ellen. I enjoyed this blog and the exchange of comments so far with Walt. I agree that presentation is important and need not necessarily be expensive, a lot of the things you mention there gave me the goose bumps. For me cheap presentation equals cheap attitude and deserves cheap return – what goes beyond my understanding is how so very often such artists get away with it and make a bundle. Since my return from the East I haven’t been able to get many works framed, I simply can’t afford the Euro prices. I’m reaching a stage now where the sale of one work allows me to consider framing two more, but it takes a great deal of considering to convince myself.
I guess I was spoilt. The relationship I established with my framers in Brunei will be difficult to repeat [Alley Framers in the Kiulap sector of Bandar Seri Begawan – they deserve the mention]. Not only were the prices within reason but they would ‘build’ frames to my specifications and share in the enthusiasm of the effect it would cause. Those were great times. I went into a framers’ a few months ago in Lisbon and described the concept only to walk away moments later shaking my head in disbelief. Things definitely have changed… for the worse.
As to what you say about buildings and façades, I couldn’t agree more. I’m tired of glass and steel and I’m disappointed at how easily architects fall for the wonders of engineering without bringing in adequate balance, without incorporating past legacies into the new. It feels in many ways as if we are too ashamed of our past history and wish to sever ourselves from it all, our heads high in the clouds cut off from our bodies and our roots. Arrogance.
on Wednesday, December 26th, walt said
She was. I learned a lot about art from her. She never thought she was much of an artist...mostly saw herself as a crafts person. But that didn't matter to me. I learned about paints, how to take care of my brushes, a little bit about drawing. Some things about brushwork. Ultimately she sort of quit. She changed her focus to sewing, her first idea was to be a fashion designer. She had a small business making dresses for weddings for a while. She didn't design anything original but was great at taking patterns or old gowns and reinventing them.
She has, of late, been thinking about taking up painting again. She's in her late 70's now. After two knee and one hip replacement she's still getting around. She just came to visit with my father to see my sons new baby. It was a great visit. She's a wonderful woman.
on Tuesday, December 25th, Ellen said
LOVE IT!! Did the frames sell? Could I do it, too? I have numerous frames stored!
Re the bee polin: it's better than the artist who sells WORLD TRADE CENTER DUST!!
Walt- other people's childhoods are so appealing..your Mom sounds like a great mentor!
on Tuesday, December 25th, walt said
Oh, it was good and bad. The short period in which we owned the frame shop was a good time for me in terms of art. Not so good in other relations though. But you know you get through these times and move on.
I once saw an exhibition in Chicago by an artist who did exactly what you described. An tentire show of massive 8 or 10 inch wide black empty frames. Must have been about 20 of them on the walls. Each was approximately deisgned to hold a painting about 4' by 5 feet in size...each equally empty. My young friend who took me to see the show was excited by the interview with the artist. I couldn't keep from giggeling the whole time. Eventually I had to leave. The king was in fact wearing no clothes and the artist had not even the slightest sense of irony about the whole affair. His justification was quite different from one that would suggest a tongue in cheek poke in the eye of the art elite. The other artist in the show was the guy who makes piles of bee pollen. For me it was the end of the avant guarde movement.
on Tuesday, December 25th, Ellen said
PS, Walt: Sounds like you had a WONDERFUL childhood
on Tuesday, December 25th, Ellen said
Walt- Merry & Happy! I completely agree with you on many levels. I, too, feel the insane crunch of frame prices, as I'm sure many young and struggling artists feel much more intensely than I. I do bemoan the bygone days of magnificent craftsmanship, not only in frames, but in many other areas. There is, however, something to be said for neatness. I deplore packaging that is THE product: one may as well buy an empty frame! Kind of like the Emperor's New Clothes. I DO think that a presentation can be simple and neat. Frequently the large chain stores have inexpensive decent, if not beautiful frames; however, they are always stock sizes. I have several sources for modestly priced frames/framing that I found on the web & at trade shows. Sometimes I make my own frames from aluminum stripping, or even just carefully stretch the canvass & paint the sides black or whatever.
An interesting aside: Years ago when I did a dog portrait for Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, I was asked how I would frame the completed piece. I never framed ANY commissioned pieces.... I responded that I thought that Her Majesty would prefer to select her own frame! All the best in 2008!!!!
on Tuesday, December 25th, walt said
Sorry I hit the submit button too soon.
My mother was a very creative person, quite skillful with faux finishes some of which she taught me. But while faux finishes and gold or silver leaf finishes were time consuming and expensive minor color changes were easy and took only a few extra minutes in the course of putting a frame together. Once the moulding had been cut it was easy to change the color of any given frame. It too less time to repaint as it did to let it dry sometimes. So this was often a selling point. In the end the retail price of any given frame was marked up about 7 times plus the cost of materials and labor for any custom work.
The work a framer does is a business. While they may take some pride in their craft it is not so much a soul or spiritual affair as a job. It is primarily a matter of technique alone. Yet we end up paying more sometimes for framing than for the art it surrounds.
I've mentioned before that I've often seen football jersey's framed in spectacular frames woth hundreds of dollars. Intriguingly clients today won't buy an unframed work of art but will gladly buy a jersey from a player they admire and then turn around and spend unheard of amounts of money for a classy frame.
I've spent an enormous amount of time during my career looking for inexpensive but quality ways of presenting my work. Because of my background I don't hold it against framers for making a profit. But at the same time I want to present my work in a quality form. Recently whle in New York I found a line of prestretched canvasses assembled in India which are very nicely put together on thicker stretchers. When I priced the bars and canvas to put similar sized stretched canvases together myself I found these were only slightly more expensive. They are massive enough that I can present them unframed and they feel right. I, on the other hand feel a little bad that I'm essetnially outsourcing the price of assembly to save some money cutting out work that might usually be made in America. I feel bad that I'm guilty of the very thing I hate about big American corporations. My only recourse though given the desire of the art buyers in the U.S. who will buy a lesser quality but nicely framed work of art over a higher quality work of art left unframed or poorly framed.
This problem leaves an awful lot of really great but poor artists in the lerch. It puts a heavy financial load on younger artists especially. As important as presentation is it is sad that packaging becomes more important than the art it is meant to present.
on Tuesday, December 25th, walt said
Ellen, while I essentially agree with you about presentation and quality let me be, for a moment, the devil's advocate.
Framing and presentation of works of art have become a nuisance if not a bain on our existance as artists. Framers often make more money than the artists whose work keeps them in business. And I know something of the framing buisness because once upon a time my family owned a frame shop and I did my share of framing, matting and the refinishing and refurbishing of frames and other odd items brought to the shop.
I remember listening to my mother talk about how to sell a frame to a customer. Mom was brilliant and not only had an eye towards quality and creativity but also towards what the costumre understood and liked. She also understood a budget and how to meet a customers expectations and hopes within whatever budget they brought with them.
I remember her explaining how she would choose three frames, and three matte combinations to present to her customers. One would be simply awful. One would be perfect and within the budget of her client and one would be perfect and just outside her clients budget. Her strategy was to do away with the less acceptible choice right away. Then it would get down to the two good choices... the one that fit the budget and the one that was a bit too expensive. Her strategy was of course to please the client, give them a choice they could afford and one that was just as nice but too expensive.
Her goal was not so much to sell them on something they couldn't afford but to show them that an equal choice did not have to be expensive. Her intent was to seal the deal as quickly as possible without costing the client too much. But it did of course also insure that if the client chose the more expensive framing solution she would make a little extra profit.
