Rothko touched people, Local Tienda touches wet dirt, Jonah Hill touched a nerve
Welcome uncultured swine!
I’m a few merlots deep and have decided I understand abstract expressionism. What’s abstract expressionism? A moving fucking target that’s what, but apparently Mark Rothko does it well so we’ll start there. Put your horn rims on for:
Cried from a Mark Rothko? How? (Long read)
INTERVIEW with ceramicist and rug maker at Local Tienda (Chatty)
Jonah Hill’s text messages (wish it could be quicker)
Rothko made a Mark
To the untrained eye this might look like two blobs against a blobby background. To the trained eye it’s still that, but art. This may come as a surprise but Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, known as Mark Rothko, was a wildly popular 20th century painter most famed for his multiform pieces such as above. It mayn’t come as a surprise that Rothko had almost no technical training, yet these simple pieces have brought observers to tears and I’m sure if I keep typing I’ll find a reason why.
This style of art is known as abstract expressionism. In seeking a simple definition for abstract expressionism I found a lot of words that meant a lot of nothing but as I understand, it’s a form of art channelled through subconscious creation; what you feel is what you get. Rothko was a Russian-born, American immigrant whose father died of cancer shortly after his family fled Russia in fear of the Imperial Russian Army draft. Suffice to say Rothko probably had some feelings and those cunts needed channelling. After observing a sketch class at the Art Students League of New York, he began working at his craft aged 20.
The lack of technical training ultimately served Rothko in what he wished to achieve. His work became more rudimentary as his career progressed, likely seeking a creative purity seen in childhood having once noted, "child art transforms itself into primitivism, which is only the child producing a mimicry of himself." No idea what the fuck that means but I’ll attempt to paraphrase it as a child’s creativity is a reflection of their immediate senses and feelings. Rothko’s multiform paintings are his (often melancholic) feelings mirrored back in the purest way he could manage.
Even if all this sounds like absolute garrrrbaggge it’s worth noting his ascent to popularity was in the immediate aftermath of World War II. At a time when the world was scary and bleak, the notion that people sought escapism and a representation of feelings that wasn’t prescriptive doesn’t seem that far fetched. A painting of pink, red and orange could be a sunset, maybe the colours are a reminder of an object or a place, maybe it’s not that deep and the pretty colours just tickled some fancies. Either way people got shit from his paintings and whilst they haven’t brought me to tears, they did bring me to write a few paragraphs about a few blobs. Oh art.
Quick Q’s with artist of Local Tienda
They say you never forget your first, my first chat was with the ever so talented Nina Stirton of Local Tienda (localtienda_), I am charmed and you will be charmed too.
Briefly, who are you and what is your craft?
I'm Nina, currently working under the name local tienda. I work with many mediums, but primarily focus on clay.
What made you want to make shit?
Because it is deeply satisfying to me (although it can be frustrating too but problem solving is fun). There's so much joy in being creative and being inspired, and I like being in this space as often as possible.
Why did you choose the craft you chose?
I like the tactility of clay, and even its messiness. I like that I can collaborate with it and control it enough to make a form, but then there is an element of mystery in how it turns out. I love that there is endless opportunity to explore and grow in this craft and it feels inspiring working with a practice that is so rich in tradition and history.
What about this industry is most likely to give you a drinking problem?
I guess that sometimes it can feel like an exclusive club and that you have to be super talented and or connected to be worthy enough to be accepted. But I do feel like that is changing more and more, because art is for everyone.
How can it reward you?
I like that the whole process of it feels rewarding to me even if no one ever sees it. It brings me joy and meaning in the moment, it's a bit like time is suspended when I'm creating.
Three artists (dead or alive) you'd want to bum a ciggie off and why
Frida - because what an amazing force she was. I would hope that she could impart some of her wisdom.
Cy Twombly - because he understood how to say so much with so little. I like the themes he drew inspiration from; nature, the seasons, ancient cultures of Greece and Rome and the passing of time.
Satoru Hoshino - I love his approach to clay, and his relationship to it which he believed should be collaborative. He had a lot of respect for the natural world and was a part of an avant garde non-functional ceramic movement in Kyoto, which tested the limits of clay and pushed it into the field of artistic expression.
Finally, why the fuck should we buy your stuff?
Because it will make your home look cute. @localtienda_
Bless! Please do buy her shit, it’s very special and supporting emerging artists is an aphrodisiac.
Emerging slam poet: Jonah Hill
In a controversial follow up piece to his confessional film, Stutz, our therapised protagonist, Jonah Hill, shows us how he uses the tools he learned through psychiatry (above). A natural wordsmith, Hill begins by listing the unsavoury behaviour’s of ex partner, Sarah Brady, (surfing with men for cripes sake!) and finalises the prose with a touching ultimatum. These are relatable sentiments by the Stutz star, I myself am perplexingly still single and all I ask of my prospective partners is that they respect my boundaries by giving up their careers, hobbies and friendships otherwise, like a female spider feasting on her mate after intercourse, I’ll eat them. Looking forward to another therapy instalment from Hill as his written word pieces could thrive with the addition of self awareness.
OK! That’s all the artistic expression I can spout today, special shout out to my EDITOR Grace Wilkie and people who are bothered to check their emails wow wowwy wow wow.
Until next time MWA MWA Maggie Jean xx
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