Ep 71: How Often Do You Think About the Fall of the Roman Empire?

Paul Klee loved working in a wide variety of styles at once in his paintings: abstract, representational, runic or symbolic. His oeuvre literally contains multitudes. I recently saw a show of his late works in New York at the Jewish Museum and was amazed at how many mediums and approaches to painting were on display. This episode honors him and his radical reconsideration of Painting with a side detour on Magritte. Come along for a wild ride!

We're talking collage! Jennifer Coates joins me in a quest to get to the heart of why collage is such a powerful generator in the studio. We also take a look at 2 artists who used collage in different ways: Lee Krasner and Jess. Krasner used collage at certain key moments to bridge bodies of work, and Jess used collage as his main ecstatic medium spanning more than 4 decades of his output. As Krasner teaches us: "Knife or scissors...no tear! "

Louise Bourgeois Part 2! Mandolyn Wilson Rosen is back in her Book Talks seat to help me dissect a new delicious art book: Drawings & Observations by Louise Bourgeois with Lawrence Rinder. Bourgeois referred to these sketches as her "thought feathers" and revealed her thinking behind the reproduced works in recordings transcribed by curator Lawrence Rinder. It was so cool to get these direct insights into her imagery. This episode is a sequel to the recording right before this one (about our trip to view Louise Bourgeois' NYC home). Check out Part 1 if you missed it!

Beka Goedde and Mandolyn Wilson Rosen join me this episode to unpack our experience visiting renowned artist, Louise Bourgeois' home in NYC. We entered her historic brownstone and were immediately transported to another world and time. Louise lived a full life but was very much an artistic homebody. She made her home her studio in every sense of the word, stuffing each room full of materials to be on hand whenever inspiration struck. She found a way to balance family life with making her work and rode out long career lulls with grace and determination. Come along with us as we discuss our peek inside her sanctuary.

In this new Book Talks episode, Mandolyn Wilson Rosen is back to help me review a new art book: Jack Whitten: Notes From the Woodshed, Edited by Katy Siegel for Hauser & Wirth. Equal parts profound, strident and hilarious, Jack Whitten's (1939-2018) 50 year studio log packs a wallop. And it's meaty at 581 pages, so we had lots to discuss! Stick around to hear some sage advice, inspiring tales of studio experimentation and even some positive affirmations from this incredible painter and sculptor.