Thursday, February 25, 2010

alberto giacometti

One of my very first art loves in high school was Alberto Giacometti. I think the intense package of human emotions he packs into his sculptures and paintings and drawings is a perfect fit for an angsty pondering teen and young adult. I've been carrying around this postcard with me since the mid-1980s. For me it says a lot which I have in my head and heart. Like, here, I MADE this. MADE it. This is what life is, making things.

I read the book A Giacometti Portrait by James Lord and felt so that I could identify with the idea and the act of trying with all your might to create and how torturous that can be. And how sort of endless and finally undoable. At least this was how I felt in college. I was really very intense and serious!

So, I wanted to put this artist in your head to think about and maybe read about. I've read the Lord book multiple times plus this other biography he wrote about the artist.

And while we are on the subject of art and artists and intense self-absorbtion (! I say this with a smile and also with endearment) you may want to take a look at the book Art and Fear.

Plus, as I was researching Giacometti on the net I found this video which I quite like:




The bit at the end with her friend passed out on the bed is entertaining, no?
Love,
Liane

1 comment:

Jane Flanagan said...

I'm a big fan of Giacometti too. He was friends with my hero, Beckett and their work really resonated with each other. I will definitely look out for these titles!