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The Rice Thresher
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Former visiting professor explains abstract expressionism by KRISTINA GROENNINGS THRESHER STAFF
Irwin's lecture tackled the nature of art, focusing on abstract expressionism in particular. According to Irwin, artists moved toward modernism because previous artistic interpretation "did not tell the full story." Irwin said the term "abstract" is inappropriate when applied to an art form that is, in fact, grounded in reality. "No artist worth their salt ever makes abstract art - they try to make it as real as possible," Irwin said. Irwin discussed public misunderstanding of the nature and purpose of abstract expressionism. "The public doesn't understand the concept of taking out all meaning of a structure as a way of entering into it," he said. Abstract expressionism deals with "the world of the phenomenal in which not all things are concrete," Irwin said. Abstract art may be intangible because renditions of one object can vary greatly, and Irwin said this is due to a difference in how the artists as individuals interpret reality. Houstonian Joan Miller previously attended a lecture by Irwin in Houston and has studied his work. Miller said she is most impressed with his down-to-earth explanation of the meaning of art. "He really focuses on the intellectual in art and he ties it all together," she said.
Architecture student Bill Rankin, a Jones College senior, also attended the lecture. "It's interesting to see an artist reference their own work with respect to the context of the art of movement," he said. However, Rankin questioned the accuracy of some of Irwin's remarks. "I thought that he used his formidable presence as a way to overshadow his seriously flawed but confident simplifications of the history of modern art," he said. English Professor David Minter disagreed with Rankin's analysis of Irwin's speech. "He's very much aware of relationships between modern and post-modern art and philosophy," he said. "A lot of people that talk that way are just trying to impress you, but it's really the way he thinks. He has a great gift." Irwin was one of the founders of the "light and space" movement in the 1960s. He and other American artists transformed gallery spaces into complex optical illusions, using transparent and reflective media to perplex the viewer. Irwin's specialty is on-site work, particularly the areas of landscape and installation. His innovations have been displayed in locations worldwide, including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The artist was also commissioned to create installations for Rice in the 1980s in his position as a visiting professor. - back - |
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