Q

Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective

My brain refuses to connect the word “drawings” to the renown Richard Serra.  Instead, it conjures up photographs of colossal metal sheets and bars that intertwine to form a “sculpture” when his name is spoken; an image in which the piece coldy dwarfs the urbanite standing at the edge of picture plane. So when I heard that the Woldenberg Art Center was hosting a lecture on the The Richard Serra Drawing Retrospective, I was well, hurt. Hurt, then pissed. My little art history ego was pretty bruised after I realized I hadn’t actually ever been taught about this particular selection of his works.  No worries though, I transformed my insecurity into annoyance at the Tulane Art Department (jk you ma boy plante). But not to diverge from the topic…the drawings are pretty amazing and not exactly what I would expect from Serra. For one, the drawings I’ve seen are not horribly expansive, making them more approachable to the viewer and allowing the possibility of eliciting a new subset of emotions within the viewer; a change from the scale-induced self-deprecation his sculptures prompted. While his dichromatic canvases are indeed stark, to me they only speak slightly to the level of austerity his traditional medium possessed. I imagine it must have been difficult to translate the sensations of tactile mass, volume, and magnitude onto a two-dimensional canvas; how does one convey heaviness, weight, burden, and detachment in a painting or drawing in manner that shuns the classic art tradition? Those things considered, he may have been successful…

Take for example, “Untitled” 1972-1973, at the Whitney Museum of Art, New York

The triangle’s richly drawn color swallows the viewer and potentiates the flatness of the canvas. However, the shape’s imperfections—the swelling off the oblique side, the smeared edges, the thin lines that seem to grow out from its body—remind me of how shadows and light distort the edge of a three-dimensional structure. You can even see in the lower right corner, that Serra drew projecting outlines of the shape, as if to place the viewer within the canvas, in close proximity to the focal geometric shape. A flattened sculpture if you will.

“Compressed Below” 2001:

I recently learned that SUNN O))) used this drawing as the cover art for their album “Monoliths & Dimensions” released in 2009. Who knew that I was looking at a Richard Serra drawing all this time?

Michelle White, curator of the Menil Collection in Houston Tx, will be presenting a lecture titled “Richard Serra: Drawing” at 6 pm in Stone Auditorium. Let me know if you would like to join me.

I’m into

vests lately, especially this cropped number.

Le Maquillage

The french term really does hit the mark, I wish I had more time to “make myself up” lately. School pretty much makes that impossible, along with having a life in general. I can still write posts about it though, and live vicariously through my tumblr! Yay !  … . But honestly, make-up is like painting, pick colors complementary to your skin tone (I used that word on purpose, think “complementary colors” like on a color wheel), and think of your face as a surface divided into planes. Some are larger and/or project out further towards the viewer…if this is something you want people to notice, highlight it with a sheer light color or shimmer. If it something you would prefer to depress, use a slightly dark color there or make sure to use a foundation/concealer that masks your color exactly. For any gal, stick to a yellow toned foundation unless you are a white as a piece of computer paper. Pink hued foundations are really obvious in the sunlight.

Make-up stttttooof I’ve been obsessed with for the past couple of months:

Nude Nails. Yup even on ze toesies. I bought Essie’s “Sand Tropez” this summer, and I have been addicted to it…it is a subtle dark beige with just a hint of gray to make it stick out from your skin color. For the toes, I love a brighter white-beige, looks clean and dare I say “polished” when peeking out from a your peep-toe shoes. They are also acceptable color to wear on the wards !

Bright Red or Orange Lipstick. It’s not just for pale, green-eyed blondes anymore. I hate to cite her or her family as an example, but Kourtney Kardashian makes orange-red lipstick look great on olive skin (really what have the kardashian contributed to society to be famous, other than being extremely annoying?). My older sister bought me “Showstopper” a pure red lipstick by Victoria Secret, and honestly I am in love with it.  Just go easy on the eyeliner.

White Eyeliner. Line your lower lash rim and inside corners with it and you won’t look like you’ve been studying all night because you mislabeled your test calendar. Reminds me of someone I know… I’m trying a couple of brands right now, let me know if you have any suggestions. This is also good for individuals who have smaller eyes and avoid black eye liner like the plague…this well definitely make them look larger.

Bare Escentuals Eyeshadows. Walking into to this store is what I imagine Charlie felt when he walked into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. So many highly pigmented colors and great for people with horrible eye allergies (my ophthalmologist is making a fortune right now), you will find a shade that works for you, I promise. The one thing I love about a majority of their shades, are that they a multi-chromatic and are fairly dynamic across your skin when light is shined upon them. I have been using their loose shadow, “Queen Phyllis” for a while now and which can also be used as a highlight. Recently. they came out with their pressed eyeshadows and I AM OBSESSED. I immediately bought the duo in the commercial, “The Scenic Route” because duoy, a pretty brown gal was wearing it and I have to support my peoples. Yesh, I am sucker for ads. Yes the color looks good on olive/tan skin.

Anything by Make Up For Ever. Hands down, my favorite make-up brand on the market. Everything spreads easily and smoothly, and LASTS. When I am having a horrible skin day (which unfortunately has been a lot recently, stress argh), I’ll spread a little bit of their HD Invisible Cover Foundation across my face. This stuff is amazing; it is said to be medium-full coverage but it feels so light as if it actually blends right into your skin instead of sitting on it. Don’t believe me? Go try it at Sephora an you’ll be a convert. Their Full Coverage Concealer is also awesome to dot on a pimp.

Lastly, random people ask me 2 things: 1. How do you do your eye liner? 2. Are your eyelashes real? I don’t really understand why people find eyeliner so difficult; I literally just follow the shape of my actual eye. Just carefully pull your eyelid taut and use a  sharpened eyeliner to SLOWLY follow your eye outline and voila! that’s it. I recommend always starting with a thin line and if you want to be va-va vomm go back and add additional line for more thickness. I have used the same brand since I was 14, Revlon ColorStay in Black…tried the luxe brands and this is still my fall-back.

#2. Yesh, my eyelashes are real, I am of desert kin.

I don’t curl them, I’ve never worn fake eyelashes, etc. I do wear some mascara when I go out, but I think the trick is to stick to er…one coat of mascara (?) for both your eyes. Meaning, I literally take the brush out of the bottle and use whatever mascara is on there to coat all the eyelashes on BOTH eyes in one use…I never re-dip when I get to the next eye, nor do I let it dry and apply more. I think redipping or adding coats makes your eyelashes look brittle, but that’s me. I been using the same inexpensive mascara,Maybelline Full N’Soft in very black, since I was 15.

OKAY DONE. BACK TO THE URETERS.

I’m a year round arnold palmer kind of gal.

Night.

Every gal

should own a red blouse.

Stay Saucy, New Orleans.