UnMasterclass 24

UnMasterclass recently met an artist who, though we were both aware of each other, we had not met before. We spoke of our work and he mentioned he had seen UnMasterclass. Interestingly he said he had seen one all the way through and part of a second one, he saw no point in watching any more as he got it from seeing one and would benefit from doing something else that watching any more UnMasterclasses, something we of course agreed heartily with him. This did make us question why we have committed to painting and uploaded our copies of paintings each week for a year. Why do 52 times, what you can do equally well with 1. Well there are many reasons, but none better than the difference between the maker of an artwork and the viewer of it. For us to paint one copy of a painting and post it on the internet is a insignificant gesture, one that would mean very little to us or the viewer. By repeating the act, then a critique of painting can start to unravel, one that you only need to watch one of, but that would be worthless without the knowledge of the fact of 51 other similar acts that exist. And, of course , you could we possibly unlearn how to paint in one episode, we need a full spectrum of the history of painting in order to fully show how not to learn how to paint.
This week a snowy French scene from Alfred Stanley's repertoire is tackled by UnMasteclass and might be one worth watching, or you have seen one other UnMasterclass then maybe not. http://vimeo.com/24916036 

UnMasterclass 23

UnMasterclass experienced something akin to how we feel each week on completion of painting our copies of copies of paintings at The University of Lincoln's fine art degree show this week. We were ushered into a lecture theatre and instructed to be quiet and wait for instructions. Before us lay a pencil and pencil sharpener......and an exam paper, something we left behind at A-level. Soon we were asked to begin our papers and were told we had 15 minutes to complete the rather thick examination paper. We were first confronted with a question asking us to define post-modernism, followed by a series of tasks such drawing our impression of Charles Saatchti, putting various art movements in order (some of which we could swear did not exist) and having to stand up and clap our hands quietly. We did not complete our task, having several questions to finish as the invigilator told us sternly to put our pencils down. the failure was not complete, we had further public humiliation to come as we all gathered at the front to have our papers marked. Our nerves increased as we saw others before us fail at the first hurdle for ignoring the instruction to write their names on the front page. We started to think why are we here, surely we became artists to escape the regiment and dross of the exam? How can we fail our art exam? Surely all those that did not put their names on should pass for being subversive? A big clunk of a FAIL stamp was pressed in red onto the papers of all those who had failed and were handed back with a flurry. Our turn came and with a flurry of red ticks our hopes and chances of passing started to look brighter. Till we got to the questions we had not answered and with one red biro cross the paper was shut and FAIL permanently inked on. We have been here before. Each UnMasterclass is a failure. But in art how can you fail? Surely it is right that an artist failed the art exam we had been presented with? Surely it was right that although we failed every question we did put down was right? UnMasterclass like the exam is not about failure as such, more that there is no wrong way, to fail is to succeed. Here at UnMasterclass we do not revel in failure, more that we unlearn what we know to move on. To see this weeks UnMasterclass go to http://vimeo.com/24689841 to fail an art exam visit Lincoln's degree show.

UnMasterclass 22

"According to many accounts within classical mythology, Sisyphus was punished for his impudence and lack of respect for the gods, and assigned the task of rolling a rock to the top of a mountain only for it to roll back down again. His interminable sentence was that he would remain locked into the repetition of this forever failing action for all eternity........More than a model of endless or uninterrupted continuation of action, a Sisyphean practice operates according to a cycle of failure and repetition, of non-attainment and replay; it is a punctuated performance. A rule is drawn. An action is required. An attempt is made. Over and over, again and again - a task is set, the task fails and the task is repeated. Ad infinitum."
Emma Cocker

The above appear to sum up UnMasterclass pretty well. UnMasterclass, like Sisyphus, is locked in eternal struggle of trying to attain a completion of  just one good copy of a painting, one that shows we have learnt what painting is. And like Sisyphus we have angered the gods (of painting past) and are locked in an eternal struggle of failure. We have neither the right tools, the time or the ability to achieve the perfection required, instead we are locked in a cycle of 52 weeks of paintings that are bound to fail. Our rules are drawn. Our action is ongoing. An attempt is being made. Over and over, again and again. Our task is set, Our task fails and the task is repeated.
Pop along to see the latest UnMasterclass http://vimeo.com/24356615 here or maybe this week roll a rock up a mountain instead of going to a gallery.

UnMasterclass 21

It is fast approaching degree show time for art students across the land and most are busy setting up their shows and those that paint will be hoping that their oil paint will dry in time. Here at UnMasterclass we are always equal parts overjoyed and disheartened/annoyed/seething/nonplussed about how so many students are seemingly learning painting the UnMaterclass way. When we look around degree shows we see so much evidence of how students are not looking at paintings themselves in order to further their discipline, we can only surmise that either UnMasterclass is in the Zeitgeist or our influence is spreading. Of course this is not just limited to students, head around the East End of London or Chelsea in New York and you will see a lot of unlearnt painting going on. Pat on the back for us.
Anyhow to keep the flame alive of the UnMasterclass way we have decided it is high time another UnMasterclass winged it's way to you. So you can either pop along to the trendy gallery areas to see the fruits of UnMasterclass or pop along to see the new episode itself at this link http://vimeo.com/24051343

UnMasterclass 20

Here at UnMasterclass we have looked on with bemusement at the UK government's recent decisions to increase the caps on tuition fees, after the removal of almost all their teaching grants to Universities. We have been incensed by what appears like a targeted response to the arts via these cuts to Universities, to tax payer related arts funding and local council's decisions across the land to cut all their funding to arts centres. We have looked on with bafflement, if not surprise, as two thirds of Universities have chosen to charge the top limit for their fees to students of the future and with a cynical sneer at recent reports of a removal of these capped upper limits. It really is not that far from the $30-40,000 fees of American institutions, we used to look at so incredulously at, this side of the Atlantic.
Anyhow we are pleased to say that here at UnMasterclass we can announce that we still charge no fees whatsoever for our un-tuition, a trend being mirrored around the country with free art schools popping up like popcorn in a hot pan around Great Britain, from Liverpool to Lincoln to London. However, UnMasterclass is, of course, different from all the aforementioned educational instances in that we do not proclaim to pass on knowledge through what we do; we do not expect anyone to learn through what we do. In fact quite the reverse, if you follow UnMasterclass then we can almost guarantee you will not improve as a painter. Much better to go and look at some paintings for free (while you can) at your local gallery or get saving for that trip to art college joy. Or if you do feel like experiencing another episode of UnMasterclass, the latest one can be found here http://vimeo.com/23698103

Being Lost

Being Lost
Adele Vallance / Brendan Lyons / Catherine Bertola / Kevin Hunt / Susan Collis

Curated by Andrew Bracey & Adele Vallance

“If the archive can serve no more than a tomb of remnants and traces, where is the place for that which does not survive or which, by virtue of the archive is forgotten”

Charles Merewether.

Being Lost brings together 5 artists whose work explores different notions of being lost; working with discarded/found objects and injecting life into them or working with the everyday, which we take for granted (and therefore can be argued that it is lost to us). The show is curated by artists Adele Vallance and Andrew Bracey.

The work in the exhibition presents a place that has been lost or forgotten; to give it a home or a function once more. To house that which the traditional archive would reject due to it’s requirement to be selective in order to keep more. The viewer can question their perception of traditional archives through the artist’s use of display and interpretation. There is re‐wiring and expansion of visual understanding of a particular or discarded object or mark.

Adele Vallance reveals the hidden histories of lost surfaces, through fragile glue casts; using the glues unique properties to create a record of the movements and involvements with the surface, adding a brittle trace to the process. She is a collector of what is infinitely collectable, our imprint in time.

Brendan Lyons uses paint to give an illusion of something other than itself. What may appear to be bricks, polythene sheets, builder’s orange safety netting or sheets of corrugated metal are, in fact, unsupported paint. A type of hunt is created, for the viewer to differentiate between the work and the real objects.

Catherine Bertola re‐ignites the lost practice of hand lace making in her Anatomy drawing. Pricked marks from the patterns of mass produced lace lingerie items become portraits, in the hands of Bertola, of real and imagined woman long deceased.

Kevin Hunt reconfigures and irreversibly alters found furniture into something approaching formal sculpture. The act of making, although premeditated, regularly turns out to be more casual, allowing for serendipitous and chance happenings.

Susan Collis creates subtle depictions of mundane and accidental marks, revealing beauty in something usually overlooked by all but the most attentive observer. Through meticulous processes of the works manufacture, something initially passed off as insignificant gains a currency of awe in the viewer.

28th May ‐ 4th June 2011

Private view Friday 27th May 6‐8pm
Open 12‐4pm Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th May and by appointment until 4th June.

ww.rogueartistsstudios.co.uk/projectspace.asp
 
Rogue Project Space, 66‐72 Chapeltown Street, Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 2WH

t. +44 (0)161 273 7492 / e. info@rogueartistsstudios.co.uk / Open by appointment

UnMasterclass 19

“Easy to use, informative and fun, it’s an A to Z guide of 500 painters and sculptors from medieval to modern times. It debunks art-historical classifications by throwing together brilliant examples of all periods, schools, visions and techniques. Only here could Michelangelo be considered with Millais, Picasso with Piero della Francesca and Rodchenko with Rodin.”

The Art Book

“Easy to use, informative and fun, it’s a guide of 52 painters from medieval to modern times. It debunks art-historical classifications by throwing together brilliant examples of all periods, schools, visions and techniques. Only here could da Vinci be considered with Millais, Bacon with Lippi and Malevich with Fantin-Latour.”

UnMasterclass

Many of the paintings in UnMasterclass were drawn from The Art Book, published by Phaidon which I received for a birthday when a teenager first starting to think I may become an artist one day. It seemed an appropriate tome to turn to when conceiving and carrying out UnMasterclass and it was rarely deviated from. We hope UnMasterclass is as “easy to use, informative and fun” as the The Art Book claims to be. This week another classic painting goes under the proverbial hammer and is annihilated by the UnMasterclass team. Go along to http://vimeo.com/23383749 to see the latest episode, or of course as usual we would heartily recommend you went along to a gallery instead.