The idea behind the pen
The inspiration for this Little Black Book of Artists stems from my experiences as a student of art history, assistant curator at an art museum, director of a private gallery, and countless interactions with artists, advisors, curators and other art industry professionals.
Every time I hear someone say “I just don’t get art”, I think about Benjamin Buchloh, the art historian whose writings nearly broke me in college. He wrote extensively on the major movements of the 20th century, as well as the artists that defined them, such as Yves Klein, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, and Richard Serra.
Buchloh's dense writing style tends toward "high-brow" terminology, obscure historical references, and extensive diatribes on whatever he defined as good or bad art. His critical analyses are poetic illustrations of intellectual expertise at their finest, ranking among the gold standards of scholarly review. And his work nearly destroyed my life-long passion for art. Is this man talking absolute nonsense or am I just too stupid to understand?
Even after all these years, and despite the fact that I still keep a copy of Formalism and Historicity on my coffee table as a reminder of what hundreds of reading hours (and sheer will power) can accomplish, I never quite shook my annoyance with Buchloh and the many art historians and critics that employ his same elitist writing style.
It occurred to me that no one in their right mind, besides art students and professionals such as myself, would ever take the time to dissect pretentious and horribly complicated articles designed for industry experts. In fact, when confronted with such writings, people would likely lose interest altogether.
And so I’ve decided, appreciating art doesn’t need to be so damned complicated.
Art is, in my humble opinion, much more enjoyable without all the pomp and circumstance. Critics, auction houses, galleries, and art magazines are in the business of telling us what to like and what is worth our dollar, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter whether an artwork is on display at MoMA or a pop-up gallery in a bad part of town. Talent is talent.
When writing my brief reviews, I take great care to avoid researching gallery or artist too closely before visiting, and even greater care to view all artworks with a clear head and open mind. The goal of this Little Black Book of Artists, is to present my honest impression of exhibitions, artworks, and the talented artists who have found their way the bustling art market.
The end result is, I hope, a fun and practical collection of art reviews for your reading enjoyment.
– Jessica Kennedy
