Third of 365

Let's mix this up a little.

For those who don't know me, I am a Baroque/Renaissance specialist at heart. Furthermore, I tend to be a little biased in favor of painting. However, I don't mind giving mad props to cool art from other eras if I see it (hence the work of Señor Dalí as Post #1), not to mention I want this blog to have something to everyone. So, taking things in the FAR opposite direction of Titian...

Third. Arthur Ganson - The Kinetic Sculptor

Now, this is completely and totally new to me. A friend introduced me to his work a week ago at a dinner get-together. The work that I saw first was this one pictured above: The Little Yellow Chair. You can see a video of this piece in motion here. How interesting is that?

Kinetic Art, as defined by Wikipedia, is "work that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect." The first example of kinetic sculpture is attributed to Marcel Duchamp (Bicycle Wheel, 1913). The progress of kinetic sculpture was spearheaded by Alexander Calder and George Rickey in the 1950s and 1960s. Ganson takes a whole other look at kinetic art with his highly scientific, matter-of-fact sculptures.

Unlike the other two artists I have briefly (oh, so briefly) discussed so far, Mr. Ganson is still alive and working. You can visit his website at www.arthurganson.com for exhibition information and http://www.youtube.com/user/dreamingmachines for more videos of his works in motion !

"Technology is very seductive, and it is certainly changing the way things are designed and made and taught. The problem is when technology has seduced you away from thinking about things as deeply as you should." - Arthur Ganson