Neo Rauch’s Many Ways
“Vater” 2007, Neo Rauch/Artist Rights Society
Two weekends ago I went to the Met to see “Para” the new exhibit of Neo Rauch paintings. My eyes wandered subjectively from the painting “Vater (father)” being fathers day, and began thinking about whether or not fathers have people that look after them when they are old as in the painting, or do they, through out their careers create artificial systems of comfort in order to feel a certain sense of being cared for. I thought for a second about salary men in Japan who are ostracized by their children for never being at home and at the same time if they do happen to lose their jobs become an embarrassment to the family, even if his unemployment means more quality time at home. That is a father’s discomfort.
I enjoyed the smaller works like “Die Flamme (the Flame)” for it’s focus and the sincerity of his intent. Ever so often the larger works seems out-of-control, a problem that I feel many painters have when they try to approach a large canvas with a big idea. But maybe that’s a good thing, especially at a turning point in an artists career; the need to fail to reach a higher or simply different ground.
“Die Flamme” 2007. Neo Rauch/ Artist Rights Society
Then came “Vorort (Suburb)”, a riot in the city’s fringe. I would like to hope for more movement in our own suburbs, but for some reason this hasn’t happened since the 2002 LA Riots, the last example of the heat from the fringe was outside of this country, in Parisian suburb of Clinchy-sous-Bois, summer 2005. Remember how they demanded attention? It’s really the end that interest me, not necessarily the destructive means. I though also for a second about a Dana Schutz painting, “The Fanatics” with a similar theme. What was the cause of both these visions? “Is it an internal or an external force?”, I would ask Schutz and Rauch that question. (By the way, there is a nice review of Dana’s work in “Image Search” by Steven Stern in Frieze issue 106, April 2007 pg. 137)
“Vorort” 2007, Neo Rauch/Artist Right Society
“Fanatics” 2005, Dana Schutz/Zach Feuer Gallery
Finally, In Roberta Smith’s New York Times Review “Curious Time Travel Through Art History”, she discuss what she calls the “mediocrity” of his new body of work, and instead day dream about Neo Rauch’s true beacon. That being a painting without people, without architecture, just a field of red soil, 4 dry bushes. I dug up an image of the work out of curiousity… “Acker” 2002 (image below). I’m still not convinced that this is truly his beacon, or at least his one and only beacon. Most artist usually have more than one, there are other factors that decide which is brightest, such as criticism.
“Acker” 2002, Neo Rauch/Artist Rights Society/David Zwirner Gallery