by marissa bea
Though it sounds like a photography show, The Pictures Generation at the Metropolitan Museum is actually a large body of work by some 30 artists between 1974 and 1984. Educated by the minimalist and conceptual artists of the 60s, this young group from downtown New York City uses a variety of mediums, from painting to video, to sculpture and audio, and of course photography is also represented. Some of the more infamous artists include Cindy Sherman, Allan McCollum, David Salle, Richard Prince, Barbara Kruger, Sherri Levine, among many other greats.
 |
|
…
The Pictures Generation combines minimalist, conceptual and pop-art, to both add themselves as a branch to these movements, and break away from them at the same time. Their main focus is on the return to the recognizable image while still maintaining much of the conceptual and minimal mindset they had so long been learning.
There are a few great pieces that have become somewhat lost in time, such as David Salle’s set of four photos, depicting women holding coffee mugs and looking longingly out of windows. Each photo is affixed with a coffee label, and the set has only been shown once before, ever. The group is silently taking a stab at consumer culture; though a far cry from Warhol’s soup cans, one can still see the similarities. Another large creation I loved was the altar-like triptych by Troy Brauntuch, hovering over one end of the gallery, and quite sinister in its simplicity. The flanking images of lights reaching toward the heavens evokes a very dark religious feeling; even in the brightly lit gallery, I got shivers.
The exhibition is wonderful, specifically because it actually gets better and better the more you see. The recognizable images seem to become more recognizable as you walk through the show. One can almost visualize the progression in their thought process, as if they all sat around. This was never an official “art movement,” but I was surprised to see so many pieces that were very well known to me, and indeed are very famous in the art world in general. I recognized numerous items that had been taught in my various art classes, and even several which are popular with the public.
This exhibit actually made me very hopeful for the artists of our current generation. Quite a few times I have heard complaints about there being no great art movements anymore (i.e. Modernism, or Romanticism), from friends, or acquaintances, or whomever. This group of work and artists quite easily shows that an official movement is unnecessary to make great art. Communicating ideas, connecting with other artists and staying honest to your own art are all that’s necessary to make art memorable and meaningful. So often we forget that within the span of history, “movements” are terms placed upon groups long after the era is dead and gone. Only recently have people begun creating these groups to be a part of, and they do exist all over the world, at this very moment. I wouldn’t be surprised to see art from my peers in an exhibition at the Met in 30 years time.
