ArtDiction March/April 2021 by ArtDiction Magazine

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Abstracts & Illustrations Volume 28 March/April 2021 www.artdictionmagazine.com

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FEATURES 16 Abstract Expressionism

Jill Block uses abstract art as a means to express her self. Her cheerful, bold colors align perfectly with the artist she is and the energy she exudes.

32 The Rise of Digital Art

Digital art is picking up plenty of momentum this year. We examine the most popular forms of digital art and some of the world’s most famous digital artists.

36 Community-Inspired Art Illustrator Nick Davis appreciates his ability to use his art to tell a story, and he uses it to inspire his community. 46 The Misunderstanding of Abstract Art

Some art critics dismiss abstract art, describing it as a lesser type of art. We are here to defend it.

48 Illustrating Emotions Using color pallets and objects with specific meanings, Andjelija Kedzic emits emotions while incorporating various dimensions of aesthetics. Cover photo courtesy of Nick Davis.

In Each Issue 5 small talk 7

news

12 exhibits 58 artist & ad index

Photo courtesy of Andjelija Kedzic .

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small talk

©Jill Block

e’re passing the oneyear mark dealing with this pandemic. I’m sure you’re tired of living with it, and I’m certainly tired of writing about it. But things are looking hopeful. I’m proud that, in general, we’ve learned to adjust, although painful at times. We’ve changed our way of living in many areas, some arguably for the better. Thanks to technology, art is still flourishing, exhibits are still occurring and artists are still creating. In this issue we feature three artists, all of whom are self-taught. I didn’t search out artists to interview who didn’t receive “formal education.” That’s merely a coincidence. But I’m am inspired by it. Education has its place, but sometimes it’s the natural creativity within an artist that can produce some of the best

art. Sometimes art is a feeling, a moment or a certain energy, and that’s something that just can’t be taught. Jill Block is an abstract painter. Through her art, we are able to interpret lines, waves, shapes and spaces. Being a catalyst to inspire and uplift a community is something Nick Davis does masterfully with his art. Finally, Andjelija Kedzic’s art makes you think, and it makes you feel. I’m grateful for the artists in this issue. Their nontraditional route to their art career is motivation to me to continue in my path despite the speedbumps and roadblocks. I hope it does the same for you.

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LA LUZ DE JESUS GALLERY

Onward 2.0 Portraiture & Figuration

news United States Artists CEO Deana Haggag Steps Down, Will Join Mellon Foundation United States Artists (USA) announced that president and CEO Deana Haggag will be stepping down to continue her trailblazing work at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In her new position as program officer in arts and culture, she will focus on “the current and emerging infrastructure and fieldwide needs of artists and arts organizations,” according to a press release from USA. Haggag has led United States Artists for the last four years, during which time USA grew rapidly. The foundation bestowed 60 of its signature fellowships this year alone, an unprecedented number of awardees and a 30% increase from their numbers at the start of Haggag’s presence with the organization. Under Haggag’s leadership, USA also founded the Berresford Prize, an unrestricted $25,000 award given annually to “a cultural practitioner who has contributed significantly to the advancement, well-being, and care of artists in society.” Haggag will stay on with USA until April 30 and will be succeeded by interim CEO Jamie Bennett who served as executive director of ArtPlace America from 2014 to 2020. He was previously the chief of staff at the National Endowment for the Arts as part of President Obama’s administration, and chief of staff at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs under Mayor Bloomberg. “We are in a great position to continue to expand our support and services to artists throughout the country and we are fortunate to engage Jamie Bennett to continue our work,” said Ed Henry, USA board chair, who also announced

Portrait of Deana Haggag (photo by Braxton Black, courtesy USA).

his renewal in that position. “There is truly nothing more fulfilling than working in service of artists,” said Haggag in the press release. “Leading USA has been an immeasurable honor… As we recover from this challenging moment, I am humbled to take these lessons with me and to learn from colleagues at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as we continue advocating for our nation’s beloved artist community.” London’s National Portrait Gallery Improves Representation of Women The collection of artists Christo London’s National Portrait Gallery announced it will launch an effort to improve the representation of women in its collection. A proposed three-year project in collaboration with Chanel will seek to increase the number of portraits by women artists and featuring female sitters in its holdings. Reportedly, only 25 percent of the portraits in the gallery’s permanent collection feature women sitters, and just 12 percent of the works owned by the museum are by female artists. The gallery stated that it intends to highlight ArtDiction | 7 | March/April 2021

“overlooked stories” by acquiring historic portraits of women who have had an impact on British society. Flavia Frigeri, the curator who is spearheading the project, said that there is a glaring need for more thorough research on the contributions of women throughout the nation’s history. “They might have made an important contribution to the war effort,” she stated in an interview. “They might have written treatises on mushrooms … the range is quite vast.” Researchers have already begun examining the accomplishments of little-known British women like Noor Inayat Khan, a British radio operator who worked in occupied France before her capture and execution by the Nazis. Last August, Khan became the first woman of South Asian descent to be given a blue plaque in London. The plaques are scattered throughout London, signaling where notable people in British history lived and worked. The gallery has been closed since March 2020 and is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar redevelopment. Its doors are expected to reopen in 2023.

news Remembering Experimental Photographer and Musician Barbara Ess Artist, musician, and educator Barbara Ess has died at age 72. Known for capturing everyday life in her art, Ess was a pioneer in the fields of experimental photography and film and a longtime professor of photography at Bard College in upstate New York. “Ess was a radical force and approached her life and work with enormous spirit, fearlessness, humor, and intellect,” Ess’ gallery Magenta Plains read. Ess once said that the aim of her work was to “transform the ordinary into the symbolic and reveal meaning in the apparently mundane.” Born in Brooklyn in 1948, Ess studied philosophy and English literature at the University of Michigan. After graduating in 1969, she worked as an editor at the political magazine War Peace Reporting. In 1971, she enrolled at the London School of Film Technique. She did not complete a degree but instead chose to join the Film Co-op in London to work as an artist. She later moved to New York and became deeply involved with the city’s music scene, performing with No Wave groups including the Static, Daily Life, the Glenn Branca Ensemble, and Y Pants. She also founded and edited the mixed-media publication Just Another Asshole, a submission-based platform known for its multifarious offerings and iterations. Ess’ photography is known for the use of a pinhole camera she fabricated in 1983. Creating an ethereal effect, her images often featured spectral figures and disorienting landscapes that aren’t easily recognizable at first glance. She exhibited the images she made with that

camera at several New York spaces throughout the 1980s, including Franklin Furnace, Cable Gallery, the Kitchen, A.I.R. Gallery, Printed Matter, White Columns, and Artists Space. She also showed in the 1987 exhibition “Non in Codice” at the Galleria Pieroni in Rome, which also included pieces by artists Dara Birnbaum, Dan Graham, and Rodney Graham.

Ess’ photography is known for the use of a pinhole camera she fabricated in 1983. Creating an ethereal effect, her images often featured spectral figures and disorienting landscapes that aren’t easily recognizable at first glance. Additionally, Ess’ work appeared on the cover of Artforum in 1990. The Queens Museum in New York organized a traveling survey of her work in 1993, titled “Barbara Ess: Photography, Installation and Books,” and she began regularly showing with the New York dealer Curt Marcus beginning in 1997. Her work also began to look more intensely at issues of illness and aging. She told the Los Angeles Times in a 1991 interview, “We all have to deal with the fact that ArtDiction | 8 | March/April 2021

Barbara Ess.

although we experience life largely through our souls, the world judges us in terms of our bodies.” She released her acclaimed photography book I Am Not This Body in 2001, a compilation of major works by the artist, and all the while she continued creating music. Throughout her career, Ess had retrospectives at the Queens Museum, the Center for Fine Arts in Miami, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. Her work is in the collections of the Whitney Museum in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pompidou Center in Paris, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and other institutions. The artist’s latest works took up existential questions and mysteries as well as notions of distance and separation. “You don’t have to look to the sky or go to a psychic—our daily life holds all the answers,” Ess once said. “But it’s hard to recognize them—at least I have a hard time sorting it all out. I wish I knew what I was supposed to be doing having a life on earth.” Magenta Plains said in the announcement of Ess’s death, “Her artistic impact is greatly felt, and she leaves behind a formidable legacy through her work and her students. The profound loss of Ess creates a huge void, however there is much to learn from her vulnerability and directness, her dedication and her vision.”

news

Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego to Open in September Two San Diego-area art spaces, the San Diego Art Institute and the Lux Art Institute, announced they will combine to form a new organization, the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego in September. The executive director of the new ICA, San Diego will be Andrew Utt, who has served as the executive director of Lux since June 2019. The ICA will begin a year of thematic programming responding to the environment with the first California solo show by Mexican conceptual artist Gabriel Rico, whose installation will bring together man-made and natural materials coalescing into “a radical vision of this delicate point of human life,” according to a press release. The new organization will have a combined exhibition space of 15,000 square feet of gallery space and will extend beyond the confines of the institution. “The mission for the organization is to question everything,” Utt said in an interview. “What if we don’t have a white space, or can’t get there, or are intimidated? How do we think outside our walls? Our vision is to be everywhere and for everyone. The two spaces, that experience will never go away, but we have other ways of engaging with art and ideas. We see them as a jumping-off point.” Utt added that the merger came from his desire for collaboration with other art institutions as director of Lux. He reached out to the Art Institute about partnering, specifically to revive their artist residency program. “They were super excited about it, got funding, then Covid happened. All that got thrown out the door,” he explained, “but we continued to have the desire and need for partnering. I proposed to the director of the Institute, ‘How

Gabriel Rico (photo by Diego González Argüelles, image courtesy Gabriel Rico Estudio and Perrotin Gallery)

about we come together as one organization?’” The boards of both institutions agreed to consolidate, and with a grant from the Sahm Family Foundation making the merger possible, the ICA, San Diego was born. Staff from both institutions will be retained, although prior to the merger decision, the board of the Art Institute chose not to renew the contract of its then director, Jacqueline Silverman. The first exhibition at ICA North will showcase Christine Howard Sandoval, an artist of Obispeño Chumash and Hispanic ancestry who investigates contested histories of representation, land use, and ecology, through sculpture, video, and performance. Following Sandoval’s show on August 21, ICA North will host shows by New Yorkbased media artist Marina Zurkow, and Mexico-City born conceptual artist Minerva Cuevas. Leading up to the ICA’s opening, Lux will round out its exhibition program with shows from sculptor Beatriz Cortez, painter Amir Fallah, and Baseera Khan who investigates the messy, often violent intersections of culture, identity, and capitalism. Utt believes that San Diego’s status ArtDiction | 9 | March/April 2021

as a border town with a rich Latinx history is central to the new ICA’s identity and mission. “San Diego’s population is 34% Latino. There are a lot of people who live in Tijuana and work in the US. It’s the most trafficked border in the world,” he said. “Bi-national identity, and trans-border identity, has a very long history here. It’s important for us to be a part of that.” Utt added that this merger is a great opportunity to evolve and become more aligned with what’s happening with the world and engage with people in new and creative ways. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Honored with Permanent Statue The Castello di Rivoli has offered up iThis U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in September 2020 from pancreatic cancer is being honored with a new sculpture in her native Brooklyn. The work of Australian art duo Gillie and Marc, the statue is the latest in the series the “Statues for Equality” launched near Rockefeller Center on Women’s Equality Day in 2019. The initial project honored Oprah Winfrey, Pink, Nicole Kidman, Jane Goodall, Cate Blanchett, Tererai Trent, Janet Mock, Tracy

news Dyson, Cheryl Strayed, and Gabby Douglas with life-size bronzes. The artists hope to draw attention to the fact that New York City suffers from a dearth of public monuments honoring real life women— until recent efforts to improve the situation, there were only five civic sculptures of historic women, compared to 145 of men. Last summer, Central Park unveiled the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument, honoring Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth. It was the first new permanent sculpture in the park in 70 years, and its first honoring a historic woman. Gille and Marc got Ginsburg’s approval for their statue before her death. “The statue… reflects her wish to be depicted in a dignified manner,” they said in a statement. “With the two steps on its large base representing the Supreme Court and the climb she made to get there, the work is designed to provide the public with an opportunity to stand at her side, and gain inspiration from her journey fighting for equal rights.” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who was on hand for the work’s unveiling at City Point in Downtown Brooklyn, has declared March 15, the late justice’s birthday, Justice Ginsburg Day. “RBG was clearly a symbol of what’s great about this country and how, when we are inclusive, we can stop the level of exclusiveness that is pervasive throughout this country,” Reservation with City Point are required to view the statue. Museum of London Acquires Large Trump Baby Balloon The Museum of London has acquired a large balloon depicting

Gillie and Marc’s statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Photo courtesy of the artists.

an unflattering caricature of Donald Trump as a giant baby. Depicted in a diaper and waving his cell phone around, the sneering trump balloon was first flown over London’s Parliament Square in 2018 to mark the then president’s official visit to the UK and has since been used to express dissent at anti-Trump protests around the United States. The London museum first expressed interest in acquiring the balloon two years ago, and says it will conserve the object as part of its collection of protest ephemera, potentially displaying it in the museum’s future new home in West Smithfield in “the coming years,” according to an emailed statement. Museum of London director Sharon Ament stated that the balloon marks an important continuation of London’s rich history of political protests, which includes the Suffragette marches of the early 20th century right through to the Black Lives Matter protests last summer. “By collecting the baby blimp we can mark the wave of feeling that washed over the city that day and capture a particular moment of resistance,” Ament says in a statement. “A feeling still relevant today ArtDiction | 10 | March/April 2021

as we live through these exceptionally challenging times—that ultimately shows Londoners banding together in the face of extreme adversity.” The team behind the so-called Trump Baby reported that it donated the giant balloon to the museum, but it has kept a half-size version to continue to fly at other protests. It hopes that the balloon reminds people in future of the global politics of resistance that surrounded Trump’s term in office. “This large inflatable was just a tiny part of a global movement—a movement that was led by the marginalised people whose Trump’s politics most endangered—and whose role in this moment should never be underestimated,” the team says in a statement. It also hopes to prompt museum visitors “to examine how they can continue the fight against the politics of hate.”

exhibits American Painting: The Eighties Revisited March 12 – July 11, 2021 Cincinnati Art Museum In the late 19702, an exhibition of 41 evocative paintings sparked an art world commotion. Now, a reconstruction of the exhibition is showing at the Cincinnati Art Museum. American Painting: The Eighties Revisited presents a cultural event from our past and interprets it anew. When the show debuted at New York University’s Grey Art Gallery in 1979, it ignited a critical and spirited debate about the nature and direction of painting in America. During this exhibition, visitors will be able to view work from some of the most iconic abstract painters of the late twentieth century, including Nancy Graves, Sam Gilliam, Elizabeth Murray, and Robert Moskowitz. This will allow an opportunity for guests to form their own opinions of what defines the best of contemporary painting. Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936 – Present March 28 – July 25, 2021 The Baker Museum Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936 – Present chronicles the contributions of the female artists within American Abstract Artists (AAA), from the founders to today’s practicing members. The exhibition is a celebration of this intergenerational group of artists, highlighting the ways in which the women of AAA have shifted and shaped the frontiers of American abstraction. No Ocean Between Us: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean, 1945–Present February 12 – May 9, 2021 San Antonio Museum of Art

No Ocean Between Us: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean, 1945– Present features approximately 65 works of modern and contemporary art by Latin American and Caribbean artists of Asian descent. This exhibition highlights artists whose work reflects the global dialogues between their Asian Cecily Kahn (American, born 1959). L aughter and Forheritages and their getting, 2017. Oil on canvas. 24 x 20 i nches. Courtesy Latin American or of the artist. Caribbean identities, along with the major societies, allowing the viewer to artistic movements of explore how an artist’s unique their times. The exhibit includes experience of migration shaped paintings, works on paper, their work. Inspired by the sculptures, and mixed media permanent collection of the Art works by artists from Argentina, Museum of the Americas of the Brazil, Cuba, Guyana, Mexico, Organization of American States, Panama, Suriname, and Trinidad the exhibition features works by and Tobago.

During this exhibition, visitors will be able to view work from some of the most iconic abstract painters of the late twentieth century, including Nancy Graves, Sam Gilliam, Elizabeth Murray, and Robert Moskowitz. No Ocean Between Us provides context to understanding the complex and multifaceted nature of cultural diversity in modern Latin American and Caribbean ArtDiction | 12 | March/April 2021

exhibits Monet and Chicago Through June 14, 2021 Art Institute of Chicago When Monet’s paintings first appeared alongside his contemporaries’ in a Chicago gallery in 1888, he was singled out and praised by the press. And when his works were shown in the city again as part of the last Inter-State Industrial Exposition in Chicago (also known as the “American Salon”) in 1890, they not only captured the eye of local collectors—they ignited a collective passion. Tomie Ohtake, U ntitled, 1968, oil on canvas. © OAS AMA | Art Museum of the Americas Collection.

Brazilian artists Manabu Mabe, Tomie Ohtake, Yukata Toyota, Tikashi Fukushima, and Kazuo Wakabashi; Argentine artist Kasuya Sakai; Peruvian artists Venancio Shinki, Arturo Kubotta, Carlos Runcie Tanaka, and Eduardo Tokeshi; Trinidadian artist M.P. Alladin; Mexican artist Luis Nishizawa; Cuban artist Wifredo Lam; and Surinamese artist Soeki Irodikromo.

In 1891, Bertha and Potter Palmer acquired 20 paintings by Monet— including several from the Stacks of Wheat series. That same year, Martin A. Ryerson, who served as a trustee and eventual vicepresident of the Art Institute, bought his first of many paintings by the artist. As president of the Board of Lady Managers for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Bertha oversaw the creation of the Woman’s Building. The international fair, which featured an exhibition of 129 works from American private collections, including four paintings by Monet,

Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), 1890/91 Claude Monet French, 1840-1926.

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showcased a city still reimagining itself after the Great Fire of 1871 and one eager to embrace not only the technology but the aesthetics of modernity. Inspired by these influential tastemakers, private groups and collectors eagerly followed their lead. In 1895, the Union League Club of Chicago purchased Apple Trees in Blossom (1872), which was also shown at the Art Institute that year in the exhibition 20 Works by Claude Monet, the artist’s first solo show at a museum in the United States. In 1903, the Art Institute became the first American museum to purchase one of Monet’s paintings and in the decades that followed, the museum’s collection grew thanks to generous gifts from several donors, including Annie Coburn, former two-time Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison Jr., the Searle family, and others. In keeping with the theme of firsts, Monet and Chicago is the first exhibition to explore Chicago’s pioneering connection to the great Impressionist artist. Today, the museum’s 33 paintings and 13 drawings constitute the largest collection of works by the artist outside of Paris. Among the more than 70 paintings in the exhibition—from the Art Institute’s exemplary holdings and esteemed Chicago-based collections—are beloved major works as well as rarely seen still lifes, figural scenes, seascapes, and landscapes, spanning his long career from early caricatures made at Le Havre to the last splendid canvases inspired by his garden and water lily pond at Giverny. Monet and Chicago also benefits from new art-historical research and in-depth scientific study of his materials and techniques and offers an opportunity to look more closely at the artist’s oeuvre through our ever-advancing

exhibits understanding of his creative process. Pops Peterson: Rockwell Revisited Through May 31, 2021 Norman Rockwell In 2015, Berkshire-based artist and writer Pops Peterson debuted Reinventing Rockwell, a series of artworks reimagining mid-century illustrations by Norman Rockwell in a manner reflective of today’s times. Celebrating America’s rich diversity and embracing Rockwell’s sense of humanity, Peterson has created images that depict social change and express his desire for a positive, inclusive, and just world. Launched at the High School of Music and Art in New York, Peterson’s artistic education continued at Pratt Institute and Columbia University. His writings have been published in Andy Warhol’s Interview, Essence, The Village Voice and The New

Pops Peterson. Pride and Joy, 2020. Digital print on canvas. Collection of the artist Looking on from the far left, Pops Peterson makes a cameo appearance in this contemporary take on Rockwell’s 1957 Post cover, After the Prom. Staged at the West Taghkanic Diner in Ancram, New York, the piece reflects Peterson’s careful attention to the details of gesture, expression, and clothing, and a uniqueness of setting that establishes a clear sense of place—an approach that is reflective of Rockwell’s own working methods. Peterson is enchanted by young lovers Soumya Boutin and Jay Grahm while Sam Backhaus sniffs the fragrant bouquet.

York Times, and he has authored stage plays and screenplays for television and film. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination named Peterson its first Artist in Residence for which he lectures annually at the Fair Housing and

Civil Rights Conference. His painting, “Freedom from Shame,” inspired the Massachusetts Office on Disability’s statewide art competition, “Breaking Barriers,” which was presented in the Massachusetts State House in 2017.

Abstract Expressionism

ill Block has always been drawn to abstract art. Impressively, without any formal training, she created her first painting in 2014. “It was a painting I did for my home. I wanted to have a large abstract piece of art above our sofa, so I decided to try and paint one myself. I loved it.” Jill’s pieces are full of color combinations that are bold and bright colors, either by choice

or upon request. “Some paintings are commissions. I always ask my clients what colors they would like me to use and which ones they don’t,” she says. “As for all my other paintings, I don’t have specific colors in mind. It’s just what inspires me that day; it’s completely intuitive.” Jill says she’s inspired by music, other artists of the abstract movement, and color itself. “Abstract art gives you freedom to express yourself.

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Jill Block, Eye See

Jill Block, The Hotel Opera

You are not tied to painting what you see or trying so hard to perfectly represent what you see. I feel there is no pressure. It’s so fun.” Jill has a Solo Show “SYMPHONY OF COLOR” coming up in May at the Dare County Arts Council. Her upcoming collection of large abstracts will carry the theme “IT IS WHAT IT IS.”

Follow along as Jill creates a new painting each week on her YouTube Channel, Jill Block Abstract Art. You can also See more of her art at jillblock.net.

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Jill Block, Joyful Girl

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Jill Block, Le Petit 035

African Child, 2017-18 Oil on canvas. 155 x 154 cm

Jill Block, It’s Complicated

Jill Block, Le Petit 024

Jill Block, Le Petit 027

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Jill Block, Seychelles on the Seashore

Jill Block, Le Petit 029

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Jill Block, Bleu Frost

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Jill Block, Just Breathe

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Jill Block, Sway with Me

Jill Block, Who Knew

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The Rise of Digital Art By Leila Denisse Padilla

t is only in the past decade that digital art has begun to gain attention and popularity as people started to appreciate intricate and impactful artworks created using digital technology. Illustrations, animations, 2D and 3D art and other digital art forms are generating more and more recognition because of their unique quality, depth and impact. Beeple’s Digital Art Sold For Millions Just last March 11th, Mike Winkelmann, the man behind the digital artist named Beeple, sold a non-fungible token or NFT of his collaged JPG file artwork for a whopping $69.3 million in a first-ofits-kind online auction held at the Christie’s. His digital artwork titled “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” is a collage of all the images that

Beeple has posted online each day since 2007. The sale of Everydays is described by Christie’s as a truly rare work in digital art’s history. The sale has made Beeple among the top three most valuable living artists of today. Everydays was bought by NFT Fund Metapurse headed by Vignesh Sundaresan. After the sale, Metapurse operator Anand Venkateswaran said that someday this digital artwork will be worth a billion dollars, adding that Everydays could be this generation’s work of art. Most Popular Types of Digital Art Fractal or algorithmic art is a type of digital art that involves the use of mathematics, and it combines the generative art and the computer art. Meanwhile, data-moshing is a

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form of digital art that manipulates media files to produce images and visual effects once the file is decoded. Dynamic painting is the most advanced form of digital art, and its process includes a computer that paints a picture or an art with minimal physical labor. Another type of digital art is 2D computer graphics where 2D dimensional models of images and texts are used in animations and projects. Meanwhile, 3D computer graphics is a level-up version of 2D computer graphics because it represents 3D dimensional models of texts and images. Pixel art is the type of digital art used in images and videos for games, movies, and other aesthetic ventures. Arguably, the most popular type of digital art is digital photography, which uses digital cameras to capture the most perfect and most detailed shots. Other popular types of digital art are photopainting, digital collage, 2D digital painting, 3D digital painting, manual vector drawing, integrated art/mixed media and hybrid painting, raster painting, and computer-generated painting. Most Famous Digital Artists Alberto Seveso is famous for his high-speed underwater photography art series such as Disastro Ecologico, Medicina Rossa, and A Due Colori. Stephen Mcmennamy has invented “combophotos” where he combines photographs of highly unrelated objects through Photoshop to create amazing new images. Nik Ainley, a digital illustrator from the UK, is popular for his graphics and illustrations inspired by the world of science and he has worked with National Geographic, Starbucks, and Nike. Another famous digital artist is Jason Naylor, with works characterized by using bright colors on rich black backgrounds and spreading artistic messages with themes of kindness and positivity. Other popular digital artists are Sara Ludy, Irina French, David McLeod, Sean Charmatz, Aiste Stancikaite, and Rachel Walpole. How Digital Art is Criticized

“Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” a collage, by the digital artist Beeple. CHRISTIE’S IMAGES VIA REUTERS

refuse to accept digital art as an authentic form of art. Critics say that digital art reduces the role of the artist since technology is the one that does all the hard work. However, digital art has been very present in our society today. It can be found in renowned museums, cinematography, animated films, fashion, graphic design, interior, and many more platforms. Digital art is authentic art since it cannot and will not be formed without the idea and the creativity of an artist. Digital technology is the vehicle or medium of digital artists. The Rise of Digital Art Now With the growing popularity of digital art nowadays, it is right to presume that this form of art is on the rise. Since digital art uses digital technology, the more the technology evolves, the more the digital art blooms. Soon, more and more digital art forms will be created and more and more digital artists will be born and recognized as among the top and most valuable artists of the new generation.

Even with all the accolades that digital art and digital artists have been receiving, many still criticize and

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Palo Alto Arlene Shechet Together: Pacific Time Mar 11 – May 1, 2021 229 Hamilton Avenue

Community-Inspired Art

ick Davis began working with digital art in June 2019. “The ability to create art that illustrates a story is very beautiful to me,” he says. A self-taught artist who loves to create, Nick says he’s a big fan of the software Procreate and user of iPad with Apple Pencil. It’s clear that Nick’s art is created with intent and purpose. “My mission

is simply to encourage my community and others to accept who they are but to realize how beautiful they really are in the process,” he explains. “Every day is a learning experience, and I am thankful for the growth in my faith and patience.” Too see more art by Nick go to NDArtLife.com and follow him on Instagram at @NDArtlife.

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Nick Davis

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Nick Davis

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Nick Davis

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Nick Davis

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Nick Davis

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Nick Davis

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Nick Davis

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The Misunderstanding Of Abstract Art By Chinyerenwa Ocan

bstract, non-representational, and non-objective are art terms used interchangeably. They are closely related but may not mean the same. In the depiction of imagery in art, abstraction denotes a distortion and deviation from reality. Abstraction is a method of altering a subject’s appearance in a way that differs from how it appears in reality.

Visionaries who open up hidden doors are the best way to describe abstract artists. Abstraction involves expertise not in the medium’s application but in the artist’s vision and how they interact with their environments and works. Since many people do not understand this vision, it has been dubbed “the most misunderstood form of art.”

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When the artist’s goal is to create a unique interpretation of a subject or idea, representational art laws may not apply. Since most people do not take the time to research, comprehend, or appreciate abstract art, they dislike it and dismiss it as a lesser type of art. This misunderstanding has sparked a debate over whether abstract art is “real art.” The abstract artist applies all the elements of art that the representational artist uses, but differently. The abstract artist uses the visual language of texture, colour, shape, line and form to create artwork free of natural influences from his environment. Often, the artist distorts a real object or scene by interpreting it in his understanding. The abstract artist could also use techniques of elongation, colour alteration, and

The abstract artist uses the visual language of texture, colour, shape, line and form to create artwork free of natural influences from his environment. Often, the artist distorts a real object or scene by interpreting it in his understanding. Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter, an abstract champion and an art theorist who lived from 1866 to 1944. His painting ‘Composition X’ was supposed to culminate his investigation into form and language purity. His sparing use of black evokes the cosmos and produces a sense of foreshadowing gloom in his work. In his painting, the ‘Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow,’ Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) aimed for total abstraction. Through his works, he sought equilibrium and wrote extensively about compositional harmony. In his works, he induces stillness through the positioning of colours, forms, and surface qualities. Joan Miro (1893-1983) sold one of his most famous paintings, ‘Peinture (Etoile Bleue),’ for £23.5 million in 2012. Scorching blue is a touch of colour seen in many of his later works. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) was known for the use of drip techniques in his paintings. A particular painting of his, ‘Convergence,’ exemplifies a significant and pioneering trend in painting. In his drawings, Pollock addressed the challenge of Communism and the Cold War.

distorted views, among others, to make the artwork appear surreal or distinct from nature.

Abstract art, just as representational art, uses colour, shape, texture, line, pattern and composition; therefore, it is not “About nothing.” Abstract art exhibit the formal characteristics of a “real” work of art. This means that abstract art is integrating these formal qualities to construct a visual experience. Many prominent abstract artists have produced stunning, thought-provoking, and enriching images that did not exist before but have provided entirely new experiences over the last century.

The following are some famous abstract artists that have made an impact in the art world:

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Illustrating Emotions

ndjelija Kedzic is an illustrator who creates art with clean compositions, bright colors, and symbolic objects that create a sense of calmness and transcendence.

From an early age, Andjelija was involved with various art mediums. She attended a national ballet school, spent time drawing and painting, and says she even “liked to amateurishly compose on guitar and piano.” She became interested in digital art at the age of 19. Her first pieces were created on a mobile phone, and soon after

she taught herself how to navigate photoshop. “I believe that my interest in digital art comes from my general interest in different kinds of art, she explains. “The possibilities that digital programs could offer amazed me and instantly drew me to this art medium. It allows the creator to successfully express one’s own ideas and incorporate various dimensions of aesthetics.” Many of Andjelija’s works include a pink/blue/ purple pallet—colors that are strong yet subtle. “The inspiration behind that creative direction is

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Andjelija Kedzic, revelation

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really laying in my need to express my emotions and current state of mind. I tend to evoke and transmit the same to the viewers. It’s really my way of communicating with the audience and allowing them to enter my world.” She adds: “Art is a means of catharsis for me. The need to create and dive deep into my emotions and hopefully transmit the same vibes on my audience is an ongoing love affair.”

self, Andjelija stays busy with creative projects. “The one closest to my heart is creating artworks for Swedish authors for Vintergård Förlag (Vintergård Publishing) and trying to shape and express a visual image of their stories,” she says. To view Andjelija’s online portfolio, go to Instagram.com/antigonaart.

Andjelija’s creative process unfolds naturally, and she allows the freedom of art to allow her work to evolve. Being that art is a part of her and is the tool in which she communicates with her-

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Andjelija Kedzic, Untitled

Andjelija Kedzic, Orphic World

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Andjelija Kedzic, Decision

Andjelija Kedzic, Simulation

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Andjelija Kedzic, Apotheosis

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Andjelija Kedzic, Heaven

artist & ad index Page 16 Jill Block https://www.jillblock.net Page C4 Brooklyn Museum https://www.brooklynmuseum.org Page 36 Nick Davis https://ndartlife.com/ Page 14 Derwent https://www.derwentart.com Page C3 DC Arts Center https://dcartscenter.org Page 3 Jackson Art https://www.jacksonsart.com Page 48 Andjelija Kedzic https://www.instagram.com/antigonaart Page 6 La Luz De Jesus Gallery https://laluzdejesus.com/ Page 35 Pace Gallery https://www.pacegallery.com/ Page C2 Pro Tapes & Specialties https://www.protapes.com/products/artist-tape

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Page 11 Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc. https://www.rehs.com Page 15 VOLTA https://www.voltaartfairs.com

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Mourning

ArtDiction March/April 2021

Articles inside

The Misunderstanding of Abstract Art

The Rise of Digital Art