Staff Favorites: "Love & Work" by John Baldessari
John Baldessari, Love & Work, 1991 (as installed at Blue Sky), from the collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his Family Foundation.
While Blue Sky is temporarily closed to the public, members of our staff will be sharing some of their favorite pieces by John Baldessari as a way to provide more virtual access to our current exhibition, Master of Appropriation.
“John Baldessari’s conceptual photographic work allows for multiple interpretations, but during this pandemic it’s hard for me to see these images through anything other than that lens. Love & Work 1991, photogravure and color aquatint, features clasped hands in the foreground, at the bottom of the picture, and a framed pop of color with an indiscernible image at the top — seemingly just out of reach. This piece stands out to me because with everything going on in the world it can be hard to focus on work, but we should always hold each other close (with frequently washed hands.) It’s worth taking the time to look closely, and try to think about different ways to interpret this image.”
— Amanda Clem, Membership & Gallery Manager
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Some additional links for further investigation:
For the typeface fanatics out there: Baldessari’s Wrong Font, 2011 - Font based on John Baldessari's sign-painter-like typography for Supermarché’s documentary short on the artist. Commissioned by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) based on Baldessari’s painting Tips for Artists Who Want to Sell [view here]
From the SFMOMA: The works of John Baldessari challenge conventional modes of visual communication. His practice of eliminating visually relevant information, as in his paintings where colorful dots are strategically placed over human faces, invites new ways of looking at images. Watch the video below: John Baldessari Explains His Strange Mind