Shut The Door And Listen From Outside
Steven S. Powers / Winter 2020 Catalog "Shut The Door And Listen From Outside" is a statement from Oblique Strategies, which is a set of cards each with a suggestion, directive, or constraint created by the artists Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt to encourage lateral thinking and to break creative blocks. With this in mind, as an art dealer or collector, one may think, how will this look if I see it indirectly? From a room away? Through a window? Obscured through a crowd of people? Or as I quickly scroll through Instagram? This question is not a shallow proposition—we often see a particular artwork from an off-angle or perspective—not in optimal presentation. Indeed, if we think about it, we likely first approached an artwork we came to love because it looked good "from outside." It had something special going on from a small section we gleaned through a crowd of people, or the composition came into focus as we came towards it from another room. As an artist, we may interpret this as another way of seeing. To purposely not see clearly or overtly—to create something anew based on partial information or hazy suggestions seen or heard. Or another way to look at a work in progress. View it from the side, across the room, or without glasses to see a fuzzy tonal map—does it still work for you?
Steven S. Powers / Winter 2020 Catalog
"Shut The Door And Listen From Outside" is a statement from Oblique Strategies, which is a set of cards each with a suggestion, directive, or constraint created by the artists Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt to encourage lateral thinking and to break creative blocks.
With this in mind, as an art dealer or collector, one may think, how will this look if I see it indirectly? From a room away? Through a window? Obscured through a crowd of people? Or as I quickly scroll through Instagram? This question is not a shallow proposition—we often see a particular artwork from an off-angle or perspective—not in optimal presentation. Indeed, if we think about it, we likely first approached an artwork we came to love because it looked good "from outside." It had something special going on from a small section we gleaned through a crowd of people, or the composition came into focus as we came towards it from another room.
As an artist, we may interpret this as another way of seeing. To purposely not see clearly or overtly—to create something anew based on partial information or hazy suggestions seen or heard. Or another way to look at a work in progress. View it from the side, across the room, or without glasses to see a fuzzy tonal map—does it still work for you?
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Study of a Male Nude &<br />
Young Highlander with<br />
Raised Arm<br />
John Kane (1860–1934)<br />
Circa: 1930<br />
Pencil on note paper<br />
Size: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"<br />
Provenance: Galerie St.<br />
Etienne<br />
A rare John Kane double-sided pencil sketch. Kane is regarded as one of the masters of selfartists.<br />
On the above or recto, note how Kane makes room for the hands to complete the sketch—h<br />
while drawing the figure's arms, so he placed them to the lower left. Above the hands, Kane<br />
English painters that he must have been studying.<br />
<strong>The</strong> verso illustrates a young boy in a Highlander outfit (Kane would use this figure in a few<br />
<strong>The</strong> writing on this side lists the colors of the rainbow (Roy G. Biv).<br />
References: <strong>The</strong> Highland boy relates to figures in the following; Highland Hollow, Scotch D<br />
and Scotch Day, Kennywood (Arkus 68, 71 and 73).
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