Compare/Contrast

Compare

-Ordinariness of materials (they both use nails technically)

-Consistent use of materials

-Cleverness of their transformation

-Abstract Expressionism

-Flow of rhythm and gestures

-Visually appealing

-Conform to their space

-Overwhelming with size

Contrast

John Bisbee

-works with power tools more as a black smith

-likes to work with his hands and lets his subconscious control

- being from the U.S has given him a better art environment

Henrique Oliveira

-more culturally influenced

-has a style that he also shows in his abstract paintings

John Bisbee

JOHN BISBEE

John Bisbee was born in 1829 in Maine. He received his B.F.A from Alfred University in New York. At Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, Bisbee is a lecturer in the visual arts department. His goal is to invent a new visual language

JOHN’S EXHIBITIONS

• solo museum exhibitions

•  Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY

•  Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri

JOHN’S ART

• “Dumb chunks of steel” is what John Bisbee refers to as his work

• His most recent exhibition is called “Tons” in which every piece is made out of one ton of nails

• Raided an abandoned home which was vacant for decades (the bed was rotted out, ceilings caved in)

• Bisbee kicked over a bucked of nails which were still intact because they had oxidized and conformed to the shape of the bucket

• Instant inspiration and fascination with nails

• Bisbee idea was that his nails will look like real objects in the real world

• His work consists of a diverse array of sculptures from nails that display rhythm and unique gestures

• He started with small sized nails and gradually worked towards 12 inch ones that are the largest commercial available nail

• First he would roast the spike until cherry red and then twists the nail until he gets the shape that is desired

• Bisbee does not decide the configuration until it is time to be installed

• Taking a neumatic power hammer he then flattens them

• The overall scale of his work has become expansive

JOHN’S LEGACY

“The iron man”, John Bisbee’s angle toward nails is the factor to his recognition. His sculptures consist of welds, cuts, hammers, forges, and bends of nails and spikes to create art. Overturning a five gallon bucket of rusted nails fused together sparked his fascination.

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/specials/012008bisbee/

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87808787

http://www.portlandmuseum.org/Content/2196.shtml

Henrique Oliveira

HENRIQUE OLIVEIRA

Henrique Oliveira was born in 1973,in Ourinhos, Brazil.  He grew up in Brazil and a student of art originating from São Paulo, Brazil. Henrique received his B.F.A in painting in 2004. In 2007 he received a Masters in Visual Poetics from University of São Paulo.

HENRIQUE’S ART

• The title of his most recent exhibition is called “Tapumes” (also referred to as tridimensional or 3D)

• The wood "Tapumes" or fencing serves as enclosures and barriers for various sites in Brazil.

• Choice of medium as he began installations was inspired by a plywood fence outside his window that began to peel and fade into different layers and colors.

• These wood pieces are affected by city life, and he utilizes those aesthetic elements in each of his works.

• First he experimented with the surfaces of his paintings by gluing newspaper onto a canvas and scraping it or mixing sand with the paint.

• When the fences are dismantled, he salvages the remaining wood pieces that are splitting and decaying, then uses them as materials for his senior show Issues of perception and decay are visible in his sculptures.

• PVC piping are used as skeleton curls of scrap wood and establishes bends and tucks and then builds up on top with painted plywood

• The plywood is arranged on the works like a brushstroke.

• Swirling, bulging peels of wood layered onto hallways and walls..

HENRIQUE’S LEGACY

Known for creating art on “Tapume”, Henrique is inspired by his culture. By allowing nature to take its course and seeing beauty through such a rotting element is why he is successful. In his exhibitions, the once decayed and soiled fencing became sculpture. A vast collage of swirling, bulging peels of wood layered onto walls and hallways was his idea.

http://www.henriqueoliveira.com/biografia.html

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/14/eco-art-urban-peels-henrique-oliveiras/

http://www.ricegallery.org/new/exhibition/tapumes.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ4t-RKBsvg