James Rosenquist loses home, two studios, and art to a wild brush fire in Florida

Sun Li, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 74.3 x 48 in. (188.6 x 121.9 cm.), 2005. Courtesy Acquavella Galleries. Painted at Aripeka, FL

The west Florida home of world renowned artist James Rosenquist has been lost to a wild brush fire. The fire also claimed two of Rosenquist’s Florida studios-- which contained recent artwork that was destined for an art show in New York City. Rosenquist, 75, has stated that he was “totally wiped out”. I’ve been told that Rosenquist evacuated safely and that he watched his home and studios burn from a boat near his property. Apparently the 80 acre fire has since been contained. No one was injured in the blaze.

Most of the media reports of the incident describe James Rosenquist as a famous Pop artist. However, when I interviewed Rosenquist in 2008 he offered some thoughts on that. He stated, “They called me a Pop artist because I used recognizable imagery. The critics like to group people together. I didn't meet Andy Warhol until 1964. I did not really know Andy or Roy Lichtenstein that well. We all emerged separately.”.

Links of Interest:

James Rosenquist: Painting is done with a paintbrush -- Myartspace Blog www.myartspace.com/blog/2009/01/james-rosenquist-painting-is-done-with.html

Interview with James Rosenquist -- Myartspace Blog
www.myartspace.com/blog/2008/04/art-space-talk-james-rosenquist.html

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin
Senior Editor
myartspace.com
www.myartspace.com
Myartspace Blog on Twitter
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James Rosenquist: Painting is done with a paintbrush

Intellect Seeking a Worm Hole, Oil on canvas with mirror, 66 x 59 inches (167.5 x 149.9 cm), 2007. By James Rosenquist

An HBO film crew was recently on hand for an event at the Miami Art Museum. Their focus-- a lesson by James Rosenquist. Those in attendance observed as Rosenquist turned a blank canvas into a study of color. The 74 year old Pop Art titan, as labeled by the Miami Herald, displayed painting techniques as onlookers-- including 28 art students selected by the youngARTS program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts-- observed the artist in action.

Rosenquist showed students different ways of mixing and applying paint while discussing his paintings. During the event Rosenquist offered advice about painting. At one point he warned students that using ready-made black paint will result in “mud”-- a basic lesson that is often missed in art classrooms. After the lesson Rosenquist answered questions about his career, art, and world issues.

During the event Rosenquist did not shy away from the fact that he is not a fan of computer based art. He stated, “Youngsters want to push a button to create artwork”. He went on to say that painting is, “done with a paintbrush.''. Rosenquist’s opinion comes as no surprise to me. In a 2008 interview I conducted for the Myartspace Blog he stated, “I'm not all that interested in the Internet. I don't use the Internet as a source for my work and I doubt I ever will. This goes for other types of high technology as well-- such as virtual reality. I'm just not interested in it. I guess you could say that I like things simple. I like painting to be simple. It fascinates me to create beautiful paintings with the simplest means. I'm more interested in the way that people paint with sticks, cloth, or brushes instead of high technology.”

Art critics and the media often describe James Rosenquist as a “Pop Art titan”-- the Miami Herald went as far as to call him “one of the last surviving titans of the Pop Art Movement”. I find that interesting because Rosenquist is not exactly fond of the labels. In fact, he stated the following when I asked him if he is comfortable being labeled as a Pop artist in 2008-- “They called me a Pop artist because I used recognizable imagery. The critics like to group people together. I didn't meet Andy Warhol until 1964. I did not really know Andy or Roy Lichtenstein that well. We all emerged separately.”

Consider this an open discussion about James Rosenquist, labels that art critics and the media attach to artists, and how the practice of painting is changing-- is it? Is a digital paintbrush just as good as the 'real' thing? What say you?

Links of Interest:
www.jimrosenquist-artist.com
www.nfaa.org
www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/856091.html
www.myartspace.com/blog/2008/04/art-space-talk-james-rosenquist.html

Take care, Stay true,

Brian Sherwin

Senior Editor

myartspace.com

www.myartspace.com

New York Art Exchange

www.nyaxe.com