Progress has been slow on the VR Development Gardens Project as I freeze in my garrett and read around the subject. I was struck by a review of Donald Judd by David Salle in the NYRB.

Judd’s chief value as a critic was to point out the obvious: that art is a thing, something that is made. It is not inevitable and doesn’t exist in all times and places equally. There is an objective difference between art and non-art, and a given society will either view art as worth the trouble or not. For Judd, art had certain factual properties, and comprehending a work required first of all observing what is or is not the case, and also a knowledge of art’s history, of how we got to this moment. Furthermore, Judd reminds us that this history is often quite apart from whatever story happens to serve the cultural moment. People obviously feel very differently today: the question is, On whose authority is this history being scored?

Salle, D., 2021. Object Lessons. [online] The New York Review of Books. Available at: <https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2020/12/17/donald-judd-object-lessons/> [Accessed 8 January 2021].

Judd’s chief value as a critic was to point out the obvious: that art is a thing, something that is made. It is not inevitable and doesn’t exist in all times and places equally. There is an objective difference between art and non-art, and a given society will either view art as worth the trouble or not.

Everything comes with a qualification.

I’ve continued reding the Sissinghurst book, particularly struck with Vita Sackville-West’s insistence that the garden be allowed to grow for itself essentially and the aim for minimal intervention. You have to leave to one side the intervention that was done but I like the idea that plants were allowed to spread and the design for the moment rather than for all year round colour.

leaves macquette

So since the last post I’ve continued to work on the Glover Street Model, firstly testing things out in Miro world and building models for the playground behind the house. I’ve built a slide so far, I need a roundabout and a seesaw. I’ve also continued to look at the paintings and built some sculptures.

lebrun_bather_two_corrections_a

The lebrun paintings are progressing and hopefully improving.

lebrun_bather_four_corrections_a

Although these pictures are slightly out of focus.

But it is difficult to get motivated enough to really press on, I’m wearing my woolly hat and gloves in the attic even with two heaters on from 7:45.

The sculptures have provided a breakthrough for the Glover Street Playground that will translate into low poly models.

leaves maquette detail

leaves maquette detail

As usual I’ve continued to draw every day.