You'll Get Your Butt to the Guggenheim If You Know What's Good for You.

"Chaos and Classicism: Art in France, Italy, and Germany, 1918—1936" opens tomorrow through January 9, 2011. This will be one of the major must-see exhibits of 2010 because it curates the aftermath of "chaotic" WWI artistic movements such as cubism and expressionism—movements even the hard-of-art have at least heard of. That aftermath—the "classicism"—saw through the reemergence of distinct figures, clean lines marked by bright colors as in Fernand Léger's "Woman Holding a Vase" (1927), below.

guggenheim.org

Be there or be square with rounded corners.

Allan Gorman Delivers a New Art Medium on a Ramp to Somewhere Special

Tomorrow, the Bowery Gallery will launch the "18th National Juried Exhibition," with the opening reception on Thursday from 5-8pm.

Allan Gorman, a featured artist in the exhibition, discussed with us his iPad paintings, which are of the simple medium "finger on iPad." This type of work, which he calls a “fluke” because it was not his initial intended use for his iPad, typifies the convergence of painting tradition with the cutting edge lifestyle of even the hippest among us.

"Vertigo"
courtesy of allangorman.com

"Ramps to Nowhere Special"
courtesy of allangorman.com

"Trucks in the Gap"
courtesy of allangorman.com

The impulsiveness of these one-off pieces perfectly suits Gorman’s perspective on art. He says, "If you try to figure it out, then it becomes intellectual. And to me, it becomes mechanical when it’s intellectual.”

As an artist who has only been displaying his work for the last 3 years, his success is inspiring. Finally, his parting words on art may transform your way of thinking. You don’t have to like it, but they may just change you:

“The thing about art itself is if it moves you in some way and it becomes meaningful in some way, then I would define it as successful in some way. You don’t have to like it, but if it touches you, then it’s art.”

See the following painting by Gorman at the Bowery Gallery tomorrow through August 24, and also look for Gorman’s most current project, “a series of large paintings that use the truck as a design element” in the future.

"Arlington Bridge Tower" (2009)
courtesy of allangorman.com

Special thanks to Mr. Gorman for sharing his thoughts and insights exclusively with Back Row Mafia.

Reminder: Matisse Exhibit Starts Tomorrow

"Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–1917" running until October 11, begins tomorrow at the MoMA! More info here. Be chic, be there.

Reminder: Met Exhibit Starts Tomorrow.

"Between Here and There: Passages in Contemporary Photography" running until February 13, begins tomorrow at The Met! More info here. Don't miss it.

Get Ready for Henri

We're anxiously awaiting the MoMA's Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–1917 exhibit, and here's why we think you should be as well: The exhibit, opening on July 18 after a showing at the Art Institute of Chicago, will include some of Matisse's most avant-garde work. Further, Chicago Tribune staff reporter Lauren Viera writes, 

"What's most successful about 'Radical Invention' is the buildup: We aren't privy to the piece that started it all, 'Bathers by a River,' until we're nearly through. But all of a sudden, there it is, and it means so much more."

 Read more here, and hear John Elderfield's description of masterpiece "The Moroccans" (1915), which is featured in the exhibit, along with "Bathers by a River" (completed 1917), below.

courtesy of moma.org

courtesy of moma.org

Things of the Day

Question: Do seagulls have fun?

(Awaited) Exhibit: "Between Here and There: Passages in Contemporary Photography," July 2, 2010–February 13, 2011 at The Met Museum, NYC. More info here.

photo courtesy of dennis-oppenheim.com

Sweet treat (and its classic packaging): Popsicle FIRECRACKERS! What's more summer? More American? More evocative of your childhood?

photo courtesy of icecreamsource.com

Article of clothing: White cutoffs with just enough room to kick a soccer ball. We're fans of Built By Wendy's pair below.

photo courtesy of builtbywendy.com