i like art because you don't necessarily have to get it to appreciate it. in fact one could say that you're not supposed to "get it", you're just supposed to observe and digest. on that note, meet my current obsession JOHN BALDESSARI. i like his stuff, i don't get all of it, but i like it. there's something about the merging of these colors and photographs that give off an obscurity that feels uneasy yet comfortable. he proves that you don't need to see some of the most important aspects of a photograph to appreciate the beauty of it; he does this by manipulating the photos themselves. a primary role of photography is to depict real life, and unlike other forms of art (i.e. drawing and painting, sculpture, etc.) you're not "creating" in the same manner... so much as capturing what's already there. however Baldessari finds a clever way to simultaneously do both. since he chooses to omit what might be important to a photograph (things that give context/meaning) and insert these bright colors instead... it leaves the viewer intrigued yet satisfied with what they see. the composition of the final piece does not really even leave me curious in knowing what might've been there in the first place. scroll on.
