A life-sized human skull casting encrusted with diamonds, a large Blue stainless steal balloon dog, and a $15.2 million sculpture of a masturbating boy are just a few pieces shown during the first of the Fine Arts lecture series.
Dr. Thomas Larson’s lecture, ‘Alcohol, Sex, Explosions, and More: A Sampling of Contemporary Art,’ was held on 4:30 p.m. September 14.
Larson is an art history professor at City College. His lecture consisted of stories from his recent sabbatical where he traveled the world to study contemporary art.
Larson, originally from Colorado Springs, came to Santa Barbara and received a B.A. degree from Brooks Institute and UCSB, as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. from UCSB. He has been teaching at City College since 1989.
Larson discussed his recent travels in his lecture whereupon he left teaching for 450 days from 2008 to 2009. He visited a total of 36 museums and 19 galleries, read 89 novels and attended 40 live performances.
“I also visited Starbucks 165 times,” he said.
Students and faculty alike filtered into the lecture hall and filled the aisles grabbing the last few spots on the remaining wall space.
“I’m happy for the turnout,” said Dane Goodman, Director of the City College Atkinson Gallery. “Hopefully none of you is a fire marshal.”
In his lecture, Larson focused on 10 of the total 24 artists, whom he finds the most relevant artists. The modern pieces he spoke about began with Jeff Koons‘ bright, kitschy pop art pieces. He then compared the works of artist Sean Scully. Other artists he mentioned included Cai Guo Qiang, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami and Olafur Eliasson.
Prominent pieces included Cai Guo Qiang’s gunpowder drawings, implementing the process of creating the piece with the final outcome.
“There is an ambitious, poetic dialogue between the artist and the viewer,” Larson said.
Another piece that garnered reactions from the audience was Jeff
Koons’ exhibition in the Palace of Versailles.
“I liked Koons’ (art), especially after seeing the contrast of the super ornate with the super modern,” said art major Denise Dollins.
Koons’ artwork shows the juxtaposition of 17th century “artistic decadence” met “later-day pop art from an old age workshop,” Larson said.
Larson talked about his visit to the Takashi Murakami exhibit. One of Murakami’s pieces, a life-sized sculpture entitled ‘My Lonesome Cowboy,’ is a naked anime-inspired figure masturbating as a lasso of ejaculate wraps around his body.
Entering the Murakami exhibit Larson said he thought, “this is going to be interesting.”
Larson ultimately shared his experience and study of contemporary art, exampling Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, and Cai Guo Quiang’s artwork.
“This was my last chance to see some of the work that he studied,” Judy Duncan, Larson’s friend, said. “I love modern art, and I loved the presentation.”
The combined travel tales and the contemporary art that Larson displayed concluded the first of four art connoisseurs lecturing throughout the semester.
