Comments on: One way of looking at a Judd

By: The Great Whatsit » Year in review: The best of TGW 2006

The Great Whatsit » Year in review: The best of TGW 2006 — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:14:47 +0000

[...] Dave B, “Not afraid (but the ass-beating shall remain strictly metaphorical, thank you very much)” Dave B, “One way of looking at a Judd” Trixie Honeycups, “Radiohead at Tower Theater, Philadelphia” Bryan Waterman, “Summer Soundtracks” (Parts 1, 2, and 3) [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 07:06:48 +0000

cellular phone provider service…

…

By: Lane

Lane — Tue, 02 May 2006 03:33:01 +0000

I think one of the most interesting things Roberta Smith wrote in her piece (which I saved in case anyone wants it without paying) is that Judd “combined the opposing modernist forces of Matisse and Duchamp – art and anti-art, full on retinal seduction and the cerbreal provocation of the readymade.”

It’s strange to read Duchamp invoked in writing about Judd. His primary dealer Leo Castelli once noted that Judd was “almost completely lacking in a sense of humor” and Duchamp used humor like Matisse used purple, i.e. quite a bit.

But I remember Dave and Farrell and me all remarking in Marfa how playful, and light and even funny Judd’s sculptures are. And for all of their rigor and purity it is interesting to read in the Christies catalogue that Judd admired Frank Stella’s geometric abstractions for their “impurity.”

Indeed as Smith notes “His legacy, as complex physically as it is intellectually, is a national treasure that should be much more accesible to the public.”

Amen.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 02 May 2006 01:31:24 +0000

Yeah, Marfa is really obligatory if Judd turns you on at all. I was lucky that Lane made it my introduction to Judd; it was like having an 18-year-old single malt for your first drink.

And that Times Select thing is really annoying. It worked this morning, I swear. And didn’t the Times say all their reviews would stay free?

By: Bryan Waterman

Bryan Waterman — Tue, 02 May 2006 01:25:09 +0000

i was actually stunned by the final line of r.s.’s review, which is now “Times select” and must be purchased. (I *hate* it when they do that!) It was something like: “If this show were on permanent display in New York it would change art.”

my favorite part of mounted Judd pieces are the shadows, which change like a sun dial depending on the lighting in the room. this show was particularly rich given the natural lighting.

speaking of the buildings across the street, lane, i loved how walking out into the street made those early 60s (?) publishing house towers — the sorts of buildings Ginsberg called robot apartments — look like so many Judd boxes stacked in a row.

xo — bryan (the friend who went in search of the bathroom)

ps — Tim — a major regret of mine is that i had family obligations during a southwest trip several years ago (2001?) that took everyone else (dave, lane, farrell) on a roadtrip to marfa and a sleepover at the lightning fields. at least we got to join in for a couple camping trips as bookends.

pps — Lane: I really loved your description of the reflections. I didn’t note it at the time, but can perfectly recollect it thanks to your comment.