JUNE 2022 – brutjournal

THIS IS THE PLACE FOR DISCOVERIES AND DISCUSSIONS OF THE MOST INVENTIVE ART FORMS – ALL KINDS OF ART THAT IS FAR-OUT, FANTASTIC, FREE-SPIRITED, FUN, FUNKY, PHENOMENAL AND GOOD FOR THE SOUL. (MAMA CALLED IT SUI GENERIS)
SUBSCRIBE, BABY. RIGHT NOW!

WE WERE FASCINATED BY LAST MONTH’S NEWS THAT THE WORLDWIDE EVENT HORIZON TELESCOPE (EHT) COLLABORATION HAD PRODUCED THE FIRST-EVER IMAGE OF A SUPER-MASSIVE BLACK HOLE LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF THE MILKY WAY. SINCE A BLACK HOLE VORACIOUSLY GOBBLES UP ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THAT APPROACHES ITS PERIMETER, HOW LONG WILL IT BE UNTIL THE WHOLE GALAXY SLIDES DOWN THAT VAST CELESTIAL DRAIN? JUST ASKIN’...

IN THIS ISSUE, DON’T MISS THESE FEATURES

Editor’s letter

What the heck is brutjournal?
by Edward M. Gómez

From Mexico

A painting by Sebastián Hidalgo seduces with a mysterious image.

Hudson Valley, U.S.A.

Using plastics “rescued from the waste stream,” Aurora Robson creates sustainable — and very far-out — art.

England

Robert Holcombe has a big secret, but it hasn’t stopped him from producing remarkably unique collage works.

PICTURE THIS: THE ART OF PORTRAITURE

A good portrait does more than offer a recognizable likeness of its subject. A compelling portrait captures a subject’s aura, too. This month, we take an inquisitive — and random but illuminating — look at some portrait-makers’ works. Picture that! Free access to this article.

ANNE TURYN’S “TOP STORIES”: LANGUAGE IS PLASTIC

Published from 1978 to 1991, the artist Anne Turyn’s Top Stories, a prose periodical, provided a showcase for experimental fiction and avant-garde art. Now, the publication’s entire run has been reissued in a two-volume book set by Primary Information. Sarah Fensom reports.

SUCH A CUTUP: LOU BEACH'S COLLAGE FOLLIES

Keeping the collage-themed party going that we started last month, we have one more remarkable portfolio to explore. It's filled with finely crafted works from the imagination of the Los Angeles-based artist Lou Beach, who sends up many a subject with sharp wit — and a sharper pair of scissors.

FROM GOLF TO GLOWING: JOHN BROOKS'S LUMINOUS PORTRAITS MAKE A VITAL CONNECTION

Kentucky-based John Brooks wanted to become a professional golfer and did not regard himself as an artist. But after a studying in London and nurturing his talent, he developed a distinctive approach to portraiture. His pictures capture their subjects in wisps of gentle color.

SAN FRANCISCO: “SPECULATIVE PORTRAITS”

Now on view at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Speculative Portraits, an exhibition exploring how several female artists, using science and technology, are expanding the form and meaning of portraiture. Sarah Fensom, brutjournal’s U.S.A. West Coast bureau chief, reports.

HENRY FLYNT: SPIRITUALITY AND ART

In anticipation of a new book by the American artist-philosopher Henry Flynt, which is due to be published in the near future, we look back at his 2020 volume, Three Essays on Spirituality & Art. In the 1960s, Flynt, who was associated with Fluxus, coined the term “concept art.” He became known for his anti-art demonstrations against certain art institutions. Known for his philosophical writings, his new book, Ruinous Spirituality, is scheduled to come out in July. We look back to his last book in preparation for this new one to come. This article will be coming soon.

THE ANIMALS ARE READY FOR THEIR CLOSE-UPS: BILL WESTMORELAND’S PHOTO-PORTRAITS OF COWS

Bill Westmoreland, brutjournal’s visual director, is a renowned photographer who has shot photo-portraits of Liza Minnelli, Freddy Cole, Ann Hampton Callaway, and many other Broadway and jazz greats. His pictures of cows are genuine portraits, not just generic images of animals. How and why?

THE POWER OF PORTRAITS: OUR PORTFOLIO, PART 2

Here is part two of our overview of original — and often intriguing — portrait works by a variety of artists working in different modes and media. From spirit images to a stately moo cow stepping out in Yves Klein Blue, the portrait is alive and ever-evolving. Free access to this article.