Robert Arneson: Awareness Post

Robert Arneson was born in California in 1930 and attended California College of the Arts. He worked briefly as a cartoonist for a newspaper but in 1962 became a professor of ceramics at UC Davis where he worked for almost thirty years. Much of his work included humor that was a way for him to share complex messages in an acceptable way, especially focusing on his cancer diagnosis and the implications it had for him. Feeling Pushed is an example of this reflection, created two years after his initial diagnosis. He uses this self portrait to explore his emotions and share them with the world in a humorous manner. I really like the loose marks on the face and the sketch-like aspects of this piece because it really contributes to the message he's trying to portray of relatability. I like that he included humor in his work because a lot of modern work it very focused on interpreting art as something very serious, and although Arneson is addressing serious concepts, he's still demonstrating that art is meant to be fun.

Robert Arneson, Feeling Pushed, 1977, chalk, pencil, and crayon on paper, sheet: 41 3⁄8 x 29 3⁄4 in. (105.2 x 75.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Olden, 1985.81

Below is a sculpture by Arneson titled Raft of the Quack Quack. Arneson's desire for humorous pieces is clear in this work and I really enjoy the precarious aspect of the sculpture. The appearance of a precarious balance suggests movement in the peice that really catches a viewer's eye. I think that the duck is nicely animated, particularly its expression and stance peering over the edge of its raft.

Robert Arneson, Raft of the Quack Quack, 1991, sculpture, glazed ceramic and concrete, 27 x 20 x 19 in, Twenty-Five Treasures 2023 Exhibition

The piece below, Portrait of George, is a sculpture that Arneson was commissioned to make following the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. Arneson added five bloody bullet holes to the pedestal supporting the bust as a reference to the assassination. These additions caused uproar in the city and the city arts council ultimately rejected it, but Arneson was now in the national spotlight. Although it's certainly not a choice I would have made when commissioned to make a piece in memorial of someone who had been assassinated, I think the boldness of the bullet holes adds another dimension to this work.

Robert Arneson, Portrait of George (Moscone), 1981; glazed ceramic; 94 x 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.; Collection SFMOMA, Phyllis C. Wattis Fund for Major Accessions.