Thought for the day....

Salvadore Dali once said

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.

Strong words to consider today, after seeing some Dali work and various other modern artists at the Auckland City Art Gallery this weekend at the  Degas to Dali exhibition (on loan from the National Gallery of Scotland). It was a pricey entrance fee but worth it - wonderful to see contemporaries of each art movement in the same room together rather than just one artist alone. Inspiring to see people who were often working together and producing there own ideas within an art movement. For example the spider below, with the obvious influence of Miro, Calder makes it his own, turning an image into a sculpture then having it move, slowly spinning in mid air. very cool. 

Alexander Calder, The Spider, c1935-c1937, Metal, painted

Joan Miró, Peinture [Painting], 1925, Oil and black chalk on canvas

A few more of my  favourite works

Roy Lichtenstein, In the Car, 1963, Oil and magna on canvas

Jacques Lipchitz, Figure assise [Seated Figure], 1916, Bronze (1/7)

Vincent van Gogh, Olive Trees, 1889, Oil on canvas