Blog 1: Katharina Grosse

While reading about German artist Katharina Grosse, I forged an increasing connection between her unique art style and the street art found throughout the world. Namely, the art was very reminiscent of the graffiti I am accustomed to seeing in New York City. Grosse's choice of using an industrial spray gun as a medium did not seem too far off from the street artist medium of choice: the paint spray-can. The intricate layers of vibrant colors create, as the article points out, a "portal-like" effect. I was deeply interested in her ability to create this, and so in choosing one of her works to display in this blogpost, I looked for a piece of art that felt the most "portal-like" to me. In this piece, my eyes were first attracted to the colorful borders reaching up along the walls. Slowly, my eyes worked inwards - and took special note of the very clear portal-like detail in the upper-left accomplished through multiple layers of color. I also appreciate this piece given her choice to paint over dirt, as discussed in the article and pictured in the upper-right. Our ability to be astounded by and appreciate this artwork tells me that we should begin to look at graffiti in a similar way - and in doing so, recognize the full worth of the art surrounding us.