Everyone's an art critic, even robots

Two years ago, when I was going around Manila Contemporary, I was struck by the elegant abstract paintings of Jonathan Olazo, which filled the entire first floor of the gallery. However, some people react to abstract art with the comment that any toddler can do the same dabs of paint on a canvas and be considered an artist.

In this three-minute video by animator Andrew Genaille, two robots look at a painting and discuss what it actually means; one gets it, one doesn't, and wonders how a red dot on a canvas can be considered art. "It doesn't make any sense to me," the robot says. " [The artist] was probably a lazy painter that could only afford the color red."

[h/t: Culture Pop]

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Stencils and Subtlety

If there were a Michelin star for public murals, Roamcouch would have it. No debate. His art is an elegant contradiction; it stops you in mid-stride and makes you stare. You argue with what you see. He works with scenes from everyday life, nothing fancy, then drops them into backgrounds full of playfulness and surprise. His murals feel like small rebellions, and they insist on being noticed. Here are some of his recent street art works. Roamcouch has a Facebook page and a website where you can find all his work.

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For readers who love Basquiat

It's been thirty-one years since Jean-Michel Basquiat 's tragic death, but his work still remains in our art consciousness. Now, a new book explores the other side of the graffiti artist turned painter. "Basquiat-isms is a collection of essential quotations from this godfather of urban culture. In these brief, compelling, and memorable selections, taken from his interviews as well as his visual and written works, Basquiat writes and speaks about culture, his artistic persona, the art world, artistic influence, race, urban life, and many other subjects. Concise, direct, forceful, poetic, and enigmatic, Basquiat's words, like his art, continue to resonate." Basquiat-isms , edited by Larry Warsh, is out now.

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