Michon Jewelry Blog

A post on Art Biz Blog led me to this Top 20 list of the “best” works of art in the world.

I’m probably admitting too much about my lack of knowledge of art - both classical, modern, post-modern, etc - considering I aspire to make my living off of art and fine craft - but I thought it would be fun to share about my favorite works of art.

When I traveled around Europe for the first time about five years ago, there were two pieces of art that really made me stop and catch my breath. Both were by Michelangelo: David (in Florence) and the Pieta (St. Peter’s in Rome). I went to a *lot* of art museums, and granted, I was sometimes probably too hungover to appreciate the art (it was right after college graduation), but those two pieces would still top my list of “old” art. I guess that probably shows my preference for sculpture. While I did see many incredible paintings, none struck me as much as these two sculptures.

The next time I toured western Europe, about a year later, I discovered some modern art that I really liked at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. There was an abstract painting by Matisse, and some sculpture by Calder, that stood out to me among lots of other really interesting modern art there. I don’t remember the names of the pieces, but the images stuck with me after leaving Paris. I also discovered in Paris the girlfriend (or maybe wife?) of Rodin, Camille Claudel, while at the Rodin museum. Rodin’s Thinker is a great sculpture, but I really loved some of Claudel’s smaller sculptures.

There are a few living artists who continue to amaze and inspire me, and all three work in metal. Ruth Asawa’s large crocheted wire sculptures are awe-inspiring, particularly since I’ve done a little wire crochet and have personal experience with the physical challenge of working metal in this way. Jewelry artists Arline Fisch and Mary Lee Hu, who also use textile inspired techniques in their metalwork, are two of the people who inspired me to work with metal. Arline Fisch’s book, Textile Techniques in Metal, is one of my all-time favorite books, and if anyone wants to say that she and Hu are not artists because they work in a “craft” medium, I will argue with you about that. To me, their jewelry is sculpture, and the fact that it can be worn is irrelevant. I just like looking at it - all the details fascinate me.

So that’s my short list of well-known art that has been the most influential or inspiring to me. What’s your favorite piece(s) of art, or the artist(s) that have been most inflential to you? Now that I’ve written this post, I’m tempted to make another list, of unknown artists I love - since I know many aspiring artists and crafters personally who do incredible work.