Question: Narrative engraving

[Tueasintuesday]

This is a ring by the American artist Rashid Johnson. Does anybody knows any artist doing this kind of narrative work?

 

[Leonardo]

Wow! When I see things like that I think "this person is a genius"!
If you weren't a genius, how the hell do you get someone to pay for something so (choose your adjective) like that?
Please excuse my outburst of honesty.

 

[mdengraver]

Looks like scribble to me with an ink pen! Excuse me, is this a joke? Where's the narrative! Leonardo was being polite.

 

[mtlctr]

One flush set stone , anybody could do the (rest). Artist?

 

[monk]

such quality ! must have cost a small fortune. i doubt that there's an engraver alive today that could produce a masterpiece such as that !*&^%%# pos

 

[Crazey Horse RVN]

such quality ! must have cost a small fortune. i doubt that there's an engraver alive today that could produce a masterpiece such as that !*&^%%# pos

I know a couple of kids in day care who could best that.

 

[mdengraver]

Well I guess we weren't asked to critique this engraving! Anyway, let the work speak for itself, after all, it is narrative engraving!

 

[DKanger]

I think it's a Halloween Monster joke, posted with tongue-in-cheek.

 

[T.G.III]

A Google search produced zero results for "narrative engraving"

 

[DaveAtWeirs]

I need to rase my prices. That's over 10k in dollars

 

[monk]

A Google search produced zero results for "narrative engravin

 

[monk]

narrative art. i think is supposed to tell a story or convey a message in simplistic form. so what was the story on the ring?? lysergic acid diethylamide maybe?

 

[T.G.III]

Correct, I do understand the word, and can picture engraving telling a story but, not as it appears in this thread

 

[KevinCunningham]

I hate Cy Twombly’s art- giant crayon scribbles and messy writing supposedly referencing classical themes. His ‘paintings’ sell for millions. I do very much enjoy Marcel Duchamp though but his conceptual art and readymades are the kind of statement that can only be made once before losing their power.

I think that Basquiat’s scrawled graffiti art and cartoony faces are really cool though. Of course part of the value of his work is the time and place it was made including his history, which can also not be copied.

In this instance I think that placing a scribble face in precious metal with a stone could elevate the napkin sketch to something more deliberate, possibly elevating it to fine art in a way that transcends ornament. The artistic statement could be as simple as the idea of the worthlessness of hereditary titles and class in the modern era, replaced by materialism and throwaway humor. Which is not to dismiss humor itself as a worthy theme for fine art- this ring might imply wealth and prestige at arms length but provoke a chuckle upon examination.

Again though, if you’re the scribble face ring guy that’s great but if everyone made them they would not be even a little bit cool. And if I was that guy I wouldn’t want to spend a career making them.

Plus there is zero narrative here

Or maybe art school ruined me

 

[DaveAtWeirs]

I agree about the concepts of the art and the idea of having fun or doing something that seems plain at first glance but when you actually learn about the skill required, or the concepts and narrative behind it, it transforms how you view the piece in your mind. But this ring here is like coming to a high end sword making community with a balloon sword and asking if anyone else can make one

 

[mdengraver]

To perhaps paraphrase: Lee Griiffiths, said something like, "Art is being able to recognize which mistakes to keep!" In this case, the choice of this narrative engraving, whether intentional or deliberate, was a big lapse in good judgement, and therefore in my opinion, disqualifies it from Lee's definition of art!

 

[SiyuanZ]

Seems like an etching or laser engraving to me, effort= , I do respect his honesty.

 

[Roger Bleile]

The emperor's new clothes.