Jack Goldstein, The Man Who Wanted to be Noticed.
By: Tanner Morris
Jack Goldstein is regarded as one of the leading conceptual artists of his generation. Born in 1945 and living until the age of 57, after committing suicide in 2003 he dedicated his life trying to make it stand out and live on past his death. Through his art he would mainly explore the concept he noted as the, “spectacular instant”. The spectacular instant is a moment in time that is rare for someone to experience, such as a lightning strike, bomb or nebula explosion, etc. He would create simulacrums of these events, which are simply representations as Jean Baudrillard states, with sometimes the inclusion of geometric shapes and patterns adding an abstract design element. His process of creating these works consisted of him using photographs of these events, many times blowing them up creating the sense of abstraction and then actually hiring painters to create the imagery.
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Jack Goldstein is regarded as one of the leading conceptual artists of his generation. Born in 1945 and living until the age of 57, after committing suicide in 2003 he dedicated his life trying to make it stand out and live on past his death. Through his art he would mainly explore the concept he noted as the, “spectacular instant”. The spectacular instant is a moment in time that is rare for someone to experience, such as a lightning strike, bomb or nebula explosion, etc. He would create simulacrums of these events, which are simply representations as Jean Baudrillard states, with sometimes the inclusion of geometric shapes and patterns adding an abstract design element. His process of creating these works consisted of him using photographs of these events, many times blowing them up creating the sense of abstraction and then actually hiring painters to create the imagery.
These in particular are paintings that appear very realistic depicting subject matter that’s rarely ever seen. Because of this, Goldstein’s representations of these moments become the hyperreal for the viewer. His pieces are now the model of these rare events.
During the 1980s Art boom, he focused specifically on these paintings, with the nagging yearn to be famous he took advantage of the “bull market”. The paintings he created during this time were noted by him as, “salon paintings” and had the intent of being sold for a high price to the rich connoisseurs that would immortalized his work. Supposedly he was looked down upon for this move by peers, but i see no wrong in taking advantage of new financial opportunity that leads to greater social recognition. As Baudrillard might say, he is simply creating a simulacrum representing himself as a high end artist and since it worked who's to say he isn’t one. What’s become apparent though between the hiring of painters and taking advantage of the rich, is that it seems like he cheated. Even though he did have the visions and an incredible sense of creativity he wasn’t the craftsman and appears to me to be a simulacrum of the typical artist.
I believe he made these controversial decisions to help him accomplish his one true goal of being known. Unfortunately, his glory with the salon paintings was short lived lived as throughout the 80’s the popularity of his work died down. Possibly leading to his disappearance in the early 90’s, where he went to California to live in the shadows of the art world. During this time he created an autobiography entirely of excerpts from philosophy books amidst dealing with depression and drug abuse. I believe this resort to solidarity was in part because of the 1980 art boom, for the way in which it burdened him to enhance his reputation to the public just to have a taste at success and then be dismissed as irrelevant. His life shows us that representation is so important but at the same time so fragile.
The irony in this though is that I’m sitting here writing about this mans life proving that he has in fact lived on through his accomplishments as an artist. In 2004 a year after he committed suicide his autobiography released and he regained the spotlight. Today simulacrums of his work can be seen through the works of artists that have come after. As Baudrillard might put it, he’s repeated through the simulation we live in.
I really enjoy the idea of the 'spectacular instant' most things that are spectacular only occur in an instant. Great insight "repeated through the simulation we live in".
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