The continuing rise and social influence of Facebook and Twitter may have contributed plenty to the growing readership of the Art21 Blog, but ultimately, it is quality of writing and the diverse approaches to contemporary art-related topics and issues that keeps the Art21 Blog going so strong.
First, before we get into the top 10, an honorable mention:
Honorable Mention, Teaching with Contemporary Art
Joe Fusaro’s weekly column, Teaching with Contemporary Art, continues to have a very loyal and consistently-growing readership, with the main category page being the most-viewed overall page on the Art21 Blog for 2010 (as it has been on an almost-monthly basis for the year). If you aren’t among the tens of thousands of readers that enjoy and discuss Joe’s posts, catch up and be sure to keep an eye out for more in the new year!
With that, join us past the break as we present the top 10 most-viewed posts on the Art21 blog for 2010.
10. Inside the Artist’s Studio: Alexis Avlamis
Also contributed to the Flash Points topic on art and the environment, Georgia Kotretsos’s January installment of her monthly column, Inside the Artist’s Studio, featured the Athens, Greece-based artist, Alexis Avlamis.
9. Julie Mehretu: Workday
This February Exclusive video features Julie Mehretu in her Berlin studio working on the painting Middle Grey (commissioned by the Deutsche Guggenheim for the exhibition, Julie Mehretu: Grey Area) and discussing the ups and downs of her daily studio practice.
8. Contemporary Sculpture, How Sweet It Is
Nicole Caruth’s October installment of her Gastro-Vision column featured tasty reproductions of contemporary sculpture, produced in collaboration by artist Paul Shore and art historian Nicole Root.
7. Secrets of Art Appreciation
Power Twitter user Museum Nerd went beyond the 140-character format in August to contribute to the Flash Points topic, “Art and Experience,” by describing a head-heart-and-gut approach to art appreciation.
6. Louise Bourgeois Left Nothing to be Desired
Written days after the May 31 passing of Louise Bourgeois, Catherine Wagley pays tribute to the late artist with personal touches and Freud.
5. On teaching art to scientists
During her stint in May as a guest blogger, Liz K. Sheehan explores the interdisciplinary intersections between art and science.
4. Julie Mehretu: Studio Assistants
Released in March, this Exclusive video features a group of Julie Mehetu’s studio assistants at work in the artist’s Berlin studio, discussing the various skills that they each contribute to Mehretu’s overall process
3. William Kentridge: “Breathe”
The first of a series of Exclusive videos featuring William Kentridge, this video from January shows the artist in his Johannesburg studio swatting at torn pieces of paper, creating the video work Breathe.
2. The Paradoxical Art of “Inception”
Posted in August, Nettrice Gaskins shows the results of spending serious time analyzing the art in Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film, Inception.
..and the most-viewed post in 2010 is:
1. The Puppy Wars
Catherine Wagley’s February post takes a look at the tiff between art writers Jerry Saltz and John Yau, spawned from Saltz declaration of Jeff Koons as “the emblematic artist of the decade” in New York Magazine‘s end-of-the-00s issue.
Honorable Mention, Posts 11–13
Since the margin of difference between posts 10 through 13 was so close, we felt that the last 3 also deserve a mention here.
11. The Process Behind the Portrait
An interview with Alec Soth from March by Flash Points editor Rachel Craft—contributed to the topic on art and ethics—discussing the relationships that the artist builds with the subjects of his portraiture.
12. The Island in 100 Acres: An Interview with Andrea Zittel
A January interview with Andrea Zittel from No Preservatives columnist and Indianapolis Museum of Art conservator Richard McCoy, discussing the artist’s floating island project for The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
13. Letter from London: Everything Must Go
An April installment of Ben Street’s bi-weekly column, Letter from London, looks at the ongoing relationship between culture and commercialism, jumping off from Mark Rothko, to Kurt Cobain, to Peter Paul Rubens, to Julie Mehretu.
