Balance

It's been two years since I graduated from art school. Since then my art projects have probably not advanced as fast as they could if I were to work on them full-time, but they did advance in a meaningful way. Most importantly, the theoretical considerations behind my approach to abstract photography have evolved quite a bit. I especially benefited from my work as a photojournalist and art critic. It was very instructive to analyze the rich Toronto art scene, especially the huge CONTACT photography festival that takes place every year.

During the undergrad, me-as-aspiring-contemporary-artist developed side-by-side and yet separately from me-as-aspiring-medieval-art-historian. During my master's, the former became somewhat forgotten. But now, with the art critic opportunity, I have been able to connect the two through the following considerations: 1. the aesthetics of visual experience, 2. the politics of museum display, 3. the dynamics of cultural indebtedness, 4. the economics of popularity, 5. the discourse around art creation. These, I think, are some of the big questions in art; I post my observations in my new blog: iourtaeva.livejournal.com/

Of course, these considerations are informed by quite different things when it comes to contemporary vs. medieval era. Still, topics raised by contemporary artists and curators are symptomatic of the discipline's and society's broad interests. As I begin my PhD at Harvard University with a specialization in medieval art this coming fall, I expect the change from Toronto to Boston to lead to new and exciting considerations about art, history and human nature. Can't wait to start!