FOLLOWING THE DIARY OF AN ARTIST
LARRY SPICHER - ARTWORKS
Since the Covid 19 pandemic began, I've taken a particular interest in the development of the work of my artist friends as shared via social media. After some time perusing this body of work, I began to notice various creative gems that I had previously missed during more normal exhibitions. Exactly why has social media been so revealing? Well, I'm fairly certain it is because I am more 'at leisure' when contemplating work via social media, and therefore more likely to notice certain details, especially given that detail is often displayed more clearly on social media, where a work can be seen from various angles and in various enlargements. Even more interesting, having the phone in my hand I could easily call the artist to seek clarification about this or that feature.
A good example of this experience would be Basel Visual Art School student Larry Spicher. Via his Instagram account (@Irnc.art), Larry Spicher (20) keeps a daily record of his work, making it widely available both to his followers as well as to the public in general. The page is updated almost every day.
This is interesting to me, mainly in the way that it reveals the spirited development of Larry's work within the relative confines of the pandemic. I think it is fair to say that Larry shares on Instagram can be seen as an expression of Larry as an individual, even though he himself sees it more profanely as a record of his study process. Larry does not involve others in his work, and generally avoids the kind of outside influences and theories that are often sought by most young students thirsty for knowledge.
Although Larry uses reference material, reads widely, and follows the formal curriculum of his school, a unique feature of his daily work is his consistent and continuous development of line, colour and space, that coalesce in forms of expression that can be either figurative or non-figurative. At the same time I am convinced that Larry is concerned about much more than technique, and is seeking at the same time a language that can give meaningful expression to his thoughts, however directionless they may at first seem.
I have known Larry since he was a small child, having been acquainted for some time with his father, Basel painter Stephan Spicher. I have been able to follow his life journey through childhood, his interest in sport, his love music, and more recently his involvement in and study of art.
Our relationship is far more than casual. I often visit Basel and likewise Larry often visits me in Bali. Larry loves Bali, and together with his father feels a close emotional relationship with the island and with its artists. I can see that when it comes to Bali, Larry shares his parents' spiritual connection with the island. However I will leave aside his parents for the moment and talk about Larry and his unique perspective on life as viewed through the lens of his artworks.
There is an element of seriousness that I feel is important to acknowledge. When considering Larry's work I often find myself forced to ask all kinds of questions, such is the range of possible interpretations that each of his works implies. Is it the case that the mode he enters when working, either in his studio in Basel or in Maggia Ticino in Switzerland, is nothing more than a mood of relaxed freedom to work unfettered by the various problems in the world? I only ask myself this because the energy he puts into his work seems to spring eternal, driving him constantly to create with a vitality that would appear to have no end.
Of course this implies, perhaps, that Larry's work may not be immediately accessible to a wide public. However, I would maintain that understanding his work process by process is the route to true appreciation and enjoyment. In this sense I am reversing a habit that has been ingrained in aesthetics until recently, and which turns out to be meaningless here.
As a current student of an educational institution, I would imagine that Larry is forefronting spiritual more than visual experience in his artistic production. The graceful lines that Larry creates form simple objects that require little effort from the viewer in terms of interpretation or appreciation. Wherever I meet these lines I simply refer - subconsciously - to the work of other artists, or to figures from my own personal experience. And ultimately this is the enjoyable part of 'enjoying' things like the free poetry of line that flows as freely as words describing the arc of daily experience.
By now I think I have seen all of Larry's work created for and posted on Instagram. These posts demonstrate a cumulative strengthening of character, whilst at the same time form an image that itself 'imagines' a process of exploration, whatever the media: paper or canvas, black and white or colour.
Larry needs to work hard, I feel, because he is still young and there are many other artists his age, all eager to make a name for themselves. In following his process through social media, and after taking some time to appreciate his work in consideration of his formidable natural talent, I am more than confident that he will soon blossom into a serious and successful artist. (Yudha Bantono, Bali - 06.02.2022)
