Max Neutra here. Great Grandson of Richard Neutra. If you are interested in seeing how I am continuing the creative bloodline through contemporary art, stop by my solo art shows opening next month in Los Angels.
i've always wondered about the psychology of the descendants of famous people. is it hard to live up to the shadow of the great ancestor? or does it provide an inspiration, an intellectual boost?
If I was in LA, I would definitely go to the exhibit.
There's also a John Lautner exhibit at the Hammer?
Damn, there's nothing to do in Naptown, except go see my husband's new sculpture, of course, but I've seen it in my garage for the last year so it's not really fresh for me.
Oops, I lost a sentence in there: The work on the website looks great, I've grown a bit tired of cartoon-ey art in the last few years but this is more traditional comic book illustration and yet new, and VERY skillful. I love it.
"Naptown is the nickname for Indianapolis, IN. The term Naptown comes from the old jazz movement in the hey-days and is refered in a couple of popular mainstream songs such as Tip Drill by Nelly, Down and out by Camron, Real nigga roll call by Lil Jon etc. etc. Though it has no mainstream rap scene yet, it one of the midwest's premier cities."
my exgirlfriend/future wife will not move here. when i lived in chicago she was in town on business and we drove down to my brother's in warsaw indianastan for visit as my mother was in town and it was mother's day. anyway, there happened to be a klan rally (there was also an antiklan rally) anyhow her association with indianastan is with the klan and she cannot think of indianastan without thinking klan.
"i've always wondered about the psychology of the descendants of famous people. is it hard to live up to the shadow of the great ancestor? or does it provide an inspiration, an intellectual boost?"
Thanks for the interesting question Nicolas. The truth is I never met Richard. He died in 1970, I was born in 1978. Everything I know about it comes from family stories or books. I do feel a pressure to achieve, but it really comes from me more than anything else. This isn't like I'm Madonna's child trying to be a pop star, or Brad Pitt's child trying to be an actor. I grew up in humble surroundings out in New Mexico, far from Los Angeles and the rest of my Neutra family. My father is a computer consultant and basically let me be whatever I wanted. No pressure from anybody. I think it was that freedom growing up that has translated into my artistic pursuits. Thank goodness I never tried to be an architect! I did enjoy math in school, but I don't think all the constraints you face as an architect are for me...although the challenges they pose could be fun.
If anything, knowing what I know about Richard gives me inspiration and a boost. I wish we could have had some conversations together because I feel like even though we never met, there are similarities in the way we think. We both have an interest in the way things work, and the way people work as well. I am proud of my heritage and am not shy to compare myself to him because I truly feel like I continue some of his practices and explorations of the human condition. He sought answers through interacting with people and exploring their relationships with their surroundings. I seek answers through exploring human relationships with artwork. I am a brach on the same tree.
Ether,
"maybe I should change my name to george neutra and draw pretty pictures."
Yes, I am well aware of the situation at the VDL house and have been trying to help any way I can by attending events and utilizing my artistic skills. I made a 40" x 50" portrait of Richard that was to be auctioned off at a general fundraiser at Cal Poly last month, but the auction did not have a great turn out and did not do so well (as far as I can tell), I also helped produce some prints of the painting that could be used as an initiative for donations, but still no word on how to implement them into the donation system. So, I'm trying! :)
Thanks for your wonderful article and help bringing awareness to the issue.
Some interesting work, Max. You also have an interesting way of talking about your art..slightly egomaniacal, but that's fine. You must know Raplh Steadman because the similarities are certainly there.
Your comment about sounding egomaniacal concerns me. As an artist, part of what is expected of you is your ability to talk about your own work. This is something that a lot of artists struggle with . An artist speaking about their work not only helps others understand where the artist is coming from, it also helps the artist decide where he/she is going. It forces the artist to answer questions about their own motivations and helps clarify their own objectives. because of the nature of art and the way it seems to usually stem from within, I find it hard to imagine a way to talk about it without talking about the the self that it came from. That being said, I would hope that there is a way to get my ideas across in writing without sounding like an egomaniac.
Thanks for your constructive observation. It will be an influence in my journey.
...and yes, I know of Ralph Steadman. He is one of my favorites. :)
I completely agree with what you have said. The same is true of architects, I believe. You must have the ability to speak about your work, your decisions, and as an artist and architect myself, I have had to do a lot of that in my years as both.
Before going to arch school, I dedicated my time making as much art as possible and had a few gallery shows on the east coast. I have found that I have a much easier time speaking about my architecture (mostly I had to do so while in school, not so much as a young architect in the field, yet) than my art. I work mainly with the figure and my art is deeply personal and something with which I have had a hard time speaking about and I usually feel when I hear many artists talk about their art, it comes across as trite, cliche, chock full of buzz words, artificial emotion and self-importance. But I agree with what you say above, and I especially agree that when speaking of one's own work, it is a way to force an artist to understand what his/her motivations truly are and what he/she is investigating and moving toward.
Being creative and making that creativity come to life is a great thing-- and is certainly driven by something from within. I appreciate your comments. Good luck with your upcoming shows and keep it up.
I agree with you when you say that a lot of artists sound trite and use a lot of buzz words. I would imagine that in some cases it is because the artist truly is trite, or just lame in general, but I bet there are also occasions that artists sound that way simply due to their struggle with thinking of what to say. Then there's the other end of the spectrum where an artist might not be making work that is anything special, but manages to be successful simply on their ability to "sell" their work to the public.
I'd love to see some of your artwork! Drop me a note at my website, maxneutra.com, if you are interested in sharing....
Jun 1, 08 4:25 pm ·
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Richard Neutra's Great Grandson, Max Neutra, is an artist...
Hi there,
Max Neutra here. Great Grandson of Richard Neutra. If you are interested in seeing how I am continuing the creative bloodline through contemporary art, stop by my solo art shows opening next month in Los Angels.
You can find more info here:
http://maxneutra.blogspot.com/
and here:
http://maxneutra.com/home.html
damn...why did't i think of that
really?
i've always wondered about the psychology of the descendants of famous people. is it hard to live up to the shadow of the great ancestor? or does it provide an inspiration, an intellectual boost?
maybe I should change my name to george neutra and draw pretty pictures.
Mike Borromini?
although we probably shouldn't make fun of this guy, he sounds legit.
If I was in LA, I would definitely go to the exhibit.
There's also a John Lautner exhibit at the Hammer?
Damn, there's nothing to do in Naptown, except go see my husband's new sculpture, of course, but I've seen it in my garage for the last year so it's not really fresh for me.
Good luck with the exhibit, Max!
Oops, I lost a sentence in there: The work on the website looks great, I've grown a bit tired of cartoon-ey art in the last few years but this is more traditional comic book illustration and yet new, and VERY skillful. I love it.
what's naptown?
from Rap Dictionary:
"Naptown is the nickname for Indianapolis, IN. The term Naptown comes from the old jazz movement in the hey-days and is refered in a couple of popular mainstream songs such as Tip Drill by Nelly, Down and out by Camron, Real nigga roll call by Lil Jon etc. etc. Though it has no mainstream rap scene yet, it one of the midwest's premier cities."
Ah, good old Indy. Home of the world's largest christmas tree that isn't actually a tree.
hey oddjob we got the superbowl!
my exgirlfriend/future wife will not move here. when i lived in chicago she was in town on business and we drove down to my brother's in warsaw indianastan for visit as my mother was in town and it was mother's day. anyway, there happened to be a klan rally (there was also an antiklan rally) anyhow her association with indianastan is with the klan and she cannot think of indianastan without thinking klan.
It's also Naptown because it's so damn boring here that all one wants to do is take a nap. It's actually a good city for napping.
lb there's a big parade going on right now. gomer pyle is there!
vado is Roman Gabrial (Former Football Player) with him. I heard back in the 70's they were a thing..
i can handle indy. any city that has that many chipotles and fazoli's per capita, i am down.
hey max,
good job. if you sell any, you should try to help save your great granpa's and granma's house.
http://archinect.com/features/article.php?id=72721_0_23_0_M
Puddles,
"damn...why didn't i think of that"
Think of what?
Nicolas Benjamin,
"i've always wondered about the psychology of the descendants of famous people. is it hard to live up to the shadow of the great ancestor? or does it provide an inspiration, an intellectual boost?"
Thanks for the interesting question Nicolas. The truth is I never met Richard. He died in 1970, I was born in 1978. Everything I know about it comes from family stories or books. I do feel a pressure to achieve, but it really comes from me more than anything else. This isn't like I'm Madonna's child trying to be a pop star, or Brad Pitt's child trying to be an actor. I grew up in humble surroundings out in New Mexico, far from Los Angeles and the rest of my Neutra family. My father is a computer consultant and basically let me be whatever I wanted. No pressure from anybody. I think it was that freedom growing up that has translated into my artistic pursuits. Thank goodness I never tried to be an architect! I did enjoy math in school, but I don't think all the constraints you face as an architect are for me...although the challenges they pose could be fun.
If anything, knowing what I know about Richard gives me inspiration and a boost. I wish we could have had some conversations together because I feel like even though we never met, there are similarities in the way we think. We both have an interest in the way things work, and the way people work as well. I am proud of my heritage and am not shy to compare myself to him because I truly feel like I continue some of his practices and explorations of the human condition. He sought answers through interacting with people and exploring their relationships with their surroundings. I seek answers through exploring human relationships with artwork. I am a brach on the same tree.
Ether,
"maybe I should change my name to george neutra and draw pretty pictures."
Be my guest.
Orhan Ayyüce,
"hey max,
good job. if you sell any, you should try to help save your great granpa's and granma's house.
http://archinect.com/features/article.php?id=72721_0_23_0_M"
Yes, I am well aware of the situation at the VDL house and have been trying to help any way I can by attending events and utilizing my artistic skills. I made a 40" x 50" portrait of Richard that was to be auctioned off at a general fundraiser at Cal Poly last month, but the auction did not have a great turn out and did not do so well (as far as I can tell), I also helped produce some prints of the painting that could be used as an initiative for donations, but still no word on how to implement them into the donation system. So, I'm trying! :)
Thanks for your wonderful article and help bringing awareness to the issue.
Some interesting work, Max. You also have an interesting way of talking about your art..slightly egomaniacal, but that's fine. You must know Raplh Steadman because the similarities are certainly there.
Hi Mojorisin,
Thanks for taking a look at my work.
Your comment about sounding egomaniacal concerns me. As an artist, part of what is expected of you is your ability to talk about your own work. This is something that a lot of artists struggle with . An artist speaking about their work not only helps others understand where the artist is coming from, it also helps the artist decide where he/she is going. It forces the artist to answer questions about their own motivations and helps clarify their own objectives. because of the nature of art and the way it seems to usually stem from within, I find it hard to imagine a way to talk about it without talking about the the self that it came from. That being said, I would hope that there is a way to get my ideas across in writing without sounding like an egomaniac.
Thanks for your constructive observation. It will be an influence in my journey.
...and yes, I know of Ralph Steadman. He is one of my favorites. :)
Hey Max,
I completely agree with what you have said. The same is true of architects, I believe. You must have the ability to speak about your work, your decisions, and as an artist and architect myself, I have had to do a lot of that in my years as both.
Before going to arch school, I dedicated my time making as much art as possible and had a few gallery shows on the east coast. I have found that I have a much easier time speaking about my architecture (mostly I had to do so while in school, not so much as a young architect in the field, yet) than my art. I work mainly with the figure and my art is deeply personal and something with which I have had a hard time speaking about and I usually feel when I hear many artists talk about their art, it comes across as trite, cliche, chock full of buzz words, artificial emotion and self-importance. But I agree with what you say above, and I especially agree that when speaking of one's own work, it is a way to force an artist to understand what his/her motivations truly are and what he/she is investigating and moving toward.
Being creative and making that creativity come to life is a great thing-- and is certainly driven by something from within. I appreciate your comments. Good luck with your upcoming shows and keep it up.
Hi Mojorisin,
I agree with you when you say that a lot of artists sound trite and use a lot of buzz words. I would imagine that in some cases it is because the artist truly is trite, or just lame in general, but I bet there are also occasions that artists sound that way simply due to their struggle with thinking of what to say. Then there's the other end of the spectrum where an artist might not be making work that is anything special, but manages to be successful simply on their ability to "sell" their work to the public.
I'd love to see some of your artwork! Drop me a note at my website, maxneutra.com, if you are interested in sharing....
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