Tiny Coincidences

Since my day job keeps me slightly busy, I have fallen behind with my comments on the current season.

The last two episodes were the most fun to watch and of course decisive in determining who would make it to the finale.

Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn has a proven track record of a great eye and being able to spot great talent early. She had a very positive and strong influence on the panel of judges during Season 1. Had she been a guest judge for Episode 9 instead of 8, the outcome might have produced a slightly different trio of finalists. 

In Episode 8 Sarah Kabot produced work that sold for the least in the street and impressed the least in the gallery competition. Her elimination therefore did not surprise and did not lead to a lot of discussion. Kymia took a risky path by taking a conceptual and clearly noncommercial approach with her exchange of signatures. From the selling point of view she was second to last and beat Sarah Kabot only by a single dollar. What saved her is that the judges liked it and that she had decided to take Dusty as a team mate. Dusty was the third best street vendor which boosted their team's financial tally. It shows that his surveillance camera on the American flag had a considerably more positive response from the street than from the gallery. Incidentally I would really have loved to go to Arkansas. At least I have meanwhile learned how to pronounce it properly!

Lola did her best work of the whole competition in these last two episodes, and it therefore must have been all the harder for her to have narrowly missed making it to the finale. In Episode 8 her self-portrait with secrets was very striking and worked as well in the street as in the gallery. I regret that it was not possible for the TV viewers to read her secrets. Her portrait of the two coin dealers from Cold Spring in Episode 9 was strong and truly original.

Kymia's portrait of the antique dealers got her the victory in the last challenge and secured her position as one of the finalists. As much as I am in awe of the drawing that she did for the children's challenge, I find this portrait, while technically impeccably executed, a bit creepy and definitely not something I would wish to own. Sara Jimenez like Lola is in top shape towards the end of this competition. She beat out Lola in the street vendors challenge and took considerable risk in her portrait of the Cold Spring fireman. In her case it paid off for her and the reward is a place in the finale.

With most auctions behind me this year I took the time to read the various recaps, and some of the numerous comments this competition causes in cyberspace. First of all Jerry Saltz's recaps are totally brilliant and are the compulsory complement that one impatiently waits for after watching the episodes. Several other regular recaps are very humorous and fun to read. The heated discussions about which artists should have won or been eliminated are exactly the same as discussions I have on a daily basis with friends and colleagues on which artists in the non-TV world we admire or believe in. It demonstrates how highly subjective art's appreciation is and this is precisely the wonderful thing about it. China Chow, Jerry Saltz, Bill Powers, and the guest judges did a great job throughout Season 2 in discussing the relative merits of this season's contestants. The three finalists are all very talented. Lola, Michelle, Dusty all had the talent to also make it to the finale. As in life it is tiny things or coincidences that can make a difference.

Now I am highly impatient to see the finale!