Week 13: From Modern to Postmodern

Isamu Noguchi: The Sculpture of SpacesI chose to watch this video because I am interested in the idea of spaces because of my goal to enter the field of urban planning.  I agree with his idea that the earth itself will someday be the subject of sculpture.  Furthermore, as he points out, civilizations have been doing this since the beginning of time, such as the Aztecs.  I thought it was interesting that Noguchi started off by designing stage sets – like a miniature world.  My favorite work featured in the video was his water sculpture; it is interesting how water can also define space.  Although this video was a little dry without music, I enjoyed it because it brought a different dimension to sculpture besides what we learned from the book.

Hockney on PhotographyI watched this video because I am interested in photography and think it is a very accessible art form.  The part I found most interesting to learn about is the void between the photographer and the subject.  I also enjoyed Hockney’s Polaroid collages, which are actually more like mosaics.  I really liked this film because it allowed me to understand what was going on inside the artist’s mind while he was creating the art or how he planned it, which you often do not get to hear about.  In fact, this video discussed the artist’s entire life, which was interesting to relate to his artwork.  I think this video most related to what we learned about photography earlier in the semester when learning about the history of art.

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s and 60sI chose to watch this video because I thought the title was interesting.  As it turns out, the video did help me to understand abstract art on a deeper level than was provided by the book.  I liked the explanation that the point of abstract art is to “think and feel what the painting is.”  This video was different than many that we have watched this semester – it just showed images of the paintings and other pictures and did not include any people talking besides the narrators.  However, it did help me to understand and appreciate abstract art more.  The video focused on six works and the artists.  “C&O” by Kline is one abstract art this video focused on and it was emphasized that this artist used color to imply ambiguity.  “Mountains and Sea” is by an American artist, Helen Frankenthaler.   The narrator pointed out that works such as this make you question what a painting is.  De Koonig’s “Morning: The Spring.”  In abstract art like this, nothing is identifiable.  However, after the narrator’s explanations, I agree that this work may represent natural elements such as plants and water.  Jasper John’s “Flag” does not seem abstract at first – it just looks like a regular American flag.  The artist wanted tomake us look hard at his subject as if we were seeing a flag for the first time, making us question its significance.  This work is probably my favorite out of the group after I realized that it is mainly composed of newspaper.  “The Texan” by Andy Warhol is a work by Warhol I have never seen before.  It includes many images of the one man (who is in fact another artist).  I learned that pop art, such as Andy Warhol’s, was the first to embrace the rhythms and textures of city life.   The video also explains how “Girl with Hair Ribbon” by Lichtenstein conveys surprise and seduction. 

Uncertainty: Modernity and ArtI watched this video because it seemed like I would be able to relate to the art in it more since it focuses on modernity.  It turned out to be my favorite video from this week.  The video suggested that art can tell us about ourselves; it started by discussing Greek statues, which mainly referenced divinity and “knowing thyself.”  I agreed with the narrator’s suggestion that “modern art is contemporary society’s version of the Delphic Oracles.”  The main point of this video is that uncertainty is the underlying message of modern art – everything is always changing.  I thought this video was very well done and fast moving, which really kept my attention.  Also, it used examples of many different works to expand on what we learned about modern art from the book.

Burchfield Penney Art Center

This week I visited the Burchfield and the “An Overabundance of Detail” exhibit really captured my interest.  The title of the exhibit fit the theme very well, as many of the works in the collection seemed simple, yet had exceptional detail with a closer look. 

This particular gallery had only white walls and the lighting consisted of small spotlights on the ceiling as well as a boxed in skylight.  The interior architecture of the space was very minimal – there was basically just the wood floor, a glass door, and the plastic pedestals for the artwork which were encased in glass.  There was space to walk around each pedestal in order to see every side of the art pieces.  The movement of the viewer therefore was meandering amongst these artworks, as well as looking at the pieces which were mounted on the wall.  However, the movement was generally from the front of the gallery to the back.
The floor plan of the Burchfield Penney can be found here:
http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/pdf/BPAC_Floor_Plan.pdf

The artworks were organized randomly in this meandering fashion, all at least 5 feet from each other.  There were multiple works from each featured artist, so there were many similarities of the pieces overall, but most of the works by the same artists were not placed next to each other.  All of the works also shared the similarity of simplicity and immense detail.  However, they did differ in the media and techniques used to achieve this, as well as their overall meanings.  Most of the works were three dimensional and therefore not framed, but all works were labeled with a white card detailing the title, artist, year, and media used.

One of the first works that caught my eye was “I Glow for You” by Felice Koenig.  This 2010, 3 foot by 3 foot work consisted of layers of acrylic paint on canvas to achieve a glossy and textured look.   It consisted of many white, red, pink, and yellow dots.  I would consider this work to be representational and possibly include modified images of eyes or cells.  Koenig’s theory behind her artwork is that the use of patterning can actually make a viewer pay attention to the details.  This work exemplifies the elements and principles of texture, color, rhythm, and harmony.  The yellow dots in “I Glow for You” reminded me of octopus eyes, while the pinkish elements reminded me of human insides.  This was very fitting as Koenig’s concept in her artwork is the vulnerability of the body.  Therefore, I interpreted this piece to be about the beauty of the human body, or seeing beauty in small details.

Another artwork I chose to analyze was “Vessel #87 (Span)” by Dennis Nahabetian.  This work is about 1 foot by three quarters of a foot and was made of copper, bronze, and pigment and is dated 2008.  This piece was representational as it contained a modified image of a bridge.  The principles and elements utilized b y Nahabetian include form, line, and rhythm.  This work actually reminded me of a blueprint as well as a bridge.  Therefore, I think this work goes beyond being a decorative vessel to an object that speaks of the attention to detail required in any art.

Finally, I focused on “Untitled 2010” by Carolyn Panzica, a sugar string on sugar base work measuring about 1.5 square feet.  This work actually looked like a cake, with diagonal lines (some flat, some wavy).  Colors used were red, yellow, blue, and green.  The principles and elements involved in this piece were line, form, color, proportion, texture, and movement.  Besides a cake, this work also reminded me of architecture and I related it to how when I become an urban planner, I will have to work with the environment (such as the sun, fire, water, and plant life that the colors may represent).  

Before I decided to study urban planning, I was very interested in architecture.  Therefore, I enjoyed taking this perspetive of analyzing a space and how it was designed to guide the gallery guests through their viewing experience.  I think the Burchfield is very well done and therefore I liked the atmosphere at this gallery moreso than at the Albright-Knox.  I also am very happy that the Burchfield is LEED Certified!

Week 12 Video Reviews

The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19^th Century to the PresentI chose to watch this film because we had an exchange student from the Basque region in the north of Spain.  I learned that Goya’s work reflected the feelings of doubt in the 19^th century.  I thought the “black paintings” on his walls were very interesting to learn about.  Conversely, the 20^th century exuberance was characterized by the architect Gaudi’s art.  Historic periods in Northern Spain are also represented Pablo Picasso and Francisco Franco, and more recently, Frank Gehry and Santiage Calatrava.  Overall, I thought the concept of this video was very unique – studying the psychological landscape of Spain through art – and was an effective way to bring together the ideologies and lives of many different artists introduced in the book.

Expressionism
I chose to watch this video because I wanted to learn more about expressionism.  I learned that symbolism through color is very important in this style of painting.  For example, the bright colors used in Beckmann’s “Actors” convey the idea that the people depicted might as well be puppets.  The film was very quiet but it definitely helped me to learn more about expressionism after being introduced to it from the book.

Dada and Surrealism
I chose this film because I have always been interested in surrealism.  The film examined six different works by Schwitter, Hoch, Grosz, Miro, Dali, and Ray and their relation to the Dada movement (following World War I) and surrealism.  My favorite was Schwitter’s use of collage from ordinary everyday objects.  I think the film was a little dry and would have been better with music, but I still find the concept of surrealism fascinating – tapping into the unconscious mind.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884 (Seurat)
I chose this film because I wanted to learn more about this painting because I have never appreciated it but I thought maybe I would if I learned more about it.  As I learned about it, I became more interested in the painting once the enigmas involved in it were pointed out, such as the monkey (might it represent “monkey business”?).  Furthermore, learning about the historic period on which the painting is based helped me to understand why people are so interested in it – for instance, the park was a place to find prostitutes, which leads viewers to consider if every unaccompanied woman is soliciting herself.  I also am intrigued by Seurat’s pointillism technique – it really shows how much work went into the painting.  Overall, this film did a very thorough job of outlining Seurat’s life, influences, and the details of this particular painting.  Moreover, it reinforced what we learned about him and pointillism from the book.

Mask Making

The inspiration pieces for my mask project were:

The Classic Fang Mask from Gabon is actually one of the most recognized masks in the world and apparently one of the most attractive to Western eyes, which may explain why I chose it.  It is a narrow upside-down teardrop shape that is mainly a natural white/ivory color.  The facial features consist of black lines that represent the nose and eyebrows as well as holes for eyes and the mouth.  Shape can be seen in this piece if you look at the areas between the components.  Line is another element used in this work because it creates the features of the mask as well as leading your eye.  However, the most important element of this mask may have been shape, as the actual shape makes a large impact on the viewer.

I chose the Oceanic yam mask because I found it interesting that men make them to decorate giant yams to make “yam men” as part of their festival.  These masks are also unique because of they are made with woven rattan and dyed with natural pigments.  This mask resembles a basket because it is woven and because of the shape.  The facial features include big ovals which represent the eyes and there is a space that may be the nose or mouth at the bottom of the mask.  The mask utilizes subtle colors of green, yellow, white, and orange.  The strongest element in this work is texture due to the materials used.  Form is also important in this work as it is very three dimensional.  Space also plays a role, especially for the “mouth” and the “headdress” parts.

The European Clown Mask is a very complex and abstract carved wooden mask whose facial features are formed by waves and cuts in the wood.  The most important element in this work is form because of the complicatedness of the carving.  Also, the mask looks completely different from a front to side view because of its dimensions.  Space and line are also utilized by the artist in order to create the features of the mask.  I chose this mask as an inspiration piece because it was the most unique one I saw.

Here are my sketches and final project:

My final piece is called “We Are Nature.”  I used a button, decorative paper, dead leaves, and birch tree bark.  The elements and principles I incorporated were texture, rhythm, and ultimately, unity.  There is texture from the leaves, bark, and button and rhythm from the pattern on the paper.  Unity was achieved through interaction of all of the components.

 I thought the mask project was a lot of fun.  I enjoyed learning about masks in the first place because they are an easy way to take a look at different cultures.  It was fun to incorporate my personal philosophies into my project.

Week 11 Video Review

I watched the Buddhism video because I learned a lot about this way of life in my anthropology class called “Religion, Magic, and Culture.”  This video added to the knowledge I learned in that class as well as in the textbook readings this week.  For example, I knew that the fundamental goal of Buddhism is to be free from all desire, but I didn’t know there was a word for it (tanja) until watching the film.  I enjoyed seeing the Great Stupa (and all of the Buddhist ideas incorporated into it), which I did not know was a pilgrimage site for Buddhists and also inspired the Parliament building design.  Overall, I thought this film was good because it included a lot of information in a short amount of time.

I watched Islamic Art: India and the Middle East because I wanted to learn about Islamic mosques because my sister recently visited some in Istanbul.  I appreciated learning about the history of Islam throughout this video; it is interesting to note that the medieval Islamic map is oriented with the south and north the opposite of what we are used to.  Ever since seeing my sister’s pictures from mosques in Istanbul, I was interested in learning more about the beautiful art involved in these places of worship.   The narrator pointed out that elements of the Christian basilica, Roman temple, and visions of paradise from Buddhism can all be seen in the Islamic mosque.  I thought this film was very well done and tied into the readings from the book.  Furthermore, as an anthropology major, I also appreciated that Waldemar Januszczak alluded to breaking down the stereotypes of Muslim terrorists. 

I chose to view African Art: Legacy of Oppression because I am interested in Africa because my grandma and grandpa once lived there for 4 years.  I learned that this art is often stereotyped as “primitive,” but it actually holds very deep meaning.  I personally enjoyed learning about the more abstract African art and ideas.  I thought it was interesting that some of the art from the turn of the century even had influences from Picasso.  Besides going along with the readings, this film was also useful in that it focused a lot on masks, which are considered magical art objects in African culture and may serve as inspiration for my project this week.  The film was interesting and although a little outdated, it was great to learn about the art of a different culture.

Finally, I watched Chinese Art: Treasures of the National Palace Museum because the title sounded interesting.  I really enjoyed it and have found a new appreciation for Chinese art – each piece was so beautiful.  I especially admire the simple touches, such as the leaf incorporated into the Zhou dynasty tea bowl.  It was amazing to see these pieces as you would normally never see them unless you visited the museum – I learned so much about artworks I have never heard about before, such as the curio cabinet.  I also like the succinct style of the film and the fact that it gave interesting facts about each piece.  It was nice to see so many examples of the art we have been learning about in the book.