week9- Modernism and Post-Modernism

Claude Monet's 'Water Lillies' (1920) and Chuck Closes' 'Maggie' (1998)

 Both Claude Monet and Chuck Close were exploring paint, colour and human perception. Research the work of both artists in order to;

1. Outline the intentions of each artist.



Maggie, (1996), Oil on canvas, 30 x 24"
(76.2 x 61 cm), Photograph by Ellen Page Wilson, courtesy of PaceWildenstein, New York, © Chuck Close 



Self Portrait (1994). Chuck Close. Detail.

 

Chuck Close was born in Monroe, Washington in 1940. He is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, though his massive-scale portraits.  Chuck Close is one of the world’s leading modern artists. His art is focuses on portraits of himself and his family and friends, often produced at a very large scale. You can only see the painting figures from the distance.

 

 



Water Lillies (1920) Claude Monet

Water Lillies (1920) Claude Monet



Claude Monet (1840-1926) was born in Paris, France November 14, 1840. Monet was the French Impressionist painter. His intentions were reflections in his subject matter and how he used colours in the painting. Monet often painted the exact same view numerous times to depict changing light and weather conditions.

 

2. Describe the techniques of each artist

 

 

 The technique Claude Monet has used was loose brush strokes. He hasn’t used any outlines in these paintings.  Many of brush strokes are painted at same place over and over again to show the forms of what these paintings meant to be. He didn’t mixed his colours he used similar different colours to show the shadow of the painting.

 

 

The subjects weren’t supposed to be recognizable. “ I was intent on just painting really anonymous people,” close recalls. “ Then they managed to become famous, and it kind of screwed up my game plan”.  His subjects many times than life with a hyper-realistic outlook, close focuses equally on traditionally unimportant features such as skin, hair, and stubble as well as the eyes, nose, and mouth.

3. Find 2 quotes about each artists work, and reference them correctly.

 

"All the fingerprint paintings are done without a grid."  

 

Roy II, 1994
oil on canvas

"Well, I’m a human being and I take pictures of people and I make paintings about them. These are images that matter to me. I don’t do commissioned portraits, and I don’t paint people that I’m not close to." (Robert Ayers)

4. Note 3 similarities of the work of both artists.

The both artist have same similarities of how they both used paint to draw, they don’t use outline on their painting, their brushstrokes are similar the paintings are more clear only if you look at from the distance.  It has shadows created by using different colours rather than mixing the paint.

 

5. What are some differences between the artist's work. (at least 3)

Chuck close painting is more realistic where Monet painting is dramatic. Chuck’s painting is more about human face and Monet’s painting is more about the landscape.  Their brush movements are different how Chuck use square and Monet use short lined brushstrokes.  

 

6. Describe your response to the work of both artists.

I like the fact how Chuck and Monet use the bright colours and they have different looking paintings. How face can be drawn like in a grid was interesting. I personally like the colours that Chuck used rather than Monet and to me Chucks painting is more interesting.

 

 

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Art/Monet/Monet.shtml

http://artloving.net/impressionism/what-painting-techniques-have-been-used-in-monets-impressionism-sunrise-painting

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Water-Lilies-Reflected-Willow-circa-1920-Posters_i1365835_.htm

 http://www.cs.washington.edu/building/art/ChuckClose/

http://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/04/arts/art-chuck-close-show-with-friends-as-models.html

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/chuck_close.html

http://www.artnewsblog.com/2006/04/chuck-close-interview.htm

week 7- Industrialisation and Cao Fei's RMB City

Dynamism of a dog on a Leash (1912) Giacomo Balla

Industrialisation in the late 1800s, and today.



RMB City (2007-9)  Cao Fei



The artists of the late 1800's and early 1900's, in Europe, were influenced by the Industrial revolution.

1. What and when was the Industrial Revolution?
The Industrial Revolution was the period from 18^th century to the 19^th century. The Industrial Revolution was a period in which fundamental changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies and the social structure in England. This started in United Kingdom, and then next spread throughout Europe, North America, and eventually the world.

 

Both paintings featured on this blog, that are from the early 1900s were painted by Modernist painters from the group called 'Futurists'. The Futurists celebrated the machine, and objects in motion. Their primary objective was to depict movement, which they saw as symbolic of their commitment to the dynamic forward thrust of the 20th century.

2. Research both Modernist paintings in order to comment on the subject matter, form and style used to celebrate the machine and motion in each painting. Answer the question in 2 parts for each painting.

 

On the first painting it has used the shape of cylinder and rounded figures are painted. The elements are realistic and it has presented building, and the space is still rendered through perspective. The most of the space is filled with men and the horses and it gives dynamic effort. In the painting the warm colours have been used so the subject matter looks like it’s moving and it has motion. Also the different brightness of colour looks like the figures are moving.

 

In the second painting person with a dog has a look of the person and the dog is moving. The small shadow look of brush stroke helps the figures are in walking situation. The dog leash and dog feet and tail and small detail of the ear is painted you cant see it clearly. The artists painted moving parts are burly to help us think it is actually in moving situation.
Cao Fei's RMB City (2007-9) refers to China's recent rapid industialisation and urbanization.
(www.artspace.org.nz/exhibitions/2009/cafeintopia.asp)

3. Research Cao Fei's RMB City (2007-9)  in order to comment on this work in more depth.
i.e what images has she used in her digital collage that refer to China's present and history, and why has she used these.

 

In her digital collage she have used panda, china flag, busy and tall Asian buildings, fire/smoke, aircraft, a huge bicycle wheel, transport and I think on red circle on yellow word is Chinese. As a laboratory for investigations in art, design, architecture, cinema, politics, economy, society, and beyond, RMB City is constantly nourished by new and innovative projects, and supported by leading international art institutions and networks. The model of avant- grade urban planning, it traverses the boundaries between past and future, real and virtual to link China and the cosmopolitan contemporary world.

4. RMB City is described as a utopia/dystopia. Comment on what these terms mean, and how they can be applied to the work.
The word Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The place where everything is perfect and the term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt to create an ideal society, and fictional societies portrayed in literature. The idea of dystopia is warning society that if we continue to live how we do, this will be the consequence. The meaning of dystopia is basically opposite to utopia.

5. Although the Modernist paintings and the contemporary digital work have emerged from
different contexts, there are also many similarities. Comment on the similarities that you can see in the work. Look at the moving digital image at vimeo.com/4272260, if you have not
already researched it.

The similarities I think in between this art works are 2paintings and RMB City are 2 modernist painting is 2D and RMB City is 3D but the idea of these works are all in motion. They all try to give the same effects of the movement.

6. Comment on other student's blogs.

 

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html
http://www.britannica.com/facts/5/150132/The-City-Rises-as-discussed-in-Umberto-Boccioni-Italian-painter
www.artspace.org.nz/exhibitions/2009/cafeintopia.asp
www.artchive.com/artchive/B/boccioni/boccioni_city.jpg.html
www.artchive.com/artchive/B/balla.html 
vimeo.com/4272260

Week 6 Landscape and the Sublime

 

'Wanderer in the mists' (1818) Caspar David Friedrich

'Untitled #2" (2002) Richard Misrach

 'Untitled # 394-03' (2003) Richard Misrach

Richard Misrach's photography reflects the concept of the Sublime, from the Enlightenment.

Research Misrach's work by reading about his intentions, and also by looking at the work. Then answer the following questions;

1. What and when was the Enlightenment?

Enlightenment is the era in Western philosophy at 18^th century. This is not a single movement or school of thought, for these philosophies was often mutually contradictory or divergent. At its core was a critical questioning of traditional institutions, customs, and morals, and a strong belief in rationality and science. There is little consensus on when to date the start of the age of Enlightenment and some scholars simply use the beginning of the 18th century or the middle of the 18th century as a default date.

2. Define the concept of the Sublime.

Define the Sublime is the quality of greatness or vast magnitude, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic. Sublime is the nature from the beauty and landscape.

3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?

The artists want to show the beauty of the painting so this is where sublime has used.

Sublime is something literally overwhelming, either because of its enormity (a high mountain, a deep chasm, a blinding light), its infinity (the spiritual or timeless) or its obscurity ( a cloud-capped mountain, a floating mist, night, intense darkness) - all significantly, the opposite or the precise, measured, penetrating 'light' of the enlightenment.

 

4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images of his work.

 

Misrach’s works have captured his art work from the different height and level. The photograph of the “untitled 1132-04 [Flippers], 2004” has people lay on the sand and you can see a huge scale of sands of itself has heaps of people foot print this also shows the sublime of the nature. The 'Swimmers, Pyramid Lake Indiana Reservation, Nevada, 1987-93' natural look of the mountain and the ocean and small scale of human shows how nature is big and strong compare to human itself.

 

Richard Misrach
Untitled 1132-04 [Flippers], 2004

Swimmers, Pyramid Lake Indiana Reservation, Nevada, 1987-93

5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.

Joseph Mallord William Turner was an English romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner is one of the greatest meters British watercolour landscape paintings. He is known as ‘the painter of light’ and his work regarded as a Romantic preface to Impressionism. He is the enlightenment artist who also do sublime as well.

 

William Turner Flint Castle

6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?

Some of the Misrach’s photograph that he took has a feeling of quite, alone, and feeling of fear of the nature (Swimmers, Pyramid Lake Indiana Reservation, Nevada, 1987-93) because you don’t know what is behind that mountain. The nature is beautiful but also powerful and human is only part of it.  

7. Add a Sublime image of your choice to your blog, which can be Art or just a Sublime photograph.

 

8. Reference your sources (books and websites).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=397117&section=6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublime_(philosophy)