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)

Week 5- Science and reason- Video art by Pipilotti Rist

 Pipilotti Rist's video art- how can we link this to science and reason?

 

Still from 'Ever is Over All' (1997)

 

1. Define the 17th century 'Scientific Revolution', and say how it changed European thought and world view.

In the 17^th century was known by ‘scientific Revolution’. This was a period when new ideas in physics, astronomy, biology, human anatomy, chemistry, and other sciences led to a rejection of doctrines that had prevailed starting in ancient Greece and continuing through the middle ages, and laid the foundation of modern science. The scientific discoveries of the 16^th – 17^th centuries brought upon a fundamental change in the ways Europeans viewed the natural world.

 

2. Give examples of how we can we still see evidence of the 'Scientific Revolution' in the world today.

Research Pipilotti Rist's video installations to answer the following;

I think ‘Scientific revolution’ it has affected the world today by encouraging the removal of God in day to day lives. In public schools student have taught evolutionary theory from accepting God’s sovereignty over the universe, this have removed all meaning from human about themselves existence. This shows the idea of ‘scientific evolution’ how it started by God from the bible.

 3. From your research, do you think that the contemporary art world values art work

that uses new media/technology over traditional media?

I think the new media/technology and traditional media have an own different values. I think films and music is easy to see and hear in now lives. As the human society improves we have better digital work. As we saw on the Rist’s video artist showed two same images looked as one. I think the technology gives artist to get more improve their works by using new technology.

4. How has Pipilotti Rist used new media/technology to enhance the audience's experience of her work.

 

Rist used new media/technology to enhance the audience’s by using sounds, lighting, time and interesting environment. And I think her was showing more about human body to show her art work. She was using technology to show different environment of the work and catch people tension.

Example .  

Pipilotti Rist’s “Pour Your Body Out”

I'm not the girl who misses much

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsC8FKNE8fg

 

 

Pipilotti Rist
Layers Mama Layers
Installation view
Luhring Augustine, 2010

 

 

5. Comment on how the installation, sound and scale of 'Ever is Over All' (1997) could impact on the audience's experience of the work.

I think the music has a sound of nature but it also have a feeling of this situation is not real because of music sound is unreality maybe more like dreaming in some situation. When the woman was smashing the window it had a strong impact and how she was outfit really nice but her action was strange. The scale of this work is life sized and it would feel that the audience was actually in that situation.

 

6. Comment on the notion of 'reason' within the content of the video. Is the woman's behaviour reasonable or unreasonable?

I’m not sure whether the woman’s behavior was reasonable or unreasonable because if it was in real life I would say it’s unreasonable but since she’s in the film which is more like dramatic and she walks along the footpath smashing the windows which probably not even belong to her and some point the police officer was greeting her when she was smashing the window. While she was smashing the window her expression on the face was smiling and the way I looked at her the woman was lightly walking. Overall it’s hard to tell whether she is in good or bad mood.

 

7. Comment on your 'reading' (understanding) of the work by discussion the aesthetic (look), experience and the ideologies (ideas, theories) of the work.

The woman on the film, the flowers and field relate to each other maybe it’s showing the woman that human normally think is weak, pretty, soft and girly but in this film her action was brave by looking at her smashing the windows while she walk along the footpath. The two views of field and the woman maybe was showing the audience how woman can change their personality. Human can’t judge others just by looking at their outside view in reality they might have different personality inside their body.

 

 

 

 

 

http://classweb.gmu.edu/rcherubi/ancient/srfr.htm

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ENLIGHT/SCIREV.HTM

http://ap_history_online.tripod.com/apeh6.htm/

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081112215643AA3xesZ
http://www.luhringaugustine.com/exhibitions/pipilotti-rist_2/

week4- The social status of the artist

Self Portrait in Fur Coat (1500)

Albrecht Durer

Knob (1997) Gavin Turk

Damien Hirst and Maia Norman (1995)

Albrecht Durer's 'Self-Portrait in Fur Coat' (1500) shows a significant change in the way that the artist views and portrays himself.Research the paintings by Albrecht Durer, Gavin Turk and Damien Hirst in order to answer

the following questions;

1. Identify aspects of Durer's self portrait that show a changing view of the artist's view of himself as

an individual.

The first, drawn when he was just 13, depicts the soft features of a young boy, sketched with great confidence and skill. His drawings and watercolours are impressive for their diversity of subject matter and the varied media in which they were produced. 'Thus I, Albrecht Duerer from Nuremburg, painted myself with indelible colours at the age of 28 years.' Although the artist has depicted himself in a Christ-like pose, this was no gesture of blasphemy. It was an acknowledgement that God had made Christ and Man in his own image.

2. Explain how the artist's social status increased during the Renaissance period. Briefly explain why this happened.

During the Renaissance period the social increased all the way though the Europe and Italy.  Europe was wealth at this time trade grew between cities/states and other countries. As trade in goods increased, trade in ideas grew also. This is why the artist is famous in Ressiance.

 

3. Comment on Gavin Turk's work in relation to individualism, status of the artist and egotism.

Gavin Turk was born in Guildford. He attended the Royal College of Art, in London. Turk's installations and sculptures deal with issues of authorship, authenticity and identity. Turk explored issues of authorship and identity by making a number of works based on his own signature that comment on the value that the artist's name confers onto a work.

Concerned with the 'myth' of the artist and the 'authorship' of a work, Turk's engagement with this modernist, avant-garde debate stretches back to the ready-mades of Marcel Duchamp.

 In more recent works such as Pile (2004), a painted bronze sculpture of a pile of garbage bags, Turk explores the way in which a work of art is conferred with iconic status and value.

4. Comment on Damien Hirst's use of his work and the media for self promotion.

Damien Hirst was born in 1965 in Bristol, UK. During the 1990s, became Britain’s most famous, young, living sculptor and painter, in part because of his own flair for self-promotion and the publicity skills of his primary patron Charles Saatchi. I think Hirst is well known for the self-portait he use the public as his artwork for promotion.

5. Find 2 images of work by artists or designers that reflects some of the ideas of individualism,

self promotion or egotism that have been discussed on this blog. Upload images to your blog, title and date the work, identify the artist/designer and comment on the work in relation to the question.

 

Christian Dior was born in Granville, a seaside town on the coast of France. He Dior was a wealthy fertilizer manufacturer. In 1941 when Christian Dior was out of the military he moved back to Paris -- and he joined another designer by the name of Lucien Lelong. Dior stayed with him until 1946 when he moved out on his own, and got his own salon and designed for himself.

6. How do you think artists and designers are viewed in Western society today?

I think the artist and designers are getting more curious about the what is going around the world and how they can use the old fashion works in redesigned so then they will get high profit and more incomes. I think people buy the items by brands and price of the items.

 

http://www.all-about-renaissance-faires.com/renaissance_info/economic_social_and_religious_change_in_the_renaissance.htm

http://www.skny.com/artists/gavin-turk/

http://www.whitecube.com/artists/hirst/

http://www.artdesigncafe.com/damien-hirst-media-celebrity-2001

http://www.designer-fashion-trends.com/christian-dior.htm

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/D/durer.html  

Ron mueck's sculpture and Humanism

Mask II (2002) Ron Mueck

A girl (2006) Ron Mueck

 

Ron Mueck has become internationally recognised for his unique sculptures, which replicate the human figure with unrivalled technical skill. His work has a powerful psychological range, focusing not only on universal experiences like birth, life and death but on emotional states such as isolation, fear and tenderness. His startling manipulations of scale are key to our experience of each work.

Mueck's work showed at the Christchurch Art Gallery from the end of 2010 through to January 2011. Research Mueck's sculpture in order to answer the following questions;

1. Mueck's sculpture is described as 'hyper-real'. Define the meaning of this term and apply it to his work.

the another word for 'hyper-real' is  hyperreality which means  to characterize the way consciousness  defines what is actually "real" in a world where a multitude of media can radically shape and filter an original event or experience. This applies to Mueck's work because even though his scale of human figures is oversized or undersized but the figure is highly detailed.

 

2. Mueck is not interested in making life size sculpture. Find out why he is more interested

In working with the scale of the figure which is not life size, and mention 2 works which use 

Scale that is either larger or smaller than life.

Mueck is more interested in making not life size because we meet life size people every day and it seem to be more interesting in different scale so than he can show us more detailed work. "I never made life-size figures because it never seemed to be interesting. We meet life-size people every day.'" Says Mueck. He also said "It makes you take notice in a way that you wouldn’t do with something that’s just normal". I think he wanted to do something different to other artist to get attention of audience.

example 1.

                           In Bed, 2005-6, Mixed media, 63 34 x 255 7/8 x 155 12 inches

 

example 2.

                                                                           Dead Dad

3. Define Renaissance Humanism , and analyze the term in order to apply it to an example of Mueck's work. Note that the contemporary definition of Humanism is much broader than the Renaissance definition.

Humanism is a system of thought that considers human beings, rather than the church, as able to decide their own morals, truths and behaviours. As a result, scholars in the Renaissance began to study the books, poetry, grammar and histories of classical (Greek and Roman) authors, rather than being forced to study those of the church. Similarly people began collecting and studying the art of classical Greek and Rome. In Mueck's sculptures have life cycle from birth, middle age and death. In this work I think it’s showing humanity the natural human body.

                                                                   Untitled ( Big Man), 2000

i

4. Research and discuss one of Mueck's sculptures that you might find challenging or exciting to experience in an art gallery. Describe the work, upload an image of the work, and explain your personal response to the work.

 Boy, 1999

 

 

The work began as a 48-centimetre plaster maquette. Mueck gradually increased the scale, working with large polystyrene blocks sliced into horizontal sections. The eyes were cast in a football, and hair made with fishing line. Mueck brings the boy to life by evoking bones, muscles and limbs. A resin used to paint inside each section gave it flesh tone. The boy scale is five meters high tall. It is in huge scale and the boy is steering at something in strange face. The position that the boy is seating have a kind of connection between his face emotions. The detailed of his feet is clear and I to think how the person did made that huge human.

 

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hyperreal

http://hubpages.com/hub/Awesome_Sculptures_Of_Ron_Mueck

http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag03/jul_aug03/mueck/mueck.shtml

http://www.gautierdeblonde.com/portfolio.lasso?categoryID=11

Academic Literacies in Visual Communication 1 Resource Book