Week 11 Video Review

The first video I chose was Greenberg on Art Criticism : An Interview by T.J. Clark. I had no idea who either Greenberg or T.J. Clark were prior to the video, but I figured it might give some sense as to what art critics are thinking about when they critique a work, and how there own personal tastes or prejudices may interfere with an objective judgement or critique. I think one of the main issues discussed by Greenberg is his belief that art is more difficult to write about than literature or music in the sense that art cannot be pinned down by the "score". I think this belief is based on the increasing intellectual and philosophical development of art, and in particular from artists like Picasso, Miro, or Jackson Pollock who push the envelope into new realms of visual presentation. I found it interesting when Greenberg compared himself to other art critics of the past, and concluded that these were "better minds" that just happended to be limited from the resources available to them at the time. I liked how Greenberg described good art as created from the "whole being", and the taste of the viewer as being directly related to world experience and the ability to assimilate everything around us. I think this is part of the problem presented to art critics - the world and access to information is constantly changing, and as Greenberg states in his interview about the work of Jackson Pollock, even the critics can be wrong from time to time.

I chose Greenberg on Pollock because I never understood the work of Jackson Pollock, and was hoping to maybe discover something that I was missing, either intellectually or visually. I think even Greenberg has a hard time describing the work of Pollock, as he at one point rather assuredly referred to Pollock as Daenycean, while later admitting that he may have in fact been Appolinean ( and I'm not sure what either means, really. I'll have to look it up later ). Greenberg seems to appreciate Pollock's style, a procedure of paint application which didn't "cut", or break the plane. He also credits Pollock as a visionary in his attempt to show us the future of painting in murals, while still embodying the eisel style. However, I personally have an issue with labeling Pollock's work as visionary or even "relevant" as Greenberg himself would say. While the procedure of Pollock's style may have been unique, I think there is almost an inevitable outcome to be reached from a limited pallette of colors being repeatedly splashed or dripped across a canvas. The seemingly orderly finish, a feature which Greenberg states is essential to a good piece of art, I think can be easily manipulated through various layers of paint. Honestly, I tend to think that Pollock's "orderly" outcomes from a unique style can be achieved by anyone, even those among us with little or no artistic talent, who is willing to get a big messy. I am almost tempted to clean out my garage, lay down some plastic and a large canvas, and prove my point. I am sure I will try this at some point, just as I am sure that I will one day have a clean garage...

I chose the video of Michael Fried and T.J. Clark conversing about Pollock's Lavender Mist because I still wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing something. This video focused mainly on the agreements and differences between the two critics concerning the work of Pollock, yet the conversation was to be based on the mutual understanding of Jackson Pollock as a major modern master of art. Fried and Clarke reach the ultimate conclusion that Jackson Pollock represented a new breakthrough for the intensification of the painting surface; that he was a pioneer in pushing the realm of abstraction to the unknown point beyond even the non-representational. While I admire this quality, and think that my own art can benefit from constantly pushing myself beyond the limits of my imagination, I tend to think that the energy created in Pollock's work is overrated, and tend to agree with Greenberg when he ends one of his interviews by saying that Pollock "was full of shit just like everybody else."

Art Curator Exhibit

The art curator project was a good experience and opportunity to review some works I had seen or studied previously, but have not seen in a while. It was also exciting to come across some works that I was not at all familiar with, especially works from Alexandre Cabanel. My theme for the project was Artist Rivalries throughout history, so in doing some research I came across some more interesting facts that I was not previously aware of, such as the close working and personal relationship between Matisse and Picasso. This project definitely gave me a new appreciation for the job of curator, which seems like it could be a bit overwhelming, yet rewarding in the end.

Video Reviews: Week 10

In  many ways, each video helps us to gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding the art world, and in particular the curators of museum who decide what to display. The video Lowdown on Lowbrow highlights this point, as certain artistic movements may be stimulated from the seemingly arrogant or "highbrow" nature of the intellectuals in the art world, or those, like the curators, who decide what artworks should be widely viewed by a particular audience. In this case the lowbrow form of art, also dubbed pop-surrealism, was influenced by the returning veterans of WWII and the artwork painted on their planes or seen with the development of hotrods and motorbikes. The leaders of this movement, including Big Daddy Roth, Robert Williams, and Robert Crumb, would inspire a new generation of comic book and album cover artists continuing to enjoy their free-thinking, anti conceptualist rebellion against the intellectuals of the art world. The growth of the internet would eventually help to liberate these liberators from obscurity, and give this "uncultured" movement a valid appreciation and respect among the highbrows.

The video that most directly related to the current project is Display of Modern Art: The Tate Approach, which discusses in some detail the ideas behind the arragement or organization of exhibits within the museum. The thematic approach of Tate, where works were organized into four sections of landscape, history, still life, and nudes, differed from the chronological approach of the MOMA. Grouping together numerous works of varying styles helped to give those viewers who were not educated in the history of art a better undersatanding of what they were looking at. In this sense the Tate Museum, like the lowbrows, were helping to break down that intellectual barrier that turns many people away from appreciating works of art. The simple, thematic approach of the Tate may be why the museum has attracted huge crowds since its opening and has become the most popular modern art museum in the world.

George Eastman House: Picture Perfect celebrates the history of art, technology, photography, and motion pictures. The house is the mansion of George Eastman, developer of the Kodak camera, and today serves as the oldest photography museum in the world. The innovative and forward looking spirit of Eastman led to the creation of a portable and easily accessable camera that transformed photography, and which would eventually lead to the development of film at the heart of motion pictures. The museum is a collection of 14,000 photographs which show an evolution from the camera used as a means of documentation to its limitless uses of the imagination. The video relates to this project in that it joins together an appreciation of a specific medium as art with a respect for the visionaries like George Eastman and the technological advancements throughout history which helped to make these works possible.

This sense of history to be considered by the curator is seen in the video Bones of Contention: Native American Archeology. This powerful video discusses the ongoing battle between Native Americans and scientists over the display and research of the bones of Indian descendants. Tribal leaders see this act of recovering Indian skulls and bones as a form of desecration and disrespect, while the scientists argue that the subsequent research may help to understand medical problems of the past and more effectively treat the diseases of the future. The curators of museums which exhibit these bones as artifacts of history are caught in the middle of a revival of Native American cultural identity and affiliation. As history shows the racial overtones and usage in collecting skulls from tribal terrirtory, I found it easy to be swayed by the argument against the collection of such remains, especially when there still exists tribal factions and organizations throughout the country which are willing and able by custom to accept these remains and bury them with the respect they deserve. It reminded me a bit of the Parthenon debate we had discussed earlier, and I think this relates to our current project as we need to be mindful of these issues of cultural identity and history in our presentations.

African Mask

There were many inspirations to choose from for this project, as each mask seems to have some unique element that I am attracted to. For this project I was looking to represent something similar to the Nkondi figure in our text; somethig that would represent the darker world of African art. The first source of inspiration was from a mask made of wood, cloth, brass belts, human teeth, and black raffia. It was titled Dan "Deangle", yet I am not sure exactly where it originated or what specific purpose it served, if any.

I think this mask captures many of the common elements of African culture discussed in our text, from the intense spiritual nature of the people to the incorporation of the magical and representation of evil sometimes depicted in their masks. I like the darkness of this piece, which is emphasized by the lifelike quality evoked from the use of real human teeth and the visual representation of real hair, these elements contrasting with the general simplicity of the facial features seen in the nose and eyes, as well as the general shape of the face. The brass bells attached to the lower half of the face provides a strong spiritual relation, and may signal the use of this mask in some form of ceremonial ritual.

This Mbala mask originates from the Pende people, and while using mixed media like the last piece, the features are more stylized or abstracted into simple geometric shapes. I chose this mask because of these simplistic forms, especially the use of curved line to depict the eyebrow, eyes, and mouth, a similar feature of Brancusi's Mademoiselle Pogany II at the Albright Knox. Like the Mademoiselle, these features are strong and the carving precise to create a symmetrical balance to the features. The use of the straw material serves to contrast the smoothness of the face and represents the use of varying texture which is seen in many African masks.

These two masks are similar in their simplistic geometric forms to represent the facial features and oval shape of the head. We see the same sense of symmetry as in the other pieces, yet both of these also incorporate a stronger sense of design depicted in the pattern of the raised bumps down the middle of the forehead and cheeks on the mask on the left, and the similar use of such texture and design depicted on the headress and cheeks to the mask on the right. I chose these for their stylized form, which I felt was a bit more pronounced than the last piece.

I constructed my own piece of wax. I really didn't sketch anything, and instead had a general idea to use simple, geometric form and highlight the contrasting use of texture seen in many of these masks. I also wanted to give off that same sense of the darker, evil side of spirituality as seen in the Nkondi figure. While I am satisfied with the result of my mask, I will go back and spend more time to refine it to the point I want it. I found this project interesting and inspiring, as the possibilities for different masks are seemingly endless. I was not happy with the flash reflecting off the wax, but these are some of the better pictures to present.

Art Exhibition Critique

For this project I visited the Albright Knox and critiqued the exhibit Artists in Depth: Arp, Miro, Calder. I had this exhibit already in mind since the work in many ways was somewhat different than I was used to or attracted to, and I felt this would give me a real challenge. While the artists each have unique styles and preferences for materials, the work is similar in that they are all abstract or surrealist works which combine visual representations of the conscience and subconscious. I was especially drawn to the work of Jean ( Hans ) Arp, whose marble piece Classical Sculpture I had chosen for the previous gallery assignment. However, by the time I left I had a stronger appreciation for all three artists.

The exhibit is located in a long corridor on the south side of the museum. You have to go down a few steps to enter the ehibit, and the dim lighting coming from either side of the ceiling gives the impression of being underground, a fitting reference perhaps given that this kind of abstracted and surreal work was not considered the mainstream when it was being produced. The walls were painted an off white with a black base trim; the only deviation from this were a couple of the recessed viewing areas ( behind the Classical Sculpture when you first walk in, for example ) and one wall in the middle of the exhibit painted gray. I found it interesting that there was an introduction of the exhibit seemingly painted on the wall as you entered, and throughout the exhibit there were either biographies or quotes of the artists placed on the walls in the same fashion. The biographies were especially informative, yet each piece was also provided a plastic plaque giving the usual title, date, and medium, and included a short explanation or meaning of the work. There was an orderly arrangement to the work, as each wall contained similar sized paintings hung mostly in a vertical manner with roughly a painting-size space between each one. The sculptures presented were either in the middle of each corridor or seemingly placed to alternate from either side at various points. The work was also organized by artist, and this orderly and planned arrangement also seemed to include the various quotations from the artists, which seemed to become noticeable after already viewing a portion of the work, and which served to either enlighten or strengthen the viewers interpretation of the work.

 View from entering the exhibit

 View from middle section turning to other corridor

View taken from the opposite end of the exhibit looking back

" The forms arrive pleasant, or strange, hostile, inexplicable, mute, or drowsy. They are born from themselves. It seems to me as if all I do is move my hands."  - Jean ( Hans ) Arp

The first piece I critiqued was Jean Arp's L'Etoile ( Star ), a polished bronze sculpture completed in 1956. I recalled seeing this image I believe in the Buffalo News as the associative image of the exhibit. Viewing it again in person, the form reminded me of a dancer with it's delicate balance and fluidity. The main form stands vertically from one side of a cylindrical base, delicately balanced as if standing on one leg. The form projects up from the base, seemingly converging at various blunted points - like that of a star -as it begins to move horizontally across space. The large , circular negative form in the middle serves to lighten the mass while also guiding our eye around the piece. The mass is further reduced by the softness of the form and the flawlessly polished and highly reflective surface. As you circle the piece, you notice that each blunted point gestures off into a different plane in space, creating a subtle sense of movement, or the potential for movement, from this otherwise fairly stoic form which appears to be captured in a certain pose. The meticulous attention to the surface of the piece reminded me of the work of Brancusi, and, not surprisingly, other pieces did as well...

I immediately associated Jean Arp's Somersault, another polished bronze piece completed in 1947, with the work of Brancusi, who intended the bases of his pieces to be part of the whole sculpture. I felt this was the case with Somersault, as the form was resting on a Brancusi-like base of stone and wood in simple geometric and stacked shapes. The base in this case serves to contrast the fluidity and surface of the form it is supporting, yet unlike Brancusi, this base was actually never intended by the artist to be part of the work, and is actually an entirely different sculpture called Socle-Colonne ( 1964, wood and marble ). It was actually the donor who paired these two pieces together, although it seems like a perfect fit. The term somersault is an accurate depiction of the main bronze form - a highly abstract figurative representation that gestures out into two different planes along the base with a torso- like vertical gesture from the middle. The form ends in a rounded, bulbous shape on top which is also leaning slightly forward. The forward gesture gives the feeling of movement, as if the form is either about to somersault or has just came out of one. The highly polished and reflective surface, and the soft curvature of the planes gives the form that same fluid-like quality and lightness that is constant in Arp's other works as well. The base adds an interesting contrast in the form of solid, geometric shapes, while also introducing different texture and color to the piece.

"I consider surrealism an extremely interesting intellectual phenomenon, a positive thing, but I don't want to subject myself to its severe discipline." -  Joan Miro

Joan Miro also delved into the realm of abstract art, and seemed especially influenced by the visual interpretation of the subconscious. His painting Le Carnaval d' Arlequin is a surreal representation of the harlequin figure which was portrayed in Italian theatre as being foolish. The painting is a chaotic, seemingly playful scene of various figures and objects interacting with one another in a room setting which is completely flat, adding to the imaginary feel of the painting. The surreal imagery, and especially the white, drooping drapery on the right, reminded me of Salvador Dali and his melted clocks. There is a strong sense of symbolism to Miro's painting, as the scene may also allude to the festive atmosphere beginning before the fasting of Lent. This festivity is shown through the playful interaction of the figures, the use of vivid color, the depiction of the harlequin figure, and even the references to musical notes in the upper middle section of the painting. The use of swirling forms, curving lines, vertical and horizontal shapes, and repetitive forms highlight an improbable balance of the composition amidst such seemingly childish chaos. 

  

Hand Drawing

So I have to admit that I am not in my best frame of mind to be completing this project right now, but I wanted to focus on something different than I was used to in these drawings. I chose charcoal because I have not used that medium in a while and felt it may be better suited for the drawing done in my opposite hand. For my good hand I wanted to emphasize the use of light and dark, and focused primarily on the shadows that defined the three dimensionality of my hand. I was surprised to find that my drawing done in my opposite hand was not that bad, as I think I was more focused and observational in this contour representation. I have done drawings in the past of my hands, but this was interesting given the use of my opposite hand to depict one of the drawings.

Week 7 Video Review

In a general sense I tried to view the videos of the artists I was not too familiar with, and this was especially the case of Albrecht Durer, a German master of woodcuts and portraits during the time of the Renaissance. There are some interesting dynamics in the work of Durer, from his work ethic and refinement to his unmatchable level of observation and seemingly different styles with the use of various media. I was especially impressed with Durer's non-idealized representation of the figure in his portrait work, and the level of realism achieved with his charcoal drawings and paintings. His self portrait painting, the same one which is in our text, is also a great example of Durer's ingenuity and narcissism, as he seems to have used the portrait of himself to showcase his complex, almost divine, system of proportion through the use of the triangle, circle, and square. Durer's woodcuts, however, seem to represent a different style, perhaps one more closely connected with the history and tradition of his German culture. While there is obviously a great level of detail and influence on the use of light and shadow obtained from his travels and exposure to Italian Renaissance artists, there seems to me to be a more stylized, almost cartoon-like representation of the figure in his woodcuts and prints. The video's display of Durer's work has given me a new appreciation for the incredible talents of this artist.

I had seen some of the work of Caravaggio, yet this is an example of how the story of the artist can make his work more intriguing. While the incredible realism depicted by Caravaggio through the use of intense light and dark and expression is by itself enough to make his paintings remarkable, the story of this troubled artist reveals the darkness to his work while explaining his devotion to making his work real and truthful. The original, dark, and seemingly rebellious nature of his paintings is a direct characterization of Caravaggio himself, who was a product of the "dark" underbelly of Rome. He had a tremendous ability to depict religious narratives in such a way as to make them real, as if the viewer was actually witnessing a live event or was actually a part of the painting. Caravaggio was violent, unpredictable, and in the end seeking redemption for murder. This dynamic and conflict of religious themes to his work and personal guilt manifested itself in his paintings, especially in his version of David's beheading of Goliath, where the head of Goliath is actually a self portrait of Caravaggio. I credit Caravaggio for letting his inner turmoil manifest itself in his work, and think that this element of honesty is one of the reasons why he is such a fascinating and masterful artist.

The video of La Primavera was interesting, and reveals the tremendous impact a single work of art can have upon society even centuries after it's creation. The debate over the meaning of the work takes center stage in the video, and it is truly fascinating how deeply intellectual, and seemingly intentionally ambiguous, artists like Botticelli were. This is also an example of a painting evoking different responses from people, as the interpretations of the work have included symbolism related to marriage, eroticism, the depiction of primitive, human, and divine love, and even homo-eroticism through the figure of Mercury. The video covers this debate, yet also highlights some of the technical genius of Botticelli in his use of egg tempera to create the translucent garments of the three graces, and the incredible detail in the representation of hundreds of flowers throughout the painting. The video accurately describes the allegory of La Primivera as a work of aesthetic and intellectual beauty.