The Final Blog Post!...

In the final reading of our text and the last couple classes, we have discussed the inter-relationship or the interconnectedness of man with animals and technology. I stressed the idea of "networks", and how humans are made up of cellular networks but also how we interact within broader definitions of the term network. These days within the art world there are theories that center on man as a cyborg or the idea of man as a hybrid type of machine...this is due in part to our ever growing dependence on forms of technology...we are connected to our cell phones, laptops, mp3 players, which are in turn connected to much larger networks...and it is this connection that links our human flesh and bone with circuits and wire...therefore mingling our souls with machinery....something to think about!

In class we watched both Tim Hawkinson and Mel Chin on art21. Both artists use technology in their art works...Hawkinson, incorporating more crude, mechanical or kinetic elements that reference the human body and Chin using science and advanced technology as primary elements in his work. These two artists, although working in different ways, talk about the human condition in their works...social communities, our own bodies, emotions, and environmental concerns in our immediate surroundings. Take a moment to revisit those links and look over/read their work and info then respond to one or more of the following :

How much do we model the systems/structures we make-whether freeways or the Internet-upon systems within our own bodies?

Because of ecological changes as well as technological changes, how is art different now from art work created in the 1950's.

How do these two artists above, show us the good and bad results of man's fascination with machines?

Do you believe that you are interconnected with much larger systems of knowledge and networks and that in some ways you rely on machinery/technology as much as you rely on your body?

blog post #9

In the last couple classes we have talked about the Postmodern concern of the human body. We looked at how the body can be both art material and primary art tool. In our most recent class I talked about how sexuality has been represented through art history and spent a large portion of our time discussing the concept of "the gaze". There are several different versions of the gaze and although the most well known relates to the feminist theory that the gaze is how when a male looks at a female he objectifies her and sees himself as dominant, it is also about perception of others...how one person looks at another. We all do this...we all make unconscious judgements of other people based on the way we see them.

Listed below are three contemporary artists that use this strategy in their work when confronting issues of gender, race, and sexuality...We said recently that painting was the medium for the Modernists, but photography is the medium for Postmodernism. Please take a few moments to check out the links for the artists, google images, then respond to the comments below.

Yasumasa Morimura

Barbara Kruger

Catherine Opie

How do either of these artists above use the concept of the "gaze" to communicate the content of their works?

After looking at images of the artists works do you view the subject matter any differently?

What do you think are the most powerful ways in which individuals use their bodies to express themselves visually in our culture today?

What cultural attitudes are reflected in the works of either of the artists listed above?

blog post #8

Recently in class we have crossed over from Modernism to Postmodernism and discussed the fundamental differences in each. The subject of our last blog post had to do with the current exhibition in Kipp Gallery...a good example of Postmodernism. As I concluded the comment run on that post by using examples from the essay in the catalog to the exhibition, I realized it was rife with buzz words of postmodernism. If you did not pick up the catalog or read the essay included...please take the time to do so.

A couple classes ago we also watched the art21 episode on Jenny Holzer. I felt her, work being almost completely text based, would be a good compliment to Mr.Noble's installation in the gallery. In this post, I would like to continue to explore the idea of text as the artwork. In comparison, Alastair Noble and Jenny Holzer share very different concepts on how their works are presented and the only thing that is similar is the fact that text is the basis of their works...other than that all similarities are out the window. Many of you had strong feelings about the fragmented bits of language in the installation...not being able to understand it...wanting something more than just the text...wanting images.

It is from the concept of Postmodernism that gives validity to work that is just text based...words are powerful and loaded with meanings other than what a word might be saying at a given time. That is why the frameworks of theory that we apply to visual art now, were once applied to writings and language. Language became huge and important in the art world in the early 60's, and through critics and writers on art, helped to change the way in which people thought about what art was at the time.

Take a minute to check out a few links that I have built in below and above, and then respond to the questions...

more Jenny Holzer from art21

more artists with text based work

Joseph Kosuth

After checking out some of the links...please comment.

Do Jenny Holzer's brief "Truisms" in the first link in the post, function as art in your opinion, is it enough to have a provocative statement over a provocative image?

Is it better to have full statements that speak directly and do not leave room for the imagination, in comparison to fragmented texts?

Both Alastair Noble and jenny Holzer use text as the basis of their work,which functions more as an image and why?

What about graffiti? Does graffiti have similarities to either of the artists that we are referring to? Would graffiti fall under the contemporary term, "text based art"?

Joseph Kosuth helped to start the Arts and Language movement that believed in the conceptual over the actual object...click on the images below to enlarge...although these works date back to

the 1960's, compare and contrast them with Holzer and Noble.

hands on...

Your Project:

The student will use an existing artwork that is well known and change the context and/or the content of this work. Making it a “new” artwork.

This can be accomplished through:
use of the computer (photo shop, paint)
collage
hand drawing
photo copier

Due: Next Tuesday…10/28

Blog post # 7

Up to this point we have looked at mediums, material usage, artists, Formalism, and a broad understanding of our current perception of art and how it is defined. The second half of this course will deal with more complex and specific frameworks that involve contemporary art. We will also be reading chapter 4 of your text to further help us understand how we, the viewer, come to derive meaning from works of art.

Today we watched Janine Antoni on art21 and she wondered if the viewer would be able to pick up bits of the stories, that she felt were embedded in the materials she used. She talked about her work and the underlying ideas and symbolisms behind them. When we see objects like Ms. Antoni's "Eureka",which is actually a bathtub filled with lard that she made an impression of her body in, we often wonder...what is this?...why would anybody do this?...and is this really art?! But, hearing her explanation and how it is related to a story about Archimedes, we understand the piece more and also accept the piece as what constitutes art.

Currently in Kipp Gallery, just outside our doors, we have an installation by Alastair Noble. The work is unconventional by many peoples standards, but fills the gallery for the viewer to walk through and ponder. During my installation of this piece with Mr. Noble, I came to understand that almost everything about this installation is tied directly to the content. I would like all of us to explore this exhibition, think about all the elements that make this work up, and use it as a point of discussion on the blog and also for some carry over into our class. As we talked about today, meaning changes by the way we encounter art work, and for many of us, we only see art as images on pages or computer screens, so lets take advantage of this exhibition...please take the time to visit the gallery and look at the installation yourself and then respond to one or more of the questions below.

When you visited the gallery did you understand what the artist was trying to communicate, or what the art work was about...the content?

Does the written word add to the public's experience of art? What helped you in this specific installation? Is something written that accompanies the art work necessary?

Do writings, like an artist statement or explanation on a wall, limit our experiences in an exhibition? How?

Once you understood the content of the installation were you more interested?

What aspects of this installation did you find interesting...formal qualities?...content?...material use?

Did the exhibit appeal to you in an aesthetic way?

almost there...

Midterm Blog Break!

We will resume the class blog next week.

So... study!

blog post #6

In the past couple classes you have been introduced to the basic art elements and the principles in which they are composed, structured or organized into a work of art. We have seen that these concepts within the language of art are arranged into a composition so that they can make sense to the viewers. These elements and principles are the visual tools that an artist uses to lead the viewer's eye around an art work. Looking at art through this particular framework is called Formalism. In Formalism you are concerned with only the visual elements of a work of art. Although contemporary art relies on frameworks that are attached to much more conceptual issues, it is still valid (and a great place to start) to recognize the strictly visual elements and principles that the artist has employed. There are many artists who believe that understanding the formal elements leads to understanding the content and other deeper conceptual ideas about a work of art, like in the art21 episode we saw today with Matthew Ritchie.


In your text book, on page 53, under the heading "Food For Thought", you will find 6 questions that I want you to use to help you respond to one of the pieces of art posted below. Ask yourself one or more of these questions and respond to how the artist has used certain elements and principles. People are bound to see things differently so it is ok to respond differently to the same question that another has responded to. Sometimes, as I have seen from your many comments, it is easier to sit and think first, then answer the question in writing...this format allows that to happen...and in turn helps strengthen your ability to verbalize your ideas. Keep your list of elements and principles handy and visually observe the compositional structure of one of the pieces...comment by using one or more of the questions from the book or make your own observations. Be brave...help yourself as you help others through your comments. The images can be seen larger by clicking on them.



















Starting from the top left: Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe, Ryan McGinness. Bottom, Frank Stella, Wendy Walgate...google for more images of these artists if interested.