Week 9-Modernism and Post-Modernism

Self Portrait (1994). Chuck Close. Detail.

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

Water Lillies (1920) Claude Monet

Water Lillies (1920) Claude Monet.

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.

Born in July 5. 1940, the American artist Chuck Close is most know from the techniques he use to paint, he is a painter and a photographer, his work is based on abstract portraits of himself or his friends.

Claude Monet was born in 1840; a French painter interested in the style of impressionism, focused on nature landscapes, his painting is different than the older ones because of the colours and vibrant lights he used in it.

2. Describe the techniques of each artist

Chuck Close’s techniques is based on photorealism, he paints portraits composed of little coloured squares, [“Photorealist” frequently used a grid technique to enlarge a photograph and reduce each square to formal elements of design.] (metroartwork.com: Chuck Close Biography), he rendered it in big size and use acrylic paint and an airbrush to include every detail.

Claude Monet works was based on impressionism; he painted landscapes with lots of colours called broken colour, he worked with oil paints and pastel.

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

I think most paintings are a record of the decisions that the artist made. I just perhaps make them a little clearer than some people have.
Chuck Close
I always thought that one of the reasons why a painter likes especially to have other painters look at his or her work is the shared experience of having pushed paint around.
Chuck Close

My life has been nothing but a failure.
Claude Monet
No one is an artist unless he carries his picture in his head before painting it, and is sure of his method and composition.
Claude Monet

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

Both artists’ techniques are quite similar in term of brushes used to create their work, they also both paint abstract portraits.

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

Monet and Close have different style; one is more focus on painting landscapes, and nature. One the other hand Close prefer painting portraits.

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

I like Chuck Close's work in term of technique, the way he has used the grid to reveal a portrait, the color used on each "pixels" are so complex that shows the artist talent.
Claude Monet's work is more (for me) rushed, it is not really detailled, it has  good looking if you have a distant view but if you come foreward looks like a mess. But I do like the technique of the mixing colors, the reflection on the lake or the sand seen through the sea

http://swindlemagazine.com/issueicons/chuckclose/

http://kruleintentions.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/chuck-close-euphoria/

http://metroartwork.com/popup_all-artists_info.php?manufacturers_id=59

Week 7-Industrialisation and Cao Fei's RMB City

“the City Raise”(1909) by Umberto Boccioni

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

1. What and when was the Industrial Revolution?

The industrial revolution first appeared in England, then Europe, and United States. It started in 1760 and ended in 1850, this period have been focus on innovation, the changes occurred in agriculture, economics, transportation. This revolution has improved machine and changed people lives and their method of manufacture.

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.

The first painting by Umberto Boccioni named “the City Raise”(1909) actually really “attack” the viewer, what I mean by that is that there are lots of things painted in it. The sensation of speed is clearly presented, the shapes of the men and the horses are diagonal, that increase this sensation. But this painting actually represent the futurism, in fact the horses represent speed trains (some of them are spiting fire, others are running) and an utopian dream for transportation.

The painting Dynamism of a dog on a Leash (1912) Giacomo Balla also clearly shows a speed movement, in fact it shows on both the dog and the woman who leash it by blurring the legs. I think the movement was the main thing the painter wanted us to see because of the woman and the dog are not really detailed.    

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.

Cao Fei’s RMB City (2007-9) “reflects chana’s recent urban and cultural explosion”, Cao Fei’s utopia is composed of all the Chinese icons from the Chinese flag to the panda. We can see in her work the history of china by using symbols, sculpture, architecture, etc... For example in the short sequence of her work “RMB City-a secondlife city planning”, it shows the Benjin National Stadium for the 2008 summer Olympics or even the missiles which represent china’s communism period.

4. RMB City is described as a utopia/dystopia. Comment on what these terms mean, and how they can be applied to the work.

Utopia (a term from the philosopher Thomas More) is a term used to represent a perfect world in social, political and moral aspect, the big issue for the humanity. Each person has their own idea of what is his\her utopia. Dystopia is just the opposite of utopia. Her work treats references that for her represent 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. 

I think the most relevant things in those work is that both the painting and the video have the idea of industrial revolution, they also have similarities in term of innovations, both have futurism imagination, in 1909 Umberto Boccioni though the future world will be train, electricity, energy, we have been through this and Cao Fei’s work also represent a futurism world but not in the same period. I also found out that a sensation of movement is felt in both work.

reference list:

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html

http://history-world.org/Industrial%20Intro.htm

http://www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/173/index.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/great-works-dynamism-of-a-dog-on-a-leash-1912-giacomo-balla-1781174.html

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

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

The “Scientific Revolution” was a period situated between the 16^th and 17^th century, it was not like the renaissance when people were interested in reality, nature, human body. The “Scientific Revolution” is an “Intellectual Revolution”, it completely changed the human though, they tried to understand and explain the world where they are and are no long interested in church dogma, they started thinking that church was not the only way to understand life. The countries have also pushed science for new technology. It was at this period that some fundamental scientist came from, first of all Isaac Newton (1642-1727) who found an invisible force that could not be detected named “gravity” but also Rene Descartes (1596-1650) in philosophy and Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) the astronomer.

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

There are lot of things in our daily life that show evidence of the “Scientific Revolution”. First of all, the cell-phones we have know “touch screen” on our phone, not long ago (still few today) we had buttons. Another examples is the TV, we have few channels all about science, new technology such as “discovery” and “National geography”. But I think the most relevant of it is the weapon, from the bow to the nuclear bomb, it also shows how powerful a country is.

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

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 we still using both new and traditional media it just a matter of who this art work is for. What I mean about that is each generation will have a different interest with the same art work, new generation might be more interested in new media because they were born in it rather than the older generation.

New media is also a way to give more information, sensation rather than a static image, I am not saying I do not like traditional, new and traditional media are different by the way to understand the work.

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

Pipilotti Rist’s work is based on video, she like playing with colours, sound, and speed. Her work treats about sexuality, feminism, simplicity, and happiness. She try to get the audience involved in her work, therefore the sound and the colours in the rooms.

“I always try to create equal power between the subject and the object, so as not to end up creating a relationship where the camera is here and the object out there. [...]I realize that spectators can identify with the images and almost forget that someone else actually made them. “Pipilotti Rist

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.

In her work ‘Ever is Over’ two videos are projected on a corner of a wall to have the two videos in a different angle. In the first video, we can the artist smashing windows in a street by using a stick that represent a flower shown in the second video. The sound is slow, calm but when she has smashed the window the sound produced at this moment has actually surprised the audience not just about the sound but also about her act and the other indifferent people.

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

Her act in the video is unreasonable, She is smashing cars windows in front of a police women who just salute her like she is doing something totally normal, but it is against the law to destroy someone else property. The only person who think she is insane was the man.  

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

The work is surprisingly very attractive, Pipilotti Rist has involved  the audiance into her work by using projected videos and sound, it is another kind of art that have change the way to understand the work, she permit us to understand more rather than using a image and she easily explain her idea of feminism in her work because of her technique.

Reference list:

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

http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/lecture10c.html

http://www.boisestate.edu/courses/westciv/science/02.shtml

Week 3- Ron Mueck's sculpture and Humanism

A girl (2006) Ron Mueck

Mask II (2002) 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.

“Hyper realism” first appeared in United States, it is a kind of art that represent a high-resolution of photography, the way that the work shows the details, the point of view and the size of it.

Muck’s works is clearly a hyper-realistic work, his sculpture are extremely detailed (blood, tin, skin, wrinkles, hair, etc) on a oversized baby or head.

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.

Ron Mueck does not like life size sculpture because it wont be interesting to see something we actually see everyday, “I never made life-size figures because it never seemed to be interesting, we meet life-size people every day”Mueck.R (Tanguy. S aug 2003).

By using oversized sculpture it make the audience taking their time on the detail, the way he has used to make his work make them feel smaller and this "new" feeling interest them more.

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.

Renaissance Humanism is a period when people have started to think about human beings instead of the church, studying science rather than church schools.

those inovations are presented in Ron Mueck works, he strongly support the idea of human beings by sculpting human bodies What reality is and used the humanism style by having lot of details in it, there is also no religious sign in his work, it represent a moment in a life that could be anyone.

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. 

Ron Mueck "boy" (2000)

 I have found the work "boy" (2000) really interesting and chalenging, 5 meters tall, the position of the boy, the shape (muscles, tin, veins, etc...), and the details from his hair to the holes on his skin just show how good Ron Mueck is. The expression of the boy’s face also attract the attention, he looks scared, trying to hide from something.

 http://www.xuyang.org/svp/ron%20mueck%20sculptures%20materials-70408.html

 http://hubpages.com/hub/Awe/some_Sculptures_Of_Ron_Mueck

 http://hyperrealism.free.fr/

http://www.gallery.ca/en/see/collections/artist.php?iartistid=25104

Week 2- Barbara Kruger & Mercantillism

Face It (Green) 2007 Barbara Kruger

I shop therefore I am (1987) Barbara Kruger

1. Describe the 'style' that Kruger has used in the two presented works.

Barbara Kruger's style is actually based on photography, she uses on her work a non-coloured background (or with few colour) that evoke the pop style. She uses for the foreground big bold text which is actually the first thing the viewer can think of. By using hands in her works, the viewer feel involved, he might tell himself "it could be me" 



2. What are some of the concepts and messages that Kruger is communicating in them?

"what I'm trying to do is create moments of recognition. To try to donate some kind of feeling or understanding of live experience" Barbara Kruger. She wants to connect her ideas of consumerism with the audience though therefore she uses pronouns in her texts for the viewer's reaction.

3. Do these images communicate these ideas effectively? Explain your answer.

These images strongly support the consumerism, in fact her quote “I shop therefore I am” shows that our status, social life and lifestyle could be represented by “how much have we spend on it”