Week 9 : Modernism and Post-Modernism

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.

2. Describe the techniques of each artist

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

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

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

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

7. Add any other comments you would like.

Water Lillies 1920 Monet

1. Monet is a well-recognised impressionist of the modernism era, whose works are full of vibrant

colours and the subject matter mainly focused on the everyday life: carrying on with realist concerns of dealing with 'here and now'. He was much interested in capturing the sensation of light in a fleeting moment, just like all the other impressionists were obsessed about; nothing is seen without light as light establishes the object.

2. His 'water lillies' clearly define these key qualities and intentions by bringing in obvious use of light and examines how the light plays on the objects/water; dappled light reflected on water is a key example.
His choice of wide spectrum of vibrant colours that are impasto-ed directly on top of each other
not only gives more texture to the work, but also defines the forms/objects.   
Expressive brush strokes are also another visible technique that Monet and a lot of the impressionists use to convey the spontaneous and dynamic atmosphere.

3. Monet stated 'Color is my day-long obessesion, joy and torment'.

“I am following Nature without being able to grasp her...I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”
"Monet depicted his Japanese-style pond covered with water lilies, at center, shimmering with reflections of clouds overhead. The water's surface fills the expansive composition so that conventional clues to the artist's—and the viewer's—vantage point are eliminated. Monet wished for the paintings to encompass the viewer"

Maggie (1996)  Chuck Close

1. Chuck Close, a famous American Photo-realist of the Post-Modernism, works with dramatically over-sized portraits in a hyper-realistical way. But in this work, Close has made similar, but slightly different approach to the process and the style of making it. His keen interest in the ancient floor mosaics has influenced him to produce a mosaic-like work in this collection.

2. Close used systematic composition by incorporating carefully constructed grids in his painting 'Maggie'. These grids are then filled with blocks of colours in order to shape the overall form; the colours are not direct representation of a real skin, its a mixture of different colour blobs that are juxtaposed to create an optical mixing - this eventually allows the viewer to recognise the picture as a whole.

3. “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.”

"The building blocks for my paintings are not symbolic," he toldSunday Morning anchor Charles Osgood. "They don't stand for anything. It's a little bit like an architect ? picking up a brick. You stack up the bricks one way, you get a cathedral. You stack up the bricks another way, and you get a gas station.

"Every square here," Close said gesturing to a painting, "will become four squares in the painting. There is no drawing on the canvas other than the grid. I never draw a nose. I never draw a lip."

4. The main similarity between the two paintings by Monet and Close are the chosen subject matter; they are every day life scene. Slice of life. These subject matter helps to increase the naturalism within the painting. What Monet has chosen (his garden) and what Close has picked (his daughter) are the things that we can easily see in our daily life.
Another similarity can be the use and handling of the colour: both Monet and Close uses wide range of colour palette (rich, vibrant colours) and these are impasto-ed directly on to the canvas, rather than blended seamlessly together.
Lastly, both works plays with the effects of light.

5. The process involved with making the works are the thing that I thought was different from Monet's work to Close's. While Monet works en peiln air (working straight off from real life, which increases spontaneity and are more easy to capture fleeting moment of life), Close works with
photography and in a more systematic, controlled way. This is also evident in their works, as Close has grid-like format which makes it look more strained in a way, while Monet's work are more free and lively.


6. I found it quite interesting to answer this question, mainly because my response to the work differs from who I am; my attributes and characteristics.
I'm a perfectionist in a way; my obsession with leaving papers unfolded, cutting things SUPER straight, and leaving things in a accurate position as to how they were in a first place etc.
If you gather up all these informations, people might think that I would favor Close's work more than Monet's because Close's works are more close to perfection in a way - systematic composition, grid-like format, working from photographs and most importantly, hyper-real.
But in fact, what my impression towards these two different works were amazingly different.
I loved Monet's work but wasn't fascinated by Close's that much - no offence to Close! ;)
The reason that I like about Monet's works are that they make the viewer relaxed and comforted; as if I'm just taking a break out from a busy city life.

References

- Lukas, A. (2011). Swindle Magazine: Chuck Close. Retrieved May 15, 2011 from http://swindlemagazine.com/issueicons/chuckclose/

- Johnson, C.A. (2007). Chuck Close: Contemporary Art Rock Star. Retrieved May 15, 2011 from 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/08/sunday/main2548397.shtml
-http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=80220

Week 7 : Industrialisation and Cao Fei's RMB City

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 era known as the Industrial revolution took place during the 18th ceuntury in most of the western Europe; especially England was at the centre of this rapid-changing enrionment (industrialisation process was most highly accelerated in England)
Industrial Revolution can be defined as the application of power-driven machinery to manufacturing. Basically it was a turning point in history, where developments in various areas such as agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation and economic policies all contributed towards this change.

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.

The City Rises (1910) Umberto Boccioni

Boccioni's 'The City rises' depicts a scene where mens on a construction site 

tries to utilise the power of horses in their labours. The main subject matter in this work is the horse as it appears to be the center of the focus, positioned right in the middle of the picture plane; the idea of power and strength is clearly delivered to the viewer through the horse. Other subject matters also include the figures and the construction of a new modern buildings on a backdrop; these also suggests the celebration of the development and industrialisation.

The forms in this painting are mostly defined by the blocks of colours and the use of multiple brushworks; some line works at the back too. Quick, lively brush strokes creates a spontaneous, energetic atmosphere, also added by the use of strong, vibrant colour palette such as reds, blues, greens and yellows (primary colours). These colours are juxtaposed to crate a 3D-like look and achieves more dynamic mood which hints on the concept of movement and motion. 

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

'Dynamism of a dog on a leash' by Giacomo Baila, is a typical futuristic work which portrays a great sense of speed and urgency within the painting; also energy of a modern life
The subject matter in this work are quite straight forward;the scene depicts a lady walking a dog. But what makes this painting fascinating is what lies behind the technique that Balla uses to create this effect of motion and movement.
Blur of multiple images are overlayed on top of each other to create this frame-by-frame view; almost resembling multiple photographic exposures of a moving object.
The forms are identified through the stark black colour and multiple layers of flowing lacey veils.



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.

RMB City (2007-2009) Cao Fei

Cao Fei's RMB City is a collection of visual imageries collaged together to form a complete
piece of work. These visual images represents the recent urban and cultural explosion of China.
Some of the images include -: Chinese flag, Panda, wheel of the bicycle, Chinese charaters, 
“Named after Chinese money, RMB City shows a perverse view of Beijing—a blend of communism, socialism, and capitalism.” It is said to be constantly under construction, always changing like the city Beijing.
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 term 'utopia' was first coined from the greek word 'ou-topos' meaning 'no place' 'nowhere'; this is really interesting as this is a pun - the almost identical greek word 'eu-topos' means a good place. Basically, Utopia refers to the imaginary place that would never exist in reality but if it had, it would be an ideal community or society under a perfect condition; a pleasant place to live.
On the other hand, dystopia, alternatively known as cacotopia or anti-utopia, is described as the direct opposite of utopia; thus meaning a destructive, unpleasant place.
RMB City can be directly compared to both utopia and dystopia as it has both qualities.




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 atvimeo.com/4272260, if you have not already researched it.
Although the three art works 'The city rises', 'Dynamism of a dog on a leash' and 'RMB city' differs in the way it was constructed and produced (the use of different medium and approach), these works do have one thing in common: they all deal with the idea of motion/ movement and the celebration of industrialisation: working with what's current at the time. 


References
- Montagna, J.A. (2011). The Industrial Revolution. Retrieved April 17, 2011, from http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1981/2/81.02.06.x.html


- Wildy, J. (2010). Futurism and Umberto Boccioni's The City Rises. Retrieved April 17, 2011, from http://www.suite101.com/content/futurism-and-umberto-boccionis-the-city-rises-a280519

- Lubbock, T. (2009). Great Works: Dynamism of A Dog on a Leash (1912) Giacomo Balla. Retrieved April 17, 2011, from http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/great-works-dynamism-of-a-  dog-on-a-leash-1912-giacomo-balla-1781174.html


-RMB City Planning Video Clip. Retrieved April 17, 2011, from http://vimeo.com/4272260

Week 5 : Science and Reason - Video Art by Pipilotti Rist

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

Scientific Revolution which flourished all around Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was  a  major movement which greatly challenged the way in which the Europeans thought and viewed the world  that they were in. It was a huge move away from the thoughts and beliefs of the Church. The period of exploration encouraged new 

Scientific revolution was, not only a movement which was associated with natural science and technological change/ development, in fact it was more about the series of changes in the structure of European thought itself: systematic doubt, empirical and sensory verification

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

We are surrounded by 'scientific revolution' everyday. The world that we are living in is still developing 

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

Ever is all over 2007

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 theres pros and cons to the both sides: but personally I think it is important to keep traditional media because after all, everything springs off from somewhere (base), and it is quite crucial that the base/ foundation is well established before anything else can be made.

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

Pipilotti incorporates the use of bright vivid colours in her work to drag attention of the viewer.

This is shown in her work 'Hero's of Birth' as she uses LCD triptych to display two colourful large scale video projection works.

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.

Ever is Over All is constructed in a way that two slow-motioned clips are merged together without any boundaries in between. One side of the clip shows a woman in a flowing dress strolling down the street to a gentle soundtrack. She's holding on to a flower ,'Red Hot Poker', in her hand like a weapon, and smashes down the glasses of the car window as she pass by. The smashing sound somewhat alarms the audience from middle of the peaceful mood.

The other side shows a peaceful field (contrasts greatly with the first clip) filled with the exotic

flowers (Red Hot Poker). The scale of the work is almost the double the life-size, therefore it makes the audience to be completely surrounded by the work,enabling the audience to interact with the environment of the video cilp. 

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

Certainly unreasonable. The woman's behavior is something that is quite hard to be understood by the community/ society now, because the action that she's taking is outside the boundaries; it's illegal. This is quite ironical at the same time because the police woman who appears in the video clip does not stop the woman from making these actions.

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 in this video almost looks like a child - conveying characteristics such as youth, naivety, innocence. Its even resembling the Dorothy with her blue gown on her journey to wizard of Oz; Pipilotti Rist strays far enough from reality to explore the fantastical, dream-like experience.

The woman is consistently smiling throughout the clip which does not match with her violent action; it makes us to think about 'can violence enacted with a sweet smile be more easily forgiven?'. Police woman does not charge the woman anything for smashing down the cars, instead, they both just gently smile and greets.  

References

-http://ap_history_online.tripod.com/apeh6.htm
- http://archive.fact.co.uk/index.php/objectui/type,vra.vrawork/id,474

Week 3 : Ron Mueck's Sculpture and Humanism

1. Mueck's sculpture is described as 'hyper-real'. Define the meaning of this term and apply it to his work.
In term's of an artistic context, the term 'hyper-real' refers to  'involving or characterized by particularly realistic graphic representation'. This is clearly evident in Mueck's works, as his work delivers great deal of accuracy and attention to detail on human figures: although he plays with the scale, the proportion are perfectly accurate.


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's work never corporates life size scale : it's either bigger than, or smaller.

In one of his interview, he states ' life-size figures never seemed to be interesting. We meet life-size people every day.'

In Bed 2005

In Bed is one of fairly large scaled work of Mueck's (162 x 650x 395 cm); and because of it's overwhelming size, it enables the audience to feel the atmosphere in which the figure's emotion/expression creates. sank in her own thought, the women in this sculpture is a classic image of melancholia. Her emotion is well delivered to the audience as they might walk through this work; magnificent scale allows the space to be completely filled up with the figure's feeling.

Two Women 2005

The sculpture Two Women consists of two elderly women engaging in gossip. The Scale of this work are much smaller than life-size (83 x 48 x 38 cm :less than a metre tall); small enough to encourage the viewer to thoroughly examine them close-up and to pay attention to the figure's expressions: which are, both captivating and haunting at the same time

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 was an intellectual and social movement which flourished around the period of Renaissance. It is arguable to say that humanism lies at the base of funding Humanism.

Humanism was a rediscovery and re-evaluation of the aspects of classical civilization which was then interpreted accordingly to the intellectual and social culture of the time.

The concept of Humanism can be easily substituted into the works of Mueck's as his works are deeply associated with human nature/ human as a each individual.

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

A Girl 2006

A girl, 4.5m long sculpture, overwhelms the audience first with devastating scale, then with thorough details of the baby's facial expressions and the physical features. The way its stretching her tightened hands are notable, as she is in a pose that a baby wouldn't normally take 

References

-Hartley,K. (2006). Ron Mueck. Edinburgh: The Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland
-http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hyperreal
-ACADEMIC LITERACIES IN VISUAL COMMUNICATION 1 – 114111 – RESOURCE BOOK