I gathered from your presentation that you are interested in: -shapes, line, balance, layering, visible brush strokes, texture, "living the marks" -internal struggle -movement, and being in-between worlds as opposed to within one -expressing emotion through formal elements -lost memory -miniature paintings and their function as expressions of identity -a tension between revealing and not wanting to reveal -text, letters, words, books, language, words that don't make sentences or which transform into other things, unreadable words and hybrid languages, language as a barrier -hidden stories
Things to consider: -What aspects of your culture(s) and identity do you want to address? -What does black and white mean to you? Why are you not using color? -How will you confront the politically-charged qualities of the artists you chose? What are you going for and what are you not going for? -"not enough" vs. "too much" information...think about Matthew Ritchie and editing: You say you have been editing your work up until now and that you want to stop that and start letting every mark show. Does this mean that rather than not having enough information, all along you have had too much and been editing down? This aspect of your work is very intriguing to me.
-you are going to be doing two kinds of portraiture this semester: "minimalist" ones without much contextual information and ones grounded in "a personal place"
-you're interested in how we percieve a person's identity based on their surroundings or the context in which we see them
-you're interested in "slowness" and "intimacy"
-you want to use color because it is tied to the "now" or "here"
-you want to photograph artists
-you're looking at Avedon, Marczewski, Jongchul Lee, Daniel Glazer and Bruce Davidson--all portrait photographers, and Copley--a historical portrait painter
Things to consider:
-your use of the word "information" -your reasoning for using color (newspapers b&w but present--so is color in fact "present") -what makes something intimate, constructed, or "minimalist" to you? And are there more pertinent words/descriptions that you could use to help us understand these qualities in your work? -the word "context" and/or "surroundings" -are there artists in other mediums that are doing stripped down portraiture? -are there any historical artists doing stripped down portraiture? -what were the first (turn of the century, I suppose) photographic portraits like in terms of context? -can you relate these to an area of art outside portraiture, for example, still life painting? Japanese brush painting? figural sculpture?
I think Bonnie--and Colby, for that matter--has a good point in suggesting you consider artists from other mediums. I think by investigating artists' work which you like but find very different looking from your own, you begin automatically finding the root of your artistic interests. Being forced to tie together unlike artists makes you more conscious of the similarities and the similarities tend to be descriptors of your own work or the work you want to be producing. Finding the similarities between artists of different mediums may also help you to be more specific in your word choice because there is less to be assumed and more that needs to be explained.
- your work is inspired by a present experience that is involved with the zen buddhist idea that enlightenment can be achieved by staying present - this is also echoed in phenomenology's concepts about direct experience of the world - the presentness causes you/the viewer to dissolve into surroundings; boundaries between the self and "it" dissolve - you believe that there is not a separation between a real and imaginary view of the world, experience incorporates both - you find the oscillations between created spaces with depth and fields of color resonant; this ties into naturalism versus abstraction which you are interested in - you are interested in accumulation of experience, just as georgia o'keeffe would visit a landscape multiple times - you believe that agnes martin's works are based upon how we experience the landscape and her statements about how art is a silent and wordless expression of experience which is also silent and wordless - uta barth's ideas about reality versus imaginary understanding of the world resonate with you; you also like how slow and contemplative her works are - barth's work caused you to explore smithson's concept of site and non-site - susie nielson focuses on the fringes and in between spaces, or the non-site -you are interested in how she builds up layering over language and this causes you to investigate where we find meaning -the tie between all of your artists is that they are finding ways to be present and engaged but not necessarily trying to hold on to this
things to consider: -how does site vs non-site play into your work once it is in the gallery - is real equated to consciousness and unreal unconsciousness? what about exterior and interior? a discussion of how these terms relate to eachother might be helpful for you
Okay, to clarify about the site//non-site ideas that I brought up: I identified with the quote that was in the book on Uta Barth, not necessarily with Smithson's ideas as he initially used them. I am not really clear on what the whole site//non-site business meant to Smithson. What I identified with was that Barth's work is about the fringes, about the places we let our eyes wander over but don't engage with specific objects in them. From talking to Mike a little more I know Smithson's ideas about site and non-site were wrapped up in ideas of a pure or unadulterated, or perhaps not-yet-decontextualized experience. This is something I've started thinking a lot about because as far as I'm concerned, we're always decontextualizing our experiences by taking from our experiences, learning from them and then bringing them with us wherever we go. My paintings are about this constant process of internalization//externalization by which we live.
So yes, basically, I'm thinking about the site//non-site and I need to read more about it. I also think that it is linked to interior//exterior spaces and perhaps consciousness//unconsciousness, too, though I'm not a big fan of those words and I need to mull them over more to figure out why.
I'm wondering if there might be a better historical artist for you to be considering than Matisse. While I can understand that you like the marks he's making and how he's linking color with emotions, there are many other artists who were much more interested in the mark as related to language and emotionality than Matisse--I think of Matisse as being primarily interested in color and shape. For example, you might look at Japanese calligraphy/ink painting, Robert Motherwell, Lee Krasner, Willem De Kooning, or Jackson Pollock.
I also think it's great that you're looking at Matthew Ritchie. It sounded like you were getting a lot out of looking into him, so I'd keep pursuing that, for sure. Talking about your work in terms of too much information definitely seems to fit well.
You are going to be developing the site-specific outdoor education program – concentrating on a site near campus. You are interested in creating a space that does not divide the inhabitant from the habitat–stressing the importance of survival skills and innovation.
Artists and resonating ideas: Beuys – Social welfare through shaman like character/role, creative processes/innovation that everyone possesses.
Smithson – Comments on anti-architecture and institutions, inside/outside merging, the non-site
E.O. Wilson – Consilience, the unity of knowledge, interdisciplinary education
Serra – invasive or disruptive architecture/structures – you see Serra’s work as the kind of professional architect, which you think is problematic to the relationship with our habitat. So, Serra’s work would be a contrast to the ideas that would eventually outline your program - is that right?
Things to consider: -Addressing an audience that may not view this project as art -Developing a presentation that may be more interactive
Emily- You are interested in places and spaces and their formal qualities, derived from your personal experiences to create a sense of interconnectivity.
Arthur Dove- ability to create spaces rather than rhythm- different from the more musically oriented work of last semester “Barred down” look ultimately makes us feel more connected Use of entrances and windows
Laurie Simmons Domestic spaces- idealized, picture perfect, color coordinated rooms Importances in the contrast of color and form- but the women’s issues which are a topic of the work are not of interest.
Dry Landscape Gardens- Serve as a way to reinforce the connection to everything- geometric architectural spaces against the natural forms of rock and earth act harmoniously together.
Interesting developments of provoking the binaries of internal/external and place/space. How your personal experience plays into the development of these spaces will be important to discuss further. What exactly about your perception of the world makes its way into a painting and why? Has the Eastern aesthetic come from personal experience itself, and what are the implications of examining such vastly different culturally driven pieces? As mentioned in class you may want to speak more on topics such as Buddhist ideas.
During your presentation, I got the impression that you are no more interested in the idea of the family and realized that you too, like me, is dealing with this issue of internal struggle.
You are interested in the way your work demonstrates clumping and the fading in and out of thoughts. The consciousness versus unconsciousness, darks and lights, balance, movement, shapes and textures. You are also interested in repeating motifs that will make your viewers look and create connections between your pieces.
Things to you might want to make clear and consider
- I know you used objects in your drawings and I wonder why are these objects important to you? For instance why use an opening of a jar to make a hole in your drawing? Is there a significance that these objects have upon you? - Should they be or not be recognizable by your audience? - Objects come with their own symbolic meaning and by placing them in your drawings are you associating these symbols with their meaning or are you giving them another meaning (redefining them)? - I know last semester you were struggling with how your art should not only show one aspect of who you are. Have you thought about how you intend to show this balance in your work? - You mentioned that you want to experiment with color? Any reasons as to why? Last semester you talked about the reasons why black and white was so important to you. You indicated that since black and white is such a limited color, it forces you to focus on the types of marks and textures you are creating. It also gives you and creates a certain mood. Has this method or mood changed?
I think it is quite interesting how we both are dealing with internal struggle but in such different ways. I feel like we should have chitchats on self-struggle. I cannot wait to see more on your work and how you express yourself and tackle the questions that viewers like me would ask.
Thank you so much Ya Haddy for all of the questions. They helped me solidify my interests and reminded me where exactly I left my fellow SMPers as far as my intentions are concerned.
I suppose the reason I choose the objects I do is because they are interesting to me for one reason or another. Maybe I am interested in what they imply, but I also choose particular people and objects because of the shapes, textures, and gestures they allow me to bring to my work. I consider composition quite a bit when deciding what images to incorporate.
For me, it is critical that at least some element of the people and objects I choose to draw within my artwork are in fact very clear to the viewer. I like that recognizable imagery encourages people to build up narratives and find relationships. It is also important to me, however, that the objects I draw have some element of obscurity to them. Something that makes them not real. Whether it be a sudden slipping away of the defining lines into blackness or the gradual transition into a completely different image, I want the viewer's mind to be navigating and piecing the image together. My works are not meant to let the eyes rest.
I am interested in re-contextualizing images. So while I want viewers to consider other, perhaps metaphoric, meanings for the objects, I realize these new meanings are going to be deeply rooted in the original associations people have with them. That's all fine with me. It's kindda my point. I see my work as being an escape from reality as we see it in our day to day life. It is a means of exploring thought and the way we find relationships between objects which are not in their "normal" context. It's about the phenomenon of the human mind and its persistent desire to find, or at least assign, relationships. It can be surprisingly effortless, but your interpretation of my work will likely be far different from mine. This is what I find so interesting.
While I am no longer concerned with projecting a personal message to the audience, I realize that self-disclosure is always interpreted to some degree by the audience. I still do want to keep myself focussed on avoiding overtly negative subject matter, but I do not want to lose the intensity I so love. This semester, I will have to maintain a careful balance. I am trying to work with collage and gesso again, which may help with this. I also want to be sure to incorporate more white and light gray into the work. This is still an issue I am working out.
Yes, I think my desire to try color stemmed from a general slowing down of production. I started to get stressed during the first or second week, I made a few "bad" works, and I'm sure you know the rest... Suddenly I was bored with what I was doing and thinking crazy things about how I wanted to start painting on wood and stuff. It was bad. I have chilled out again and I am fine with black and white. The gesso against the paper color offers me the warm/cool contrast I was looking for and, if need be, I could always go warmer and cooler at some point. Since my process is so spontaneous I find that it is easy for me to slip into "uninspired" mode, in which case I begin desperately trying anything to regain an interest in making work. The color freak-out was just that. You are right. There are many merits to black and white and ultimately I feel it will serve my work best to stick with that.
For Ya Haddy
ReplyDeleteI gathered from your presentation that you are interested in:
-shapes, line, balance, layering, visible brush strokes, texture, "living the marks"
-internal struggle
-movement, and being in-between worlds as opposed to within one
-expressing emotion through formal elements
-lost memory
-miniature paintings and their function as expressions of identity
-a tension between revealing and not wanting to reveal
-text, letters, words, books, language, words that don't make sentences or which transform into other things, unreadable words and hybrid languages, language as a barrier
-hidden stories
Things to consider:
-What aspects of your culture(s) and identity do you want to address?
-What does black and white mean to you? Why are you not using color?
-How will you confront the politically-charged qualities of the artists you chose? What are you going for and what are you not going for?
-"not enough" vs. "too much" information...think about Matthew Ritchie and editing:
You say you have been editing your work up until now and that you want to stop that and start letting every mark show. Does this mean that rather than not having enough information, all along you have had too much and been editing down? This aspect of your work is very intriguing to me.
For Anne
ReplyDeleteYou presented that:
-you are going to be doing two kinds of portraiture this semester: "minimalist" ones without much contextual information and ones grounded in "a personal place"
-you're interested in how we percieve a person's identity based on their surroundings or the context in which we see them
-you're interested in "slowness" and "intimacy"
-you want to use color because it is tied to the "now" or "here"
-you want to photograph artists
-you're looking at Avedon, Marczewski, Jongchul Lee, Daniel Glazer and Bruce Davidson--all portrait photographers, and Copley--a historical portrait painter
Things to consider:
-your use of the word "information"
-your reasoning for using color (newspapers b&w but present--so is color in fact "present")
-what makes something intimate, constructed, or "minimalist" to you? And are there more pertinent words/descriptions that you could use to help us understand these qualities in your work?
-the word "context" and/or "surroundings"
-are there artists in other mediums that are doing stripped down portraiture?
-are there any historical artists doing stripped down portraiture?
-what were the first (turn of the century, I suppose) photographic portraits like in terms of context?
-can you relate these to an area of art outside portraiture, for example, still life painting? Japanese brush painting? figural sculpture?
I think Bonnie--and Colby, for that matter--has a good point in suggesting you consider artists from other mediums. I think by investigating artists' work which you like but find very different looking from your own, you begin automatically finding the root of your artistic interests. Being forced to tie together unlike artists makes you more conscious of the similarities and the similarities tend to be descriptors of your own work or the work you want to be producing. Finding the similarities between artists of different mediums may also help you to be more specific in your word choice because there is less to be assumed and more that needs to be explained.
ReplyDeleteRecap: Bonnie
ReplyDeleteFrom your presentation, it seems that:
- your work is inspired by a present experience that is involved with the zen buddhist idea that enlightenment can be achieved by staying present
- this is also echoed in phenomenology's concepts about direct experience of the world
- the presentness causes you/the viewer to dissolve into surroundings; boundaries between the self and "it" dissolve
- you believe that there is not a separation between a real and imaginary view of the world, experience incorporates both
- you find the oscillations between created spaces with depth and fields of color resonant; this ties into naturalism versus abstraction which you are interested in
- you are interested in accumulation of experience, just as georgia o'keeffe would visit a landscape multiple times
- you believe that agnes martin's works are based upon how we experience the landscape and her statements about how art is a silent and wordless expression of experience which is also silent and wordless
- uta barth's ideas about reality versus imaginary understanding of the world resonate with you; you also like how slow and contemplative her works are
- barth's work caused you to explore smithson's concept of site and non-site
- susie nielson focuses on the fringes and in between spaces, or the non-site
-you are interested in how she builds up layering over language and this causes you to investigate where we find meaning
-the tie between all of your artists is that they are finding ways to be present and engaged but not necessarily trying to hold on to this
things to consider:
-how does site vs non-site play into your work once it is in the gallery
- is real equated to consciousness and unreal unconsciousness? what about exterior and interior? a discussion of how these terms relate to eachother might be helpful for you
Okay, to clarify about the site//non-site ideas that I brought up: I identified with the quote that was in the book on Uta Barth, not necessarily with Smithson's ideas as he initially used them. I am not really clear on what the whole site//non-site business meant to Smithson. What I identified with was that Barth's work is about the fringes, about the places we let our eyes wander over but don't engage with specific objects in them. From talking to Mike a little more I know Smithson's ideas about site and non-site were wrapped up in ideas of a pure or unadulterated, or perhaps not-yet-decontextualized experience. This is something I've started thinking a lot about because as far as I'm concerned, we're always decontextualizing our experiences by taking from our experiences, learning from them and then bringing them with us wherever we go. My paintings are about this constant process of internalization//externalization by which we live.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, basically, I'm thinking about the site//non-site and I need to read more about it. I also think that it is linked to interior//exterior spaces and perhaps consciousness//unconsciousness, too, though I'm not a big fan of those words and I need to mull them over more to figure out why.
Ya Haddy,
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if there might be a better historical artist for you to be considering than Matisse. While I can understand that you like the marks he's making and how he's linking color with emotions, there are many other artists who were much more interested in the mark as related to language and emotionality than Matisse--I think of Matisse as being primarily interested in color and shape. For example, you might look at Japanese calligraphy/ink painting, Robert Motherwell, Lee Krasner, Willem De Kooning, or Jackson Pollock.
I also think it's great that you're looking at Matthew Ritchie. It sounded like you were getting a lot out of looking into him, so I'd keep pursuing that, for sure. Talking about your work in terms of too much information definitely seems to fit well.
Mike
ReplyDeleteRecap:
You are going to be developing the site-specific outdoor education program – concentrating on a site near campus. You are interested in creating a space that does not divide the inhabitant from the habitat–stressing the importance of survival skills and innovation.
Artists and resonating ideas:
Beuys – Social welfare through shaman like character/role, creative processes/innovation that everyone possesses.
Smithson – Comments on anti-architecture and institutions, inside/outside merging, the non-site
E.O. Wilson – Consilience, the unity of knowledge, interdisciplinary education
Serra – invasive or disruptive architecture/structures – you see Serra’s work as the kind of professional architect, which you think is problematic to the relationship with our habitat. So, Serra’s work would be a contrast to the ideas that would eventually outline your program - is that right?
Things to consider:
-Addressing an audience that may not view this project as art
-Developing a presentation that may be more interactive
Emily-
ReplyDeleteYou are interested in places and spaces and their formal qualities, derived from your personal experiences to create a sense of interconnectivity.
Arthur Dove- ability to create spaces rather than rhythm- different from the more musically oriented work of last semester
“Barred down” look ultimately makes us feel more connected
Use of entrances and windows
Laurie Simmons
Domestic spaces- idealized, picture perfect, color coordinated rooms
Importances in the contrast of color and form- but the women’s issues which are a topic of the work are not of interest.
Dry Landscape Gardens-
Serve as a way to reinforce the connection to everything- geometric architectural spaces against the natural forms of rock and earth act harmoniously together.
Interesting developments of provoking the binaries of internal/external and place/space. How your personal experience plays into the development of these spaces will be important to discuss further. What exactly about your perception of the world makes its way into a painting and why? Has the Eastern aesthetic come from personal experience itself, and what are the implications of examining such vastly different culturally driven pieces? As mentioned in class you may want to speak more on topics such as Buddhist ideas.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFor Sarah
ReplyDeleteDuring your presentation, I got the impression that you are no more interested in the idea of the family and realized that you too, like me, is dealing with this issue of internal struggle.
You are interested in the way your work demonstrates clumping and the fading in and out of thoughts. The consciousness versus unconsciousness, darks and lights, balance, movement, shapes and textures. You are also interested in repeating motifs that will make your viewers look and create connections between your pieces.
Things to you might want to make clear and consider
- I know you used objects in your drawings and I wonder why are these objects important to you? For instance why use an opening of a jar to make a hole in your drawing? Is there a significance that these objects have upon you?
- Should they be or not be recognizable by your audience?
- Objects come with their own symbolic meaning and by placing them in your drawings are you associating these symbols with their meaning or are you giving them another meaning (redefining them)?
- I know last semester you were struggling with how your art should not only show one aspect of who you are. Have you thought about how you intend to show this balance in your work?
- You mentioned that you want to experiment with color? Any reasons as to why? Last semester you talked about the reasons why black and white was so important to you. You indicated that since black and white is such a limited color, it forces you to focus on the types of marks and textures you are creating. It also gives you and creates a certain mood. Has this method or mood changed?
I think it is quite interesting how we both are dealing with internal struggle but in such different ways. I feel like we should have chitchats on self-struggle. I cannot wait to see more on your work and how you express yourself and tackle the questions that viewers like me would ask.
Thank you so much Ya Haddy for all of the questions. They helped me solidify my interests and reminded me where exactly I left my fellow SMPers as far as my intentions are concerned.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the reason I choose the objects I do is because they are interesting to me for one reason or another. Maybe I am interested in what they imply, but I also choose particular people and objects because of the shapes, textures, and gestures they allow me to bring to my work. I consider composition quite a bit when deciding what images to incorporate.
For me, it is critical that at least some element of the people and objects I choose to draw within my artwork are in fact very clear to the viewer. I like that recognizable imagery encourages people to build up narratives and find relationships. It is also important to me, however, that the objects I draw have some element of obscurity to them. Something that makes them not real. Whether it be a sudden slipping away of the defining lines into blackness or the gradual transition into a completely different image, I want the viewer's mind to be navigating and piecing the image together. My works are not meant to let the eyes rest.
I am interested in re-contextualizing images. So while I want viewers to consider other, perhaps metaphoric, meanings for the objects, I realize these new meanings are going to be deeply rooted in the original associations people have with them. That's all fine with me. It's kindda my point. I see my work as being an escape from reality as we see it in our day to day life. It is a means of exploring thought and the way we find relationships between objects which are not in their "normal" context. It's about the phenomenon of the human mind and its persistent desire to find, or at least assign, relationships. It can be surprisingly effortless, but your interpretation of my work will likely be far different from mine. This is what I find so interesting.
While I am no longer concerned with projecting a personal message to the audience, I realize that self-disclosure is always interpreted to some degree by the audience. I still do want to keep myself focussed on avoiding overtly negative subject matter, but I do not want to lose the intensity I so love. This semester, I will have to maintain a careful balance. I am trying to work with collage and gesso again, which may help with this. I also want to be sure to incorporate more white and light gray into the work. This is still an issue I am working out.
Yes, I think my desire to try color stemmed from a general slowing down of production. I started to get stressed during the first or second week, I made a few "bad" works, and I'm sure you know the rest... Suddenly I was bored with what I was doing and thinking crazy things about how I wanted to start painting on wood and stuff. It was bad. I have chilled out again and I am fine with black and white. The gesso against the paper color offers me the warm/cool contrast I was looking for and, if need be, I could always go warmer and cooler at some point. Since my process is so spontaneous I find that it is easy for me to slip into "uninspired" mode, in which case I begin desperately trying anything to regain an interest in making work. The color freak-out was just that. You are right. There are many merits to black and white and ultimately I feel it will serve my work best to stick with that.