Week 6-Landscape and the Sublime

'Wanderer in the mists' (1818) Caspar David Friedrich

'Untitled #2" (2002) Richard Misrach

 'Untitled # 394-03' (2003) Richard Misrach

Richard Misrach's photography reflects the concept of the Sublime, from the Enlightenment.

Research Misrach's work by reading about his intentions, and also by looking at the work. Then answer the following questions;

1. What and when was the Enlightenment?

 

The Enlightenment was a movement in the seventeenth and eighteenth Century that encourages the use of reason, and logic over superstition when finding the truth. Logic had been used in Ancient Greece prior to the enlightenment, however, this is when it started to be accepted worldwide as a reliable means of looking at human society and self. Due to this new view being taken, it was argued that "human life and character could be improved through the use of education and reason." Because of this, The Enlightenment cause conflict between people who were interested in it and the political and religious thinkers.

Enlightenment thinking happened roughly throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, however, it didn't have a specific start or end point, but took place within a "broad paradigm in which certain tenets were accepted"

2. Define the concept of the Sublime.

 

 The Sublime is a concept that Deals with "forms of expression that entrance us." Meaning that it is an idea that concerns things of such beauty that they are awe-inspiring. When the term sublime is used to critique a piece of work, it is similar to saying that the piece of work is divine.

In the Renaissance period, artists started to create more works with more "grandeur, idealism and soft rendering of details," which led to an interest in the sublime.

3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?

 

 The Sublime Came out of the enlightenment thought because it also went against the "normal" way of thinking for the time. Because people were starting to have a more secular way of thinking, they started to value the world's beauty with their own opinion, as opposed to going with how the bible defined beauty.

4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images of his work.

White Man Contemplating Pyramids, Egypt, 1989-1991

 

Swimmers, Pyramid Lake Indiana Reservation, Nevada, 1987-93

Misrach's work involves the use of vast spaces often containing single, or small groups of people taking up a very small proportion of the image. The sublime is a very noticeable theme in his work, as it focuses on the beauty of the environment as opposed to the people who may be featured in the image. For example, in  White Man Contemplating Pyramids, the vast expanse of desert almost seems surreal in its presentation, even though it is a photograph.

5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.

 

Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg, "An Avalanche in the Alps," 1803

Vladimir Konečni, Matterhorn 2007

 

6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?

 

I feel that Misrach's work gives a sense of isolation, due to his use of vast, open spaces, and few people, if any, who are insignificant in comparison to the rest of the image. His work makes me think about the massive scale of the world and how each individual person makes up only a tiny proportion of it.

7. Add a Sublime image of your choice to your blog, which can be Art or just a Sublime photograph.

 

I shot this photo of the sun shining through the clouds one afternoon while walking past Cox's Bay. 

8. Reference your sources (books and websites). 

 

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=397117&section=6

http://www.selectedworks.co.uk/sublime.html

http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/thenineteenthcentury/a/enlightenment.htm

http://www.arthistory-famousartists-paintings.com/RenaissanceArt.html

http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/current_students/programme_resources/lse/lse_pdf/further_units/163_soc_theo_analysis/163_chpt3.pdf

The Social Status of the Artist

Self Portrait in Fur Coat (1500)

Albrecht Durer

Knob (1997) Gavin Turk

Damien Hirst and Maia Norman (1995)

Albrecht Durer's 'Self-Portrait in Fur Coat' (1500) shows a significant change in the way that the artist views and portrays himself.Research the paintings by Albrecht Durer, Gavin Turk and Damien Hirst in order to answer

the following questions;

1. Identify aspects of Durer's self portrait that show a changing view of the artist's view of himself as

an individual.

There are a number of aspects in Durer's self portrait that portray his vanity. For example the way his right hand is "elegantly touching" his fur coat shows that he see a lot of importance in wearing immaculate clothes. another aspect is the way his hair is so perfectly curled and has been painted so it looks like he light is shining off it. The work itself has been painted so that it has quite a warm glow in terms of lighting, giving the impression of Durer seeing himself as quite a godlike figure.

2. Explain how the artist's social status increased during the Renaissance period. Briefly explain why this happened.

 During the Renaissance Period, Artists' social status began to move away from them being seen as practitioners of mechanical arts and arts such as sculpting and painting being seen as art forms that require skills in "mathematical perspective, optics, anatomy, and geometry." This happened because sciences started to become more popular as society became more secular. Science become more popular meant that scientific methods started to get used when creating artworks, so artists could argue that they were "superior to mere craftsmen."

3. Comment on Gavin Turk's work in relation to individualism, status of the artist and egotism.

 The definition of  "individualism" is: "a social theory advocating the liberty, rights, or independent action of the individual." Gavin Turk's work, Knob relates to this in that it is simply his signature in the centre of the page. This signature is the unique way that he writes his name to distinguish himself as an individual, the way he has made it such a prominent image through the use of colouring it like a rainbow, and making it the only thing in the frame gives the impression that he has quite a high sense of self importance and is quite egotistical.

4. Comment on Damien Hirst's use of his work and the media for self promotion.

 Damien Hirst has used self promotion of his work by having his artworks printed onto different products ranging from shoes to skateboards. and example of this is the item of clothing his wife, Maia Norman is seen wearing in the photograph above. Another example of this work being printed onto a product is below, where Hirst has had the same polka dot design printed onto the bottom of skate board decks. This is a clever method of self promotion, in that it helps to expose his artwork to a much wider consumer market, rather than only people who are modern art enthusiasts.

 

5. Find 2 images of work by artists or designers that reflects some of the ideas of individualism,

self promotion or egotism that have been discussed on this blog. Upload images to your blog, title and date the work, identify the artist/designer and comment on the work in relation to the question.

Citrus Juicer -  Philippe Starck

Phillipe Starck is "one of the giants of  contemporary design", as well as a master of self promotion. This work in particular is one of his best known pieces. It is a long legged lemon squeezer, initially designed for the itallian design company; Alessi. It reflects ideas of  self promotion in that it is Starck's signature. The lemon squeezer is instantly recognisable as on of his designs because it is completely unique in comparison to other lemon squeezers, which haven't been made to look aesthetically pleasing, just to be practical.

6. How do you think artists and designers are viewed in Western society today?
I think that today, artists and designers are viewed somewhat the same as they were in the renaissance period, in that they make a living out of their work by being commissioned to do works for clients. However, today, although Designers and artists often get commissioned to create work for clients, they do have a lot more freedom, and there is more of an option to create the art first, then sell it to whoever is willing to pay for it, as opposed to making it to a buyer's specifications.

7. Comment on the blogs of other students.

8. Reference the websites and/or books you have used, at the end of your blog.

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/durer/self/

http://radicalart.info/ego/statements/index.html

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG7733481/Maia-Norman-Damien-Hirsts-Californian-girl.html

My references:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2002/nov/30/art.artsfeatures1

http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/artartists/renaissance.html

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/individualism 

http://www.designbuild-network.com/features/feature75292/

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Week 2- Barbara Kruger & Mercantillism

Barbara Kruger's Art and Design

I shop therefore I am (1987) Barbara Kruger

Face It (Green) 2007 Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger has been described as a feminist, conceptual and a pop artist.

Her work reflects her interest in graphic design, photography, poetry and writing.

Research Kruger's work in order to answer the following questions;

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

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

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

4. Define the concept of Mercantillism and explain how these two examples can connect with the concept.

5. Upload a more recent example of Kruger's work where she has used a new medium, that is not graphic design. Title your image of the chosen work and comment on your response to the work. How do you think the audience would experience this work?

1. In these two works, Kruger has used a pop art style. They both feature relatively simple images, with bold, plain-font text surrounded by white boxes. Putting the text in white boxes rather than having them sitting just over the background image, attention is drawn to them before the images.

2. In I shop therefore I am, Kruger is conveying a message regarding and the stereotypical view that women had of themselves in the 1980s, i.e. that they shopped, and that was what they identified with. Kruger isn't using this statement with positive connotations, this image is representing how a "predominantly male media" has constructed this view that women of the 1980s had of themselves.

In Face It (Green), Kruger has used a close up image of a part of an item of clothing with a label that reads: "This luxurious garment won't make you rich or beautiful." Over this, she has placed the words: "Face It" in bold, black text. I think that she is trying to convey a message about consumerism and the affect it has on people's view of themselves, i.e. that if they wear expensive clothing, they will appear more wealthy and high class to others. However the text on the clothing reading: "This luxurious item of clothing won't make you rich or beautiful" suggests otherwise. It suggests that even though you wear/own expensive products, you will still be exactly the same person as if you bought inexpensive products.

3. I feel that Kruger has been partially successful in conveying the ideas in I Shop, Therefore I am, in that she has portrayed the idea of identifying with what you do through the use of the text:, however I think that the idea of feminism is somewhat vague because there isn't anything in the image that directly relates to feminism in a big way, there is just a hand which could really belong to anyone, which doesn't connect the image that the text creates specifically to females.

Kruger has been successful in communicating the ideas behind Face It, because she has clearly defined the message she is trying to convey and used appropriate images and text in the work. The words "Face it" clearly tell the viewer that there is something to be realized, and by looking at the image behind the text shows the item of clothing, which represents the idea of consumerism. The idea of how expensive and luxurious consumer products don't actually change who a person is, is communicated well through the label of the clothing, which has been positioned right in the center of the piece to draw attention to it even though it is quite small in relation to everything else. The text on the label is what conveys this idea by simply pointing out "this luxurious garment won't make you rich or beautiful" meaning just because you are wearing a really expensive piece of clothing, you are still exactly the same person on the inside.

4.  Mercantilism is "economic nationalism for the purpose of building a wealthy and powerful state." this means that countries would restrict importation, and encourage exportation to stimulate the country's economy. These to examples connect to this theme in that they both have an underlying theme of consumerism, which is what mercantilism is based on. Face it is connected to the idea of mercantilism in that is agreeing with the idea of restricted importation. I have come to the conclusion that it agrees with this idea because a large majority of expensive, high-end products are imported, and the text: "This luxurious garment won't make you rich or beautiful" implies that such products aren't necessary in everyday life.

"Whitney on site"

5.  I find the way Kruger has set this piece up quite interesting, because of the way all the different elements and surfaces work together, in particular, the tops of the three buildings feature the text: "Belief + Doubt = Sanity" which has been divided into one word per roof, I like how the gaps in between the buildings almost act as lines on paper, making it look a lot more uniform. I think that the audience would experience the work in a much different way depending on their point of view, for example if they were walking through the installation on the ground, they would only be taking in the individual messages in each piece of text, as opposed to viewing it from a similar view to the view shown above, then they would be absorbing all the pieces of text at once and taking in a whole new message, or maybe even just all the individual messages at once.

Sources:

- http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Mercantilism.html

- http://ct4ct.com/index.php?title=Barbara_Kruger