Monday 30 May 2011

WEEK 9 MODERNISM AND POST MODERNISM

Q1. Outline the intentions of each artist.
Chuck Close:
An American painter and photographer who succeed as a photo realist through his massive-scale portraits. Even after becoming severely paralyzed, Chuck Close still continued to make art work that was wanted by museums and collectors.
 
Claude Monet: 
Founder of French impressionist painting. His Intentions were to have an endless pond with water Lillie's without any horizons or banks. Monet was exploring different natural lights that he could capture in his paintings and the different colours that come with it.
 
Q2. Describe the techniques of each artist
Chuck Close: 
Chuck Close uses a canvas that has a grid on it done my an assistant. It is said that he uses his mouth to hold his paint brush because of being paralyzed. He used two main techniques which are 'grisaille'-using only grey tints and 'pointillism'-a white background is covered with dots of pure colour that producing a visual effect. Both of these techniques are similar to what is used by impressionist. The result is a canvas of mini paintings which when looked at from a distance is seen as a single image.
 
 
Claude Monet:
A few different techniques which Monet was the texture of his paintings was created with different brushstrokes. He used was painting on light coloured canvases he would mix his colours on the canvas and use a technique called scumble when you soften a colour by covering it with a opaque/semi opaque colour.  
 
Q3. Find 2 quotes about each artists work, and reference them correctly.
Chuck Close: 
 
"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"

 
"You know, the way art history is taught, often there's nothing that tells you why the painting is great. The description of a lousy painting and the description of a great painting will very much sound the same"
Claude Monet:
 
"Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love"
 
 "No one is an artist unless he carries his picture in his head before painting it, and is sure of his method and composition"
 
Q4. Note 3 similarities of the work of both artists.
Bright Colour, texture, technique.
 
Q5. What are some differences between the artist's work. (at least 3)
The style of there paintings are very different to each other in the way the Monets are quite beauitful and Chuck Close has also a more realist appourch. The focus of what they paint are different as Close paints mostly all portraits and Monet does not. One other difference would be that Close used the gridded canvas.
 
Q6. Describe your response to the work of both artists.
At first I did not like the work of Chuck Close but after researching and finding out more about him I found his work quite interesting. I have always like Claude Monets work so it was good to learn more about him.
 
referencing:

WEEK 7 - INDUSTRIALISATION AND CAO FEI'S CITY

Q.1. What and when was the Industrial Revolution?
A.1. The Industrial Revolution was 18th to the 19th century. It was a major turning point where changes occurred in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, technology and transportation and had very serious effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the time. It first began in the United Kingdom, then spread throughout North America, Europe and eventually the whole world.
Q.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.


umberto boccioni the city rises - 1910
This oil on canvas painting shows the labour men on a constructions site making a new modern building which you can see in right hand corner the men working the horse's. The Horse's which dominate the central focus the the painting because of the power. The making of the modern building is the theme though it is the construction of the building that is important in this composition it is full out action, movement strength and energy which is used to do such things as building and constructing.


Dynamism of a dog on a Leash  Giacomo Balla -1912
This close up painting showing a widow and her pet. The main focus the movement of the woman's feet, the legs and tail of the dog and the leash. Balla recreating the look of speed and flight by multiplying the images on top of each other and blurring it also the blur on the ground.to give a look to speed.  

Q.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.



A.3.Images Cao Fei has used that refer to China would be the panda, religious monument floating in the water, Tiananmen square (converted into a swimming pool), the Chinese flag, the old Chinese architecture building surrounded but all of the sky scrappers which relates to the ideas of urbanization, the fast pace of social and economic development there.

Q.4. RMB City is described as a utopia/dystopia. Comment on what these terms mean, and how they can be applied to the work.
A.4. One description of Utopia would be to have an ideal community or society possessing a perfect social system, politic and legal system. the term is sometimes used to describe either intentional communities that attempt to create an ideal society, and a fictional society in literature.Where as dystopian society’s dreams of improvement are overshadowed by stimulating fears of the "ugly consequences of present-day behavior." People are alienated and individualism is restricted by the government. (Wikipedia). I think that the RMB City is a mixture of utopia and dystopia as if they have tried to create the perfect society but it has failed.


Q.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. A.5.Both are focusing on the movement of things and showing the very fast-motion movement. Umberto Boccioni and the digital work of Cao Fei relate to each other in the way that it is about constructing and how both involve the modern buildings.



Referencing:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0906/S00212.htm
http://www.suite101.com/content/futurism-and-umberto-boccionis-the-city-rises-a280519
http://www.scienceandart.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=145:giacomo-balla-dynamism-of-a-dog-on-a-leash&catid=57:artworks&Itemid=97

WEEK 5 SCIENCE AND REASON Video art by Pipilotti Rist

Q.1. Define the 17th century 'Scientific Revolution', and say how it changed European thought and world view. 
A.1 The 17th century Scientific Revolution was a revolution which laid down the foundation of modern science. It brought new ideas which involved biology, physics, human astronomy and chemistry which led people to reject the teaching and belief of doctrine from as far back as Ancient Greece. This changed the way people viewed world, from looking at it with superstition and religion to reason and knowledge. Scholars started to question the workings of the world and this started modern science.

Q.2. Give examples of how we can we still see evidence of the 'Scientific Revolution' in the world today.
A.2. There are many examples of scientific revolution such as  a revolution in the science of human genetics, it is now possible to grow human tissues and organs to replace damaged or dysfunctional body parts. while some of the techniques can be ethnically controversial. Technology and how much it has developed over and years with computers, phones.

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

Q.3. From your research, do you think that the contemporary art world values art work
that uses new media/technology over traditional media?
A.3. I think that there would be a lot of contemporary artists that would value the use of new media and technology in making there art work in the way that it relates to the time we are living in. It is an interesting way to show the meaning of your art work.

Q.4. How has Pipilotti Rist used new media/technology to enhance the audience's experience of her work.
A.4. She was enhanced the audiences experience with the use of two videos over lapping, the use of colour is quite bright at times and movement of the camera but also the slow motion movement, the sounds/music that is used all ties in together.

Q.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.
A.5. The sound is very dreamy which goes well with the behaviour of the woman how she is walking down in street in such a floaty joyous/ happy violent way. It is a mixture of feeling with the dreaminess but then having the smashing is unsettling in a way. It could relate to a love relationship with man and woman how it is so dreamy but sometimes shattered with the power/anger of how a man can be stereotypically..

 
Q6. Comment on the notion of 'reason' within the content of the video. Is the woman's behaviour reasonable or unreasonable?
A.6. After reading about what the video's meaning was, it made alot of sense. I think that there is reason within the video with the woman dressed like she is out of a fairy tale holding a large flower both relate to women in a stereotypical way and smashing the cars which represent men in the way with men's obsession with cars. I think that the woman's behaviour is reasonable in relation to the whole feminist point of view when you think about how men are/were so dominating in society etc, It is reasonable for her behavior to be the way it is.
 
Q.7. Comment on your 'reading' (understanding) of the work by discussion the aesthetic (look), experience and the ideologies (ideas, theories) of the work.
A.7. I think that the work related to feminism and stereotypes of men and women which has been explained in the above questions. the woman that is in the 'ever is over all' video is a very womanly woman who looks like she is from a fairytale.
 
 
Referencing:

Sunday 29 May 2011

WEEK 3 RON MUECK

Q1. Mueck's sculpture is described as 'hyper-real'. Define the meaning of this term and apply it to his work.

A1.Hyper-real art work is art that is made to convince the person that the work is something of reality and something that looks just like the real life object it is supposed to represent. This is shown in Muecks sculptures in the way that his art work looks very realistic and it is hard to tell it is not the real thing apart from the size even after looking at it over and over.  


Q2. 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.

A2. He plays with the two different extremes of scale to give a disconcerting and unpleastant jolt when first looking at the art. And also the fact that it makes it more interesting because if the sculptures were live size it would be no different than seeing the same thing you would see when walking down the street. The 4.5 metre 'crouching boy'  and the 'two gossiping old ladies' which are of miniture size are two pieces of work that use the very large and very small scale. Mueck finds using the differnt scale brings up more thought and the impact with the human mind. 

 

Q3. 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.

A3. Renaissance Humanism was a approach in study, philosphy, and a practise that focused on human values and cercerns. A cultural movement of the renaissance based on the study of classical works, education, literary. Also people deciding there own morals truths and behaviours that were not from the church/religion. This is related to his work in the way that it was non religious art. The art work makes you think, its couls have many diferent meanings. It works with scale in a way that is not less important things are smaller, important things bigger (like marry etc) but changing the scale so it is not just what you would see any day and any other means that might be behind the reason of his use of scale.

Q4. 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

A4. Sculpture  "BOY"
Ron Mueck managed the large scale with using polystyrene blocks sliced into horizontal sections, the eyes were cast in footballs and the hair made with fishing line. He brings the boy the life with the use of showing alot of skin, bones, muscles and limbs. A resin was used to paint in each section of skin to give it a fleshy tone.






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