It Is What It Is.

A few weeks ago in class we did a conceptual project based off the artist Sol LeWitt. Each person got a square to hang up on the wall, which was illustrated with a design we picked out of a hat at random. The end result was a 3x4 panel of our combined squares. I enjoyed working on this project and liked the basic idea of it. The active involvement of the viewer used in this project made the piece mean more and made it of more interest. It just wasn’t a piece of work thought up and made by the artist; it was something that you, yourself had helped create and were a part of (hands on art!). Another dimension was given to the piece due to the fact that each time it was made, even though it was the same basic idea, the out come would be different. The putting together of many different pieces into one big final presentation, in my opinion, captured the essence of conceptualism. It didn’t matter what the final visual outcome of the piece was, the idea surrounding it was what was important (the coming together of all of these randomly placed designed squares into something as a whole… Like us humans on earth; a very strong existential undertone).
Although I find the notion of the idea taking precedence over the outcome good (things don’t always come out the way they are intended, so the concept being the main focus is a nice way of looking at it) it leaves room for some concern. Conceptual art begins to cross a line, much like performance art, which leaves you questioning if it should and or could considered art. If the artist doesn’t actually make what you are viewing or what they claim is ‘their’ artwork does it really count? One conceptualist, Stanley Brouwn, declared that all of the shoe stores in Amsterdam constituted as an exhibition of his art. In conceptual art that could work, since it is the idea which matters the most but can that really be considered artwork? Conceptualism is a slippery slope for the art world, making it so artist only have to have a central idea to create something-they don’t even need their own materials/work.
My final evaluation is, like with all things, it depends on the outcome and how the piece is executed. An idea or concept isn’t artwork, it is the beginning in the process to creating art but it shouldn’t be the sole characteristic on which a piece is judged.

A Morning in the Life of a Performance Artist

I hate performance art. However, since we’ve started our section on performance art I have become a little less critical and more accepting toward this form of art- it makes me laugh and even think a little. Today I took part in two acts. The first was a silent card-building task, created by Ashley Sullivan. My objective was to build a 3-story card house-much easier said then done- without speaking, for a whole 2 minutes-also easier said then done. I failed in the act of building anything more then 3 cards loosely leaning on each other but I accomplished the silent part. The second act I took part in was about a morning routine. Person one went about their normal morning routine while person two, myself in this act, acted as the utensils needed to complete the morning routine- i.e. shower, toothbrush, comb-sound effects included.
My own performance, which starred Tyson and Kayla, was a verbal progression into physical movement. Both started out by verbally playing the word association game ‘Dog, Bark, Tree.’ After a few rounds of verbally playing they were required to stop using words and only movements to convey what their ‘word’ association might be. Their movements led us to death, walking in place, rising from the dead, and brain-eating zombies (Tim Anderson makes a quick guest appearance as the man getting eaten).
We rely on the use of words everyday to get what we want and need. My piece explored what would happen if those words were taken away, how well we could communicate and understand each other. This scenario isn’t as far fetched as one might think, ‘when will we ever lose the use of words?” you may scoff, but just go to another country where you are not familiar with the language. See how far your words get you then.
Click Link to View Video:

Gutai Performance Art

The Guati Art Association was formed in 1954. The founding member, the one who financed it, was a Japanese man by the name of Yoshihara Jiro. Others in the group included:, Shimamoto Shozo, Kanayma Akira, Murakami Saburo, and Shiraga Kazuo. Translated into English Guati means 'embodiment' or 'concrete'. The group of young artists surfaced after World War II and their “activities of the Gutai group in the mid-1950s constitute one of the most important moments of post-war Japanese culture'. They blazed the path for later forms of performance art such as happenings, performance and conceptual art. Challenge to the Mud performed by Shiraga Kazue is the most known and celebrated act of the Guati group. Performed in 1955 it consisted of the artist rolling around half naked in a pile of mud. The group did other mediums of art, revolutionizing them also as they went. Murakami created a series of paintings in which he soaked a ball in ink and then threw it at the paper. Throws Of Color was made by Shimamoto, in which he threw glass jars filled with color pigments on his canvas. This type of new art was obviously directly effected by World War II and the after effects.
"Gutai art does not alter matter; it gives matter life... In Gutai art, the human spirit and matter, opposed as they are, shake hands... My respect goes out to the works of Pollock and Mathieu. Their works are the cries uttered by matter: by oil paint and enamel themselves." (Yoshihara, Gutai manifesto, 1956)

Sources Used:
http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=130
http://www.ashiya-web.or.jp/museum/10us/103education/nyumon_us/manifest_us.htm
www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2003/10/20/31466.html

Shadows in the Parking Lot-Exchanging Movements

I'm just going to throw it out there-I am not a fan of Performance Art. I've seen it and knew someone who did it seriously as part of there career and I'm still really not a fan. The Kaprow activity, to me, was nothing more then just amusing. It brought me back to third grade when the popular game on the playground was Shadow Tag. The activity was a lot more physical then I expected it to be. I spent most of my time trying to step on Pavalos's shadow or trick him from stepping on mine. Because of that there was no meaning or emotion behind what I was doing...it had no purpose. After the first 3 minutes the game..er.. 'performance' I found it became very boring and repetitive. I find that some of the best art is made when the artist is moved by something specific and then attempts to convey what moved them or the feeling from it . This activity lacked that direction, I had nothing to try and convey through my shadow therefore giving my performance no meaning or substance. Ultimately I just felt silly. If I had to describe this activity (and performance art for the most part) in one word it would be: superfluous.

Logos

I picked this logo, not only because it's humorous but because it is the perfect example of an image that is designed to be easily recognized. It takes an image we are all familiar with and then puts it in its simplest form, making it instantly recognizable.
Sign- Indicates something, conveys a message
Symbol- Represents something. Usually something historic.
Logo- Represents a product or company.
Icon- Representation of an image.

(http://cuzoogle.wordpress.com/2007/03/19/trojan-sales-drop-in-texas/ : 10/18/07)

Oh My Love Gasoline

I found listening about Duchamp and viewing his art interesting. The fact that he finds it important to combine words and images gives him more dimension then other artists. Most artist speak through their pieces, giving no other explanation for viewers, making it a little odd that Duchamp felt the need to give his viewers a play by play instruction booklet on his piece. The picture, however, is so abstract that it was nice to have such deep insight to what it is representing (but is it really abstract then if you know what it is about?). I find Duchamp a lot less pertinacious then I would have without an explanation. Abstract paintings are like inside jokes; you want to like them and get them but don't and end up just finding them slightly irritating. Having an explanation let me in on the joke and helped me appreciate the piece more. I liked The Bride more with the commentary. There is so much humor and satire in the picture that would be lost without Duchamp's explanation, and would be a shame. On a whole, I find that there is more depth in this picture once it is explained. Although, I did not like how in his explanation he included plans and ideas which he did not use in the piece; it was confusing. Once explained I found the mechanical representation of men and women, marriage in general, very entertaining and smart. Ducham emphasized the importance of veiwer interaction, which, with the combination of words and visuals he achieves.

Better Late then Never With Gestalt

"ge·stalt: A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gestalt).
Above is the deffinition of 'Gestalt' from dictionary.com. In laymen terms, what I think they are saying is that a gestalt is an image-physical, biological, psychological, symbolic..anything really- in which the pattern is so unified that one can only see it as a whole, not the individual pieces of said pattern or image. Maybe upon closer inspection they could but at first glance can not.

Pretty, Pretty Structures

What do floor tiles, wall coverings fabric prints and Islamic architecture have to do with each other? A lot more then one would think... All of those decorations mentioned above are inspired from islamic architecture and design. "Distinguishing motifs of Islamic architecture have always been ordered repetition, radiating structures, and rhythmic, metric patterns. In this respect, fractal geometry has been a key utility, especially for mosques and palaces" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_architecture). When I looked up floor tiles I saw an extreme similarity between the tiles placed in Mosques and other holy Islamic structures and the floor tiles themselves. The tiles were geometric shapes, usually squares or rectangles, which were put into some form of pattern. Usually they had a pattern within themselves which incorporated organic shapes and lines, swirling or flowing. The floor tiles are not used to decorate important places and are not as grand but more simple, unlike the ones in Islamic culture. Wall coverings and fabric prints are very influenced from the designs found in Islamic architecture. They have geometric and organic shapes-sometimes a combination of both-which are repetitive and can form a pattern. They also display the use of symmetry, both elements found within Islamic designs and rugs. The difference between the inside decoration of Islamic mosques and other holy buildings compared to European churches and holy buildings is interesting. Unlike the historical decoration and in your face religiousness of European churches, Islamic mosques have decoration which focuses on repetitiveness and circular motions, more medativefashioned much like mendala's, probably influenced from Asia. I had the opportunity to see this type of architecture in person when I visited India and went to the Red Fortress in Agra. The style incorporates geometric shaped structures with patterned organic and or geometric shapes decorating it. One of the main elements of their style is repetitiveness.
(Images are mine.)

Adventures in Illustrator Land

I actually did this project. Using Illustrator at home and out of the stressful classroom enviorment helped me get the concept a lot easier. While creating my image I was learning how to really work the pen tool. The entire key to me figuring out how to use and make things was learning that you could double click on the anchor point and create a straight non curved line. Once I understood that double clicking concept it became much easier to control where my lines went. Every now and then I would try using the curved shape part of the tool. The shape climbs up towards the left hand side with a combination of organic and geometric shapes but it's rather contained, as a whole, toward the center of the paper. The free floating shapes were added to balance out negative space.

"Life is like a Kaleidoscope"

Description: This piece, by Peter Max, is very eye catching and pops out at you. It has bright colors with lots of positive space and can be viewed from any angle; vertically, horizontally, upside down, right side up... There is one main shape which holds all of the other colors and shapes within it and is surrounded by a white background which can be viewed as different shapes when the eye is relaxed. The shapes found within the larger rounded four sided shape include organic and geometric shapes combined, often molding into one another: circles (many), squares and thick bubble like lines that start pointed at one end and end rounded at the other. The size and positioning of the different shapes gives it the illusion of being farther way and then getting closer...like a kaleidoscope.

Interpretation: The artist wanted the viewers eyes to be pulled into the center of the piece right away. The trail of circles and other small shapes leads the eyes in but also out of the center connecting it with the flowers on the outside corners of the main shape. The artist seemed to want to draw the viewers eye to the immediate center of the picture and then lead them out toward the edges. The colors used in this painting are light shades of bright colors. The use of non bright colors helps it from giving off a to chaotic feeling, and instead a warm light feeling.

Evaluation: The perspective feeling of being pulled into the painting and then finding your way out of it is what appeals to me most. The use of the color white for the background and negative space is not very flattering to the piece. It is filled with many light colors to begin with, having another one, white non the less, makes it to light. Dark blue or black might have served it better. While on the topic of colors, I'm not crazy about all the ones used. I like the fact that they're light so it's easy to see what shapes are where but it includes to much orange. The colors seem to be randomly picked and thrown together. Even though the color is a big part of a painting, I have to admit that over all I it. Max's modern day take on ancient mendalla's is very cool and hip.

Max, Peter. Carousel Mindflowers, 1967. Owner/City N/A.
http://www.gasolinealleyantiques.com/potpourr.htm

From Light to Dark ..with some shapes on the side

Who thought making a simple 10 shade scale would be so hard? Create a shape and go from light to dark, can't be to hard.... While making my scale I learned some things about the process and the delicateness of shading. When coloring things in I tended to go to real dark and not spend enough time exploring the lighter shades. The lighter shades, I also found, were harder to control in gradually making them darker. It was nice to be able to see and understand that you do not need a new pencil just for a different color, but you can harden or weaken the pressure on one for different outcomes.

The piece that I drew was a little difficult, surprising me once again. The background of my creation is shaded instead of white, which was annoying and smudgy to fill in. It was hard to keep it consistent and not smudge into the other shapes. Having the background light grey worked out, I think, because it allows for the some of the shapes to be white without blending in with the background. The fact that all the shapes aren't all connected and part of each other helps the different shades stand out more, especially with the light grey for the background color.

Living, Breathing Lines

Drawing lines on paper and making lines with string and two, quite different line experiences. When making the lines on paper I was paying more attention to the shapes and how the composition looked-was it pretty, did the black and white balance, ascetically pleasing? When making lines with the string my focus was more on the string and wrapping it around things, rather then what the final image would look like. The string activity was alright, it kind of made me think of lines more then I thought I would. It made me realize that the crossing lines could make a shape and still be lines, they just all had to be connected, it was harder to see that on paper. At the same time, however, we were just given the string and not directed to do anything specific and it became more about throwing the string around while coming up with inventive ways to attach it to places. Drawing the lines was more about the whole picture and composition, as I said before. Using the string, more attention was paid to where those lines went, as opposed to the whole picture. Since we didn't really pay attention to the composition of the lines of string I don't feel like it came out looking like something really aseptically pleasing or nice. If I were to do it over again I would plan something out ahead of time, or at least be more conscious about where I was placing the lines of string.

Line or Shape? Monkey or Man?

1. Ummmmm I think that A and B could be considered lines. C and D I'm not so sure...C could just be a thick line but at the same time I'm thinking of it as a rectangle. D looks like a some sort of coral but could be a thick line? I feel this is a trick question... but my final anwser is that A is a line and the rest, except for C, are some sort of Line/shape hybrids.
2. C looks like a shape... but don't shapes have lines in them? D could be a shape to, a shape of coral from the sea (I'd like to be beneath the seaa in an octopuses garden with youu). C is certainly a shape.
3. A line is... Not connecting to anything, free based, and the outside edge to all shapes. 4 lines make a square. Without lines we'd have..nothing.
4. A shape is a bunch of lines arranged in a certain way, all connected. The lines all form something which our brains recognize as , possibly, a shape or something else familiar.

Description: Horizontal and very busy- but not in a bad way. The colors used in this piece are very earthy and dark: Browns, blues-dark, cobalt and a little aqua- light pink, gray, manila, black and red. There is also a tiny little flower of yellowish orange. The picture flows from the top left diagonally towards the bottom right, getting very busy in the middle. Large negative space can be found in the lower left and right hand sides and some om the top right. Shapes include circles, some looking like mandalas, roses and lines forming into what resembles, to me at least, raw iron chandeliers or some form of hanging light fixtures.

Interpret: This piece kind of makes me think of a bittersweet celebration-like a funeral. You're happy the person has moved on but at the same time it is still sad. The dark color of the blue isn't a calming one, it's one of mourning combined with the gray above it makes for a dreary left side of the painting. The light blue roses, however, counteract against the dreariness of the dark blue and gray, brightening it up a bit. As the eye moves towards the right of the page the colors soften to a light pink and manila giving it a feminine quality. There's much more activity on the right side of the painting, the celebration part of this funeral. All the circles could be interpreted as representing life and the never ending cycle of it, while the flowers could represent life and or love (you can even see a heart in the painting). Like the flowers, life and love do not last forever and will eventually wilt away. The circles and connection of all the lines helps show how everything in our lives is connected.


Evaluation: I would buy this painting and put it on the wall of my dorm if i could. The representation of celebrating life and death is eminent and displayed very well. I like how the colors make their own story and the circles, flowers and 'chandeliers' fit into the message the colors are conveying. This is aesthetically pleasing .