Thursday, February 21, 2008
Andy Warhol Experience
Andy Warhol
Our visit to the Warhol exhibition in Brisbane was very insightful, and i learnt a great deal conceptually from Warhol's work. I previously was aware that Warhol was a Pop artist, though i never knew just how deep and intellectual his works and thought processes really were.
A particular image which embodies this more sub conscious and spiritual depth of meaning and understanding is the 'Dollar Sign', made in 1981.
I lov the quote, 'Business was Art, and Art was bussines' taken from a media clip viewed in class. I believe this encapsules some of the meaning behind many works of Warhol. Within the 'Dollar Sign' piece, is can be established that in everyday life, money has become to be some what of an iconic figure. In more traditional artworks, paintings and sculptures of religious figures, such as saints and gods and what not, would be painted. In this work by Warhol, it is almost, 'taking the mickey' out of modern society in that so much of our lives revolve around wealth and fortune or lack there of. Just as money is bulk printed by machines, Warhol took this to the next level, creating fine art from the idea of mass commercial production. By using the technique of silk screens to print images, Warhol is mirroring society. A famous quote of Warhol's which encapsules this concept is,
"If a mirror looks into a mirror, what is there to see?"
What is there to see? There is endless, repetitive images of the self going on to what seems like forever. Therefore, by reading and delving more deeply into Andy Warhol's work, one can attain that the put - on, artificial and snobbish character of Warhol of which he showed the media and public eye really was a disguise. Throughout his entire career he was labled as being eccentirc and very alternate when he perposefully tried to escape mass attention. In a way, he was like the current "britney spears' or Brad Pitt, where the more they tried to get away from the paparazzi, the more the paparazzi would hassle them, which ties in well with another quote of his,
" the more i try to be a loner, the more friends i have"
Andy Warhol was a very intruguing man and his works and way of percieving art made him the revolutionary thinker of the Post - Modernism era.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
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Artist Inspiration
John Dahlsen
John Dahlsen - making meaning from common objects; can be related with the topic for Alchemy, as the coming together of varied pieces to create something with a different meaning, feeling and atmosphere.
The two images shown here are created by using rubber thongs and metal wiring to make a work of art. Common househld objects, such as the everyday thong, are used here in order to maintain the theory that in combining objects together, the meaning of the piece can be totally diverse from its previous conception.
Dalsen stated that he was, 'wanting to create somthing beautiful out of an inherently ugly medium', and that he would 'take coloured ojects and assemble them into art, transforming the original object into something new'. These statements refer directly to my interpretation of Alchemy, as i see it as the transmutation from one phase to another, making something aesthetic from perhaps something you wouldn't take a second glance at.
This, i would love to use as inspiration to my own piece this term for Art, '08'!
John Dahlsen - making meaning from common objects; can be related with the topic for Alchemy, as the coming together of varied pieces to create something with a different meaning, feeling and atmosphere.
The two images shown here are created by using rubber thongs and metal wiring to make a work of art. Common househld objects, such as the everyday thong, are used here in order to maintain the theory that in combining objects together, the meaning of the piece can be totally diverse from its previous conception.Dalsen stated that he was, 'wanting to create somthing beautiful out of an inherently ugly medium', and that he would 'take coloured ojects and assemble them into art, transforming the original object into something new'. These statements refer directly to my interpretation of Alchemy, as i see it as the transmutation from one phase to another, making something aesthetic from perhaps something you wouldn't take a second glance at.
This, i would love to use as inspiration to my own piece this term for Art, '08'!
Alchemy
Alchemy through Artists...
These two artists therefore have some aspects of their work which reflect the other. Such elements as the 'not so pretty' side to femininity and the body, the sometimes disturbingness that comes with it. Both Bourgeouis and Saville use obtrusive representations of the female body in their works to present this meaning. Therefore, each artists has used the own research, inspiration from other sources and self ideas to fuel the creation of their own individual artworks. This is one of the greatest forms of Alchemy related to the art making process.
Alchemy is the concept of a basal material, such as raw metals and minerals and transmutating these objects into something of value, something of new meaning, in this case gold perhaps. This idea of changing matter from a different state can be related to the art making process as conceptual art begins with an idea and transformed into something of aesthetic quality. Jenny Saville and Louise Bourgeois are two female artists who delve into this concept of Alchemy with two different pieces; Saville's piece, 'Propped, 1992', and Bourgeois work, 'the Woven Child, 2002'.
Initially, upon briefly viewing these two images, one can attain the feminine ideal coming through, by using sensual colours and tones, and using the image of the female body in both pieces. Though both images seem to hold a sense of uneasiness, possibly uncertainess, about possibly where women stand in the world, or perhaps where their futures lie.
On closer inspection of these two works, and with some added research, much more can be said depicting the conceptual side of these two artist's works. In 'the Woven Child', Bourgeois blunty creates female bodies that are borderline grotesque, sometimes quite teffifying to the viewer (http://www.not-sosilly/t-sosilly/). The main concept here is that the female body, for so long has beendepicted by male artists in its most beautified and tamed form. Though in this work, the female body is revealed to be a fierce source of the most unnattractive nature. It also deals with the giving birth experience, as it is both strange and at times frightening (http://www.moma.org/). This concept delves into the extraordinary power females have to produce another being, though it also looks at the more gruesome side to some of the experiences that come with it.
Jenny Saville also uses the female body in her work titled, 'Propped', and this too looks somewhat bizarre. Saville's work is embodied depth and feeling, and her inspiration for most of her pieces derives from her interest of her interest in the medical world's use of pig organs for human transplant, as well as cloning (http://www.gagosian.com/). This quite disturbing idea is present in 'Propped', as the deep and bold colours of red and brown are used. These fleshy tonal qualities enhance that sentiment of the body, though not in its compl
ete perfection which again previously was the interpretation from most male artists. The head of the woman in the piece is cut off by the way in which Saville has purposefully placed the figure. This represents that embedded attitude in most cultures that women are inferior to men. This carefully, and subtly placed concept works well to Saville's advantage because it is not too over bearing and helps in the overall composition of the piece.
Initially, upon briefly viewing these two images, one can attain the feminine ideal coming through, by using sensual colours and tones, and using the image of the female body in both pieces. Though both images seem to hold a sense of uneasiness, possibly uncertainess, about possibly where women stand in the world, or perhaps where their futures lie.
On closer inspection of these two works, and with some added research, much more can be said depicting the conceptual side of these two artist's works. In 'the Woven Child', Bourgeois blunty creates female bodies that are borderline grotesque, sometimes quite teffifying to the viewer (http://www.not-sosilly/t-sosilly/). The main concept here is that the female body, for so long has beendepicted by male artists in its most beautified and tamed form. Though in this work, the female body is revealed to be a fierce source of the most unnattractive nature. It also deals with the giving birth experience, as it is both strange and at times frightening (http://www.moma.org/). This concept delves into the extraordinary power females have to produce another being, though it also looks at the more gruesome side to some of the experiences that come with it.
Jenny Saville also uses the female body in her work titled, 'Propped', and this too looks somewhat bizarre. Saville's work is embodied depth and feeling, and her inspiration for most of her pieces derives from her interest of her interest in the medical world's use of pig organs for human transplant, as well as cloning (http://www.gagosian.com/). This quite disturbing idea is present in 'Propped', as the deep and bold colours of red and brown are used. These fleshy tonal qualities enhance that sentiment of the body, though not in its compl
ete perfection which again previously was the interpretation from most male artists. The head of the woman in the piece is cut off by the way in which Saville has purposefully placed the figure. This represents that embedded attitude in most cultures that women are inferior to men. This carefully, and subtly placed concept works well to Saville's advantage because it is not too over bearing and helps in the overall composition of the piece. These two artists therefore have some aspects of their work which reflect the other. Such elements as the 'not so pretty' side to femininity and the body, the sometimes disturbingness that comes with it. Both Bourgeouis and Saville use obtrusive representations of the female body in their works to present this meaning. Therefore, each artists has used the own research, inspiration from other sources and self ideas to fuel the creation of their own individual artworks. This is one of the greatest forms of Alchemy related to the art making process.
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