gestural: marks made on paper, board and canvas that are a direct expression of the artist. Usually created in broad sweeping lines.

Transcription

1 INTERPRETING ART AUSTRALIAN ART FROM A FEMALE PERSPECTIVE Comparison of artists: Emily Kame Kngwarrweye and Grace Cossington Smith A comparison can be drawn between Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Grace Cossington Smith. Both have created art works that are a personal expression of their immediate environment. Kame Kngwarreye has interpreted the land through gestural dots and lines and Cossington Smith draws upon her personal environment by depicting domestic scenes and topical events of her time. In a similar manner they are both narrating a story for the viewer. However, one artist s works are more abstract whereas the other artist s works have strong recognisable subject matter. gestural: marks made on paper, board and canvas that are a direct expression of the artist. Usually created in broad sweeping lines. Both women artists were progressive for their time. Cossington Smith experimented with colour theories and structure, working amongst male artists. She embraced the ideals of artists that were innovative such as Cezanne and Van Gogh. She also chose materials that were available to her, such as cardboard. Emily Kame Kngwarreye extended her technique, moving away from Batik work to working with acrylics. These materials were seen as non-traditional forms for Indigenous artists. The composition of artworks by both artists is seen to be unique. Both experimented with design elements and principles. Kame Kngwarreye s work is known for the rhythmic use of colour and line. In the same manner, Cossington Smith s progressive use of colour, texture and shape create the visual rhythms in her work. visual rhythms: arrangement of elements that create movement or repetition in an artwork Cambridge University Press 1 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

2 ASIAN ART: TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY Comparison of artists: Utagawa Hiroshige and Guan Wei The Japanese artist Hiroshige and the Chinese-born Australian artist Guan Wei painted during different periods of time but are inextricably linked through the style of their work and their representation of subject matter. Both artists represent their culture in a narrative form. But Hiroshige depicts the lifestyle of people in the Edo period, whereas Guan Wei expresses current issues in Australian culture through strong symbolism. Both artists focus on the expression of their ideas through the compositional arrangement of their works. The arrangement of visual imagery in the works of both artists is well balanced to allow the viewer to contemplate the scene. An atmosphere of beauty is created using soft colours and calligraphic line work. Both suggest the story in their work but leave the interpretation up to the imagination of the viewer. calligraphic: lines that are usually flowing like the brushstrokes used in Asian calligraphy or writing Hiroshige and Guan Wei both have connections with the Imperial traditions of Japan. Hiroshige with his connection to the Shogun and Wei through his heritage. Both have expressed those traditions in their work either by story telling or by the use of visual elements that suggest the colour and emotion of those traditions. However, Guan Wei chooses to represent a very topical contemporary issue using quiet beauty whereas Hiroshige presents the busy atmosphere of Edo in a reflective manner. visual elements: formal elements of an artwork such as line, shape, colour, tone, texture and form Cambridge University Press 2 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

3 THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORKS, SCULPTURES AND INSTALLATIONS An exploration of the works of Marcel Duchamp ( ) Marcel Duchamp was one of the most influential artists of the 20 th century. Initially training as a painter Duchamp worked in many different art forms including sculpture, printmaking and photography. Duchamp is known as the forefather of found object art and was a pre-curser of the Dada, surrealist and conceptual art movements. found object art: artworks created in this style are usually objects found by the artist and treated as artworks. The artist will place the object in a gallery to place value on it or use the object as inspiration for other artworks Dada: an art movement started after World War І that was a reaction to the horrors of war. The artists created artworks that lacked traditional artistic values and had little or no aesthetics surrealism: an art movement launched in Paris in 1924 that was based on dreams and the creation of artworks based on irrational thought conceptual art: conceptual artists do not set out to make a painting or a sculpture but they fit their ideas into existing objects or art forms Duchamp questioned the rationale of the history of Art by challenging aesthetic conventions and emphasising the artistic concepts of his works. His introduction of readymades involved the selection of commonplace objects, which he designated as works of art. As artworks these commonplace objects became objects that could be appreciated using the formal elements of art. The Bottle Dryer is one such example (available for viewing at: 1). However, Duchamp created artworks that became more sophisticated examples of conceptual art such as The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors (Figure 8.28). ACTIVITY 8.31 Research other artworks by Duchamp such as Fountain, Discuss where these artworks were located. What ideas was Duchamp expressing with this artwork? Cambridge University Press 3 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

4 Formal Framework The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors is a freestanding sculpture of transparent glass sheets sandwiched together and framed by aluminium. Between the sheets of glass are symbols that Duchamp created to represent what he stated was a love making machine. The sheets of glass are divided in two by a strip of aluminium. The symbols are painted in oil and mixed media onto the glass sheets. The top half of the sculpture represents the female section (the bride) and the bottom section is male (the bachelors). The symbols represent the female reproductive organs. The lower section contains symbols of what Duchamp described as the Bachelor Apparatus sections of which there are nine. These malic moulds are attached to a chocolate grinder. Duchamp envisioned these two sections of the sculpture to be two independent life producing systems that never meet but only communicate by their circulatory systems. malic: forms that represent male parts of the body Figure 8.28 Marcel Duchamp, The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass), (oil, lead, dust and varnish on glass 2775 x 1759 mm Marcel Duchamp, /ADAGP. Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2009). Cambridge University Press 4 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

5 Figure 8.29 Marcel Duchamp, The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass), (detail) (oil, lead, dust and varnish on glass 2775 x 1759 mm Marcel Duchamp, /ADAGP. Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2009). The use of formal elements in these forms is symbolic. The Bride s Domain is represented by a silver halo of oil that has been smudged onto the glass. Duchamp intentionally created this symbol using tone and hue rather than flat colour to suggest sensitivity to the subject or the bride s halo. Solid geometric forms of the bride s body offset the shading. From this form the spidery lines criss-cross and approach the Bachelors Apparatus like tentacles or a web. The Bachelors Apparatus is painted in browns and earthy golden tones. There are nine forms hanging on a clothesline. They are connected to the chocolate grinder by spidery lines. The seven conical forms that are connected to the chocolate grinder change in tone from a dark brown to more opaque and translucent. They are joined in a crescent from tip to base. Next to them are fine symbols that have been copied from charts used by French opticians. Covering the area in silver and then scraping away the background has created these forms. Duchamp made extensive notes and drawings in planning the construction of The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors and he considered them to be a work of art in themselves. The notes were put in an archival box of writings that Duchamp deemed to be artworks. On reading some of these notes, British artist Richard Hamilton was able to recreate the sculpture in Cambridge University Press 5 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

6 Duchamp wanted to highlight that this artwork was a product of the mind rather than the formal and sensual applications of materials, so therefore many of the materials used in this artwork were industrial. The painted symbols are oil pigments trapped between the glass to give the work a sense of permanency. The sieves represented are designed to be permanent, solid and durable. Duchamp applied lead foil onto wet paint. Even the processes that Duchamp used when creating the work were quite mechanical. Duchamp affixed his drawings to one side of the work and mapped the outline with fuse wire. The wire was affixed with varnish. There are some forms that appear cloudy and are dark in colour. These have been created by Duchamp laying the work flat and allowing dust to settle on these areas. He then filled the dust with varnish to set it. This was a symbolic technique used to represent that the two sections are gathering dust because they are unable to communicate. ACTIVITY 8.32 The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors is one of the first examples of Installation Art. Find some contemporary examples of Installation Art and compare the use of materials with those used by Duchamp. Personal Framework This work represents the expression of Duchamp s thoughts on the relationship of the male and female in life. The work was part of a series of works that Duchamp developed from concepts and this is the reason the notes taken during construction of the works became artworks in themselves. Duchamp had an interest in science and alchemy and whilst living in Paris during 1912 he was a librarian and he studied mathematics, physics and chemistry. Duchamp s interest in chemistry is demonstrated through his experimentation with different materials in the work, and his use of machine like symbols such as the coffee grinder. The artwork also represents Duchamp s interest in physics; in particular in a theory known as the fourth dimension that plotted numbers at particular points in time and space. In this work he was attempting to show this relationship between time and space through his use of transparent glass. Many of Duchamp s works, such as this, were developed from his experiments with science and mathematics. His interest in Tarot readings and Christian symbolism is also expressed through the symbols he used. The symbols in the Bachelors Apparatus section are based on symbols of the occult. ACTIVITY 8.33 Investigate Nude Descending a Staircase (Figure 8.30), a painting created and exhibited by Duchamp at the Armory Show in New York in This painting was said to spark Duchamp s interest in the capturing of movement in Art. The work was also very controversial. Compare this work to Duchamp s The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors. How has Duchamp conveyed the same ideas but in a two dimensional form? Cambridge University Press 6 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

7 Figure 8.30 Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912 (Philadelphia Museum of Art - USA, 145 x 63.5 cm Marcel Duchamp, 1912/ADAGP. Licensed by VISCOPY, Sydney 2009) Cultural Framework The Cubist artists, such as Braque and Picasso, and Futurist artists influenced Duchamp, and many of their philosophies influenced his work. He was particularly interested in creating images that were frozen in space and time. The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors is a representation of this concept. The symbols appear to express life standing still. Both Braque and Picasso were interested in dividing the subjects they were painting into twodimensional shapes on the canvas. In the same manner Duchamp abstracted his subject further representing the subject as geometric symbols. Duchamp also became involved with artists such as Francis Picabia, Robert Delauney and Fernand Leger, and the philosopher and critic Guillaume Apollinaire. These artists formed discussion groups around the purpose of Art and the Cubist theories. The ideas of these artists and the links with scientific theory also inspired Duchamp. He eventually travelled in Germany with Apollinaire and Picabia in It was this experience that Duchamp attributed to changing his perception of art and his attempt to demoralise it. Duchamp continued to develop his ideas for The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors over the period of the First World War. With his brothers and friends either away serving the military or in exile, Duchamp migrated to the United States. He continued the development of The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors but formed the Dada movement with artist Man Ray and his found object sculptures were born. The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors is one of the last large scale artworks made by Duchamp before he began to work with his readymades. However you can see the influence from his experiences in Europe and the influence from the devastation caused by bombings and machinery that would have inspired aspects of the work. Cambridge University Press 7 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

8 Duchamp was also influenced by the French play write Raymond Roussel in his creation of The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors. Duchamp had seen Roussel s work prior to leaving Paris for Munich in 1912 and it struck him on two levels. Duchamp was struck by the writer s belief that a work of literature should contain nothing real, no observation of the world but the combinations of imaginary objects. He was entranced also by Roussel s style which involved elaborate word games and verbal distortions that were presented in a matter of fact way. These influences were to further inspire Duchamp in his creation of the Dadaist art movement. ACTIVITY 8.34 Research the artworks of the artists mentioned who working at the same time as Duchamp. These included Francis Picabia, Robert Delauney, Ferninand Leger and Man Ray. Compare the subjects and techniques used by these artists to those of Duchamp. Contemporary Framework Duchamp s creation of artworks based more on concept than technique fall directly into a postmodern framework. Duchamp s artworks link science, chemistry and art. The representation of ideas as abstract form fit the postmodern theory. It could be said that Duchamp s readymades commenced the postmodern period in art. His creation of artworks that were deemed anti-art questioned what was deemed an artwork and formed the beginnings of postmodernism. ACTIVITY 8.35 Compare the work of Duchamp with a contemporary installation example. How do both artworks reflect the period of time in which they were created? References Tomkins, Calvin: Duchamp: A Biography, Henry Holt and Company, Inc., Cambridge University Press 8 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

9 An exploration of the works of Rachel Whiteread (born 1963) Rachel Whiteread makes sculptures of the negative spaces of common domestic objects. Her work literally solidifies the absence of these objects. With the opacity or luminescence of plaster, rubber or resin, the sculptures often represent memory and loss. negative space: a technique used in sculpture where the space within the sculpture creates balance in the work Formal Framework Rachel Whiteread s cast of the space of the basement of her house is like a document or archive of the object. It takes the form of the space that it has come from, but still gives the impression of absence. The sculpture is presented in the gallery space and is pure white. The white luminescence of the plaster gives the artwork a ghostly appearance and adds to the atmosphere of emptiness. The sculpture is a block-like geometric form, which gives a sense of permanence and solidity. The large scale of the work overpowers the viewer and is crammed into the gallery space. The surface of the sculpture is pitted and crumbling so it appears that the permanence is not durable. Whiteread s sculptures play with the concepts of positive and negative space. These reverse, so that what was previously negative empty space becomes positive. Whiteread uses a range of materials when casting her sculptures. The use of material is based on the artist s feelings towards the subject she represents. Untitled (Sixteen Spaces) (available for viewing at: is cast in coloured resin. The colours and opaque qualities of each resin unit give each one a distinct character and each of the casts represents a distinct individual. The casting process is similar to the work of Roni Horn, where the material takes a long period to solidify. Hence, the process of solidification associates the concept of time with presence. Whiteread has created a visual form from a previously empty void and in doing so she symbolises absence. The style of Whiteread s work is based on minimalism and conceptual art. Whiteread selects materials and forms to represent the ideas she has about domestic environments that are important to her. Her work is minimalist because of her choice of simple geometric forms in her casts, and the importance of the materials. ACTIVITY 8.36 Compare the work of Rachel Whiteread to that of Roni Horn. What are the similarities between the work of the two artists? You should consider materials the artists have used, their techniques and the use of design elements and principles. What are the similarities in the ideas the artists are expressing. Cambridge University Press 9 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

10 Applying the Personal and Cultural Frameworks Many of the spaces that Whiteread casts are related to her personal life. Unititled (Basement) was created for the Transient Spaces commission for the Guggenheim Berlin. The sculpture was one of several cast from a London building that was destroyed during the bombings in London during the Second World War. The building was reconstructed in Throughout its lifetime the building had several identities including: a synagogue, textile merchant and then Whiteread s own home and studio. The building has personal significance for Whiteread. Its purpose as a synagogue and Jewish textile merchant also has links with the treatment of the Jewish community during the war and their survival. The sculpture is block-like in form that represents the architecture of post war Europe. Figure 8.31 Rachel Whiteread, Untitled (Basement), 2001 (white robust plasticized plaster 10 feet 8 x 21 feet 7 x 12 feet 1 (325.1 x x cm) Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Commissioned by Deutsche Bank AG in consultation with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation for the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin Photograph by Ellen Labenski The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. The sculpture has been pushed on its side to create an effect of motion. Whiteread is interested in freezing motion in time. She represents transient spaces where public, private, religious, industrial and domestic environments lose distinction. Cambridge University Press 10 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

11 The object is to be treated as a whole and will be of no discernible style, but simply a product of industrial order. Rachel Whiteread The surface qualities and the form of the sculpture can take on the characteristics of any of these spaces. Contemporary Framework Through the form of her sculptures and the materials that she uses, Whiteread encourages the viewer to contemplate the concepts of absence and memory. It s almost like taking photographs or making prints of the space. If those parts of the building don t exist later I ll still have an archive of the place. Rachel Whiteread The installation of Whiteread s sculptures and their conceptual nature follows the practice of using non-traditional art forms by contemporary artists. Her work challenges the viewer to think beyond the artwork that they see before them and understand the message she is attempting to convey. Whiteread places her work in a gallery space. She has removed the sculpture from its original setting; where it was cast and placed it in a more formal environment. As it is important to understand that Whiteread s artworks are a cast of a domestic or personal space she has now offered to have them viewed in a setting that is removed from the original location. Therefore the viewer is removed a step further away from the personal nature of her work and is invited to view the work from their own perspective, thus individually interpreting the work. Whiteread s work explores the issues of loss and displacement, which is a common issue for many immigrants, and residents of London where she lives. Her work references the survival of the Jewish community and the conditions that many lived under during the Second World War. Her work is a physical symbol for the memories of many people who were displaced from their homes. ACTIVITY 8.37 Research other artworks by Whiteread. How do these works express the concept of absence? Describe Whiteread s use of materials and techniques to express her ideas. Compare the work of Whiteread with artists such as Richard Serra, Carle Andre and Donald Judd. What are the similarities in Whiteread s use of materials to these artists? What ideas are these artists expressing in their works? References Foster, A. Tate Women Artists, Tate Publishing, 2004 Mullins, C. Rachel Whiteread, Tate Publishing, Cambridge University Press 11 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

12 THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORKS, SCULPTURES AND INSTALLATIONS Comparison of artists: Barbara Hepworth, Roni Horn, Marcel Duchamp and Rachel Whiteread Barbara Hepworth, Marcel Duchamp, Roni Horn and Rachel Whiteread can be linked through the processes, form and concepts of their works. Essentially, all four artists adopt the ideals of minimalism in their works. They place importance in the use of materials to convey their ideas. Both Whiteread and Horn, as contemporary artists chose the materials that in a pure form best express their ideas of absence. Whiteread chooses plaster or resin to cast spaces that an individual has inhabited. Horn will use glass or pure resins to suggest a physical presence of an individual in her work. Horn s work (like Whiteread s) is also placed in a gallery space. For both these artists the gallery is an important location that adds to the interpretation of the work. Barbara Hepworth, Sculpture with Colour (Deep Blue and Red) [6], 1943 (BH 118), (painted wood and strings, Private collection) Available for viewing at: Roni Horn, Untitled (Aretha), (solid cast glass, The Museum of Modern Art, New York; fractional and promised gift of Kathy and Richard S. Fuld Jr. Roni Horn) Available for viewing at: Marcel Duchamp, Bottle dryer [Bottle rack], 1914 (readymade: galvanized-iron) Available for viewing at: Rachel Whiteread, Untitled (Basement), 2001 (white robust plasticized plaster 10 feet 8 x 21 feet 7 x 12 feet 1 (325.1 x x cm) See Figure 8.31 on page 10. Cambridge University Press 12 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

13 Hepworth and Duchamp both explored the nature of materials in their works to express their ideas. Both artists deliberately chose certain materials as symbols. Duchamp explored new materials such as lead and glass. Hepworth chose materials such as wood and stone for their natural qualities. The choice of materials for Duchamp and Hepworth appears to be more symbolic of the artist s ideas than it does for Whiteread and Horn. Hepworth in particular chose materials that were in their natural form to represent the environment in which she worked. The physical qualities of materials in Duchamp s work symbolised his ideas about the male and female forms. Both Hepworth and Duchamp instigated the notion of conceptualism in their work. Hepworth used pure abstract forms to represent her ideas. Duchamp chose objects to make a statement about the concept of art and the art making process. Both contemporary artists have been influenced by these ideas. Whiteread and Horn choose materials that are pure and create geometric abstract blocks. Although they are not the natural sculptured forms of Hepworth s they are cast to show imperfections that are a natural quality of plaster and resin. Duchamp was perhaps most influential in his concept of the readymade. His selection of commonplace domestic objects and his presentation of them in a gallery space inspired Horn and Whiteread. They have both dealt with using objects that are used for a different purpose and turned them into artworks. Whiteread casts domestic environments and Horn often uses equipment for making glass lenses, or pouring molten glass and metal in her work. They present these objects as art and leave the interpretation of the artwork to be drawn upon by the individual experiences of the viewer. Cambridge University Press 13 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010

14 THREE-DIMENSIONAL WORKS, SCULPTURES AND INSTALLATIONS Comparison of artists: Man Ray and Anne Ferran Man Ray and Anne Ferran can be primarily compared through their artistic processes. Both artists work with photograms however, their use of the medium follows different purposes, and their final images can therefore be interpreted very differently. Man Ray, who believed he invented what was known as the rayograph not a photogram, explored the spontaneous effects created with the exposure of light to objects on the photographic paper. He expressed the notion of chance. Ferran, on the other hand, deliberately places her objects on the photographic paper to construct a visual record of the identity of her subject. As a result the aesthetic qualities of the images by both artists are very different. Although they both appear as haunting ghostlike images, Ferran s work appears more structured than that of Man Ray. There is often a single image on the paper or a series of carefully placed objects with spaces in between. Man Ray s placement of images appears sporadic and haphazard, thus creating a cluttered composition. Therefore Ferran s images appear more contemplative than those of Man Ray. Both artists carefully considered the aesthetic of space in their work. Man Ray attempted to create space by overlapping objects or moving them. Thus he was exploring the spontaneous capture of an object. Ferran, likewise, was arrested by the dark void created by the black space around and behind her images, but their stillness is capturing a forgotten memory over a longer period of time. The ideas explored by both artists, although using the same process, are very different. Man Ray s exploration is more spontaneous and scientific. His images related to the poetry and painting of the Surrealists. Through his images Man Ray captured the dream-like state of his thoughts and emotions, and gave them visual form. Ferran attempts to return to many women their lost identity through the presentation of personal items and clothing. She appears more concerned with the preservation of an image of a physical object whereas Man Ray appeared to be exploring the aesthetic and formal qualities objects could create. To a certain extent he was exploring new technologies in art, whereas Ferran has returned to the past to provide the subject matter for her work. Both artists explored photography without the use of the camera. They aimed to explore their medium through touch and the effect of light in the construction of an image. Instead of taking an instantaneous frame both Man Ray and Anne Ferran built up the composition of their images. Cambridge University Press 14 Hendy-Ekers, Chamberlin and Greenwood 2010