Formalism

a. In your own words how would you define Formalism?
Formalism is a theory of art, in that art exists only for the beauty of art. Any message that might be represented in art is a distraction to the true purpose of art. The most important elements in Formalism are things such as line, shape, and color, and how they look together, rather than what message they send. Composition is very important to Formalistic art. The pieces usually do not have identifiable subjects, or personal or psychological meaning. Formalism is meant to free artists from the expectations of what art should be, but often can be hard for viewers to appreciate because they don't "get it".

b. Kadinsky, Mondrian and Malevich are all considered to be early Modern Abstractionists. After looking at their art, which artist do you think best fits into your own definition of Formalism and why?
I think Piet Mondrian best fits into my understanding of Formalism because his works have no recognizable subjects, they are mostly squares and rectangles. Both Kadinsky and Malevich have very abstract works, but I see parts of recognizable subjects in them. I think I could read some meaning into them. But with Mondrian's work, I see how the lines and colors work together, and I am not distracted by any hidden meaning. It's just an appealing design with no frills.

c. Pick one of these artists and discuss how their artwork fits into Formalism? I believe all three artists fit into Formalism in some way or another, but I understand how Mondrian's fits into Formalism the best. He favors the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, which are always attractive when put together. The lines are bold, intricate, and intense. He uses ordinary shapes in his artwork, usually squares and rectangles. These elements are all very visually appealing, which is what Formalism strives for. There is no underlying story told, no distraction, the paintings just are what they are. Mondrian's pieces fit his idea that art should be "objective" instead of "subjective."

d. Find an artist on The Drawing Center’s Viewing Program Web site that relates to your drawing for this project. How does there art relate to your concept, subject and style?
Donte Hayes seemed to have a similar reason for making his work, as I did for making mine. He uses images of a "Gingerblack Man" in various activities and struggles to portray the places one must go through to get to where they are going. (He specifically is portraying African American struggles) He sets up his drawings in a timeline (next to each other). In his description, he states "society shapes identity on the basis of assumptions and accusations." In my drawing, I am trying to show that events in my life have led me to the places I have been and will go. Bits and pieces of events are shown in pictures, and feelings are shown with line. Hayes uses a lot of line to show feeling in his works, however the subject matter he uses is quite a bit different. We both are showing a timeline in our composition, however mine is a long timeline, and his is individual pieces. We both use bold colors, as well as black and white. I like his repetition of figures, even though I did not use it in my own piece. Mostly what Hayes and I have in common is what we are using our materials to show---a relation of life events to places traveled. http://www.dontekhayes.com/