Postmodern Pluralism

a. After reading this chapter in your own words, define Postmodern Art?
It is undecided whether Postmodernism survives along with Modernism, or if it follows in its footsteps, or if it even replaces Modernism. Postmodern Art seems to be a break from all of the theories thrown out there by art 'experts', and is more based on what the artist wants their work to be. It involves the mixing of all that Modernism considers taboo. Aesthetics, as well as external experiences and knowledge all come together to create art. Post Modern works deal with the issues of culture, identity, history, and language, and how they affect current times and people. Postmodern art often uses images of the abject, or the lowest of the low, to show issues of society. I would consider Postmodernism to be a movement 'allowing and encouraging' artist freedom.

b. Why is Feminism or Feminist Art considered Post Modern?
Feminist art is considered to be Post Modern because the main focus of the work is the cultural issues women face. Feminist art is not meant to be a thing of beauty, but more a mess of art, history, social and political problems. Also, feminism challenges the criteria of what makes art great, and what makes it worth taking the time to look at. Just like Post Modern art, feminism strives to make unnoticed cultural issues noticed, and to challenge art expert's ideas.

c. Pick one of the following artists: Cindy Sherman, Lorna Simpson or Paul McCarthy. Describe their artwork and then give reasons why it is Post Modern.
Lorna Simpson's art is Post Modern because it confronts societal injustices of race and gender, issues that affect identity. Even though her work addresses societal concerns, it is still beautiful and intellectual. Her art definitely mixes her knowledge, her personal beliefs, and artistic skill together. Postmodernism is mainly about mixing all that you know and represent, along with aesthetics to create, and that is what Lorna Simpson does. Her piece, "You're Fine" mixes her knowledge of medical procedures, and her view of how women are treated in the work force, as well as her artistic skill. It could not exist how it does without the mixing of all these factors. Simpson believes photography is a Post Modern medium because it doesn't have to be a pure medium like Modernism believes, but it can be freely mixed with other media.

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?
I chose Sandra Perlow for several reasons. Her style is similar to what I am doing with my project in that she uses collage in her works to create texture. I am exploring different textures in my project with the use of collage as well. She uses vivid colors and forms that stand for an object or landscape in nature. I am using colors and forms to represent animals and plants in nature. One difference between her works, and mine is that she, according to her artist statement, tries to show psychological states of mind and unseen forces affecting the world. In contrast, I am interested in expressing the diversity and beauty of nature. Also, she uses acrylic paint and oil sticks to create her colorful backgrounds, while I am using soft pastel. I really enjoy her works, and they inspire me to explore the use of color and collage more thoroughly. Check out her work http://www.sandraperlow.net/.

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/

Expressionism and Cognitivism

a. What is the difference between Expressionism and Cognitivisim? To answer this question you must define each word first.
Expressionism is when an artist purposefully distorts or manipulates an image to give an emotional effect. Cognitivism is when a piece can teach something new about the world. The difference between Expressionism and Cognitivism is simply that Expressionistic pieces make a person feel, and Cognitive pieces make a person think. Expressionism is the reason the artist creates, the experiences the artist has had. It doesn't involve the viewer, but instead the artist's own feelings. Cognitivism is what the artist wants the art to achieve, what they want to teach or influence the viewer to do. It involves both the artist and viewer's opinions. From my understanding, Expressionism could involve themes such as hate, love, or fear, while Cognitivism could explore love for humanity, environmental concerns, or social wrongs.

b. Without quoting Tolstoy, what is his definition of art?
Tolstoy sees art as a cooperative experience where the artist shares his feelings with artistic symbols, and the viewer then experiences the same feelings as that of the creator. He also believes that art should not be made purely for the sake of art, but that it should be both "clear and sincere" and express high morals. Art should not be used as a teaching tool, but as a way to understanding the feelings of others.

c. What is the role of the viewer in Collingwood’s definition of art?
Collingwood believes the artwork comes to life, has meaning, and becomes itself solely in the viewer's mind. The viewer's job is to find what the artist was trying to say, and by doing this, they assist the artist in the creation process. This causes the viewer to understand themselves better.

d. Discuss the use of metaphor in Louis Bourgeois and Kiki Smith’s art?
Louis Bourgeois uses symbols as metaphors in her work. Her "Cell" series seems to represent a kind of prison where she had to learn to grow up, and fast. Since viewers weren't allowed to go inside, it seems to me, to be a metaphor for growing up without any outside help. The parent's room is covered in red, especially the bed, suggesting blood or sin. The children's room is full of objects, suggesting creativity and life. From knowing about her home life as a child, the symbolism in her work is noticed. Kiki Smith also uses symbols as metaphors in her work, but not from a personal level. She uses skin as a metaphor for boundaries, moths to symbolize sexuality, birds as a metaphor for nature's fragility. Kiki also takes symbols from fairy tales and even the Creation story and uses them to tell her own story in her artwork. A metaphor Kiki uses a lot in her work is Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. She often uses the red cape to symbolize sexual insecurity, and the aggression of the Wolf. Together, these concepts symbolize the loss of innocence. Everything Kiki Smith creates uses well-known ideas and subjects, sometimes from nature, and mixes them to show an altogether different point.

e. 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?
I think Nancy Linden's work represents much of what I was trying to show in my series of drawings. Her work is largely lone figures, and she expresses the damages of time through her use of line. She says that she used her family members who contracted Altheimer's disease as inspiration for her drawings, showing as how time passed, the people she knew disappeared, but left traces of them behind. She uses charcoal, as well as mixed media to create these pieces. In my drawings, I wanted to show that even though my friends are dead and gone, and much of my memory of them is already fading, there are still some parts I can remember, traces of what was. I used both charcoal and colored pencil to show this, only having bits and pieces of them, what is still in my memory after time has taken its toll. Unlike Nancy's work, color shows the one thing I remember most about each of these people. Nancy uses simple outlines to show absense, and I show absense too, but with missing pieces, like an incomplete puzzle. Both Nancy Linden and I are inspired to create by our memories of people we loved and lost. More of her work can be found at: http://www.nancylinden.com

Realism

a. In your own words define realistic art.
Realistic art is art that can be identified for what it is and what it means by the viewer without much thought. It should look like the subject it is meant to mimic in all details and form.

b. How does Plato define good art?
Art should stand for high moral values and be extremely beautiful. He believed objects in reality were the best, and an artistic depiction could not do them justice. Art must not be personal to anyone; it must belong to everyone. Plato said that the arts must be "fine and graceful." Art should also teach people to find beauty in their own bodies, as well as in others, so they can find the beauty of the soul.

c. What would Plato say about Koon’s artwork?
I believe Plato would say Koons' artwork is not art at all, but a detriment to society. Koons' "Made in Heaven" might appeal to Plato's idea of finding the beauty of the body (he might also think it is unmoral), but his other works would not pass Plato's inspection. Most of Koons' work are reproductions of a real-life object, animal, or person. They are not the "ideal" image of the item, but simply the artist's interpretation. Plato would be upset with these images because they would take away from people's ability to think and feel deeply. He would be not happy with the fact that the images do not teach any kind of moral lesson.

d. In your own words, how would Aristotle define good art?
Aristotle believes that good art should interpret truth and beauty in the representation of the natural world. Art, to him, should celebrate nature, and in that case, is better than the original object or scene because it shows the best of the object. A successful piece, should, in his mind, have a meaning behind it, or express a point of view. It should not just be to look at, but also for us to think about. However, an artist who wanted to achieve great art, in Aristotle's mind, would have to strive for perfection. Aristotle believed that proportion, order, and harmony were important to a piece, and without them, I don't believe he would call a piece "art."

e. In your personal philosophy is “obscene art a contradiction of terms? Why or why not?
I do not believe that "obscene art" is a contradiction. What is thought to be obscene is in the eye of the beholder. A piece of artwork cannot appeal to everyone who looks at it, so some might find obscene what others find beautiful. Many artists do not always show beautiful, pleasing images in their work, but rather show problems of the world using disturbing imagery. Others may show the beauty of the human body through art by using racy images. I still consider pieces that illustrate violence and sexuality art if the artists are inviting us to look at them for a reason. All in all, I think art should have a reason behind it, but that it doesn't have to be beautiful or pleasing to everyone.

f. Are vivid sexual images more obscene that vivid images of violence, poverty, display of extreme wealth or sickness?
I do not think sexual images are any more obscene than portrayals of any other "disturbing" subject. Images of starving people with bones sticking out bother viewers just as much as healthy bodies in sexual poses, if not more so. Subjects like these are meant to put the audience on edge...its all part of the point they are trying to prove. To me, sexual imagery is less disturbing than images of violence because sex can often represent beauty of the body and soul, whereas violent images show evil and darkness, blood and gore.

g. 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?
I think many of Joseph Gerges' works relate to my drawing. He did a lot of pieces dealing with political unrest such as war, as well injustices of society-such as violence and prostitution. My concept for my drawing was to show the past to present struggle of the women's rights movement. Not only do the rights of women affect politics, but they also affect civilization. His subjects tend to affect both as well. Gerges made his drawings appear confrontational, and the subjects appear heroic with genuine emotion. That is what I am trying to do with my own drawing. I want the women to appear beautiful, yet strong, and I want their face to express this emotion. His style is similar to mine because he uses both color and black and white in his drawings, and he uses pencil for many of them. He also uses a similar perspective to mine in some of his drawings, such as Exodus, because, like my subject, the people are on a march. I admire Gerges' drawings for their emotional quality and their detail, as well as their perspective.
http://www.josephgerges.com

Week 1-3 Beauty vs. Repulsion

1)An example of "good art" in my opinion would be a piece that is well thought out and conveys a feeling or a concept. It does not have to be visually appealing, but I think it should speak something about the artist and their thoughts, or in the case of commercial art, it should convey what you are trying to say in an effective way. An example of this would be Vincent van Gogh's work (shown is the Church at Auvers). Many people of the time did not like it but his work spoke volumes about his personality and his feelings. His paintings were intense and expressive like he was. I think "bad art" is something drawn without any attention to planning and with no real meaning other than just something to hang on a wall. An example of this could be the painting here (Lucy in the Field with Flowers) by an unknown artist(painting is from the Museum of Bad Art :O). It has clashing colors and no real theme that I can see. Just not well planned out.

2)Honorific art is any art put in a place of honor by critics. It is given this place of honor based the "essential" parts the work has.

3) Classificatory art is anything created by an artist to be shown as art, and it is usually something that the audience can understand.

4)In the discussion of art and aesthetics, I get uncomfortable when people try to judge what art is based simply on the visual appeal (aesthetics). I would feel more comfortable if viewers would think more about WHY the artist did something a certain way, or created what they did, rather than HOW. Then the meaning is truly found.

5) My beauty drawing is going to be of sunflowers on a wood farm fence. The artist Nancy Blum illustrates my view of beauty because her drawings are brightly colored flowers, detailed, yet expressive. My repulsion drawing will be of a polluting factory with dark smoke surrounding it, next to a metal framwork. My views of repulsion are expressed well by Steve McClure because, in many of his drawings, he uses dark, hazy shading to give an eery or dark feeling.