Final Reflective Letter
Art is a realm so large and dynamic, with endless possibilities; to try to define it seems like an impossible task. It ranges from the loose brushstrokes of the Impressionist painters, and the clean forms and lines of purism, to the mysterious street painting of Banksy. Throughout all ages, art has been a means of expression. From the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, who idolized and created the perfect human image, to modern day artist who criticize our society, art is one of our means of communication. The large gothic cathedrals of the middle ages were adorned with stained glass and carvings for the reason of telling a story. Some artists try to record an event, a landscape or scene. Others will capture an emotion. Regardless of the subject matter, it is clear that the point of art is to communicate to an audience. Without the audience there is no art. I think that this is made clear in the film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, in which the artist, with pseudonym Mr. Brainwash, becomes enveloped in the idea of creating and selling pop art. As his name suggests, he is an illusionist, and captures the public, brain-washing them into accepting his work as art. Without the audience, his art would not have been successful. There usually is also a message or idea, some sort of though evoked from the work. Banksy uses his street art to bring light to issues in society. We often walk away from a piece of work, or are asked to answer the “so what?” question. Maybe its just how we as people think, that there has to be something for me to take away otherwise this art is pointless. Because there is though behind all action, we can reason that there must be thought behind the act of making art. Although not tackling the issues of the world through art, I remember, even when I was all but 4 years, taking an idea and representing it through art. My first drawing was of the bridge that spans the bay at my grandparents’ house. Looking back at it, I see that I tried to capture the sunlight reflecting off the water with yellow marker. One of the things that makes art so interesting is that different ways artists interpret and “record” what they see. It is the communication between artist and audience that defines art.
We live in a culture where art has played a large role in shaping many peoples lives and affects almost all of us at one point in our live. We have had contact with art, whether walking through a park, along city streets, in a museum, or in school. The role that art plays in our culture today is more dynamic than it once was. Today art attracts the attention of many groups. In the past, like during the Renaissance, only the elite or the church—those in high ranking, had access to art. It was a way to proclaim wealth and standing. Today there we may still view art as a commodity, something with value. But what is it that gives art its value? And what kind of value is it? There is no doubt that today people are willing to play large sums of money for art. Collections such as those owned by the Bechtlers are priceless. They represent some of the finest examples of modern art from some of the most well-known artists. However, the value of art in our society, in my opinion, is that it will always be there for us to revisit and look at. Although art itself is not a direct representation of our world, nor an actual observation, rather the observation of the artist, it can offer us insight into out past, as well as force us to ask questions about our future. Events that happen and ideas of our culture often influence artists and their work. Today, we can use different mediums of art to communicate the ideas of our society and events. I think that this is the main role of art in our society.
Some of the best examples of how art can be used to represent our society were seen at the Light Factory in the works of Lina Ditovsky and Gabriella Herman. Both artist’s work aim to literally capture the ways we live our lives moving in to the twenty-first century. Ditovsky’s work explores how many people have been living their lives in more outgoing and crazy ways. It shows how people will tend to act out for attention, to showcase themselves. Her work speaks to the “yolo” trend that has been adopted by many young people across the country. Her photography is shot in bars, and shows the exhibitionist lifestyle of people and their modern nightlife. Herman’s work communicates another aspect of our modern lives. She photographs bloggers in their natural habitat, working on their computers. This shows technology has become very important in our lives and how we use it almost everywhere, even when at home. With their intense gazes, it also shows how easily we can become fixed and involved in the technological world. Another example of how art can give light to issues in our world and society is the work of Andrea Chung. She used sugar, the main industry that brought people to the islands of the Caribbean, to mold bottles and hooks to represent the fishing practices of the people who live there. This illustrates the relatively simple and humble lifestyle that is juxtaposed against the lavish, getaway resorts. She also uses performance art through a dinner to show how people view and misunderstand the islands, based on the ways they are portrayed for commercial and economic purposes. Through art she explores the real identity of people living in the Caribbean, and challenges the ideas that they are inferior to the Western culture invading the islands. One of my favorite artists that we saw at the McColl center was Mel Chin. In some of his works he takes old paintings that no longer have life, whose story is lost, the people of the portraits unknown and manipulates them. He takes pieces and removes them, attaching them in other paintings, or pieces multiple elements from different portraits together in one. He tries to interpret the story of the people in the painting, sometimes about social standing or gender roles and brings light them through humorous ways in his art.
The three written responses that I chose were of the places that has most meaning and significance to me. The Bechtler exhibit contained many pieces of work that I could relate to in my education here in our Architecture school, and it was extremely rewarding to see some examples of work from the artists that we had talked about in our class. Le Corbusier’s work has both artistic and architectural elements. His still life looks into forms and shapes of the objects, how they interact with one another, and as multi-dimensional objects. This view in axonometric is something that architects use to represent buildings in plan and elevation. I was also able to connect to the Calder and Henry Moore, as they are sculptors whose work we investigated as including in out artist studio design projects. It was interesting to see what kind of work the artist in residence could do in our studios. The McColl center also was a rewarding experience, because it is not everyday that you have the chance to see artists in their studio space and take a look at their work in progress. The studio is a creative place, that although at times can seem chaotic, is peaceful and a place to focus on work. I think that providing an artist with space to work is something very valuable in this city, and that people benefit from not only the finished product but also being able to see the process of making art. The Light Factory was the third response that I chose because it showed me how powerful photography can be. Although the camera only captures a split second, a single moment, there is much to be said and taken away from the work at the Light Factory. The vibrant colors, and gestural movement in Lina Ditovsky’s work capture the life and energy of her subjects, while the low level lighting in Gabriella Herman’s photos show the subdued mood, and hypnotic nature of her subjects as the gaze into cyberspace. The work at the Light Factory had not only extreme well-executed techniques and aesthetics, but also communicated with the audience. These three venues had the most significant effect on me.
I have never been a large fan of modern art. I’ve always enjoyed the impressionist paintings, and natural scenes of landscapes. If I didn’t understand it, then it had little meaning to me and I did not care to really look into it. However, if there is one thing that I take from experiencing visual arts this semester is that every artist has their own story, inspiration, and reason for creating. When you understand their story, suddenly their art becomes more meaningful. It is the moment when you look at art and see the thoughts of the artist, the motives, and actions simultaneously, that make it beautiful. Although modern art may not resemble something in its actual form, it’s the interpretation and ability to connect and take away thoughts and reactions that make it art. I have had experience with painting and drawing, so the ideas of composition, and different techniques are very familiar to me. During this semester I tried to use the previous knowledge I had gained about art to gain insight into new types of art that I have not had a lot of previous exposure to. Doing this helped changed the way I perceive and experience art. I am extremely glad and thankful to have had the opportunity to view art from the scale of local artists, to the great collections of the Mint and Becthler. Each have their own uniqueness and pieces with their own stories.
We live in a culture where art has played a large role in shaping many peoples lives and affects almost all of us at one point in our live. We have had contact with art, whether walking through a park, along city streets, in a museum, or in school. The role that art plays in our culture today is more dynamic than it once was. Today art attracts the attention of many groups. In the past, like during the Renaissance, only the elite or the church—those in high ranking, had access to art. It was a way to proclaim wealth and standing. Today there we may still view art as a commodity, something with value. But what is it that gives art its value? And what kind of value is it? There is no doubt that today people are willing to play large sums of money for art. Collections such as those owned by the Bechtlers are priceless. They represent some of the finest examples of modern art from some of the most well-known artists. However, the value of art in our society, in my opinion, is that it will always be there for us to revisit and look at. Although art itself is not a direct representation of our world, nor an actual observation, rather the observation of the artist, it can offer us insight into out past, as well as force us to ask questions about our future. Events that happen and ideas of our culture often influence artists and their work. Today, we can use different mediums of art to communicate the ideas of our society and events. I think that this is the main role of art in our society.
Some of the best examples of how art can be used to represent our society were seen at the Light Factory in the works of Lina Ditovsky and Gabriella Herman. Both artist’s work aim to literally capture the ways we live our lives moving in to the twenty-first century. Ditovsky’s work explores how many people have been living their lives in more outgoing and crazy ways. It shows how people will tend to act out for attention, to showcase themselves. Her work speaks to the “yolo” trend that has been adopted by many young people across the country. Her photography is shot in bars, and shows the exhibitionist lifestyle of people and their modern nightlife. Herman’s work communicates another aspect of our modern lives. She photographs bloggers in their natural habitat, working on their computers. This shows technology has become very important in our lives and how we use it almost everywhere, even when at home. With their intense gazes, it also shows how easily we can become fixed and involved in the technological world. Another example of how art can give light to issues in our world and society is the work of Andrea Chung. She used sugar, the main industry that brought people to the islands of the Caribbean, to mold bottles and hooks to represent the fishing practices of the people who live there. This illustrates the relatively simple and humble lifestyle that is juxtaposed against the lavish, getaway resorts. She also uses performance art through a dinner to show how people view and misunderstand the islands, based on the ways they are portrayed for commercial and economic purposes. Through art she explores the real identity of people living in the Caribbean, and challenges the ideas that they are inferior to the Western culture invading the islands. One of my favorite artists that we saw at the McColl center was Mel Chin. In some of his works he takes old paintings that no longer have life, whose story is lost, the people of the portraits unknown and manipulates them. He takes pieces and removes them, attaching them in other paintings, or pieces multiple elements from different portraits together in one. He tries to interpret the story of the people in the painting, sometimes about social standing or gender roles and brings light them through humorous ways in his art.
The three written responses that I chose were of the places that has most meaning and significance to me. The Bechtler exhibit contained many pieces of work that I could relate to in my education here in our Architecture school, and it was extremely rewarding to see some examples of work from the artists that we had talked about in our class. Le Corbusier’s work has both artistic and architectural elements. His still life looks into forms and shapes of the objects, how they interact with one another, and as multi-dimensional objects. This view in axonometric is something that architects use to represent buildings in plan and elevation. I was also able to connect to the Calder and Henry Moore, as they are sculptors whose work we investigated as including in out artist studio design projects. It was interesting to see what kind of work the artist in residence could do in our studios. The McColl center also was a rewarding experience, because it is not everyday that you have the chance to see artists in their studio space and take a look at their work in progress. The studio is a creative place, that although at times can seem chaotic, is peaceful and a place to focus on work. I think that providing an artist with space to work is something very valuable in this city, and that people benefit from not only the finished product but also being able to see the process of making art. The Light Factory was the third response that I chose because it showed me how powerful photography can be. Although the camera only captures a split second, a single moment, there is much to be said and taken away from the work at the Light Factory. The vibrant colors, and gestural movement in Lina Ditovsky’s work capture the life and energy of her subjects, while the low level lighting in Gabriella Herman’s photos show the subdued mood, and hypnotic nature of her subjects as the gaze into cyberspace. The work at the Light Factory had not only extreme well-executed techniques and aesthetics, but also communicated with the audience. These three venues had the most significant effect on me.
I have never been a large fan of modern art. I’ve always enjoyed the impressionist paintings, and natural scenes of landscapes. If I didn’t understand it, then it had little meaning to me and I did not care to really look into it. However, if there is one thing that I take from experiencing visual arts this semester is that every artist has their own story, inspiration, and reason for creating. When you understand their story, suddenly their art becomes more meaningful. It is the moment when you look at art and see the thoughts of the artist, the motives, and actions simultaneously, that make it beautiful. Although modern art may not resemble something in its actual form, it’s the interpretation and ability to connect and take away thoughts and reactions that make it art. I have had experience with painting and drawing, so the ideas of composition, and different techniques are very familiar to me. During this semester I tried to use the previous knowledge I had gained about art to gain insight into new types of art that I have not had a lot of previous exposure to. Doing this helped changed the way I perceive and experience art. I am extremely glad and thankful to have had the opportunity to view art from the scale of local artists, to the great collections of the Mint and Becthler. Each have their own uniqueness and pieces with their own stories.