Week 8-Industrialisation, Modernism and architecture.

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao (1997) Frank Gehry

Eiffel Tower (1889) Gustave Eiffel

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The Eiffel Tower and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao have both been described as significant

architectural constructions of their time. The Eiffel Tower has been described as;

 'a symbol of technological prowess' (www.tour- eiffel.com/)

and the Guggenheim museum has been 'hailed as the most important structure of its time'

( www. guggenheim.org/bilbao )

Research both architectural structures in order to comment on;

-the importance of the design and construction

Guggenheim Museum: Instantly hailed as the most important structure of its time. With close to ninety exhibitions and over ten million visitors to its credit, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao forever changed the way the world thinks about museums, and it continues to challenge our assumptions about the connections between art, architecture, and collecting.

Eiffel Tower: The Eiffel Tower was intended to be one of the tallest structures in the world. This explains its extraordinary design which was for wind resistance purposes. The structure was originally built in honor of the French Revolution. It was for the World Exhibition in 1889, in time for the 100th anniversary of the revolution. The exhibition was held to let the world know of the technological advancements in France.

-significance of the materials

Guggenheim Museum: The materials used in its construction were basically precast concrete blocks.

The white paint used on the internal walls makes the works of art stand out.

The skylight is supported by steel joints.

Eiffel Tower: The Eiffel Tower is built of riveted (2.5 million rivets!) wrought iron, a material that will last virtually forever if it is painted regularly. Since it was built (for the International Exhibition of Paris in 1889), the tower has been painted once every seven years. Maintenance on the tower includes applying 50 metric tons of three graded tones of paint every 7 years to protect the 200,000 square meters of iron lattice work from rust.

-significance of the designer

Guggenheim Museum: The career of Frank Lloyd Wright commenced after only a few months of college course work at the University of Wisconsin, when he apprenticed to Chicago architect, J. Lyman Silsbee. His first buildings, like those of Silsbee, were in the prevailing shingle style of Queen Anne architecture. Soon after, though, he found a position with Adler and Sullivan, one of Chicago's most important architectural firms. Louis Sullivan became for Wright the only other architect he consistently admired, always referring to him as "Lieber Meister." The two formed a design synergy that surpassed the usual employee hierarchy, and where Wright often felt he was "the pen in the master's hand." .

Eiffel Tower: Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, a French civil engineer and constructor, is famous for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He studied at the École Central des Arts et Manufactures, where he demonstrated his interest in metal construction, graduated in Chemical Engineering and in 1866 founded his own company. He directed the building of an iron railway bridge at Bordeaux and the design of the movable dome of the observatory at Nice. He finished his greatest project, the Eiffel Tower, in 1889, in time for the Centennial Exposition, causing commotion and amazement among the artists of the period and the world in general. His next large-scale project was the Panama Canal.

-function for which each was built

Guggenheim Museum: An internationally renowned art museum and one of the most significant architectural icons of the 20th century, the Guggenheim Museum is at once a vital cultural center, an educational institution, and the heart of an international network of museums. Visitors can experience special exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, lectures by artists and critics, performances and film screenings, classes for teens and adults, and daily tours of the galleries led by experienced docents. Founded on a collection of early modern masterpieces, the Guggenheim Museum today is an ever-growing institution devoted to the art of the 20th century and beyond.

Eiffel Tower: It was mainly built for the World Exhibition (sometimes called Paris Exposition) of 1889. This date celebrates the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The purpose of building this structure was to showcase to the world the advancement of technology and beauty in France.Another reason the tower was built was for scientific progress. Although few realized it, the Eiffel Tower would become a prominent structure in terms of science.

Many experiment with temperature, pressure and pendulums were performed atop the building. Moreover, the most important and still everlasting purpose of the Eiffel Tower was its use as a radio transmission tower. Many radio transmission experiments have been conducted atop the tower. In fact, without this use, the it may not be around today. It was proposed to be demolished but was spared because of its promising future as a radio tower.

-function now-has it changed?

Guggenheim Museum: The guggenheim museum is still used as a museum as it was when it was made.

Eiffel Tower:

The tower still has the same uses but also has a restaurant in it too.

Compare the two architectural structures, by noting their similarities and differences.

A huge difference between the Eiffel tower and the Guggenheim Museum is that the Eiffel tower is tall and pointy while the museum is rounded and no way near as tall as the Eiffel Tower.

They are similar in the way that they are both very famous buildings, and everyone has atleast heard of one of them.

http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao

http://www.everydayguide.com/importance-of-the-eiffel-tower/

http://www.engology.com/articleeiffel.htm

http://www.architechgallery.com/arch_info/artists_pages/frank_lloyd_wright.html

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/about

http://ezinearticles.com/?Eiffel-Tower---Why-Was-the-Eiffel-Tower-Built?&id=1434326

Week 6-Landscape and the Sublime

'Wanderer in the mists' (1818) Caspar David Friedrich

'Untitled #2" (2002) Richard Misrach

 'Untitled # 394-03' (2003) Richard Misrach 

Richard Misrach's photography reflects the concept of the Sublime, from the Enlightenment.

Research Misrach's work by reading about his intentions, and also by looking at the work. Then answer the following questions;

1. What and when was the Enlightenment?

The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement in 18th century Europe. The goal of the Enlightenment was to create an authoritative ethics, aesthetics, and knowledge based on an "enlightened" rationality. The movement's leaders viewed themselves as a courageous, elite body of intellectuals who were leading the world toward progress, out of a long period of irrationality, superstition, and tyranny which began during a historical period they called the Dark Ages. This movement provided a framework for the American and French Revolutions, as well as the rise of capitalism and the birth of socialism. It is matched by the high baroque era in music, and the neoclassical period in the arts.

2. Define the concept of the Sublime.

The sublime has been a predominate concept of aesthetic theory in Western art and philosophy, receiving its more explicit formulation in early eighteenth century philosophy. Its presence as a concept in Native American aesthetics is not as explicitly stated as it is in Western thought, but there are strong indications that the sublime as an aesthetic property of Native American culture has been in evidence for centuries. One only needs to examine, for example, the notions of ugliness, exaltation, greatness, beauty, and so on, in the comedy and tragedy in the rituals of the clowns and the dances of the modern Pueblos (See Louis Hieb, 1972). In Zuni art and culture, the notions of the sublime as appreciation through aesthetic non-verbal judgment is evident in the relationship of the beautiful (tso'ya) and the dangerous (attanni).

3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?

During the 18th century, paintings weren't focused on the landscape,, it was only used as a background in a painting. But during the 19th century landscape paintings began to become more popular and accepted as art.

4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images of his work.

In Misrach's photos he's shown how big the ocean is compared to humans. In the pictures he has an image of a beach showing the ocean, and a person in the water, showing how small they are compared to it.

5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.

Yves Klein.

Mark Rothko.

Rachel Ruysch .

6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?

Looking at Misrach's paintings makes me realise how small we are and how big the world is compared to us. Like for example in the pictures of people in the ocean, it only shows a small portion of water, but still it is so much greater in size to us. I like how he shows this through his photos.

7. Add a Sublime image of your choice to your blog, which can be Art or just a Sublime photograph.

8. Reference your sources (books and websites).

http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/enlightenment_age.html

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Age_of_Enlightenment

http://www.amerindianarts.us/articles/concept_of_the_sublime_as_an_aesthetic_quality.shtml

http://history-world.org/age_of_enlightenment.htm 

Week 5- Science and reason- Video art by Pipilotti Rist

1. Define the 17th century 'Scientific Revolution', and say how it changed European thought and world view. 

Over the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe there were many changes, but over all the most widely influential change was an epistemological transformation which we call the "scientific revolution". In the popular mind, we associate this revolution with natural science and technological change, but the scientific revolution was, in reality, a series of changes in the structure of European thought itself: systematic doubt, empirical and sensory verification, the abstraction of human knowledge into separate sciences, and the view that the world functions like a machine. All theses changes greatly changed the human experience of every other aspect of life, from individual life to the life of a group. The change in world view can also be seen n painting, sculpture and architecture; you can see that people of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are looking at the world very differently.

2. Give examples of how we can we still see evidence of the 'Scientific Revolution' in the world today.

Both Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton have made a huge impact on today's life. Newton discovered the laws of motion and gravity and because of Galileo, all scientific study is based on mathematical principles because, he believed that if a physical model didn't fit with the maths properties, the model was wrong.

Research Pipilotti Rist's video installations to answer the following;

3. From your research, do you think that the contemporary art world values art work

that uses new media/technology over traditional media?

I think that today contemporary art values art work that uses new media and technology. I think this because if you were to ask anyone about a famous painting or sculpture  most people would not know what you are talking about  but if you were to talk about some film or game with good special effects that make everything seem real I'm sure most people from today's generation would know what you are talking about and also find it really fascinating. If you were to show them a painting or sculpture I'm sure that they would be a lot less interested in it compared to a film or game etc. 

4. How has Pipilotti Rist used new media/technology to enhance the audience's experience of her work.

Rist has used a video to show her art instead of showing it through an image or any other form of art. She has not only used a video she has used 2 videos side by side in her work to show 2 different stories or 2 different perspectives. On the right side video she is showing a flower and how beautiful it is, and then on the left side it is showing her smashing car windows with it.

5. Comment on how the installation, sound and scale of 'Ever is Over All' (1997) could impact on the audience's experience of the work.

The installation of “Ever Is Over All” <1997> covers 2 walls in the gallery. By covering 2 whole walls this will straight away capture the audiences attention as its right in their face. Because the work is so bigm the viewer will be unable to see the whole thing at once so will have to look at it for some time to be able to understand it fully. Also having music is good because it makes the audience feel as though they are there apart of it.

6. Comment on the notion of 'reason' within the content of the video. Is the woman's behaviour reasonable or unreasonable?

I think that this woman's actions are unreasonable because how would it be reasonable for a person to go down a street smashing the windows of people's cars and getting away with it. In the video there is a police officer who walks past the lady committing the crime and smiles at her and just continues walking down the street.

7. Comment on your 'reading' (understanding) of the work by discussion the aesthetic (look), experience and the ideologies (ideas, theories) of the work.

For me I didn't really enjoy watching the video, I just didn't really appeal to me. Probably because I didn't fully understand what it was about and am not used to seeing art in that form. But I do like how it is presented on2 walls in the gallery and how music is used to make the viewer feel as though they are apart of the work.

References:

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ENLIGHT/SCIREV.HTM

http://colquitt.k12.ga.us/wjwpg2/sciencerev/science.htm#Impact_on_Today___

Week 4- The social status of the artist.

Albrecht Durer's 'Self-Portrait in Fur Coat' (1500) shows a significant change in the way that the artist views and portrays himself.Research the paintings by Albrecht Durer, Gavin Turk and Damien Hirst in order to answer

the following questions;

1. Identify aspects of Durer's self portrait that show a changing view of the artist's view of himself as

an individual.

In Durer's self portrait he has depicted himself in a Christ-like pose. There was not supposed to be any gesture of blasphemy intended. It was an acknowledgement that God had made Christ and man his own image.

2. Explain how the artist's social status increased during the Renaissance period. Briefly explain why this happened.

Durer's introduction of classical motifs into Northern art, through his knowledge of Italian artists and German humanists, have secured his reputation as one of the most important figures of the Northern Renaissance. This is reinforced by his theoretical works which involve principles of mathematics, perspective and ideal proportions. The quality and wide range of his works and themes, both in terms of content and formal aspects, are astonishing.

3. Comment on Gavin Turk's work in relation to individualism, status of the artist and egotism.

Gavin Turk's work is an image of his signature in various colours over a white background. He uses his signature to show that the art is his. And also because he is a famous artist people would want to buy an artwork of his which is of his signature, because it is like a big autograph they could hang on their wall. The piece of art 
isn't an image of anythig but just  the artists signature in multi colours.

4. Comment on Damien Hirst's use of his work and the media for self promotion.

'Damien Hirst evinced marketing abilities while still studying at Goldsmith’s by organizing a student show entitled Freeze (1988) in a derelict Docklands’ building. Once established, he continued to curate high profile mixed exhibitions with wacky titles such as Some Went Mad, Some Ran Away(Serpentine Gallery, 1994).'

5. Find 2 images of work by artists or designers that reflects some of the ideas of individualism,

self promotion or egotism that have been discussed on this blog. Upload images to your blog, title and date the work, identify the artist/designer and comment on the work in relation to the question.

Title: Self-Portrait with Monkey

Date: 1938

Artist: Frida Kahlo

I like how Kahlo didn't make her self look better in this panting. Usually when someone does a self portrait of themselves they would change parts of the painting to make themselves look better that they actually do but Kahlo kept things like her monobrow, and from what I saw in a picture of her she actually made it darker. I think she is a could self portrait artist because she paints what she sees and not what she wants to see.

Title: Self-Portrait

Date: c. 1512

Artist: Leonardo Da Vinci

I like this self portrait because it fouses on only the main features of Leonardo such as the nose, mouth, hair, eyes and structure of the face. I like how only one colour is used,and how Leonardo used different shades of the colour to create an image of his face.

6. How do you think artists and designers are viewed in Western society today?

Artists struggle a lot with feeling under appreciated. In some countries, such as the USA, monetary value is the primary focus. People are frequently judged by their net worth and how much they consume rather than what they contribute to society as citizens and community members.

 Art inspires people, and allows them to share their appreciation of the subject. This could be a landscape of a place they've been, or a painting of animals that they adore. Art allows us to see through the eyes of the artist or photographer, or see a place we've never been. It can be educational; a recording of history, or it can simply capture the feeling of a moment in time. Some artworks provide social commentary and bring about empathy in the viewers. Art enhances our experience, especially if it expresses emotion or ideas. Sometimes it is the amazing skill of the artist that enthralls the viewers. Artworks enhance homes, businesses, and public spaces. There is no thing as too much good design.

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/durer/self/

http://radicalart.info/ego/statements/index.html

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG7733481/Maia-Norman-Damien-Hirsts-Californian-girl.html

Reference List:

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/D/durer.html

http://www.moodbook.com/history/renaissance/index.html

http://www.artdesigncafe.com/Damien-Hirst-media-celebrity-2001

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kahlo/kahlo_selfmonkey.jpg.html

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/L/leonardo/leonardo_self-portrait.jpg.html

http://www.squidoo.com/artfulwords

1. Mueck's sculpture is described as 'hyper-real'. Define the meaning of this term and apply it to his work.

Involving or characterised by particularly realistic graphic presentation.

Mueck's artwork is hyper-real because the sculptures that he made are incredibly life like, every little detail is perfect, the baby girl looks like how a new born girl would look, from the face, body, expressions etc. And the mask sculpture looks like a mans head on its side, looking as if its lying down. He shows this by giving the part which is on the ground kind of squashed look to give it the lying down effect.

2. Mueck is not interested in making life size sculpture. Find out why he is more interested

in working with the scale of the figure which is not life size, and mention 2 works which use 

scale that is either larger or smaller than life.

Ron Mueck prefers making huge or small scale sculptures because he likes to play with scale to produce disconcertingly jarring visual images

Some of his works that use small and large scales include, 'Mask', and 'A Girl'. 'Mask' is the front of a mans face and 'A Girl' is a new born baby girl which is extremely over sized.

3. Define Renaissance Humanism , and analyze the term in order to apply it to an example of Mueck's work. Note that the contemporary definition of Humanism is much broader than the Renaissance definition.

Humanism is not the study of humans. "The term umanista was used, in fifteenth century Italian academic jargon to describe a teacher or student of classical literature and the arts associated with it, including that of rhetoric. The English equivalent 'humanist' makes its appearance in the late sixteenth century with a similar meaning. Only in the nineteenth century, however, and probably for the first time in Germany in 1809, is the attribute transformed into a substantive: humanism, standing for devotion to the literature of ancient Greece and Rome, and the humane values that may be derived from them" (Nicholas Mann "The Origins of Humanism", Cambridge Companion to Humanism, Jill Kraye, editor [Cambridge University Press, 1996], p. 1–2).

4. Research and discuss one of Mueck's sculptures that you might find challenging or exciting to experience in an art gallery. Describe the work, upload an image of the work, and explain your personal response to the work. Comment on other student blogs to develop the discussion around the variety of our own personal and individual responses to art and design.

'IN BED'

I think this work of Mueck is one of my favourites. I just love how well its done, its so realistic, like all of his works, but this one just seemed to stand out to me. I also wondered when I saw this one, if underneath the blanket was done in detail too. I like how it shows a woman in bed alone and thinking to herself.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hyperreal

http://hubpages.com/hub/Awesome_Sculptures_Of_Ron_Mueck

http://www.boredpanda.com/13-hyper-realistic-sculptures-by-ron-mueck/

(Nicholas Mann "The Origins of Humanism", Cambridge Companion to Humanism, Jill Kraye, editor [Cambridge University Press, 1996], p. 1–2) -

wikipedia information reference for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_humanism#cite_note-0

Barbara Kruger & Mercantillism‏

1. Describe the 'style' that Kruger has used in the two presented works.

Kruger has used a contemporary style in her two art works. In her 2 pieces she has kept the use of colour and texture quite simple. She stuck to a 3 colour scheme on both pieces which I thought was effective because it stopped the work from looking too busy and focusing more on the point of the art instead.

2. What are some of the concepts and messages that Kruger is communicating in them?

"Barbara Kruger takes that sentence, "I shop therefore am" to a materialistic level - in other words, a person is defined not by what they think, but what they own (through shopping)."

And for her otehr piece, 'Face It', it says, 'FACE IT, this luxurious garment won't make you rich or beautiful'. She is trying to send out a message that no matter what you wear, its not going to make you look any richer or any more beautiful, because at the end of the day, its what's on the inside that truly matters.

3. Do these images communicate these ideas effectively? Explain your answer.

Yes it does communicate the idea effectively. Its straight to the point and its directly aimed at people who think that the way they dress is going to make them look better or feel richer.

4. Define the concept of Mercantillism and explain how these two examples can connect with the concept.

I am not sure how to answer this question. I could not find any thing that showed how this related back to the art work.

5. Upload a more recent example of Kruger's work where she has used a new medium, that is not graphic design. Title your image of the chosen work and comment on your response to the work. How do you think the audience would experience this work?

Your Body Is a Battleground

I did some research on this piece of work and think that the message that is being sent to the audience is a good one. "It is a piece of artwork taken and used to sell an idea and furthermore the particular belief set espoused by Kruger. The image was used originally in a Washington DC march advocating a pro-choice position and reproductive rights for women."

Barbara Kruger - Face It! - Artwork details at artnet (2001)

http://www.artnet.com/artwork/425945297/face-it.html

What is Contemporary Art? (2000)

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-contemporary-art.html

What is the meaning of "i shop therefore i am"? - Yahoo! Answers (n.d.)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090525205155AAqYRNp

Thoughts From the Temple of Hera: Your Body Is A Battleground

http://templeofhera.blogspot.com/2009/02/your-body-is-battleground.html