Since the beginning of my exploration into the world of art, process has always been of great interest to me. The complex stages in which an artist prepares and paints a canvas or casts and carves a sculpture have always offered me entertainment through the notion of figuring out the necessary stages to create the final product. In this sense, I have always held an interest for reverse engineering not just within art but also the wider academic spectrum. I believe that understanding the process that an artist goes through to create the work helps the viewer to understand the full depth of the work.

I particularly favour artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Antoni Tàpies and David Alfaro Siqueiros and my own practice has been influenced heavily by their style of work and their processes. Ever since my GCSE’s I have been experimenting with texture, layering and using unique, unconventional, materials within my work to develop my own process.

Figure 1 displays a chart of progress made on a painting I am currently working on. The process revolves around the themes surrounding identity using complex notions of facades represented by the layers created in my process. Initially the strainer is made before the canvas is stretched over the frame and extracts from my logbooks are written in charcoal before a compositional diagram is drawn onto the work. This is extracted from collages I make of my friends and family. After this, the whole canvas is sealed with PVA glue and sand. After this, an overworked mixture of plaster and PVA glue is applied, the mix being sculpted as it goes off.

Once dry the plaster is sealed on the front and back of the canvas with a mix of PVA glue, water and washing up liquid and primed with white emulsion. Following this, multiple layers of acrylic paint and inks are applied to create a sense of depth and build up a façade over the canvas. In the future, I would like to develop further this process by using two part clear resin or liquitex flow medium to create a semi translucent film over the canvas giving a watery depth to the work whilst maintaining its weight.

Ever since I started studying art, I have always been fascinated by the dioramas produced by the artists Jake and Dinos Chapman. After many failed attempts, I recently managed to attend an exhibition displaying their diorama ‘Nein! Eleven?’ ^[fig1] in the exhibition ‘Age of Terror: Art Since 9/11’.  The work consists of two piles of mutilated Nazi’s and bloody skulls as a representation of the atrocities committed in the 9/11 bombings.

 

Personally, I was disappointed by the artwork, as an avid scale modeller and Warhammer player I felt that there was a large lack of attention to detail within the work. This is not present within photographs as they can never truly capture the attention to detail given in similar dioramas. Take for example ‘The Beginning of the End’ ^[fig2] by Won-hui Lee or ‘The Last Light’ ^[fig3] by Jarhead in comparison both these dioramas exhibit a far greater level of skill and a better comprehension of composition.

If I had not of seen this work in person I would never have been able to judge with my own eyes the level of detail on each individual model or the true scale of the work, approximately 1:15 scale. I also would not have been able to perceive all sides of the diorama or focus in on certain areas of interest. I feel that this inability to capture the full depth of the work or the emotional impact over a photograph is why it is so important to see work in the flesh.

 

Bibliography

Jake and Dinos Chapman, Nein! Eleven, 2013. (2013). [image] Available at: http://cdn.jakeanddinoschapman.com/wp-content/uploads/9203-680×453.jpg [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017].

Won-hui Lee, The Beginning of the End, 2017. (2017). [image] Available at: http://imodeler.com/uploads/2017/11/w/won-huilee-171104-59fddfd8f1ce5.jpg [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017].

Jarhead, The Last Light, 2013. (2013). [image] Available at: http://www.puttyandpaint.com/images/uploads/artistworks/3432/09__sized.jpg [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017].

Colourfall: Spectroscopic (2013) is acrylic paint mounted on aluminium panel, Ian Davenport created this using nothing less than syringes full of paint, systematically pouring them down the surface. With the panels tilted slightly, gravity and consistency of the paint determines the final result of the painting. In my opinion, there is no theoretical reasoning behind his work other than the constant discussion of chance and intention. One could argue that it is pure chance in where and how the paint falls down the surface, especially at the bottom. But it could be the intention of using syringes with thin amount of paint and a steady hand in order to ensure a smooth line. The angle in which the panel is tilted is also under control of the artist to achieve some sort of desired outcome. I enjoy the fact that that Davenport’s work seems to be, arguably, isolated from the main political and social issues explored within the contemporary art world. His work has a conversation with its own materiality rather than the world around it.

Appropriation in art refers to the intentional use of pre-existing objects or works of other artists with little or no change from the originals. For this task, I have decided to appropriate one of my favourite artist Yago Hortal’s pieces, SP90 and SP84 (2015), and make a diptych with this. As an interesting process to start with, I had to rip apart one of my old pieces of work from my Foundation Diploma to recover the canvas frames. Proved very hard to do as the resin had caused the material to stick tight to the back, my practice can be about forgetting preciousness so I had to be brave and just dispose of the material rather than cutting around and keeping the original work. It also proved hard to find/afford the same pure fluorescent pigment that Hortal uses so I used all the colours I had available to me in one evening. My favourite particularly being the gold and copper. I think the scale is an issue here as unlike Yago Hortal, my canvases are small, a lot less room for expressive movements. So, the painting action was appropriated rather than exact process.

For my Manifesto project I decided to present it by projecting it onto a wall. This ended up making its scale quite large, the benefit of this being that it was eye catching and could be seen from a distance. However as it was a video it could be scaled down very easily, therefore it could be scaled down to a monitor or even a phone screen. As it was a manifesto this benefits it also as this ease of viewing could allow a lot more people to view it and receive the message.

I believe the positives of reducing the scale on a video is that it really makes the viewer come closer. Ths engagement normally means they’ll be paying more attention to the work, especially on a screen as small as most smartphones. On the other hand the large scale makes work more dramatic, this almost overwhelming nature can really grab the viewer. I believe the best medium for this work would to have a large scale projection in an exhibition space but to have a copy on a website so that it could circulate and be viewed at a smaller scale on a range of devices and therefore circulate.

Presented by the Imperial War Museum, London and curated by Sanna Moore, ‘Age of Terror: Art Since 9/11’ exhibits the work of over forty artists from around the world. All coming from different backgrounds and using different mediums the exhibition provides a unique opportunity to compare how the events of September 11^th 2001 affected the world.

The show aims to portray the ongoing political and social change that 9/11 has had on the world. From increased security measures, George Bush’s ‘Global War on Terror’ and the Iraq War have all contributed to a significant change in the wests social and political out looks. Each exhibiting artist has helped to express the opinions to how each nation; social class and religious group have reacted to the atrocities committed in the subsequent fall out.

One particular focus of the exhibition is Iván Navarro’s ‘The Twin Towers’. The work consists of two LED infinity mirrors placed flat against the floor; the work creates the illusion of an infinitely deep pit as the lights recess into the void. In order to account for the impact and nature of the work the curator has decided to isolate them from the main part of the exhibit. The work is thus displayed in a slightly darkened room to emphasise the depth of the piece and the isolation of an eternally dark pit. However, the work is simply placed onto the floor of the exhibition rather than built into it, due to this there is a six-inch skirting around the work, which, I find, breaks the illusion.

Overall, the exhibition leaves the viewer reflecting on the impact of war and how the war on terror might be resolved in the future. However it also leaves them questioning the appropriateness of continual surveillance, increased security measures and living in a world on high alert and how that has affected us and our following generations.

Completing each blog post has become a continuingly challenging task that has pushed me to research new and interesting artists that I may never of discovered otherwise. Also it has made me really think about previous works and allowed me to reflect on them, often leading me onto new thought and ideas. This is especially true with task 12 as it made me question the scale of my manifesto project and  allowed me to imagine new ways of presenting. I believe this questioning will benefit me on future projects.

I believe task 7 was the most challenging task because of the type of language presented within the essays. I really had decode them to discover their meaning and subsequently develop my own opinions on them. I overcame this by concentrating on the texts, coming back and summarising each paragraph in my head to gain a comprehensive understanding. This again will benefit me in the future as I have methods and the confidence to read challenging texts I didn’t possess before.

Finally this module has benefited me as it has tested my time management skills and the ability to work within a deadline. Although some weeks I fell behind on my tasks I was able to overcome and complete the given tasks.

 

Muntean / Rosenblum Untitled [Everything was as it had

been a minute ago…], 2001 [painting]

Muntean/Rosenblum’s Untitled painting ^[fig1] depicts a scene in which three individuals stare back out of the painting intensely at the viewer. The work relies on the viewer’s interaction to create an aura of suspense and tension about the painting. This is further emphasised by the statement written at the bottom of the piece, ‘Everything was as it had been a minute ago, except for a sense of general suspension, as of things holding themselves in stillness, not daring to breathe.’, which confirms the artists intentions as to make the viewer feel as if they are intruding on the piece.

The compositional arrangement of the work ^[fig2] is composed of thirds and triangles, which takes the viewers eye around the three individuals in the painting but ultimately always leading back to the top right third. This creates a point of focus on the central woman and her nudity resulting in the viewer becoming awkward yet further questioning the scene that plays out before them. Further analysis of the individuals in the painting shows that the outermost figures depict strikingly similar facial features, bone structure and hair and eye colour. In this regard, they can assume to be siblings. Meanwhile the central figure is heavily reminiscent of Gustav Klimt’s ‘Danaë’ ^[fig3] a painting which depicts Danaë, mother of the demigod Perseus, as she has intercourse with Zeus.

The viewer then comes to question exactly what was going on before they stepped into the room, what a brother and sister would be doing alone in a room with a nude women, a bottle of alcohol, television and a clock. The clock gives the viewer a snapshot into the enigma before them, the time displayed is 8:05 precisely. The positioning of the clock suggests that the artists made it intentional for the viewer to recognise the time. 8:05 happens to be the title of a song by the band Moby Grape on their debut album ‘Moby Grape’, the song focuses on a breakup the last lines of the song being ‘I guess you’re leaving…goodbye’. This entices the viewer to keep viewing regardless, creating a paradox in which the awkwardness of the scene is inescapable.

 

Bibliiography

Gustav Klimt, Danaë. (2015). [image] Available at: http://www.gooly.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/gustav-klimt-danae.jpg [Accessed 2 Dec. 2017].

‘YOU SET OUT. AND I, NOT DEATH.

DROVE THE CAR.’

My chosen image is a frame from my film ‘Dysmorphia’. Some could say over my studies in art I have been “obsessed” by the idea of identity. My practice so far has mainly been influenced by the idea of identity as I believe it’s such a personal topic within my own life which greatly affects my thoughts on a day to day basis. This pushed me to create the film dysmorphia which shows the shifting identity of subject to subject, their likenesses being twisted and contorted until a gradual resemblance is made. My idea is to challenge the idea of identity, to ask the question what makes me, me and you, you? The simple change of a single feature can completely change someone’s appearance showing how fragile our idea of exterior identity.

The use of chalk and charcoal as a medium adds an entirely new element to the work. The fragility almost ethereal quality of the marks, fading into a black background brings up a deeper question of identity, the idea of the soul and what that means to be human. The ghostly imprint of the chalk and the featureless face could suggest this idea, that behind our outer appearance is a deeper, even spiritual, element inside everyone.

The words are an extract from the poem ‘Isis’ by Ted Hughes. It describes his own unhealthy obsession, that eventually ends in tragedy.

Bibliography-

Hughes, T., 1999. Birthday letters. London: Faber and Faber.

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart) is a tribute piece to the young artist Michael Stewart who was caught by two officers when vandalising a subway station and was subsequently beaten to death. The imagery of this piece is incredibly powerful, the ‘cartoonish cops’ drawn in a child like scribble with batons raised in the air has extremely malevolent connotations. The figure in the middle is a ‘ faceless silhouette’ their passive pose showing their complete helplessness. The lack of features represents the threat that Basquiat saw to all people of his race, he himself saying “It could have been me”. Finally the writing behind the figure  “¿DEFACIMENTO?” really questions the viewer, making them think who is actually defacing. The man drawing on the wall or the man? Depending on the viewer’s personal beliefs their opinion will change.

What I find most interesting about this piece however is that even though this piece was made in 1983, it couldn’t be anymore contemporary. You still read now of the race issues in America, most notably between the police and black Americans. Even ‘31 years’ later ‘Eric Garner’ was killed in ‘an illegal choke hold in NYC by Police, an all to similar story to that of Michael Stewart. This piece is an excellent example of art recording history and politics, hopefully so that us in the future can learn from it.

Bibliography–

Liang, O., 2017. Jean Basquiat defacement – Google Search. [online] Google.co.uk. Available at: <https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Jean+Basquiat+defacement&safe=off&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB758GB758&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwin59DcmfPXAhXDCsAKHbtiCBgQ_AUICigB&biw=1368&bih=807#imgrc=_> [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].