Dada Collage

Cai Guo Qiang

                       Cai Guo-Qiang who was born in 1957 in Guanzhou city, China is a contemporary artist and curator and he works in New York.   After watching his interview in Art 21 website, I have to say Cai’s artwork is “dangerous” but very surprising and impressive. He uses the poppy flower to describe his work since it is a poison but it also has its attractive and romantic sides. Cai always likes to use an explosive substance — gunpowder to create his drawings. Gunpowder, as we know is full of danger and uncontrollable; therefore, Cai and his group have to know it very well and also use it carefully during their work.   The whole process of creating a drawing with the gunpowder is long and needs to be cautious. First of all, Cai would draw the shape of the object on a paper and cut it out and lay it down on the lager paper or a long scroll.  He would sprinkle some gunpowder and yellow pigment powder on the image.  Then, the group would use some paper, cardboard to cover the artwork and use some stones to fix it. The final step is the most important step --make the gunpowder explode.  The result of the explosion sometimes is a great satisfaction but sometimes it is a disappointment for the entire group. However, in his projects, Cai successfully harnesses the explosive power of gunpowder to create his own special artwork style. The explosion of gunpowder just likes a metaphor for the September 11 event. The artist is trying to make those violent explosions beautiful. I really like what Cai said in the interview, “the artist, like an alchemist, has the ability to transform certain energies…and the art is not about what you say, it’s about these other things that you don’t say.” 

 In fact, Cai’s work is inspired by his interest in traditional Chinese culture and everyday life, and at the time, his father who was an artist also influenced him a lot.  Cai draws on lots of different materials, elements of fengshui, symbols, images of tigers and dragons, Chinese medicine and philosophy and gunpowder and so on.  In his work, Cai tries to explore pain, tragedy, and the meaning of terrorism in the world and express his ideas and emotions through abstract images and powerful objects.  Also, he likes to use strong visual impact to let people feel pain, and meanwhile, his projects reflect social issues today. 

Assignment #6 Between World Wars

            The Dadaism art movement began in Zurich and was a direct reaction to the horrors of World War I.  At the time a  number of artists and writers  believed that traditional logic and reason lead to the war; therefore, they defied tradition.  The Dadaists gave up the conventional standards of art and created the art on their own ways. Their artworks rejected aesthetics at all and were more concerned with irrationality and chaos and also reflected the absurdity of the war and artists’ anger. Marcel Duchamp who was a French-American painter was the most radical artist in the Dada movement and the first conceptual artist since he created a new idea of art—readymade.  Duchamp’s work was filled with aggressiveness and irony. One of his famous readmades called Fountain which was simply a urinal shocked people because of its visual puns and humor.  Bicycle Wheel was Duchamp’s first readmade. The work simply consisted of a kitchen stool and the wheel of a bicycle.  The objects the artist chose were common but the combination of the two was interesting. The viewer could feel happy and somehow peaceful when he looked at this artwork. It seemed also a kind of pleasure to see the wheel turning. It was apparent that Duchamp did not focus on technique and aesthetic appeal completely but he was more like to show people the conceptual value of art.

 

            Jacob Lawrence was born in 1917 in New Jersey and he was one of the best painters of 20^th century.  He was labeled as a storyteller because of his famous series of narrative paintings. Migration series, included sixty panels and depicted the migration of African Americans from the south to the north during and after the first World War. Lawrence showed the viewer the stories of people seeking jobs, new lives after the war in Europe. Each work combined sociology and history, and showed a clear theme such as education, jobs, environment, buildings and human activity and so on.  In addition, the artist used bold colors, simplified figures, flat space, lots of shapes and representational compositions in his series.  From the paintings, we can see that Lawrence expressed his strong emotions and concern about the world during the war.  He was influenced by African American history and the Harlem Renaissance.  Jacob Lawrence had great impact at the period since he told the stories of hopes and struggles of African Americans in history through his artworks. What his work showed was not only the portrait of the people he knew included his family, but it also was the portrait of himself.  

Assignment # 5

              A group of artists that led by Claude Monet between 1870 and 1880 were labeled as Impressionists because of their paintings style.  These Impressionists put more focus on the realistic scenes that what the eye sees. Therefore, they portrayed the contemporary life through their direct observation outdoors.  You can see the artists gave more emphasis on color than lines of what they portrayed; they liked to use small brushstrokes as well. Scenes were usually painted with different main subjects such as seasons, atmospheric conditions and so on.   Gradually, Impressionists were more like to depict outdoor leisure activities of the middle-class people. In Post-Impressionism period, the artists had different opinions about Impressionism so they created their own painting styles based on it.  In the paintings, the viewer could see much more personal expression and some innovative formal structure. Post-Impressionists still used strong colors, brushstrokes, ordinary subject matter. However, they developed the use of geometric forms and abnormal colors, and were not concerned with the appearance of their subject matter. 

                Claude Monet was born in France and he was a leader of French Impressionist painting.  One of his favorite models in his paintings was boat.  In Boating On The River (Epte:1887) , the long oar Monet depicts plays an important role. It divides diagonally the entire composition of the painting, and also shortens the distance between the boat and the viewer.  The wavy lines seem to be gentle; however, they reflect the strength of the oar.   Rather than focus on the two ladies’ drama, Monet seems to pay more attention to the description of the foreground.  We can see how he uses the pure color to show us the vibrancy in his work.  The blue of the flowers and the green of the leaves that contrast with the dark green let the boating get rid of tedium and at the same time, the picture becomes more attractive and lifelike.   

               Paul Gauguin was considered as a spiritual leader in Post-Impressionism because his paintings express emotion and feeling in a modern way and he was more interested in the inner vision than the external elements. In Nevermore we can see the naked woman lying on the bed in an awkward way and her right hip is distorted simultaneously she opens her eyes but does not have any eye contact with us. I think there are two explanations for what she’s doing.  One is that the woman is not sleeping but more likely to pretend to be asleep and listening attentively to the conversation of two women behind her.  Another one is she might be immersing in her own fancy so the bird and the two figures in the background are not real. In contrast to the colors of background, Monet uses the strong yellow to depict the woman’s body to show her curves and further attract the viewer’s attention. 

Assignment#4 Part Two

Fra Filippo Lippi was born in Florence and he was an Italian painter in the second generation of Renaissance artists.  His painting Portrait of a Woman with a Man at a casement is the earliest double portrait that was painted around 1440 in Italy; it is also a first work that shows the sitters in a domestic setting.  It is a very odd but interesting artwork I saw in the museum and it leaves me an unforgettable impression.   This painting shows the two figures in profile, and it is exactly the standard format in early Renaissance portraiture.  At the time, the artists tend to use symbolism and iconography to depict their artworks.  In this double portrait, we can see that the woman is wearing the expensive clothing and jewelry that show how rich she is ,and her pale skin represents that she is pure and from the letters spelling “lealta” (means faithful) that embroidered on her sleeve we can know the relationship of the two figures.  Moreover, the look what the man at the window shows seems somehow a little stiff and there’s no expression on his face; however, he still gives us a feeling like an owner is looking at one of his beautiful objects and his fingers reveal his hidden happiness of mind.  The poses of the two models show a kind of strong formality and also the noble woman obviously takes up almost the whole view of the painting as the main subject.   It is probably that Lippi was commissioned to depict this painting to show the man how his fiancée looks like.  In addition, the enclosed little space the woman’s in represents that she is in a passive and controlled state. Lippi’s painting clearly reflects that the position of women and the formalization of wedding during the Italian Renaissance.  

 Orazio Borgianni, who was born in Rome, was an Italian painter of early-Baroque periods. Head of an Old Woman is one of his artworks that made in the 17^th century. The figure is shown might be the artist’s mother because he did paint a portrait of his mother a few years earlier. Meanwhile, Borgianni’s work shows the strong emotional realism and depicts common characters of human beings that are also the characteristic of the Baroque style. In the painting, the shaft of light that lit on the old woman seems merciless as if her youth is robbed by the cruel god. Borgianni laments the old age and mortality through his work and also gives the viewer a meditation.  The old woman’s eyes are looking down and show sadness and helplessness.  The colors of what she dresses are similar to the background and at the same time, they further bring out her depression. It seems that the figure has been very close to death; however, she is unable to stop it.  I remember that I felt sad and tears came to my eyes soon when I was looking at this painting. It reminded me of my weak grandmother.  That’s why I think it is really a powerful and eye-catching work since it shows people the very common thing but touches our hearts easily. “Once youth is gone and it will never come back”, I think this is also what the artist wanted to express.

Renaissance & Baroque Art Assignment #4

                Rembrandt van Rijn was born in Leiden, a textiles and university town and he became a painter when he was 14.  He was the greatest painter in Holland. During his glorious years in Amsterdam,  Rembrandt's paintings were widely admired and accepted by many rich people.  He was a virtuoso manipulator of paint and more like a psychologist of the human condition because he could show the mood and vulnerability of human by depicting their watery eyes and jabbing strokes.  However, he was punished and his masterpiece had been cut up for being incompatible with modern taste and the special style of his works of art.

  In the 

painting, we can easily see what this man does— a rich fur businessman.  Because he is wearing his own product-- a high-priced fur coat, his identity becomes more obvious.  Rembrandt draws the background with deeper color and brings out the merchant’s character.  Nicolaes Ruts is a very intelligent businessman because he knows how to show people his products in a better way. Furthermore, from his tired face and the winkles around his eyes, we also know how diligent he is.  The artist tries to tell us what the successful merchant owns now is consistent with how hard he works all the time. And that’s why he is considered a businessman’s hero.  In addition, the figure’s gestures and posture, and even the small details on his serious face are showing a little impatience.  All of this further proves the fact that time is money for a businessman. 

The portrait of 83-year-old woman shows an unhappy face with drooping eyes and a frown.  It seems that the woman is not satisfied with her life or she is thinking of someone or something important because her eyes express a little sadness and lots of worry.  This painting gives me a feeling that she is a meticulous person in her life and always has more concerns for others than for herself.  

Unlike most other artists, Rembrandt slightly changes Samson’s image but still keeps the original story. In Rembrandt’s painting, Samson is not a naked strong man and likes a sleeping lion anymore.  He is depicted as a helpless and weak young person who is sleeping on the lap of an attractive woman called Delilah.  Samson dresses well, and at the same time, the yellow knot represents his love and trust in Delilah and becomes one of the keys in the painting.  However, the woman’s gestures and the look on her face are telling us a different story.  One of her hands seems ready to shear off the braids of Samson’s hair. Meanwhile, another hand is still gently touching his head as if she is comforting and making him sleep more deeply.  Rembrandt emphasizes Delilah’s right foot and toes by using the brightness of the light and shows the figures and story’s tensions further.  Moreover, the person who is holding the shape scissors and another one who is sneaking behind reveal a strong sense of betrayal as well.  Overall, the artist perfectly displays the basic sides of human nature—love and betrayal. 

Renaissance

                The Medici family occupied a very high position in Florence because of their political power and wealth and meanwhile, they were the leaders of the Renaissance.  At the beginning of the Renaissance, they supported the artists’ art creations and let them completely focus on their work without having to worry about the lack of money.  For example, the Medic helped the poor architect Filippo Brunelleschi when no one could understand his ideas about architecture.   Finally, Brunelleschi created the concept of linear perspective and made great progress in his work and then helped the Medici further develop their businesses. Donatello was also a famous artist the Medici supported during the Renaissance.  He successfully opened a new way for the development of art in Italy.  The sculpture bronze David was the first naked statue since ancient Roman times; therefore, it was very revolutionary. Moreover, it was innovation because the boy only wore the hat and boots but exposed the secret part of his body to people. The artwork portrayed shame and displayed a little sensuality. However, it showed the artist’s clear interpretations of divine perfection and human value.