project 1: textual research: postmodernism
Aim
Looking at what these artists have produced, you’ll think about the why and how. Intense scrutiny into
one or more areas within painting’s rich history will enable you to acquire a greater depth of knowledge which you can then apply to your own painting
Looking at what these artists have produced, you’ll think about the why and how. Intense scrutiny into
one or more areas within painting’s rich history will enable you to acquire a greater depth of knowledge which you can then apply to your own painting
postmodernism
Introduction from the Painting 2: Handbook
Part of postmodernism’s ironic condition could be said to have arrived in September 1921 when five Russian constructivist artists, including Aleksandr Rodchenko (1891– 1956), exhibited monochrome canvases (Pure Red Colour, Pure Yellow Colour, Pure Blue Colour) in an exhibition titled 5x5=25 in Moscow. Rodchenko later said: I reduced painting to its logical conclusion and exhibited three canvases: red, blue and yellow. I affirmed it’s all over. Basic colours. Every plane is a plane and there is to be no representation. In the US with painters like Robert Rauschenberg , Sol LeWitt , Ed Ruscha and Miriam Schapiro. Later in the UK, during the 1980s heyday of the Young British Artists (YBAs), artists like Gary Hume, Jenny Saville and Chris Ofili came to the fore. Two other names to look out for are Julie Mehretu (New York) and Marlene Dumas (born in South Africa, now working in the Netherlands). All of these artists have become influential through their works and also their opinions on painting, and they continue to inspire makers today.
Debates raged about the validity of painting up to the 1980s when it was once again declared outmoded in the race for new and different ways to work. Some felt that painting had been replaced by the proliferation of ‘newer’ technologies such as film, photography and sound. However, many artists fought back and proved that, far from painting being dead, there were
still a lot of questions to be answered about and through painting. In postmodern painting all the elements come together as one – albeit fractured – image or visual object, blatantly deconstructing many of the parameters of modernist painting with its conflicting cultural references and disconcerting imagery. In this way postmodern artists are able to break away from the seriousness of modernism and use humour and irony as a tool for cultural critique, or simply as a way of expressing a situation or idea, leaving the viewer to decide on any meaning or theme (which may or may not be intended).
Part of postmodernism’s ironic condition could be said to have arrived in September 1921 when five Russian constructivist artists, including Aleksandr Rodchenko (1891– 1956), exhibited monochrome canvases (Pure Red Colour, Pure Yellow Colour, Pure Blue Colour) in an exhibition titled 5x5=25 in Moscow. Rodchenko later said: I reduced painting to its logical conclusion and exhibited three canvases: red, blue and yellow. I affirmed it’s all over. Basic colours. Every plane is a plane and there is to be no representation. In the US with painters like Robert Rauschenberg , Sol LeWitt , Ed Ruscha and Miriam Schapiro. Later in the UK, during the 1980s heyday of the Young British Artists (YBAs), artists like Gary Hume, Jenny Saville and Chris Ofili came to the fore. Two other names to look out for are Julie Mehretu (New York) and Marlene Dumas (born in South Africa, now working in the Netherlands). All of these artists have become influential through their works and also their opinions on painting, and they continue to inspire makers today.
Debates raged about the validity of painting up to the 1980s when it was once again declared outmoded in the race for new and different ways to work. Some felt that painting had been replaced by the proliferation of ‘newer’ technologies such as film, photography and sound. However, many artists fought back and proved that, far from painting being dead, there were
still a lot of questions to be answered about and through painting. In postmodern painting all the elements come together as one – albeit fractured – image or visual object, blatantly deconstructing many of the parameters of modernist painting with its conflicting cultural references and disconcerting imagery. In this way postmodern artists are able to break away from the seriousness of modernism and use humour and irony as a tool for cultural critique, or simply as a way of expressing a situation or idea, leaving the viewer to decide on any meaning or theme (which may or may not be intended).
Abstract Expressionism (1940)
When the Abstract Expressionism movement emerged in the 1940's, critics placed the works of theses artists in two categories, the Action Painters and the Colour-Field Painters. Abstract art is more of an ideal than a movement and impossible to link to one particular style. After the devastation of two World Wars, people were ready to pursue freedom in all its forms. Artists looked for new ways to express their emotions and reactions toward society by creating pieces that require a deeper level of thinking from their audience.
Jackson Pollock
His paintings are a great example of how a modern world ravaged by nuclear war and uncertainty can lead to a radical style that redefined painting and pictorial space on the canvas. He is easily considered one of the greatest American Painters and most influential in the changing face of art. It was his technique of dripping and pouring paint with a freedom and striking rhythm that revolutionized the process of creation and. The canvas became a limitless swirling vortex of colour that engulfed the viewer. |
I myself have dabbled with trying to use dripping and pouring in my painting, but it can be difficult to to accomplish. It would be useful to take a closer look into how Pollock achieved his look to see if these might be applicable in my own work.
Painting techniques:
I watched a video on Khan Academy (2012) describing Pollock's methods and these were some of the important take aways:
- The canvas was laid out on the ground
- Unconventional brushes were used (even a turkey baster)
- Fluid alkyd enamel paints were used
- Pollock developed a rhythm when pouring the paint
- There are no forms or line delineation
"Here the line is not defining anything. Line becomes here autonomous, and for the first time is liberated from its historical role in painting of describing other shapes."
The most significant take away from looking at his work is that every line, stroke, dot or smudge had a purpose. This technique could easily result in a giant mess, but it didn't. His spacial awareness and understanding of the canvas as a space combines into a beautiful dance. I believe some of this must have come with practicing his technique and honing his craft, but certainly a larger part of it has come from within.
post-modernist 1950
Frank Stella This American painter had a great impact on the perception of art. Using geometric shapes and colour he sets our to create a narrative through the placement of lines and colours, which means that as the viewer actively follows the lines, they become part of the narrative (Artnet, 2018). The painting shown on the left is quite similar to Bridget Riley's Crest (1964) which falls under a movement called Op Art, where the impact on the eye created a type of disorientation (Honour & Fleming, 2009). |
pop art 1955
Post modernism brought with into question the aesthetic nature of art as well as the notion of authorship. During this time, theorist concluded that, "a work of art is never fixed, but is generated in elation to various sign systems within culture" (Baily & Mckelway, 2014:28). Many works during this time represented a combination of old and new, finding that which is familiar and combining it with new popular themes, also known as appropriation. Two artists who have been. Two artists that have really managed to capitalize from the rise of popular culture and iconography are Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol. At the Art Basel show in Hong Kong this year I was fortunate to see some of their pieces.
Jeff Koons
This American artist believes that people are greatly interested in the banal. There was a particular trend during the 60s and 70s where artists deeply explored the every day, exposing the very nature of man, in their obsession with them selves and the things around them. In his Gazing Ball series he combines well known masterpieces with a reflecting blue gazing ball. As the viewer steps forward to see the painting, they also see themselves (you can see me taking the photo). It brings to the forefront our relationship to art. "“This experience is about you,” says Koons, “your desires, your interests, your participation, your relationship with this image.” (Needham, 2015) |
There are some important ideas her that Jeff Koons brings to light and it makes me consider how I can employ some of his aesthetic.
- enlarging and emphasizing something every day
- bold colour statements
- drawing in the viewer by allowing them so find them self with the art piece
- making use of reflection
conceptual art 1960
Conceptual artists challenged the aesthetics of art even further by favoring concepts and ideas over the object or art piece. These concepts "referred to the definition of art itself while simultaneously questioning its limits" (Baily & Mckelway, 2014:64).
John Baldessari
This American conceptual artist often combined paint, text and pre-existing images to create visual metaphors. His specific distortions or arrangements would work together to create a narrative that the viewer tries to unlock. I watched a fun little video A Brief History of John Baldessari, (Joost & Schulman, 2012) which you can view here. In it he says that he will probably be remembered for putting dots over people's faces, an action he felt "leveled the playing filed". He also gives three rules for artists to live by:
1. Talent is cheap
2. You have to be possessed (which you can’t will)
3. Be at the right place at the right time
Looking at his series of dots, you can see that the artist is questioning identity and doing so in a humorous and whimsical way. Viewer tend to find meaning in facial expression, but now you have to consider more than this. You also find yourself wondering about the relationship of the colour to the person, which could make each viewer's interpretation individual, as they may perceive colour meaning in different ways.
This American conceptual artist often combined paint, text and pre-existing images to create visual metaphors. His specific distortions or arrangements would work together to create a narrative that the viewer tries to unlock. I watched a fun little video A Brief History of John Baldessari, (Joost & Schulman, 2012) which you can view here. In it he says that he will probably be remembered for putting dots over people's faces, an action he felt "leveled the playing filed". He also gives three rules for artists to live by:
1. Talent is cheap
2. You have to be possessed (which you can’t will)
3. Be at the right place at the right time
Looking at his series of dots, you can see that the artist is questioning identity and doing so in a humorous and whimsical way. Viewer tend to find meaning in facial expression, but now you have to consider more than this. You also find yourself wondering about the relationship of the colour to the person, which could make each viewer's interpretation individual, as they may perceive colour meaning in different ways.
minimalism 1960
Minimalism emerged in New York in the 1960s and was a way for artists to call attention back to the materials used to produce work, rather than a display of emotion and symbolism. The aim was to maintain the purity and integrity of the work. The 'understanding of art as an experience that unfolds in the relationship between viewer and work in actual space and over time is central to the challenge Minimalism presented' (Honor and Fleming, 2009). Artists broke with traditional conventions, by avoiding the representation of anything in particular, through the use of sleek lines, repetition, industrial materials and abnormal scales. They aimed to remove the human touch from their work by working with industrial materials (Baily & Mckelway, 2014:64).
Sol Lewitt
He was an American conceptual artist who also believed that art could be an idea. His work 'Two Open Modular Cubes/Half-Off' 1972 would probably be a good example of what constituted minimalist art according to my research above. However, it is his etching work that I find most engaging. Normally he works with more rigid geometric lines and contrasting bright colours, creating repetitions and patterns within his work. But here there is a greater sense of freedom to the work, even though every line would have need to been placed more thoughtfully. The lines create an energy and a feeling of motion. |
performance art 1965
Also know as Body Art, as the artist uses their own body as a medium, often to communicate social, political or sexual issues. As a movement, it continued to question the value and placement of art. These performing artists were not afraid to confront their audience or the critics as a way to question the system. Bruce Nauman's Self-Portrait as a Fountain shows how the artist and the work of art becomes one.
Jan Fabre While in Seville I visited the Modern Art Museum where one of the artists featured was Jan Fabre. This Belgiun artist is well known for his performances that usually come aim to make a political or social statement. His works are generally provoking and often controversial. At the exhibition there were many conceptual sketches and ideas around the room and also a screening room with some of his performance pieces, as you can see on the left. Below are a series of quotes from Fabre which were on the walls. Much of his work grapples with issues of identity as well our dependency on monetary reward. |
photorealism 1970
Photorealism grew as a result of the rising popularity of photography. Artist recreate photographs as paintings which are hyper realistic. Many thought photographs would replace the need for paintings, which is why artists like Malcolm Morley used the canvas to show the tension between these two mediums.
I was particularly drawn to the work of Marilyn Minter, whose hyper realistic paintings draw attention to the female form and societies views on beauty. She uses her photorealistic technique "to critique the promise of perfection in fashion, exposing physical imperfections and the unabashed exploitation of women's bodies as catalysts for consumerism" (Guggenheim, 2018). I think artist who are able to create these type of hyper realistic paintings are incredible. I cannot imagine the amount of time and effort that must go into this type of work. When I first started painting I also felt this urge of having to accurately portray what I see in getting all the details correct, however I simply did not have the technical skill (or patience) to do it. Though I cannot take away much from Marilyn's technique, I can consider her message. Entertainment and advertising are still bombarding us with notions of beauty and forcing us to compare ourselves to an impossible ideal. Finding a way of celebrating beauty or femininity without prescribing what it should be is definitely something I would like to bring into my work. |
land art 1970
Land art is when the environment becomes the 'canvas. These are usually works of a large scale and most of the American artists, like Robert Smithson and Nancy Holt, who participated in this movement did as a statement against the market-driven art world. They were therefore often in remote areas that were unscathed by human intervention (Baily & Mckelway, 2014:64). Smithson's Spiral Jetty is a 1,500-foot-long (460 m), 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) counterclockwise coil on the shore of the Great Salt Lake. |
yba 1980
The Young British Artists were a group of artists who came together around 1988. Though they did not have a particular distinctive style, they did share a particular mindset. Their art was a combination of mediums, rather more coneptual, but with the intention to shock or surprise. They were considered the entrepreneurs of what art could be (MoMA, 2018). YBA artists included Jake and Dinos Chapman, Tracey Emin, Gary Hume, Sarah Lucas, Chris Ofili, Marc Quinn, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Mark Wallinger, and Rachel Whiteread and probably the most well-known of them Damien Hirst. He kicked of the movement with his exhibition entitled Freeze (1988). "The era is marked by a complete openness towards the materials and processes with which art can be made, and the form that it can take"(Tate, 2018).
Works cited
Artnet (2018) Frank Stella. [online] At: http://www.artnet.com/artists/frank-stella/2 (Accessed on 20 November 2018)
Baily, G.A. and McKelway, M.P. (2014) Art in Time: A World History of Styles and Movements. Phaidon
Guggenheim (2018) Marilyn Minter. [online] At: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/marilyn-minter (Accessed on 20 November 2018)
Honour, H and Fleming, J. (2009) A world history of art. London: Laurence King Publishing.
Joost, H and Schulman, A. (2012) A Brief History of John Baldessari. [online] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU7V4GyEuXA (Accessed on 22 November 2018)
Khan Academy (2012) The Painting Techniques of Jackson Pollock. [online] At: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/abstract-exp-nyschool/abstract-expressionism/v/moma-painting-technique-pollock (Accessed on 20 November 2018)
MoMA (2018) Young British Artists. [online] At: https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/105 (Accessed on 22 November 2018)
Needham, A. (2015) Jeff Koons on his Gazing Ball Paintings: 'It's not about copying'. [online] At: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/09/jeff-koons-gazing-ball-paintings-its-not-about-copying (Accessed on 21 November 2018)
Tate (2018) Young British Artists. [online] At: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/y/young-british-artists-ybas (Accessed on 22 November 2018)
Baily, G.A. and McKelway, M.P. (2014) Art in Time: A World History of Styles and Movements. Phaidon
Guggenheim (2018) Marilyn Minter. [online] At: https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/marilyn-minter (Accessed on 20 November 2018)
Honour, H and Fleming, J. (2009) A world history of art. London: Laurence King Publishing.
Joost, H and Schulman, A. (2012) A Brief History of John Baldessari. [online] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU7V4GyEuXA (Accessed on 22 November 2018)
Khan Academy (2012) The Painting Techniques of Jackson Pollock. [online] At: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/abstract-exp-nyschool/abstract-expressionism/v/moma-painting-technique-pollock (Accessed on 20 November 2018)
MoMA (2018) Young British Artists. [online] At: https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/105 (Accessed on 22 November 2018)
Needham, A. (2015) Jeff Koons on his Gazing Ball Paintings: 'It's not about copying'. [online] At: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/nov/09/jeff-koons-gazing-ball-paintings-its-not-about-copying (Accessed on 21 November 2018)
Tate (2018) Young British Artists. [online] At: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/y/young-british-artists-ybas (Accessed on 22 November 2018)