Part 2 – Lara's Understanding Visual culture (Visual Studies 1) blog

Reflections on Part 2

Unfortunately I struggled a lot during Part 2. This was not related to the course content but to a broken kneecap which I have been recovering from since September. This has really slowed down my study and affected my ability to concentrate. In Part 1 I was able to throw myself into studying 100% but during this section I was only able to study when well enough to do so. I have also neglected my sketchbook and so will aim to use it more in future. Having said that, I really have enjoyed learning about Modern art particularly Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism.

Demonstration of subject based knowledge and understanding

I found the subject of Modernism really interesting. It was useful to study Greenberg’s theories to gain a perspective on how art and society has progressed through the Modernist period. I was able to understand how different art movements evolved through the 20th Century and how social changes were a large influence. I have started to understand how different theories about art (and what it is or should be) influence the creative processes within these movements.

Demonstration of Research Skills

I am becoming confident in using the internet to access journals and essays to assist with my research. I have found it useful to access primary sources of interviews with artists that have been published online as this gives me a greater insight into the artist and their work. I am also using online videos of lectures and artist interviews to broaden my knowledge. I am confident researching around a subject and then focusing that research appropriately to answer an exercise or assignment.

Demonstration of critical and evaluation skills

I have engaged with relevant concepts, values and debates. I feel as though I am starting to find my voice and reflect upon these. I do however, sometimes feel as though I lack confidence expressing my ideas and worry whether my understanding is sufficient enough to make my own statements. I spend a lot of time reflecting on my research and sometimes thoughts or ideas will come at random moments which I have to note down quickly before they disappear!

Communication

I have ensured that I am using more visuals within my work to illustrate points and explanations. As this course has taken longer than usual, I am concerned as to whether Assignment 2 flows as well as my previous Assignment. I have attempted to order my research in a logical and progressive way that hopefully is accessible to the reader.

Exercise 2.4

For a picture of your own choice say how the image indicates a point of view for the spectator and say why you think the effect is rare in the cinema but common in photography. Does the painting or photograph represent eye-contact between someone in the picture and ourselves. What films have you seen where characters treat the camera as another person?

Before answering the question above, I wanted to ensure that I fully understood the term ‘scopic regimes’. Formulated by Martin Jay in 1988, the term ‘scopic regime’ is derived from a term used by the cinematologist Christian Metz who wished to compare how we behave in the cinema and in the theatre. According to Sendyka (2013) ‘he is interested in two factors: the distance of the spectator from the object and the very existence of that object vis-à-vis the spectator.’ He refers to visual acts imposed on the viewer, for example the institution, its machinery, its space, its presentation, external perceptual conditions and scopophilia.

Martin Jay developed the idea of Scopic regimes in his 1988 article Scopic regimes and Modernity. Roma Sendyka (2013) explains that:

‘It is therefore not only the act of seeing that is important, but also the system of dependence between the donor and the recipient of the look. The frame of that action also matters: scopic regime is a type of visuality but a ”culturally specific” one. In Jay’s view a scopic regime is a set of visual conventions determining our action of seeing: how and what we see. In other words it is dominant ways of seeing and organising visual culture. In determining the relation between the spectator and the viewed, scopic regimes are the basis of the distinguishing of an object, in this way becoming the basis of the distinction of what is knowable. ‘ (Sendyka,2013:104)

Scopic regimes determine the relation between the spectator and the viewer. Jay argues that vision becomes more dominant in the modern age due to technological advancements (tv, cinema, computers, photography etc. This is modernity’s scopic regime.

I decided to choose a photograph to examine the spectators point of view and found an interesting Paul Strand photo of three children looking through a closed cottage window in the Hebrides during the 1950’s.

Fig 1. Strand, P. (1954) *Milly, John and Jean MacLellan, South Uist, Hebrides* [photograph] At Dickson, A . (2016) The New Yorker : Paul Strand’s Sense of Things https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/paul-strands-sense-of-things Accessed 08/12/2019

This photo indicates the spectator’s point of view very clearly. We (through the photographer’s lens) are placed directly at eye level with the children although we are distinctly separated by the window frame. We are outside whilst the children are peeping through the glass and from behind the curtain to see what is happening. The child in the centre is looking at the camera with confident curiosity, yet the other two look a little uncertain. The photo captures a gentle, homely real life moment in time- one that we can spend time with.

If we compare this to the view point of a spectator of a film in a cinema, it is quite a different experience. The spectator is anonymous and will be sitting in a dark setting amongst many other people. Instead of a static scene with one viewpoint, the spectators viewpoint is constantly changing as the film is edited to keep the viewers attention. Scenes change and viewpoints alter as the cameras move over the film’s duration.

Image result for picture of a full cinema — Fig 2. Inside the cinema [photograph] At https://www.intofilm.org/films/filmlist/38 Accessed 08/12/2019

In the Strand photo, the three children are directly making eye-contact with the spectator. This is common in photography because there is often a tendency for people in real life to pose for a photograph by looking down the lens of the camera. In the cinema the characters on the screen do not look directly at the camera/spectator. In film, apart from documentaries, we are observing a narrative played out before us and if the characters were to look at us it would shatter this illusion.

Of course there are exceptions to this rule! There are several films I have seen where the characters treat the camera as another person. This has been termed ‘breaking the fourth wall’. This imaginary wall keeps the actors from the audience. Rodriguez and Strassberg (2014) state that this might be achieved ‘through characters expressing inner thoughts, acknowledging they’re in a film, or venting to the camera (and in turn, the audience)’. This can be seen as an avant-garde technique or done for comedic value.

In the film ‘Ferris Bueller’s day off’ directed by John Hughes, the main character Ferris (played by Matthew Broderick) breaks the fourth wall by regularly speaking to the camera (audience) as if they were one of his friends. Ferris creates an intimacy with the audience as we are pulled out of anonymity and invited into his experience. This enhances the comedic value of the film as we follow his adventure through one day.

Image result for ferris bueller — Fig 3. *Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s day off* (1986) [Film still] At https://www.slashfilm.com/ferris-buellers-day-off-soundtrack/ Accessed 09/12/2019

The 1947 film ‘Lady in the Lake (dir: robert Montgomery), creates a slightly different experience for the viewer when breaking the fourth wall.

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/1112/clipboard0329.png — Fig 4. *Lady in the Lake* (1947) [film still] At https://worldscinema.org/2012/03/robert-montgomery-lady-in-the-lake-1947/ Accessed 09/12/2019

The relationship between the characters and the audience is formed as the audience becomes the Private investigator Phillipe Marlowe (played by the films director). Apart from a couple of times when Marlowe is visible narrating to the audience, the audience see the story played out as though they were Marlowe himself. The other characters address the audience as though they were him by looking directly at the camera.

Reflections

It was interesting to reflect upon contemporary technology and how this effects the point of view for the spectator. Modern society is now dominated by mobile phones and tablets. With the invention of mobile phone camera technology and the ‘selfie’ we see a blurring of subject(object) and viewer as individuals now take on both roles.

List of Illustrations

Fig 1. Strand, P. (1954) Milly, John and Jean MacLellan, South Uist, Hebrides [photograph] At Dickson, A . (2016) The New Yorker : Paul S’s Sense of Things https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/paul-strands-sense-of-things Accessed 08/12/2019

Fig 2. Inside the cinema [photograph] At https://www.intofilm.org/films/filmlist/38 Accessed 08/12/2019

Fig 3. Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller’s day off (1986) [Film still] At https://www.slashfilm.com/ferris-buellers-day-off-soundtrack/ Accessed 09/12/2019

Fig 4. Lady in the Lake (1947) [film still] At https://worldscinema.org/2012/03/robert-montgomery-lady-in-the-lake-1947/ Accessed 09/12/2019

Bibliography

Dickson, A . (2016) Paul Strand’s Sense of Things : The New Yorker 15/04/2016 https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/paul-strands-sense-of-things Accessed 08/12/2019

Rodriguez, B & Strassberg, R. (2014) 14 Films That Famously Break the Fourth Wall in Backstage. 24/04/2014 At https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/films-famously-break-fourth-wall-12051/ Accessed 09/12/2019

Sendyka, R. (2013) Scopic Regimes and Modernity:Hypotyposis in Koczanowicz D. et al (2013) Discussing Modernity, a dialogue with Martin Jay. Amsterdam:Rodopi At https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334805533_SCOPIC_REGIMES_AND_MODERNITY_HYPOTYPOSIS Accessed 12/12/2019

Exercise 2.3

What would count as examples of ‘utter flatness’. List five things an artist might do to exploit the idea. In other words what kind of things might one put on a gallery wall that could pass for an abstract or figurative painting but also reveal themselves to be everyday objects?

In Greenberg’s essay ‘Modernist painting’ (1961), he argued that modern disciplines became more competent by criticising themselves. Disciplines needed to distinguish themselves from each other and this was achieved through self- criticism.

The purity and uniqueness of painting was that it was the only art form to use a flat surface. Modernist painting orientated itself towards emphasising flatness. The tradition of creating an illusion of real life through representation was not attempted, instead artists attempted to draw attention to the fact that viewers were looking at paint on a flat canvas surface. As Greenberg suggested, this flatness could never be a literal flatness but more of an optical flatness.

So, how could an artist exploit the idea of ‘utter flatness’? I will list 5 ways that I have discovered that artists have used and provide examples to show how this has been achieved. In my research, I discovered many methods to exploit ‘utter flatness’ used by artists produced pure abstraction. In relation to the research question I shall highlight instances where artists have created works ‘that could pass for an abstract or figurative painting but also reveal themselves to be everyday objects.’

1.VISIBLE PROCESS

An artist might produce a ‘flat’ painting by displaying to the viewer how the paint has been applied to the canvas. The viewer is aware that paint has been applied to a flat surface and brush/stick/trowel strokes are visible creating texture. Perhaps the most obvious example of being able to see the process of paint applied to a flat surface is in the art of Jackson Pollock.

Number 1, 1948 by Jackson Pollock — Fig 1. Pollock, J (1948) *Number 1* [Enamel, Matt and Gloss on Canvas] At https://www.jackson-pollock.org/number-1.jsp#prettyPhoto[image1]/0/ Accessed 03/12/2019

Pollock was an Abstract Expressionist painter who used action and gestures to create his paintings. Jackson removed his canvas from the wall, placed it on the floor and dripped, splattered or dragged paint with sticks in curved non-geometric forms. The paint often hit the canvas from a distance layering string like patterns. In this purely abstract piece of art we are in no doubt that we are looking at paint on a flat surface and that it has been applied with the physical energy and expression of the artist.

2. MASS BLOCKS OF COLOUR

Artists may exploit the idea of ‘utter flatness’ in painting through the use of colour and in particular mass blocks of colour. Still, flat, 2D, stable shapes destroy the illusion of the canvas as a visual window and emphasise its surface. The best example of this can be seen in the art of Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko.

Mark Rothko, ‘Red on Maroon’ 1959 — Fig 2. Rothko, M. (1959) *Red on Maroon* [Oil on Canvas] At https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/mark-rothko-1875 Accessed 03/12/2019

Rothko does not attempt visual representation in his paintings but instead using colour to convey emotional states. Unlike Pollock, Rothko creates flatness by painting still, hazy blocks of pure colour that appear to float on the canvas.

3. DECONSTRUCTING FORM

During the early 20th Century artists such as Picasso and Braque developed ‘Cubism’. This style of representing reality broke objects or figures down into distinct planes that showed multiple viewpoints at the same time within the same space. This effect emphasised the flatness of the canvas instead of creating an illusion of depth.

Candlestick and Playing Cards on a Table,
ArtistGeorges Braque,Paintings — Fig 3. Braque, G. (1910) *Candlestick and playing cards on a table.* [Oil on Canva] At https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1997.149.12/ Accessed 04/12/2019

On first view, Candlestick and playing cards on a table (Braque) looks like a purely flat abstract painting. However, only after reading the title of the painting and looking closer can we start to identify the objects. The candlestick and the table appear fragmented and displayed from multiple viewpoints which creates ‘flatness’ in the painting.

4. SIMPLIFY

To exploit the ‘flatness’ of the canvas, artists could simplify their paintings using simple, geometrical shapes and/or lines using pure colour. The best example’s of paintings that use this method can be found in the minimalist movement. In the 1960’s artist Frank Stella took the idea of emphasising flatness to the extreme.

Image result for stella zambezi — Fig 4. Stella, F. (1959) *Zambezi* [enamel on canvas] At https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/2001.542/ Accessed 04/12/2019

In Zambezi, Stella creates an expressionless, symmetrical, geometrical pattern using clean black and white lines. The design emphasises the fact that we are looking at a flat canvas by emphasising the corners and the centre of the rectangle. The gaps between the white stripes (black areas) are of a width that suggests the depth of the canvas and perhaps its distance from the wall (Anderson, 2011).

We can also look at the work of Paul Klee to give examples of how simplification can emphasise the flatness of the canvas. In Castle and Sun, Klee represents real objects through the placement of simple geometric forms.

Castle-and-Sun-by-Paul-Klee — Fig 5. Klee, P. (1928) *Castle and Sun* [Oil on Canvas] At http://totallyhistory.com/castle-and-sun/ Accessed 04/12/2019

Blocks of pure coloured squares, triangles, rectangles and circles create a mosaic effect. Unlike Stella whose minimalist style is purely patterns, Klee creates a subtle representation of a castle with the sun overhead.

5. EXPLOIT THE SHAPE OF THE CANVAS

The canvas has a large part to play in creating an optical flatness. Firstly, we can argue that artists can draw attention to the canvas as a flat surface by creating an infinite space that does not have to have a central focal point ( See Fig 1. and Fig 4.). Secondly, Andrew (2012) points out that traditionally artists have the canvas representing a window shape so that we, as viewers, look through it at an 3D image that creates an illusion of representational reality. Artists can break this window effect by altering the shape of the canvas.

Fig 5. Stella, F. (1971) Narowla II [ acrylic, felt, canvas and paper collage on panel] At https://www.phillips.com/detail/frank-stella/NY010619/54 Accessed 04/12/2019

Finally, artists can draw the viewers attention to the rectangular shape of the canvas and it’s flat surface by defining its shape.

Fig 6. Hodgkin H. (1979-1984) *Clean Sheets* [Oil on wood] At https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hodgkin-clean-sheets-t06550 Accessed 04/12/2019

In many of Hodgkin’s paintings he emphasises the contours of his abstract paintings. We are in no doubt that we are looking at a flat surface. Rothko also emphasises the contours of the canvas using blocks of shape and horizontal and vertical lines (see Fig 2.)

Reflections

I found this exercise fascinating and enjoyed learning about different movements when undertaking my research. I especially found a series of lectures by Jonathon Andrews very informative as they explored Greenberg’s theories in relation to various art movements. When viewing Modern Art, Andrews advises us to ask the question ‘What does it mean to do this?’ Rather than ‘What does it mean/ What is this picture about?’ which I have now taken under my belt!

List of Illustrations

Fig 1. Pollock, J (1948) Number 1 [Enamel, Matt and Gloss on Canvas] At https://www.jackson-pollock.org/number-1.jsp#prettyPhoto[image1]/0/ Accessed 03/12/2019

Fig 2. Rothko, M. (1959) Red on Maroon [Oil on Canvas] At https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/mark-rothko-1875 Accessed 03/12/2019

Fig 3. Braque, G. (1910) Candlestick and playing cards on a table. [Oil on Canva] At https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1997.149.12/ Accessed 04/12/2019

Fig 4. Stella, F. (1959) Zambezi [enamel on canvas] At https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/2001.542/ Accessed 04/12/2019

Fig 5. Stella, F. (1971) Narowla II [ acrylic, felt, canvas and paper collage on panel] At https://www.phillips.com/detail/frank-stella/NY010619/54 Accessed 04/12/2019

Fig 6. Hodgkin H. (1979-1984) Clean Sheets [Oil on wood] At https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hodgkin-clean-sheets-t06550 Accessed 04/12/2019

Bibliography

Anderson, J. (2012) The (spiritual) crisis of Abstract Expressionism: Mark Rothko. [online lecture] At https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V1SLKsF0BE Accessed 02/12/2019

Anderson, J. (2012) Postmodern Strategies: The Canvas as an Arena: Jackson Pollock [online lecture]. At https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7fodAy0jbU Accessed 02/12/2019

Anderson, J. (2011) The Fully Present Object: Minimalism – Jon Anderson [online lecture]. At https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RogfryPVWDk Accessed 02/12/2019

Greenberg. C. (1961) Modernist Painting Forum Lectures (Washington, D. C.: Voice of America), 1960. Viewed at http://www.yorku.ca/yamlau/readings/greenberg_modernistPainting.pdf

Joselit, D. (2000) Notes on Surface, Towards a Genealogy of Flatness in Kocur, Z. and Leung, S. (2012) Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985, 2nd Edition. Chichester:John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p102-117

Masterpieces of Jackson Pollock, Number 1, 1948. Viewed at https://www.jackson-pollock.org/number-1.jsp Accessed 03/12/2019

Tate Art Term – Cubism At https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/cubism Accessed 04/12/2019

Wolf, J. Introduction to Flatness at The Art Story. Viewed at https://www.theartstory.org/definition/flatness/ Accessed 03/12/2019

Exercise 2.2

Describe the features in each of these paintings that you think correspond to Greenberg’s view that kitsch ‘imitates the effects of art’. In other words how has the artist made the painting look artistic – as if for a sophisticated taste.

Chinese girl tretchikoff.jpg — Fig 1. Tretchikoff, V. (1952-3) *Chinese Girl’* , [oil on canvas] At https://fineartamerica.com/featured/vladimir-tretchikoffs-the-chinese-girl-the-green-lady-krystal-.html?product=art-print (Accessed 18/11/2019)

Female Painting - Do You Leave Footprints In The Sand? by Andrew Hewkin — Fig 2. Hewkin, A. (2002) ‘*Do you leave footprints in the sand?’* [oil on canvas] At http://andrewhewkin.com/index.php/2001-2010/ (Accessed 18/11/2019)

Before examining these two paintings, it is important to understand Greenberg’s meaning of the terms ‘kitsch’ and its opposing counterpart ‘avant-garde.’ The term avant-garde refers to a ‘higher level’ art that keeps culture moving in modernised society by bravely advancing into unknown territory (Greenberg 1939:5). In the art world a small group of avant-garde artists removed subject matter/representation to focus on the medium of the craft in what we may term ‘abstract’ or ‘non-representational’ art. Emphasis was placed on texture, colour, spaces and surfaces. Greenberg states that this type of art is appreciated by the minority – the cultured, educated and intelligent. Avant-garde art is appreciated by the only class with time to appreciate it – the Bourgeois. He argues that the spectator of a Picasso painting, for example, would invest time and effort reflecting on the complex painting to appreciate it. This effort is what distinguishes avant-garde from kitsch.

As a Marxist critic, Greenberg explained kitsch in terms of class and capitalism. As people migrated to urban industrialised areas, they left behind rural and folk culture. The urban masses demanded society provide them with a new culture for consumption. This culture is not a genuine culture but a new ‘lower level’ commodity for the ‘exploited’ and ‘ignorant’ mass poor. (Greenberg, 1936:9-10) The consumption of mass culture kitsch borrows themes, stratagies and tricks from the avant-garde to create a formulaic, fake piece of art. Greenberg states:

‘If the avant-garde imitates the process of art, kitsch we now know, imitates the effects.’ (Greenberg (1936:15)

Kitsch is simple. It is mass-produced, cheap, vulgar, mimics beauty and provides instant gratification for the viewer without any intellectual effort. It is a market- driven profitable commodity.

One of the best-selling mass produced prints of the 20th Century was ‘Chinese Girl’ (1952) by Vladimir Tretchikoff.

Despite this it has been described harshly ‘arguably the most unpleasant work of art to be published in the 20th Century’ (Feaver, cited in Bell 2013 ‘Brilliant trechnicolour or trashicolour’ (Gorelich 2013:106). The painting shows a portrait of a Chinese girl, dressed in a part finished golden dress. Her make up and hair resemble 1950’s glamour and her face glows an unusual blue colour. The background is left unpainted.

So, what features in ‘Chinese Girl’ correspond to Greenberg’s view that kitsch ‘imitates the effects of art’?

The painting is representational. The viewer has to expend no effort interpreting the content or understanding meaning. We are presented with a portrait that uses bright striking contrasting colours. These colours heighten reality and create a more dramatic and artificial image. Freemantle, in her essay on South African icons, states that the image is very similar to 1950’s glamour photography and uses graphic and advertising techniques of high detail and loose drawing. The application of bright paint and the style of oriental mixed with 1950’s style glamour creates more of a ‘garish’ and tacky representation (Freemantle 1998: 95-96). The unfinished look of the painting with the unpainted background and dress attempt sophistication and draw the viewers gaze to the blue face. It is uncertain why the girl’s face is blue but it certainly makes the face more visible against the background.

The portrait is an unusual yet intimate representation of idealised feminine youth. She is close up and engaged with the viewer. The painting is sensual and dramatic and provides instant gratification as the girl can be seen as an exotic, romantic character, as if in a story. Sentimentality and emotion are invoked by her mysterious, sullen pose and the strong tonal contrasts used by the artist. There is a sense of falseness to these emotions though as they are easily evoked and easily forgotten.

If we examine Andrew Hewkin’s painting ‘Do you leave footprints in the sand’, we can see features similar to ‘Chinese Girl’ that correspond to Greenberg’s view that kitsch ‘imitates the effects of art’.

This 21st Century painting does look very ‘kitsch’ and reminds me of posters that were sold in the 1980’s in the Athena shop. A woman poses between two marble pillars on a balcony above palm trees next to the sea. She poses evocatively in loose fitting white clothing that is illuminated by the sun and gives it almost a holy or magical effect.

As Hewkin’s painting is a representational image the viewer again is not required to put in any effort understanding meaning – everything is visually there and recognisable. The viewer can be transported to an idyllic scene that may evoke memories or a desire to be somewhere else. The woman looks sophisticated with her clothing and gloves and acts mysteriously by looking down and hiding her eyes under the rim of the hat. The whole scene looks luxurious with the female figure framed by the marble. In terms of composition, strong horizontal and vertical lines are broken up by the central figure that is full of curves and diagonals which keeps the viewer focused.

The colours used create an artificial feel due to the use of strong blues and greens. I would say that it feels as though Hewkin has used graphic design techniques to create an ‘unreal’ and simple effect through his composition choice and use of colour. None of this feels natural as it promotes an ‘idealised’ version of beauty in female form and in the surroundings she occupies.

In both paintings I feel that everything has been exaggerated – (colour, fashion, pose, composition) to allow the maximum experience and effect whilst giving minimal effort.

Reflection

Clement’s theory of Avant-garde and kitsch has given me lots to think about particularly in contemporary art and I would question whether ‘kitsch’ necessarily has to belong to the masses. If we look at artists such as Jeff Koons and some of his sculptures, for example Michael Jackson and Bubbles, we can absolutely describe them as ‘kitsch’, tacky and cheap looking. In a way, the artist has almost exploited the idea of kitsch in a new way. However, Koons has not mass produced his work and it sells exclusively to wealthy art collectors at a high price. We can also look at the rise of modern art galleries that are now accessible to the masses as part of the consumer culture of experience. Previously exclusive ‘avante-garde’ artists now receive a wider viewing across a more diverse mass audience. Greenberg wrote this essay during the 1930’s and focused on abstract art as ‘avante-garde’. Since then, modern art has seen many art movements that have moved bravely into the unknown and could be seen as venturing into new territories.

List of Illustrations

Fig 1. Tretchikoff, V. (1952-3) Chinese Girl’ , [oil on canvas] At https://fineartamerica.com/featured/vladimir-tretchikoffs-the-chinese-girl-the-green-lady-krystal-.html?product=art-print (Accessed 18/11/2019)

Fig 2. Hewkin, A. (2002) ‘Do you leave footprints in the sand?’ [oil on canvas] At http://andrewhewkin.com/index.php/2001-2010/ (Accessed 18/11/2019)

Bibliography

Bell, M. (03/2013) Chinese Girl: the Mona Lisa of kitsch. In The Independent 17/03/2013 (Accessed 18/11/2019)

Freemantle, B. (2018) A Pantheon of icons: towards a South African iconology ‘viewed at: http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/25904 (Accessed 18/11/2019)

Greenberg, C. (1939) Avant-garde and kitsch. At http://sites.uci.edu/form/files/2015/01/Greenberg-Clement-Avant-Garde-and-Kitsch-copy.pdf (Accessed 18/11/2019)

Harrison, C. (1996) Modernism in Nelson, Robert, S. and Shiff, Richard. ‘Critical term for art history’, (1996) University of Chicago Press.

Jon Anderson Lecture on Clement Greenberg’s Subject v Medium Debate in Modernism -You tube viewed at:

Exercise 2.1

Make your own copy of Barr’s chart ad extend it to the year 2000 by including movements such as Pop Art. In a separate column list major events in politics and culture that you think have had some bearing on the kind of art practiced at the time.

Image result for cubism barr — Fig 1. Barr, A. H (1936) *Cubism and Abstract Art flow chart* .At https://www.moma.org/collection/works/81386 (Accessed 16/11/10)

Fig 2. Jobson L. (2019) *Copy and extension of Barr’s flow chart to the year 2000.* [photograph] by author.

I found this exercise really interesting because it helped me to break down the post-modern period after 1970. It was useful to see how these modern movements have been influenced by prior art movements. However, sometimes this wasn’t always clear cut, with artists being influenced by many different movements.

The events throughout the century that I felt influenced artists and provoked new ideas, thoughts and creativity in the art world are listed on the left-hand side. I believed that the wars in the 20th Century affected the collective consciousness of the generations affected, none more so than the 1st world war. A hopeful and optimistic society that believed it would be improved by the introduction of machines was decimated by a war that wiped out a generation of young men with machines that maimed and killed in horrific circumstances. The Futurists celebrated the rise of the machine prior to WW1 wheras the aftermath gave rise to the Dadaists who reacted to the horror and devastation.

I also felt that Political and Social perspective heavily influenced the development of different art groups. The extreme rise of left (Socialist) and right (Fascist) parties and regimes throughout the 20th Century encouraged protest art and also art movements that were developed for the use of propoganda (For example Socialst Realism). The treatment and attitude towards various groups within certain societies has also influenced artists. Black citizens of USA during the 1960’s gave rise to the AfriCOBRA movement in Chicago that tried to empower it’s black citizens. The Guerilla girls of the 1980’s created protest Feminist art in response to the gender inequalities within the art world.

A rise in consumer and commercial culture had also influenced art through the 20th Century. This can be seen through the increase of Land art in the 1960’s and the rise of the counter-culture in the 1970. Perhaps the most influential development of consumer/commercial culture on modern art has been the development of computer technology and the rise of the internet allowing for a variety of new forms of Digital art.

List of Illustrations

Fig 1. Barr, A. H (1936) Cubism and Abstract Art flow chart .At https://www.moma.org/collection/works/81386 (Accessed 16/11/10)

Fig 2. Jobson L. (2019) Copy and extension of Barr’s flow chart to the year 2000. [photograph] by author.

Bibliography

Art terms at https://www.tate.org.uk

Barr, A.H (1936) Cubism and Abstract art . New York:Moma. At https://www.moma.org/documents/moma_catalogue_2748_300086869.pdf (Accessed 20/10/2019)

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/contemporary-art-movements (Accessed 20/10/2019)

New Leipzig School at https://www.artsy.net/gene/new-leipzig-school (Accessed 20/10/2019)

Exercise 2.0

Find two paintings and one sculpture, each of which appears concerned with modernity, modernism and modernization. Indicate the relevant features on annotated reproductions.

Image result for Les Demoiselles d'Avignon — Fig 1. Picasso, P. (2007)*Les Demoiselles d’Avignon* Paris [oil on canvas]. At https://spanishartinternalconflict.weebly.com/les-desmoiselles -davignon.html Accessed (11/10/2019)

5 women in a modernized Parisian society brothel in the early 20th Century. Painting as a reflection of modern capitalist consumer culture – women to be consumed.
Cubism – form of modernism developed by Picasso.
Acknowledgement of the modernist painter of the flat 2 dimensional surface of the canvas. Traditional perspective is missing (no vanishing point) and there is no depth. The women’s bodies fill the entire canvas.
Nontraditional representation of anatomy. Curves are minimal as the bodies are angular and geometric in form. Simplified faces influenced by primitive Iberian sculptures and African masks. Challenges the idealised representations of female beauty.
Visible textured brush strokes. Pink and blue palette.
As with Manet’s ‘Olympia’ the viewer’s gaze is now reflected back at him/her though the onlooking prostitutes. He/she is now no longer the anonymous spectator. ‘The self-consciousness of the actual spectator… is never entirely lost before the decorated surface of the canvas.’ (Harrison 1996: 151 )

Image result for The Boulevard Montmartre at Night — Fig 2. Pissarro, C. (1897) *The Boulevard Montmartre at Night*
[oil on canvas]. At https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/camille-pissarro-the-boulevard-montmartre-at-night (Accessed 11/10/2019)

Everyday experience of modernization. Material conditions shaped and created by industrialisation and urbanisation of landscape.
Modern architecture of Parisian street – a social public space. Anonymity of the individual.

visible brushstrokes – thick, textural marks. Paint applied in blocks of pure unmixed colour which creates atmosphere.
A focus on capturing different types of light to create more of an impression of reality than a realistic depiction. Strong contrast between light and dark and colour used for shadows.
Details, such as people, are suggested.
En-plein air painting and not in the studio. (In this case, through a window!)

Umberto Boccioni, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (Forme uniched ella
continuità nello spazio), 1913 (cast 1949). Bronze, 121.3 x 88.9 x 40 cm. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Bequest of Lydia Winston Malbin,
1989 © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource,
New York — Fig 3. Boccioni, U. (1913) *Unique Forms of Continuity in Space*, [Bronze] At https://www.guggenheim.org/arts-curriculum/topic/sculpture (Accessed 11/10/2019)

Futurist movement influenced by the speed and technology of industrialisation. Captures the human experience of modernized society.
Non- representational – kinesthetic perception of objects in space. The body is captured in motion depicting stages of movement in time and space. ‘..inserts the fluidity of perception into a static representation.’ (Foster, et al 2004:93)
Influenced by new technology of motion photography.
Mechanical appearance of sculpture. Robotic and mechanised body deformed by wind and speed.
Use of traditional sculptural methods but incorporates industrially produced materials.

List of Illustrations

Fig 1. Picasso, P. (2007)Les Demoiselles d’Avignon Paris [oil on canvas]. At https://spanishartinternalconflict.weebly.com/les-desmoiselles -davignon.html Accessed (11/10/2019)

Fig 2. Pissarro, C. (1897) The Boulevard Montmartre at Night
[oil on canvas]. At https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/camille-pissarro-the-boulevard-montmartre-at-night (Accessed 11/10/2019)

Fig 3. Boccioni, U. (1913) Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, [Bronze] At https://www.guggenheim.org/arts-curriculum/topic/sculpture (Accessed 11/10/2019)

Bibliography

Foster, H. Krauss, R. Bois Y. Buchloh, B, (2004) Art since 1900. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.

Harrison, C. ‘Modernism’ . In Nelson, R.S and Shiff. R. (1996) Critical terms for Art History, London : University of Chicago Press. pp142-155.

https://modernism-literature-movement.weebly.com/impressionism.html

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/81179

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/boccioni-unique-forms-of-continuity-in-space-t01589

Jones, J. (2007) ‘Pablo’s Punks’. The Guardian Culture 09/01/2007. In https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2007/jan/09/2 (Accessed 10/10/2019)

Les Demoiselles d’Avignon – Conserving a Modern Masterpiece. MOMA At:https://www.moma.org/collection/about/conservation/demoiselles/history_2_c.html (Accessed 10/10/2019)