Category Archives: Research & Reflection

1.The Rule of Exaggeration

Super-normalisation and sub-normalisation of elements of the image.

• Body Parts: Disproportionate body parts. For example the head and the feet (Miro’s The Farmers Wife) and sexual features (ancient art).
• Size and Number. Large size images or an increase in creative units. for example Weiwei’s sunflower seeds.

2. The Rule of Purification

• Pure undiluted colours (Fauvists)
• Purification of shapes e.g rough sphere to a perfect sphere, smoothing of rough edges
• Capturing the essence and not the detail.

3. The Rule of Composition

• Display units arranged in a special way to create a balanced presentation.
• The Golden rectangle based on the human visual field. Golden ratio based on geometry.

4. The Rule of Heterogeneity

• ‘The middle way’. Neither too simple nor too complicated.The minimalists and folk art broke this rule.

5. The Rule of Refinement

• Refinement of artists skill as they progress through their career. The artists hand becomes more skilled.
• Once artists can create any image they want (through practice and observation), they can then modify their images to heighten the intensity of the visual message.
• Rejection of refinement to abandon representation (Monet, Picasso).

6. The Rule of Thematic Variation

• Once a motif , pattern or theme is developed it can be varied in many different ways.

7. The Rule of Neophilia

• The love of the new.
• A playful need for novelty.
• Traditions abandoned for new trends,

8. The Rule of Context

• If an ordinary object is to made extraordinary and turned into a work of art, it needs to be displayed in a special context -framed or in a gallery
• Impossible commonplace objects as works of art. E.g Emin’s bed, Dadism
• Contextual manipulation/contradition converts the expected into the unexpected e.g. Magritte.

Bibliography

Morris, D (2013) The Artistic Ape. Red Lemon Press Ltd: London

During August, I was lucky enough to visit Eliasson’s exhibition at the Tate Modern with my niece and nephew (in their teen’s). I did not see ‘The Weather Project’ when it was installed at the Tate in 2003, but had heard so much about it, that I was really excited to see Eliasson’s work. Eliasson’s art is very immersive and heightens the awareness of the spectator’s senses.

Installations are inspired by nature, light, shadow, reflections, geometry, space, structure and perception.It was a hugely delightful exhibition and unlike most exhibitions was full of children! It was a real pleasure to watch my niece and nephew engage so fully in Eliasson’s work.

The installations and models felt so simple and playful to engage with. There were lots of illusions and reflections created by mirrors and lights that it felt at points as if you were in a large children’s fun hall. Your Spiral view (Eliason, 2012) felt as though you were walking through a giant kaleidoscope.

At points there were gentle and reflective pieces of art work which I seemed to connect with.I especially liked the glacier series (Eliason, 1999). These photographs captured the gentle, quiet yet powerful and awe-inspiring movements of a series of glaciers taken from the air to show their magnitude. I also found Glacial currents (Eliasson 2018) really fascinating. Eliasson explains :

‘These watercolours were produced using chunks of ancient glacial ice that were fished from the sea off the coast of Greenland. The ice was placed atop thin washes of colour on a sheet of thick paper. As the ice gradually melted, the resulting water displaced the pigment, producing organic swells and fades of colour.’

Glacial currents looked ‘otherworldy’ and could be and image of an undiscovered planet. The fact that this images was created by ancient ice blew me away. It was like nature transforming and expressing itself in an entirely new way! I would absolutely recommend this exhibition to all.. especially children!

List of Illustrations

Fig 1. Eliasson, O. (2019) In Real Life [mixed materials] photograph by author. In Real Life exhibition, Tate Modern 11/06/2019-5/01/2020)

Fig 2.Eliasson, O. (2010) Din Blinde passenger [water soluble fog] photo by author. In Real Life exhibition, Tate Modern 11/06/2019-5/01/2020)

Fig 3. Elliason, O. (1993) Beauty [water and light] photo by author, In Real Life exhibition, Tate Modern 11/06/2019-5/01/2020)

Fig 4. Eliasson, O. (2018) Glacial Currents Watercolour,[ Indian ink and pencil on paper] photo by author In Real Life exhibition, Tate Modern 11/06/2019-5/01/2020)

Bibliography

Eliasson, O. (2018) Glacial Currents (yellow, sienna). At https://olafureliasson.net/archive/artwork/WEK110876/glacial-currents-yellow-sienna

I was lucky enough to visit Venice over the summer holidays and discovered the incredible Biennale art festival. Over two days, I visited installations both in the Gardinia and the Arsenale districts as well as a few dotted around Venice.

Curated by Ralph Rugoff the theme of the 58th Bienalle ‘focuses on artists who challenge existing habits of thought and open up our reading of objects and images, gestures and situations. Their work grows out of a practice of entertaining multiple perspectives: of holding in mind seemingly contradictory notions, and juggling diverse ways of making sense of the world. ‘ (Rugoff 2019).

These are just a few of the many installations that really inspired me.

Martin Puryear – USA ‘Liberty’

Puryear’s sculptures were all symbolic of ‘liberty, withholding liberty, or exploiting liberty.’ Using materials such as wood, bronze, iron, tar, mesh and granite, his work exudes simplicity of design with a solid, natural and powerful presence.

The Phyrygian cap was worn by Dacian prisoners in the early 2nd centruy Rome. Freed slaves wore the cap to demonstrate their freedom. During the French Revolution, the hat also symbolised liberty.

Africobra: Nation time

Africobra was founded in Chicago in 1968 by a group of young black artists who wished to ‘create a recognisable aesthetic for and about the Black community’ (Jeffreen Hayes, 2019 curator). Art was created with vibrant colours, rhythm, bold text and positive images of black people. I was mostly moved by the work of artist Jeff Donaldson who had several paintings in the exhibition.

This painting is full of so much energy and really captures the Jazz band experience. There are little glimpses of the musicians amongst all of the wonderful patterns that symbolise the exitement and unpredictability of the music. The colours are warm and inviting and give the painting a really positive energy.

Cathy Wilkes – Great Britain

In Great Britain’s pavillion the artist Cathy Wilkes had created an installation that felt quite dreamlike and meditative. In the main room a transparent box like structure was surrounded by four model children with pot bellies that suggest poverty or hunger. The box structure almost looked like a shrine with offerings laying around it. In other rooms simple objects were placed sparingly to create a melancholic atmosphere – a dirty lace tablecloth, old fashioned plates on the wall, a structure that might be a clothes drier/stepladder. All of the items had a quiet, calm presence due to their colour and spacing. This gave them the dream like quality of memories or flashbacks to childhood.

List of Illustrations

Fig 1. Puryear, M. (2010-2014) ‘Big Phyrigian‘ Painted red cedar photograph at https://www.culturetype.com/2014/12/12/in-new-york-for-the-holidays-17-exhibitions-for-your-agenda/ accessed 13/11/2019

Fig 2. Donaldson, J. (1988) Jam packed and Jelly tight (for Jameela) [mixed media on canvas] photograph by author Venice Bienalle 26/08/2019

Fig.3 Wilkes, C. [2019] Untitled [mixed media] photograph by author at Venice Bienalle 26/08/2019