#9. Final

During this quarter, I enjoyed all the lectures and types of art. Especially, I wanted to study about Pablo Picasso’s artworks. So, among them, I really liked to study about Cubism. If I am an artist, I might influence by Pablo Picasso. Especially, I want to challenge synthetic Cubism art style. I really like painting but I am not good at it. Other types of artwork are captured and painting that scene. But synthetic Cubism is making abstract thing with random type of objects. Personally, I think that making abstract image is the most difficult thing in art. If we look at Glass and Bottle of Suze, we could notice that Picasso used pasted paper, gouache, and charcoal. I like the composition and color of this artwork. Synthetic Cubism is the way the artists created complex compositions by combining and transforming individual elements, as in a chemical synthesis (Stokstad 1025). As Picasso said that there was no such thing as completely abstract art, because “You have to start somewhere”. When I thinking about abstract art, just starting is difficult and organizing the objects will be difficult as well. But, after I read what Picasso said, it changed my mind. If there is something I want to do, then just start to do it.

Once starting imagine, it will keep come up in my mind. For my own work, my theme will be conservation of nature or animals. If I make my artwork, I will use various objects such as 3D objects.  I would like to use nature objects such as dried flower, leaves, or food. Somehow I can use ordinary objects that we can always see in our life such as keys, money. Also, I want to draw little on the side for expressing details. I do not want just organize some object, but I want to give some ideas or messages to people through my artworks. Or somehow I could satire the situation of animal abuse.  I could make animal shape with nature objects and then making hand to take care of the animal. I think that guessing theme of Cubism is difficult part. Also, it could be interesting to artist. Viewer has to look deeply and longer to find out the theme.

I do not know all of artists, but I guess that lots of artists influenced by Cubism and worked their artworks. I think that Cubism style is the most unique thing for me. Also, it is impossible to compare with any other types of art works. Unfortunately, now I do not have own work related to Cubism.  But someday I will challenge this type of artwork.  While writing the blog, I imagine how my artworks look like with Cubism style.  I guess that artist always have creative thinking and mind for own artwork. Just like Picasso, he made his own unique world in his artworks. At the first sight, it could look weird but when we look at it little bit deeply, we will realize that it is really attractive works of art.

#8. Mini Research

Eero Saarinen is born in Europe but he was working for America in his whole life. Almost his architectures have unique design and among them North Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana in 1964 is stand out conspicuously. Dan Kiley and Alexandar Girard are also contributed to the design. This North Christian Church is the last architecture by Eero Saarinen before his untimely death.  This building is made hexagonal sloping roof and it looks like hugs the ground. Also, the important part of this building is the spire and it is 192 feet high. According to ‘rickyberkey.org’, the structure has 33,000 square feet of floor space and was constructed using 3800 yards of concrete, 320 tons of reinforced rods (rebar) and 22 tons of leaded copper. One of important function of this spire is that light enters the sanctuary at the main level through an oculus at the base of it. In the lower level of the building, there are auditorium, classrooms, kitchen, and activity area. At the lower level exterior design, a ‘moat’ surrounding the building and it provides access to day lighting to the lower floors. Also, the concrete roof is supported by a trapezoidal steel leg structure at it base. One of unique function of this building is that rainwater is collected from the roof and it directly move to the drain along this structure.

According to ‘rickyberkey.org’, in his design Saarinen wanted to make the sanctuary building the central focus of the project and avoid the sprawling complexes that many churches had become with the addition of classrooms, kitchens, auditoriums and other spaces. Often times the sanctuary itself would only be used on Sunday mornings and people would tend to come and go and carry out most of their activities in other parts of the building.  So he made symmetric structure that completely separate structure with hexagonal sloping roof. Also they mentioned that the entrance pointed into the very heart of the sanctuary space so anyone entering the church would have to glance up into the sanctuary and contemplate its significance to their spiritual life.

            Saarinen wanted to make the church as one single form with spire. Therefore he extended down to the lower corners of the roof structure so it became looks different than any other structure. That’s why this building has unique silhouette on the city skyline. Also, the roof and spire seem like to floating over the concrete base. It could works symbolically to make the feeling of reaching upward to God. Just like most of Church looks like. Also, the interior space design is well made. According to ‘northchristianchurch.com’, it would give a feeling of soaring space and a feeling of special enclosure. It would work well for the light. The primary light source would be an oculus in the spire. It could give intense light on the communion table. This light would lead you as you saw it from the narthex. It would also keep you from being distracted by the people across from you, but you would be aware of them. Then there could be a feeling of contracting light back in the seating area. And this spire form would work well structurally. The structure could be very simple and would clearly and logically express the form and character of the church."

Artists mentioned that they could and wanted to make over 200 feet spire but they had to avoid having to place an aircraft beacon at the top to the nearby Air Force base. At the very first time, it looks weird and looks like UFO or something. But, when I look deeply, I realized that I could be a church. Because of the spire, it represented to reach upward to God. I guess this architecture is well made with exterior and even interior.

http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/colsnxian/colsnxian.html

http://www.northchristianchurch.com/pages/aboutthearchitect.html

http://52weeks.rickyberkey.org/2011/06/06/week-21/

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1567085

#7. Cubism

Three Women by Fernand Leger is made in 1921. I guess that this painting is influenced by Cubism. Around 1919, he worked Cubism with friends congenial to him. But his Cubism is not like existing conversant Cubist. His Cubism is fidelity to Cubism principles than originator such as Picasso and Braque. Cubism is a style of art, begun in the early twentieth century, in which objects are represented as if they could be seen from several different positions at the same time, using many lines and geometric shapes. But Leger made his object to cylinder and tube shape. When we first look at this painting, it could give little cold impression. But as we see, three figures pose is classic. According to Stokstad, In Leger’s painting, the women’s forms are constructed from large machinelike planes arranged in an asymmetrical geometric grid that both embodies a cool Classicism and suggests an arrangement of plumbing part. Also, he used bright colors to make fantastic plumbing. Abundant colors and patterns show an orderly industrial society.

Les Demoiselles D’Avignon by Pablo Picasso is made in 1907. This painting is beginning point of Cubism. Also, this painting is one of the most radical and complex paintings in the twentieth century (Stokstad 1023). In the painting, there are five women’s nudes and they all are prostitutes in Avignon. Composition is unique. Women’s body, fabric, curtain, and background is not bound by perspective. And all the things are mixed in one page. In the bottom side, fruits and table have different viewpoint than viewpoint to women. But, all the figures are not made with a cube. On the right side, two women’s faces have African references masklike faces. Also, the colors what Picasso used is really unique. He used basic skin color but also he added different colors as well. We only can recognize five women but we do not know about background or behind story of this painting.

I think that Cubism style artwork is really creative. Before the Cubism, all the artists follow the basic rule of painting. I guess that some of artist wanted to make creative or different artworks such as mannerism. In the mannerism period, artist-drawing style is same as tradition but composition and colors are really challengeable and unique. Also, at that time, mannerism artworks also gave shocked to people and had harsh criticism. But they could not depart from the standard pattern. Typical artwork drew three-dimensional object on the two-dimensional canvas, Cubism artwork drew tree-dimensional object to make as two-dimensional page on the two-dimensional canvas. I can imagine that after see this painting, how people got shocked in that period. I think that Picasso is really brilliant and creative person. He is not afraid of challenges and he made his works as great work. One of attraction of Cubism is that we can imagine anything with what we saw. Because of Picasso, we can see the challenging and creative things in our life. I guess that he always thought outside the box and make great artworks.

#6. Gauguin and Primitivism

Paul Gauguin made The Yellow Christ in 1889. After Gauguin left the Arles, he returned to Pont-Aven and made this painting. This yellow Christ statue was in the church at the Pont-Aven. This statue depicted the execution scene of Christ but the background was Bretagne as we can see the women, who surrounded by Christ, wearing the Bretagne’s tradition clothes. Therefore, this painting draw the Christ but there is no meaning for religious. However, this could be a self-portrait. According to The Challenge of the Avant-garde, this perception of the artist as a courageous ‘independent’ struggling against a philistine public. As such, it has contributed to the mythology of the ‘modern’ male artist and was seen by many late nineteenth-century artist and critics as a condition of avant-gardism.

As we can see from the book, The Yellow Christ can be considered an avant-garde. Also, through the Griselda Pollock’s formula, we could certainly prove it. The first requirement is reference; Gauguin showed an awareness of what was going on in the art world through the Christ on the cross. This scene is absolutely familiar to everyone, so it could be a convention painting. Also, he used usual subject for landscape of outdoor scenes with his own way. He made all the landscape as abstract image such as trees, houses, field, and even human.

Another requirement is deference. It defer to the latest and most radical development, especially in terms of technique. I guess that Gauguin interested in light, color, and loose brushstrokes just like Impressionists. In this painting, Gauguin used yellow and orange palette color. The Christ’s body is extremely yellow, trees turn out autumn leaves, and field is covered with yellow and orange. He used not realistic colors for the painting. When we look at the sky, it feels like clouds are moving fast. Also, there are not much of details on it. Even the three women’s face, there is not much of facial expression. So I think that Gauguin drew this painting in a short time with loose brushstrokes.

The last requirement is difference. It helps on to establish an artist as ‘modern’ or ‘Avant-garde’ by showing how the artist is making a marked advancement on the current issues regarding aesthetics or art criticism. Gauguin used bold out lines in this painting. And he used really bright and vibrant colors. So overall, the painting became simplify. In the painting, except some of the bluish light, there is no perspective expression. And there are bold outlines for divided landscape and figures. He made all the figures in the painting to abstract style. I think that this is one of the big differences from the impressionists.  In addition, I think that Gauguin made big difference by making self-portrait through the Christ figure. As I mentioned, I guess he showed himself through the Christ figure and he wanted to express that he is an artist and he is a courageous independent struggling against philistine public. This painting is too simplified and exaggerated but it makes me to wonder about what story is behind of it.