Performance Art

Many times, the first things that comes to a person's mind when they hear the words "performace art" are people moving in odd ways, or people who have been painted, or a small skit of sorts. When in reality, performance art actually involves so much more. It "can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the performer's body and a relationship between performer and audience." Performance art has evolved through the years. The influences of many groups have shaped this type of art into what we know today. For example, the Gutai group is known for showing the beauty of something after it has been damaged or destroyed. And the work of Survival Research Laboratories is considered to be performance art even though the performers are machines. Anything and everything can be considered performance art. It is just another form of expression.

When i read about Kaprow's "activities" that we were about to perform, I wasn't sure what to expect. As we went out on the street, I was a little nervous because the activities were very strange and I wasn't sure what the whole point of them were. My group decided to do our performance in front of Starbucks, and I soon realized it wasn't really about what we were doing, it was more about other people's reaction to what we were doing. My favorite activity was the "shaking hands" activity. It was really simple, but the thought of it made me laugh. I couldn't imagine watching someone else doing that, not knowing it was meant to be performance art.

Duchamp's "Large Glass"

Duchamp's "Large Glass" is almost too abstract for me. I feel that just looking at a picture of it online isn't the same as experiencing it in person. Everything is lost and flattened from the piece, losing all meaning. As i researched the piece, i read over a few thoughts from various critics. "Most critics... read the piece as an exploration of male and female desire as they complicate each other ("The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even." pg 1)." I'm not seeing this interpretation at all. The visual analysis of this piece is very confusing to me. There are parts of it that people see, that I just don't. I understand the concept of it, but if I hadn't researched it, I would have no idea where to even begin interpretting it, and I know for a fact that my thoughts on it wouldn't come close to anyone else's. I understand that Duchamp is relating love to science, but it is still very confusing. "Duchamp invents the working parts of these two sexual machines, which are as arbitrary and absurd as the machinery of Roussel which inspired them. Their mechanisms are so complicated that they are usually accompanied by a diagram, which leaves the viewer feeling a little helpless (Mink, "Marcel Duchamp"). The only part of the entire piece that actually makes sense to me is the representation of "the bachelors." It is all supposed to be several parts that work together like a motor, but I just don't see it. I can respect the concept of it, and I think the composition is very pleasing, but overall, I don't like it. But then again, maybe my opinion of "The Large Glass" would change if I actually saw it in person.

Patterns

Patterns are everywhere, and can be created out of anything. This certain picture is very simple in color and style, but if you think of it as a single unit in a pattern, your impression of it changes. If this is flipped, rotated, and repeated multiple times, the pattern gets more intricate and interesting. This activity makes me think about things differently. Sometimes the negative space of a page can be transformed into an entirely different designed when tiled. For example, a simple shape such as the outline of an ipod with headphones can be made into a very intriguing piece.

Gestalt

Main Entry: ge·stalt
Pronunciation: g&-'stält, -'shtält, -'stolt, -'shtolt
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ge·stalts also ge·stalt·en/-'stäl-t&n, -'shtäl-, -'stol-, -'shtol-/
Etymology: German, literally, shape, form
: a structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts

Value Assignment

Value

During the discussion in class, I was thinking about my life after Corcoran. Since I'm a fine arts major, most people think I'm not going to find a job and I'm going to be a "struggling" artist after school. Some artists believe that it's all about self expression and making a difference. Yes, this is important, but supporting myself throughout my life is just as important to me. I can't see myself relying on purely my work to make money, it's too unstable and causes way too much pressure. I value the "art" side of art, but that only goes so far; the business side of art is almost just as imiportant. I would much rather have a steady job than be living paycheck to paycheck.

Art can also add value to certain things. For example, if you were selling your house and there was a hand-painted original mural in your house, most likely the value would go up, especially if the artist himself was well known and highly valued in society. Fixing something up by adding art, whether it be a certain location or a product, etc, will increase it's value. It makes it more interesting and unique, and ultimately more desirable by the people.

STRING

This activity was crazy. It was complete randomness and chaos for the purpose of showing lines and shapes. In general I didn't really think about what I was doing; there was no plan. The only thing we really wanted to do is somehow tie Linnie, Claire & I up together, so we just circled and looped string randomly around us until we couldn't move. The thought of composition never even entered my mind, it was more along the lines of "who can make the most intricate and complicated mess?" At first it didn't look connected at all, it was just random lines throughout the room, but as we kept adding to it, certain string kept taking the same path, ultimately making a thicker line. These lines also started forming abstract shapes, somehow working together to create one big piece of artwork. There were also two groups of students completely connected with eachother in their own area, and by the end, those groups had decided to connect as well. If i were to do it again, I suppose I would think about it more, think about composition, rather than just going for whatever i wanted at that certain moment in time. In general, I enjoyed the string activity. It was an awesome idea and I liked the way it made us see the lines and shapes created by everyone.

Line vs. Shape

I think that a, b, and c are lines, and all four images are shapes as well. I think that image d is the only one that cannot be considered a line because of how complicated it is. The first three images can all be done with one stroke of a pen or marker. Granted, the marker would have to be thick, but it is possible. I consider these all shapes because they have some sort of form to them, there are dimensions to them.

Inspiration Assignment

Arthur Dove - Me and the Moon

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this piece was layers. Everything from the lines, the shapes, and the colors, is extremely organic. The bottom/left side of the piece is very dark and the top/right side of the piece is brighter with orange and yellow tones. In the center of the the dark area there is a large bright yellow circle, it is what your eye immediately goes to when looking at this piece. The color palette is very mellow, varying from dark browns to greens, to yellows and oranges, with a little light blue. None of which are as bright as the yellow circle. Everything is broken up into almost solid chunks of color. The different shades of a certain color is what gives the piece depth. The style makes me think of how fields look from far away, or layering in rocks. There is also a thin line, lighter in color, that moves throughout the piece. In certain spots, it loops around itself and creates a small accent of a bright color.





The mood of the piece is almost relaxing. There are no hard, jagged edges, and the colors are very calming. I think this piece also has a meaning behind it. To me, it looks like a representation of possibly the artist's life. The majority of dark areas suggest rough and unhappy times, and the oranges/yellows/blues at the top suggest happier times, possibly in the future. I think the bright yellow circle represents the artist's realization and overall want to change the course of his or her life, fighting through the hard times and working towards the good.





Overall, I really enjoy this piece. I think the composition is well thought out and successful, the organic shapes and lines really draw your attention and move your focus throughout the entire piece. I think the color choice for the circle was smart, it's clearly much brighter than the rest of the piece but it works well with the other tones. The message is not clean cut and staring you in the face; it's more of an inspirational, "make you think" kind of painting. I love it.