Tuesday, October 5, 2010
3D slotted project
began with orthographic drawing -- luan used to create figure -- incorporated the verb - grow & the adjective - new, represented by the transition from small to large & the painting on the bottle, the dirty small bottle contrasted with the newly painted large bottle
Sunday, October 3, 2010
a review on persona
During our last class in drawing we viewed a very high-contrast black and white film called Persona. Right from the beginning, my mind was boggled, I had no idea what was going on, and I was questioning the sharp black and white images that crossed the screen. I was shocked and puzzled as I viewed one image in particular, the hand that was having a nail hammered into it. Immediately this reminded me of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I was curious to know what the jamming of the nail into the hand was meant to symbolize, if anything. Along with this scene flashed images of a young boy in a bare room with sheets wrapped perfectly around his bed and small body. Did this boy and his plain room have any connection to the “crucifixion-like” scene? The scene was graphic, however it drew me in because of the intensity of the scene. It was interesting because the sound lacked the reaction of the person having the nail slammed into their hand, unless it was really silence, which I highly doubt. Each scene displayed images that didn’t seem to connect and became more graphic and detailed than the last. It switched between calm scenes not knowing where the person was or why they were there then to scenes that made no sense as far as the actions that were being performed.
As the movie jumped away from these scenes it began to depict the relationship between two women, one being a young actress that has made the decision to go mute, for what reason we are unsure, and the other the nurse that is assigned to take care of the young woman. Sister Alma, the nurse takes Elisabet, the actress, to a cottage on the beach, which is away from home. Due to the fact that Elisabet remains mute the whole time, Sister Alma begins to feel the need to talk to someone and discuss her life, she does not see herself as a talker usually but rather a listener and is slightly thrilled with the idea that someone is there to listen even if she doesn’t respond. She shares with Elisabet erotic stories from her young age, and secrets about things she should or shouldn’t have done after her engagement. Sister Alma begins to admit her sins, revealing her secret life stories, never thinking about the fact that when Elisabet decides to talk, she could reveal any of these things to people. A kind of “secret trust” is instilled between them. The movie takes a somewhat shocking turn in my opinion when Elisabeth talks, insisting that Sister Alma goes to bed. Elisabeth speaks? Is she noticing her own issues in Sister Alma and is looking for someone to share with her so she can listen? This part of the movie brought up many questions in my head about Elisabeth’s intentions of being mute.
Sister Alma becomes frustrated with Elisabeth however when she finds out that Elisabeth is writing letters to the doctor that is in charge of Alma about Alma’s own “mental problems” she becomes enraged. Elisabeth writes in the letter how she thinks Alma is pathetic in a way and how she commits unthinkable sins. When Alma discovers these letters she tries to inflict pain upon Elisabeth by leaving a broken part of her glass on the ground where Elisabeth is free to step on it and hurt herself. I see this part of the movie as Alma’s opportunity for revenge upon Elisabeth and her want to inflict the same pain she is emotionally inflicting on Alma. A scene then occurs where Sister Alma’s fiancé appears and mistakes Elisabeth for Sister Alma. I saw this as a play on the fact that because Sister Alma feels she was disloyal to her fiancé when she basically had intercourse with young boys on the beach, as she describes in one part to Elisabeth, and Elisabeth is the more suitable woman, because she may have no sins.
Again at the end of the film, it returns to the beginning photographs. I felt as though the boy that was tucked tight in bed had something to do with the son that Elisabeth neglects to have interaction with, a possible part of her inability to speak, but what was a question in my mind was what did the other images have to do with the central part of the film. Was it the idea that the viewer was able to understand and view the suffering that was occurring in these images just as Elisabeth felt suffering from the lack of attachment from her family? These intense images throughout the film made me question so many aspects of the relationship between the two women. The angles and tonal ranges of the scenes make the film that much more eye-catching and interesting and kept me glued most of the film. The images were engraved into my head and helped me understand the turmoil between this distressed relationship. The scenes push each sense to the limit especially visual and scatter the thoughts of the viewer making them try to interpret the plot in their own way. The movie still confuses me to this day and I would definitely like to watch it again and see where my mind wanders, because I’m sure each time I watched I would understand something more because there is so much to take in. Bergman’s sense of contrast, shape, and even textures really push the images to a greater understanding and drive the viewers mind to wander in every direction.
Monday, September 27, 2010
review on fred tomaselli
Tomaseli’s paintings were both entrancing and enlightening the moment I saw them on the artinfo.com. His painting and layering style is much different from anything I have seen. The author of this article describes his paintings as a, “[window] to another reality,” that seems to be seen through a kaleidoscope. I found this interesting because as I studied his artwork more in depth I could observe elements much like a kaleidoscope just as Dailey states. When you look into a kaleidoscope you see shapes and interesting colors that distort an image. The real image gets broken up into small parts and colors in order to represent a whole. He does the same things in his artwork; he takes small elements and found objects, pieces them together and creates a form that is interesting to the eye. I loved the quote he stated in his interview, “my paintings are vehicles to take you to other places”. This is an exciting view on art, he wants his art to be seen differently by others and make them feel as though it can take them to a whole new world when they’re viewing it.
I have never heard of this artist until I started reading about him on this website, but I found it funny that he states that he usually resists change and refuses to move his studio after 20 years because he enjoys the comfort and the availability to surroundings that his environment provides him with. I felt a connection to him there due to the fact that I have lived in the same place all of my life and I feel a connection to the place in which I live. It makes me feel comforted because all for my resources are readily available to me, such as my family, which he also says is true. This is important to his artwork, because I feel as though the artists’ environment in which he or she works is very important to their process; it is where their ideas start and are formulated.
I was also glad to see that he had a connection to his work because it relates to his own history of substance abuse. Of course I do support the idea of how he handled his past, but I do like the fact that he actually has a connection to his work emotionally, which usually produces a stronger message to the viewer. I realize professors are always encouraging us to like what we’re doing and that we should evoke our own connection to the piece, otherwise viewers will be able to notice that we aren’t enjoying it by our end result.
As I read on, I found it very interesting that he keeps all of his materials, not only papers, but also found objects in organized folders and storage places so that he has them to incorporate into his projects when they are needed. I enjoy the fact that he finds his materials before he starts the works of art and then incorporates them into the works of art. His process of layering, especially in the piece, “The Woodpecker” is interesting in the sense that he does not only layer on top of a single layer, but also layers more on top of that layer, adding more depth to the piece. It is very neat how he not only incorporates the typical materials like paint but also brings in the natural more organic objects, to add a second layer to the piece.
The fact that he grew up “in the shadow of Disneyland” also made me feel a connection to the article and artist as I was reading. Just as he grew up next to an amusement park, so did I. I found it very interesting however that he fuels some of his ideas from the environment. The idea of taking the elements from an amusement park and involving them in his artwork is very inspiring. It made me think about the fact that I can transfer an environment from a separate place and incorporate the conditions into my own artwork. Overall I enjoyed the article discussing Fred Tomaseli’s artwork and I learned a great deal of information concerning a different kind of layering process that he implements and how his environments have influenced his pieces over his life span as an artist.
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/34410/fred-tomaselli/
Saturday, September 25, 2010
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