Formalism

Formalism is the belief that an artwork has the capabilities to stand on its own merit, detached from social, ethical or representational ideals as a pure construct of aesthetics by use of composition and abstraction. Overall, I would hesitate to remove any of the three artists from the category of Formalism, each in his own way explored the elements of this ideal with great success. They each capture intrinsically attractive or compelling images using simple forms and composing them in interesting and appealing ways.

Kandinsky is an artist who I draw much of my own inspiration, his use of form to interpret what music might look like is just one of his ideas that I find myself drawn to, it appeals to many people despite the language barriers, and presents itself as an almost universal translator, much like mathematics, and in this way he was trying to get people to see art the same way. This can be seen in pieces like Composition VIII and others, simple, yet elegant geometric forms composed with slightly imperfect biological looking elements. This is the way I interpret his particular aesthetic, and in my own way incorporate elements of this into my own style.

Malevich as well fits this definition quite well, his use of geometric forms and composition of those forms creates a rich backdrop which allows other artists and viewers to visually branch out from and explore the imagery, almost indefinitely.

I selected Gary Petersen as being representative of the work I am doing, although my work does have more organic elements he comes closest to really capturing the Formalist geometric elements for me.

Expressionism/Cognitivism

Expressionism is essentially a theory of art that tells us that an artist, who is inspired by his or her emotional experiences, uses their skill, in whatever medium they prefer, to express that emotion in such a way that it is supposed to evoke the same emotion in the viewer or viewers.

Cognitivism however, while being similar to Expressionism, creates knowledge of the things around us in ways unique to artistic expression that would otherwise be overlooked by the casual observer; essentially it is new ways of knowing the world around us. However, that form of knowing is subjective to the viewer’s experiences, and what may be seen as fresh and new to one, could easily be seen as shallow and escapist to someone else.
The difference between the two is that Expressionism uses the emotions of the artist to create a powerful and emotive artwork and Cognitivism uses emotion as simply a component in better understanding the world, events and subjects around us.

Tolstoy’s basic outlook on art was that for it to be truly expressive, it had to physically impart the emotion conveyed to the person viewing, reading or listening to it. If the piece was meant to inspire joy, the viewer should experience actual, physical Joy, and if the resulting message was one of rage, then the viewer should become enraged. Collingwood believes that artistic expression is collaboration between the artist and the viewer, the artist captures the emotions they wish to convey in a way that is able to be shared and in doing so knows themselves better, the viewer then uses their own imagination to recreate the emotions they feel are being portrayed by the artist, creating a truly cerebral and unique experience for each person that participates and in doing so come to know themselves better.

Louise Bourgois used many images to convey certain feelings and emotion, the use of red and of separating chambers to create spaces that felt like one was being voyeuristic and looking into portions of her own life experiences, and in a way they are. Her choices of image, color and how it is displayed has been seen as both insight into a trauma filled, sexually bewildering childhood and blood, sin, violence and sexuality. Although some critics have conveyed that they feel some of her imagery tells of the creative process, flesh and light and life.

Kiki Smith uses many ways to create metaphors in her work, the use of bodily fluids to impart both personal and socio-political impact within her works, and the exploration of the body as a whole to show weakness and frailty. She uses birds to represent souls, and the heavens or heavenly bodies to show interdependence between nature and man. These cover some of the areas in which both these artists play with metaphors.

After serious contemplation I settled on Nancy Blum, and while she doesn't represent the geometric elements as often, her attention to coloration, and details is something I appreciate and the flowing organic feel is something I often attribute to large portions of my own work.

Realism

In your own words define realistic art.

Realistic art is a depiction or representation of an ideal or object that is easily recognizable or translatable, despite the setting in which it may be placed.

How does Plato define good art?

Good art is that which is impersonal, belongs to the state and embodies correct moral values without any interference or alteration.

What would Plato say about Koon’s artwork?

He would have banished it from his ideal society, the works may fit into the concept of realism, but the subject matter would have been atrocious to Plato.

In your own words, how would Aristotle define good art?

It engages our attention and emotions almost as the real object or objects would, and that it makes the viewer think about the way in which it has been presented. Having function and fulfilling a purpose, in addition to possessing symmetry, proportion, harmony, size and order all contribute to this engagement of the viewer.

In your personal philosophy is “obscene art a contradiction of terms? Why or why not?

Personally, if the work was intended to make you think, it could still be seen as obscene by those who view it. My threshold for what I consider obscene and beautiful is pretty high, but I have seen some art pieces that didn't make me think, they instead made me feel a little sick or made me want to just walk away from it, holding my interest in no meaningful way. Although this was some time ago, I think that similar images might still affect me the same way. So I could not say that it is a contradiction in terms, instead, it describes accurately what some people are trying to capture or display.

Are vivid sexual images more obscene that vivid images of violence, poverty, display of extreme wealth or sickness?

I think that for me, violence and the results of violence bother me the most, including when it accompanies sexual activity, a close second would be graphic representations of illness.

Find an artist on The Drawing Center’s Viewing Program Web site that relates to your drawing for this project. How does there art relate to your concept, subject and style?

I think Steed Taylor is a good example of what I have chosen to attempt. His subject matter and style are close to what I want to try to convey so far as identity go, and I think the ideas he has for bigger pieces being used as tattoos for the city streets is interesting. The tribal or gaelic influence was part of what drew me to his work in the first place, and while he uses other materials for his larger pieces, his use of graphite is what I will likely be drawing from, though I may try some other elements to better capture my ideas.

Beauty and Repulsion Pt. 2

Please cite one example of good art and one example of bad art. Explain why? You may provide a link to images of this art for examples.

Good Art - http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/kandinsky/kandinsky.contrasting-sounds.jpg

I believe, to me that this constitutes good art, the artist created something expressive that captures the attention and holds that interest. It especially appeals to my sense of aesthetic, but may not appeal to everyone, even though the use of color, space and other elements make it difficult to not find interesting on some level.

Bad Art - I could not in good conscience link some of this art, as for visual two dimensional works, there are pieces that are poorly done, for example http://www.museumofbadart.org/collection/unseen-3.html

Some of what I would consider bad art, often falls into the performance variety, and usually involves someone maiming themselves or causing themselves physical injury. This is not something that I really think should be necessary, and serves as a bad example to youth. We look at girls in high school cutting themselves as a psychological outlet for some trauma they have endured and this seems to me as much the same thing, and with the children we try and get them appropriate therapy, not gallery shows. In the case of the poor artwork, its just sloppy, poorly composed and a little trite, as well as being unnattractive. But again, these are just my opinions.

Define honorific art. Please answer in your own words.

In general this refers to the honorable qualities that we try to impart to "good art" and in some cases defines art as being valued for its own qualities and not what it contributes. It often falls into four categories that are often at odds with each other, Realism, Expressionism, Formalism and Poststructuralism.

Define classificatory definition of art. Please answer in your words.

Classificatory art is when one or two pieces are seen as art by members of the artworld and others are seen as objects instead. Additionally, the artwork is created within a certain framework of rules that help to define the piece as art.

Where in discussion of art and aesthetics do you feel most uncomfortable? How would you become less uncomfortable in this subject?

I feel the most uncomfortable in how a work is classified, and whether it even merits recognition as art or merely the undertakings of someone who is trying to titillate or shock for the recognition rather than genuinely create something with passion and creativity. I feel this is an area where I may never feel quite comfortable with, it irritates me when someone is allowed to mount dried or preserved feces on a pedestal...or create a painting by teaching an elephant to spatter paint on a canvas and they are able to label it as a social commentary, receiving accolades. With the Dada movement, I may not have liked everything that was produced, but at least some serious...or less than serious thought (ie: humor) went into most everything that was produced. Today it just seems like some individuals are taking away from people who have a message, or wish to create something to stand the test of time, simply for fame.

Find an artist on The Drawing Center’s Viewing Program Web site that relates to your drawing for this project. How does there art relate to your views of Beauty and Repulsion?

I chose Susan Harris Demmet, http://www.drawingcenter.org/viewingprogram/portfolio.cfm as I felt her work was close to my ideas of using life itself to represent both the beautiful and the repulsive, she attempts to ascribe a visceral element to her pieces while remaining in an abstract environment, and in my own way I am trying to do the same. Even though I have more realism in many of my elements, the underlying feelings that I get from her work is what ties it to my own own so strongly.

Beauty and Repulsion

Beauty: This piece represents beauty to me because of the brightness within it, and the multiple reflections, the mix of vivid colors, while some remaining muted helps to bring that feeling to the fore. The girls eyes show remarkable depth despite her being an artificial creature and the mix of technological elements with natural ones ties back to my desire and belief that both can exist in harmony.





Repulsion: This image is more akin to repulsion in my eyes more for what it represents, both in color and subject matter. Death and decay, fear and hatred, though these are subjects that I find ugly, the image still manages to have some appeal to it.