In “Tete de Femme” Pablo Picasso combines two two-dimensional depictions of facial features with an undefined body to create a very abstract three-dimensional piece. Viewing the sculpture directly from the front or side, one loses sight of the overall subject and sees plain geometric shapes oddly meshed together with black lines, dots, and circles painted across them. Then, at the forty-five degree view the sculpture transforms to take the shape of a person, appearing as a limbless form with a large fish-like head. Also, what could be perceived as a fishtail, coattail, or bottom is seen jutting out from behind the figure, while the flat square base of the sculpture is up for interpretation as either the figure’s feet or the ground beneath them. As exampled in the previous paragraph, by reducing the human figure to such basic shapes and colors Picasso has left his piece open to a far greater amount of interpretation than a literal, more subjective sculpture could have. Due to his reduction of forms, the segments of “Tete de Femme” examined together or piece by piece resemble an array of subjects including fish, street signs, arrows, and chess pieces. Also, the simplicity of features, including lack of color, such as the black circle and dot for an eye, leave the subject’s emotion entirely up to the viewer. Looking at the piece with a different mindset the figure could be seen as happy, sad, dumbfounded, or scared among other feelings.
While not as abstract as Picasso’s “Tete de Femme”, Giacometti also used the reduction of forms in his sculpture “Man Pointing”. While “Man Pointing” clearly resembles what the title implies, he is a stretched figure and disproportionate. The black rough material he is made from adds to this appearance in that even his most normal looking of features cannot be well defined. Furthermore, the texture of the sculpture makes the already starved looking man appear brittle. Whether or not the ridges on the man’s chest are supposed to represent ribs or it is just the effect of the medium, the combination of this, the color, and the man’s stretched shape screams “fragile” to me. However, perhaps the most important part of this sculpture, as demonstrated through the name, gives the opposite impression of a weak and feeble man. Whether or not the figure is holding his left hand up in a “stop” motion or beckoning others forward, the action of his right hand is clear. He is pointing in a strong rigid manner. While his arm is not as straight at a board, it is natural and pointing with purpose. The combination of this action and his otherwise frail looking features is what confuses me most about “Man Pointing”. At the moment he reminds me of someone who holds a lot of authority, but is going through a stressful period, getting older, or perhaps both. Previously, when I first viewed him in our last class, this sculpture made me think of a slave who was directing other slaves where to go and what to do. Although I think Giacometti’s “Man Pointing” is by far more defined than Picasso’s “Tete de Femme”, both offer the audience more to think about and reflect on with their lack of meticulous detail.
This was the first time I have ever experienced working from a live model. Because of this, I came into the studio with no clear set of expectations and while at first I felt I was struggling a bit with the task at hand, by the end of class I was proud of what I had been able to accomplish. My biggest two challenges, as one could easily tell from my first few sketches, were not viewing the model as a set of distinct body parts and not starting out with a sketch of his contour. Basically, I had an issue with the whole “abstract” concept.
I found it especially hard to try and view a live human being, standing right in front of me, in a non-realistic manner. It just seemed to go against everything I’m used to. When I draw any human, I, like many people, usually start out with ovals for all the major body parts as is the case with those small poseable wooden mannequins. Putting all past experiences aside, I soon learned that the key to grasping this assignment was that I had to squint my eyes, blurring my vision just a tad, so the model became nothing more than an oddly shaped blob. From there I would draw the abstract shapes I saw, not separate body segments and not just an outline, and atop these I would add a few lines showing the angles different postures and stances made in the body. For instance, if the model was leaning to one side, the line down his back would be slanted left or right accordingly while the line from hip bone to hip bone would likewise be slanted up or down accordingly. Looking at my sketches from the beginning of class and comparing them to those I made toward the end, it becomes strikingly obvious how I seemed to progress into using and understanding this new technique. Clearly I have not yet mastered the art of abstract drawing, especially in the case of a human model, but I have certainly improved in the time span of one class period.
Finally, I think my biggest surprise about the whole experience of depicting a live model abstractly was how I have personally come to find it more difficult to draw something without details than meticulously with them, as I am used to. Previous to this experience I had always thought (and now I really do not understand why) that depicting anything in the abstract would be the easier of the two routes. Apparently I was wrong. While normally I would be spending lots of time reflecting on all the different aspects I had to illustrate in my sketch, I found myself instead spending that time both holding back those intrusive observations and thinking about what I shouldn’t be putting down on paper versus what I should. I was justifiably conflicted throughout this whole process, but I think towards the end I finally started to reach some sort of acceptable balance of the conceptual and actual.
Comment on entry #1) Lindsey-An excellent job of interpreting the expressive content these two sculptures backed up by detailed observations. You are on the verge of offering some very interesting conclusions but don't quite go far enough to state some overarching propositions about abstraction (pluses and minuses). Have some glimmers when you imply that abstract forms might have the capacity to contain many identities at once, and when you say that somehow these works offer 'more to think about'.
The first model I did was made purely of wire. I like it a lot because of its simplistic qualities and the way just three pieces of wire grasped the entire abstract concept of the human figure. I also like how I did not connect the three pieces of wire together but instead staggered them on the base to create a figure that could only be viewed as such from one angle. What I do not like about this specific model is the way in which the wires connected to the base. I had to bend and hot glue them onto some cardboard which was not very aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, I don’t like the fact that there does not really seem to be much I can do to further or add to the piece without taking away from the splendor of its simplicity.
In opposition to the first model, the third model I did was made entirely or cardboard. I do not like this model much at all. I could not seem to get the shapes right without turning the figure into a mannequin. Also, as hard as I tried to improve and embellish upon the model, such as connecting one flat piece of cardboard to both the front shoulder and the back of the head as an arm, the outcome was both dull and awkward. To be honest, I would be perfectly satisfied never having to lay eyes on this piece again.
Lastly, but not really, the second model I completed was a mixture of wire and cardboard. This model was also my favorite. I liked this piece best because it was very symmetrical. Also, I managed to transform the human figure into a conjunction of geometric shapes of two mediums in both 3-D and 2-D. The only problem I really had with this model was the same as with my first one in connection with the base and how to make it look right.
While I found both my first and second models equally as charming, I have decided I will pursue this piece because it has the most potential. To fix the problem of the base I will have the wire that creates the width and height of the figure bend parallel to the floor at the bottom, echoing the shoulder section. To make this work I will also be changing the height wire/figure’s left side so that it is a straight line with no kinks or curves. Another improvement to be made is the shape of the hand. Currently the model has a triangular shaped hand with an arrow type shape on top. I think I want to change this so that the triangle shadows either the knee or the right arm and shoulder more. Presently the irregularity of its shape in comparison with every other shape used in the model draws too much attention and looks out of place. Then, once I have fixed these three aspects I am going to stagger the different sections of the figure, resembling my first model. Staggering will not only make the viewer want to view the piece from all angles, but it will add to the idea of geometric shapes in different dimensions. Finally, once all other improvements have been settled upon, I want to paint the different non-wire components in relation to the dimension they are found in as well as their importance in depicting the human figure. For example, the right leg, which is a shape as opposed to the wire line used for the left leg, is going to be staggered behind the other components of the body and therefore I would like to paint it a darker color. Maybe a dark blue or turquoise. Following this, the kneecap of the left leg would be painted a brighter color. This color would probably be some medium shade of orange. Considering the impact these improvements will make to my sculpture, I’m confident in saying that at the very least I alone will be satisfied with my final piece.
In moving from my models to my final project I have done much more brainstorming and experimentation. I have thought about all aspects, including the specific measurements and shapes of gator board that I will need, how to combine and glue different pieces of board together, and different techniques I could use in the “layering” aspect of my figure. I have also tried to look at different ways of creating the geometric shaped parts of my figure that may work more nicely than what I have done previously.
In the brainstorming process (which has primarily taken place outside of class because I have been very sick with poison ivy) I have been making lots and lots of sketches. I have a sketch for every wire I will be using, how it will be implemented in the piece, where it will bend, at what angles it will bend, and what the measurements of different sections of each wire will be. Especially because the wire in my piece is so precise and angular with very few curves I will have to be very careful in bending each piece of wire in order to make sure there are no warps. Then, with the gator board, I have likewise made numerous sketches of every geometric shape I will be creating from one or more pieces. These sketches include the shapes and measurements of individual pieces, the measurements between pieces in the overall figure, and how I will combine to gator to both the wire and other gator aspects in the piece. Finally, the last bit of brainstorming I have been doing has revolved around the base. I have decided I will make it at least two pieces of gator board thick and in a rectangular shape. Also, while I’m not entirely positive what color I’ve decided to paint it yet, I would like it to be darker than every other aspect of the piece so as to not get in the way of the whole picture.
In terms of experimenting and reconsidering different aspects of my piece I have already decidedly changed a few things. While the head of my figure was previously very plain and box-like, I have experimented with adding more sides and dimension to give it added character. The experimentation was a success and in the end I decided I liked this result best. Also, I have entirely redesigned the way I will make the stomach three-dimensional. It will still be oval shaped, but instead of taking the simple form of half a sphere I will now be using two other two-dimensional gator board ovals to make the y-axis and z-axis. Seeing as to how the abdomen/stomach area is the central part of the figure, I decided this variation in form and technique would be suiting. Furthermore, the weight this design carries would not alter the overall weight of the piece (which I had wanted to be very symmetrical) since it is located directly in the center. Lastly, I have reconsidered, remodeled, and focused on left hand of my figure the most (even though it seems to be the most simplistic detail of the piece). I am still not entirely satisfied with the triangular shapes I’ve been using, but I think this decision will come to me when I finally get to see all the pieces together. Everything I have made so far has only been taped together and not glued, meaning nothing is yet permanent and can still be altered, but I am finally reaching that stage where more permanent connections will need to be made.
In your Blog #3...next time I recommend pushing farther to see if you can't say more about what you think your selected model is about (what is it's most important quality, mood, expression attitude...) Then you can consider how improvement might help the design achieve these expressive goals (otherwise, in terms of what are the improvements aimed at?)
I think I successfully used linear and planar forms to achieve the goal of creating a compelling sculpture through my thematic implementation of geometric shapes and symmetry. One of the strengths of my piece was getting the audience to really see the x y and z axes of the figure as well as how a simple three dimensional shape could represent complex segments of the body. However, the main weakness of my sculpture came with control of the materials. The wire I used for line segments was hard to keep straight and would bend when there was too much weight placed on certain parts of it. Also, the gator board was difficult to attach to the wire because it did not just take Elmer’s or even wood glue, but I had to combine the use of wood glue and smaller wires to get the two materials to stick. Consequently, the areas in which the different materials were cemented together did not look as nice as I would have wished them to. Finally, the last setback I had was regarding my design and the gator board. Because I had initially used cardboard in my model I was able to warp sections in the stomach area that I could not do later in my sculpture. This led me to rethink me design of the abdomen piece several times. I eventually came up with a good end result that I felt successfully accentuated the themes of my figure, but it was fairly different from what I had first envisioned. (Note: I was sick and consequently unable to attend the class in which critiquing was done)
On Thursday October 1st I attended a Museum Studies talk in which Kasey Grier, a professor of history at the University of Delaware, spoke about pets in America, a topic she has passionately been researching for years and more recently published a book on. Her lecture was entitled, “At Home with Animals: the History of Pets and Why it Matters”. While it is generally accepted that many of American households contain pets, Grier made it known that this number is actually as high as 63%. Furthermore, pet stores have been in existence since the 1840s and as early as the 1890s they housed a full array of pet clothing, food, and bedding. Common household pets included dogs, cats, canaries, and even squirrels. It was not just the rich that owned pets, but people of all ages, genders, and social standing. Correspondingly, in the words of Ms. Grier, “anything that this many Americans are involved in is worth studying.”
Following her belief that pets can be thought of as “living art objects”, Grier has spent much time collecting old artifacts, including dog food advertisements, early family photos of people and their pets, and the first marketed brand bag of kitty litter. Through collected advertisements she discovered how people talked about their pet’s bodies and health just like they talked about their own bodies and health. From looking at old personal photo postcards, she realized just how often a pet was considered a member of the family. Also, another message the old pictures seemed to convey was how some pets were not only companion animals, but status symbols as well. This was especially the case when they were “purebred”. However, a “purebred” from the 1800s looks nothing like today’s “purebred”, as exampled by an old photo Grier had found of a woman and her English bulldog. In short, there was a lot to learn from the most random of artifacts (the strangest of which I believe was the squirrel cage) about the history of Americans and their pets.
I enjoyed attending this lecture because I have always had a love of animals, but I found it hard to find the connection between Grier’s lecture and art. While many of the old photographs and a few of the paintings she had found included pets in them, she focused more on how this was proof of the connection between man and animal and not what other messages the pieces conveyed. I believe maybe once or twice she went into detail on a dog’s position in relation to its owners and what this meant in a photograph or painting, but I otherwise found that her lecture primarily focused on simple facts about American pets. Simply put, Kasey Grier gave a good lecture… it was just not what I had expected.
Sorry you were not able to attend the critique, thus you had the harder task of having to attempt a self-assessment without the aid of some feedback from your classmates. I found your own comments a bit vague and I'm not sure they really are helping your overall process. For instance you seem on the verge of assessing how you think your approach to adding volume to the flat shapes turned out but then only said that you "came up with a good end result that I felt successfully accentuated the themes of my figure..." That seems a bit of a cop out. What was the theme of the figure that these shapes accentuated? When I look at the piece I'm not really sure that they do a heck of a lot more than just using flat contour pieces would have (do they seem a bit small for the detail that adding dimension to them created?).
My initial two models are about the most basic geometric shapes and line segments coming together to form an abstract view of the human figure. I want this sculpture to really show how a few simple shapes can combine to form a more complicated and meaningful form. In a weird way I want the theme to be simplicity and basics. For shapes, I have chosen to use one two-dimensional circle, one rectangular box, and two triangles that each have two uplifted edges. I like the idea of the uplifted edges because although the triangles themselves are flat, the sides coming out at the viewer add a new dimension. Also, when looking at the triangles straight on, the folded edges add line segments of their own to the piece. These line segments seem to give a sense of flow and direction.
Having good flow is going to be an important quality in my final sculpture. I tried to express this sense of continuity in my models with my use of wire. By placing one wire on top of multiple shapes I have made it so that the viewer’s eye moves more easily from one segment to the next of my figure. Corresponding to this, part of what I plan to change about my model in my final sculpture is the color of my materials. In my model I experimented with the wire being a different color than my shapes that will be made of sheet metal, but I may decide to make them the same color for my final piece. If so, I will intend to use copper sheet metal for my geometric shapes and copper wire so that while the wire will bring some added dimension and design to the piece, but will not stick out too much. The matching colors will also help with the wire’s role of blending the different geometric shapes together.
Another quality I have shown through my models is a sense of direction. I have demonstrated this with the placement of my wire line segments and corners of the triangles. I purposefully left one corner of the back triangle (which I tend to move down a little further from where it is now) and a straight wire leading far to the right in order to draw the viewer’s eye in that direction. Although I purposefully had the base of my models be the rectangular cube to hold some weight, I like how giving focus to the right side gave my model a hint of movement. While not planned, in some ways I feel that my model looks as if it is pointing to the right. This makes the viewer wonder why and what’s over there?
Finally, the size of my final sculpture will be very important. I really liked the size of my second model, and while the plan was to make my final sculpture larger I think I will stick to the smaller idea. The toy-like sense that came along with my models small size made me want to hold it and play with it. I think this goes well with my theme in that I wanted my use of simplistic forms to create something more meaningful to the viewer, no matter what connection or ideas they had about it. I want the final form to be complex enough that many ideas come to mind as to what it is or what the person is doing, but abstract enough that there is no one right answer. I want the viewer to find a connection or even develop a sense of attachment to my sculpture, as I seem to have with my toy-like thoughts about it.
Blog #7 Because I have built all of the major components of my sculpture, my next step will be to drill holes through and rivet the different sheet metal pieces in place. The components consist of a rectangular cube, a circle, and two triangles with bent sides. If we have time to work on our sculpture's on Wednesday, I hope to finish all of my riveting by the end of class. Otherwise I will finish my riveting by the weekend.
Over the weekend (Oct 31- Nov 1) I intend to continue practicing my brazing skills and have already talked to Kelly and Catie about the three of us going together to help and instruct one another. In class on Monday I made a few good joints, but I also melted one copper wire through and mess up up a few others. My main problem has been getting the flux to flow. I either aim too high or aim too far away from it with me heat application. Basically, I need to improve my brazing before I try it on my final piece.
On November 2nd I will continue practicing my brazing and once I am confident with my ability I will carefully and thoroughly clean off all of my sculpture's sheet metal surfaces with steel wool. Once the components of my sculpture are clean I will begin to braze the final segments, five copper wires, onto the figure. This process will consist of attaching two pieces of copper wire to the front rectangular cube section of my sculpture, one copper wire to the circular piece of sheet metal on top, and two pieces of copper wire to the back, having one extend out off the piece horizontally to the right. My plan is to have finished brazing by the end of Wednesday Nov 4's class.
Once my sculpture is structurally sound, all components pieced and brazed together, I will very carefully remove any excess flux around my joints by scraping via the metal file and steel wool. After this I will paint all of the copper wire segments a silver/steel color. At this point, if all goes as planned, my sculpture will be complete.
A good review of your goals. I wonder about your notion of what you call "flow". The piece has a nice sense of balance and rhythm but I'm not sure that the wire attachments break the geometric construction feeling. Watch out with the size relationships between the main box and the add on shapes. in your various models, when these shapes get a bit smaller in terms of the main box the loose their ability to create movement because they can't compete/ overcome the stasis of the larger box.
Blog Entry #8: Write-up on two attended art events.
Southern India Slideshow and Lecture:
I had a really great time listening to your talk about your trip to Southern India Tuesday Night. My uncle is from India and I vaguely knew about the temples and strong religious values throughout various parts of the country, but I had no idea of the degree this would be shown in your pictures. All of the details in the art and architecture you displayed were incredible. I knew they used narratives in their art, but had no idea how many (they’re everywhere!). Also, it was so interesting to see how people turned everyday objects into smaller shrines on the streets and hanging from trees, such as the one made up of cribs to help women become pregnant.
I think my two favorite parts of the lecture were the giant Jain sculpture and the cave temples. When you told us that the Jain sculpture was 571 feet tall I was astounded. Picturing the realization on people’s faces when they saw it in the distance and then got to stand right at its’ feet must have been amazing. And you said it was made of one rock? All I could think when I looked at these slides was how long and how much dedication this one sculpture of a man must have taken. Furthermore, the meaning behind the sculpture was great. I loved the way vines and earth were carved around his feet to express how he had stood there so long in meditation. It made me really think of what it would take for a person to be so in tune with the world and at peace in their meditation to completely forget their surroundings for days on end. Then, the fact that people honor and show their respect by pouring thousands of gallons of milk upon this sculpture was fascinating. It is crazy for me to think that people with nothing will seemingly throw away what little they have. I understand that they do not think they are throwing anything away… it is simply that it is such a different culture.
As previously stated, my other favorite part of the slideshow was the cave temples. I loved the way your pictures showed how natural rock formations would go on for miles until suddenly you would notice some columns hidden in the stone in a seemingly random place. I think that a large part of the beauty I found in these temples was simply the fact that they were so concealed and one with their surroundings. The pictures of the inside also gave me the impression that it was really cool and a nice escape from the heat outside.
Finally, I appreciated the history and stories you told us along with your slides. They helped me understand the meaning and importance of what I saw and also gave some interesting background of your trip in general. For instance, I loved your telling us about walking barefoot through the temples and how most tourists would wear socks due to the “goo” factor. Hearing the truth about how there really was trash most everywhere too gave me a clearer image of what India is like. Moreover, your descriptions of the different gods, goddesses, and their steeds, as well as the different stories about them helped me to understand what different narratives were trying to express including the movement, the emotion, and their importance to the people.
In short, this was a fascinating lecture and I’m really glad I attended. :D
Thursday afternoon’s ARTWEEK throwdown was hilarious. In round one were Joe and Katie, debating whether reality TV helped or hurt art literacy. Joe argued that it helped. He said shows like “Project Runway” portrayed the creative process and visual problem solving. Katie then argued that reality TV shows had no real language to talk about art and glorified the self-learner with no real training. She also pointed out the fact that many judges in such shows misuse the word “modern” when they mean to say “contemporary”. To this Joe agreed, admitting one of his pet peeves was the misuse of the word “deconstruction”. However, despite minor fallbacks Joe found it important how certain reality TV shows drew regular, ordinary people towards art, making it more accessible. Katie’s final comment was how not all reality TV points of contact with the art field are good and enriching and sometimes the competitive nature of the programs pulls away from the process of art. In the end, according to audience applause levels, Joe won the debate.
In round two was David versus Lisa. You, Lisa, put on quite a show with your goggles, coat, and noisily intimidating saw. David on the other hand merely brought his ill-founded attitude towards art to the table. He argued that “art is not meaningful or worthwhile.” Although he made some interesting points about art not solving world hunger or spreading peace, he inevitably provided his own downfall. Once it was known he played the violin he was doomed. While he attempted to save himself by claiming, “it gives me nothing,” it was too late. Lisa (you) then ensured his loss by making some good points- art is not boring, it expresses emotion, reflection, and memory using creativity, freedom, and playfulness. Also, art needs discipline, honesty, and energy. As expected, you (Lisa) won round two.
Finally, in round three were Katie and David discussing various questions from the audience. David addressed how in mathematics, words that are used have very specific meanings, which is not always the case in art. Following this train of thought, Katie added “there’s a difference between modern and modernist.” Then, to end the throwdown was a question of Tyra Banks’ influence on contemporary culture, to which both Katie and David agreed was immense.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this event, but it was a lot of fun. Everyone attending and involved seemed to really enjoy being there which added a lot of energy to the room. Once again, I’m glad I chose this event and good job!
I would definitely say that I used creative exploration throughout all stages of this project. I changed my various ideas of what I wanted my sculpture to look like and the materials I would use multiple times. I also challenged myself with size, keeping it on the smaller side, which amplified the importance of every detail. Finally, when things didn’t work out as planned, instead of hesitating or getting fixated on what was wrong I came up with new ideas, tested them out, and eventually implemented them in my final sculpture.
While my first model was the same size as I made my final, it is evident that I had originally planned on brazing copper wires to the piece where there is now steel sheet metal. Because my attempts at brazing did not quite turn out as I would have hoped, I discovered that riveting with a different type of sheet metal instead, proved to be more efficient and better looking with the contrast it provided. I furthered this idea by adding more simplistically shaped pieces of steel sheet metal to the front and back, which I felt added character to the figure. I also then slightly re-arranged the positioning of the right “arm”, from where it was in my second model, in order to have it stand out more from the central structure. I tried several positions for this until I was happy with the way it pointed to the right and was only slightly attached to the main rectangular box shape.
Next, I like the way the dimensions of my piece worked out in relation to one another because I feel that the human body seems to have more “going on” so to speak at the top, with our heads, shoulders, and arms and this is where much of my piece focused due to the size of the rectangular box base. Furthermore, focus was not simply given to the top of my sculpture, but distributed more among the front and back than the sides. Just as I feel a person is more distinguishable from the front and back than from the sides, the only décor I added to the sides was riveting the folds of the rectangular box at the bottom. Even though the sides are equal in size to the front and back (when I tried to make them smaller it was not so esthetically pleasing and looked off balance), the lack of detail here serves to draw the viewer’s attention away and to what I consider the more important views of the piece.
Lastly, although all I used for the main components were basic geometric shapes, my sculpture took on the form of a toy soldier, or something of that sort, in what could be perceived as an action pose. The figure can be perceived as in motion, pointing, or simply just holding out his arm. Different features of his body, such as the riveted diagonal piece of steel sheet metal on the front as well as the piece attached to the back right arm, all draw the viewer’s eye to the right as if that was is where “something” will happen next. I really like the questions this poses for the viewer and I believe the fact that I could evoke such questions is a lot of what I was looking for from this piece.
Excellent observations but you seem to shy away from taking a critical look at the work. There is always room for improvement and unless you develop an ability to see trouble you will lack the primary means of improvement.
Firstly, this sculpture's greatest strength to me is its strong sense of character. The pose, conveyed through simple geometric shapes, suggests a person who is holding one arm in and pointing the other arm out. The pose is strengthened by its execution, by having the head and held arm in the same plane as the front of the torso, versus the pointing arm set back in plane with the back of the torso. The steel sheet metal added in thinner strips along certain parts of the piece, such as the head, add a feeling of movement and dynamic, as do the back arm pointed at an angle slightly downwards instead of 90 degrees. The small size of the piece along with its material of sheet metal suggests this energy to be contained, like a toy wound up ready to be released. This also adds to the presence of the piece. I would suggest that the steel sheet metal should be more concise, and used less, so it would put greater emphasis where it was used. Also, it would be stronger if it was at least a little more exaggerated (i.e. longer than the shapes), like on the head and the arm. I would also suggest a more deliberate placing of the rivets, because they could also add to the piece instead of "just being there." Also, although I think the small size works well for the piece, I would strongly suggest bringing it up to eye level. The deliberate lining up of the front of back shapes is lost when looking down at the piece. Finally, the view from the sides lose all the suggestion of movement that is apparent from front and back. This would be the sculptures weakest point. Overall, I think Lindsey made a very successful sculpture.
I like that you understood the energy and toy aspect of my piece as conveyed through those simple geometric shapes. Also, I think it’s funny that the way the back arm slanted, instead of being 90 degrees, stood out to you as a good quality since I had actually not planned on that happening. Then, with the steel sheet metal, I’m glad you felt it did convey the sense of movement as that was what I had been looking for. However, I think you’re right in that I could have exaggerated the sheet metal detail a bit more. If I had done that I would have made the pieces thinner, but then also extended them to the sides to make the whole piece more fluid. I think you’re right about something being lost with the plainness of the sides as I left them. Finally, I agree with the idea of bringing the piece to eye level. I had been afraid before that a stand might overpower it, but it would definitely not take as much away as the angle viewed from the top seems to… thank you for your feedback!
Henry Spencer Moore, the artist of the piece in the first slide of our class lecture, was an English sculptor. He lived from July 30, 1898 to August 31 1986 and is best known for his large-scale abstract bronze pieces which are now displayed around the world. Despite this, the sculpture of his that grabbed my attention when displayed in class actually depicts one of his more organic sculptures and was carved from wood.
Like the sculpture in the slideshow, the majority of Henry Moore’s works are reclining human figures that are often indicative of the female body. While his earlier works seemed to focus more on abstraction in terms of mass and solid components, his later works used hollow spaces and openings to explore the different elements of the human figure. These spaces serve to both define different components and parts of the figure and represent the segments themselves. Furthermore, it has also been said that with the pierced and hollow spaces throughout them, Moore’s sculptures have a very unique way of exploring and alternating the use of concave and convex shapes.
Finally, one widespread interpretation of Moore’s sculptures has been in relation to theme. Due to the shape and position of the figure, as well as the reduction of form through open spaces, Moore’s work has often been said to resemble the hill covered landscapes of his childhood home in Yorkshire England. This reading is especially seen through his more organic pieces such as that which was displayed in our class lecture. Made of wood, the intentional visibility of the grain in this piece truly plays into its’ scenic feel. Although this view is less visible through his bronze sculptures, the smooth curves of his figures seem to carry this theme throughout his different works.
I think my model was of a decent size and had a good start for the theme of passion, heat, and romance. It also had some interesting attributes, including the candle analogy with multi-dimensional flames and the “popped” leg aspect of the female candle figure, but there are a few improvements that need to be made. In addition, it is worth noting that each of these improvements is related to furthering the expression of my theme(s).
My first improvement has to do with the two flames. As discussed in class, they should not be so separated, but instead come together as one or at least intertwine. I think I like the idea of intertwining the flames best because it keeps the candle-figures as two separate entities, such as two lovers would be, but also shows how aspects of them can become so entangled that it is hard to tell one from the other. To successfully display this I will alter my idea of using sheet metal and instead use wire for outlining both flames. This will make them wrap around one another more easily. Then, I will turn the wire outlines into flat surfaces with paper mache. By using paper mache I can experiment with decoupage and other techniques to add color and decorative aspects to the flames as well.
The next improvement I will make is in relation to the candlestick shape. In class it was mentioned that I could have both figures melting in towards one another. I really like this idea and think it would be much more expressive than what I currently have with the two cylinders abruptly stopping at a level surface on top. After all, following my reference to a burning candle, a lit candle is quick to lose its perfectly cylindrical shape and flat top. Because I want the two candles in my sculpture to be shown as burning with a greatness that makes them melt, the perfectly shaped look I have in my model would not make sense. Having the candle tops curved and melted downwards towards each other on the other hand would work quite nicely. It would also further my theme of love and passion because it alludes to the intensity of the flames and possibly depicts how the two figures are so enraptured by one another that they don’t even realize how they are changing one another’s forms.
Aside from changing the candlestick’s shape to a “melted” form, I believe I will also add an “arm” to the male candle. Because the female candle has a leg bent and popping out in back, an arm added to the other figure would make it equally as life-like. Without this arm, it was pointed out that the male figure lost some of its animate qualities and did not fit with the theme that well. Furthermore, the way in which I want to add the arm is to put it on the opposite side of the male candle figure as the popped leg on the female. By doing this my hope is that it will further the feeling of the two candles being wrapped around one another.
Finally, the last improvement I will make in my final sculpture will be with the candlestick part of my figures’ surfaces. I have not positively decided what I would like to do with them yet, besides having a dripping aspect down their sides, but I have two ideas. I am pretty sure I will either decoupage their surfaces with magazine cutouts of words, objects, and colors that relate to my theme or I paint them with one color (most likely red, purple, or orange) that will grow brighter the closer up to the flame it gets. I think both of these ideas would look and work well with my design but cannot seem to decide on which I like best. Hopefully when I reach the point in which I must decide which direction to go with the surface design the right choice will be made clear to me.
Lindsey- Entry # 10 (review of Classmate): A thoughtful review of Adel’s sculpture. Entry #11 (artist research): very good- you make the connection between landscape and Moore’s abstraction. What are some of the specific qualities that makes this and apt comparison? Entry #12 (model assessment): a productive review. I think I would recommend creating a bit if this collage surface as a test before you proceed. It will be create a huge effect on the piece and maybe even overpower some of the form ideas. But there might be ways to tamp it down a bit so it integrates rather than feeling an after thought. Entry #13 (art event): yes
I think that the most prominent thing that I learned about sculpture that surprised me most was how many different techniques can be used for the vast amount of types of sculptures you can make. It had never really occurred to me before how big the field was and exactly how many different ways you could go about doing things. For instance, if you want to attach a few pieces of metal, you could use brazing, welding, or riveting techniques (depending on the type and size of metal of course). Also, if you were doing woodworking there are countless ways of making joints, including the butt joint, lap joints, and lamination.
At the beginning of this class my attitudes and ideas about the art making process were still somewhat similar than at the end, but my ideas and attitudes about the sculpture making process were very different. I had never taken a sculpture class before this one and in the back of my mind I always thought of elementary school art class when you were given a block of clay to make something with as the basis of sculpture. I quickly learned this was not the case. For starters, clay is only one of the countless mediums available to make a sculpture out of. Then, sculpture is not just the process of molding a medium to look like what you have envisioned, but it is experimenting with techniques, making models, broadening your ideas and thinking of new and better ways to create your sculpture, working off those ideas and your models, and then using the countless amounts of techniques with the medium at hand to create something inspiring.
To be a good artist I think it takes patience, commitment, and creativity. I listed patience and commitment first because I now believe a big part of creativity can only come after experimentation, seeing what works with your sculpture, and sticking with it even when things don’t turn out as initially planned. I believe this is actually the aspect where this class has changed me most as well. I used to get easily frustrated when something did not look good or work out as I had planned on the first try, but I hadn’t been using models, I hadn’t been first experimenting, and I had not been open to the idea that I could still make a good piece of art even if it is not EXACTLY as I had planned it to be.
To make this class more effective I think it would be helpful to give everyone handouts on things such as how to make the different joints and how to weld versus braze because oftentimes during your demonstrations we physically couldn’t take notes for reasons such as fire hazards. Also, because you covered so much sometimes it was hard to keep up and jot down all the important stuff. Furthermore, I think if we had spent a day or two experimenting with wood joints or other such things as a group in class, doing everything together at the same time it may have been useful. Even with my notes, it was hard to remember everything from class and then apply it to studio hours later on.
Finally, in my opinion my next sculpture is looking almost quilt-like. I have been using decoupage to make two candles, a male and female, whose flames intertwine on top. For what would be the wax parts of their being I have begun decoupaging them in shades of purple, with the deepest at the base and lessening in intensity as it reaches the flame. Then, for the flame I have begun using different shades of red, orange, gold, and yellow with the red encompassing the edges. I was planning on putting a piece of sheet metal on either side of each flame for the center and to add more dimension, but that would mean covering some of the decoupage. I’m no longer sure I want to do this because the way the flames are looking now is what most reminds me of a quilt, with different pieces coming together, and I really like that. It’s basically just a bunch of colors thrown together to make something more. That goes with my theme too. Any romance is a mesh of things in a sense, and there are many aspects to it. The differences in the shades AND colors I’ve begun to use in the flame truly embodies this and seems to say (to me at least) that each individual has many different shades and aspects to themselves personally as well. Hopefully when I am finished, these themes will continue and become even more apparent.
I think that I effectively demonstrated both my expressive goals and the class project goals in my final sculpture. My personal goals centered on creating a sculpture that would display the themes of passion, heat, and romance between two candle-looking figures. I settled upon the idea of candles to extenuate these themes mostly because they include a burning aspect, their flames. The heat that is intensified between two lovers, or in this case the two candles, could then be exampled through their “melting” toward each other. I accomplished creating this effect by dripping plaster down the sides. Furthermore, as two lovers, the candle figures were to represent a male and a female. I was able to convey this through making the female candlestick have a “popped” leg, as is demonstrated by many women in older movies when they kiss a man. Also, to make the male figure more human-like, I added an arm on the opposite side of the female’s leg. This element further pulled the two together, making them visually one piece. In addition to the candles’ appendages bringing the pieces together, I tried to make the two flames wrap around one another. I attempted this by making them out of wire mesh and then coating the wire with plaster so I could create two forms that fit within each other. Unfortunately, I did not take into account how heavy the plaster could be and this created a problem. The weight changed the forms a bit both when it was applied and when it was drying. Although the flames still get closer and further apart at different points, they never quite intertwine as I had hoped. If I could go back now I would change how much time I had taken to plaster the flames so that I could have seen this happening sooner and prevented it. Finally, for the surfaces of my pieces I used decoupage. Instead of applying objects and words alongside plain colors, as I had originally planned, I chose one color (purple) to decoupage the candlesticks in various shades with. I felt that by making the pieces of purple magazine change from dark to light as they moved up the candlestick, it would add the sense of flow and change demonstrated through the dripping tops. I am not sure if this was actually accomplished, but the design still looked pretty appealing in the end. Finally, once I finished decoupaging the flames I decided not to use sheet metal for the inner parts. Although I had been adamant on implementing this technique before, I realized it would hide the expressiveness I had shown by pasting different types of red, orange, yellow, and black colors on the flames surface. I fully support this decision after seeing my final piece and how much attention the colors of the flames draw to themselves.
In short, I accomplished much in my final sculpture with only a few problems and things I would have or would like to change. Besides the intertwining of the flames, a fallback of my piece was the candlesticks’ shapes. While I like that the candlesticks are a bit lumpy and not perfectly cylindrical, I think they could have been better formed had I focused more on the armature making process instead of simply improving upon what was lacking with the use of plaster later on. Also, after the decoupage dried it left some sticky-type marks on the surface that I wish I had become aware of sooner. If I had I would have come up with a way to hide them or smooth them out. Basically, my main problem simply came in planning, but considering the time period we had I’d say I did a fair job.
This last entry isn't as much a self-assessment as it is the of the telling the story of your experience. You do get around to mentioning some unresolved issues but you never shouldered the full challenge because I assume you wrote it after the critique.
In “Tete de Femme” Pablo Picasso combines two two-dimensional depictions of facial features with an undefined body to create a very abstract three-dimensional piece. Viewing the sculpture directly from the front or side, one loses sight of the overall subject and sees plain geometric shapes oddly meshed together with black lines, dots, and circles painted across them. Then, at the forty-five degree view the sculpture transforms to take the shape of a person, appearing as a limbless form with a large fish-like head. Also, what could be perceived as a fishtail, coattail, or bottom is seen jutting out from behind the figure, while the flat square base of the sculpture is up for interpretation as either the figure’s feet or the ground beneath them.
ReplyDeleteAs exampled in the previous paragraph, by reducing the human figure to such basic shapes and colors Picasso has left his piece open to a far greater amount of interpretation than a literal, more subjective sculpture could have. Due to his reduction of forms, the segments of “Tete de Femme” examined together or piece by piece resemble an array of subjects including fish, street signs, arrows, and chess pieces. Also, the simplicity of features, including lack of color, such as the black circle and dot for an eye, leave the subject’s emotion entirely up to the viewer. Looking at the piece with a different mindset the figure could be seen as happy, sad, dumbfounded, or scared among other feelings.
While not as abstract as Picasso’s “Tete de Femme”, Giacometti also used the reduction of forms in his sculpture “Man Pointing”. While “Man Pointing” clearly resembles what the title implies, he is a stretched figure and disproportionate. The black rough material he is made from adds to this appearance in that even his most normal looking of features cannot be well defined. Furthermore, the texture of the sculpture makes the already starved looking man appear brittle. Whether or not the ridges on the man’s chest are supposed to represent ribs or it is just the effect of the medium, the combination of this, the color, and the man’s stretched shape screams “fragile” to me. However, perhaps the most important part of this sculpture, as demonstrated through the name, gives the opposite impression of a weak and feeble man. Whether or not the figure is holding his left hand up in a “stop” motion or beckoning others forward, the action of his right hand is clear. He is pointing in a strong rigid manner. While his arm is not as straight at a board, it is natural and pointing with purpose. The combination of this action and his otherwise frail looking features is what confuses me most about “Man Pointing”. At the moment he reminds me of someone who holds a lot of authority, but is going through a stressful period, getting older, or perhaps both. Previously, when I first viewed him in our last class, this sculpture made me think of a slave who was directing other slaves where to go and what to do. Although I think Giacometti’s “Man Pointing” is by far more defined than Picasso’s “Tete de Femme”, both offer the audience more to think about and reflect on with their lack of meticulous detail.
Blog Entry #2
ReplyDeleteThis was the first time I have ever experienced working from a live model. Because of this, I came into the studio with no clear set of expectations and while at first I felt I was struggling a bit with the task at hand, by the end of class I was proud of what I had been able to accomplish. My biggest two challenges, as one could easily tell from my first few sketches, were not viewing the model as a set of distinct body parts and not starting out with a sketch of his contour. Basically, I had an issue with the whole “abstract” concept.
I found it especially hard to try and view a live human being, standing right in front of me, in a non-realistic manner. It just seemed to go against everything I’m used to. When I draw any human, I, like many people, usually start out with ovals for all the major body parts as is the case with those small poseable wooden mannequins. Putting all past experiences aside, I soon learned that the key to grasping this assignment was that I had to squint my eyes, blurring my vision just a tad, so the model became nothing more than an oddly shaped blob. From there I would draw the abstract shapes I saw, not separate body segments and not just an outline, and atop these I would add a few lines showing the angles different postures and stances made in the body. For instance, if the model was leaning to one side, the line down his back would be slanted left or right accordingly while the line from hip bone to hip bone would likewise be slanted up or down accordingly. Looking at my sketches from the beginning of class and comparing them to those I made toward the end, it becomes strikingly obvious how I seemed to progress into using and understanding this new technique. Clearly I have not yet mastered the art of abstract drawing, especially in the case of a human model, but I have certainly improved in the time span of one class period.
Finally, I think my biggest surprise about the whole experience of depicting a live model abstractly was how I have personally come to find it more difficult to draw something without details than meticulously with them, as I am used to. Previous to this experience I had always thought (and now I really do not understand why) that depicting anything in the abstract would be the easier of the two routes. Apparently I was wrong. While normally I would be spending lots of time reflecting on all the different aspects I had to illustrate in my sketch, I found myself instead spending that time both holding back those intrusive observations and thinking about what I shouldn’t be putting down on paper versus what I should. I was justifiably conflicted throughout this whole process, but I think towards the end I finally started to reach some sort of acceptable balance of the conceptual and actual.
Comment on entry #1)
ReplyDeleteLindsey-An excellent job of interpreting the expressive content these two sculptures backed up by detailed observations. You are on the verge of offering some very interesting conclusions but don't quite go far enough to state some overarching propositions about abstraction (pluses and minuses). Have some glimmers when you imply that abstract forms might have the capacity to contain many identities at once, and when you say that somehow these works offer 'more to think about'.
Blog Entry #3 – September 23, 2009
ReplyDeleteThe first model I did was made purely of wire. I like it a lot because of its simplistic qualities and the way just three pieces of wire grasped the entire abstract concept of the human figure. I also like how I did not connect the three pieces of wire together but instead staggered them on the base to create a figure that could only be viewed as such from one angle. What I do not like about this specific model is the way in which the wires connected to the base. I had to bend and hot glue them onto some cardboard which was not very aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, I don’t like the fact that there does not really seem to be much I can do to further or add to the piece without taking away from the splendor of its simplicity.
In opposition to the first model, the third model I did was made entirely or cardboard. I do not like this model much at all. I could not seem to get the shapes right without turning the figure into a mannequin. Also, as hard as I tried to improve and embellish upon the model, such as connecting one flat piece of cardboard to both the front shoulder and the back of the head as an arm, the outcome was both dull and awkward. To be honest, I would be perfectly satisfied never having to lay eyes on this piece again.
Lastly, but not really, the second model I completed was a mixture of wire and cardboard. This model was also my favorite. I liked this piece best because it was very symmetrical. Also, I managed to transform the human figure into a conjunction of geometric shapes of two mediums in both 3-D and 2-D. The only problem I really had with this model was the same as with my first one in connection with the base and how to make it look right.
While I found both my first and second models equally as charming, I have decided I will pursue this piece because it has the most potential. To fix the problem of the base I will have the wire that creates the width and height of the figure bend parallel to the floor at the bottom, echoing the shoulder section. To make this work I will also be changing the height wire/figure’s left side so that it is a straight line with no kinks or curves. Another improvement to be made is the shape of the hand. Currently the model has a triangular shaped hand with an arrow type shape on top. I think I want to change this so that the triangle shadows either the knee or the right arm and shoulder more. Presently the irregularity of its shape in comparison with every other shape used in the model draws too much attention and looks out of place. Then, once I have fixed these three aspects I am going to stagger the different sections of the figure, resembling my first model. Staggering will not only make the viewer want to view the piece from all angles, but it will add to the idea of geometric shapes in different dimensions. Finally, once all other improvements have been settled upon, I want to paint the different non-wire components in relation to the dimension they are found in as well as their importance in depicting the human figure. For example, the right leg, which is a shape as opposed to the wire line used for the left leg, is going to be staggered behind the other components of the body and therefore I would like to paint it a darker color. Maybe a dark blue or turquoise. Following this, the kneecap of the left leg would be painted a brighter color. This color would probably be some medium shade of orange. Considering the impact these improvements will make to my sculpture, I’m confident in saying that at the very least I alone will be satisfied with my final piece.
Blog # 4
ReplyDeleteIn moving from my models to my final project I have done much more brainstorming and experimentation. I have thought about all aspects, including the specific measurements and shapes of gator board that I will need, how to combine and glue different pieces of board together, and different techniques I could use in the “layering” aspect of my figure. I have also tried to look at different ways of creating the geometric shaped parts of my figure that may work more nicely than what I have done previously.
In the brainstorming process (which has primarily taken place outside of class because I have been very sick with poison ivy) I have been making lots and lots of sketches. I have a sketch for every wire I will be using, how it will be implemented in the piece, where it will bend, at what angles it will bend, and what the measurements of different sections of each wire will be. Especially because the wire in my piece is so precise and angular with very few curves I will have to be very careful in bending each piece of wire in order to make sure there are no warps. Then, with the gator board, I have likewise made numerous sketches of every geometric shape I will be creating from one or more pieces. These sketches include the shapes and measurements of individual pieces, the measurements between pieces in the overall figure, and how I will combine to gator to both the wire and other gator aspects in the piece. Finally, the last bit of brainstorming I have been doing has revolved around the base. I have decided I will make it at least two pieces of gator board thick and in a rectangular shape. Also, while I’m not entirely positive what color I’ve decided to paint it yet, I would like it to be darker than every other aspect of the piece so as to not get in the way of the whole picture.
In terms of experimenting and reconsidering different aspects of my piece I have already decidedly changed a few things. While the head of my figure was previously very plain and box-like, I have experimented with adding more sides and dimension to give it added character. The experimentation was a success and in the end I decided I liked this result best. Also, I have entirely redesigned the way I will make the stomach three-dimensional. It will still be oval shaped, but instead of taking the simple form of half a sphere I will now be using two other two-dimensional gator board ovals to make the y-axis and z-axis. Seeing as to how the abdomen/stomach area is the central part of the figure, I decided this variation in form and technique would be suiting. Furthermore, the weight this design carries would not alter the overall weight of the piece (which I had wanted to be very symmetrical) since it is located directly in the center. Lastly, I have reconsidered, remodeled, and focused on left hand of my figure the most (even though it seems to be the most simplistic detail of the piece). I am still not entirely satisfied with the triangular shapes I’ve been using, but I think this decision will come to me when I finally get to see all the pieces together. Everything I have made so far has only been taped together and not glued, meaning nothing is yet permanent and can still be altered, but I am finally reaching that stage where more permanent connections will need to be made.
In your Blog #3...next time I recommend pushing farther to see if you can't say more about what you think your selected model is about (what is it's most important quality, mood, expression attitude...) Then you can consider how improvement might help the design achieve these expressive goals (otherwise, in terms of what are the improvements aimed at?)
ReplyDeleteI think I successfully used linear and planar forms to achieve the goal of creating a compelling sculpture through my thematic implementation of geometric shapes and symmetry. One of the strengths of my piece was getting the audience to really see the x y and z axes of the figure as well as how a simple three dimensional shape could represent complex segments of the body. However, the main weakness of my sculpture came with control of the materials. The wire I used for line segments was hard to keep straight and would bend when there was too much weight placed on certain parts of it. Also, the gator board was difficult to attach to the wire because it did not just take Elmer’s or even wood glue, but I had to combine the use of wood glue and smaller wires to get the two materials to stick. Consequently, the areas in which the different materials were cemented together did not look as nice as I would have wished them to. Finally, the last setback I had was regarding my design and the gator board. Because I had initially used cardboard in my model I was able to warp sections in the stomach area that I could not do later in my sculpture. This led me to rethink me design of the abdomen piece several times. I eventually came up with a good end result that I felt successfully accentuated the themes of my figure, but it was fairly different from what I had first envisioned.
ReplyDelete(Note: I was sick and consequently unable to attend the class in which critiquing was done)
^(That was Blog #5)
ReplyDeleteLecture Blog Entry 1
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday October 1st I attended a Museum Studies talk in which Kasey Grier, a professor of history at the University of Delaware, spoke about pets in America, a topic she has passionately been researching for years and more recently published a book on. Her lecture was entitled, “At Home with Animals: the History of Pets and Why it Matters”. While it is generally accepted that many of American households contain pets, Grier made it known that this number is actually as high as 63%. Furthermore, pet stores have been in existence since the 1840s and as early as the 1890s they housed a full array of pet clothing, food, and bedding. Common household pets included dogs, cats, canaries, and even squirrels. It was not just the rich that owned pets, but people of all ages, genders, and social standing. Correspondingly, in the words of Ms. Grier, “anything that this many Americans are involved in is worth studying.”
Following her belief that pets can be thought of as “living art objects”, Grier has spent much time collecting old artifacts, including dog food advertisements, early family photos of people and their pets, and the first marketed brand bag of kitty litter. Through collected advertisements she discovered how people talked about their pet’s bodies and health just like they talked about their own bodies and health. From looking at old personal photo postcards, she realized just how often a pet was considered a member of the family. Also, another message the old pictures seemed to convey was how some pets were not only companion animals, but status symbols as well. This was especially the case when they were “purebred”. However, a “purebred” from the 1800s looks nothing like today’s “purebred”, as exampled by an old photo Grier had found of a woman and her English bulldog. In short, there was a lot to learn from the most random of artifacts (the strangest of which I believe was the squirrel cage) about the history of Americans and their pets.
I enjoyed attending this lecture because I have always had a love of animals, but I found it hard to find the connection between Grier’s lecture and art. While many of the old photographs and a few of the paintings she had found included pets in them, she focused more on how this was proof of the connection between man and animal and not what other messages the pieces conveyed. I believe maybe once or twice she went into detail on a dog’s position in relation to its owners and what this meant in a photograph or painting, but I otherwise found that her lecture primarily focused on simple facts about American pets. Simply put, Kasey Grier gave a good lecture… it was just not what I had expected.
Sorry you were not able to attend the critique, thus you had the harder task of having to attempt a self-assessment without the aid of some feedback from your classmates. I found your own comments a bit vague and I'm not sure they really are helping your overall process. For instance you seem on the verge of assessing how you think your approach to adding volume to the flat shapes turned out but then only said that you "came up with a good end result that I felt successfully accentuated the themes of my figure..." That seems a bit of a cop out. What was the theme of the figure that these shapes accentuated? When I look at the piece I'm not really sure that they do a heck of a lot more than just using flat contour pieces would have (do they seem a bit small for the detail that adding dimension to them created?).
ReplyDeleteBlog Entry #6
ReplyDeleteMy initial two models are about the most basic geometric shapes and line segments coming together to form an abstract view of the human figure. I want this sculpture to really show how a few simple shapes can combine to form a more complicated and meaningful form. In a weird way I want the theme to be simplicity and basics. For shapes, I have chosen to use one two-dimensional circle, one rectangular box, and two triangles that each have two uplifted edges. I like the idea of the uplifted edges because although the triangles themselves are flat, the sides coming out at the viewer add a new dimension. Also, when looking at the triangles straight on, the folded edges add line segments of their own to the piece. These line segments seem to give a sense of flow and direction.
Having good flow is going to be an important quality in my final sculpture. I tried to express this sense of continuity in my models with my use of wire. By placing one wire on top of multiple shapes I have made it so that the viewer’s eye moves more easily from one segment to the next of my figure. Corresponding to this, part of what I plan to change about my model in my final sculpture is the color of my materials. In my model I experimented with the wire being a different color than my shapes that will be made of sheet metal, but I may decide to make them the same color for my final piece. If so, I will intend to use copper sheet metal for my geometric shapes and copper wire so that while the wire will bring some added dimension and design to the piece, but will not stick out too much. The matching colors will also help with the wire’s role of blending the different geometric shapes together.
Another quality I have shown through my models is a sense of direction. I have demonstrated this with the placement of my wire line segments and corners of the triangles. I purposefully left one corner of the back triangle (which I tend to move down a little further from where it is now) and a straight wire leading far to the right in order to draw the viewer’s eye in that direction. Although I purposefully had the base of my models be the rectangular cube to hold some weight, I like how giving focus to the right side gave my model a hint of movement. While not planned, in some ways I feel that my model looks as if it is pointing to the right. This makes the viewer wonder why and what’s over there?
Finally, the size of my final sculpture will be very important. I really liked the size of my second model, and while the plan was to make my final sculpture larger I think I will stick to the smaller idea. The toy-like sense that came along with my models small size made me want to hold it and play with it. I think this goes well with my theme in that I wanted my use of simplistic forms to create something more meaningful to the viewer, no matter what connection or ideas they had about it. I want the final form to be complex enough that many ideas come to mind as to what it is or what the person is doing, but abstract enough that there is no one right answer. I want the viewer to find a connection or even develop a sense of attachment to my sculpture, as I seem to have with my toy-like thoughts about it.
Blog #7
ReplyDeleteBecause I have built all of the major components of my sculpture, my next step will be to drill holes through and rivet the different sheet metal pieces in place. The components consist of a rectangular cube, a circle, and two triangles with bent sides. If we have time to work on our sculpture's on Wednesday, I hope to finish all of my riveting by the end of class. Otherwise I will finish my riveting by the weekend.
Over the weekend (Oct 31- Nov 1) I intend to continue practicing my brazing skills and have already talked to Kelly and Catie about the three of us going together to help and instruct one another. In class on Monday I made a few good joints, but I also melted one copper wire through and mess up up a few others. My main problem has been getting the flux to flow. I either aim too high or aim too far away from it with me heat application. Basically, I need to improve my brazing before I try it on my final piece.
On November 2nd I will continue practicing my brazing and once I am confident with my ability I will carefully and thoroughly clean off all of my sculpture's sheet metal surfaces with steel wool. Once the components of my sculpture are clean I will begin to braze the final segments, five copper wires, onto the figure. This process will consist of attaching two pieces of copper wire to the front rectangular cube section of my sculpture, one copper wire to the circular piece of sheet metal on top, and two pieces of copper wire to the back, having one extend out off the piece horizontally to the right. My plan is to have finished brazing by the end of Wednesday Nov 4's class.
Once my sculpture is structurally sound, all components pieced and brazed together, I will very carefully remove any excess flux around my joints by scraping via the metal file and steel wool. After this I will paint all of the copper wire segments a silver/steel color. At this point, if all goes as planned, my sculpture will be complete.
A good review of your goals. I wonder about your notion of what you call "flow". The piece has a nice sense of balance and rhythm but I'm not sure that the wire attachments break the geometric construction feeling. Watch out with the size relationships between the main box and the add on shapes. in your various models, when these shapes get a bit smaller in terms of the main box the loose their ability to create movement because they can't compete/ overcome the stasis of the larger box.
ReplyDeleteBlog Entry #8: Write-up on two attended art events.
ReplyDeleteSouthern India Slideshow and Lecture:
I had a really great time listening to your talk about your trip to Southern India Tuesday Night. My uncle is from India and I vaguely knew about the temples and strong religious values throughout various parts of the country, but I had no idea of the degree this would be shown in your pictures. All of the details in the art and architecture you displayed were incredible. I knew they used narratives in their art, but had no idea how many (they’re everywhere!). Also, it was so interesting to see how people turned everyday objects into smaller shrines on the streets and hanging from trees, such as the one made up of cribs to help women become pregnant.
I think my two favorite parts of the lecture were the giant Jain sculpture and the cave temples. When you told us that the Jain sculpture was 571 feet tall I was astounded. Picturing the realization on people’s faces when they saw it in the distance and then got to stand right at its’ feet must have been amazing. And you said it was made of one rock? All I could think when I looked at these slides was how long and how much dedication this one sculpture of a man must have taken. Furthermore, the meaning behind the sculpture was great. I loved the way vines and earth were carved around his feet to express how he had stood there so long in meditation. It made me really think of what it would take for a person to be so in tune with the world and at peace in their meditation to completely forget their surroundings for days on end. Then, the fact that people honor and show their respect by pouring thousands of gallons of milk upon this sculpture was fascinating. It is crazy for me to think that people with nothing will seemingly throw away what little they have. I understand that they do not think they are throwing anything away… it is simply that it is such a different culture.
As previously stated, my other favorite part of the slideshow was the cave temples. I loved the way your pictures showed how natural rock formations would go on for miles until suddenly you would notice some columns hidden in the stone in a seemingly random place. I think that a large part of the beauty I found in these temples was simply the fact that they were so concealed and one with their surroundings. The pictures of the inside also gave me the impression that it was really cool and a nice escape from the heat outside.
Finally, I appreciated the history and stories you told us along with your slides. They helped me understand the meaning and importance of what I saw and also gave some interesting background of your trip in general. For instance, I loved your telling us about walking barefoot through the temples and how most tourists would wear socks due to the “goo” factor. Hearing the truth about how there really was trash most everywhere too gave me a clearer image of what India is like. Moreover, your descriptions of the different gods, goddesses, and their steeds, as well as the different stories about them helped me to understand what different narratives were trying to express including the movement, the emotion, and their importance to the people.
In short, this was a fascinating lecture and I’m really glad I attended. :D
Blog Entry #8 continued...
ReplyDeleteARTWEEK Throwdown:
Thursday afternoon’s ARTWEEK throwdown was hilarious. In round one were Joe and Katie, debating whether reality TV helped or hurt art literacy. Joe argued that it helped. He said shows like “Project Runway” portrayed the creative process and visual problem solving. Katie then argued that reality TV shows had no real language to talk about art and glorified the self-learner with no real training. She also pointed out the fact that many judges in such shows misuse the word “modern” when they mean to say “contemporary”. To this Joe agreed, admitting one of his pet peeves was the misuse of the word “deconstruction”. However, despite minor fallbacks Joe found it important how certain reality TV shows drew regular, ordinary people towards art, making it more accessible. Katie’s final comment was how not all reality TV points of contact with the art field are good and enriching and sometimes the competitive nature of the programs pulls away from the process of art. In the end, according to audience applause levels, Joe won the debate.
In round two was David versus Lisa. You, Lisa, put on quite a show with your goggles, coat, and noisily intimidating saw. David on the other hand merely brought his ill-founded attitude towards art to the table. He argued that “art is not meaningful or worthwhile.” Although he made some interesting points about art not solving world hunger or spreading peace, he inevitably provided his own downfall. Once it was known he played the violin he was doomed. While he attempted to save himself by claiming, “it gives me nothing,” it was too late. Lisa (you) then ensured his loss by making some good points- art is not boring, it expresses emotion, reflection, and memory using creativity, freedom, and playfulness. Also, art needs discipline, honesty, and energy. As expected, you (Lisa) won round two.
Finally, in round three were Katie and David discussing various questions from the audience. David addressed how in mathematics, words that are used have very specific meanings, which is not always the case in art. Following this train of thought, Katie added “there’s a difference between modern and modernist.” Then, to end the throwdown was a question of Tyra Banks’ influence on contemporary culture, to which both Katie and David agreed was immense.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this event, but it was a lot of fun. Everyone attending and involved seemed to really enjoy being there which added a lot of energy to the room. Once again, I’m glad I chose this event and good job!
I would definitely say that I used creative exploration throughout all stages of this project. I changed my various ideas of what I wanted my sculpture to look like and the materials I would use multiple times. I also challenged myself with size, keeping it on the smaller side, which amplified the importance of every detail. Finally, when things didn’t work out as planned, instead of hesitating or getting fixated on what was wrong I came up with new ideas, tested them out, and eventually implemented them in my final sculpture.
ReplyDeleteWhile my first model was the same size as I made my final, it is evident that I had originally planned on brazing copper wires to the piece where there is now steel sheet metal. Because my attempts at brazing did not quite turn out as I would have hoped, I discovered that riveting with a different type of sheet metal instead, proved to be more efficient and better looking with the contrast it provided. I furthered this idea by adding more simplistically shaped pieces of steel sheet metal to the front and back, which I felt added character to the figure. I also then slightly re-arranged the positioning of the right “arm”, from where it was in my second model, in order to have it stand out more from the central structure. I tried several positions for this until I was happy with the way it pointed to the right and was only slightly attached to the main rectangular box shape.
Next, I like the way the dimensions of my piece worked out in relation to one another because I feel that the human body seems to have more “going on” so to speak at the top, with our heads, shoulders, and arms and this is where much of my piece focused due to the size of the rectangular box base. Furthermore, focus was not simply given to the top of my sculpture, but distributed more among the front and back than the sides. Just as I feel a person is more distinguishable from the front and back than from the sides, the only décor I added to the sides was riveting the folds of the rectangular box at the bottom. Even though the sides are equal in size to the front and back (when I tried to make them smaller it was not so esthetically pleasing and looked off balance), the lack of detail here serves to draw the viewer’s attention away and to what I consider the more important views of the piece.
Lastly, although all I used for the main components were basic geometric shapes, my sculpture took on the form of a toy soldier, or something of that sort, in what could be perceived as an action pose. The figure can be perceived as in motion, pointing, or simply just holding out his arm. Different features of his body, such as the riveted diagonal piece of steel sheet metal on the front as well as the piece attached to the back right arm, all draw the viewer’s eye to the right as if that was is where “something” will happen next. I really like the questions this poses for the viewer and I believe the fact that I could evoke such questions is a lot of what I was looking for from this piece.
Excellent observations but you seem to shy away from taking a critical look at the work. There is always room for improvement and unless you develop an ability to see trouble you will lack the primary means of improvement.
ReplyDeleteAssessment of Linsdey's Sculpture
ReplyDeleteFirstly, this sculpture's greatest strength to me is its strong sense of character. The pose, conveyed through simple geometric shapes, suggests a person who is holding one arm in and pointing the other arm out. The pose is strengthened by its execution, by having the head and held arm in the same plane as the front of the torso, versus the pointing arm set back in plane with the back of the torso. The steel sheet metal added in thinner strips along certain parts of the piece, such as the head, add a feeling of movement and dynamic, as do the back arm pointed at an angle slightly downwards instead of 90 degrees.
The small size of the piece along with its material of sheet metal suggests this energy to be contained, like a toy wound up ready to be released. This also adds to the presence of the piece.
I would suggest that the steel sheet metal should be more concise, and used less, so it would put greater emphasis where it was used. Also, it would be stronger if it was at least a little more exaggerated (i.e. longer than the shapes), like on the head and the arm. I would also suggest a more deliberate placing of the rivets, because they could also add to the piece instead of "just being there."
Also, although I think the small size works well for the piece, I would strongly suggest bringing it up to eye level. The deliberate lining up of the front of back shapes is lost when looking down at the piece.
Finally, the view from the sides lose all the suggestion of movement that is apparent from front and back. This would be the sculptures weakest point.
Overall, I think Lindsey made a very successful sculpture.
I like that you understood the energy and toy aspect of my piece as conveyed through those simple geometric shapes. Also, I think it’s funny that the way the back arm slanted, instead of being 90 degrees, stood out to you as a good quality since I had actually not planned on that happening. Then, with the steel sheet metal, I’m glad you felt it did convey the sense of movement as that was what I had been looking for. However, I think you’re right in that I could have exaggerated the sheet metal detail a bit more. If I had done that I would have made the pieces thinner, but then also extended them to the sides to make the whole piece more fluid. I think you’re right about something being lost with the plainness of the sides as I left them. Finally, I agree with the idea of bringing the piece to eye level. I had been afraid before that a stand might overpower it, but it would definitely not take as much away as the angle viewed from the top seems to… thank you for your feedback!
ReplyDeleteBlog Entry #11
ReplyDeleteHenry Spencer Moore, the artist of the piece in the first slide of our class lecture, was an English sculptor. He lived from July 30, 1898 to August 31 1986 and is best known for his large-scale abstract bronze pieces which are now displayed around the world. Despite this, the sculpture of his that grabbed my attention when displayed in class actually depicts one of his more organic sculptures and was carved from wood.
Like the sculpture in the slideshow, the majority of Henry Moore’s works are reclining human figures that are often indicative of the female body. While his earlier works seemed to focus more on abstraction in terms of mass and solid components, his later works used hollow spaces and openings to explore the different elements of the human figure. These spaces serve to both define different components and parts of the figure and represent the segments themselves. Furthermore, it has also been said that with the pierced and hollow spaces throughout them, Moore’s sculptures have a very unique way of exploring and alternating the use of concave and convex shapes.
Finally, one widespread interpretation of Moore’s sculptures has been in relation to theme. Due to the shape and position of the figure, as well as the reduction of form through open spaces, Moore’s work has often been said to resemble the hill covered landscapes of his childhood home in Yorkshire England. This reading is especially seen through his more organic pieces such as that which was displayed in our class lecture. Made of wood, the intentional visibility of the grain in this piece truly plays into its’ scenic feel. Although this view is less visible through his bronze sculptures, the smooth curves of his figures seem to carry this theme throughout his different works.
Blog Entry #12
ReplyDeleteI think my model was of a decent size and had a good start for the theme of passion, heat, and romance. It also had some interesting attributes, including the candle analogy with multi-dimensional flames and the “popped” leg aspect of the female candle figure, but there are a few improvements that need to be made. In addition, it is worth noting that each of these improvements is related to furthering the expression of my theme(s).
My first improvement has to do with the two flames. As discussed in class, they should not be so separated, but instead come together as one or at least intertwine. I think I like the idea of intertwining the flames best because it keeps the candle-figures as two separate entities, such as two lovers would be, but also shows how aspects of them can become so entangled that it is hard to tell one from the other. To successfully display this I will alter my idea of using sheet metal and instead use wire for outlining both flames. This will make them wrap around one another more easily. Then, I will turn the wire outlines into flat surfaces with paper mache. By using paper mache I can experiment with decoupage and other techniques to add color and decorative aspects to the flames as well.
The next improvement I will make is in relation to the candlestick shape. In class it was mentioned that I could have both figures melting in towards one another. I really like this idea and think it would be much more expressive than what I currently have with the two cylinders abruptly stopping at a level surface on top. After all, following my reference to a burning candle, a lit candle is quick to lose its perfectly cylindrical shape and flat top. Because I want the two candles in my sculpture to be shown as burning with a greatness that makes them melt, the perfectly shaped look I have in my model would not make sense. Having the candle tops curved and melted downwards towards each other on the other hand would work quite nicely. It would also further my theme of love and passion because it alludes to the intensity of the flames and possibly depicts how the two figures are so enraptured by one another that they don’t even realize how they are changing one another’s forms.
Aside from changing the candlestick’s shape to a “melted” form, I believe I will also add an “arm” to the male candle. Because the female candle has a leg bent and popping out in back, an arm added to the other figure would make it equally as life-like. Without this arm, it was pointed out that the male figure lost some of its animate qualities and did not fit with the theme that well. Furthermore, the way in which I want to add the arm is to put it on the opposite side of the male candle figure as the popped leg on the female. By doing this my hope is that it will further the feeling of the two candles being wrapped around one another.
Finally, the last improvement I will make in my final sculpture will be with the candlestick part of my figures’ surfaces. I have not positively decided what I would like to do with them yet, besides having a dripping aspect down their sides, but I have two ideas. I am pretty sure I will either decoupage their surfaces with magazine cutouts of words, objects, and colors that relate to my theme or I paint them with one color (most likely red, purple, or orange) that will grow brighter the closer up to the flame it gets. I think both of these ideas would look and work well with my design but cannot seem to decide on which I like best. Hopefully when I reach the point in which I must decide which direction to go with the surface design the right choice will be made clear to me.
Blog Entry # 13
ReplyDeleteSee Previous Entries - I have attended three art events already.
Lindsey-
ReplyDeleteEntry # 10 (review of Classmate): A thoughtful review of Adel’s sculpture.
Entry #11 (artist research): very good- you make the connection between landscape and Moore’s abstraction. What are some of the specific qualities that makes this and apt comparison?
Entry #12 (model assessment): a productive review. I think I would recommend creating a bit if this collage surface as a test before you proceed. It will be create a huge effect on the piece and maybe even overpower some of the form ideas. But there might be ways to tamp it down a bit so it integrates rather than feeling an after thought.
Entry #13 (art event): yes
Blog Entry 14
ReplyDeleteI think that the most prominent thing that I learned about sculpture that surprised me most was how many different techniques can be used for the vast amount of types of sculptures you can make. It had never really occurred to me before how big the field was and exactly how many different ways you could go about doing things. For instance, if you want to attach a few pieces of metal, you could use brazing, welding, or riveting techniques (depending on the type and size of metal of course). Also, if you were doing woodworking there are countless ways of making joints, including the butt joint, lap joints, and lamination.
At the beginning of this class my attitudes and ideas about the art making process were still somewhat similar than at the end, but my ideas and attitudes about the sculpture making process were very different. I had never taken a sculpture class before this one and in the back of my mind I always thought of elementary school art class when you were given a block of clay to make something with as the basis of sculpture. I quickly learned this was not the case. For starters, clay is only one of the countless mediums available to make a sculpture out of. Then, sculpture is not just the process of molding a medium to look like what you have envisioned, but it is experimenting with techniques, making models, broadening your ideas and thinking of new and better ways to create your sculpture, working off those ideas and your models, and then using the countless amounts of techniques with the medium at hand to create something inspiring.
To be a good artist I think it takes patience, commitment, and creativity. I listed patience and commitment first because I now believe a big part of creativity can only come after experimentation, seeing what works with your sculpture, and sticking with it even when things don’t turn out as initially planned. I believe this is actually the aspect where this class has changed me most as well. I used to get easily frustrated when something did not look good or work out as I had planned on the first try, but I hadn’t been using models, I hadn’t been first experimenting, and I had not been open to the idea that I could still make a good piece of art even if it is not EXACTLY as I had planned it to be.
Blog 14 cont...
ReplyDeleteTo make this class more effective I think it would be helpful to give everyone handouts on things such as how to make the different joints and how to weld versus braze because oftentimes during your demonstrations we physically couldn’t take notes for reasons such as fire hazards. Also, because you covered so much sometimes it was hard to keep up and jot down all the important stuff. Furthermore, I think if we had spent a day or two experimenting with wood joints or other such things as a group in class, doing everything together at the same time it may have been useful. Even with my notes, it was hard to remember everything from class and then apply it to studio hours later on.
Finally, in my opinion my next sculpture is looking almost quilt-like. I have been using decoupage to make two candles, a male and female, whose flames intertwine on top. For what would be the wax parts of their being I have begun decoupaging them in shades of purple, with the deepest at the base and lessening in intensity as it reaches the flame. Then, for the flame I have begun using different shades of red, orange, gold, and yellow with the red encompassing the edges. I was planning on putting a piece of sheet metal on either side of each flame for the center and to add more dimension, but that would mean covering some of the decoupage. I’m no longer sure I want to do this because the way the flames are looking now is what most reminds me of a quilt, with different pieces coming together, and I really like that. It’s basically just a bunch of colors thrown together to make something more. That goes with my theme too. Any romance is a mesh of things in a sense, and there are many aspects to it. The differences in the shades AND colors I’ve begun to use in the flame truly embodies this and seems to say (to me at least) that each individual has many different shades and aspects to themselves personally as well. Hopefully when I am finished, these themes will continue and become even more apparent.
Blog Entry #15
ReplyDeleteI think that I effectively demonstrated both my expressive goals and the class project goals in my final sculpture. My personal goals centered on creating a sculpture that would display the themes of passion, heat, and romance between two candle-looking figures. I settled upon the idea of candles to extenuate these themes mostly because they include a burning aspect, their flames. The heat that is intensified between two lovers, or in this case the two candles, could then be exampled through their “melting” toward each other. I accomplished creating this effect by dripping plaster down the sides. Furthermore, as two lovers, the candle figures were to represent a male and a female. I was able to convey this through making the female candlestick have a “popped” leg, as is demonstrated by many women in older movies when they kiss a man. Also, to make the male figure more human-like, I added an arm on the opposite side of the female’s leg. This element further pulled the two together, making them visually one piece. In addition to the candles’ appendages bringing the pieces together, I tried to make the two flames wrap around one another. I attempted this by making them out of wire mesh and then coating the wire with plaster so I could create two forms that fit within each other. Unfortunately, I did not take into account how heavy the plaster could be and this created a problem. The weight changed the forms a bit both when it was applied and when it was drying. Although the flames still get closer and further apart at different points, they never quite intertwine as I had hoped. If I could go back now I would change how much time I had taken to plaster the flames so that I could have seen this happening sooner and prevented it. Finally, for the surfaces of my pieces I used decoupage. Instead of applying objects and words alongside plain colors, as I had originally planned, I chose one color (purple) to decoupage the candlesticks in various shades with. I felt that by making the pieces of purple magazine change from dark to light as they moved up the candlestick, it would add the sense of flow and change demonstrated through the dripping tops. I am not sure if this was actually accomplished, but the design still looked pretty appealing in the end. Finally, once I finished decoupaging the flames I decided not to use sheet metal for the inner parts. Although I had been adamant on implementing this technique before, I realized it would hide the expressiveness I had shown by pasting different types of red, orange, yellow, and black colors on the flames surface. I fully support this decision after seeing my final piece and how much attention the colors of the flames draw to themselves.
In short, I accomplished much in my final sculpture with only a few problems and things I would have or would like to change. Besides the intertwining of the flames, a fallback of my piece was the candlesticks’ shapes. While I like that the candlesticks are a bit lumpy and not perfectly cylindrical, I think they could have been better formed had I focused more on the armature making process instead of simply improving upon what was lacking with the use of plaster later on. Also, after the decoupage dried it left some sticky-type marks on the surface that I wish I had become aware of sooner. If I had I would have come up with a way to hide them or smooth them out. Basically, my main problem simply came in planning, but considering the time period we had I’d say I did a fair job.
This last entry isn't as much a self-assessment as it is the of the telling the story of your experience. You do get around to mentioning some unresolved issues but you never shouldered the full challenge because I assume you wrote it after the critique.
ReplyDelete