Week 1- Nathalie Djurberg's 'Claymations'

Nathalie Djurberg is a Swedish video artist who born in 1978. She is popular for producing clymation short film that are faux-naïve, but graphically violent and erotic.Her star rose higher when she won the Silver Lion for best young artist at the 2009 Venice Biennale, where she produced a bigger-than-life, Plasticine Garden of Eden and three videos that featured a decorous May-December couple being hounded by nature as well as ritualistic play between bosomy naked women and robed priests.

Nathalie Djurberg’s New Movements in Fashion, 2006. © Nathalie Djurberg. Courtesy of Zach Feuer Gallery, New York, and Gio Marconi, Milan.

1. What do you understand by the word 'claymation'?

Claymation is an animation process using clay or Plasticine figures that are moved and filmed using stop-motion photography to create a lifelike look.

    

2. What is meant by the term 'surrealistic Garden of Eden'? and 'all that is natural goes awry'?

 

The eden probably is derived from the Akkadian word edinu, borrowed from the Sumerian eden, meaning "plain." Nowadays, people also have the explanation of the Garden of Eden is which Adam and Eve were placed at the creation. In her work '' the experiment'', she made the flowers bigger than original size which even taller than a person, the color tone of the flowers is based on cold tone. Although she made opposite thinking that how people generally think of the Eden, so she called her Eden ''surrealistic Garden of Eden''. Her work always in the grotesque atmosphere which is created lie both sexual insinuations and ambiguous relationships. Al-though at first sight the animations seem allude to puppet theaters and the naive and harmless expressions of childhood. That maybe why she called the work ''all that is natural goes awry''

3. What are the 'complexity of emotions' that Djurberg confronts us with?

Djurberg’s work show the human behavior, unflinchingly revealing the inhumanities and abuses. The subjects she addresses in her works are the massacres of innocent civilians in wartime, racial discrimination under colonial and post-colonial regimes, or sexual abuse by those in positions of power.

  

4. How does Djurberg play with the ideas of children's stories, and innocence in some of her work?

The views always can find animals pair up with humans in her work and the video which she made always begin with fairy- tale sweetness and dissolve into grisly sadism.

5. There is a current fascination by some designers with turning the innocent and sweet into something disturbing. Why do you think this has come about?

 

In my opinion, most of people desire to see something interesting issues closer to human behavior, about the society, sexual, individual. And the opposite subject can make the emotion more stronger and clearer, the viewers can have more feeling and the work can be much affected.

6.In your opinion, why do you think Djurberg's work is so interesting that it was chosen for the Venice Biennale?

She used the unique material and commands everything from idea, costume and not least dramaturgy. And the music of ''the experiment'' which made from Han Berg, he played the important part in the exhibition. The music pushes the narration forward and actually creates extra tension.

http://www.regionmuseet.m.se/english_natalie-djurberg.htm
http://www.columbusunderground.com/human-behavior-nathalie-djurberg-with-music-by-hans-berg
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_7_45/ai_n24354920/?tag=mantle_skin;content
http://www.wexarts.org/info/press/1011/spex/djurberg/
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nathalie-djurberg#!/photos/47242/1

Industrialisation, Modernism and architecture

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao (1997) Frank Gehry

Eiffel Tower (1889) Gustave Eiffel

The Importance of the Design and Construction

          The Eiffel tower is consisted of immense exposed latticework, which made in puddle iron. The main function of Eiffel tower is to see the view of Paris, it has three levels. The first and second levels have some souvenir shops and restaurants. The third level people can see exceptional panoramic views whether day or night time. About Guggenheim museum, the building is twisted, irregular curving lines and series of volume, which made by limestone and some others made in metallic titanium. It totally different from Eiffel tower and Guggenheim museum, in the sight view the Eiffel tower is simple and symmetrical shape, compare to the Guggenheim museum is irregular building.

Significance of the Materials

        As I mentioned in last paragraph, the Eiffel tower is made in puddle with a lot of great exposed latticework. The Guggenheim museum is more mathematical complexity, the materials includes the limestone, metallic titanium, glass, and the sinuous stone.



Significance of the Designer

       The artist who bulit the Guggenheim museum in Spain is Frank Gehry. His architectural style is inventive and irreverent. He created unexpected architect, using unorthodox materials like corrugated metal and chain link. His work have been called radical, playful, organic and sensual. Effil tower was made by Gustave Eiffel, he was a famous French engineer and architect, he used the great metallic struvtures and the base with the creating shadow.

Function for Which Each Was Built
Function Now-has It Changed?

      The function of the eiffel tower was built to celebrate the engineering and science achievements of its age, but now the eiffel tower is a famous viewpoint in Frence and the good location to see the hole view of Frence. The Guggenhein museum is one of the country's most important until now and its become more popular which has another four locations distribute around Spain.

http://architecture.about.com/od/greatarchitects/p/gehry.htm

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/Eiffel.shtml

http://www.guggenheim.org/guggenheim-foundation

 

Landscape and the Sublime

1. What and when was the Enlightenment?

The enlightenment (or the age of enlightenment) is a movement which was happened centered upon the 18^th century. The core of the enlightenment was a critical questioning of traditional institutions, customs, and morals, and strong belief in rationality and science, the philosophies were contradictory or divergent frequency in the movement.

2. Define the concept of the Sublime.

The sublime is the quality of greatness or vast magnitude which has been concept of aesthetic theory in Western art and philosophy. It especially refers to a greatness with nothing else can be compared and which is beyond all possibility.

3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?

Enlightenment influenced by empiricism and the classics. Most aesthetic idea of the enlightenment insisted on reason and experience, and classified genius as something outside the rule.

4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images of his work.

The sublime is about the immensity and vastness within nature. And most of the mean theme from Misrach is landscape and nature photograph.

5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.

 'The Triumph of Venus'  François Boucher

6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?

From Misrach’s photography, i feel the great power of nature, the time stop and the silent in the moment. And the color tones of his photography represent gray and cool tones, which bring a lot of reverse side of emotion to people. but also bring about calmness and peace in the deeply side of soul. The photos also made a lot of missing about happiness and some memories.

7. Add a Sublime image of your choice to your blog, which can be Art or just a Sublime photograph.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=397117&section=6

http://www.amerindianarts.us/articles/concept_of_the_sublime_as_an_aesthetic_quality.shtml

http://lauradallaston.blogspot.com/2010/05/richard-misrach-and-sublime.html

The social status of the artist

1.Identify aspects of Durer's self portrait that show a changing view of the artist's view of himself as an individual.

In the later European art, they take for recognized the subject matter of the self-portrait and artist take it as natural the sense of themselves as unique. This self-portrait which paints by Dürer is quite usual. The portrait is unlike any that came before. The size of the portrait is half-length, frontal and highly symmetrical (67 x 49 cm). As the history note, we found this painting is similar to some religions paintings, involving the symmetry, the dark one background and gesture. Especially, the manner is shown raising his right hand to the middle of his chest which is the pose of blessing. There is unknown why Dürer decided to portray himself in this painting. However, he painted the self-portrait as Chris and the historians found the painting which is similar poses or expressions in his 1498 Christ as Man of Sorrows.

2.Explain how the artist's social status increased during the Renaissance period. Briefly explain why this happened

During the renaissance, the artist’s became more important and independent, music and literature either. People started to use some of the wealth on supported writers and artists; they got more interesting in arts. People started to ask more detail in the art and various content and from. Many innovations from artists were encouraged by the wealthy people.

3.Comment on Gavin Turk's work in relation to individualism, status of the artist and egotism

Most works from Given Turk based on his own signature. We can see the strong personality in his work that the definition of individualism. He also made some photographic and sculptural self-portraits. I can have adequate proof that it related egotism. He also interested in the effect of the way fame and celebrity in understanding art, he has been describe many famous people on his sculpture works. Turk has participated in group exhibitions and designs community education projects recently year.

4.Comment on Damien Hirst's use of his work and the media for self promotion

Death is a central theme in Damien Hirst’s work. He put animals (e.g. a shark, a sheep, a cow) in formaldehyde. He also made "spin paintings," created on a spinning circular surface, and "spot paintings".

5.Find 2 images of work by artists or designers that reflects some of the ideas of individualism, self promotion or egotism that have been discussed on this blog. Upload images to your blog, title and date the work, identify the artist/designer and comment on the work in relation to the question.

"pop" Gavin Turk

"The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living"Damien Hirst

Barbara Kruger-Feminist Art

"I just say I'm an artist who works with pictures and words."- Barbara Kruger

I Shop Therefore I Am (1987) 

 Face it (green, 2007)

 

 

  

  Both of pictures from Barbara Kruger are graphic photos. She perfected a signature agitprop style and using cropped, large scale, black-and-white photo combine with pity and often ironic aphorism and printed in Futura Bold typeface against black, white or deep red bars during the early 1980s. The works includes I Shop Therefore I Am (1987) and Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face (1981). Another work she made in recently years is Face it (green, 2007), both of them represented consumer culture nowadays and how people are pressured to spend money on their appearance. In her works, she juxtaposed striking images with equally striking like I Shop Therefore I Am (1987). The language is a important part of the pictures, she used black-and-white photograph combine with black bar against white slogan, it makes picture more impressive and effective. Another reason made her works effectively is she always chose the idea of her photo like ongoing political, social, especially feminist provocations and commentaries or religion, sex, racial and gender stereotypes, consumerism, corporate greed, and power topic.

“Untitled (It),” by Barbara Kruger, at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto(2010)

There are some works which Barbara Kruger current show at the Guildhall museum in 2010. The exhibition titled “Plenty”. One of the work was wrapped around the museum is “You want it/You need it/You buy it/You forget it” which using in block letters, white against a black background and photos. Barbara Kruger has extended another art project, like creating public installations of her work in galleries, museums, municipal building, train stations and parks, even on the buses and walls, floors, wrapping with image and texts.

Mary Boone Gallery, New York

                                                                       An image from the video “The Globe Shrinks

And another video works combine images of people talking on the cell phone with the words, like “You are a very important person” and sets off some objects like a purse, watch with the words. Kruger’s recently new work combine the sense of hearing, sight which might make audience experience more astonish and even more great impact on her audiences. 

reference:

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html

                http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/arts/design/29kruger.html

                http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa667.htm

                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Kruger