What is Art?

In an article published this year titled 'Now pay attention everybody. I'm about to tell you what art is' Germaine Greer discusses the idea of 'Art'.

   

In Greer's article in which she discusses different works of 'art', as seen above (Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, London's Hyde Park), she makes some interesting points.

Greer writes, "drawing and painting are fun, and most people like doing them, especially if they are considered good at them, but they are not art until they acquire separateness" (Guardian, 6 March 2011)
What is seperateness?  Greer describes how seperateness is when the painting (the object/thing/performance) attracts its own attention (or position).  It is not the subject of the piece, for example Marilyn Monroe, that makes the Warhol print important but rather that it is a Warhol print and it has its own message, its own interpretation and its own presence.

A second more relevant point to A-level Art is made when Greer states that "[s]tudying art for A-level is really tough because of the inherent contradiction between being trained to reach a standard and finding out how to be spontaneous. The value the examiners demand is creativity, but creativity cannot be taught." This aspect of spontaneity is one that is encourage through experimentation.  It is one thing to know who to use a paint brush or create a screenprint; however, it is also important to learn to experiment and 'play' with an element of spontaneity so that you might discover something that was not anticipated.  This show a higher level of creativity and requires you to be confident about your abilities as well as trusting of your instinct.  Ultimately, creativity has to come from within.

A thought provoking article that makes us question - What is Art?

factual beginnings

Terry Winters in the Tate Shots video clip discusses his 'factual beginnings'.  He sees factual beginnings as the concrete starting points for a painting or group of works and notes that like a landscape painter looking at landscapes he is an artist who looks to science for inspiration.

I too have looked to science for inspiration.  My work produced through my time at university was heavily associated to botany, biology and the natural world.  For instance, my interest in lichen and microscopic form was linked to associations with lung function and air pollutants. 

A second aspect of Winter's work that is of interest is his use of paint and the characteristics of the material.  Within one of his statements Winter's recalls how "painting’s capacity to make images through the manipulation of materials seems to be its most powerful and magical quality. How a painting is built is a big part of what it means. Mark-making, gesture and touch—those are the key components as to how to generate images through painting." (artzizzle).

Below is an example of Winters' work, In Blue, 2008, oil on linen 

and my work umbilicaria torrefacta, 2002, oil on canvas.

What is your 'factual beginning' and why?

other bloggers

Below is a list of other blogs that are definitely worth a look.
Hopefully they will inspire your blogging techniques.

Michele Del Campo's Blog

Hermione O'Hea's Blog (former Millfield pupil now studying textiles)

A Magazine Blog

Extra Bold - graphic design students blog

Austin Kleon

inspiring or bizarre?

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding last month has sparked a surge of interest in hat design. Princess Beatrice's hat designed by Philip Treacy has been compared to a variety of things (octopus, fallopian tubes, etc.) and was recently sold on ebay for £81,100 with the proceeds going to charity.  Hats are a staple of the summer social season and are almost a must at any British wedding.  Designers can be inspired by a variety of subjects, although there has always been a strong link between floral motifs and hat design.  The yellow 'sunflower' hat below was worn to the Louisville Derby, similar to attending Ascot.  The reference to floral imagery is obvious in this design; however, some can be much more subtle.



Below are Philip Treacy hats from his Autumn/Winter 1998-99 collection, they are more surreal, more bizarre and perhaps even a bit alien.  However, they too are abstractions of floral forms, basic structures of petals, organic forms linked with the body and feathers that could be inspired by either birds or flowers such as the bird of paradise or elaborate chrysanthemums.



What would you wear?

robert kushner

Kushner is an artist who works in both painting and printmaking.  This particular image is Zinias, 2000, a 20-colour serigraph with a signed limited edition of 150.  I am attracted to Kushner's work because of both the subject matter and the colourful compositions.  He has a organic method of compositional develop and allows layers of both colour and image to interact in order to create new shapes.  In Zinias, I really like the way that he uses texture behind the floral forms on the right side of the image.  He also is aware of both the positive and negative spaces using them interchangeably to create a more dynamic image.

On the Smithsonian Associates Collectors Program website they describe Zinias as "a reflection of Kushner's love of flowers, which have been his exclusive subject for the last decade. The warm color harmony catches the vibrant hues of red, orange, green, and brown and is complemented by the use of metallic copper. With the dynamic use of lines, Mr. Kushner makes the flowers appear alive, as if they were right before you." - Smithsonian Associates Collectors Program