Graduate Art Seminar Week 15

1) What is the gist of Kandinsky's essay "Concerning the Spritual"? Kandinsky seeks to displace the spirituality of religion to the activities of making art,thus shifting the focus to the formal aspects of a work rather than its religious content.
2) What was the controversy concerning Chris Ofili's painting "Holy Virgin Mary"(1996) ?
In 1999, Mayor Giuliani,thought the work was disrespectful of the Catholic religion and tried to have city funding cut for the Brooklyn Museum.This attempt at censorship ultimately failed.
3) How might the paradox of globalization be affecting the production of art today?
Advocates of globalism,like Thomas Friedman, see an equalizing effect where emerging technology and shifting economic trends create a new model of political and cultural exchange while opponents feel that the gap between rich and poor is expanding and that the needs of individuals are secondary to those of multinational corporations.This duality is evident in the art world where some exemplify the breakdown of cultural differences like Do-Ho Suh,in the piece titled "Who Are We"?(2000), while some like Tracy Moffatt reinforce identy issues by pointing out the tragic fate of Australian aborigines in her film "Night Cries: A Rural Tragedy",1989.
4)How can one "read"the work of Anish Kapoor ? Heartney associates a kind of Eastern looking spirituality with the reductive aesthetic of Minimalism.In the massively monumental "Cloud Gate",2004, a seamlessly distorted reflection mirrors everything around it in a topological form that has no beginning or end, an apt metaphore for our apparently endless universe.
5)What's next? Cornelia Parker in her piece "Mass(Colder Darker Matter),1997 displays the charred remains of a church struck by lightning by suspending the blackened fragments in a cluster reminicent of of the shape they might have occupied before there miraculous transformation.

Graduate Art Seminar Week 14

1) How would you compare the body/performance art of Carolee Schneeman with that of Marina Abramovic?

While both artists were part of the feminist art movement of the 1970's and used nudity to undermine some commonly held conventions about female sexuality, Heartney argues that their approach was diametrically opposed. While Abramovic "uses her body in ways that accentuate self-control, physical endurance, and risk", Schneeman's performance is more "Dionysian" in its unfettered sexuality.

2) Compare the work of John Currin to that of Lisa Yuskavage.

The work of John Currin and Lisa Yuskavage use the element of kitch and satire in depecting the figure. Currin seems to be making references to painting styles and techniques past masters, as Yuskavage parodys the objectification of women.

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Week 14

In the book, "Criticizing Art", Terry Barrett suggests using four criteria for writing about art. First,describe the work, it's subject-matter,medium,and form as well as including some information about the artist,location and dates of the exhibition.Secondly,interpret the work.What is it about? Can one place it in the context of other art work and influences? Third,judge the work .This may include an assessment of the worth of an object based on certain criteria such as Formalism or Instrumentalism or a combination of criteria chosen by the critic.Fourth, place the work in the larger context of critical theory. Try to develop a point of view,and generate meaning through interpretation.In a group show,look for themes,as well as noting how the work was selected and by whom.Try to increase appreciation by maintaining a generally positive tone.Careful observation can improve ones' knowledge of art and its place in our culture.

Graduate Art Seminar Week 13

It would seem that we are on the cusp of "A Brave New World", where Utopian dreams have been shattered,and technology is bringing changes faster than we can measure,much-less foresee the consequences of environmental degradation,genetic engineering,and suburban sprawl.The idea that technology will save us has devolved into the feeling that the world is out of balance.War is still the driving force behind many technological advances,and money still rules.In a "Post Human"future,evolution may be the survival of the richest.Perhaps this is no different than it ever was,but it provides plenty of fodder for the artists and commentators of today.
In our world,deformation,decay,and chaos are the flip side of birth,growth,and regeneration and are equally valid subjects of artistic exploration.In fact,deformation might be a more important subject today regarding the various impositions we placing on the planet and in light of the adulation of the young and beautiful in our culture.Many artists through the ages have shown an interest in death and disease and have sought to subvert the accepted idealization of forms.The reading on Freak Photography made many interesting observations,where Diane Arbus mixed documentary and high art and brought some of the seamiest aspects of popular culture to our attention.