Knack Attack

This art is called L’Amour and was created in 1990 by a man named Gedewon. This type of art is done in ballpoint pen, lead pencil graphite and ink. The patterns vary by what he sees in terms of a persons needs. His art is based in his background in talismanic art which is used for prayer and healing. This type of art is meant to cure patients “..whose ills were understood in terms of spiritual possession.” The ancient practices, of which he was a student, were meant to heal through the use of invocation and imagery. He would question patients to make the work specific to their experiences and problems. This artist is described as being highly empathic as well as very educated and skilled in poetry and rhetoric which tie into the use of imagery in his art. The complexity of his drawings as well as the unusual mediums he chooses are what drew me to his art. I like the idea that this art is personal and has a healing facet. These images also remind me of fabrics I’ve seen used in African clothing. They are intricate, detailed and colorful. The names this artist uses for his pictures seem to align themselves with the emotional impact they are meant to create.

This jar is from the Ming dynasty, 1426-1435, China. Porcelain was first made in China during the T’ang dynasty (618-907 CE). The blue and white porcelains of the Ming dynasty show this art at its peak. The blue and white porcelain also reflects the influence of both West Asian and Islamic countries due to the trade between the countries. The painting on the jar is highly detailed and the mastery of the artist shows in the power and energy the dragon pictured here exudes. The brush strokes add to the power of the figure, with their high detailing serving to emphasize the movement and flow of the subject. There is an inscription by the head of the dragon that show the reign marks of the emperor in power at that time, Xuande. The practice of painting the reign marks started during this time period and become a common practice. I find this jar elegant. The contrast of the blue against the white porcelain keeps the focus on the painted work, which is highly detailed, keeping the viewers attention moving from detail to detail.

Colleen Wallace Nungari shares a legacy of art with both her mother and her sister. She started painting in 1990, when she was twenty years old and credits her Dreamtime stories to her grandfather. For the aboriginal Australians, the Dreaming or Dreamtime is a reference to the time when spirits walked the Earth, coming from below the ground and in the sky to create the world.

This is the explanation of this Dreamtime painting. “The painting depicts the Dreamtime Sisters dancing. The Eastern Arrernte ancestor spirit figures are known as Irrernte-arenye. It is their role to look after the Eastern Arrernte country and guide their families.”

This depiction of a Dreamtime is of the spirit figures Irremte-arenye also. It too represents the spirits whose role is to protect the country and guide the families.  The role of these Dreamtime sisters is to protect certain areas of land, in particular, sacred sites.

This painting is called Wild Bush Yam Dreaming. The unique skills required to secure the tubers of the yam are passed down through the generations. The spirit of the yam is honored to ensure its continued germination, and promote its role in providing the people with sustenance. The yellow flowers bloom on the surface of the land when the tubers are ripe.

The stories told about Dreamtime are stories akin to those of other cultures, whose myths and legends represent the values, morals and social constructs that define a particular society. These stories are passed on from generation to generation by the elders. In the Australian Dreamtime Sisters paintings by Colleen Wallace Nungari, each of the paintings have a different meaning and serve a different purpose though they all carry the same name. It is a living record of the cultural memories held by her people and is a powerful way of commanding the attention of both indigenous and non-indigenous people. Like the works of some of the First Nations artists, her work is a powerful representation of a once dominant cultures unique identity. Her art also celebrates the connection between man and nature, the ongoing interrelationship between the two, and is part of an ongoing record of a cultural history.

“Vernon Ah Kee’s work is primarily a critique on Australian popular culture, specifically demonstrating the Black/White dichotomy.” So begins a short biography of this artist, whose intriguing body of work addresses the political and social arena’s head on. His use of “…common words associated with identity and modern day sociological dynamics…:” combine to create an unforgettable emotional impact. In me, it created an intense curiosity about the role of the aboriginal culture in modern day Australia. This art feels angry, it slams you into a frame of mind meant to force your attention. The perspective of this artist is in marked contrast to some of his peers, whose art reflect a more traditional historical perspective and who use a gentler approach to convey meaning.

Richard Bell is an Indigenous artist who deeply resents the appropriation of Aboriginal themes and history by non indigenous artists. In his work, E .Metaphysical Bell’s Theorum(Aboriginal Art Its A White Thing) 2003,he employs a number of methods to draw attention to his message through his art. I find his art striking and unusual in the resulting complexity.

Bell also employs methods striking in their resemblance to the work of pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. In Masterpiece, 2003 he uses his art to focus attention on the racial tensions inherent in Australian culture as well as making a political statement on the use and abuse of the history of the indigenous cultures by artists.

My interest in these artists was sparked by my viewing of the assigned non Judeo-Christian contemporary artists works. One important part of my art education in this class has been the expansion of my knowledge base to include the impact of religion and politics on art across the centuries. My exposure to a variety of artists whose work steps outside the dominant Judeo-Christian worldview prompted my search for more artists whose contemporary works are included here.

I find the work of Nungari beautiful and her depictions of the roles of the spirits moving. Her use of color and style as well as her connections with the history of the Aboriginal peoples and culture serve to imbue her art with depth and meaning. Her use of dot design creates a unique energy in her paintings. Ah Kee’s work is powerful, a statement of contemporary society and the politics that move art. His work intrigues me in the same way that the art of Marilyn Radzat and her work in Taoism and Troy Roberts with his First Nations art do. They serve as connections to a time and culture and allow a glimpse into a political and social stance on a period of time. Richard Bell, while memorable, is to my eye, too predictable. While I enjoy, deeply, the art of Lichenstein , Bell’s work lacks the uniqueness inherent in the other Australian artists work presented here.

Jacob Lawrence was a prolific painter in the Early Modern Period. His series, The Migration of the Negro, two pieces of which are pictured here, catapulted him into the public eye. These paintings were painted in the years 1939 to 1941 .These two paintings are part of a series of 60 which tell the story of the migration of the African-American population to the North from the Southern United States. Some of these paintings were captioned and all are meant to tell a story of a people and culture in transition. In creating this series, Lawrence intended to encompass the” …social, historical, physical, and economic..” perspectives of the times. The above painting pictures a mass of people in a railway station heading toward Northern destinations.

This painting also depicts the migration of African American peoples to the North. Its title is The Migration of the Negro, Panel Number Three. In this painting there are birds which are migrating and the people are carrying their life possessions on their back while their faces remain obscured. There is significance to small details in his works, examples of which include the direction of the migrating birds and the people, the deliberate absence of individual facial features and the manner in which the belongings are carried in this painting. Lawrence’s early paintings in this series were captioned, and in the captions the themes he meant to illustrate were encapsulated. In this one in particular the caption was ” In every town negroes were leaving by the hundreds to go North and enter into Northern Industry.” The economic conditions as well as the changing social strata were themes of some of this early work.

This last painting is called Brownstones. Painted in 1958, this painting depicts Harlem, the area of New York which became a flourishing cultural and artistic community, and the area in which Lawrence was raised. Many of his paintings depict scenes of Harlem, both its early artistry and opportunities for African-Americans as well as its later crime, racial tensions and poverty. The influences of an African-American culture are clearly depicted in Lawrence’s work. The changing face of the country, the economic shifts as well as the social changes are powerfully documented in his paintings. His works include depictions of a newly minted African-American middle class in his colorful paintings of Harlem neighborhoods and lifestyles. The face of New York was changing to include the culture of Black Americans.

I find the vibrant colors which delineate a plethora of social issues captivating. Lawrence used his own experience to infuse his work with cultural history. His visual documentation of the rich and vibrant community of Harlem fascinates me because it rings true to my eye. There seems to be a heartfelt understanding of this place and time, a rich and deep connection to this community. I also am drawn to his social commentary, his awareness of social issues and his use of his art to address them.

Renoir’s 1875 painting Boating on the Seine (also referred to as ‘The Skiff’ or ‘La Yole’), is very characteristic of Impressionism. This painting depicts two people idling away a beautiful day rowing in a canoe on a lake. In general, I like the Impressionist style. I enjoy the capture a moment concept, the moment of stolen time is like a peek into another life.

In Lise, painted in 1867, another piece by Renoir, a woman is captured in a private moment of contemplation, lost in thought and seemingly oblivious to the eyes upon her. Her dress is obviously expensive, and she is just as obviously a part of the upper classes depicted in so many Impressionist pieces. The colors in this painting are rich and her face seems lit from an external source.

John Singleton Copley also painted portraits, but his style falls in the Realist camp.  This portrait, Portrait of Paul Revere, painted in 1768, has a much more solid look to it. The subject is depicted as serious and thoughtful. The contrast between the two is striking, the use of light is completely different, the light hearted stolen moment is only felt in the Lise painting, even though both subjects are the sole focus of the artist. The contrast between the Realist style and the Impressionist style is striking, the use of light and the depiction of the emotional state of the subjects themselves are noticeably different. The brushstrokes in one are small and light, the colors intense and there is a softness to the eye in the work. The Realist painting is solid, the use of color is cleaner and harder and the feeling it transmits is entirely different.

The Marriage of Figaro

The music I have chosen to share with the class is an opera buffa called ” The Marriage of Figaro“. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote this opera, or at least the music for it, in 1786. This comedic opera is based on a play written by Beaumarchais. The political nature of the satiric play caused it to be banned in Vienna because of its inflammatory nature. It was a satire, a commentary on the base nature of the aristocracy, and their use and abuse of power. It also highlighted the self serving nature of the Count, whose time is spent in pursuit of various women rather than in tending to the needs of his people. The general populace was already restless, in just a few years the French Revolution would be in full swing and the play was a commentary meant to highlight the deficiencies of those in power.

An Italian man named Lorenzo Du Ponte collaborated with Mozart on this opera, writing the libretto and removing the political references. The Emperor approved the newly written opera, and Mozart wrote the music. This would not be the last time Du Ponte and Mozart collaborated. I liked the libretto, the social constructs which were in place at that time in history are manifested through the characters in the opera. The class structures, the role of gender as it pertains to power in relationships, and the scheming which is going on between the characters in an attempt to bend fate to their will are fascinating to see. The music itself is upbeat and creates a powerful emotional backdrop which lends depth and mood to the rather base circumstances on which this opera is focusing. The popular appeal of the opera on the surface would be to vicariously enjoy the various dilemma’s the characters find themselves in and the characters attempts to extricate themselves from those same circumstances. The more hidden motive would be to bring the aristocracy closer to a level the general populace could understand, and to lessen the fear and awe which were keeping them from uprising. The callous nature of the abuse of power would also inflame the general populace which were dependent on the graces and largess of the royalty and aristocracy who ruled their lives.

Johannes Vermeer painted The Astronomer in 1668 in his native city of Delft. Vermeer spent most of his life in this city, and because of the patronage he received there much of his art stayed within the immediate area, his paintings unrecognized in the larger world.

Vermeer focused on the everyday life of ordinary people for his subjects. His genius, for me, rests in his ability to capture the subject in a moment of time, with the essence of their being seeming to have been paused in time. This particular painting catches the astronomer intent on the celestial globe before him, the table linens askew and his face reflecting the focused attention he is giving to his work. The light from the window shines on his outstretched hand, the globe he is examining, and on an architectural drawing of the heavens posted on the wall.

Vermeer’s use of light was masterful for its use in highlighting his subjects, as well as its use in creating contrast, meant to focus the viewers attention. His use of bright color was a hallmark of his work, particularly those of lapis lazuli or ultramarine, expensive pigments whose use heightened his already highly detailed paintings.

The expansion of scientific knowledge during the Baroque era is amply demonstrated by this artist in his choice of subject matter. This painting, The Astronomer, as well as his later work, The Geographer, are believed to portray Anton Van Leeuwenhoek, a friend who had become a highly respected man of science, the man who developed the microscope and subsequently discovered bacteria and cell structure.

The subjects of many of his works were simple middle class people engaged in the task at hand, seemingly oblivious to anything going on around them. This ability to suspend a person in a moment in time is what attracts me to this artist’s work.

This painting, “Madonna and Child Enthroned”, was painted by Jan Van Eyck in 1434.  What initially drew me to this work were its multitude of details and the rich saturation of colors in the painting.  The use of oils created a rich, deep palette of color which glows with intensity.  In addition, while the painting has no light source in it, the subjects glow with light, another hallmark of this type of medium. While Van Eyck’s relationship to oil painting has been a subject of debate, there is no question that he was master of the medium, using its properties to enhance his painted work.

What piqued my further interest were the expressions on the faces of the subjects in the painting.  The influence of Humanism can be seen here.  The Madonna is not beatific, she does not glow with vitality, nor is she portrayed as an angelic or other-worldly figure.  In point of fact, she is rather plain, her face quiet and composed.  The infant is small and thin.  The expression on his face one of wariness rather than one which is portrayed in a joyful cherubic mien.  The man doffing his helmet on the right hand side of the painting is St.George, and rather than looking solemn or filled with religious zeal he looks bored. To me, he looks like a man going through the motions, following established practices for the sake of form or duty, a behavior I find to be a very human trait.

While Van Eyck relied on the patronage of Duke Philip the Good, he was free to paint for private clients and his work was a reflection of the variety of clients who influenced his work. He was paid well by the Duke, and due to his largess was not under the dominion of the church and its desires. I wonder if the realistic and humanistic depictions of subjects would have been possible if he had not had the patronage of a generous prince.