fredag 27 april 2012

torsdag 26 april 2012

Gertrude Hermes

Gertrude Hermes was most known for her sculptures but alongside her “field” she did series of (according to me) amazing engravings, wood and linocuts. I am glad that I stumbled upon her through this coursework. Her series of black and white wood and linocuts are the ones who I prefer the most. She did a series of engravings over 20 years in which her eye for detail is astonishing.  In printmaking so far what really interests me is Screen Printing, but her use of different tones of black and white in mainly her wood cuts I feel an urge to pick up engraving or at least do more and bigger linocuts.

A blogger called “Bibble” wrote on his blog (http://www.clivechristy.com/2010/04/gertrude-hermes-1901-1983.html) that “when other artists went on to capture nature and the idyllic conceptions of rural life her poetic imagination seems to have taken graphic form inevitably upon the wood itself as the lights responded to the tool’s inspired incisions”.

References: 

A´lea iacta est


Before my career in the deep world of arts I studied Natural Science and Mathematics. I spent hours and hours in seminars I didn’t really want to pay attention to. Mathematic formulas, chemistry and scientific theories were launching it selves through my head. To relax my other senses and to be able to concentrate my mind I started doodling during class. My doodles became more and more serious and what was previous just a random hobby became more and more a solid interest.  But of course it wasn’t just born out of nothing; when I was young I started using computers at an early age and started copying from Marvel Comics and old Japanese samurai drawings.

When I got older street art became a greater influence than before and I started to find my style of a mix of comics and street art. What really was a mile stone in my life was starting UNI, to actually get projects with deadlines were I have to always push myself into drawing new things I have never drawn before. The skills everyone picked up during previous art studies is a constant reminder and I envy them at the same time as it creates a hunger to beat them.

 a´lea iacta est” – ” The die has been cast” 

James Hensher


Quite out of nowhere my girlfriend introduced me to an half English/Swedish artist who is up and coming on the Swedish market. James Hensher was born in Stockholm 1979 and brought up in an artistic environment. Hensher, James (http://jameshensher.com/). He studied art at the Falmouth College of Arts in England and at the Van Der Kelen’s Institut Superieur de Peinture in Belgium and does mainly paint with acrylics on canvas. His work is highly colorful and it is a lot of focus around faces and the naked female body.

Since I as well am quite interested in drawing and painting the nude female body but lacked the skill and motivation for acrylic paintings got very inspired after I got invited to one of his smaller private exhibitions in which I really got to see his work up front. The use of color and mix materials on canvas really hit me in the head like a hammer. It opened up a new world of possibilities which I still yet has left to explore.

The world of acrylics is something that I do wish to immerse myself in to. 

References: 


Hensher, James online (http://jameshensher.com/)
images: Hensher, James online (http://jameshensher.com/)

ROA


Roa, a Belgium street artist from Ghent who paints unbelievable illustrations of animals, dissected, whole, craniums and the body or just some organs hanging out on big murals. We are back at semiotics again; it is so hard to get away from…

FC: What's the idea behind showing animals organs?                 

Organs are the vital substances of our body and they represent a lot of symbolism which i like! Painters like Rembrandt did it ages before me, slaughter paintings!”
Quote from an interview with ROA on http://www.fatcap.com/article/roa.html

He is currently active with a solo exhibition and book launch at Stolen Space gallery in Brick Lane called “Hypnagogia” “a 2 space exhibition features installation work and originals on found objects” – Stolen Space.

I have since long followed ROA’s work online but on Sunday last week when I was meeting up my cousin who came and visiting from (funny enough) Belgium I ran into one of ROA’s painting session on a mural in the outskirts of Brick Lane. I couldn’t resist stopping and taking some pictures and talking some shit with ROA as well.

Later on that evening when me and my girlfriend went to his exhibition at Stolen Space we ran into him again. This time I was being cleverer and handed out one of me t-shirts, my contact details and 3 screen printed postcards. He promised to wear my t-shirt while he was painting to make some PR for me. You never know if it’s going to go anywhere but it’s worth a shot. 




References: 


Stolen Space http://www.stolenspace.com/section.php?xSec=505
Street Art London http://streetartlondon.co.uk/artists/roa/
Fat Cap http://www.fatcap.com/article/roa.html
photos: Rios, Sandra (c) 2012
image: http://www.stolenspace.com/shopimages/products/normal/roa/roa_fs_2.jpg

BCN here I come?


The better part of 2011 I spent in Barcelona, Spain. Times were worries and thoughts about anything serious were blown by the wind in a city with approx. 5 mil people (with all the urban areas counted) which halves of the 5 mil are people with their hands (maybe even as far to the hips) covered in creativeness.  I already had a big interest for art but when I was surrounded by artist and non the least the street art that flourish all over town you can’t help being inspired. 
The main reason to why it’s so good is blatantly because it’s just so much art all around you never mind laws about where and how.  Because there is so so many different artists it is also a great variety of art which suits even the most uninterested person.

It feels like that everywhere that you go you are moving through the same exhibition of many thousands of artists work in an urban jungle. Barcelona inspired me to really kick it off with art which I deeply appreciate ‘cause this is what I want to do. 

Bajs-collective is born!


I and two aspiring artists in year 1 illustration & printmaking are putting together a brand/company/clothing line. We (at the moment of course) do not know anything other than what our common (even though common sense isn’t that common) sense tells us about creating a company. But while studying courses that try to prepare you for the future “working life” what is not better than to actually start working with what you do want do to?

In the beginning we focus on t-shirts as step one to practices screen printing and all the techniques to fully be able to conquer textile printing.  Since 2 weeks back I've made 2 t-shirt designs and printed one in a series of 4 and the other of 5. All of them except 2 t-shirts are sold and I already have another 10-15 booked by various friends all over Europe.  

Ibinson, Jason
As soon as year 1 in UNI is over we bulk order 50 t-shirts each (150 in total) knock out a couple of different designs each and rent a stall at Brick Lane market and stick our fingers wherever it is possible.




A new era is born!


Prints and t-shirts for sell.


References:
Elerud, Claes (2012) http://itsnotwhatitis.blogspot.co.uk/
Images and artwork (c) Claes Elerud
Last image artwork (c) Jason Ibinson

onsdag 25 april 2012

Eric Gill


Eric Gill said to be one of the greatest craftsmen of the twentieth century and his art is well known all over the world. He wasn’t just any British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker as my research gets deeper I am starting to read more and more quite disturbing facts. His artwork is strongly inspired by religious views but also highly erotic and some say pure blasphemy. On the website http://www.traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/j005htGill_Distributism_Odou.htm Patrick Odou roast him quite hard but also a lot of interesting facts (which doesn’t seem far off from what I picked up in my research).  

“God Sending shows a naked and sexually aroused Christ descending to earth; yet another entitled Earth Receiving shows what appears to be the same Christ fornicating with a woman, possibly representing the earth. “ Odou, Patick (Online)

Patrick Odou writes on his website that Fiona MacCarthy wrote “Eric Gill” a biography released 1990 in which she reports that his sexual obsessions included adultery, incest, and pedophilia. He had sexual intercourse with two of his sisters and two of his daughters.  

Famous people always seem to have the biggest luggage. 


References:
Odou, Patrick online (http://www.traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/j005htGill_Distributism_Odou.htm)
Eric Gill website (http://www.ericgill.com/index.php)
The Eric Gill Society (http://www.ericgill.org.uk/)
Image: http://www.goldmarkart.com/images/art/23/23_1640_m.jpg 

Wangechi Mutu


Wangechi Mutu, born in 1972, Nairobi, Kenya and she lives and works in New york. She's been on the art scene since -97.

“Their evocation of the objectification of the wild and exotic other is approaching the kinky seductiveness of the fashion spreads that are among the things they seek to indictSmith, Roberta (2006 June 9, The New York Times).

According to the website www.escapeintolife.com (which I suspect got all their information from the Saatchi galleries website but that URL doesn't work anymore) Kenyan-born Wangechi Mutu has trained as both a sculptor and anthropologist. Her drawings make references to colonial history and contemporary African politics. Some of her collages are incredible which consists of a found medical illustration which she later drawed, glued and glittered upon. The collages mimic amputations, transplant operations and torturous prosthetics. Saatchi Gallery (http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/wangechi_mutu.htm).

It seems like she creates new species based on horrors from African society, and uses small means such as glitter to symbolize the illegal diamond trade that’s what’s semiotics is all about right? 

References:

Modernism


Revolution and freedom of expressions are the words for modernism.  As written on “Arts my passion”  written by Nick, N (http://www.artsmypassion.com/articles.asp?ID=143 ) “Modernism rejected tradition and was highly controversial at the time. It was revolution, as such, one that paved the way for new ideas to take shape, which resulted in many new, and exciting, Modern Art movements to evolve.” 

According to Britannica (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/387266/Modernism) Modernism was created by the rapid growth of cities, World War I and a radical break with the past in the arts. A time of experimentation and search for new forms of expression that I believe never will die.

Modernism can be described as an experimentation of the human experience and the degree of self-consciousness characterized by deviations from the norms of society.
In the book “Introducing Modernism” Rodrigues, Chris (2001, pg4) state that all works that can be accommodated under the umbrella of modernism share a relationship to the modern world which is peculiarly new and exceptional to any other previous cultural and historical condition.

He warn you about the dangers of confusing modernism with mainstream fashions, modernism change the social dynamics and it is also essential to establish the originality, who did what first, when and where.  Rodrigues, Chris (2001, pg9)

Which in the future I need to watch out for since I have never studied art or had that interest I have never really known what Modernism really is.

References:
Rodrigues, Chris (2002). Introducing Modernism. London: Faber and Faber Ltd.

Identity


“As we use it now, an “identity" refer to either (a) a social category, defined by membership rules and (alleged) characteristic attributes or expected behaviors, or (b) socially distinguishing features that a person takes a special pride in or views as unchangeable but socially consequential (or (a) and (b) at once). In the latter sense, “identity" is modern formulation of dignity, pride, or honor that implicitly links these to social categories. “

D. Fearon, James (1999 http://www.stanford.edu/~jfearon/papers/iden1v2.pdf) "What is identity (as we now use the word)?"

I did quite a bit of research on the net but I also started to read “Identity: a reader” du Gay, Paul, Evans, Jessica and Redman, Peter (2000) London: Sage Publications . I read Phoebe Rose’s blog (http://phoeberoses.wordpress.com/) where she writes about “Who am I” and Alex Jordan’s blog (http://jordan1991alex.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/identity-media.html) which is about identity and the media. All of it is interesting and accurate and “Identity: a reader” consists of facts and philosophical thoughts about identity to write 200 words 20 times.  

I rather write about the possibility to change your identity and I don’t mean to change your name, move to a different country and start a new life. People are living their normal lives with work from 9-5 and families and responsibilities, the identity change may not even be known by people around you. Internet is a fascinating world where the possibility to be anyone exists. 

A perfect example of this is the movie Catfish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh-qKqu3ZJ0). Universal Pictures wrote “A reality thriller that is a shocking product of our times, Catfish is a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue.” which summarize it without giving to much of the plot away. The story's about a married woman who creates a network of people online with different personalities, voices and completely different lives. This woman has a couple of cellphones and plays with a single man’s emotional quest for love. It’s a capturing story which I believe exists to a far greater extent than everyone believes.

 References:
 “Identity: a reader” du Gay, Paul, Evans, Jessica and Redman, Peter (2000) London: Sage Publications
 http://youtu.be/PBgv5KF_1xI

Semiotics


Semiotics  affect us in everyday life even if you don’t leave the house the amount of suggestions through images, ads, books, movies and more are indescribable. But prior to semiotics it is necessary to understand what a sign is. Some typical signs in everyday life are traffic signs, toilet signs for male and female, no smoking signs pretty much everywhere and much more. Others can be what a red heart or a couple of red roses signifies in a post card to your loved one.

http://thehollywoodprojects.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/semiotics.jpg
An advert in a magazine is often a photography or illustration combined with a catch phrase.  The readers first notice the denotation of the image (the obvious facts) and then subconsciously read the connotations (the hidden meanings of the image) which gets the readers minds to think of subjects not noticeable in the original image.  

As said by Cobley, Paul (2004, pg. 3) “The word  ”semiotics” comes from the greek root, seme, as in semeiotikos, an interpreter of signs. Semiotics as a discipline is simply the analysis of signs or the study of the functioning of sign systems. “  

To break down the symbolisms in an image/photography/ad/etc separate it into three messages:
A “linguistic” message              - all the words in the ad
A “coded iconic” message      - the connotations in the photograph/image
A “non-coded iconic” message                         - The denotations in the photograph
From Barthes’ 1964 essay, “The Rhetoric of the Image” and published in “Introducing Semiotics” by Cobley, Paul (2004, pg. 47).


References: 
Cobley, P (2004). Introducing Semiotics.  London: Faber and Faber Ltd. 
Image Emerson, Jim : http://thehollywoodprojects.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/semiotics.jpg