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 indict” Smith, 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:

Saatchi Gallery (http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/wangechi_mutu.htm).

Espace Into Life (http://www.escapeintolife.com/artist-watch/wangechi-mutu/).
images: http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/imgs/artists/mutu_wangechi/20091124042523_wangechimutuprolapsusuterus.jpg
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/imgs/artists/mutu/wangechi_mutu_indurated.jpg
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/imgs/artists/mutu_wangechi/20091124042423_wangechimutucanceruterus.jpg
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/imgs/artists/mutu_wangechi/20091124042316_wangechimutufemalesexualorgans.jpg

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.

Online encyclopedia Britannica (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/387266/Modernism)

Nick, N online (http://www.artsmypassion.com/articles.asp?ID=143)

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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh-qKqu3ZJ0

 http://www.stanford.edu/~jfearon/papers/iden1v2.pdf
Image: http://online-identity-theft.net/online-identity-theft/11-7-million-persons-reported-identity-theft-victimization-in-2008

 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