Artist Spotlights

Art 3/Artist Spotlights

You will be introduced to selected works of art and artists as they relate to the curriculum. In your sketchbook:
1. Complete a thumbnail sketch of the work
2. Document the #, heading, and credit line
3. Review all provided resources - take notes
4. Answer the questions completely and with specificity; complete sentences should reveal the question (write legibly or type/print)

Entries started in class must be completed as homework by the same day/next week

MORE ART HISTORY!

#16 - Another Sculptor

4/29/2019

Go to the Student Websites page and access the AWARENESS/Artist Spotlight #15 post that you have been assigned (see below).
Follow the same directions as you would for any Artist Spotlight sketchbook entry; this will be Artist Spotlight #16 for you (the LAST one of the year!!!).
Post an online comment to offer your classmate feedback on their post and to help them (and the teacher) know specifically what you gained from learning about the sculptor that they presented.

Rylan - Kyle Bean (Elizabeth)
Ria - Chiharu Shiota (Alex)
Amelia - Michael Murphy (Ada)
Julianne - Philadelphia Wire Man (Natalie)
Maya - Jess Riva Cooper (Lucy)
Natalie - Elizabeth Berrien (Julianne)
Genisus - Jessica Stroller (Rylan)
Ada - Roy Lichtenstein (Helen)
Alex - Diana Al Hadid (Ria)
Elizabeth - Jess Riva Cooper (Lucy)
Lucy - Shinique Smith (Maya)
Raina - Jennifer McCurdy (Shreya)
Shreya - Constantine Brancusi (Raina)
Helen - George Segal (Amelia)

#15 - Will be an AWARENESS post...

4/8/2019

You have had the opportunity to use books, magazines, and curiosity spreads to learn about sculptors whose work may inspire your own. Maybe you found one at the Try-me Gallery? Hopefully you now have a list long enough to make a good choice. If not, keep looking and ask for suggestions!

If you HAVE found the sculptor with a direct connection to your SUBJECT, COMPOSITION, CONTENT, AND/OR FORM (style, medium, technique), then start working on your AWARENESS post ASAP.

DUE April 19th:

Just as you did for your Old Master and for an AbEx painter, this is an opportunity to get to know about the artist's life, work, and process.
USE this research to inspire you AND your classmates.
Once posted, classmates will be assigned an artist(s) to investigate using the standard sketchbook "Artist Spotlight" format, including answers to the questions you have asked.
SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR THIS AWARENESS POST CAN BE FOUND HERE.

#14 - Nick Cave (b. 1959)

4/8/2019

Untitled (Soundsuit), 2011
Fabric, sequins, embroidery, mannequin
102 × 36 × 36 in. (259.08 × 91.44 × 91.44 cm)
(image from Try-Me Gallery; now at VMFA, a 2018 gift of Pamela K. and William A. Royall, Jr.)

As per Valerie Cassel Oliver, VMFA’s Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art:

Soundsuits are elaborate and wearable sculptures that the artist began making in 1992.
Comprised of a variety of materials that include fabric, sisal, human hair, buttons, sequins, feathers, wire and accumulated objects, these suits are made to be worn and their title relates to the noise made when they move.
As a former dancer and choreographer, Cave has historically activated these objects through live and filmed performances.
Whether static or in motion, the Soundsuits bear some resemblance to African ceremonial costumes and masks.
Although the Soundsuits appear vibrant and joyful, they began as a response to the police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles in 1992.
As an African-American man, Cave felt particularly vulnerable after this incident of police brutality and the first Soundsuits can be understood as a form of protective body armor.
By 2011, when Cave made the Soundsuit that has been given to VMFA, these full-body outfits had become increasingly elaborate and exuberant.
VMFA plans to acquire more Soundsuits in the future, along with Cave’s videos of these human shaped assemblages in motion, so that this example can be placed in context and fully understood as both a sculpture and performative piece.

SEE MORE OF HIS WORK HERE: http://www.jackshainman.com/artists/nick-cave/

HEAR FROM THE ARTIST IN THE VIDEO BELOW:

As you review the notes you've taken from the resources provided above, consider the questions posed below. As you read each question, think carefully about how they relate to YOUR work. Select TWO to respond to.

Cave's soundsuits have a performative component. 1) Explain how this can be a type of COMPOSITION, critical to his expression of CONTENT. *** If you don't know about African masks and the fact that they are only complete when combined with a costume and a dance, which is part of a specific ritual or event, you may need to look that up. Also review the video @ 11:27 when he addresses objects from the natural history museum. 2) With that in mind, will your sculpture "sit," "stand." or "hang" - OR is there (or could there be) a performative or interactive component to better support the CONTENT? Explain (why/why not).
The "Rodney King incident" sparked a major direction in Cave's work. 1) What was that incident, 2) What was the specific direction that his work took based on that event (CONTENT), and 3) What events or incidents spark your ideas? Do you still have MANY or are you beginning to narrow your scope?
One idea leads to the next. That concept is a natural part of an artist's flow and The Artistic PROCESS (see SOL AIII. 4 and your handout!). 1) What is Cave's PROCESS? 2) What is yours? 3) What can you learn about the ways that various artists use PROCESS to develop and create their work?
Cave can equate his sculptures to paintings. 1) Explain this concept. 2) As an art student, you have been working in multiple medias in order to understand how they differ and how they might be combined - explain what this means to you, especially as it relates to your sculpture.
Even though his work changes form, the "essence stays the same." At the end of the video, Cave explains his new body of work and how there are similarities and differences between it and the soundsuits.... Explain how you interpret this as equivalent to your PLAY pages AND to the overall development of your own artistic vision/voice (again, SOL AIII.4 - if you haven't looked at the Artistic Process handout yet, please do!).
Beyond the topics and questions provided here, is there something that you have learned from Nick Cave's work that you can apply directly to BOTH your sculpture project AND your overall journey as an artist? Explain.

#13 - Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976)

3/18/2019

Tom's
1974
Painted sheet metal
National Gallery of Art East Building

FIRST - read about Calder's mobile, "Untitled" in the National Gallery's East Building:

http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.56517.html

NEXT - watch this video and takes notes with particular focus on his:

development and innovation as an artist
use of line in his sculptures
transition from narration to abstraction
ability to engage the viewer
mobiles v. stabiles v. wall-hangings v. wire sculptures
use of space & response to environment ("off the plinth")

THEN - answer the following questions:

There are reasons why an artist would title a work "Untitled".... what was Calder's reason for using this title for the mobile, which hangs in the East Building of The National Gallery, D.C.
Consider the points made in the video; how could one or more of them apply to YOUR sculpture?

#12 Louise Nevelson (1899–1988)

3/11/2019

Sky Cathedral
1958
Painted wood
11' 3 1/2" x 10' 1/4" x 18" (343.9 x 305.4 x 45.7 cm)
MoMA, New York City

FIRST - Use these links to learn about the artist and to explore the style and media in which she and other artists worked:

Louise Nevelson - biography and important works
Assemblage - A Brief History and important artists
Abstract Expressionist sculpture

NEXT - Watch these videos to make further connections:

THEN - Complete the following:

1. List important facts about Nevelson's life and work.
2. Investigate one or more of the artists (beyond Nevelson) included in the provided resources.
3. What are your thoughts about Nevelson's work and/or the work of another assemblage sculptor? Make any connections between this artist(s) and what you've learned and experienced in art class (think back to Art 1!)?
4. Do you have any ideas for a sculpture after seeing Nevelson's and others' work (form, materials, content, etc.)? What found objects do you think you'd be drawn to? Why?

#11 Martin Puryear (b. 1941)

3/4/2019

Untitled
1995
Wire mesh, steel, tar, cedar, particleboard
Overall: 87 × 49 × 24 in. (220.98 × 124.46 × 60.96 cm)
VMFA

USE THIS LINK FOR A HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGE - AS YOU DRAW, LOOK CLOSELY AT THE DETAILS OF THE MATERIALS AND THE LEVEL OF CRAFTSMANSHIP

From VMFA: "Puryear’s abstract sculptures, while often simple in shape and materials, are richly allusive. This combination of qualities links him to a group of artists loosely called Post-Minimalists. The dark, monolithic form of this piece suggests a colossal head or a primitive totem, although its asymmetry and its vessel-like quality recall organic forms like seedpods or gourds. Puryear finished the piece—a metal grid overlaid with squares of wire mesh—with a coating of tar. The coating defines the sculpture’s massive form, but viewers can peer into the piece and out the other side."

“What I’m interested in is work that has a myriad of associations but is also extremely pared down.”
—Martin Puryear

Use this link to learn about Martin Puryear and to view more of his work: Martin Puryear @ Matthew Marks Gallery

Watch this video:

Complete the following:

1. Choose a work of Puryear's to sketch, beyond the primary thumbnail you have already completed. Feel free to look at images beyond those provided on the included website. Include the credit line info.
2. List the important facts about Puryear's life, work, and his inspirations (so that you can better understand the content of his work and what makes him the artist that he is).
3. Explain your thoughts about his work and how you might be able to draw inspiration from it.

#10 - Mark Bradford (b. 1961)

2/11/2019

Pickett's Charge (Witness Tree) - detail
2016–17
Mixed Media

Did you see this installation @ the Hirshhorn?

You don't live the in the 1940s as the Abstract Expressionists did.... neither does Mark Bradford... but the lessons are still there for the taking. See what Bradford has learned from AbEx and how he has developed his own style and process along the way. After reviewing the provided resources, write a response.

#9 - Another AbEx painter

1/18/2019

Go to the Student Websites page to access the AWARENESS/AS #8 post that you have been assigned. Follow the same directions as you would for any Artist Spotlight entry to complete AS #9.

#8 - Will be an AWARENESS post...

1/3/2019

In order to select the artist who you will investigate and present in an AWARENESS post, do the following:

1) DUE January 11th: In your SB, briefly investigate at least THREE Abstract Expressionist painters with the goal of presenting ONE as an AWARENESS post (as Artist Spotlight #8) on your blog. PLEASE NOTE:

At least one of the three researched artists must be BEYOND those covered in the Power Point presentation (see the list below)
After doing the preliminary research, indicate your interest level in each artist by numbering your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices.
- NOTE: In order to avoid duplication, artists will be assigned in a specific (maybe random) manner (TBD). Therefore, it is in your best interest to take the opportunity to find three artists who you will be happy to research!

2) DUE January 18th: For Artist Spotlight #8, create an AWARENESS post about the AbEx painter you have been assigned to investigate more fully.

Just as you did for your Old Master, this is an opportunity to get to know about the artist's life, work, and process.
USE this research to inspire YOUR and YOUR CLASSMATES' painting process.
Once posted, classmates will be assigned an artist(s) to investigate using the standard sketchbook "Artist Spotlight format," including answers to the questions you have asked.
SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR THE AWARENESS POST CAN BE FOUND HERE.

Theodoros Stamos (1922-97), Jimmy Ernst (1920-84), Barnett Newman (1905-70), James C. Brooks (1906-92), Mark Rothko (1903-70); middle row: Richard Pousette-Dart (1916-92), William Baziotes (1912-63), Jackson Pollock (1912-56), Clyfford Still (1904-80), Robert Motherwell (1915-91), Bradley Walker Tomlin (1899-53); back row: Willem de Kooning (1904-97), Adolph Gottlieb (1903-74), Ad Reinhardt (1913-67), and Hedda Sterne (1910-2011).

Many important AbEx painters are featured in the above photo or listed below:

Hans Hofman
Norman Lewis
Philip Guston
Robert Motherwell

The following are all female painters whose work can be seen here: The Women of Abstract Expressionism: 12 Artists History Should not Forget (Hedda Sterne is not on this list but is linked above in the photo caption).

- Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989)
- Joan Mitchell (1925-1992)
- Mary Abbott (1921-)
- Deborah Remington (1930-2010)
- Judith Godwin (1930-)
- Lee Krasner (1908-1984)
- Ethel Schwabacher (1903-1984)
- Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011)
- Perle Fine (1905-1988)
- Grace Hartigan (1922-2008)
- Jay DeFeo (1929-1989)
- Sonia Gechtoff (1926-)

OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES:

#7 Franz Kline (1910 - 1962)

12/3/2018

Four Square
1956
oil on canvas
78 3/8 x 50 3/4 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Burton Tremaine
1971.87.12
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Watch this again if you need to.... it's a really good review of the AbEx movement that Franz Kline is associated with. Try to get a feel for the "mood" of the day and the role that artists like Kline took upon themselves.

What should you know about Franz Kline's painting techniques? What ideas can you glean for your own work?

Read: Franz Kline Discussing Black and White (1960). After investigating color theory and simultaneous contrast - AND knowing the important role that color can play in a work of art.... consider why he took this achromatic approach. What approach might you take?

DEFINE:

Gestural
Iterative
Action painting
Scumble

AFTER CAREFULLY REVIEWING THE RESOURCES ASSIGNED ABOVE: Answer the following questions completely and with specificity to the provided resources, notes taken, personal reflection, and additional research as needed. Make sure to consider how this information is relevant to your current work and practice.

What were the Abstract Expressionists trying to express?
How did Franz Kline arrive at abstraction in his work?
Why did Franz Kline like using house paint, an unconventional material for fine art?
Explain Kline's use of black and white. Will you use color or not? If so, which ones and why? If not, why?
Compare/contrast Franz Kline’s "Four Square" and Whistler’s "Nocturne in Black and Gold"

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