Discussion: Contemporary Art

Q2: When we talk about contemporary art, we often talk about ISSUES. Why? What do we mean by that? How is that important? Make sure you refer to Jenny Holzer’s work in your response.

The contemporary art is deeply involved with life, and keeps us in touch with spiritual or abstract matters. In addition, contemporary is important for us to see the lives we live, the issues that concern us, our sense of what it is like to be in the world here and now. Issue is like the icon of the contemporary art, we can acknowledge what happen and what is we should concern around our life. Therefore, when we talk about contemporary art, we should talk about what is the issue of this contemporary art. Like Jenny Holzer’s work, her work is use of the words and ideas in public space, as in T-Shirt, lights and plaque. Her works express the explicit content that profound statement about the world of advertising and consumer society today. Meanwhile, Her short statement called “Truism” is easier for people to get the exactly meaning through her work.

Contemporary Art

From browsing the PBS website, I found it is a useful tool for us to learn the Contemporary Art. For me, I am interested in the paintings with the theme “humor”. In my opinion, it can reflect deeply our life through the artwork with humor. I am impressed on the artwork by Elizabeth Murray, who is one of the artists to paint her artwork with the theme of humor. When people asked her what did she think about the humor part of the paintings, she responded: “Like what makes you laugh? It is something about life and about accepting. Life is tragic and funny and you get into horrible situations and you go on. “ In Elizabeth Murray’s artwork, she combined different shape into her work with colorful. In addition, her artworks seem like abstract but also like recognizable. Murray has spent a lifetime developing her particular vision of zany and vibrant images.

Public Art

The Loop Art Tour is a useful website for us to know what kinds of the art buildings around us, and it gives the detailed information to us through video. I am interested in this website, which gathers all of the public arts. Actually, I have been to these public arts for many times, but I didn’t know more about the information of these art buildings. Through visiting this website, I seems like to visit these kinds of public art building. Meanwhile, this website is like a guide tour to transfer the background information to me. In my opinion, this website is a good helper for us. Moreover, there is a link in each video for us to click to get more
information about this public art building.

Movie: Surviving Picasso

The movie Surviving Picasso directed by James Ivory is about the love experience between Picasso and the girl called Françoise. The background of the movie is happened in Paris during the Nazi occupation of the city. Francoise was forced by her father to be a lawyer. However, she was not interested in being lawyer but being painter. Due to this reason, she had chance to recognize the painter Picasso and then fallen in love with his ability and genuine. This movie it maybe not related with the biography of Picasso, but it reflected parts of his life from it. In this movie, it is more about Francoise personal life than Picasso’s work. In addiction, the movie depicts several of the women who were important in Picasso's life, each of whom seems deeply scarred by their life with Picasso.

After watching this movie, I have more ideas about this artist Picasso. I learn his personal life from Francoise’ love to him. Except that, the most impression to me is the role of Francoise, who was an independent girl to pursuit her dream. Although her love to Picasso was not the only one in Picasso’s life, she still kept her dream in her heart. Actually, I didn’t like that kinds of man as a womanizer. However, he still gave the most impact in the field of art all over the world. Consequently, it made Picasso amazing in many girl’s heart. This movie not only let me know more about Picasso’s personal life, but I also learned how the woman in old days did their best to pursuit their dream.

Reflection of Art Institute Trip

It was my second time to visit AIC. I remembered how I impressed by the marvelous painting at my first time visiting, but what a pity was we didn’t have enough time to enjoy. Therefore, I was eager to visit one more time.

Donald was my partner this time, who was a nice person. Due to the presentation, Donald and I looked around the picture from the front hall to the last one to choose one painting for our presentation. During our visiting, we went together to find some of picture related to the theme of love and peace. Refer to love and peace, we thought about A Sundy on La Grande Jatte, we can see how quietly and happily the people enjoy their time together. During our discussion, we chose the picture refer to the myths and legend for our presentation. We both considered it was a peaceful picture and then reflect to the reality. Although we didn’t get the real meaning from this picture, we knew more about the knowledge about art from others’ presentation. The group of Stacy and Tetyana explained what they saw and thought from the picture detailed to us.

In Edward Munch exhibit, I found that the style of the picture is different with what I saw before. In my opinion, the artist focused on the theme related with our reality life, and reflect our life through his painting.

Modernist work of art

Painting Title: Three Musicians 1921

Oil on canvas - 200.7 x 222.9 cm

Pablo Picasso: Cubist Paintings / Mid Career

Famous Spanish artist - 20th Century Painter

From this paiting, i can image that the artist draw the musicians who are playing with different musical instrument. One is playing guitar,with two musicians by his sides. In addition, we can see the shadow of the dog at the left of the paiting.

The artist use different color for each person in order to make every musician stand out in the paiting, expecially using the brown background. Still, line is one of the most important role in this paiting. Picasso add the visual elements in the correct proportions of unity, variety, balance , scale , proportion and rhythm into his paiting.

Although i don't understand very clearly what does the artist want to express. However, i can see that the musicians are concentrate on their playing, and the dog is also atrracted by their playing.

LOVE in art

Artist: Henry Ossawa Tanner,

Title: The Banjo Lesson, 1893.

Oil on canvas, 49" x 35 1/2".

The first time i saw this picture "The Banjo Lesson" by Henry Ossawa Tanner gave me an deep impression, and gave me a strong emotion.

The painting is about the relationship between grandfather and grandson, which illustrate the affection and love from the normal family. It is obviously that the grandfather pay his patience to teach his grandson. The artist Henry Ossanwa Tanner drew this comon life in his period. The love is shared between family.