This week our class has focused on sculpture. To me, sculpture is the most versatile medium because anything, really, can be considered sculpture. What provides sculpture with this distinction is depth; no longer considering the work in the confines of two-dimensionality gives the viewer the ability to not only address the singular work but to consider the area surrounding the piece as well.
Consider the work, "Untitled" (1961), by Robert Ryman. While this work could be considered a "painting" in the traditional sense, I would consider it as sculpture. If you look closely, throughout the work are sculptural elements: paint laid on thick enough to catch the light and give the paint depth. Loose threads of canvas smothered beneath the paint. Lack of a distinct border. All these attributes give this work a sculptural element.
Would the effect really be the same if this work were being viewed as a flat, two-dimensional piece? Unfortunately, since this is a blog and you view these words that I'm writing in the two-dimensional environment of your computer monitor, this is the only way you are capable of viewing it. Looking at pictures of work is not a sufficient substitute for seeing the real piece, especially in the context of sculpture. The addition of the extra dimension allows the viewer to experience the piece not only as a singular entity, but to also take into account the surrounding area of the piece to make sense of it in new terms. Modern art museums emphasize the way in which the work is experienced, making the environment that the piece is in that much more important. Every work of art in a museum like the MoMA is thoughtfully placed in its environment, with meticulous effort taken to make sure that its placement in the space is restricted to the artist's specifications.
Tuesday's lecture was presented by professor Amanda Wojick representing the sculpture department. For her presentation, she showed us sculptural work from 9 different women from 9 different decades. Why specifically women artists, I'm not sure of. I understand that women artists have been marginalized in history, but I was curious to find out if women offered a unique perspective of sculpture. I wanted to ask her this in class but I felt that if I did, I would get backlash from classmates for even inquiring.
Wojick emphasized one female sculptor in particular: Louise Bourgeois. Considered to be one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century, Bourgeois constantly addresses themes of innocence and sexuality, drawing on experiences from her childhood, which help to inform her work. Her pieces are dark and melancholy, usually shades of monochrome, and are built on the scale of being both monumental and domestic, such as in the case of “Cell (Glass Spheres and Hands)” (shown below).
Her sculpture of a giant spider called "Maman" takes on a rough, unrefined look and recalls to mind something that might be seen in a nightmare. The name of the work and what it actually represents creates conflict. The word "maman", which is supposed to conjure up feelings of warmth and comfort, are attributed to this behemoth spider figure, suggesting a traumatic event that may have occurred between the artist and her own mother.
"Spider" at Tate Modern, London.
Sculpture as seen outside The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.
The sculpture "Maman" standing outside of The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
It was beneficial to observe the work done by prominent female artists not only for gaining an understanding of the female perspective but also to provide the reference point for work that is the exact opposite: strongly forceful, masculine sculpture by the likes of artist Richard Serra.
Richard Serra could be considered the complete polar opposite to Louise Bourgeois. While her work represents the feminine, his is masculine. While hers is representational, Serra's work embodies the absract. While Bourgeois' work is deeply personal, Serra's work embodies general/universal themes. His focus is not so much on the subject matter but is heavily focused on using/understanding space.
Serra's work cannot be fully appreciated just by looking at it: It must be experienced. This is why it is difficult to discuss his work in this blog. You be unable to understand the monumentality of his pieces unless you experience them in person. I have had the privilege of seeing a number of his pieces in real life and when I saw them I felt that they were big, powerful, and overwhelming. They are huge, heavy sheets of steel and just by looking at them, one can feel their mass. Since they take the shape of waves, they also seem light and flowing.
The closest to actually "experiencing" his pieces in this blog is by viewing this video below. This video is a virtual walkthrough of one of his pieces titled "Band," which was on display at MoMA in New York:
The last essay that we were assigned to read by Professor Ty seemed like a very appropriate text to end the quarter with. It utilized our understanding of looking, which we have developed and refined throughout this course. After all, we have to refine our way of looking in order to understand the mediums afresh, pushing the limits of our conventional thinking to approach materials from an artistic perspective.
The main point emphasized by James Elkins essay, "Just Looking," was that there is no such thing as "just looking." Throughout the essay, he reveals to the reader how this concept is hopelessly inadequate. He starts out with the sentence "The observer looks at the object." And from that point begins to dismantle its meaning to the core with the end goal of completely subverting its meaning. Simply by taking a seemingly straightforward idea and provoking a discourse, he starts to dismantle it, even if he does not come to a direct conclusion.
There are some observations that I made in reading James Elkins "Just Looking". James Elkins goal with this essay is to make you think about looking. In this mission, he also reveals to the reader just how little looking is actually done, and what we believe to be looking actually isn't looking. I always considered myself to be a keen observer, but after reading this I realized that so frequently I fail to actually observe in the manner that he is attempting provoke.
In yesterday's class, we had a pleasant diversion from our usual routine of sitting in the lecture hall. Professor Ty took the whole class, all 200 or so of us, out of the classroom and on a short excursion to observe a sculpture behind the Lillis Business Complex. I have frequently seen this piece on my way to class or between classes, but never really "seen" it. After being brought to this particular location with the explicit purpose of having us look at it, it made me realize just how little I pay attention to my surroundings.
The piece is called Wind Fence. It made a gentle ringing sound as the individual metal shingles swayed in the wind, creating organic patterns that flowed across the surface of its mechanical facade. Like the wind passing through the tiles, so also, the path to the Lillis building passes underneath the sculpture, forcing the viewer to not only see the piece but to participate with it as well.
Academics take up such a prominent part of the time on campus, many of us fail to realize the impact that this simple act of looking can have on campus. I have always considered myself especially observant, but even I failed to see many of the sculptures that are dispersed throughout campus. This is disgraceful. The university is usually seen as a place of business, and the general mindset of productivity fails to recognize the importance of looking. When in school mode, it is very easy for a student to passively embrace the campus.
This is the last official blog post for the class. Writing these has been quite helpful in increasing my understanding of media, and has been a useful tool in articulating my thoughts about work. Writing in a blog provides practice in discussing art which, if I have intentions of entering an artistic profession, I will be doing a lot of. For more credit I will be writing extra blog posts about special topics this week. Be sure to "look" for them.
All the best,
Andrew
Looks unfinished, Andrew.
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