Fraught with Meaning: The Challenge to a Modern Art Observer

The Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition provides a glimpse at widely varied modern art produced by a handful of new experts in the art world. The media ranges from oil painting to digital painting to video and audio. This myriad of materials used in the art provides breadth to the exhibit and provides a well-rounded snapshot of how art is being created today. The subject matter, which cannot be simply classified as still life or portrait, provides a grueling experience for the observer to decipher the meaning of the pieces. Further, the thesis aspect of this exhibition begs the question: did these up-and-coming artists produce successful works of art?

Tobias Walther offers a strange, stomach-churning venture around Pullman in his piece Sailor (2009). He places two black and white video loops next to one another, and the loops show similar images of the Washington State University campus and the surrounding rolling wheat fields. While the loops are timed differently, there are critical points of overlap where the same image appears concurrently. The significant length of the loops and the dramatic sound effects make this piece successful and captivate the audience. The stark, desolate black and white camera shots and the sounds, such as heavy breathing and crunching wheat, are reminiscent of an eerie Alfred Hitchcock mystery. His title could indicate a lonely, arduous journey like that faced by a sailor a long time ago. There is a constant sense of searching, bewilderment, and uncertainty of what is coming next in this piece. Walther’s work keeps the senses on edge and the mind busy trying to piece together what is happening.

Heather McGeachy took a rather novel approach to her pieces with the use of digital painting. This intriguing media appears to consist of a digitally composed image printed on clear plastic sheets and encased in plexiglas. The more abstract pieces that combine an exploration of composition and color are the most successful. The piece Tyria (2008) reveals an abstract Southwestern landscape with incredible depth even though the image floats, suspended away from the wall. It has a water color quality, since the colors are transparent. It invites the viewer to make sense of the organic shapes and absence of solid lines. In contrast, the piece Dunkoh (2008) is a triptych depicting cartoon-like science fiction scenes. The first and third images are of the same robot with differing colors, and the center image is of a futuristic building. This composition makes the three images seem disconnected, and the work would appear more coherent if the center image was, for instance, the robot again with still different colors. This piece would find a better place at a sci-fi convention than an art gallery. However, the variety of McGeachy’s pieces provides a rounded portfolio of work that demonstrates exploration of the medium of digital painting, such as overlapping colors and layers of sheets with color and black lines.

This exhibition suggests that the current art world is complex, wide and varying. There is significant and broad exploration of media, which is most apparent. A majority of these pieces can really only be exhibited and critically appreciated in a museum setting, such as the installation or mixed media pieces. These works do not easily give up their meaning. Their complexity or simplicity or pure strangeness wrestles with the observer and puts up a fight against understanding and reason. There seems to be a growing distinction between artwork for exhibits in museums and that for private ownership. Privately owned works can be pleasing pictures that hang on the wall or small sculptures; whereas, art intended for a museum setting is obscure with meaning. It seems there is a rift between simply aesthetically pleasing art and the art produced by true experts in their field, when long ago they used to be one and the same.

An Encore of Pollock

Being most familiar Pollock over Madonna and Spiderman, I return to him and his artwork with Freud and Foucault for analysis. Freud explored the unconscious as the source of the works of art produced by artists, which becomes evident in Pollock’s work. Pollock did something revolutionary in the art world with his drip paintings. His work appears to be a chaotic mess of paint with maybe some order in the patterns with different colors. Although Freud expressed that artists somehow manipulate daydreams into tangible works of art that are enjoyed by the audience, Pollock was not simply expressing daydreams. Rather, Pollock gets down to a fundamental unconscious state in which there appears total chaos; yet, there is a slight discernable order to the layers and patterns of colors. During Freud’s time in the 19th century, there was more of a realistic sense instead of abstract sense to works of art. With increasing abstraction, artwork closes in on raw unconscious thought. These works of art are not exactly something the audience can relate to like daydreams. Pollock captures almost a natural rhythm, as indicated by Richard Taylor in his fractal analysis of Pollock paintings. I think Freud would find an explicit example of a glimpse of unconscious thought in Pollock’s drip paintings.

When Pollock was producing his drip paintings, they formed a completely new and strange branch of the art spectrum. Although not really intentional, Pollock challenged the elite definitions of what were acceptable pieces of art. Similar to Velazquez’s work Las Meninas, Foucault may have observed Pollock’s paintings as a true, purer form of art, since it stretched the boundaries of acceptable works of art. Pollock went against the grain of American power, order, and norms. He drank excessively and did art exactly the way he wanted to do it. He sold his art to whoever would buy it and did not make paintings with the audience’s expectations in mind. From Foucault’s perspective, Pollock challenged the established order of society. He expanded the knowledge of the art world and provoked questions of what can be accepted as art. Pollock was necessary to help prevent art at the time from becoming stagnant, predictable and comfortable within established limits. According to Foucault, perhaps artists like Pollock are the purest artists, because they challenge the order, power, and knowledge of societies.

"The Heidi Chronicles" by Wendy Wasserstein

Gender difference may translate into different perspectives that come through in art, but I don’t think any given piece of art can be exactly identified as produced by a woman or man just by observation. Once the gender of the artist is known, it is easier to identify feminine or masculine characteristics in the work. For instance, Caravaggio and Gentileschi both painted the biblical scene of the beheading of Holofernes by Judith. The aggression and darkness in Gentileschi’s painting could suggest a male artist made the artwork. Additionally, Judith is delicate, wearing white and bathed in light in Caravaggio’s painting. However, when considering the gender of the artist with the painting, there is a different understanding of how the scene is portrayed. Caravaggio depicts Judith as a dainty heroine exerting minimal effort to kill Holofernes. It is suggested that she is assisted by the will of God, since she still maintains the “good” qualities of a woman such as being delicate, lovely, and serene. Judith appears stronger and forceful in the more violent painting by Gentileschi, which is likely more realistic. Gentileschi gives more power to Judith and reveals a darker struggle of women against men.

I thought the WSU performance of The Heidi Chronicles was excellent. The scenes made much more sense with the emotions and interactions of the actors and actresses. Further, it was interesting to hear about the preparation work of the theatre department for this play. Their background research into 1965-1989 really contributed to the play’s effectiveness. The use of a projector throughout the play tied the scenes together nicely. The clips, photos and music during the scene changes kept the audience focused on the play and provided transitions between the scenes, which varied widely in location and time. For post baby boomer generations, the media used in the production emphasized the ideas, conflicts, and characteristics of the different decades in the play. The use of flashbacks with the large frame on the set and the indication of snapshots was also an effective part of the production. All of the details that went into the production that were not in the original play show that a production can bring a new meaning to a play as a work of art. I felt like I knew Heidi Holland better and understood Wasserstein’s intent with the play more clearly after watching the WSU production.

The Wonders of Jackson Pollock

I had a hard time accepting Pollock’s pieces as true works of art worthy of a museum until I read the Scientific American article “Order in Pollock’s Chaos” by Richard Taylor. I really appreciate the fractal analysis of Pollock’s paintings, since it is based on statistics. Since all of Pollock’s works that were analyzed showed fractals and the fractals developed over time in his works, I felt like it elevated the paintings to works of a true master. Even though Pollock likely did not realize how significant his style of painting was at the time, the fractals prove he was a true genius in his technique. As Taylor pointed out, supposed potential Pollock paintings that he has analyzed do not have fractal patterns. The patterns are obviously not easy to replicate. Further, the development of fractal patterns in Pollock’s works indicate that there was something deliberate in the way Pollock painted and that he saw drips of paint differently than other people saw them. It seems like he was able to capture a natural rhythm that resulted in fractal patterns in his paintings. Since I think the fractal patterns are such a significant discovery in Pollock paintings, I would like to find out what Taylor’s analysis of Teri Horton’s alleged Pollock painting would yield. For me, a fractal pattern analysis of the painting would offer strong evidence to the authenticity of the painting.

The philosopher Danto would likely look at Pollock’s paintings in a similar light as Warhol’s artwork. How could paint thrown all over a canvas or replicas of Brillo boxes be works of art? Pollock seemed to be doing something radically different when he threw paint across huge canvases lying on the ground. Perhaps this is what made his artwork fascinating. A combination of simplicity in how the paintings were done with drips of paint and the complexity of the large patterns in Pollock’s work must have been intriguing enough for some of the public to consider it as art. Whether Pollock intended to evoke a certain emotion in his audience or not, people were able to find connections with his paintings such that his works could be considered art and would be passed on to other generations as works of art. From Danto’s perspective, Pollock’s paintings became successful pieces of art when people accepted them as art. I think his works carried a certain intrigue that drew people in to ponder whether they really were art or not.

Tolstoy and Nietzche on Art

Tolstoy describes how real art “infects” the audience with the artist’s feelings. His description reminds me of Danto’s claim that for a work to be art an audience must appreciate it as such. For Tolstoy, real art stirs up emotions in people and provides them a glimpse of the artist’s emotions and experiences. He captures a definition of art that allows the ordinary public to recognize art. Further, Tolstoy identifies sincerity as an important attribute of an artist. This quality allows for an audience to better connect with the artwork. It is like the artist has a conversation with the individual audience member. Tolstoy provides a clean, sensible explanation of what is real art; whereas, Nietzche scours the inner turmoil of the human mind for the identification of art as a product of a dream or ecstasy. It seems like Nietzche explores the extremes of the human mind, while Tolstoy generally describes a universal idea of human emotional reaction to another human’s expression through art.

Nietzche relates principium individuationis to Apollo and a world of illusion and dreams. Then, he goes on to describe how enjoyment taken from the destruction of principium individuationis is comparable to Dionysus and a chaotic world. While this seems to describe letting go of a rational, ordered view of the world for a more emotional and turbulent one, I do not think it is quite the same thing as Tolstoy’s infectious nature of art. Nietzche focuses on competing and complex forces of the human mind. It feels like human thoughts are a battle ground for the opposing influences of the worlds that Apollo and Dionysus represent. Tolstoy seems to have identified a much clearer and straightforward idea of how people recognize and appreciate art. Tolstoy claims that emotions and feelings are critical to successful art, and I think that Nietzche would classify such reactions as Dionysian. However, something that is Dionysian carries a description with words like intoxicating and ecstasies. I find it hard to see the kind of genuine sincerity Tolstoy discusses with regard to art in a Dionysian world, even though it is clearly missing from an Apollonian world.

Can He Fake It?

In BBC’s “Faking It”, Paul an ordinary house painter attempts to become an artist with accepted works in a gallery. The idea of this show was intriguing, because often in modern art museums there are pieces that are really hard to understand, since they look like something anyone could have done. It was surprising how quickly and fervently he worked on his art. He seemed much more willing and open-minded than the average middle-class working guy. Keeping in mind that he agreed to appear on this show, his confidence seemed to be boosted by the various people from the art world who encouraged and supported him. It seemed like he realized how to use art to express himself. However, he still had a long way to go as indicated by the acclaimed art critic who reviewed his progress. The critic pointed out that much of his work appeared to be from a novice artist who was experimenting and learning how to use different mediums. Thus, I think that he will have a hard time pulling off a convincing art show.

To be most convincing, he must even dress and talk the part. This segment of the show was most interesting to me, because it demonstrated that there is a preconceived idea about who is a modern, up-and-coming artist. I thought it was cliché that they gave him artsy glasses, but he made it sound like it was one of the most crucial pieces to pulling off the artist look. Indeed, it probably did help him to feel more like part. By looking like the common notion of an artist, he could portray himself more convincingly, which was the point of the show. However, it does show that there is a certain image of the successful artist that is taken seriously in the art world, just like a business professional who wears a suit and carries a brief case. Further, it shows that there is more to being a modern artist than simply flinging paint onto a canvas or throwing together objects into a sculpture. Even with Paul’s transformation into an artist, I think he will not be able to fool all of the critics at the art show. I predict that at least one, if not two, will notice something is not quite believable about his work.

The Price of Coveting Art

In “The Old Master? It’s Down at the Pawnshop”, the basis of the art creditors is the art market formed by the works of art masters. These works are well-known, coveted, and scarce in supply, which is the foundation for the high monetary stakes. Since the owners can borrow against the art, it has significant value as an asset and brings to reality the material nature of art. Kinkade print owners would likely find it very difficult to borrow against their art collections. While Kinkade prints can have decent price tags and accumulate to significant cost, they are consumer items. Even Kinkade admits the American consumerism approach to his work. He paints images that have the widest appeal to the general public and then mass produces prints of his paintings. Certainly, the works of masters are reproduced for consumers in the form of postcards, calendars, prints, and other consumer items, but Kinkade stands out in that the ultimate goal of his work is to be reproduced and sold as much as possible.

Kinkade presents an awkward art limbo between dime-a-dozen decorative art and nearly priceless works of art masters. It is important to note that his works are not just the originals he paints himself. He has a deliberate hand in the market for his prints. He arguably has skill as an artist with his perspective, lighting, and manipulation of color. However, he seems to differ from an art master in that he aims to give the viewer what he thinks they desire, his work does not show significant development over time, and he specifically aims to create a consumer product. He turns the art world and its critics upside down by shrewdly creating a market for his prints rather than his originals. Perhaps from the view of displeased art critics, Kinkade is insulting the uniqueness and depth of the works of art masters by creating faux art masterpieces to be placed in every living room in America. While highly valued works of art can be viewed in terms of objects of certain monetary worth, they hold a gravity of meaning to the art world that is lost in the mass production and easy pleasing nature of Kinkade works.

Quantifying the Need for Change in American Society

The exhibit Chris Jordan: Running the Numbers provides a startling view of American consumption and society. He gives a glimpse of statistics that are nearly incomprehensible due to shear size. The large numbers that he works with allow for striking images that force one to try to fathom what the number means. Further, his artwork preys on the curiosity of the viewer to examine the manipulation of familiar objects. His pieces are educational while allowing the viewer to appreciate works of art.

All of Jordan’s pieces seem to depict statistics of things that are detrimental to American society. For instance, Oil Barrels (2008) shows 28,000 42-gallon oil barrels that are burned in the U.S. every two minutes. This statistic is crucial to policies regarding energy use, and it demonstrates American dependence on unsustainable practices. In addition to pointing out an over indulgence in consumption, Jordan tackles issues that affect the well-being of Americans. He makes a very strong statement against tobacco use in Skull with Cigarette (2008), which depicts a gruesome smoking skeleton composed of 200,000 packs of cigarettes that represent smoking related deaths in the U.S. every six months. His focus on the negative statistics about American lives reveals a motivation for dramatic exposure of issues that society should address with more vigor. Even though the staggering numbers in his work make one person feel rather insignificant, he almost challenges his viewers to not be part of his statistics or at the very least lower their effect on the numbers.

Jordan is able to reach out to a broader audience by widely varying his style. Plastic Cups (2008) is completely abstract and incorporates organic shapes and patterns of stacks of plastic airline cups. In contrast, Toothpicks (2008) is a gloomy landscape with realistic clouds and fields of toothpicks that look similar to wheat. These two pieces were done in the same year, which indicates that Jordan purposively alters his style to convey messages. Some pieces merely look like patterns, such as the Japanese tatami mat appearance of Prison Uniforms (2007), while others are recognizable depictions, such as the representation of Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (1884–86) with aluminum cans in Cans Seurat (2007). In addition to the styles of these pieces, he also does portrait-like pieces and abstract works with specific geometry to them. He appeals to a larger audience by showing statistics through art that ranges from abstract to ordered patterns to replications of well known art pieces. This makes his collection much more successful, since it really depends on the ability to touch as many people as possible.

America has a reputation of consumerism and excesses, but Jordan’s collection could possibly be even more effective if he produced works that used statistics from other nations for comparison. This would also require more background information, since statistics are heavily dependent on population sizes. Nonetheless, it would provide a much greater perspective on the American statistics, which could have a greater impact on viewers. To be able to see how Americans consume versus another country or collection of countries may encourage viewers to think beyond the size of the numbers to question gross excesses and unsustainable practices. While there is significant focus on the statistical aspect that Jordan uses in his pieces, they are still art and show tremendous skill and versatility. The wide variations in his style demonstrate his knowledge of art. Even though his work is connected to quantified aspects of American life, many of his pieces can stand alone as works of art that are as worthy of viewing as any other graphic art.

Kant and the Judgment of Beauty

It is like Kant is saying that a person should inherently know when something is beautiful. Judging beauty based on concepts is like being told what is beautiful and then stating that an object is beautiful based on that prior knowledge for comparison. It seems like having a preconceived idea of what is beautiful taints an observer’s judgment. In another sense, it could refer to technicalities of what should be beautiful. For instance, a beautiful object should have appealing colors and an organic shape. Kant argues that the judgment of beauty should not be based on pleasure but rather pleasure should be derived from it. Again, it is like an object should radiate beauty to the observer. The observer should stop and notice the beauty before seeking enjoyment of it. Further, if a person is too quick to judge everything that is encountered on the basis of known ideas or facts, then the beauty of certain objects will be lost on the observer. For instance, a person encounters a decorated glass serving dish and notes that it is an object with which to serve food. Then, the person encounters a decorative piece of glass and wonders what it could be used for. In fact, the decorative piece of glass is only for display and is supposed to evoke a sense of beauty, which is lost to the mind focused on concepts.

On the judgment of beauty Kant states, “But this universality cannot arise from concepts; for from concepts there is no transition to the feeling of pleasure or pain . . .” This statement comes after Kant’s argument that beauty judgments may be deemed logical and involves concepts but in reality are purely aesthetical. Here, he makes it seem like concepts are related to reason and have no bearing on a judgment made on something more abstract like beauty. A judgment can be thought of as something concrete based on reason and logical thought, but for Kant a judgment of beauty cannot be based on that. However, a true judgment of beauty is something that may be universally related to, which makes it seem more concrete.

A Taste of Art

In a sense, taste refers to whether a work of art is deemed good or bad. Hume makes the argument in “Of the Standard of Taste” that sentiments about an object must be correct but opinions can be wrong. This is an interesting thought that people can have any kind of emotional response to a piece of art, but most likely none of their opinions is the right one. It is reminiscent of there is no right or wrong answer to a non-factual question, in regard to feelings toward artworks. However, someone must deem a work as right or wrong enough for a museum. Their taste is probably much more refined in the sense that they can judge with a stronger background the different elements of the art piece, like the subject matter and the use of medium. Hume also points out that if everyone’s sentiments were the same then there would be a clear definition of beauty. Art might then take on a much narrower scope. Further, there would much less opportunity for discussion on whether something is beautiful or not. Taste seems to provide a mode for selecting art that is enjoyable to the individual, and it offers a point from which to discuss and ponder art.

I suppose what I will use to judge taste is the following question: would I want this piece of art in my home or office? I honestly would not like either painting, the man or the monkey, in my home, office or any other place I commonly or uncommonly encounter. The man appears creepy, like a stalker, and the monkey is quite unsettling due the resemblance of a human portrait. Even though both appear to have required significant skill on the part of the artists, my emotional response is what dictates my decision that neither are tasteful. My ideal tasteful painting is a landscape, such as one described by Conniff, with wide-open spaces and a couple of trees. However, I can certainly appreciate a five-year-old’s version of such a landscape and not find it tasteful. Thus, I believe my version of taste is based on my own sentiments and on my novice judgment of the skill of the artist based on technique, perspective, lighting, shading, etc.

Reflection on the Philosopher Danto

I finally found someone who could articulate my ideas about art, when Cynthia Freeland discusses the philosopher Arthur Danto’s view of art in But Is It Art? It is very interesting that Danto was so intrigued by Andy Warhol, because I have always found it hard to understand Warhol’s works of art. In particular, I feel like I can relate to Danto’s thoughts on Warhol’s Brillo Boxes. How can exact replicas of an ordinary object be art? It seems Warhol often uses common images or objects and a simple color palette for his art, but if I did the same thing in high school, I would have failed my art class. Somehow Warhol makes a connection with people who label and admire his work as art. Indeed, Danto provides the explanation that a work becomes a piece of art when it conveys meaning to the beholders. I like Freeland’s note about how the boxes were considered art because of the time period in which they were made. She often reminds us that art is relative to the time period and cultural background in which was created. I think this is an extremely important point, because it makes it much more difficult to dismiss something as not being art. Additionally, something may not be considered art immediately, but if people in the future appreciate it, then it becomes art.

Danto makes a good point about the focus of prior philosophers on the art of their own time. Art changes with time, and it makes sense that philosophers could become occupied with the art that is most familiar to them. They would be thinking about and forming ideas about the art in their societies, similar to Danto reflecting on Warhol. However, Danto saw the broader picture of art. He describes the theory of art as being the connection between the artist and the audience based on factors such as social context. This is the best explanation I have read as to why there are so many different types of art. Further, there are so many things that may be considered art, but they can be assigned to particular categories or groups that can be described by general characteristics and often correlate to certain time periods. It is also interesting that Danto clarifies that some art is better than others. He focuses on how art conveys meaning as a judgment of its quality, which is a wise approach to observing works of art.

Response to Richard Conniff's "The Natural History of Art"

“The Natural History of Art” by Richard Conniff provides a fascinating perspective as to what fundamentally attracts humans to art. His assertion that people are generally attracted to landscapes with water, a couple trees, and wide open views is an interesting point. It would seem to me to be at the very least inoffensive to the largest number of individuals. Aside from the complaint that one too many landscapes at the local art museum drag on a bit long, they are often a safe and desirable choice particularly in public areas. While many people can disagree that a propensity towards a particular kind of landscape is in our genes, they cannot argue with a common indispensible element of suburbia: a park. The classic park has play areas for children and a couple of picnic benches and more often than not open grassy areas with trees here and there. The ideal park also has a little pond with seasonal water fowl and a few small fish or a fountain of some sort. Do these elements seem familiar or is it just my innate human sense to be attracted to a walk through the local park?

Additionally, he offers insight into why people react similarly to certain types of art. He focuses on the visual response to art and relates it to visual cues that evoke characteristic responses, such as snake skin and fear. What of body language? I have often heard much of the communication between people occurs through their body language as opposed to their actual words. A foreigner who does not know any of the local language can at least pick up on someone who looks hospitable versus hostile. I realize some of this is attributed to learned behavior, but all humans can make similar gestures such as smiling and frowning. If people have a fundamental way of understanding one another, can the same crude responses not be applied to how we initially react to art? It may be a stretch, but body language is likely not in the conscious thought of the average person just like a subconscious response to artwork.