Non-Western #2

Crumbling Wall
2000
Steel sheets
Collection of Audrey and David Mirvish, Toronto, Canada

The Crumbling Wall is constructed from old graters that used to be used to prepare gari, a West African stable from cassava flour.  Anatsui considers the wall to be a homage to gari.

El Anatsui is an artist who emerged during the 1960’s and 1970’s.  He studied art at the College of Art, which is now the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.  He taught in Ghana and in the Enugu Province.  “He currently holds the position of head of sculpture at UNN, and his influence upon young artists in Nigeria and elsewhere in West Africa has been profound” (1).

I was having a difficult time finding another piece to write about until I came upon Anatsui’s work.  I appreciate all of his pieces and could probably write about each of them.  I chose Crumbling Wall because I felt the connection he had with guri, even though I have no idea what it is.  The varying levels of rusted steel intrigued me to want to read more about West Africa.

1. http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/gawu/artworks.html

Non-Western #1: Steel Drums

Steel drums are so much fun to play and listen to; I had the chance to learn to play steel drums in 2005 when I attended the Summer Music Academy at UAF.  If you get the chance, take a Steel Drum class here at UAF.

“Basement Recordings captures Exodus Steel Orchestra in Trinidad as they prepare for one of their annual panorama competitions at their panyard in East Trinidad.” (youtube)

The Exodus Steel Orchestra played their first concert in 1981.  They were frequently at the top of a National Competition in Trinidad in the 1990’s.  I can’t find any much information online about the group that is current.

This clip is the video from the lecture, but if you look up steel drums in youtube, there are thousands of videos.

http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f16/exodus-steel-orchestra-23422/

Post Modernism

I am choosing Environmental Art as my theme for this mini exhibit.  Originally, I intended to show works from Robert Smithson, Andy Goldsworthy and Christo and Jeanne-Claude, but had to narrow it down to the latter two because all of the work by Smithson I could find was from before 1975.

Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy was born in 1956 in Chesire, England.  He uses all aspects of nature to create beautiful pieces in nature and photographs the work before nature changes on him.  He attended school at Bradford College of Art, Preston Polytechnic (later known as University of Central Lancashire).  He has worked as a farmer and a landscaper.

Bright sunny morning, rozen snow, cut slab, scraped snow away with a stick, just short of breaking through. Izumi-Mura, Japan. 19 December 1987

Bright sunny morning, rozen snow, cut slab, scraped snow away with a stick, just short of breaking through, is quite the piece.  I’m mesmerized by the levels/circles in the sculpture.  I also enjoy how the sun just blares through the center circle, as well as illuminates the other layers.  The photo shows the slab just behind an almost perfect triangle and I can’t quite tell if the slab is connect or not.  The slab and triangle seem so out of place in comparison to the rolling snow drifts.  It is also impressive to me that Goldsworthy was able to accomplish making this with just a stick.  This work fits my theme because it was made from the environment with the environment.

Slate arch made over two days, fourth attempt Blaenauffestinog Wales, September 1982

Slate arch made over two days, fourth attempt, is awesome, in my opinion.  It looks to be defying gravity.  The various thickness of the slate adds so much dimension to the arch.  I also enjoy that slate pieces aren’t even.  Goldsworthy’s determination in creating this piece makes me wonder how many other artists have had to try again and again with their pieces.  This arch fits my theme because it uses slate pieces from the environment.

Bright sunny morning, frozen snow, cut slab, scraped snow away with a stick, just short of breaking through. Izumi-Mura, Japan. 19 December 1987

Bright sunny morning, rozen snow, cut slab, scraped snow away with a stick, just short of breaking through, reminds me of the sculptures I used to make as a kid.  I’m sure none of my pieces were this large or extravagant, but to be 10 and playing in the snow again… I digress... This snow sculpture is interesting to me mostly because it isn’t perfect, or maybe that is how it was meant to be.  I like the sloping parts, it somewhat reminds me of hills with flat tops.  The pillars are like blinds in a window, preventing me from seeing the whole picture on the other side. Just like the first piece, this fits my theme because it is made from the environment with the environment. 

http://www.morning-earth.org/ARTISTNATURALISTS/AN_Goldsworthy.html,
http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-Co-Lh/Goldsworthy-Andy.html,
http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-Co-Lh/Goldsworthy-Andy.html#ixzz1JXcsUvld,

Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Christo and Jeanne Claude are two artists who are married and work together.  They only use their first names.  They were both born June 13, 1935.  This reminds me of my parents who also have the same birthday, but are three years apart.  Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009.  They never flew in the same aircraft, just in case something were to happen to one of them on their way to or from any destination.  They have created many massive pieces. All of their pieces are self-funded and they didn’t receive any grants or funding.

The Umbrellas - Blue, north of Hitachiota and south of Satomi, Japan 1991

The Umbrellas - Yellow, between south of Gorman and Grapevine, California 1991

Overall, there were 3,100 umbrellas used to create The Umbrellas.  There were 1,340 in Japan (blue), and 1,760 in California (yellow).  In the Questions section of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s website section, there is a little story saying how Jeanne-Claude always thought the projects were too big, but she always liked the finished product.  The umbrellas are massive: Height including base: 19ft 8″ 1/4 (6 meters) and Diameter of Umbrellas: 28 ft 5 inches (8.66 m).  I wish I would have been able to experience this piece in person, however being that I was 2, that might have been difficult. I feel that The Umbrellas fits my theme because they were placed in nature.

The Gates, New York City, NY 2005.

The Gates were done in Central Park in New York City.  I recommend checking the website to see more pictures of all the park.  I visited NYC and Central Park in early 2009.  It was beautiful, but I think it would have been so much fun to experience this piece of art in person.  It’s remarkable to me that they didn’t damage the ground in the process of this piece.  The color they chose, saffron, created a sunshine-like shadow and I can’t even imagine it.  The Gates fits my theme because they are resembling the sun and were placed in a city park.  The next paragraph is from their website and describes size and structure of The Gates.

“The 7,503 gates, 16 feet  (4,87 meters) tall varied in width from 5 feet 6 inches to 18 feet (1,68 to 5,48 meters) according to the 25 different widths of walkways, on  23 miles (37 kilometers) of walkways in Central Park. Free-hanging saffron colored fabric panels, suspended from the horizontal top part of the gates, came down to approximately 7 feet (2,13 meters) above the ground. The gates were spaced at 12 foot (3,65 meter) intervals, except where low branches extended above the walkways. The gates and the fabric panels were seen from far away through the leafless branches of the trees. The work of art remained for 16 days, then the gates were removed and the materials industrially recycled.”

The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris, France 1985

The Pont Neuf, in its normal state

Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped The Pont Neuf bridge in Paris, France in woven polyamide fabric, silky in appearance and golden sandstone in color.  It covered the sides and vaults of the twelve arches, without hindering river traffic, the parapets down to the ground, the sidewalks and curbs (pedestrians walked on the fabric), all the street lamps on both sides of the bridge, the vertical part of the embankment of the western tip of the Ile de la Cité,  and the esplanade of the “Vert-Galant”.  While the bridge has beautiful qualities because it is so old, the golden sandstone they chose to wrap it in is amazing.  The Pont Neuf Wrapped may be a slight stretch to my theme, but because of the age of the bridge ( built in the 16th century), I felt that it was basically a part of the environment of France.

http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/

Early Modern

 

“Duke Ellington called his music “American Music” rather than jazz,” (1).  Duke was one of the first influences to jazz music and also an African American.  When asked what inspired him to write, Ellington replied, “My men and my race are the inspiration of my work. I try to catch the character and mood and feeling of my people” (1).  This is most definitely an African American influence.  In addition to It don’t mean a thing, and Take the A Train, that I’ve provided to you, he composed more than 3,000 songs (1).  He even directed his own orchestra, self titled the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Duke Ellington Orchestra (2)

 

Winton Marsalis said it best when he said “His music sounds like America” (1).  I understand as if Marsalis said that this is new and different and awesome, which are all key components of the early modern era.  There was nothing traditional about jazz and big bands in their beginnings.

Jazz music is one of the main reasons I kept with band in high school.  I had the opportunity to play with a Big Band my junior year of high school and It don’t mean a thing, was one of my favorite pieces.  It provides a positive message and just makes you want to dance.  We also played Satin Doll, which is another Duke Ellington tune that many people are familiar with. Now jazz music and big bands have their standards thanks to amazing composers such as Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington （1899-1974）

 

 

1. http://www.dukeellington.com/ellingtonbio.html?ref=duke

2.http://en.cnci.gov.cn/HtmlFiles/News/2009-3-12/8153.html

Impressionist Art

Impressionist art is near the top of my favorites list.  I love the amount of influence that the original impressionists have had on art since the late 1800’s.  The way that impressionist art doesn’t quite look finished leaves it up to me to use my imagination to envision where the art was supposed to go.   In the painting below, Monet’s The Path among the Irises (http://www.intermonet.com/colors/), I can feel wind blowing through the flowers, with the style of brush strokes here.

The Path among the Irises - Claude Monet 1914-1917, France

The dabs of broken color give a different depth to a painting than the solid strokes of the Renaissance, Baroque and classical eras.  In the next two examples, from Renoir and Boticelli, I much prefer Renoir’s style.  To me, it’s more pleasing to look at, much more of an actual scene and brings memories to mind.  The ways texture and depth in Impressionist paintings are achieved is much different than the Italian Renaissance.  I am especially in love with the same scenes at different times of day and the different pieces that involve nature.

Comparison of Italian Renaissance (http://www.robinurton.com/history/Venus.htm) to Impressionist (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/renoir/renoir.meadow.jpg) style:

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, In the Meadow, 1880, France

Sandro Botticelli: The Birth of Venus, 1444-46, Uffizi, Florence

 

 

Classical Era

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, originally Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart (Wolfgang Mozart 2011), was a composer.  He lived from1756-1791 and started his musical career at a very young age with influence from his father.  He worked as a court musician at the age of 17, but didn’t enjoy it, so he began to travel.  Mozart was became a Freemason in 1784 to the lodge Zur Wohltätigkeit (“Beneficence”) (“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” 2001).   Freemasonry appears to have been more of a middle class fraternal organization.  The Freemasons are often associated with starting revolutions which would have led to a rise of the middle class.

Mozart composed an opera called The Magic Flute.  He wrote about the traditions he observed within his lodge.  The opera was shown to the masses.  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is quoted “It is enough that the crowd would find pleasure in seeing the spectacle; at the same time, its high significance will not escape the initiates” (Mozart’s Magic Flute 2001).   Goethe’s quote to me, says that there was satisfaction from that the general public enjoyed The Magic Flute. While lodges were exclusive, there weren’t too many requirements:

• Be a man who comes of his own free will.
• Believe in a Supreme Being (the form of which is left to open interpretation by the candidate).
• Be at least the minimum age (from 18–25 years old depending on the jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions the son of a Mason, known as a “Lewis”, may join at an earlier age than others).
• Be of good morals, and of good reputation.
• Be of sound mind and body (Lodges had in the past denied membership to a man because of a physical disability; however, now, if a potential candidate says a disability will not cause problems, it will not be held against him).
• Be free-born (or “born free”, i.e., not born a slave or bondsman).^[57] As with the previous, this is entirely an historical holdover, and can be interpreted in the same manner as it is in the context of being entitled to write a will. Some jurisdictions have removed this requirement.
• Be capable of furnishing character references, as well as one or two references from current Masons, depending on jurisdiction.   (wikipedia).

Here is a clip from the end of the show:

The most appealing part of this clip to me, was the costumes.  I’m not a huge fan of opera, but some of the outfits that are worn by the characters really seem to fit the part.

“Mozart’s Magic Flute.” 2001. freemasonry.bcy.ca. 1 Mar 2011 http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/mozart_a/mozarts_magic_flute.html
“Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.” 2001. freemasonry.bcy.ca. 1 Mar 2011 http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/mozart_a/mozart_a.html
“Wolfgang Mozart.” 2011. Biography.com. 1 Mar 2011, http://www.biography.com/articles/Wolfgang-Mozart-9417115.

Baroque Era

Johann Pachelbel was a composer during the baroque era.  He composed both liturgical and secular music.  Pachelbel’s Cannon in D major was written in Vienna, Italy around 1680 and is an example of the rise of the merchant class.  He was a teacher, as well as being a composer.  He even taught students from the merchant class.  Before the baroque era, lower classes just couldn’t afford to have an music instructor.  Before composing, he came from a merchant class family. 

Johann Pachelbel’s Cannon in D major is hypothesized to have been written for Johann Christoph Bach’s wedding (brother of Johann Sebastian Bach). ¹

The Canon in D Major is one of my favorite pieces.  I admire string players, since I can’t seem to conquer the ability to play strings.  The whole song is smooth and I always enjoy it.  If you’ve never watched Rob Paravonion’s Pachelbel’s Rant I strongly recommend it.  He played the bass line of the song on cello in school: D-A-B-F#-G-D-G-A; and for whatever reason, I get that chord progression stuck in my head all the time.  The song is often used in popular music these days and is also common as a wedding song in America.

 

1. (Schulze, Hans-Joachim. Johann Christoph Bach (1671–1721) “Organist and Schul Collega in Ohrdruf”, Johann Sebastian Bachs erster Lehrer, in Bach Jahrbuch 71 (1985): 70 and footnote 79.)

http://www.hoasm.org/VIB/Pachelbel.html

http://www.pachelbelcanon.com/

Northern Renaissance

 

Hans Holbein

The Ambassadors (1533)
Hans Holbein
(German painter, piece painted in England)
Displayed at the National Gallery in London

As I was looking at all of the important artists of the Northern Renaissance, the vibrant emerald curtain behind the ambassadors caught my eye (probably because my birthday is in May and May’s birthstone is the emerald). The men in this portrait are members of King Henry VIII’s court and look as though they are well off due to their robes and possessions. The influence of royalty is present in the possessions. Items in the scene include two globes, a tapestry, the floor tiles, a lute and books. Each of these items, to me, resembles the influence of the royalty because during the time period, the royalty wanted to make the arts bigger and better.  (Meynell, 2009 http://markmeynell.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/holbein%E2%80%99s-the-ambassadors-unlocking-hidden-mysteries/)

The men are angled toward each other which to me says they are acquaintances or even friends who worked for King Henry VIII. The two globes indicate they are probably explorers. The tapestry they have is from an oriental region, also signifying their travels.

The most appealing parts of this double portrait are the vibrant colors in the background and tapestry and the furs and silk the men are wearing. With a little research, I learned the curtain is also made of silk and that made me feel that these men were pretty important. The silk and furs in their wardrobe are extravagant and beautiful. The puffy fur sleeves and bright red silk sleeves obviously show wealth. The least appealing part to me is the skull at the bottom which wasn’t apparent without looking at the image in a closer view. “Its meaning in relationship to the painting is probably related to the idea that death comes to us all, no matter what one’s status in life” (Urton, 2005; http://www.eyeconart.net/history/Renaissance/northrenaiss.htm).

World of Art

This photo is of the a cappella group On the Rocks from the University of Oregon.  One of my favorite forms of art is music! I had the chance to see On the Rocks twice while I was visiting Eugene for a conference from Alpha Phi Omega.  They are extremely talented.  On the Rocks even made it to NBC’s show The Sing Off!

My blog is purely for the purpose of expressing my thoughts and feelings on art for my Interrelation of Art, Drama and Music course.