Once again clay rules. Any of you who have or will take a clay class at TTU look at these images...this is what you/your work will be judged against. These are the images your professors were taught to admire. For me it seems clay and the other mediums had gone from a slow slide to a fast train away from functionality. Yet they were more committed to the technical information and experimentation based on techniques. In a way this focus on technique was an compliment to tradition. I especially love the concept of textiles and spirituality.
In the first part of this chapter the book series Foxfire is mentioned. If you have not heard of or read this books take time to look them up. They are wonderful stories of life in isolation.
Another book from this time is Flash Deign...a documentation of the recycled and embellished clothing coming out of the hippie revolution. Both books, along with Objects USA, are incredible recordings of the time.
Pay attention to the short section on how teachers "made" stars by showing slides of only certain people to their students. How true that was and still is. It is hard to trust our own judgments so just continue to use what others have said is good. For your extra question 1. share a famous work of art you would never consider as art if you had not been told so many times it was great. 2. share one piece of art that you love but is not found in the art history books.
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Surprised: I was shocked with how supported art teachers were during this time. Teachers were not only provided financial help but also required teachers to get masters in their field of study to teach. That is one that I loved about my fine arts director. Not only is he supportive of the art, but when hiring, he wants to make sure that his teachers are an artist outside of the classroom. Every year we have a faulty art show to showcase teachers as work art to our students that we are also creators just like them.
Impressed: I was impressed with Lenore Tawney series of ink drawing as her study and meditation practices. I love how her collection of drawings then became the inspiration for her “Drawing in the Air,” a 3D study of lines and thread in space suspended in space with an enormous wood frame.
Take Away: my take away from this chapter is how to look at fibers and textiles differently. I have always view fiber just for sewing never would have made the connection with three dimension pieces.
Extra Question: The artist I chose to look up more information was Richard Artschwager. Before pursuing art, Artschwager enrolled at Cornell University, where he studied chemistry and mathematics In 1944, he was sent to fight in World War II, as part of his military service. He was wounded in the head; he was assigned administrative duty in Frankfurt. Artschwager was later assigned to an intelligence posting in Vienna. He met his wife, Elfriede Wejmelka. The two married in 1946 and returned to the United States in 1947. Artschwager then returned to college in 1948, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in physics.
Artschwager, however, could not deny his first passion and was encouraged to pursue the arts by his wife. After he received his diploma, the couple moved to New York City, where he worked as a baby photographer.
Nice extra research.
DeleteI am glad you will look at fibers in a new light. I think of all the materials we will study this area is the most overlooked and under appreciated. One of the reasons I love this this book because it uncovers so much history I was never taught.
Sorry about the two late chapters, track and my job got the best of me those two weeks.
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Something that surprised me about this chapter was the Museum of Modern Art and how they encouraged the craft of handmade objects. They made sure in the 1940s that the designs in its exhibit that were useful were sold at affordable prices like 25$ below. They were the trail blazers for other museumsSomething that impressed me was the fact that Peter Voulkos was labeled as the pivot point in the 20th century for the craft world. He was well known by many artists. He was labeled one of the most outstanding potters of the time, everyone looked up to him as the best because of how his different style influenced them.The take home from this chapter is that Peter V. took over the pottery and ceramic world. He was able to open new doors and influence new insights to pottery. Next was the metal movement to take off. As the book stated, as soon as people began to communicate, the craft world grew.Professors to be are those who teach the techniques and how to perfect the craft that is being learned. Professionals tend to lead the way by inspiration and example. I was not taught that selling my work was selling out, but actually the other way around. I tend to always underprice my work because it is never as good as I want it to be but I feel as if the real value of my work is priceless.
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Something that surprised me was the fact that Claire Zeisler was so old when she shook the world with her version of woven magic. She seemed to be very humble about her late beginnings and did something that no one thought of doing with her knotting techniques and self-supported standing pieces. She stepped outside the box and was very brave in doing so and worked until her death.I was impressed by the fact the Harvey Littleton started the big glass movement. He was a great potter but stuck with his first interest of glass and finding out how to manipulate the medium. He was a classic artist and often shared what he learned about glass blowing with his students.The take home is that around this time crafts embraced free expression. It started the movement of widespread open experimentation from the past and present. Everyone grew from differences in opinions and sharing knowledge which encouraged and created a new sort of communityClaire Zeisler was an underdog that no one expected to be good. She got started at the late age of 59, which is very impressive because of how demanding weaving can be. She rarely dyed her materials because she believed that using the natural colors of whatever she used emphasized the fibers better. When she did dye her work, the main color she used was red.
Peter V. did dominate the clay world and in many ways still does. He was larger than life. Glass is additive and Littleton is not the only one who switch to hot glass.
DeleteI understand under pricing...I usually give away or trade. Never learned how to price.
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I was surprised by how late in the craft blooming that figurines were introduced. I expected to see human like models earlier than the late 1900s. But I guess people took the time out to get used to all the craft world was introducing before starting to create humanoid figurines.
I was impressed at how big some of these artists were able to go in some of these pieces. Its so amazing to see people work on pieces bigger than life and make it look so amazing, especially when the art looks like people. I find it extremely difficult to work at such a large scale because one must make sure that proportions are right overall from such a small view, so I applaud these artists.
The take home from this chapter is the fact that this was the time of new inventions and new ways to improve the impact of crafts on the world. As the 1900s flew past innovations continued and the craft fair expanded. These artists now had to learn the business aspect of the world in order to be known and get their art work around. More and more people were bound to know and be influenced by the ever-growing crafts world.
A piece that really doesn’t look like art to me is the Queen by Gerard Stricher. It almost looks as if a child did the piece, I honestly don’t have any favorite pieces by any artist that is well known but I do enjoy my mother’s watercolor pieces and my father’s architectural pieces. Technically that counts! She draws and colors life like images of plates cups and other dishes. My dad on the other hand draws car parts and buildings to scale so perfectly in order to plan for things he must do or work on. I guess those two are where I get my interest in art!
The beauty of art is there is room for all kinds of art.
DeleteI was surprised at the quality of the imagery they were putting on clay. Patti Warashina's piece, Love It or Leave It, Altar Series, is amazingly vivid. I don't know why I don't ever think to paint on clay like that with acrylics.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with the Coat Rack with Trench Coat woodworking! That is one area that I really wish I knew more about. Talk about attention to detail. It is one thing to be able to mold something out of soft mediums, such as clay, and it is quite another thing to from an object out of hard materials. That is impressive to me.
Take away is that clay was huge and very clearly was moving away from functionality if you wanted to be known as an innovator in the field. I can see where Von gets a lot of his inspiration now. It is interesting to see what my professors have been exposed to and how it influences their teaching.
A piece I would never consider art is Fountain by Marcel Duchamp. He'such a smarty pants. It makes me laugh to see my students' reactions when I show them this piece.
A piece that I love that is not found in art history books? I would have to say anything by James Jean, an Asian-American artist that I adore. I love how free his work is and his use of color. It is dreamy. He is a master of realism and surrealism. His sketchbooks are jaw-dropping.
For more painted clay look up the work of Suzanne Klotz. She received her MFA from TTU.
DeleteI just looked her up- very cool! Wow- she has been all over. A fulbright scholar even! I like how her work is dreamy with a folk art feel. Did you get to work with her?
DeleteYES...one of my role models when I was an undergrad. She is an amazing artist....and a sweetheart. I have one piece of hers from her MFA show. She taught elementary art in Boston before getting her MFA.
DeleteIf you like paint you have to love her work.