Wet & Dry Media - 1.2 Practical Art 90914

In art, I have been currently working on my Wet and Dry media internal. In the slideshow below, I've included all things that I have done as well as a brief explanation about it.

Checklist

Plan: Panel Two

This is a rough layout for my panel two. I'm not quite sure yet about the thumbnail sketch that I drew(except for the big buildings on the side) as well as the layout because my mind might change later. 

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Summation/Conclusion

What connections can you make between the two Artists Kaupapa and uses of the grid?

Kaupapa: Tracey Tawhiao's Kaupapa is about her Maori culture. She shows this by painting subversive Maori symbols in newspapers and leaving out text she wants to convey to the viewer. Unlike Tawhiao, De Chirico Kaupapa is around “infinity, loneliness, time, mystery and enigma, deserted streets, silent squares dominated by equestrian monuments as if a shadow had been cast on them, statues that embody suspense and waiting, omens, clairvoyant eyes, and figures cloaked in black looking thoughtfully towards the horizon” (translated from “De Chirico”, Giunti, Florence, 1988). 

Source from: Italian Ways

Uses of the grid: For Tawhiao's artwork, she uses newspapers. Since it has thin grids along with it, she uses it to separate parts of her work. On top of them, she outlines its surroundings to make the grids more visible. De Chirico, an Italian artist, also uses grids(but it's less visible ) but also focuses on perspectival shifts.

Artwork's name: "Amazon"

This is an example of Tracey Tawhiao's Artwork using grids from the newspaper as well as outlining each part with different colours: red, blue, indigo, pink and grey.

Artwork's name: "Piazza d'Italia"

This is an example of De Chirico's Artwork using grids and perspective.

Series and Sequences

In Art, we have been focusing on planning out our portfolio boards. To help us out, our teacher gave us a past (excellence) portfolio and we had to label the things that make it relate to the folio as a whole. 

Photography

In art, we have been looking at different photographers and their styles of work. The artist I have chosen is Rinko Kawauchi. Her style of work contains scenery and daily life moments. During one lesson, I took some photos and edited them using photoshop. I tried to replicate her style as I edited them, but I also mixed it with mine. 

These are some of her photographs

These are mine that I took and edited

(With editing, I didn't do much because I wanted to keep the originality of the photo. I only edited a few things such as their contrast, clarity and highlights.)

Theme: Environment/nature

Instead of just taking literal pictures of the environment(to link with my kaupapa), I used 

the idea of the sun causing a shadow, which is why I took this picture.

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Surrealist Techniques: Subversive Realism 

Locate one artwork - Quick thumbnail label everything.

                     Reference

Yves Tanguy, Mama! Papa is wounded!, 1927, oil on canvas

                  Thumbnail     

Describe the artwork

This artwork has a flat grey-ish colour(gloomy desert background) along with a bit of blue on top as an exposure of the sky. In the foreground, a strange "shaggy" stick stands bending a bit to the right. Behind it, a big dark cloud looms over. On its lowest section, there are two small-scaled blue clouds. In between these clouds, a T-like letter with rounded corners stands with its shadow.

In the rest of the painting, the repetition of beans floating can be seen, along with their shadows on the surface. One is located on the dark cloud behind the shaggy stick and the other is located bottom midway of the painting. The repetition of grey short-stroke figures can also be perceived with a web-like line connecting them all together. This line then leads to a cactus. On the cactus' side, two strange white forms can be detected: one floating and the other lying down. Above the cactus, three bean-shaped objects are attached while hovering in the sky. 

Two strange objects stand next to each other on the far rear side of the painting: one is a white squiggly line and the other is shaped like the top part of a cotton bud. If you take a closer at the white squiggly object, little particles can be seen flying away from it.

Explain how subversion is demonstrated in this artwork's subject. 

Statement from The Artist

'Several interpretations of the painting were made and some of it made references to the violence of First World War and highlighted the scary and anxiety mood. The Papa was represented by the standing figure of yellow color while the Mama was represented by the cactus. The child of the Mama and Papa was represented by the amorphous mass.'

- According to the quote I have used above, there were many interpretations of the painting, some of which alluded to the violence of the First World War. The objects that were used represents family members - Cactus(mother), Yellow figure(father), and amorphous figurine(child). From my own understanding, subversion is demonstrated through the representation of the objects undermining the effect of war on families - their separation. This explains why all the subjects used in the painting are separated in an unidentified way.

Giorgio de Chirico, The Mystery, and Melancholy of a street, 1914, oil on canvas (Private Collection)

Explain how subversion is demonstrated in the space and paint application used by De Chirico.

The narrow space in the painting shows subversion to feature the girl running in the bright light. The bold colours used in this piece illustrate the two divided zones: the lightness from the left side and the darkness from the right—to highlight the idea he's trying to express. 

What similarities can you list between Tawhiao and De Chirico's work?

One of the similarities between Tawhiao and De Chirico's work is the use of grids. However, De Chirico's grid is less visible and he combines it with the use of perspective. Another similarity between the two artists is the use of certain figures to emphasize their ideas. Tawhiao uses patterns whereas De Chirico uses statues and other unique things. 

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Subversion through recolonising? 

Sofia Minson -  listen, read the transcript and/or close captions, take notes, link the video.

- Sofia Minson's artworks are about myths, legends, and cosmology.

- She combines different cultures in her artwork.

- Her artworks are named after gods and goddesses such as Queen of Raa and Mother Mary.

- She wants people in her portrait to be seen as ancestors and deities speaking to the viewers.

Locate one artwork -Quick thumbnail label everything. 

                                Reference

Describe the artwork?

This artwork shows a waka(canoe) resting upon an empty shore. It has a gloomy background with a light shining in the middle.  

Does Minson's work show subversion? If so how? If not, why?

Minson's work does show subversion. This is shown through the message behind the artwork. According to its description, this artwork is about a lonely waka resting upon the shores of Aotearoa after a long journey. Minson is trying to bring the fact that Kupe and the Matahorua's crew's presence should be felt after they've abandoned their waka to explore a new land. If they didn't discover it in the first place, they wouldn't be able to come upon the unidentified place - referring to the discovery of New Zealand.

How does she use what exists already to 4 ideas?

"It's mainly the myths, the legends, the cosmology, of—that I get from my Maori Culture that really comes through. Then I sort of find links with Hinduism and Christianity and with Egyptian mythology and sort of love—you know, combining all those different cultures." -Sofia Minson(Interview)

- My understanding from this is that the things she uses that already exist (different cultures) help her create ideas for her artworks by combining and finding links in between them.  

What differences can you list between Minson and Tawhiao's work?

- Tawhiao uses text and Minson doesn't.

- Tawhiao uses grids to separate her work whereas Minson uses objects or patterns.

- Minson uses multiple cultures in her work, but Tawhiao only focuses on one (Maori culture).

- Tawhiao's work is mostly patterns. Unlike Tawhiao, Minson's work is about animals, nature, and landscape.

- Minson uses canvas for her artwork, but Tawhiao uses newspaper.

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1. Wide reading approach: Subversion as a compositional framework.

Tracey Tawhio - Draw a thumbnail sketch and label everything - one artwork

2. Record: What can you categorize the objects she uses as, and why?

The objects Tracey Tawhiao used in her artwork are a fish, double koru, rectangles, triangles, wavy lines, and one of the drawings of the Maori cave art. 

Fish - represents the economy

Double koru - represents two lives growing together(Maori & Pakeha)

I think the rectangles represent fields of land that they owned but were taken away/

Triangles - represents Maunga/mountains

Wavy lines - represents water/sea

Maori cave art - represents the Maori culture 

Altogether, these symbols represent what was lost from the Maori after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. One is land(represented by rectangles & triangles). The majority of New Zealand was covered by Maori land holdings when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. Within a century, it had been reduced to a few isolated patches of land, mostly in North Island's central region. Their land was either confiscated or purchased by the government or in private. Because of this, comes a loss of the economy—meaning waterways and food sources(represented by fish & wavy lines). Another result of land loss is the lost access to culturally significant sites such as burial grounds and pa(represented by the Maori cave art). 

Double koru is also one of the symbols used in the artwork. Although, mostly all of the symbols represent what was lost due to the result of the agreement. I believe this was added to represent one of the consequences of signing the treaty—two cultures growing/living together. 

3. Record: Talk about space in her work-what do you notice?

She separates her work by following the grid in the newspaper. She also left some space to show texts that she wants to convey to the viewer. In this case, the texts of "It's what they didn't say that told the story"(the misunderstanding of the written agreement)  and "ownership"(land theft) — referring to the aftermath of the Treaty of Waitangi. 

4. Record: Talk about colour in her work-what can you describe?

- The colours she used in her work are monochromatic green as well as blue and grey. The colour blue and green is used to represent the nature/environment. 

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1. Subversion in Art: read, take notes, link the article.

- Art came into existence to educate, challenge, inform, inspire, and outrage us. 

- Subversion in art is one of the reasons why it exists.

- Subversive art is about overthrowing or undermining an issue in society.

2. Tracey Tawhiao Artwork: Quick thumbnail label everything- describe the artwork? 

Colour Palette & Shapes/Pattern: Overall, the repetition colours of gold, brown, blue, black, and white are used in both panels as well as the koru-like shapes, fish, and triangles.  

Texts: Each panel holds two written texts. The right-side panel has texts that say "All Share Space" and "Blessed with nine lives". There are also texts(little paragraphs) on the left-hand-side panel but they are both unreadable.

*Based on the text, "All Share Space", I think it referees to what happened in terms of the land lost from Maori people after the signing of the Treaty of the Waitangi. Their land was strayed as a result of a mix of private government purchases and direct confiscation. Instead of the space being shared equally between both parties for the agreement, one took advantage of it - the Crown.

                        Thumbnail Sketch       

In my perspective, the focal point in the left-hand-side panel is the koru-like arrow. The focal point is created through the contrast of the thicker line of gold in comparison to all the golden lines used in the panel.  

The focal point might be also the artwork in the middle with the dark blue and gold triangles on each side. Although in this case through leading lines. Altogether, the triangles created on the sides make a connected diamond. The connected lines of the diamonds then lead to the unreadable text which hooks the viewer's eyes to look at it closely - why it's a focal point.

  

The focal point on the right-side panel is the artwork located in the bottom middle of it. This artwork has unusual shapes formed together unlike the other simple shapes used. 

 

3. Choose one artwork- explain how subversion is demonstrated. 

In this artwork, subversion is demonstrated by the  text that says "We don't profit." From my perspective, I think this connects to the Treaty of Waitangi. 

The Treaty was supposed to benefit each party. However, after the treaty was signed, most lands were no longer held by the Maori. As a result of this, they lost access to culturally important places such as burial grounds and pa. Their access to forests, rivers, food supplies and other taonga was also inferred. 

Subject Matter + Kaupapa

Last week, in art, we learned about subject matter and Kaupapa (theme). To follow up on this topic, we had to answer some questions about it in a slideshow. The slideshow consists of three slides with two different artwork but with the same subject matter. 

Mood Board

In Art, I made a mood board that contains artworks from several artists that I like. By looking at it, I think most of the artwork's theme is about the environment(landscape, etc). I also like the idea of collage which is why you can see some of Hanna Hoch's artwork. 

Portfolio Planning

In Art, I made a brainstorm of ideas to help me create a theme for my portfolio. I think I'll add more to it later on since I've only written a few.