Art history: Theo

Dada is life

life is Dada 

Dada is beautiful 

Dada is despiteful 

How nature is soft and at the same time brutal, Dada is like an animal that can not be tamed.   

Dada is a word that means nothing and should never mean anything. At the same time it explains something fundamental, things we try to control, but we can not. Trying to obtain stability and create a safe environment, create logical explanations for what is not logical, understand what is incomprehensible. Dada say’s FUCK THAT! Modernism is not working, something closer to anarchy is what we want. 

Dada is the immediate reaction on first World War and it affected its trust in leading organisations. Whole population calls for freedom, for democracy and for people rule. Technological advancement, post war frustration and the evolution of art is characterising the Dada. 

The system doest work, the society is corrupted, then the art academy is as well. Academy is creating rules, and because Dada was born outside of it, it is free. Dada´s beginning is located in cabaret world, what brought freedom, it is time and place to don’t think of a pain, losses, but instead to focus on fun and basic needs. Dada goes even further. It touches the primitive humanity, the essential parts of man kind. Dada is chaos. It doesn’t trust anything and anyone, neither itself. It is opposites and mix and still simple. It gives a feeling of sense but it presents it self as meaningless. It screams but doesn’t want to be listen to. Dada was shaped by the corruption within modern society, it distinguishes from its principles and creates its owns, called freedom. The beauty is in chaos.

Dada is the critic of all other art movements, it is the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning. It is preparing space for many other art movement which will come. 

According me, Anti-art is an art what says the opinion on a general art in that time. It is a critic of the art within the art. In this case, it is the statement against the Academic art. It is a statement against everything.

The most spectacular happening would be Dada, a crazy theatre club where every show gets you,  provokes more than the last on. A phenomena that got so viral within articles, still non of the articles got it right. Tzara’s natural reaction is the make Dada of this opportunity and to write a Dada manifesto that will provoke and confuse anybody who is not enough Dada to get it.

Archaic Idol, 1945

 

We see an image on the edge of surrealism what is reaching to the abstract expressionism. Rothko is one of the main representers of abstract expressionism, he was at the beginning of this unique modern art movement. Unique, because its beginning is located to New York and party to San Francisco. This artwork is carrying traces of abstract expressionism, it can be seen in its expressivity, in the touch of abstraction. 

definitions:

at subjective emotional expression with particular emphasis on the spontaneous creative act  (google)

comprising diverse styles and techniques and emphasising especially an artist’s liberty to convey attitudes and emotions through nontraditional and usually nonrepresentational means (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abstract%20expressionism)

Greenberg – free expression, emphasis on dynamic act not on object, party made by viewer
two parts – action painters, colour

gestural brush-strokes or mark-making, and the impression of spontaneity (https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/abstract-expressionism)

emphasise free, spontaneous, and personal emotional expression, and they exercise considerable freedom of technique and execution to attain this goal, with a particular emphasis laid on the exploitation of the variable physical character of paint to evoke expressive qualities (e.g., sensuousness, dynamism, violence, mystery, lyricism). (https://www.britannica.com/art/Abstract-Expressionism)

large-scale paintings that break away from traditional processes, often taking the canvas off of the easel and using unconventional materials such as house paint. (https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/abstract-expressionism/)

In un art world for art people it’s hard to climb to the top, even to be in the art circle. Pollock made it to the top. But the expectation of Kaprow according the development of Pollock’s work since 1956 was quite negative. He didn’t trust Pollock’s ride of fame, Hi was close with his big painting that devours you. In a time when all has been done and seen before. Kaprow as un true critic even thought that Pollock’s artwork is meaningless, a waist of paint. Why only his is unanswered question.

kaprow saw that art has been stuck, it has nowhere to go and art schools are not helping. These institutions are just replicating but doesn’t give space and conditions for new approaches and styles. I think, that art, same as a species, can’t stop evolving. In a high prestige art world with always has to beat it self. Especially when it is attached to humans, who creates it. As humanity is evolving, art is as well. 

Kaprow describes, how in the history the objects were part of a story but lately the objects gets more independent and important by them self. These led to more abstraction in the art and to appreciating more difficulty. We have seen, that the modern art became more independent form its narrative history. Now living us clue less what to do in this time?  

Pollock was suggesting artists to use everyday life objects for creating the art. On the other side, Kaprow suggested to broaden usage of senses, to include not only sight but touch, smell, hearing and taste as well. I think the combination of those suggestions wouldn’t be bad as well. For the new generation, artist of 1960s, Kaprow saw the future in a freedom, in searching for our own real meaning and not to compare with the others and trying to be better, or even the best. Art is not how beautiful or vast you make it, it’s about how it makes you think. According Kaprow, it is important to don’t categorise artists, he saw them all as alchemists, scientists within the art.

I disagree with Kaprow, that Pollock is killing painting. I believe that Pollock’s art is celebrating the art through his own art and the gestures are bringing the art to a presence. A retinal art that keep your eye always moving. 

I see, that Kaprow’s prediction became true, the art is not only painting or not only singing, it is a performance of its self and the medium of your choice. The expression of an artist is the main part of an art. Communication with audience is equally important piece of art. 

Today, the modern art is not modern. Neither the post-modern art. Today, we live in contemporary art world, where many disciplines are acknowledged as in 1950-2000. 

Art history: Theo

It can be said without doubts, that technology has changed human life. In Radical Software editorial authors see the power of the new technological age in information. Being informed brings  new possibilities and options but also more decisions. We can say, that the main think what drives our lives has been money and that is true. I see information as a tool to gain money and property and  through those the capitalistic happiness. But there is to agree with authors in uniting people by giving access to information. Unfortunately, the idea of internet, to give equal access to all, turned to another business market. Authors mentioned, that designing alternate interface will bring are life styles. We can see this prediction came true in e-shopping, influencers, youtubers, bloggers and many other roles attached to technology and modern communication.

New technology brings new culture, this thought is still very actual but we can also see that the new media are competing with older generation, for example television and internet. Young generation is more interested in streaming websites than channels on televisions.

The warning to not totally reject neither fully embrace the new technologies is something what everybody should hear again. It feels we have embraced it too much. Today, the average human life is connected with technologies in more ways than it is attached to nature, including eating. At least it seams like that from user’s perspective. It is possible, developers are making compromises and holding the trend in a middle, out of extremes, that we don’t know. But a regular user  is embracing every new technology without full understanding of it. That doesn’t feel sustainable. 

Radical software’ s authors thought, technology will bring people control. I disagree. It has definitely brought possibilities, options and general outlook, but with all of that also decision-making. And that is something not so natural and easy going for many people. To make deciding easier people are looking for answers outside and thanks to modern technology they are getting a lot of answers and they use they are using them without thinking and in that I see a lost of a control. 

It is very good thought, that technology is not good or bad, but it’s the human who uses it for good or bad. It is same like with animals, they are not bad from their base, but it is humans who create monsters from technology or from other living creatures. Authors suggested to give good tools to good hands, that sounds great, but the question is – how to secure that?

As on animals, on technology the natural selection applies as well. But it is not driven by survival but by economics. For example iPhone and its new lines every second year. The devices and softwares are surviving more than just the two years but it is the market who is open to latest models. 

The technology was considered to be a solution for human problems. It is, very much. But since technology is a part of human life, it is as well a problem. Nice example can be found in communication. For someone it may be easier to communicate through chat and emails, so it solves problem of human contact. But it is opening the problem of different type of communication, people are more open, less controlling and less thoughtful, considerate, observant… people are loosing social skills. Another problem has been born because of usage of technologies by oblivious human. 

Older generation of technologies didn’t offered a feedback, the modern ones are giving a lot of it together with attention. This is such a big reward for human brain that became an addiction as well. That is maybe why we have embraced the technologies to much. Technologies are part of modern life, but it is important to be conscious about its influence on a human personality, behaviour and development. Because humans are shaping not only their own lives but as well whole life on Earth, unfortunately.

Authors of radical software predicted that accessibility will increase by lower price and size. That was very accurate and we can see, it is still the trend of modern technology development. I am curious, when this trend will find its end, especially the size one. 

Authors suggested, that the future of technology is in direct feedback, if we compare this thought with the most used social media, we can see they were right. The attention and fast feedback of connected people is a base principe of many of these medias. 

We could even say we reached a state of cyborg motivated by the stressed feeling when you are about to run out of batteries or you are can’t leave your home with out your phone, something that feel so primitive and relatable. 

Art history: Theo

Legally insane or just tiered of society. There is more than one thing wrong, or even insane whit society in Breton’s and the Surrealist’s time 1920-1950 and very much still today. The surrealist where making deep research in to human behaviour. Whatever that is odd behaviour brought interest to the surrealist, experience and experiments as studies off the limits to the mind. Dreams or episodes the unstressed in the abnormal experience. 

In-bracing the mad part of your self and acknowledge your dream as one part of reality. It feels like Breton had one or several dreams that lasted 20 yers. This experience pushes fo a acknowledgement of your own pursuit, your dreams and also your literal dreams. 

In the same way dreams are not logical our awake reality does nether follow hundred present logic we also are guided by yours and others feeling. As Dada there is no reason to try to uphold some king of fixed stability made from reason and logic due to feeling that always will be feelings.  

According to Breton feeling are undermined by society. According to society personal experience does not stand up against logic and truth is only evident in practice.  

A surrealist know his awake life as well as his dreaming life and analyse the unconscious that is present, perhaps to have a more clear view of ones self’s emotions.  

Giorgio De Chirico:

Mystery and Melancholy

De Chirico style of painting or format was adapted by the surrealist, something inherently dreamy or sublime about the surrealist’s paintings. A simplistic attitude to follow rules of the perspectives that is following logic and the odd combination whit familiar and, or symbolic object. In the Preconscious before the Unconscious and after the Conscious we are stuck in this painting. Time is frozen. Like a memory is vivid, memory of a dream often even more vivid. This painting is vivid in a still way. The perspective is not at all right, rather they are maid fun off and together whit the arch doors stretching almost in to infinity. The painting becomes really engaging, mystifying, reminiscent of a dream.

The topic of the painting is constructed off one or tow character and something more. Something even harder to grasp than the main character, still very relatable and it achieves an aesthetic that is now iconic and off course the feeling of something uncanny, something surreal.

Visual Culture: Andrea

After the pushed scheme and the court’s verdict it become illegal for companies to call their plant products a milk. Products that have been around as long as milk and have been called ”milk” for similarity of property as liquid semi white and good taste. We all have our own favourite morning drink; milk from a different species’s udder or outs, almond, rise and coconut beverage. In this advertised image we can see a setting of what we might have fore breakfast in the Swedish household. Milk with in this case is lactose free milk mixed whit oats plant-milk, the new product form the big dairy company in Sweden, Arla. We also have it packaged so now you can easy find it in your local store.

On the advertisement, centred in the middle of all action, there is a tetra pack of milk. It is named Lactose-free, milk & oats. The red cow, what every Swede know, is the mascot of Aria dairy products. This mascot gives away, the knowledge from what species the milk is created. In a left top corner on the milk box, shaped as a milk jug is Swedish flag, locating the origin of this product. Arla logo is green with yellow flower. Next the product package is a glass of what the product contains. Colour of liquid reminds of cow milk and the picture of cow confirms that. On the other side of milk box there is some whole grins in a nice little pile on the table, what we understand to be oats. On a denotation level this just says the ingredients used in the product. Behind this, but still in focus, we see a bowl of oats itself, something popular in Sweden due to its nutrient’s richness and a filling character. Everything is balanced from left middle to a right centre. The colour pallet of this pitcher is very minimal the table looks almost grey, a whiteish ash wood table, with beige milk brings very sterile feeling.

On a connotation level the tetra pack of milk with its white and beige stripes associate with two different basic ingredients mixed together. Because there is no picture of oats on the box, we can assume the company is afraid to show this change so strikingly. The glass of milk create a need to have a milk product for breakfast, as the society habits demand. We can read the pile of oats try to advertise health and natural sources. The bowl of oats makes you feel hungry and you just wanna pour some milk on it. In the advertisement is balanced amount of thinks associated with cow milk and with oats. Out of focus we see a green plant and it brings homey felling.

Paradigmatic sign can be assumed the names of product, where for example oats my be replaced with another source, as almond or coconut. The same goes for a cow, but here it would be harder to change because of red cow is in a mascot of this company and it is deeply associated in consumers minds.

Syntagmatic relationship can be seen between a glass of milk and a pile of oats which together represent the final product. IT may seen as well between a tetra pack and a bowl of grain where these creates the breakfast time. Home feeling is based on a presence of a green flower and a woody table. 

This add might be one of the most Swedish things, a good old compromise to meet half way. The true is it is just a desperate move by the dairy company to stay relevant on a market. They have the result of the statistic dropping on consumption of dairy in their hands. This half-ass, half way compromise is a sign of one of many defeat over the dairy companies. 

sorces: 

arla: https://www.arla.se/om-arla/nyheter-press/2019/pressrelease/arla-lanserar-laktosfri-mjoelk-och-havredryck-2834561/ 

My painting: marine vehicle  

Visual Culture: Andrea

In a time when Pirates are more popular than ever in fiction and in reality. This abstract collage of multi media, coal, acrylic, paper, spay paint and a piece of cardboard. You can’t but help thinking of a Pirate ship, something like the Black Perle from Disney’s Pirates off the Caribbean but instead of being the coolest and fastest ship on the oceans. This ship is more like a slow horror paper/plastic pirate ship. So this could reflect a very urgent problem we are facing. 

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Mean wile paper as a natural material would degrade. Plastic is a different story, about 300 million tons of plastic being produced every year. Because its many differs uses and durability, we see almost everything made out of plastic and only a fraction is recycled. All the rest being left and discarded in our environment, mostly contemning our nature. 

If it is trash in your every day to day in the streets contaminating your harmony or hidden in the woods on your exorcise jog. Is this conscious or uncurious in your view. If this encourage you to throw your own garbage where it is not supped to be, because someone else also did it. Rather if you are having a strong moral and you would pic the trash thats is not yours and up your self without any physical reword. 

Coming from Sweden being a relatively clean country that is facing an increase in littering and now living in Prag where litter is more common. The feeling is that no one is held responsible and because of this there is nothing being bun to prevent it. Looking a my painting or garbage art that is most focused of making something ugly as trash into something beautiful. My art thou is reflecting on the contaminates like carbon dioxide or polyethene. Plastic and the plastic we don’t see is the worst problem. Such a big problem you have probably been propagated whit the reality of sea animal being stuck in plastic or dead animal with stomachs filed whit plastic. 

 

thanks for walking whit me!

sorse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju_2NuK5O-E

https://orbmedia.org/stories/Invisibles_final_report/multimedia

Johannes Itten

Art history: Theo

This is the main picture, I think, of talking about Bauhaus and Itten. Why I liked it on a beginning must be because of its nature of playfulness. This painting is telling me what it is to be an artist, the importance of having the mind of a child ready to learn and to explore. This picture is also packed with references and hidden messages.

Children’s portraits

The kid with the toy house, church, resembles the basic source of a creativity and a community. To include toy church in this picture refers to Bauhaus school believing in sense of such a structure. In the church you can find the community, social interaction and all the art, such as a sculpturing, a painting, a preforming and a singing. Itten would have something like a Sunday school when he was teaching, implementing his believes as a Zoroastrian. The biggest part of this would be to control or to manifest your emotions through breathing and meditation, exercises. This would help you reach your inner child so you could learn with an open mind and by playing. 

Itten would teach the foundation course (developed by Gropius and Itten) that was the start for every student at Bauhaus, teaching the foundation for colours, materials and a composition. With a background of a natural science and a mathematics, Itten was able to develop a colour science and put the colours in a new perspective with each other. Itten would state that ”Color is life; for a world without color appears to us as dead. Colours are primordial ideas, the children of light” (Zifcak, 2018) 

The blue framed colours in this toy structure refers to an Itten’s style of painting. It is being an example of colour behaviour and would have educational properties, showing how the colour is behaving next to each other.

This painting was made in Itten’s last year at Bauhaus. We can see his name in the ribbon, this act contradicts to one philosophy of authorship in Bauhaus. All works at Bauhaus are authored to Bauhaus and not to a particular person. Though this signed ribbon in that sense is more Itten’s contribution to the school of Bauhaus than a signature of his work.

What I like about this painting now is its historical value and how it still feels timeless in a modern context. Also after my research it feels like there are even more hidden messages in the painting…

Thanks for walking with me!

citation:

Zifcak, S. 2018. A Brief Bio: Johannes Itten. Kaufmann Mercantile. [cit. 24.2.2019]. Available at: https://www.kaufmann-mercantile.com/field-notes/post/4747/johannes-itten

Bibliography/ sorse: 

lecture/notes 

https://www.bauhaus100.com/the-bauhaus/people/masters-and-teachers/johannes-itten/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazdaznan 

Manifesto of the Staatliches Bauhaus, Walter Gropius, April 1919

Zifcak, S. 2018. A Brief Bio: Johannes Itten. Kaufmann Mercantile. [cit. 24.2.2019]. Available at: https://www.kaufmann-mercantile.com/field-notes/post/4747/johannes-itten

Itten, J. 1975. Design and Form. John Wiley and sons, inc. London.