Julian Beever

I've been meaning to write for a few weeks on an artist that I really like, who I think challenges a lot of the perspective/viewer interactions with art that we've been mentioning in class.

His name is Julian Beever, and more of his work can be seen here. While he does all kinds of paintings, he is most recognized for his 3D pavement work - 1 D chalk-drawings that are made to look very large and 3D when seen from a certain perspective.

He travels around creating these drawings in many different cities.. "Time Square" in Times Square, NYC is shown here. The child standing on the side walk helps to illustrate just how realistic and 3D his drawings appear.

I really appreciate how his drawings make his audience really interact with his art, and also how they make the audience really stop and notice. Julian makes his art available and literally brings it to the streets where people are just walking to work, going shopping, or otherwise carrying out their day-to-day business. No time for galleries? That's okay.

Paper Reviews and Rough Drafts

I really like that we are doing peer reviews of our papers. Often times we get so used to the way that we think and what we mean, that we aren't aware of (or aren't much concerned with) how it will be received. I often find myself stringing together words, and they have a specific meaning in my head, but if someone else reads them, they just don't make sense. I particularly liked the help and constructive criticism in the areas of clarity and form, and I know the comments will help with the final paper a great deal.

Additionally, I think that the class focus on art, and the perception of art is a great way to focus on not only the act of writing but also focusing on how one's writing will be perceived. I've written a lot of papers, but have to admit I've never focused in such detail on how my writing will be received.

GT/Woodruff Season Passes

I wanted to repost this link I got in an e-mail from the school. It advertises a GT student pass for a year to the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the High Museum of Art. As a frequent visitor to both the ASO and the High, I am going to definitely take advantage of the offer.

The best part is not only that it's a package deal, but it's $20.00 for the entire year for all three!

The Five Spot

This weekend I went to The 5 Spot and watched a Reggae band for as long as I could stand it... they were a group of young 20-something hipsters who looked like they had probably never been to Jamaica, smoked too much weed, and even decided they should try out Jamaican accents.

It was terrible.

What WAS good, however, was all the art The 5 Spot had in it. The benches we painted, the walls were painted, there were paintings and posters everywhere, and the outside of the buildings were covered with graffiti, too. I've been many times to Little 5, but talking about art so much in class has made me notice it other places -- everywhere -- and at times I don't expect to notice it.

The Reverend H. Finster

On Sunday I visited the High Museum of Art in Atlanta to decide on a piece of work for the rhetorical analysis assignment.

I've been to the High Museum many times and have always been extremely fascinated by one particular artist who has a permanent collection in the High. His name is Howard Finster, a Baptist Reverend from Summerville, Georgia. He has is own little wing in the Folk Art section of the museum, and I think I could spend forever looking at his work: there is always something new to find in one of his pieces. Reverend Finster claimed to receive visions from God, which began when he was a child. He works are distinctive in style, and contain many recurring themes, thoughts, and techniques. Before his death he had produced more than 46,000 works.

I am looking forward spending more time in the Reverend Finster's wing at the High, and to understand not only the art, but the artist behind it, as well.

Las Meninas in 3D

Prior to reading Las Meninas by Foucault, I had only ever seen the relatively famous picture. I had only "seen" it in the sense that I had passively viewed it as a piece of art, and because nothing appeared too exciting to be going on, had by passed a closer glance. I am so glad I had the opportunity to revisit the piece, if only a reproduction, and really look at it.

As I was browsing the internet, trying to find an interesting reproduction of the the piece, I stumbled upon this YouTube video, which explores the painting in 3 dimensions. And, yes, you get to see the other side of the canvas! The artists depiction of the canvas, as well as the hidden wall of the room is that of another mirror, so that the mirror in the back of the room is an illuminated picture! I thought the interpretation was extremely interesting, and I really enjoyed this take on the piece.

Click below to visit Las Meninas:

Las Meninas in 3D

Biosemiotics

In trying to figure out exactly what "Semiotics" meant, and how it related to the class discussions we've been having, I accidentally stumbled on something very interesting to me: a whole field called biosemiotics. Biosemiotics is the study of the "production, action, and interpretation of signs in the biological realm." Below I have a picture of what I believe to be a good representation of biosemiotics: the ouroboros. The ouroboros is a common cultural, mystical, and alchemical symbol. It is representative of the continuity and infinite nature of life. Interestingly, it was also Kekule's inspiration in realizing the true structure of the aromatic ring, who claimed to have seen the ouroboros in a hypnogogic state.

Against Interpretation?

What struck me most about Susan Sontag's Against Interpretation is that Sontag is not actually against interpretation, as the title might imply. What I think that Sontag is trying to say is that we should check our preconceived notions about art and the meaning of art at the museum door when we are viewing it... That we should leave our minds open to the experience of art, and that we should not attempt to actively interpret art.

I think that the act of intellectually interpreting art may in some cases limit it's possibility for impact, though in others it may exactly be what the artist had intended.

This communication between the artist and the viewer is extremely interesting to me... Do we not have a message to convey when we speak? And is it not up to the listener (at least in part) to interpret what it is we have said? While I do not feel that we should limit our interpretive abilities through rationalizing away meaning , I also do not feel that this means we should not look for meaning at all.