Painting Work In Progress.......

Ceramics workshop. We are making tea pots, mine is inspired by a poppy seed head and I’ve really been enjoying making it. Its been great to learn about ceramics and the rules that apply like not leaving air bubbles in the clay and making sure to score and slip. I added texture to the teapot’s surface with my nails to give it a more natural feel like a poppy seed head. My clay was a bit too thick in some areas which I had to smooth down but overall, it has gone well so far and I like how it looks.

Resist dyeing. I decided to try resist dyeing again but this time with some different ingredients. These included, glutinous rice flour, rice bran, salt, water, glycerine and calcium hydroxide. First I mixed together the rice flour and bran and water together to make a dough and I then steamed the dough in dumpling sized balls for about an hour. While these were steaming, I put two table spoons of calcium hydroxide into one cup of water. I had to be careful with this as calcium hydroxide can be very dangerous if it come in contact with skin. I wore goggle, gloves and a mask. Once the balls had steamed I mixed them with glycerine, salt and the water from the calcium hydroxide. The chemical had settled at the bottom leaving me with just the infused water, I mixed it in. This created a smooth paste with which I printed my designs . This paste was a lot stickier than the last one I made so I was hopeful it was going to stay on during the dyeing process. Once it had all dried, I dyed the fabric. After leaving the printed fabric in the dye for an hour, I took it out to find that all of the resist paste had unfortunately dissolved. Even though it didn’t work, I learnt a lot from this process, it was interesting to experiment with all of the new ingredients.

Some of my photos which I took for the photography workshop looking at ‘A distance forms around our bodies’

Some illustrations inspired by the contemporary illustrator Katarina Kerekesova and also inspired by Russian and Czech vintage matchbox designs. These are for my Graphics workshop poster 

How does the use of concrete inform The Memorial For The Murdered Jews of Europe?

‘Denkmal für die Ermordeten Juden Europas’ ( The Memorial For The Murdered Jews Of Europe) Concrete memorial, 2004

The Memorial For The Murdered Jews Of Europe is situated in Berlin and stands as a poignant reminder of The Holocaust in 1941. This memorial was designed by the Burro Hapold group, a group of engineers from all around the world, the US architect Peter Eisenmann’s design was the design that it is based on. The memorial took 17 years to build, it was finished in 2004 and it consists of 2711 concrete steles over 19,000 square metres. The monumental memorial lies in the centre of Berlin near to the Brandenburg gate. It stands as a memorial to remind us of the horrific events of the Holocaust in the same city that the perpetrators had their offices in. 

Concrete is a reliable and durable material and is used in architecture as well as in sculpture and memorials. Throughout history, it has been used to communicate different ideas and messages and is easily accessible to anyone. This memorial is an example of how concrete can be used to convey a certain message. From a distance, it looks like a cold grey sea. The steles are dark grey and in a similar shape to coffins. Their height varies, some are just 20cm tall and some are 4.7m. The steles are meant to create an uneasy and confusing atmosphere which is further created by the ground underneath because it is wavy and creates a ripple effect. 

Although it is in the centre of the capital city, when you enter into the memorial, the din of the traffic fades away and it is almost silent in there. Due to its enormous size it is hard to run into many people, so it gives you a sense of isolation and you can feel the cold of the concrete around you. As you go further into the concrete memorial, the steals get higher, it feels intimidating and you feel very entrapped by this structure. When looking up, only the sky is visible. 

The memorial has many different interpretations. Some say that this sombre grey memorial represents the dehumanisation of the Jewish people during the Holocaust some also say that the different heights of steles represent the gradual escalation of the third Reich’s persecution. It is a possibility that the plain group of steles show the collective guilt of the German people. Another interpretation is that the strength and durability of the concrete reflects the strength of the Jewish people over the ages in the face of persecution. It is without a doubt that its function is to commemorate a tragic event and is set in concrete so that it may never be forgotten. 

~ I have used my own photos

Sources

https://www.visitberlin.de/en/memorial-murdered-jews-europe

https://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/museums/denkmal-fur-die-ermordeten-juden-europas-ort-der-information/

          Ethics and art - How considerate does an artist have to be?

Contemporary art seeks to challenge traditional boundaries, almost seeing how far it can go before it crosses the line. It can at times be confusing, confrontational and controversial and can shock or thrill the audience depending on the subject matter. Contemporary art can be anything from an installation to a painting, a performance to a sculptural piece, it can even be a random object that is claimed to be art. As there is no uniformity or formula, the artist can use any medium and can exhibit anything he/she wishes to.

Controversy in the art world has always existed. Even in Caravaggio’s religious works in the 15th century which depicted religious figures in a very realistic manner. One of his most controversial paintings at the time was ‘The Death Of The Virgin’ which depicted The Virgin Mary on her death bed. The controversy was not of the subject matter but more about the way that this biblical scene was painted. The Virgin Mary can be seen with her hand over her slightly bloated stomach and bared ankles which the audience found very upsetting. For these reasons it was rejected by the Chapel of Santa Maria della Scala for which it was commissioned by in Rome. It was also said that the woman that modelled The Virgin Mary for this painting was a common prostitute working in Rome. This brought further distaste to the artwork. Nowadays, it is a revered masterpiece however when painted, it was disputed over. A controversial modern day representation of The Virgin Mary is ‘The Holy Virgin Mary’ by Chris Ofili’. This painting depicts The Virgin Mary surrounded by the backsides of Women from adult magazines, balancing the canvas on two pieces of elephant dung. Ofili stated that it is a ‘hip-hop version (of the figure)’. The painting stands out with its vibrant use of colour, the yellow and purple starkly contrast with each other making the painting quite jarring and bright. Many would not find the artwork offensive at all however at the same this portrayal offended many religious people. It is difficult to please every individual audience member although I think that there is an unspoken responsibility to have mutual respect for the audience and be considerate of groups of the audience that may see your work.

When it comes to exhibiting artwork, ethics are important to consider. This form of ‘moral accountability’ encourages the respect of the audience. However, everyone will have a different opinion and take on the artwork and our life experiences will cause us to interpret art in various ways. At the end of the day, it is up to the artist to decide what to include in their work but some may argue that this doesn’t mean that the artist shouldn’t be held accountable for any content they exhibit. On the other hand, some artworks are intended to be controversial and aim to shock. The series of work 'Plum Grove' by Peter Howson (1994) does just that. This series of paintings, influenced by the break-up of Yugoslavia and the creation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, aims to portray these events in a graphic manner and the effect of the war on the civilians. Howson was the official War Artist for the British contingent of the UN Peace Keeping Force to Bosnia in 1993. As a result, his paintings included rape scenes, violence, and other graphic scenes which he witnessed himself or from eye-witness accounts. His paintings depict people in contorted positions with green and blue skin tones giving a sense of distress and pain. The paintings are quite expressive and have a sense of movement alongside a sense of exaggeration, exaggerating various features of the figures giving a further sense of suffering. The paintings undoubtedly leave the audience feeling uncomfortable. Although this series of work is in a way raising awareness of the events, some may say that censorship is necessary. Audience members who were not victims of the Yugoslavian conflicts or who have never experienced war of any kind can’t relate to the imagery as much as war survivors or people who have witnessed similar events. Although the subject matter is distressing and upsetting, the audience members are all effected in different ways based on their life experiences. The artist can choose whether or not to censor their work or to take ethics into consideration depending on the emotions they wish to stir up.

Appropriation, borrowing or recycling aspects of someone else’s work, plays a big role in contemporary artwork too. For example, in Banksy’s piece, ‘Show me the Monet’ (2005) a framed image of Monet’s painting is visible with orange shopping trolleys and traffic cones in his famous lily pond. I think that it shows the over-commercialisation of Monet’s work and art in general. Nowadays it is easy to see images of artwork online and it’s also common to buy merchandise with various pieces of art printed on. The imperative ‘Show me’ in the title of the piece further emphasises our consumerist society and ever growing demand for instant gratification. All of this has contributed to the devaluation of the artwork. Although the physical painting still costs a fortune, it is accessible on many platforms and is over-marketed so its purpose and meaning have been lost in the process.

I think that when it comes to handling delicate subject matters, it is important to somewhat take the audience into consideration. Some artwork is made for the audience to question and to be shocked by and will affect everyone in a different way but I think that there can be some occasions where a piece of controversial artwork can become disrespectful. Overall, I think that it is the role of the artist to push the boundaries of modern-day society and to adapt when necessary; a sense of mutual respect for all opinions and all views is important. Despite the fact that nowadays, art is created to challenge the audience and express emotion, I think that it’s the role of every artist to know what is appropriate and what isn’t depending on the subject matter they wish to portray.

 References

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/howson-plum-grove-t06961

https://artswithanna.com/2018/09/28/ethics-and-arts/

https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/39894/1/that-time-this-chris-ofili-the-holy-virgin-mary-hip-hop-pissed-off-the-art-world

My final sculptures. Two characters inspired by Baba Jaga and Nastenka from the Russian (1964) film Morozko. They show the juxtaposition between old and young and naïve and wise. They are also inspired by the woodcuts of Kathe Kollwitz with their harsh lines and feeling of movement and expression. I covered a pair in ZIP to create a metalic effect, a pair in copper and left it to oxidise and I painted a pair with acrylic paint and finished them off with gold leaf.

Kathe Kollwitz and her presentation of conflict.

Kathe Kollwitz, ‘Das Volk’ (The People) Woodcut on paper - 1921-22

Kathe Kollwitz is renowned for her dark and expressive woodcuts influenced by the Second and First World War. The figures in her woodcuts have intense emotional expressions which show the pain and suffering of the German people during the times of conflict. 

Kollwitz’s woodcut ‘Das Volk’ (The people) is part of her ‘Krieg’ series, (War). This series of seven woodcuts present the sorrows of those left behind - mothers, widows, and children in a vivid and powerful way. It was likely that Kollwitz was influenced by her own experience of loss during the war. She lost her son Peter in World War 1 which deeply affected her. Kollwitz’s childhood also influenced her dramatic work. She was the 5th of seven children and prior to her birth, three of her siblings had already died which exposed her to the grief of her parents while growing up. Kollwitz was particularly awed by the emotional strength in her mother's face which influenced the distressing expressions in her woodcuts. 

In Kollwitz’s woodcut ‘The People’, crying figures can be seen in the foreground as well as a mother in the centre hiding a scared child in her cloak. There is an overwhelming darkness which envelops the figures. The lines in the woodcuts are sharp and angular, these angles make the faces look expressive and as if there was a harsh light shining down upon them. All of the figures seem to be in very close proximity with each other which gives a sense of community. Although all of the faces are visibly distressed, they are all leaning on each other. The mother figure in the centre of the woodcut, seems solemn and mournful. Her eyes are closed and she is clad in black, her hand comes down to shield and hide a child enveloped in her cloak. The child’s eyes look wide open and full of fear. It is interesting that many faces surround the mother however due to the child’s small size it is surrounded by the darkness only protected by a single hand of its mother. This could reveal the vulnerability of children during the war and Kollwitz may have intended to highlight the importance of the role of mothers as protectors.

Kollwitz’s work was not only influenced by her tragic past but also by the working class people of Germany during the war. Their starvation, suffering and loss gave her a hunger for change, many German expressionist woodcuts were all about highlighting problems in society and aiming to bring about change. Kathe created many posters, one of which was ‘Brot!’ demanding change and creating awareness of the poverty of working class Berlin. This activism was spotted by the Nazis who threatened to take her to a concentration camp. Luckily her fame saved her and stopped this from happening.

Woodcuts highlight the stark contrast between light and dark. Kollwitz effectively uses woodcuts in her work to reflect the dramatic nature of war which lacks colour, it feels dark and cold and never ending. The black ink and white reserved areas of her woodcuts mirror Kollwitz’s feelings toward these hard times where she experienced loss like many other people. Not only was there physical conflict during the first and second world war, but also emotional conflict inside of people. German expressionist woodcuts sought to convey messages through raw and simplified designs. An example of this stark simplicity can be seen in Kollwitz’s woodcut ‘The widow’ which is also part of her ‘war series’. This print presents a simple femenine figure with her arms on her chest on a plain background. This emptiness gives a sense of loneliness and allows the viewer to connect with the figure in a raw and personal way. Instead of complicating the surroundings and settings in her prints, Kollwitz focused on creating distinct emotions in the figures.

Kollwitz presents war as a dark place full of grief and mourning. She shows the effect of war and loss on people through her use of expressions which are exaggerated and full of emotion. These expressions show the emotional pain and inner conflict of the people of Germany and the whole of Europe during world war one and two, a time of suffering and desperation.

References:

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/kollwitz-the-people-p82465

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/69688

https://www.moma.org/s/ge/collection_ge/artist/artist_id-3201_role-1_sov_page-22.html

https://www.moma.org/s/ge/curated_ge/techniques/woodcut.html

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kollwitz-kathe/life-and-legacy/

https://lib.guides.umd.edu/c.php?g=326833&p=2194181

Fabric and eggs dyed using onion skins :)

A marionette of the Moon which I've recently finished. I made her with salt dough and sewed her dress. I have never made a puppet before, so this project was very interesting and enjoyable :)

I started off with planning her out. She is inspired by The Spanish play ‘Bodas de Sangre’ by Federico Garcia Lorca’. In this play, the moon is a character inspired by Spanish magical realism and represents wisdom and fate.

I made the body out of wire and salt dough To link all of the separate joints together I put wire hooks into the pieces, hooked them all together and then out them in the oven to cook. The dough cooked for a few hours. However, some parts were still uncooked when I took it out of the oven so some hooks slipped out. I put these back in with a glue gun and left the whole body on a radiator for about a week to allow everything to dry through. After it was all dry, I painted the face and hands and created the dress which I painted with water colours. The colour surprisingly came out quite well on the fabric. Some came off onto my hands when handling the puppet but apart from that, the paint overall stayed on well. I also embroidered stars onto the dress with white thread and added dots of silver paint, to represent the night sky.

To attach the strings to my marionette puppet I glued hooks onto her hands and head and attached the strings onto two sticks. This worked fine and you can move her head up and down and her arms and hands. I planned to put strings onto her feet too however it was difficult to string the marionette up under her dress and it was also unnecessary as the feet aren’t really visible. 

I loved this project a lot, I’m happy with the final outcome. :)