Author: zac troyano

Final Project Option 1

Zachary Troyano

Art 1010 Final Paper

Prof. Shaw

11/27/18

 

 

Both Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat explored the depths of American culture in their respective art work. Warhol ­­­­­­­first met Basquiat when out to dinner at a restaurant with curator Henry Geldzahler, when Basquiat approached Warhol to sell him postcards with his artwork on them.1 In their art, both artists represented and created a unique American identity they explored within the overarching themes of their work. Warhol, significantly older than Basquiat, started his career earlier, in the 1960’s. His art focused greatly on the rapidly changing and turbulent landscape of America during that time. Advertisements interested him greatly, he saw them every day as America was quickly evolving into a capitalist empire. His artwork reflected the changes he saw, often he would use corporate symbols and household objects and turn them or transfuse them into art. Along with his exploration of overwhelming advertisements, Warhol also focused his art on celebrity culture, another emerging staple of the time. America, and more specifically, American media, had a rapidly growing and intertwined relationship with celebrities. Warhol saw this obsession and chose to capture it and further develop that unique American identity. He would make large scale prints of the faces of celebrities and notable figures of the time. Often, he would distort the colors of their face and alter certain pigments to cast them in a different or unfamiliar light. After Warhol had cemented his name in art history, Basquiat entered the art world in the 1980’s as a street and graffiti artist. Basquiat gained instant notoriety in the art community and he soon found himself a major focus in the art scene. His work explored institutionalized racism in America and social hierarchies based on skin color. He also worked in themes of power structure dynamics and oppression. Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol created a unique American identity within their art, both individually and in their joint collaborations.

 

“Marilyn”, Andy Warhol 1967

 

This print of Marilyn Monroe is an example of Warhol creating an unique American identity within his art. Marilyn Monroe was arguably the most famous actress in the world during the 1950’s and 1960’s. She was featured on the cover of magazines, starred in movies, even allegedly had an affair with President John F. Kennedy. In every way, she was a staple of American culture during the time Warhol was making his art. In this print, Warhol chooses only to include Monroe’s head, almost like a celebrity headshot, and saturates and alters the color on her face to make her face slightly less familiar and different from what we are used to seeing her as. Often Warhol replicated the print several times and pasted them one after another, almost stacked on top of each other. On the repetitions of the faces Warhol once said, “The more you look at the same exact thing, the more the meaning goes away, and the better and emptier you feel.”2 It was America’s unhealthy obsession with Monroe that ultimately led to her downfall and death, and Warhol aimed to capture the emerging American celebrity culture with these prints of Monroe and other famous figures.

 

 

“Hollywood Africans” Jean-Michel Basquiat 1983

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This painting was inspired after Basquiat’s visit to California with a few other artist friends.3 It highlights many typical Basquiat features, such as written words, words crossed out, the crown and copyright logos. The painting is a reflection on America and Americans media’s unhealthy relationship with African Americans. It explores ideas of racism with the “GANGSTERISM” written near the bottom of the painting. It demonstrates the power structure dynamics and social hierarchies that exist in America that often misrepresent and oppress African Americans. The writings of, “sugarcane” and “tax free” is a commentary on slavery used for importing goods. Basquiat, in this painting, is building upon a unique American identity. He is highlighting injustices and institutionalized racism that exist in America and expressing them through his art.

 

 

 

“Bananas” Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol 1985

 

 

This painting is one of 140 collaborations between Basquiat and Warhol.4 It features many overarching themes present in their solo careers that represent the unique American identity they each created in their art. For Warhol, we see familiar the familiar themes of, “The social and commercial fever of the modern world– advertising, celebrity, hero wordship…”5 The large corporate “General Electric” logo is featured prominently and is also inverted. There are various price signs scattered throughout. Basquiat chooses to draw and paint inexpensive things like nickels and glasses of milk, representing the power structure dynamics and hierarchies built to oppress African Americans. This joint collaboration features some of the themes each artist used to create their unique American identity within their art.

 

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol both saw something in American culture that not many other artists could capture. What each artist saw and experienced were entirely different from the other, but both artists have created a uniquely American identity through the themes present in their art work. Warhol uses themes crude and overwhelming advertisements, a staple to American culture during the 1960’s, to create that identity, as well as themes celebrity culture and hero worship. His art featured prints of various celebrities and notable figures of the time, as well as corporate logos and symbols. Basquiat explores themes of institutionalized racism and social hierarchies that exist in America to oppress African Americans. His art also captures the power structure dynamics of American culture and its relationship with African Americans throughout history. Even their collaborations were a commentary on what they saw in American society during their lives. Both Basquiat and Warhol created an idiosyncratic American identity that existed within the recurring themes of their respective art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

1: “Warhol and Basquiat: The Art World’s Most Notorious Bromance.” Sleek Mag, www.sleek-mag.com/article/warhol-basquiat-bromance/.

2: Warhol, Andy. “Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe 1967.” Lee Bontecou. Untitled. 1959 | MoMA, www.moma.org/collection/works/61240.

3: “Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hollywood Africans, 1983.” Hopper Drawing | Whitney Museum of American Art, whitney.org/WatchAndListen/1326.

4: Laing, Olivia. “Race, Power, Money – the Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 Sept. 2017, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/sep/08/race-power-money-the-art-of-jean-michel-basquiat.

5: Teeman, Tim. “The Whitney Museum’s Andy Warhol Show Is More Than His Greatest Hits.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 7 Nov. 2018, www.thedailybeast.com/the-whitney-museums-andy-warhol-show-is-more-than-his-greatest-hits?ref=scroll.

 

 

 

Met Museum Visit

This painting is titled, “Saint John on Patmos” painted by the artist Hans Baldung circa 1511. It depicts Saint John living in exile having a vision of the Virgin as he is writing his Book of Revelation. Originally, this piece was one third of a triptych joined by two other paintings. This painting is a good example of a Renaissance piece of art is it shows the lighter, more approachable side to Christianity. Many paintings before this time had gruesome depictions of Christ on the Cross or other grizzly or unsettling images. The Renaissance paintings, specifically this one, switched up the approach to depicting Christianity, partially because it relies on iconography with the Virgin appearing in the clouds. A heavily recognized and celebrated image within the religion.

 

This painting is titled, “The Rape of Tamar” by the artist Eustache Le Suere circa 1640. The painting depicts Tamar being raped by her half-brother Amnon. This is a good example of a Baroque painting because it highlights a scene of drama. It illustrates the action right before a dramatic event occurs. It also utilizes the diagonal plane in both the bodies of Tamar and Amnon. The use of light is also being played with by the artist specifically on the upper left side of the painting where there is a shadow cast on the pillars. When looking at this painting it is hard to be neutral or ambivalent, another sign of a Baroque painting, as most paintings from this time force their viewer to take a stand.

 

Annotated Bibliography

“Jean-Michel Basquiat, Hollywood Africans, 1983.” Hopper Drawing | Whitney Museum of American Art, whitney.org/WatchAndListen/1326.

 

The Whitney’s website offers a high resolution picture of the painting along with a recording of Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator, explaining the origins of the painting. She explains that Basquiat painted this after he took a trip to California with a few other artists. She says that it was Hollywood’s racist portrayals of African Americans, such as in the film “Tarzan” that inspired this painting. This supports my thesis as it elaborates on Basquiat’s of American culture, both the racism that existed behind it, and the power structure dynamics of Hollywood.

 

Laing, Olivia. “Race, Power, Money – the Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 8 Sept. 2017, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/sep/08/race-power-money-the-art-of-jean-michel-basquiat.

 

This article chronicles Basquiat’s life and origins as an artist. It explains he first started as a graffiti and street artist, directly relating to my thesis. Then it discusses the themes present in Basquiat’s work, such as racism and hierarchies in America. The article then discusses the artist’s rise in the art world and his eventual relationship with Andy Warhol, again relating directly to my thesis.

Teeman, Tim. “The Whitney Museum’s Andy Warhol Show Is More Than His Greatest Hits.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 7 Nov. 2018, www.thedailybeast.com/the-whitney-museums-andy-warhol-show-is-more-than-his-greatest-hits?ref=scroll.

 

This article discusses the new Warhol exhibit at the Whitney and chronicles the artists life. It writes of the themes present in Warhol’s work, such as advertisements, hero culture, celebrity culture, all relating to my thesis. The article writes of Warhol’s collaborations with Jean-Michel Basquiat, which is in direct relation to my thesis.

 

“Warhol and Basquiat: The Art World’s Most Notorious Bromance.” Sleek Mag, www.sleek-mag.com/article/warhol-basquiat-bromance/.

 

This article focuses on the relationship that existed between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It traces the artists relationship from the highly notarized moment when the two first met when Warhol was out to lunch and Basquiat sold him a few postcards, took their picture together, and would paint the photo immediately after it was taken. When he completed the painting he gifted it to Warhol who was impressed by Basquiat’s work and their friendship began. The article stays with the artist’s relationship to the end, when Warhol dies and Basquiat is devastated by the loss. This article relates to my thesis as it gives me a clearer understanding about the two artists featured in my thesis.

 

Warhol, Andy. “Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe 1967.” Lee Bontecou. Untitled. 1959 | MoMA, www.moma.org/collection/works/61240.

 

The museum’s website offers a high resolution photo of the painting along with a brief explanation of Warhol’s history and process for how he made the painting. Since this painting focuses on Warhol’s exploration of celebrity culture it directly relates to my thesis. The website also quotes Warhol about his multiple prints of celebrities, “The more you look at the exact same thing, the more the meaning goes away, and the better and emptier you feel.” Again highlighting  Warhol’s themes present in his art that create a unique American identity.

Image List and Thesis Statement

These works relate to my final project because they demonstrate the themes present in Basquiat and Warhol’s work that I will be working with –Warhol’s use of celebrity culture, crude advertisement and Basquiat’s exploration of power structure dynamics and racism– all taking place behind an American backdrop. These paintings highlight Basquiat and Warhol’a unique American identity they created within their art. While both artists traverse the American landscape, what their art represents, or brings to life, is something entirely idiosyncratic.

Thesis: Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat create a uniquely American aesthetic through the themes present in their artwork. While both artists explore and work in the medium of American culture, how they represent that culture differs greatly. Warhol focuses his work on crude advertisement and celebrity culture, while  Basquiat’s explores themes of power structure dynamics, institutionalized racism, street art and graffiti art. Basquiat and Warhol offer a unique American identity behind both their individual work, and their joint collaborations.

Andy Warhol – “Marilyn” 1967 MoMA

 

Jean-Michel Basquiat & Andy Warhol- “Ailing Ali in Fight of Life” 1984

 

Jean-Michel Basquiat – “Hollywood Africans”  1983, Whitney

 

Andy Warhol – “Uncle Sam” 1981

 

Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat – “Bananas” 1985

 

Unit 2 Summary

Art of the Ancient World is a diverse collection of art and artifacts as it spans over a long period of time and follows many civilizations and societies. The art ranges from Egyptian to Greek to Roman, each place having its own unique set of principles and approaches to making art.

Egypt’s art focused heavily on the practice of worship and praise, either to the gods, who they thought controlled their lives, or to kings, who were the closest step to a god in the human form. The pyramids, massive structures still existing today, were designed to protect the deceased and ensure a peaceful afterlife. The afterlife played a major role in Egyptian decision making, including influencing their art.  Egyptians often used registers or hieratic scale in their art to show the viewer who was most important or cherished, reserved almost entirely for some god or king. Anubis, the god of the afterlife, is one of the most prominent figures in ancient Egyptian art, depicted on coffins, inside pyramids, wherever they could pay tribute, the Egyptians found a way. Their statues were often stiff looking, as the figures arms and legs would be straight down their body. The depiction of the body would look human, having arms, legs, fingers and toes, but it would not look entirely like human would. The heads of the statues played a great importance and were often the focal point of the statue, as the heads often were of gods such as Anubis. The hair and beards of the statues were also important, although not entirely mimetic, beards and hair were a staple of Egyptian culture.  Egyptians were also interested in permanence and stability in their statues, wanting them to last for centuries to follow.

The Greeks and Romans approached rather differently than the Egyptians. Both Greece and Rome were interested in this idea of humanism. Humanism in art puts more of the emphasis on the person and the human body, than it does on worshiping gods or offering praise. This art movement believed that man and the human form were worth praising and focusing on. So the art so a shift. Instead of stiff looking statues with the heads of gods, Humanist art wanted to portray people more accurately to what they actually look like so there was a profound shift  in how statues and figures were depicted from roughly 600 BCE to 400 BCE. To Humanists, man was the measure of all things, so artists  paid careful attention to how the human body moves in space and how it occupies space. Artists viewed the human body mathematically, trying to find the perfect proportions for man, in an idealized form, so through careful observation artists studied how the human body worked. A common theme or technique used in humanism is contrapposto, which translates to “counter pose.” So statues and figures were designed to depict more natural standing or sitting poses, moving away from the stiffness that was featured in Egyptian art. Statues were often designed leaning, putting their weight on mostly one foot. The bodies resembled human bodies as well, focusing on the musculature and indents and curves of the body. The faces were also much more human looking, there were lines on the face to depict age progression, faces had more emotion to them, less stoic and stiff.

While Romans and Greeks both focused their art on Humanism these two did have some differences in how they approached this subject.  The Greeks worked almost exclusively in bronze and avoided marble, as bronze was also less likely to chip away over time and needs less structural support. Romans worked heavily in marble and loved Greek art, often replicating many of the bronzed statues that existed already, but in marble.

Due to the backdrop of political change the art also changed over time, leaving some change in the art between the Classical period and the Hellenistic period. In the Classical period art was more vertical and perpendicular, and focused more on youthful men and idealized body depiction, the statues often looked aloof and detached. While the Hellenistic period used more of the diagonal planes and had crossing interactions, with very little up/ down/left/ right movement. There were sweeping diagonals, strong emotions and new subjects, often depicting different races or ethnic groups.

 

 

 

Humanism in Greek and Roman Art

Humanism seems to be interested in paying tribute to the form of man. From what I’ve studied it was an ideal/ optimistic philosophy that saw man as rational and capable of making his own decisions without any aid from god(s) or deities. The art tended to focus on the human body and specifically the athleticism or muscles a human could have. After the initial breakthrough of humanistic art in Greek and Roman cultures, humanism would resurface again later during the European Renaissance, becoming a key component of the rebirth.

Compared to Egyptian and Mesopotamian art, Greek and Roman art tends to be more interested in the humanistic approach. Egypt and Mesopotamia seems to be focused heavily on paying tribute to gods or deities trying to ensure a peaceful after life, as much of Egyptian culture was based off of preparing for the afterlife. So it would make sense that most of Egyptian art included homage to some god or deity or king who was believed to be a divine ruler. Conversely, Greek and Roman art tended to move away from such tributes or homages and instead wanted to focus on man, and what man can accomplish alone.

For example, lets use the two pictures below:

                                                   

 

On the left we see a Roman humanist statue. It is titled “man with helmet.” We see a very realistic sculpture of an ordinary man with a helmet. The man’s chest is toned and defined, his arms are muscular as well are his thighs and legs. Even for contemporary standards, this statue is depicting a near perfect human form. On the right we wee an ancient Egyptian statue of Anubis, the god of the dead.  The Egyptians focused their art less on a mimetic depiction of an ideal man, instead paying tribute to a god who they believed would help them achieve a peaceful afterlife. The arms and legs are not particularly muscular or defined and the head is that of a dog. In typical Egyptian fashion Anubis, a god, is not standing directly on the ground, instead he is in an elevated position.

Brooklyn Museum Assignment

For my formal analysis of art from the ancient world, I chose to focus on “Painted  Coffin Interior” 1070-945 BCE.  To begin with what we discussed in class and how this piece relates to our discussions, we can see that this coffin interior uses different registers to section off certain parts. The thick, light blue lines act as the registers divider, and the light blue is the most prominently featured color. Along with the light blue, there is white, dark green, gray, and black used. Also featured is a diamond pattern on  king Osiris’ legs, and semi-circles used for his torso. King Osiris is the central figure, taking up a majority of the coffin’s interior, and the largest in scale in relation to all the other figures depicted. The images of birds is repeated often throughout the registers, some of which have human faces. Next to many of the birds looks to be fruit, specifically grapes or berries. Like many pieces of Ancient Egyptian Art there is an ohm featured on the second register from the bottom. By the King’s feet we see a depiction of Anubis and another animal-type creature supporting the King’s legs. The King is also holding a striped staff or cane, across his chest. A heavily repeated image is the reddish circle with the white outer rim. It is repeated over the king’s head, at the very top of the coffin, and there are four that surround the kings torso. At the very top, it is unclear but it looks like two eyes are painted, perhaps to watch over the deceased in the afterlife.

 

A piece of art that spoke to me instantly from the soul of a nation collection was Wadsworth Jarrell’s Black Prince. It depicts a colorful and powerful image of Malcolm X holding up a finger. What I was immediately drawn to was the intense palette of red the artist used. Next to this painting were several other paintings also using vibrant and passionate reds to “drive” the art. After exploring the entire museum i found the soul of a nation collection to be the most striking and powerful. This piece, like many of the pieces in the museum, seem to represent the ongoing struggle African Americans have had in this country. Malcolm X is one of the most recognizable African American leaders in the past century so to choose him as the subject was very poignant. As mentioned the intensity of reds drew me into this painting but once closer, standing a few feet in front of the art, the painting took an entirely new dimension. The artist used hundreds of recurring “B”s to shape the painting, and repeating B words such as Black, Beautiful, and Bad. Along with all the B’s there is Malcolm’s X famous quote about using any means necessary. The quote hangs around X’s chest almost like a pendant or necklace, worn as a badge of honor. A small detail that I believe to be important is that the colors extend beyond the border of the painting. There are dots and splashes of paint beyond the white border, breaking through frame.

 

 

 

 

 

Unit 1 Summary

 

Paolo Freire, writer of the “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” believes there is a fundamental flaw in the current education system. The flaw lying predominantly in the relationship between the student and the teacher, and how the student is conveyed the information from the teacher. Freire writes, “Education is suffering from narration sickness…” What Freire is trying to express is this idea that students are stuck listening to a “narration” by the instructor, and because of this bland re-telling of facts or ideas, the students have a complicated relationship with the idea of learning. Freire believes this is style of education is not conducive to learning, instead, all it “accomplishes” is a strained relationship between instructor and student. Because of this style of education, Freire believes that students are less inclined to learn new material, and instead, are forced  to cram their memory for the upcoming test, and once the test is finished, students tend to forget most, if not all of what they had just studied. Freire writes, “education is reduced to an act of depositing, students are depositories and teachers and depositors, this is the banking model.”

 

“The Banking Model” according to Freire, forces students into memorizing mechanically without ever really understanding what they are learning. He also writes that the banking model takes away a student’s individuality and autonomy.  Freire offers loose advice on possible solutions to fix this deeply engraved problem he sees with the education system. He believes we must transform the structure of education so that students can become, “beings for themselves.” As a student stuck in the education system, I cannot help but agree with Freire and his ideas. Throughout high school and for most of college I feel like most of the classes I have taken follow this rigid structure of forced memorization to meet a deadline and once the deadline passes I find myself forgetting most of what I had just studied. Like Freire, I believe there needs to be a fundamental change to the entire current system of education.

 

When viewing any piece of visual art, it is important to remember formal analysis. Formal analysis, according to Anne D’Alleva, are the “methods and questions that mostly concern the visual and physical aspects of a work of art.” This includes the line, shape, color, scale, and composition of a piece of art. Formal analysis concerns itself with how all these elements come together and work with one another for a piece of art. How did the artist make the lines, are they loose and soft, adding a blended element or are they rigid and unforgiving, making your eye separate the lines from the rest of the work? It is questions like these that help give the viewer a better understanding of what they are looking at, and it could potentially help the viewer understand why the artist made what they did.

 

D’Alleva suggests a three-part process when trying to understand formal analysis. Those three steps are “interpret, decipher, evaluate.” These steps will help structure a more complete analysis for the viewer, even if they are entirely unfamiliar with art. As someone who greatly appreciates art but often has difficulty understanding the entire scope of the artist’s work, formal analysis is a great tool to utilize. Sometimes when looking at a new piece of art, whether it be a painting or a sculpture, I tend to become overwhelmed with everything I am taking in, which at times, leaves me hesitant to explore the work beyond a surface layer. Formal analysis offers me a pattern and certain steps to follow so I can have a greater appreciation for a work of art, which will only come with a better understanding of the work.

Blog 4: Formal Analysis

Formal analysis, when discussing works of art, seems to represent the visual and physical aspects of the work of art, what the viewer explicitly “sees” when viewing a piece of art. The “answers” you are looking for in formal analysis come from the work of art itself, usually without referring to outside sources. It asks, what did the artist want to accomplish in visual terms with their art.

Specifically formal analysis looks into color, line, shape, mass, scale, and composition. What colors did the artist use, are they dark, light, saturated, unsaturated? How are the lines painted or drawn or sculpted, are they soft, infrequent lines that let the viewers eyes flow from section to section, or are they heavy handed lines that are meant to draw the viewers’ eyes into specific sections? Are the lines 2D or 3D, is it presented with a flatness or depth?

How does the artist manipulate the space of their work? Is it cluttered to show static motion or is it minimal to depict a quiet stillness to the work? What is the scale of the work? How are the images presented in comparison to one another, what is big, what is small, what is important or stressed?

For composition, how does the artist put all these elements together and how do they work in relation to each other? In formal analysis you will ask how line, shape, color, space, scale all contribute to overall composition and visual effect.

Blog Post 3: Pedagogy and Power

As described by Paolo Freire in “The Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” the “banking model” reflects the current system of education and the specific relationship that exists between the teachers, (subjects) and the students (listening objects in the education system. According to Freire the teacher fills the head of the student with ideas “detached” from reality, meaning ideas that are almost entirely foreign to the student, and in turn the student is then forced into memorizing the ideas mechanically without ever truly understanding why. Freire believes this turns students into receptacles or depositories while the teaches are the depositors, thus “the banking model” title. Freire states this is a misguided system of education, in which teachers become oppressors and the students become the oppressed. He also states that the interests of the oppressors lie in “changing the consciousness of the oppressed,” not [changing] the situation which oppresses them.” This model of education greatly empowers the teacher and disempowers the student. The solution to this misguided model of education does not lie in integrating the students onto the system, according to Freire, it lies in transforming the structure of education so that students can become “beings for themselves.”

I, and I feel like most students in our current system of education, have a greta deal of experience with this “banking model.” All throughout middle school, high school, and even college, most of the information is presented in this way. The teacher or professor presents facts/ information, depositing it into the students heads, then the student is responsible to retain that information for a test/paper/midterm/final and when the test is over, the studied/learned information almost seems to vanish. Instead of studying or learning for the sake of learning and personal betterment it becomes a cold system of memorization for the sake of memorization without that intimate relationship of having learned something just for the sake of learning.

 

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