YeZhang
At the beginning of the first module I intend to continue my research on the "possibilities of public space" The public space becomes a public space owe to the properties of its sharing and openness that private space does not possess. When the characters enter the public space and merge them into art, In the process of studying public space, I combine public space with people and objects through collage, using the language of painting to express my reactions and views on some social events and phenomena, freely choosing things to express my artistic attitude.
In contemporary society, consumerism is steeped in our daily lives. People are in pursuit of materialism and enjoyment. I have long been influenced by this trend, focusing too much on fashion, trends and luxury items, but when I reacted, I found that I had invested too much energy and money here, and I started to reflect on whether this is really what I want? Is this what the public wants?
With this question in mind, I created 'Tesco' and 'Harrods'. Public space gives way to a consumer-friendly mirage of public space, simulating diversity and choice. (Bronstein p. 8)
In my work, I choose well-known, familiar buildings that resonate with people at first glance and draw them into the image. The public space is seen as a theatre in which people or objects appear as actors in a drama that shows the times and society; the decorative colours, the subtle perspective are the narrators that explain what is happening in the picture, a feeling that reminds me of Chirico. A reaction to social values through architecture, the concept given to architecture is imposed on the public.
Giorgio de ChiricoThe Uncertainty of the Poet1913
In 'Tesco', Andy Warhol is a can in the middle of the city, which may not be immediately apparent to the viewer as an appropriation of the artwork, causing speculation and adding some interest, but this appropriation helps people to better understand the irony that is present in my design and the can becomes a 'symbol' in my work.
'Harrods', Oil on Canvas, 60cm*80cm, 2021
Much of the art of our time has sought to proclaim its newness of individuality through grandness of gesture, immensity of scale or the personal quality of its autographic marks. (Bronstein p. 11)
“Middle Ages are to be taken as expressions of the meaning that these eras Aware that this call to order would more than likely irritate Magritte”(Ottinger p. 20).
The relationship between image and image is arranged by the Magritte in such a way as to produce a 'non-connection'. The interpretative meaning of the image is consciously removed. He combines symbolic and stylistic elements to produce exclusive, unique artistic symbols.
René MagritteThe Menaced AssassinBrussels 1927
150.4 x 195.2 cm
“that everything that gave traditional painting its prestige could easily be dispensed with. Scissors, glue, images and genius in effect superseded brushes, colours, models, styles, sensibility and the sacred inspiration of artists.”(Ottinger p. 28-p. 29)
It seems to me that elements of collage often appear in Surrealism, and they do in my work, but in talking to my classmates I was thinking about which term is more rigorous, 'collage' or 'appropriation'. "In the book 'Reality Hunger' (2010), David Shields defines collage as 'the art of reconstructing fragments of pre-existing images to form new images.
Appropriation art was a practical form of the ideological critique of consumer culture that Barthes developed in Mythologies (1957), according to Benjamin Buchloh. the hijacking of dominant words and images to create insubordinate, counter messages. Above all, appropriation art was justified via the ideas of Jean Baudrillard. Baudrillard announced a grim world of simulation and simulacra and expressed surprise when these ideas were quickly picked up by artists and critics in New York, to become another way of discussing the art of appropriation. （Evans p. 13）
I decided to use "appropriation" to introduce my work for unit1. I deliberately erased the shadows of objects and people, and used stable colours to express buildings and bright colours to express things, in order to reflect the sense of visual incongruity.
'Harrods', Oil on Canvas, 60cm*80cm, 2021
In 'harrod' I have directly reproduced Julian's work, opie's work gives me a sense of lightness and humour that seems to fit well in my images, his work exists as a unique artistic 'symbol' that is recognisable. His work exists as a unique artistic "symbol" that can be recognised. The seemingly disparate forms of the figures blur their personalities, their characteristics and become a formal 'symbol'. By placing these figures in my work, I express indifference to this consumer age and hope that people will think about human relationships. "New Yorkers blink 28 times a minute, but maybe 40 times a minute when they're nervous; every day, New Yorkers drink 400,000 gallons of beer, eat 3.5 million pounds of meat, and consume 21 miles of dental floss. In this city, 250 people die every day, 460 people are born, 150,000 people walk with glass and plastic prosthetic eyes; 500 wizards, 600 statues and monuments, 300,000 pigeons..." - Gay Talese
In combination with 'symbolisation', one thinks as a spectator, blurring the focus on the specific person, here the 'symbol' in Julian's work or the 'number' in Guy's text "This is a warning in the age of consumerism, whether it is the indifference between people brought about by consumption, or the advantages and disadvantages of the rapidly developing information age. It's all about our lives. These works are not meant to change the times, but to bring about a reflection, so I wanted to use a light-hearted narrative, humorous and playful, to expose the issues to the public and provoke thought.
I find that consumerism does not only affect everyday life, the art world is also affected by consumerism, people start to pursue art out of a sense of taste and fashion, these works of art have the properties of commodities; public space for me represents the masses, because public space is shared and open, it is a place of activity for the masses, precious works of art are placed in public places, just as the desire for commodities is planted in the psyche of the masses. The desire for commodities is planted in the psyche of every member of the public. Through this expression, I hope to cause people to reflect on their own over-consumption and what over-consumption has actually brought them. My work can only serve as a signal to bring such issues to the public and reflect society through my work. In this age of consumption, where artworks are mostly circulated in the commodity market, artists need to be conscious of the relationship between art and commodity.
Patrick Caulfield 15. ‘Oh Helen, I roam my room’ 1973Tate
The smooth thinness of the surface makes it seem as though the image has just ‘arrived’ there. 'I try not to overpaint too much because I like the flat surface' (Caulfield p. 15 )
With the help of a few tools: paper glue, soft brushes, I can achieve a very smooth image. I also enjoy the process of working with straight lines and curves, most of my work looks less sharp and pointed, with gentle transitions at the edges of clean and sharp shifts, and a deliberate effort to reduce details and avoid unimportant elements when painting. The overall image emphasizes visual novelty and uniqueness, exaggerated colour contrasts and strong decorative qualities.
In any case, the Surrealists know how to be free, "Freedom, the colour of man", as André Breton proclaims. (Ottinger p. 28)
The flatness and smoothness of my work is due to my influence from TV commercials and posters, putting such colors, images, and techniques in my work to become highly acceptable to the public, rather than serving only a small group of art lovers. But many commercial artists create works using production line style machine operations or mass reproduction works, reduced to producers of this consumer era, making the artist seem not a profession that requires rich talent. I always insist on making the work look digital in the creative process, rather than using digital technology directly to achieve this effect. I want to bridge the gap between screen and painting with this way of creation. In my mind art is still a traditional existence, such as my very favorite artist Wolfgang Laib, insisting that art is a practice, of course I won't spend my whole life to solve a problem or keep creating the same thing, but the way I insist will definitely be insisted. I chose the ipad because I wanted to save time and money, but the final work must be handmade, which makes me think again, I am a product of this consumer era, but I desperately want to break the chains and find myself. I want to reflect and criticize this era of irrational consumption through my artworks.
An image which has strong three-dimensional connotations. Each suggest an illusion of depth, humorously playing against the Modernist cliché of 'the integrity of the picture plane'. I do feel the space there, as if you could actually drop your brush down into it. (Caulfield p. 21)
The simplistic approach to composition, with its passionate colours, brings about a more intense visual sensation, used to express my own stress response. The strange perspective in my work, the parallelograms, are meant to express my indifference and dark humour, making the work seem more detached from reality.
'Church', Oil on canvas , 90X120cm, 2021
After talking to Anna about my work through the second tutorial, she gave me some suggestions such as showing the edges of objects and people to try and break up the image, or bringing the objects in the work to life in a realistic, three-dimensional way. I also thought I needed to make some adjustments to maintain a sense of order in the work and to add more thoughtful details.
Much of the art of our time has sought to proclaim its newness of individuality through grandness of gesture, immensity of scale or the personal quality of its autographic marks. (Caulfield p. 11)
An unwillingness to adopt too obvious a means of self-assertion, is characteristic as much of the man as of his work.。（Caulfield p. 11）
It seems to me that the way I create my work has some connotations of ingratiation, bright colours, famous artworks, all to attract attention, but there are also many successful artists who create through appropriation, "ingratiation" is not in conflict with the critique of consumerism, but at the same time "famous artworks" are a critique of the social phenomenon of the time. "The meaning of the 'symbol' is to reflect one thing through another. When I quote the 'famous artwork', this work is also symbolised. I am prepared to put aside my thoughts on consumer culture for the moment. From my own emotions, I will discuss current trends and express my inner artistic attitude.
The last work in unit1, "Church", I think is a turning point and a new beginning. Since coming to London, churches are my favourite public space, but in China there are not many elements of churches, and the change in my living environment has led to a natural change in my choice of material. For all the traditionalists and classicists, the key to the success of postmodern architecture lies in the aphorism: the cheapness of its construction versus the stories. (Bronstein p. 7)
This is a corner of St. Paul's Cathedral and for me the church element is also part of the art. Listening to the chanting for the first time, some of the melodies in the process reminded me of the theme song of 'The Phantom of the Opera' and I built a very dramatic scene, moving the ambulance into the piece, looking for some of the connections, seemingly looking for the connection between life and death, but to me it was just a humorous story,.
"Poetic thought" is one of the possible synonyms of "mystery" as Magritte conceives it.
"The changing content of poetic images [...] does not appear at will, it does not obey a logical or illogical, strict or fanciful system. "
The "mystery" is both the crucible and agent of "visual thought" : "Painted images which evoke mystery assert the beauty of that which is neither meaning nor non-meaning. "(Ottinger p. 22)
The result of a systematic search for a disturbing poetic effect through the arrangement of objects borrowed an overwhelming poetic meaning by a natural process of exchange. (Ottinger p. 32)
During the course of my searching I became certain that I always knew in advance that element to be discovered, that one and only thing obscurely linked to each object, but that knowledge lay buried in the back of my mind.
Since these searches could give only a single right answer for each object, my investigations were like the pursuit of solutions to problem for which I had three particulars: the object, the thing attached to it in the depths of my mind, and the light into which that thing had to be brought. (Ottinger p. 33)
The ambulance appears in my work, and I have placed such an element as an ambulance in the midst of a serious, silent, quiet church, forgoing large areas of bright colour in order to create a tense atmosphere, thus creating a contrast that makes the image more interesting and dramatic. The latticework elements produced, the ambulance, the corner of the church, make the image seem more mysterious and metaphorical.
Each thing has "an element peculiar and rigorously predestined to it", and bringing them together has a formidable effect. (Evans p. 61) "through the arrangement of objects borrowed from reality " his painting must give "the real world from which those objects have been borrowed an overwhelming poetic meaning by a natural process of exchange". (Evans p. 62)
Appropriation became a method that one assumed would stand up to alienation. This was due to the concept of a strong artistic subject, which ultimately would remain in control of the situation. And yet the signs of alienation, which restricted the power to validity of the subject, were unmistakable. (Evans p. 216)
his suggestion that alienation itself could be appropriated.
their alienation, themselves. Seen from this perspective, the idea of not being in control of oneself is a status quo that cannot be reversed. Appropriation provides the possibility to find a stance vis-à-vis this status quo, to appropriate it.(Evans p. 217)
Detach from reality and contemplate the relationship between the passing of life and redemption. Finding the connection between reality and mystery in the straight lines and curves in the images, finding a balance between space and objects amidst irrational relationships of perspective.
"through the arrangement of objects borrowed from reality " his painting must give "the real world from which those objects have been borrowed an overwhelming poetic meaning by a natural process of exchange". (Evans p. 62)
This work may be and is a transition to the next stage, as well as a turning point. In the process of exploring the possibilities of space, the freedom to find objects, objects that express self-expression, close to life scenes, makes the picture more dramatic, not just as a cold bystander
The flatness and smoothness of my work is due to the fact that I was influenced by television commercials and posters to put such colours, images and techniques in my work to become highly acceptable to the masses rather than to serve only a small group of art lovers. However, many commercial artists create works using production line style machine operations or mass reproduction works, reducing them to producers in this consumer age, making the artist seem less of a profession that requires talent. I have always insisted on making the work look digital in the process, rather than using digital technology directly to achieve this effect. I want to bridge the gap between screen and painting in this way of creating, in my mind art is still a traditional existence, for example my very favourite artist wofuhang, insists that art is a practice, of course I won't spend my whole life solving a problem or creating the same thing consistently, but the way I insist on it I will definitely insist on it. In sketching I chose the iPad because I wanted to save time and money, but the final work must be handmade, which brings me back to the fact that I am a product of this consumer age, but I desperately want to break the chains and find myself. Through my artworks, I want to reflect on and criticise this age of irrational consumption.
reference
Evans, E. (2009) Appropriation. Cambridge, Mass.
Caulfield, C. (1981) Patrick Caulfield： paintings 1963-81. London, Tate Gallery.
Bronstein, B. (2008) A guide to postmodern architecture in London. London, Koenig Books.
Clothier, C. (1995) David Hockney/ Peter Clothier. New York, Abbeville Press.
Ottinger, O. (2017) Magritte: the treachery of images. Munich: Prestel.