Spirituality

First, let be begin by saying, kudos to anyone who FULLY understands Matthew Barney's The Cremaster Cycle films. With my head slightly tilted and an eyebrow raised, I still do not fully understand what is going on. In Lynn Brunet’s article “Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment?: The Cremaster Cycle,” she discusses Freemasonry in The Cremaster Cycle. Before having read the article, I was unfamiliar with Freemasonry and really confused about Barney’s films. From what I understand about Freemasons, they are a worldwide, [not so] secret fraternity, who have ritualistic group meetings, ties to Mormonism, and successful members. Is Barney paying homage to his fraternity by including symbols and allegories in his films? Is there anything really wrong with that or is the fraternity actually a cult? Are they religious or spiritual?

I cannot think of an example of when art is not in some way expressive. Life and death are the common denominators of everyone. Each person has their journey through life and will eventually die. In my opinion, having faith in religion or a greater being answers many of the most difficult to answer questions: Where did I come from?; Why am I here?; Who created me?; and What will happen to me when I die? Religion is guide on how to live your life and it provides you with the answer to what will happen when you die. Religion can be tied to science- trying to prove or disprove a greater being; and it can be tied to identity, some people immediately identify and define themselves according to their religious beliefs. Stories are told through art- biblical or allegorical stories- to teach a moral lesson or the creation of someone or something. Religious/ moralizing themes in art will always be relevant. In Themes of Contemporary Art, it states that “the word spiritual [refers] to the common yearning to belong to something greater than the self, the desire to probe the source of life and the nature of death, and the acknowledgment of ineffable, intangible forces artwork in the universe.” So, does that mean that a person who is spiritual is someone who is longing to be religious? Does a person have to be religious to be spiritual? Must religion and spirituality go together?

I found Shirazeh Houshiary’s Turning Around the Centre to be interesting. “[She] studies the teaching of Rumi, ‘where the significance of ‘becoming,’ through transcendent exercises, dancing and whirling, leads to divine enlightenment.” Again, within this course, is mentioned the act of “becoming” (285). Does that suggest that religion and spirituality are constantly being acted upon?

Brunet, Lynn. "Hoamge to Freemasonry or Indictment? The Cremaster Cycle." Project Muse. 2009.

Robertson, Jean and Craig McDaniel. "Themes of Contemporary Art, Visual Art after 1980." New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. 272-309.

Spirituality in Folk Art: Minnie Evans

While reading Robertson and McDaniel’s view of the role of spirituality in art, my mind constantly wondered back to the role of spirituality and religion in folk art. Folk art began as a way to look at the native land’s culture and have a better understanding of it. Folk art stems from close knit communities, with a type of kinship that mirrors a family-like bond within that society. Religion and spirituality play a major role in these communities, as it would in a family dynamic, regardless of what the beliefs are. For these artists, their themes tend to center around their particular community and its beliefs and practices. It is these style of art (spiritual and religious) that “has addressed humanity’s most profound needs and life’s greatest mysteries; beliefs about death and an afterlife, the nature of the universe and humanity’s place in it, and the moral codes that guide private and public behavior” (McDaniel 278).

It is artists such as Minnie Evans who use their work to express their spiritual side. Her work, she says, is a result of visions that come to her. She says that “something told me to draw or die. It was shown to me what to do" (Antonart). She uses faces in many of her works, surrounded by abstract designs. The eyes are a representation of God’s divinity and his omniscience. Her work embodies her religious beliefs and shows the viewer a more abstract way of viewing typical religious art; meaning that there is not a definite aspect of her work that shows that this is a spiritual piece without knowing that it is. Being that she is a folk artist, her work shows the impact that her community and its beliefs, has had on her. It is this spiritual aspect that refers to the “common yearning to belong to something greater than the self, the desire to probe the source of life and the nature of death, and the acknowledgment of ineffable, intangible forces at work in the universe” (McDaniel 278). It is this yearning in her beliefs that drives Minnie Evans to show her devotion through her works. Spirituality and religion will continue to play a major role within art as long as there are people. People’s faith, regardless of what it is, will always be a strong force that guides them, and through art, they are allowed to showcase that faith.

"Minnie Evans - Biography." Anton Haardt Folk Art Gallery. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.antonart.com/bio-evan.htm.

"Minnie Evans." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnie_Evans.

Robertson, Jean, and Craig McDaniel, eds. Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

the theory of "I don't know" in religious art

Even though religion or spirituality are controversial subjects, I think whether someone is atheist or a devoted Christian they still find the subjects interesting. Possibly for the reasons that Robertson and McDaniel give, “One reason that artists are drawn to the themes of religion and spirituality even when they harbor doubt is that they are interested in morality and ethics” (Robertson, McDaniel, 287). However I believe that another reason is because most people are curious and don’t actually know the truth. There is no way to “know” and I am one of those people that do not claim a religion at all. I think because of this I was able to closely relate to Robert Gober’s work. Gober is described as someone who “does not participate in the religion of his upbringing (Catholicism), attempted to come to terms with the absence of religion in his life” (Robertson, McDaniel, 287). Although I think his work is bizarre in some ways, it is also intriguing. The curator’s analysis is what sparked my attention and made me associate myself with his own beliefs and work. Dean Sobel says, “this dual-level installation also explores the dynamic between the conscious world (what is immediately apparent) and the subconscious (those things lurking beneath the surface)” (Robertson, McDaniel, 287). It is as if even non-believers, like myself, wonder if something is actually there “beneath the surface”, however it is unknown and it can never be fully concrete.

This view of Robert Gober’s and my own view made me think back to Bill Maher’s “Religulous” video. However the video is harsh, it is brilliant. He puts forth the idea and religion of “I don’t know”. This view seems to be the view of many of the artists mentioned in the Spirituality chapter. This view could also apply to Maurizio Cattelan’s piece “La Nona Ora (the Ninth Hour). This controversial piece can be depicted in many ways, however I think maybe Cattelan was trying to say that they too do not know the answer. Also maybe in attempt to make the point that whether full blown atheist or Christian, they are both just as bad, because in reality no one actually knows if there is a higher power or not.

The chapter also brought up science. Science and religion have both been interesting topics to me, especially when they are combined. I read an article in Time magazine about the “religious gene”. It’s a gene that makes people crave something to believe in. This gene is stronger in some people than it is in others, hints the reason why some people are religious fanatics and others are not. Regardless of the fact whether this gene is the sole provider for why people insist on basing their lives on ethereal sources, it is impossible for people to believe in this gene. The reason for this is because it is science, it is concrete, and people want to believe in something that they cannot see before there own eyes. They want to believe in something that can do the impossible. Whatever people believe, it is neither wrong nor right, and I feel that it will always be a topic of interest even to those who choose not to naively say, “I know”.

Robertson, Jean, and Craig McDaniel. Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Repetitive Reverie

This chapter offers some interesting insights to religious and spiritual art, and I paid close attention to the assessment of popular reaction to art as religious experience. While I believe art can instigate a transcendental state, Robertson and McDaniel write that many are "skeptical about the ability of art to provide an experience of transcendence." (286)

With works such as Shirazeh Houshiary's Turning Around the Center, this is a valid point. While elegant and full of religious significance, her piece does not exactly awaken the sensory overload we connect with most religious experience. However, Fred Tomaselli's painting, Untitled (Expulsion), is a perfect example of how art might induce a feeling akin to religious fervor.

In the piece, a stark background is contrasted with bright objects, making a pattern of light and dark, objects are repeated at regular intervals, and everything spouts from a single font in rigid line formation: pattern is everything in this piece. Even the bodies of the rejected Adam and Eve join into the pattern-making process--the veins that snake throughout their body create alternaitng bands of light and dark red, mimicking the light and dark of the overactive wellspring that created them, the one they are now forced to leave. It is here in patterning that we find a religious experience: according to Robertson and McDaniel, "these patterns have the effect of slowing down looking, overwhelming the senses, and opening the door to a dreamlike consciousness." (285) Common sense would dictate this connection as well. In order to achieve trance, in both western and eastern religions, many people use rhythmic chants, low lighting, and slow breathing techniques. Even repeated the rosary over and over can be used to meet the same end. Pattern and repetition are an important aspect of unlocking religious experience, and I feel Tomaselli's painting is an accurate recreation of what is necessary to induce reverie.

Robertson, Jean, and Craig McDaniel. Themes of Contemporary Art. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. 273-297.

Manipulating Forms, Materials, and Processes in Art

All religions have certain symbols, materials, and processes that they hold scared to them. “As with particular forms, the use of certain physical materials can signal religious or spiritual content”, for example, the cross is a scared symbol for Christians, something that is very familiar to those of us who live in the south here in the United States. ” (pg 282). So what if artists mixed certain religious symbols together to make a particular piece of art. What kinds of reactions would this mixer receive? And is this process a manipulation of symbols or is it manipulation at all? Or is this mixer just another form of spiritual expression? Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary would be a good representation of the combination of religious and spiritual beliefs in artwork. Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary contains heavy Christian influences. The Virgin Mary is a key figure in the Christian religion and two; the gold background, found in Christain artwork, is another Christian element that, according to Robertson and McDaniel, represents sacred ground. (pg 282). The mixer comes when Ofili’s puts in the dung, which is an African symbol of fertility, claims Robertson and McDaniel (pg 282). Mixing these symbols, materials, and processes together, I believe, is a form of expression, and its manipulation too, but in the sense that you’re moving and arranging elements which hold special meaning to that artist or individual. What I mean is, maybe the artist is taking certain symbols from different religious or spiritual groups and combing them together to create a new spiritual or religious meaning that takes form in an artistic expression. The combination of beliefs systems found in this artwork may hold some special meaning for the artist, maybe this piece of artwork is a representation of what the artist holds sacred, even though others find it insulting.

Robertson, Jean and Craig McDaniel. "Themes of Contemporary Art, Visual Art after 1980." New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.

Freemasons: We will never know.

I have been interested in freemasonry ever since I saw National Treasure. I since learned that my grandfather was a mason. This really sent my imagination spiraling. Everyone knows it’s a secret organization and there has been talk about horrific rituals that are involved in this secret brotherhood: “A number of key Masonic authors suggest that corruption has been woven into the Order since its inception and is present among the vast array of loosely related variations of the basic Craft degrees” (Lynn 102). It is so talked about now and I feel we all assume well known people in today’s society are members. One reason I believe this is probably due to Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol. (I highly recommend it).

I think that freemasonry within Barney’s Cremaster Cycle is irrelevant, because it’s one mans artwork that may or may not contain Masonic symbols. It may be interesting to see, just like it is interesting to read about in Dan Brown’s fictional novel. There is no way of knowing for sure if anything we believe of the brotherhood is indeed true. Therefore I think it is a moot point to discuss it in art.

Brunet, Lynn. "Hoamge to Freemasonry or Indictment? The Cremaster Cycle." Project Muse (2009): 102. Web. 28 Apr 2010.

Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment?

In Lynn Brunet's "Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment? The Cremaster Cycle," freemasonry symbols and rituals are explored through visual art. Brunet begins by discussing some of the historical perspective of The Order calling it "secret fraternal order and is based on a science of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols"(Lynn p.98). She reviews how deeply rooted the masons are in American and British history by pointing out famous historical figures. The Cremaster Cycle seeks to explain subtle meanings and reasons of the secret society by using “cryptic references to Freemasonry, its history, rituals, and symbolism"(Lynn p.98). This series seems intricately crafted and supported by biases and misconceptions that society has about the masons.

As I read through the article, I found it very interesting. However, due to my personal lack of knowledge about the Cremaster series or freemasons in general, I'm unfamiliar with all the symbols and meanings that Burnet discusses. I think I would have a deeper appreciation of this article and topic if it were something I were more familiar with.

Freemasonry or Repression?

Throughout Lynn Brunet's article "Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment? The Cremaster Cycle", her point of view of how Matthew Barney's "Cremaster Cycle" films could be seen as a mason. Brunet describes freemasonry as ,"...a secret fraternal order... science of morality, veilled in allegory and illustrated by symbols" (91). Freemasonry is shown through symbols through biblical references. All symbols portray a certain story or message. After recapping on Barney's "Cremaster Cycle 3" and researching more about symbols of freemasonry, I could pick out certain aspects of the film were it could be percieved as Barney seeking freemasonry. Brunet states, "In the film Barney enacts his own version of the rites, taking on the role of the Entered Apprentice undergoing a set of initiatory trials, and depicts the central myth of the Order, the murder of Hiram Abiff, the master builder of King Solomon's Temple, enacted by Richard Serra" (99).

On the other hand, Brunet points out a view of "depersonalization" or "trauma". She implies that " Memories of trauma are stored, however, in bodily sensations, and it is through the body that the individual can finally retrieve the experience" (107). Barney also portrays throughout his "Cremaster Cycle" a theme of rape. Examples would be his execessive use of vaseline and his reoccuring doctor scenes. The theme of rape could be viewed as a sense of repression and performance art is a physical way to express his emotions.

I believe both options have strong points of view, but freemasonry seems to create more of a sense of understanding of Barney. Throughout multiple points in Brunet's "Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment", she has valid claims that Barney's film could be freemasonry. Perhaps it is not freemasonry by initiation, but his will to seek freemasonry. He journey's through cycles to find Richard Serra at the end and trying to complete the Order. Matthew Barney may not be a Freemason, but it is obvious that he is seeking out the ways and views of freemasonry.

Brunet, Lynn. "Hoamge to Freemasonry or Indictment? The Cremaster Cycle." Project Muse (2009): 98, 99, 107. Web. 28 Apr 2010.

Spirituality

I really enjoyed the readings this week. They were very interesting and very easy to read. I especially liked the chapter titled Spirituality in the Themes of Contemporary Art, Visual Art since 1980 book. The topic of Sublime really caught my interest because I was not completely sure what that term ment when it was used in talking about art. In the article on Spirituality, Burke states that, "the sublime was a powerful sensation felt by the viewer in the presence of the vast- a feeling that combines a sense of awe, horror and supreme aesthetic pleasure" (Robertson and McDaniel pg. 279). Burke goes on to mention that this word can also be used to describe some nature scenes or things that happen that look to be un explainable. I also found it very interesting how they explain sublime, reasoning, and understanding.

Another part of the Spiritual article that I found interesting was that people tried to get some artwork banned from being seen such as Piss Christ 1987. The article states that, " the "culture wars" that erupted after 1980, for example, included protests against exhibitions with artworks that some people regarded as sacrilegious or demeaning to their religious beliefs or sacred symbols" (Robertson and McDaniel pg. 280). I was not suprised that their was such dissapproval to this picture but it did suprise me that the museum would cover the piece if they won the case or gave some money. I believe that artwork should not be censored under any circumstances. We may get effended by what we see but that should not change our beliefs. Would we really stop producing an art piece if it had been offensive to another religion? I thnk not.

Robertson, Jean and Craig McDaniel. "Themes of Contemporary Art, Visual Art after 1980." New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. pgs. 279-280. Print.

Spirituality Endures

Spirituality is a part of humanity that can be seen in every culture and in every time period in some form or another. Humans have always sought answers to questions about their origin, purpose, and their place in the world. Spirituality is something that has been used to answer these questions. Certain Native American cultures explained the world in a cyclical way and put great importance on the spirituality of the natural world, European cultures adopted a biblical world-view and put much emphasis on the afterlife and obedience to an all-powerful God figure, and countless other cultures have adopted religions or spiritual world-views of their own. Because art is also something that permeates cultures all over the world and throughout history, it has been tied to spirituality countless times and in numerous forms. Robertson and McDaniel write, "Spiritual art has death addressed humanity's most profound needs and life's greatest mysteries; beliefs about moral codes that guide private and public behavior have all been explored in art" (278). Art has been used to explain or teach religious and spiritual concepts, adorn religious buildings, and inspire viewers emotionally.

In the many art history classes I have taken spirituality has been mentioned in every one. I have considered how prevalent it is in individual periods or movements, but I have just now realized how prevalent it is throughout all of art history. For instance, Byzantine and Northern Renaissance art was heavily religious. Religious art was often used didactically and as a way to scare people into obedience to God. In Northern Renaissance prayer books illustrations were used to explain biblical stories, which was helpful to the great number of illiterate individuals at the time. In Catholic churches beautiful golden and awe-inspiring artwork decorated the walls in order to foster feelings of religious ecstasy in the congregation, while paintings like Michelangelo's Last Judgement have been used to foster feelings of terror in relation to Hell and sinful acts. Later works became more spiritual rather than overtly religious. For example, the painting of the Hudson River School evoked the Sublime. Edmund Burke defines the Sublime: as Robertson and McDaniel write, "a feeling that combines a sense of awe, horror, and supreme aesthetic pleasure...When the concept was attached to nature, the sublime described an awed reaction to viewing mountain vistas, vast oceans, extraordinary thunderstorms, blizzards, magnificent sunsets, and the life" (279). Artist like Thomas Cole painted awesome scenes of nature meant to inspire the viewer spiritually. The sublime power of nature was captured in works like The Oxbow as a metaphor for the power of God. Spirituality has always been prevalent in art history. Though today many artists have strayed away from spiritual themes, many still investigate spirituality and religion through art. People have the same questions about their origins, the after-life, and the universe as their ancestors. For this reason, I do not think that spirituality is something that will ever disappear from the art world.

Ritual

In “Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment?: The Cremaster Cycle,” Lynn Brunet points out some of the complexities hidden in the heavy layers of historical and cultural references in Matthew Barney’s “Cremaster Cycle” and the sculptures involved with the project. Brunet wonders if the series of films and sculptures might be a “self-portrait depicting the multi-layered and confused associations experienced by an individual…who has undergone the extremes of initiatory processing now acknowledged in sociological contexts as ritual abuse” (111). She sees the scenes of ritual and torture (and the combination of the two) as a metaphoric expose of torture endured possibly by the artist or by initiates throughout history. Brunett points out that after consulting the artists gallery about the themes of Freemasonry, ritual, and torture, she received “an enthusiastic response that endorsed [her] interpretation of his work” (104).
A problem with Brunet’s incredibly specific claims is that they involve two very esoteric subjects – Freemasonry and “The Cremaster Cycle.” The former is a fraternity that makes heavy use of secret symbolism and the latter is a limited-release set of films that, even if they were viewed, are so loaded with surreal and metaphoric imagery that they seem indecipherable. For a reader that is only partially familiar with both, there is still an interesting discussion to be pulled from Brunet’s article concerning torture, or at least physical or mental distress and metaphor in ritual, especially initiation rituals, throughout culture. Brunet recalls a scene in “Cremaster 3” which references a Third Degree ritual in Freemasonry where “the corpse of Hiram Abiff is disinterred” (103). Brunet points out that some victims of ritual abuse endure “exposure to seeing or even handling corpses to make the children feel as if they are complicit in some terrible crime, even made to feel responsible for murder” (103). The point here is that through visual and physical cues, the victims are made to believe something that is not the case. Moreover, metaphorical forms of torture to some degree seem to be written into many initiation rituals of our culture. Just as the “pure” rituals of Freemasonry do not actually torture the initiate, though they metaphorically suggest it, participants in various kinds of baptisms or activities designed for one to prove his or her self might reenact a cleansing, catharsis, or other form of endurance that is meant to suggest something more serious than what is actually happening. Even the simple act of walking across a stage at a graduation – a motion that anyone can do at anytime – becomes imbued with the significance of a total transformation brought on by the previous few years. In this way, Barney’s work can be read as a visual lateralization of the underlying metaphors ritual itself.

Brunet, Lynn. “Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment: The Cremaster Cycle.” Project Muse. 98-112. elearning.ua.edu

Repressed Traumatic Memory?

Lynn Brunet’s “Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment? The Cremaster Cycle,” makes a correlation between the ritual practices of Freemasonry and Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle. Brunet also suggests that the films are a sort of catharsis for sexual abuse that may have occurred in Barney’s own childhood. Although I could not find any information validating or contradicting this idea, it seems a bit rash to jump to that conclusion. To support this theory Brunet uses Pierre Janet’s Trauma Theory and its notion of depersonalization and claims “In Barney’s work it could be argued that there are many examples of such depersonalization: blimps float, [and] aerial views look down on the scene below” (106). However, those things are not indicative of Barney’s own psyche, blimps do fly above sporting events and aerial views are common functions of films, they allow all aspects of the scene to be scene at once.
Another claim by Brunet is that “the artist’s obsessive use of Vaseline, a popular medium for penile lubrication, suggests that it could be a tactile reminder of a repressed traumatic memory” (107). Although this statement could be true, the use of Vaseline could have nothing to do with repressed childhood traumas experienced by the artist. Barney’s use of Vaseline could have some sort of sexual connotation and maybe he uses it also for its aesthetic properties, neither reason allude to any sexual trauma experienced by the artist personally. Although Barney could be trying to come to terms with his own childhood, The Cremaster Cycle could simply refer to maturation of any person and certain rights of passages experienced by everyone.

Spirituality

This week's readings were my favorite out of all the readings that we have done because I can really relate to them. I love to paint, and I pull inspiration from my Christian upbringing. I feel that through spirituality people are able to really express their inner selves. Robertson and McDaniel state that, "Spiritual art has addressed humanity's most profound needs and life's greatest mysteries; beliefs about death and an afterlife, the nature of the universe and humanity's place in it, and the moral codes that guide private and public behavir have all been explored in art" (Robertson, 278). I believe that spirituality plays a major role in defining who we are, even if some poeple choose atheism. I am well aware of when Christian iconography ruled the art scene during the Renaissance period, and after reading there readings I wanted to research an artist that was more contemporary. That is how I found Doreen Hardie.

Doreen Hardie creates oil paintings that meld together the Jamaican landscape with Christian ideals. She paints the beauty that God has set before her in the enviroment. She says that "while some people preach The Word and others write The Word, she paints The Word" (Art by Doreen). I believe this is such an awesome way to express your personal spirituality. I think that she can be considered a folk artist because her paintings are of the enviroment, and they are bold and bright. Robertson and McDaniel state that "historically in the United Stated, the most openly identified religious artists have tended to come from the margins of society or from the ranks of folk artists" (Robertson, 279). Doreen Hardie has done a wonderful job portraying her faith in her artwork and continues to paint the God's creations he has set before her.

Bibliography:
Robertson, Jean and Craig McDaniel. "Themes of Contemporary Art". New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2010. p 278-279.

"Art By Doreen": http://www.artbydoreen.com/aboutdoreen.html

Spirituality

Brunet's article takes a critical look into Matthew Barney's art film The Cremaster Cycle, focusing specifically on trauma from religious and sexual abuse. Brunet explains how artists are compelled to work through abuse by obsessively creating. "The artist, generally at first unaware of the cause, is driven by a sense of tension that nothing other than the creative act can seem to appease. But the void that trauma creates can never be filled, and the artist is driven ceaselessly to keep repeating himself" (Brunet,106). The lengthiness and imagery of Barney's The Cremaster Cycle, like repeated Vaseline usage, imply that Barney may have been a victim of sexual abuse. Barney's extensive art film may be an exploration of his own spiritual growth as he works through the trauma of painful religious and sexual experiences, rather than merely a enactment of the male reproductive cycle.

Brunet sees The Cremaster Cycle as a platform for understanding the evil dichotomy of people causing abuse and trauma under the guise of spiritual righteousness- specifically in Mormonism and Freemasonry. For example the religious ritual of "spinning," seen in Barney's film, is dually a method of child abuse or torture. Brunet hails Barney for the complexity in his art form and his understanding of the darker aspects of humanity. "The Cremaster Cycle could be a deep and convoluted struggle with a profound sense of trauma, even an aesthetically expressed accusation of a serious crime, enacted on a grand scale, which can tell us something about systems of control in the contemporary Western world"(Brunet,98).

What is the spiritual? Is it something external that we must let in? An untangible, subtle, prying from the ultimate good in the universe? Is it the pleading of a heart's deepest desires? Is the spirit something that must be cultivated and cared for? Is it the creative life energy within all that breathes? Is The Cremaster Cycle really a testament to Barney's tumultuous spiritual life or a bizarre and frivolous testament to the male reproductive cycle? All I know is that Barney may have made the film as means of dealing with trauma, but my experience in viewing the film was far from spiritual.

Brunet, Lynn. “Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment: The Cremaster Cycle.” Project Muse. 98-112. elearning.ua.edu

La Nona Ora- Spiritual

Spirituality is a difficult subject to talk about. It is never to be brought up at a dinner party or in a professional setting. However, in some way or another it is a part of everyone’s life. What one chooses to believe or not to believe in is their choice and is ultimately an aspect of their lives that defines them. I think that art is a mode of expression. The work of Italian artists Maurizio Cattelan, was classified in our book within the “Spirituality” section.

The work is titled La Nona Ora and consists of a “red- carpeted exhibition gallery, empty except for a life-size and lifelike sculpture of the pope lying on the floor, clutching the cross” (Robertson, and McDaniel 276). The Pope is trapped beneath a large meteor that appears to have just fallen from the sky. As a viewer you have a sensation that you are the first witness to the scene as you stand among shards of broken glass surrounding the Pope.

Cattelan’s installation causes me to question power and it’s source. What is religions place in this world? A world that could seemingly destroy human existence through one natural disaster. The vision Cattelan creates with the Pope under a rock is both troubling and comical. At first glance, the Pope is under a giant rock. I am not sacrilegious but for some reason that is kind of comical to me. However, then you realize that the Pope is an extremely powerful figure and his death throws the power structure of an entire denomination into complete chaos. Although I am not Catholic this image strikes me as terrifying. Consider if the installation showed our President beneath the meteor. I realize that then the piece would move out of the “spiritual” realm but the loss of power and sense of chaos would still be conveyed.


"La Nona Hora." Art Net. Web. 26 Apr 2010. .

Robertson, jean, and craig McDaniel. Themes of Contemporary Art. Second. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. 276-277. Print.

Surpassing the Sublime

In the chapter of Robertson and McDaniel's "Themes of Contemporary Art" concerning Spirituality, the concept of the Sublime is mentioned to play an important role in spiritual art in multiple time periods. In the 1700s, it was explored by Edmund Burke, whose idea of it is described by Robertson and McDaniel as "a feeling that combines a sense of awe, horror, and supreme aesthetic pleasure. The term the sublime began to be used for any experience that induced awe or terror, overwhelming the mind and senses... When the concept was attached to nature, the sublime described an awed reaction to viewing mountain vistas, vast oceans, extraordinary thunderstorms, blizzards, magnificent sunsets, and the like" (Robertson and McDaniel 279). We come to understand the sublime as this overwhelming emotional reaction to particularly striking natural phenomena, an encounter with nature so beautiful that it is as if you are seeing God through his construction of the world. It is no surprise, considering this, that the idea of the sublime experience helped shape thought in the American Transcendentalism of the nineteenth century, such as the idea of "nature... as closer to God than more civilized places" (Robertson and McDaniel 280).

Of course, if an experience like the sublime is believed in, then ambitious artists would take it upon themselves to try and master evoking such a powerful emotion with their work. "Some artists who were making completely abstract works were on a quest to see if art could inspire a transcendental state akin to the sublime feeling that nature could inspire. They hoped that viewers would experience a spiritual revelation or, at least, a deeply meditative feeling while gazing at abstract surfaces or forms" (Robertson and McDaniel 280). The sublime, we know, was deeply linked with impressive natural structures. Why, then, would artists not try to evoke it by depicting natural formations that were sure to evoke it. It is either an acknowledgement of an inability to effectively recreate the religiously overwhelming experience of viewing God's work as an artist's work or it is a desire to surpass God (or at least to equal him) by evoking as an artist what God can, but without his assistance or influence; the artist's hand equaling God's hand. This idea of an overwhelming spiritual experience without the presence of a divine deity is progressively optimistic. It is filled with ambition for a new order for the future without the return to the ancient ideas of God as the sole source of the divine. This ambition is much like, or simply is, the ambition to become Nietzsche's Overman, the new ideal being, this time human, that man is to strive towards becoming in the wake of the end of God's role in our world. For without belief in God, whose existence was the belief in otherworldly values, there is no belief in a meaning to life, and a new source of values must be instated, lest we return to animals. In this art, there is an idea of man at least being equal to God, and in that, God being unnecessary.

Robertson, Jean, and Craig McDaniel. Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2010. 272-309. Print.

Nicholas Schoffer’s sculpture CYSP, is an early example of the expanded notion of contemporary theory that is said to include “the organic, the inorganic, the material and the virtual.” (Fernandez 557) The sculpture, named after the first letters of cybernetics and spatiodynamic is one of the first sculptures to have and electronic brain which allowed for total autonomy of movement, which is able to travel in all directions at two speeds as well as axial and eccentric rotation due to its pivoting polychrome plates. The sculpture is also a contemporary piece of art that exemplifies the theory of active space and spaciodynism, which architect Grey Lynn characterizes by having “properties of flow, turbulence, viscosity and drag”(557).

Many artists, architects, theorists and mathematicians in the 1950s and 1960s used the advances in technology, communication, “information theory, cybernetics, general systems theory and artificial intelligence” in order to “link the natural sciences, the humanities, the social sciences and the arts” (561). The art generated from this technologically rich and affluent period focuses on the importance of process and procedure to define the art itself. Like Schoffer’s sculpture, the ideas behind body and mind, virtual and material, objectivity and reality of perception, the artist and the viewer, the viewer and the art are all called into question. No longer is the art the central importance but instead the concept, the environment and the process is the defining importance behind the piece of work.

Fernandez, Maria. “Life-like”: Historicizing Process and Responsiveness in Digital Art. 557-581. elearning.

New Media

Lev Manovich asks “why does new media favor the database form over others?” (408). Manovich then goes on to discuss the ideas of new media as a form of art. He brought to my attention things that I had not before considered to be a form of “fine” art, but more of graphic arts, such as Web design and computer games. He discusses the skill and the creativity that goes into planning and executing both programs. This description of the process allowed me to see the creator as an artist instead of a designer.

Manovich also discusses the creation of Web pages and how they are a work that is constantly being changed. He believes that databases do not tell stories. With Web pages there are constantly new things being added to the site, he says that “if new elements are being added over time, the result is a collection, not a story” (410). However, I feel that differently. This collection can make up a story, the story of that particular site. It doesn’t have to all run together to form one complete coherent story, but the collection, as a whole, is what makes up the website. That is its (the Web pages) history, and a history tells a story.

Manovich, Lev. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. Ed. Zoya Kocur and Simon Leung. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. 408-27. Print.

Lev Manovich starts his essay by stating “new media objects” “are collections of individual items, with every item possessing the same significance of any other” ( Kocur, Leung, 408). He then goes on to discuss CD-ROMs and the lack of a true narrative within a biographical CD-ROM. So instead of sitting down, reading a biography, and truly educating ourselves, we are using this new form of media that is lazily simple and contains no formal quality of a narrative. Throughout the first three chapters Manovich presents the question of whether or not a narrative is equivalent to a database in the computer culture.

Manovich believes narratives and databases are ultimately “natural enemies” (Kocur, Leung, 413). If he believes this based on the opinion that a user navigating their way through a game or virtual museum is in no way a narrative, I wonder what he would think about the Kindle. This came to mind because the Kindle is a database type system, but of books. Because of the Kindle would Manovich change his opinion about narratives and databases relating in the computer world? Although a user is navigating their way through the database of the Kindle, they are doing so to find the desired book. This book may be a narrative. Although the actual act of navigation would not be considered a narrative, I think it would be hard for Manovich to claim a lack of relationship between the two. But then again his opinion may hold because he states in the “Database and Narrative” chapter, “a database can support narrative, but there is nothing in the logic of the medium itself that would foster its generation” (Kocur, Leung, 415). So in this sense maybe he would still simply claim that the two are “enemies”, but narrative allows the support of a database, which is essentially what the Kindle is.

Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. Print.

Digital

The rapid advancement of technology has done wonders for the way people can view and create art. Once upon a time, when people wanted to see a specific piece of art, let's say for example da Vinci's Mona Lisa, they would have had to travel to the Louvre. With the numerous databases available online, digital copies of the Mona Lisa are available at your fingertips along with anything else having to do with the painting. Art Databases- "a structured collection of data" (408)- have made art more widely available to the masses. For students studying art, this is a fantastic thing. Museums are not only physical places housing art, but they are also found online. Of course there are books available in the library with prints of the work -often in black and white or they have yellowed or deteriorated because of age- but you cannot expand your view of the images on the page. Using site such as Artstor.com, you can zoom close up [to Mona Lisa's face] (Artstor.com) to see details that would otherwise go unnoticed from an image in a book.

Anyone can easily manipulate their photographs using programs like Photoshop- copy and paste images together making a collage, remove red-eye in a group shot, change colors, get really creative with the possibilities. Movies can be produced entirely on a computer, very few animated films are hand-drawn now because of the time and expense for creating them. House plans, 3-D compositions, video games, and many other things can be produced quickly and easily because of art going digital.

Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. 1st ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2005. 408-427. Print.

Artstor.com

This week's reading investigated the recent innovations of digital technologies and how they interact with our culture and art. Although Lee Manovich's article The Database seems very dated, the ideas presented provided a fresh way for me to understand the relationships present in digital media and art. I found the comparison of digital image construction and language construction to be interesting: "In fact, it can be compared to construction a sentence by choosing each successive word from a paradigm of other possible words, a new media user creates a sequence of screens by clicking on this or that icon at each screen."(418). Its easy to see digital art as a very inhuman process, but Manovich points out that there is still an interaction present.

Secondly, Manovich relates this comparison to language to the invention of cinema. Manovich states "Why does new media insist on this language-like sequencing? My hypothesis is that they follow the dominant semiological order of the twentieth century - that of the cinema." (418) To me, this seems like a valid idea. Manovich explains this relation by pointing out how drastically cinema redefined narrative by present a sequence of images similar to the sequence of images used in digital art(418). I found that these comparisons within the article helped me to understand the relation of digital art to previous art forms, and how it is merely a new step in a continuing progression. I am normally somewhat appalled by computer generated images, but perhaps this stems from a lack of understanding of how it began. Since I have lived my entire life in a completely digitally manipulated culture, and being bombarded daily with kitschy computer based effects, I have lost an appreciation for computer based images to be an art form. Manovich's article presented ideas that I would not have considered and perhaps helped me take digital art more seriously.

Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. 1st ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2005. 409-410. Print.

Database and Narratives in Contemporary Art

Before I begin lets define each term. According to my text, “a database is defined as a structured collection of data”, so in other words, to me, it is a collection of information but there is some structure to it. (pg 408). A narrative is a telling of some true or fictitious event or connected sequence of events, recounted by a narrator. How do these terms relate to each other? And, how do these terms relate to contemporary art?
“As a cultural form, the database represents the world as a list of items, and it refuses to order this list. In contrast, a narrative creates a cause-and-effect trajectory of seemingly unordered items (events)”, which means to me, a database is just a list, a collection, of information and a narrative is an event which leads to some other event. So maybe the relation is that the collection of information is represented by an event, which, in turn, leads to another event. (pg 413). So how do I apply this to contemporary art? George Legrady is a good example of the combination of the two. Legrady’s images are a collection of data and the images are structured and organized in such a way that they create multiple themes, according to Kocur and Leung (pg 410). I believe databases and narratives go hand in hand with each other. I think it would be impossible to separate the two. Because one needs a list of data or information to be able to develop and create themes or events, without the data there would be no narrative.

Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. 1st ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2005. Print.

Art Hitting the Senses.

As I was reading Maria Fernandez’s "'Life-like": Historizing Process and Responsiveness in Digital Art, I was reminded of a trip to Chicago last summer. I had the pleasure of seeing, or rather experiencing an Olafur Eliasson exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Fernandez relates technology with art, and what struck me as interesting was that she related technology with the senses. She mentions artists using aural components as well as light functions.

The Eliasson exhibit I was subjected to was called “Take Your Time.” There were many interactive works of art that stimulated, and disrupted, my senses. For instance, the entrance hallway was installed with monochromatic bulbs, causing all colors, with the exception of orange and black, to disappear. “… Ascott decribed an art in which process was more important than results, an art characterized by formal ambiguity and instability as well as by the active participation of artist and spectator in the act of creation. Ascott recognized that modern art was no longer purely visual, thus he proposed the term ‘behavioral art’ to refer to work that employes tactile, postural, aural components” (Fernandez 562). As soon as I read this, I recalled a specific room within the “Take Your Time” exhibit: The Moss Room. It was one room in which one wall was entirely covered with moss. I could see, touch, and smell it. I was engaged with his art.

Fernandez, Maria. “Life-like”: Historicizing Process and Responsiveness in Digital Art. 557-581. elearning.

Kinetic, Process, and Digital Art

In “‘Life-like: Historicizing Process and Responsiveness in Digital Art,” Maria Fernandez seeks to “discern commonalities while acknowledging differences among diverse works” of art, specifically “kinetic, conceptual, and/or electronic art” (559). She explains that these approaches, driven by computer technology in recent decades, are concerned with art that is no longer “conceived as static autonomous entities but as evolving processes that unfold in relation to both the user and the environment.” (558). She gives many examples of art such as “CYSP I” by Nicholas Schoffer, which “exemplified the cybernetic principles of input, output, and feedback” by moving as a reaction to “variations in color, light, and sound intensity in its environment” (562). She also brings up the writings of Roy Ascott, in which he promotes “an art in which process was more important than results, an art characterized by formal ambiguity and instability as well as by the active participation of artist and spectator in the act of creation” (562).
Such writings are understandable as reactions to earlier, idealistic beliefs regarding Modernist art. These earlier philosophies held the idea of “art as object, as well as of the artist’s mastery and control of materials engrained in traditional conceptions of artistic practice” (558). However, while these later artists try to merge art with the surrounding world, they would be mistaken to suggest that earlier art was not affected by “both the user and the environment” or both the “artist and the spectator in the act of creation.” Art has never occurred in a vacuum where it was safe from social, economic, technological and other environmental forces. As discussed in an earlier section of the class, even Richard Serra’s “Tilted Arc,” which could be understood as a High Modernist piece, was more, and is still more, than just a large piece of metal in a public plaza. Kinetic, conceptual, and electronic artists merely make those themes the explicit subjects of their projects by making “process” a visible part of the finished product or viewer’s experience. In a way, pieces like Hans Haacke’s “Condensation Cube” which displays the “condensation cycle, stressing the relation of the object with its environment” (565) might weaken their effect by being so apparently specific. Like Serra’s wall, the story of “Condensation Cube” involves more than just water evaporating and condensing in a box, but also economic forces, the gallery system, and audience reaction among other factors.

Fernandez, Maria. “Life-like”: Historicizing Process and Responsiveness in Digital Art. 557-581. elearning.

Technology in Art

Technology is very powerful. It continues to significantly affect society each and every day. Many positive and negative things come out of the use of technology. In definition technology is the usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, and crafts or the system of these. It is the branch of knowledge of a discipline. Technology plays an important role in art especially. In the article "Life-Like" by Maria Fernandez, perspectives can be made concerning art and technology. For example Fernandez states "works of art should no longer be conceived as static autonomous entities but as evolving processes that unfold in relation to both the user and the environment" (558). I tend to perceive art as just that. Art is the process of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses. It is always evolving into something new and different. I believe art to be incredibly innovative, regardless of what type it is. Technology is similar to art in that it is constantly evolving.

Brian Massumi, a social theorist, shares ideas with Fernandez. Massumi's work focuses on perception, affect and the virtual. Massumi and de Landa "call for the development of a process-oriented art where the artist is the initiator of a process but is not in control of its outcome. This entails jettisoning ideas of art as object, as well as of the artist mastery and control of materials engrained in traditional conceptions of artistic practice" (Ferandez, 558). Massumi is an advocate for the emphasis of art being on the process first.

The article goes on to explain how artists have adopted techniques of artifical life into their work. "Works exhibit self-organization, evolution, and various forms of agency and interaction" (Fernandez). This is an essential part of contemporary art. Technology plays an important role in the development of contemporary art. It enables art to evolve into the future.

Art Databases

Internet databases have helped the art world in numerous ways. Websites such as ARTstor and Olga’s Gallery allow art enthusiasts across the globe to view famous works with the click of a mouse. Audiences do not have to rely on exhibits and galleries to view their favorite artists’ artwork anymore. The genteel pastime of traveling to large cities to visit museums and admire famous masterpieces has been matched by these extensive art databases. Art lovers from all walks of life and economic backgrounds are granted access to millions of paintings and sculptures for free. On ARTstor, the picture quality is so sharp that you can see cracks in the paintings and small areas that have been restored. These details might go unnoticed by many gallery visitors.

Often times, databases offer more information than museums concerning the art and artists. Unlike museums which are restricted by their amount of interior space, there is no limit to the size of these databases. These “websites never have to be complete…they always grow” (Kocur and Leung 410). Museums, unlike databases, cannot display 100 new paintings a day. Extensive biographical information about the artists and symbolic references are often available through database links, and there are search features that make browsing fast and more specific. One may search “chronologically, by country, or by artist” (Kocur and Leung 409). Museum visitors' viewing sequence is at the mercy of the curator. If one is unsatisfied with the computer screen resolution, then most databases also tell you where to find the actual piece. The possibilities are endless, and the art field is only one small group benefiting from these sophisticated databases.

Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. 1st ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2005. 409-410. Print.

Narrative and Database

In the essay “The Database,” Lev Manovich asserts that “database and narrative are natural enemies.”(Kocur and Leung 413) However, he seems to ignore the fact that these two modes of communication often serve two very different functions. The predominant example given for a narrative is the novel, while the example for a database is an encyclopedia. A novel and an encyclopedia are used for different means and so are database and narrative. A narrative is used for entertainment but the database is ideal for efficient retrieval of information. It seems silly to claim the two enemies while they are not even playing in the same arena.
Manovich then goes on to claim that these two modes should be used together. “Although the database and narrative are “competing imaginations,” the current task of new media is to find ways for the successful melding of the two.” (Kocur and Leung 349) Manovich shows examples of this “successful melding” by referencing avant-garde filmmakers such as Dziga Vertov and Peter Greenaway. A primary role of cinema is to entertain and offer an escape for the viewer, the most effective way of which involves some sort of narrative, but why is narrative alone not enough? Vertov’s The Man with a Movie Camera (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00ZciIC4JPw ) does successfully meld database and narrative—although lacking a plot—the film is not very entertaining and does not serve the same function as traditional cinema. It seems reasonable that database and narrative could exist independently.

Manovich, Lev. “The Database.” Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. ed. Zoya Kocur and Simon Leung. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. 408-427.

Jeff Wall

Technology is something that is becoming more and more advanced as we go through the years. Many artists use technology to produce art in a new kind of way that can be visually tricky. Maria Fernandez states in "Life-Like" that, "In the contemporary context, process-oriented art is facilitated by computer technology. The computer enables instantaneous communication, the creation and proliferation of images, creatures and enviroments, and permits the acceleration of processes such as development, reproduction, and death of synthetic life forms" (Fernandez, 558). Digital art can be many different things from algorithmic art, video art, or music, and "contrary to the widespread assumption that the history of digital art is short and simple because it is relatively recent, the history of digital art is vast and multidisciplinary" (Fernandez, 559). Digital media has a way of tricking the viewer into believing that what he or she is seeing is actual reality. Jeff Wall is a photographer who uses the technique of photo manipulation to force the viewer to rethink what reality means.

Jeff Wall's "photographs are complicated productions involving cast, sets, crews and digital postproduction" (Wikipedia). In his photo manipulation, the artist photographs a subject, inputs the information into a computer, and then manipulates the picture to produce a favorable outcome. Jeff Wall sets up fake scenes and photographs them in sections. After that, he takes each section and fuses them together digitally, creating a larger believable picture. In doing so, he also made the viewer question his or her views of what reality is. We assume that a photograph is depicting reality, and when we realize that hat we see is not reality, we are shocked. Digital art forces the viewer to rethink reality, and Jeff Wall is successful in doing that with his digitally manipulated photographs.

Bibliography:
Fernandez, Maria. '"Life-Like': Historicizing Process and Responsiveness in Digital Art"'. eLearning. p. 558-559.

Wikipedia. "Jeff Wall". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Wall. retrieved April 20, 2010.

In "The Database," Lev Manovich begins his exploration of the role of the database and the way it has affected our culture: "After the novel, and subsequently cinema, privileged narrative as the key form of cultural expression of the modern age, the computer age introduces its correlate - the database" (Manovich 408). To begin with, the computer age did not produce the database, as he uses the word for the majority of his exploration; only in the programmer's jargon. As far back as my mind can take me right now, I would say that the first obvious database, as described by Manovich as "collections of items on which the user can perform various operations - view, navigate, search" (Manovich 409), was the library: A massive collection of information that is collected in the most efficient form possible at the time of its conception, books. These are carefully organized according to topic in a seeming attempt to create a seamless transition between subjects, but there is truly no order that the "user" of the library is expected to take. The organization of the books is simply to help the user navigating the library in his search for the material he wishes to view. The same goes for an encyclopaedia, a museum, a supermarket, or even an all-you-can-eat buffet; all are databases based on his own description of them. It is not the digitization of these experiences that qualifies them as databases. The only changes that occur through such an action are the replacement of the elements of the sensory experience with those of computer use and the no longer site-specific accessibility of the new experience. The main difference between these and the internet is simply the infinite vastness of it, all being accessible from the same point, a search engine.

I think one of the problems in Manovich's ideas is that he doesn't quite understand the role of the database concerning the narrative. The distinction is not one of opposing ideas, but is one of a container and the properties held within. This is evident in the fact that he doesn't seem to demonstrate, in the text, an understanding of the distinction between a web page and a web site. A web site and a web page can be the one in the same, if it is a simple and straightforward site, but in most cases, a site will be composed of several web pages that link to each other and contain information relevant to each other. The site has no specific order, and its total information is fragmented among its pages, but each page presents its own content in a more straightforward and linear fashion. The site is a collection of pages, a database of them. Manovich introduces the idea of a web page being edited, but this really only helps elevate the simple page to the status of the narrative, which is strictly defined by Mieke Bal as follows: "It should contain both an actor and a narrator; it also should contain three distinct levels consisting of the text, the story, and the fabula; and its 'contents' should be ' a series of connected events caused or experienced by actors'" (Manovich 414). The page itself becomes the actor, the narrator is the editor, and the events experienced are the changes to the site. In most cases in which a narrative, such a storybook, is come across to be experienced or absorbed by an audience, it is found within a database, such as a library, and perhaps it always has been as such. The proper distinction would be that a narrative is always located within a database, but something within a database is not always a narrative.

Manovich, Lev. “The Database.” Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. Ed. Zoya Kocur and Simon Leung. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. 408-427.

MOCA- Digital Art

After reading this weeks assignments I could not decide what I wanted to write about. I was researching some artists whose work deals with computers. I came across the Museum of Computer Art’s website and was intrigued. The MOCA “is first and foremost an online museum but it is also a physical gallery located in Brooklyn NY” (Archer).
According to the Museum’s website the web page is “one of the one of the most heavily-trafficked, comprehensive, frequently-updated and respected computer art museums on the Web” (Archer). The MOCA has several galleries for it’s viewers to explore including : Photo-based, Drawn/ Painted, 3d Rendered, Surreal, Algorithmic/ Fractal and New Media/ Video. The Museum of Computer Art was established in 1993 by two computer artists. The goal of Don Archer and Bob Doson was to “promote digital art in its various forms and manifestations” (Archer).

The image above is the product of the artist, Richard Canington. His art is created by “mostly algorithmic or mathematical processes” (Canington). Canington went to “Florida State University and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and has a degree in graphic design” (Canington). Canington said, "I create my works to be seen and understood from any distance. They change as you move nearer. Dumb from a distance, they get smarter and more complex as you are drawn closer. You are seduced.” Richard Canington’s opinion on Great Art was included in his artist statement. He said “Great art, and by that I mean really great art, always says the least, to the most, for the longest. Ideally, it would say nothing, to everyone, forever. And that's what drives me. (Canington)”

I am extremely glad to know this The Museum of Computer Art exists. I am a studio Art major but have never been exposed to any form of graphic design. Before today’s reading I had never even heard of incorporating Algorithms into art. The MOCA is a great website to learn about digital art and the artists who produce it.

Archer, Don. "Introducing Ourselves." MOCA- Museum of Computer Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr 2010. .

Canington, Richard. "Guest Gallery Richard Canington." MOCA- Museum of Computer Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr 2010. .

The ideas present in John Rajchman's essay The Lightness of Theory were somewhat refreshing. I constantly find myself thinking in the back of my bad whilst looking at modern art or reading about it "Where can we go from here?". The art world seems so overstuffed with intense theory, money, and pretension that it seems like a tangible innovation is impossible. Rajchman points out that even understanding of previous theories have become blurred: "In fact, post-modernism is receding from us to the point where one may well wonder what it once was."(Kocur 388).  Looking at previous art movements, the progressions seemed natural. How much more offensive can abject art be after G.G. Allin? How much more abstract can art be after Barnett Newman's color field paintings? How can theory advance anymore to allow for change? 

Its rather overwhelming to consider producing ideas that stretch boundaries when theory has nearly maxed out every aspect of art. I think Rajchman's essay offers a much needed plea for art to break these confines and find a new direction for itself: "Time has come to reinvent theory...In the first place, we can afford to introduce a little uncertainty, a little lightness about ourselves or our 'identities'." (Kocur 393).  Considering the date of publication for this article, that plea may have been answered. Personally, my knowledge of contemporary is indeed limited, so I honestly can't say for sure whether contemporary art and theory has unburdened itself. It probably hasn't. 

Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. Print.

Rethinking Theory

John Rajchman writes on Postmodern theory in "The Lightness Theory." In the article, he calls for a re-evaluation of theory. According to Rajchman, "it was as though a great sense of irreality descended upon us which extended into the realm of theory" (390). When the artist was declared dead, original thought was no more, and nothing was real or true it brought a sense of depressive passivity to society and theory. This brought about a search for something real in art.

Rajchman terms this desire for the real "dirty realism" and writes, "We again see a concern with 'abject' bodily functions, a need to expose what is intolerable in our society and our relations with ourselves and one another, a desire to speak again of the 'real' causes and movements" (392). The materialism of the decades infiltrated with postmodern theory brought out a great need to make a connection with something "real." This is why, according to Rajchman, we must "stop theorizing and start experimenting" (393). If we bring a lightness to this experimentation we can bring theory back to life. A fresh perspective on theory awakens art from the bored, hopeless, and passive irreality that resulted from over-theorizing.
(John Rajchman, "The Lightness Theory" Kocur and Leung, 388-394)

Post-Modernism and Virginia Woolf

Post-Modernism and the idea of nothing being new, essentially the death of new ideas, made me think of a comparison written by Virginia Woolf in her essay, “A Room of One’s Own”. The narrator in Woolf’s essay expresses her opinion on the thought that no contemporary can write or come to par with writers like Rossetti and Tennyson. She basically states that this idea is “absurd”. The only reason we feel this way is because we are able to connect with historical poetry, due to its quality of making us celebrate a “feeling that one used to have” (Stallworthy, Ramazani, 2098). She also states that the reason we are unable to appreciate contemporary poetry is because we are unsure of its meaning. This then makes me think that possibly the reason why “original” ideas are non-existent is because we can’t look past the concept that everything “great” has already been done. Rajchman says, “There was the notion that nothing new can happen, and that we must content ourselves with more or less “ironical” recombinations, juxtapositions, quotations of what has been” (Kocur, Leung, 390). So not only did this “notion” take its place in art, but also in literature.

Another point that connected with Woolf’s essay was the statement Rajchman made about the death of moving “thought”. Rajchman says, “Post-Modern theory became so heavy that it lost even the desire to look for those real points that allow thought to move and recreate itself” (Kocur, Leung, 390). Woolf believed in a theory named, “Stream of Consciousness”, which is simply a psychological theory stating how one thought moves or leads to the other. I think Woolf would have been extremely opposed to the idea that thoughts were unmoving because of the lack of seeking truth. Throughout her essay she makes an analogy between fishing and searching for thoughts. She used the technique of finding a thought, however if it were not good enough, she would toss it back, like a fish, and then proceed to find a better more developed thought.

I think that if we look past our first idea, which will most likely come easily and from outer sources, we could create something “original”. However, that would also take being comfortable with the unfamiliar, and believing that with time a connection can form with the “new” as it does the old.

Kocur, Zoya, and Simon Leung. Theory in Contemporary Art since 1985. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. Print.

Stallworthy, Jon, and Jahan Ramazani. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York, London: W.W. Norton and Company, 2006. Print.