Body and Identity

 BODY AND IDENTITY NOTES 

 

Yinka Shonibare is an artist from Nigeria who studied at Goldsmiths. His work looks at identity connecting to dots of history, philosophy, politics, and art seeing the layers and the connections When looking at the works of Yinka Shonibare he looks at identity through 

the use of his materials. For example, the fabric that people often call African fabric.

The association often carries identity over history so his work plays on the

identity and origins of stories, history, and  philosophy 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Blow Up Two Heads at Once (Ladies),” a 2006 work by Yinka Shonibare 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jenny Saville .

 When looking at her work it is clear that there is a freedom of expression and a confidence in the presentation and choices of the subjects within her work . She is an artist who loves to play with human forms being displayed in various poses .The human forms often included herself. There is a joy, a playfulness, in her approach and although the subjects may not be stereotypical and beautiful she creates a distorted beauty within these paintings taking the ordinary in to the extraordinary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jenny Saville, The Mothers, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jenny Saville, Stanza, 2020-22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DANIEL JOHNSTON is an artist who wears his heart on his sleeve in his work, sharing his vulnerability, particularly the sad parts which some of us would shy away from . There is a childlike and autobiographical element to his work. 

With this kind of work I take the idea of exposing my own vulnerability in my work and not be over critical of my work and art. This is something I struggle with but when I see artists like Daniel Johnston it inspires me to show my own identity through my work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel Johnston’s “Pain and Pleasure” (2001

 

   Daniel Johnston’s My Nightmares” (1980)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photography in art

 Photography in art  

When Photography was invented the world was still engrossed in the portrait as a painting. It was ground-breaking as, from this moment, it enabled us to see things true to life, captured in that moment. It challenged the view of the skilled painter-sculptor, to the subject itself being seen in a true light. Giving birth to a new way of seeing, it could be said that it enables the painter to stand still beside a subject being the model, allowing you to see something true to life that you could capture. 

It came alongside traditional art landscape painting, sculpture and portraits and changed the way we see real life, capturing a moment with such accuracy. The time scale for portraiture had been narrowed by the photographer although they are different. Photography would have been an impressive moment to really see, you would have seen a mirror reflection .

Recently, I watched a documentary on Vivian Meier. Her photography was discovered locked away in boxes and she was not known as a famous photographer until after her death. 

When looking at her black and white photography she had a way of making the everyday look extraordinary making you curious about the world at that time and her life through her self-portraits. This kind of photography interests me. To see into worlds and not alarm anybody but to capture ordinary moments. This is a skill I would like to develop. However, at the moment I feel a bit self conscious with my camera .

 

 I have always liked the photography work by Steve McCurry with his famous image of 

‘Afghan Girl’. His photographs are often taken in countries such as Afghanistan and India, taking the ordinary into the extraordinary but with lots of use of colour. He works often with non-Western cultures but he shares these with other cultures and the western world. His portraits are not staged and he does not put the narrative of the culture but he allows the photo to tell its own story, showing the vulnerability and the truth.

 

These artists are both American, however, Vivian has embraced her own environment whereas Steve McCurry has gone to other cultures and recorded the unfamiliar. This has allowed him to stand back more as it is a different world. For me, this makes me want to take the opportunities offered to step into the unknown and record the experience, capturing the ordinary in an unusual place for me.

 

 

        

 Title Afghan girl 1984 Steve McCurry   

 

Bicycles on train West Bengal, India, 1983 by Steve McCurry 

Work of Vivian Maier (Untiled)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work of Vivian Maier  (Untilted )

Religion and Art

 Religion & Art  

 

When looking at religion and art, I have decided to engage with the changes in its representation through different periods of time.

 Religion was seen as primarily spiritual but also as a visual representation of the ideas and emotions. To own pieces of art connected to religion was seen as linked to high status. 

 During the Renaissance art began to show authenticity and to investigate the human experience to deliver, some might say, truth and more recently artists began to take it further into a space that is more of the present attitude to rebel against religion. 

 For this I will primarily use three art pieces.

When looking at art in Christianity these images would tell stories that reflect the times expressed through use of colours and the spaces that these works are placed. Religious art was not just about art it was about wealth and status and showing that through colours such as lapis lazuli which was more expensive than gold and ultra-marine. It came from Afghanistan and you would have ground it down .Blue was a high status colour and inlaid with gold it represents heaven and the divine . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Italian artist Giotto was  the artist that  that did breath taking beautiful art that was placed in Scrovegni Chapel. This scene used two of  the expensive paints Ultra marine blue that at the time was more expensive than gold. Building such a place  showed status and wealth but this also showed your respect for god in painting him in such a magnificent way. You would go into this space and be in a state of surrender as a place of peace, respect and ceremony . 

 

 

 

 

The Last Judgment Giotto 1306

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When looking at the birth of Venus there is purity an innocence 

displayed. The water and the sky represents a closeness to god which some may say is heavenly, as she stands on a shell.  The lady is attempting to cover up her body.  There are also two angels on her left hand side and I think they are with her meaning they support her with flowers, floating down  her side  I  do not see anything from them that says to stop the display. She covers her private place with her hair although at the same time she stands there without a care. It is Clear there are outer forces disturbed by this display of flesh 

 

 

 

 

When looking at  Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus. 1485, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gilbert and George  Shitty 

 

 Looking at this end of symbolism within religion and art its non- sacred although  it is created in an harmonious kind of way. The blue is different from the traditional marina blue as it resembles the blue that came from the gas chambers in concentration camps in Germany. The cross is made of poop and naked images of them both. This deviates from the sacred and the display of beauty inside the chapel where GIOTTO painted those 37 scenes in relation to Christ. This  was made to shock, to provoke awful  feelings. Using shit in any image would have you turn your tummy but to place within this images gives a a strong statement