I’m aware, but too often unwilling to act. I see pain but am slow to give comfort without first being prompted. I find my very existence to be a conundrum. I am flawed, I am self-aware and self-deprecating, I am everything that Americans are criticised for being. And yet, I still hope. I hope that I can be redeemed. That if I cannot offer aid to those who need it most, then perhaps I can do small things and thereby do my part. I hope one day to teach, to influence my students to care about those around them, to recognize the basic human similarities that we all share but which divide us so completely from one another.

Once I thought that I was the only creature alive. No one else was aware, or saw what was a around them, or even conscious of the repercussions of their acts. I think it is possible for a person to live in the moment, from interaction to interaction with other peoples and with their surroundings, to consciously grasp what it means to be aware. We put great weight on responsibility when we are not completely disregarding everyone around us. We value family above all, even if we are too busy alienating ourselves from one another to remember it.

I recently stumbled across a composition that made me very conscious. The Persuit of Perfection:

Yes, it was featured in a commercial for Lexus, yet another aspect of our consumerism but somehow this struck beyond something as simple as an advertisement.

I was reminded of everything that I dreamed of as a child. Those simplistic and naive dreams of flying, of lending a helping hand, of reaching out and touching someone or something and simply connecting.

I’ve lost a lot of my innocence as I’ve travelled through a poor highschool system and the troublesome qualms of college. As I prepare to enter grad school, I know that I will not change the world. Not on my own. I won’t make an impact on a global scale, but I can do my best to make sure the future generations know that they may be individuals and completely lost in the world, but they are not alone.

We are so trapped in our simple worldviews that it is sometimes difficult to remember that we are one species, united not only by our genome but by our understanding of the world through a cultural perspective that is imbued with mysticism, community, and a longing for something more.

I have to say that I absolutely love my job. I have never seen an ounce of gold nor have I been to the jungle (yet) but I do love digging in the dirt (whether I recover anything or not). And for a secret bit of archaeological insight, you don’t find artifacts, you recover them. In order to ‘ find’ something, it had to have been lost.

Most artifacts recovered in my line of work are nails. I have currently cataloged well over three hundred nails from a site that I worked at for a mere three days this summer. If you love nails, you might consider archaeology as a career path. They are measured from head to tip and the length of their shank indicates their pennyweight or the amount that was paid per nail. They were sold in bulk prior to the current sell-by-number mode and the average weight was used to determine about how much would be paid.

But enough of that. Data is only so interesting to the passerby.

You want dirt?

I had plenty of that this summer.

Our first forays into the area that we were looking at were fairly uneventful. We began with foot surveys and then, once we’d figured out the scope of the area we were going to try and excavate, we started to bring in our gear by mule. Not old fashion mules mind you, but fourwheelers designed to carry up to four people plus gear. Trust me, that’s all the mule you want to deal with. Sites have their own problems.

Just so you have an idea of what kind of things we drag up bear infested mountains and through woods swarming with mosquitoes…

Right, and that doesn’t include the buckets, the actionpackers, the paperwork, or the copious amounts of dope (for the bugs) that we hauled. Where the mules couldn’t go, we carried it by hand.

The glory is for those of us who revel in hard work and getting our hands deep into soil that hasn’t been touched in thousands of years. There’s danger, sure, if you’re out in the middle of nowhere which, in Alaska, there’s a fairly good chance you will be. But if cautionary steps are taken, the danger is avoidable. Bears are easily scared by loud noise, most moose are fairly easily spooked, and caribou (while fairly unintelligent creatures) are pretty easily convinced to vacate the area.

Sites aren’t always easily identifiable. For instance, this:

Doesn’t really look like a site does it? Well it’s not actually, but it could be… The fact of the matter is that determining whether there’s a site here would involve test pits, local tales, or aerial photographs along with good old fashioned ground surveying.  I’m just making a point, I suppose, that not all sites look like Machu Picchu. Sometimes the hints are a lot more subtle.

So my first excavation of the summer was a burned cabin from the early forties that was associated with early Alaskan mining. You might wonder why archaeologists were involved. Or maybe not. We were asked to do the work both as a teaching tool for high school students (through the Alaska Summer Research Academy) and for one of the archaeological databases that most states maintain through various land programs. The National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management are the major two. Our purpose was to primarily not for recovery but to determine the state of the site itself. The site was comprised of several cabins, some of which were still standing and others of which were only foundation impressions covered in chin high fireweed.

As you might imagine we didn’t have to dig very deep to hit rock bottom (so to speak). The majority of the data lay within the top 15cm of soil.

This was one of the more interesting shots, where on the right you can see some of the burned planks that may have made up a small porch. Generally, the pits varied depending on what area of the cabin we were in. Window glass, roofing nails, and bottle glass were among the more popular recoveries while others hit pay dirt with a hatchet (sans shaft), a pennyweight for measuring gold, a bit of beadwork that was melted together beautifully or a key that one can only assume was for a chest, the only remains of which were a few hinges and a handful of zippers and buttons.

For the most part, this is a decent representation of what we gathered:

I was overwhelmed with the number of nails that I would be required to measure and catalog. There’s a lot you can tell about a nail. Has it been used or is it straight at the head and along the shank? Was it bent and used as a hook? What kind of nail is it? Roofing, finishing? Was it hand cut, machine cut? Is it wire? Goodness, there’s just so much to know. People write academic papers on such things as few people even think about when they apply hammer to nail. I have certainly never thought about who would come after me to dig up all the remnants of my short existence, but one day they might and who knows what they’ll find out about me.

For my second excursion of the summer, I and a coworker of mine were flown up into the Brooks Range to relocate sites that were mapped out in the seventies. Needless to say, they didn’t have GPS units and their mapping techniques don’t always match up to ours. The topographic maps of the time were accurate enough as were their triangulations, however, when transferring these to satellite imagery our GPS often times told us that we had just walked across a lake or over a mountain. Due to this, we were as much trying to locate a site as we were any specific site.

But with scenery as gorgeous as this:

We didn’t mind walking around too much. Just for the record though, that haze isn’t mist or fog, it’s smoke. Interior Alaska gets it every summer from the mass of forest fires we get. It delayed a lot of flights this summer and cut a quite a few trips short.

Much of what we did was survey, we didn’t dig test pits (we didn’t need to because it was primarily on the surface) or collect any artifacts, this was merely a search and report excursion. We wanted to know how accurate the data from thirty-some-odd years ago was and if there was anything that they might have missed. All those flags were to help locate where artifact scatters were which might lead us to conclude that we had in fact found our site. We would then record anything we saw (what kind of artifact, what the vegetation looked like, was the ground disturbed by animals, etc) , take photographs of the area for relocation purposes, and input our data into the GPS.  What we found stayed where it was and we moved on to the next site.

Sometimes it’s easy and sites find you.

The ‘rock’ in the foreground is a simple Inuksuq which were used to indicate areas of plenty for hunting or in this case caribou. One close encounter led to my coworker growing antlers and a very confused yearling. He ran off once he decided that we were too weird to be his relatives.

That giant black ridge in the background is chert, the primary rock type used for tool making in this (or any) area. Chert is plentiful in most of Alaska and can be used to make any number of tools from scrapers the size of your hand to microblades that are sharp enough (after several thousand years) to slice your finger open. Personally my favorites are made from obsidian though, of which there are only about 8 known sources.

A lot of what we located looked like this:

There aren’t any obvious tools and to most this looks a bit like a pile of rocks, which it is, but there are a few modified if you know what you’re looking for. The darker rocks are all chert flakes, some of them have lighter edges or striations. These are all the product of human modification and discard. These aren’t tools for the most part, they are simply what was left after the tool was finished. Obviously these are fairly large chunks and if the source of the rock weren’t so hugely visible, one might deduct from this that there is a source nearby.

More obvious tools we found are these:

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A utilized flake and a partial biface.

These are more typically thought of when discussing archaeology but are still not the first thought. More often then not the most commonly found tools are arrowheads dug up in the farmer’s fields. My grandfather had a pretty nice collection of them. Here in Alaska, the more common kind are likewise deeply embedded generally requiring up to a meters digging to retrieve. But with high mountain winds, 9 solid months of snow cover, and a bountiful source right next door, these sites have remained uncovered and virtually untouched for thousands of years.

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Well, except by little fellows like this one

Who’s den was right underneath one of our sites.

We finally got snowed out (in August) on our third day after locating 37 sites. Only about 20 of which were originally documented. Despite having to leave early, the trip was successful and we returned to the lab with much paperwork to complete.

When we’re not out gallivanting around the state, we work here:

At the weirdest looking building I’ve ever encountered, The Museum of the North in Fairbanks. I just have to say that the low tonight is supposed to be negative 47 degrees Fahrenheit. And man, I’m already shivering.

The Japanese tradition of hanami, a yearly festival which involves the blossoming of the cherry tree (sakura, also the national flower), understandably influences a great deal of artists over a long period of time. The tradition is thought to have begun during the Nara period (mid 700′s) when the interaction of Japanese and Chinese cultures brought an exchange of ideas and traditions. It is also suggested that during this time period the use of kanji began in Japan based on the original Chinese characters. The hanami festival is, however, a primary part of the year as it heralds spring, the scholastic year, and the new fiscal year. For historical purposes, the trees were utilized for determining the harvests and were given offerings for the gods who lived within them such as in this piece from 1896.

Gekko

Emporers would hold poetry readings and hold festivities in honor of the arrival of the blossoms.

Artistically, Japanese art is often delicate, well balanced, and minimalistic. This offers a more direct idea as to the subject of the work as well as lending an idea to the culture behind the work. Gekko’s piece shows the traditional coloring techniques though it may simply be worn from poor preservation.

Yoshida Hiroshi, 1935

Hirosaki Castle is one of many examples of sakura being used within a painting. Here is is not the main focus but it is certainly meant to emphasize the beauty of the scene behind it and suggests a richly ornamented landscape. The castle itself is relatively new (from the 1600-1800, Edo period) but the technique and stylistic elements are much the same as its historical predecessors. This piece was created utilizing the woodblock printing technique, which requires the dual art of carving and of inking. The woodblock is first carved with the main impression of the piece which is then inked and pressed to paper and then sometimes retouched to create the finished piece. The sun rises behind the palace, perhaps referencing the political influence that was held by Hirosaki during its height. And in the foreground is a swath of blue grey which parallels that of the trees which stand behind the castle creating the overall balance of the piece.

Another contemporary piece which is also a woodblock is Cherry Blossoms and Moon at Matsuyama Castle.

Kawase Hasui, 1953

Similar to the print above this piece portrays a significant architectural work, accented by the cherry tree and either sunlight or moonlight. In this particular piece it is nighttime and the cherry tree is behind rather than in front, emphasizing the strategic significance of the structure which was used for military defense. The construction of the building occurred just before the advent of 250 years of peace which may be why it is portrayed as night time: still, silent and peaceful. The deep tones are both intense and soft, simultaneously while the pink and blue tones are mirrored throughout the moonlight on the walls and rooftop.

Various other pieces alternate in color or in style utilizing either simplicity or more dramatic color schemes which lend depth or a sense of layering to the works.

Koson. 1905

This final piece is fairly typical for woodblock prints focusing entirely upon nature. The birds are perched lightly upon the extraordinarily delicate branch of the sakura tree. They are obviously too heavy to actually sit by two’s on such a small branch but the purpose of the piece is to portray delicacy and focus on the natural balance. Two birds centered on a branch crossing the image diagonally are the epitome of balance. The flowers lend accent and allow for the boldness of the red faces while the falling flower streamlets add an extra angle for increased equilibrium. The angles utilized in the piece are both mathematical and artistic, requiring more than mere patience to create. Harmony was more than just a passing phase of artistic style but infused art and culture throughout much of Japanese history and the sakura was but one aspect of this intricate lifestyle.

drifting petals

Sources:

http://www.heinemannexplore.com/YExplorer/FILES/HELP/demo/Scienceks1/picturebank/sc1plpbt_08.jpg

http://www.japancollection.com/japanese-prints-uview/Yoshida–Hiroshi-Hirosaki-Castle.php?y=1&pid=4750&pg=3&ppp=100

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2128.html

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~nmiyairi/694/webliography/sakura.html

http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/hanami.html

http://www.japanlinked.com/about_japan/fha/hanami.html

http://www.malnati.us/woodblock.html

http://home.e-catv.ne.jp/tour-ehime/shiro1.htm

http://www.japancollection.com/japanese-prints-uview/Koson-Barn-Swallows-on-Weeping-Cherry-Tree.php?y=1&pid=557&pg=2&ppp=100

Hussein Salim

Little information is available about Salim but it is known that he was, like many others, forced to leave Sudan due to the political upheavals currently running the nation. He now travels Europe, though whether he still exhibits is unknown. Despite his experiences, or perhaps because of them, he creates works that are both present and future. He captures no picture perfect setting nor does he portray the truly gruesome, though his works share both.

Twins, we are. 1997.

With paintings displaying images of cultural and artistic significance, Salim represents the hopeful future of Sudan. Comprised of many cultures and religions, Sudan is so much more than a warzone. It is a nation full of symbols, dreams, brilliant colors and diverse interpretations. Nothing is ever simple, but from complexity and turbulence we can learn much.

Twins, we are is a gorgeous piece, and though I do not know much of Salim’s personal symbolism, I can perhaps begin to interpret the piece. At the shoulder they are inserperable, their bold colors blending. Their forms are soft, with broad rounded brushstrokes and delicate flowers lending accent while the brilliant reds contribute to the cultural aspect. Of all the textures and colors most memorable from photos from African artists, red is the most notable. It is rich, perhaps immitating the ever present clay or the setting sun, it is gorgeous regardless of where it originates from.

Distances, getting longer. 1996

A more nebular examle of Salim’s work is Distances, getting longer. The title alone suggests much conerning the inspiration and history of this piece. The depth and coloration are so clear. Without any prompting, there are emotions tied to this piece. The rounded upper left and the blocky base in the center, slight patterning and the edging all suggest one thing. An arrow nearly confirms it for me. This is a heart. It takes everything in and leaves it as compost. Perhaps my imagination stretches itself or perhaps it is interpreted differently by each viewer. As an abstract and post modern artist, Salim disregards what is clear and conventional and portrays his experiences as he knows them.

The final piece is rich in detail and as such will be as large as I can make it in order to get its full range.

Echo of an Echo. 1996.

This is my personal favorite. The arrows go in every direction, in every color, each block shows something of the previous while retaining its individual peculiarities. Each has its own texture and it’s own focus, some do not fit any mold and others seem to be part of the same puzzle. It almost reminds me of Andy Warhol’s work if it weren’t for the fact that this is more complex.

It’s impossible for me to explain what this piece means or where it came from. It suggests direction, change, transition but I can merely guess. Were I to give my impression, I would say that it is a reflection of change over time. Every day we wake up someone new. We still have our pasts, but our choices don’t have to be the same. It’s a brand new day with all of its greif and hope rolled up into one. Some situations will not allow us to make a new decision, but others may demand it. Pitfalls and opportunities walk in hand. But that is how life is. We aren’t given the choice of where we are born or in what situations we will arrive. But without choice, life is no more than a waiting game with no reprieve. I don’t want to preach (not that I’m really trying to avoid it) nor do I want to sound like someone who is living in an idyllic world believing that good will win the battle. I’m not and I don’t. I live in a world that doesn’t know where it’s going or what’s taking it there. I live in a world that can’t bring itself together. And no, good may not always triumph, many have died due to misused power, but I sincerely hope that good will prevail. That the choices we have been given will lead us to a world that can choose where it’s going.

Sources:

http://www.shibrain.com/artists/hussein/index.htm

http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2005/07/15/33156.html

The Gates, Christo and Jeanne Claude. Central Park, 1979

The Gates, in the words of the artists, were created in order to convey their, “aspiration to create a major public work of art for New York began when we emigrated from Europe in 1964. During the 1970s, while creating projects elsewhere but continuing to live and work in New York, [they]  remained committed to succeeding in completing a major outdoor work of art in the City. [Theire] attention turned toward the vast flow of people walking through the streets. The resulting proposal was The Gates, a project directly related to the human scale…”
This piece, like many which will be posted below is not a permanent exhibit piece, but rather a temporary amorphic piece meant to only be displayed for a short period of time. The golden cloth streams between the ‘gateways’ which can be walked under or around. This presents passerbyers the option of interacting with the piece or of avoiding it completely. In order to see it in it’s full glory, full sunlight floods the background setting off and illuminating the gold, creating a dualism between the sunlight itself and the brilliance of the gates that lead anywhere.

Andy Goldsworthy, Rowan Leaves with Hole

Andy Goldworthy’s works are likewise temporary but rather than impose a manmade structure upon a natural setting, he utilized what materials were available, such as turning leaves in fall which you can see in this image photograph. His works often utilize sticks, stones, ice, clay or leaves from the surrounding area. Rowen Leaves with Hole uses stereotypical fall colors to create a work that fades out with the most brilliant colors at it’s center emphasized by the circular hole in the center. His use of negative space clearly works in his favor to create a warmth of color.

Cindy Sherman’s portrature is an important part of this period. Her works explore self and beauty while trying to observe the aspects of our nature which are reflected in our humanity and capture what makes us human.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled 93. 1981

Untitled 93 is particularly notable for it’s emphasis on light. Not only does the woman portrayed face the light, but she herself is illuminated. Her skin shines and her paleness is drawn to attention by the contrasting darkness of her trappings. She is surrounded by darkness but is enraptured by the natural light of the scene. There is nothing else in the photograph to look at, no props, no distractions. Her expression is everything.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled. 1981

She is caught and yet holds no fear.

Likewise in another of her Untitled works. This piece is the cover of her 1981 compilation called “Centerfolds” in which all of her pieces are utitled. The book utilizes the idea of subjectivity and the ideology connected with the female image. Centerfolds are typically used in mens magazines to display scantily clad women meant to be admired by the readers. Sherman’s Centerfolds  however, are quite different.  A woman stands smoking, leaning against a brick wall with a pixie haircut and a knee length skirt. A woman is furiously cleaning and vacuuming with a scowl on her face and outstanding polka dots across a full length eighties style dress. Or in the case of this woman who is kneeling on the floor as thought she had just been struck down. Her face is slightly confused or shocked and yet her face is turned upwards, yet again illuminated by a light source. This time she is not looking at it though. She gazes towards the darkness while oblivious to the light. Her attention is distracted by someone or something else that the viewer would have to turn around  in order to see. The viewer will never know what she sees but will be forever rendered silent by the intensity of her gaze.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled 1531. 1981.

The final Sherman on presentation is Untitled 1531 in which a woman has been cast on the ground. The viewer cannot tell if she is alive or dead but her eyes are vacant, her expression serene as though her last sight was merely passing. Whatever she had been looking atis long gone. Her face and neck are dirty, as are her clothes which suggests that ill events took place but the ground beneath her is undisturbed. Once again the individual is illuminated but this time not by any warmth or redemption. She has been cast aside though she faces the light. By portraying this, presumably dead, woman, Sherman strikes on the dual nature of humanity. The image is not particularly about the woman. It is about the events which took place prior to the capturing of this image. She obviously was unable to stop the flow of events which lead her to such a state and thus Sherman suggests the propensity of human nature to take advantage of those recognized as weaker. This is such a trait as many a human might try to deny, however, it is also something that is encouraged in modern society. Gender roles, wealth, physical beauty, or charisma all lend different strengths which are valued. Those who do not fit into these valued categories end up feeling as though they must make up for it, often this leads to violence.

Robert Smithson, Chalk and Mirror Displacement. 1969.

And finally Robert Smithson’s piece Chalk and Mirror Displacement which portrays the ultimate harshness that light can produce. Still and cold the mirrors reflect an overhead light source and their surroundings. Stone and mirrors were used to create a harsh environment which are enhanced by the biting cold light which permeates the scene. There is little vegetative growth and there are no warm colors present. In this scene Goldsworthy focusses purely on the unforgivingness of nature which people are often prone to disregard. This can be more than dangerous as nature does not discriminate and approves only of the capable or the very lucky.

Having run into several bears this week as well as wandering fairly aimlessly through shoulder high raspberry bushes with only a shotgun and my voice to scare them away, I am well aware of the dangers which can be merely standing near by. They may have no immenent intent to cause harm but fear makes for an entirely different situation. Human nature is much the same. Under pressure or in fear we are creatures like any other and we have uncontrollable natures like any other. We conceal this behind the thin facade which suggests that we are civilized. And while many may be in control of our wayward darker half there are still many depths of the human psyche which have not yet been explored and potential runs both directions. Personally I do not believe we are half so clever as we think we are and yet we are too clever by far.

And here are The Shins: (the video is slightly disturbint…But the song is awesome: Turn On Me)

Sources:
Info:

http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/thegates/html/qanda.html

http://rickshawdiaries.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/rivers-tides/

http://www.morning-earth.org/ARTISTNATURALISTS/AN_Goldsworthy.html

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/sherman_cindy.html

http://michellebenea.blogspot.com/2009/03/andy-goldsworthy-artist.html

http://jorees.wordpress.com/2007/10/06/im-just-not-that-into-me-a-comment-on-self-portaiture/

http://www.robertsmithson.com/sculpture/10.htm

Images:

http://www.metropicturesgallery.com/index.php?mode=artists&object_id=4

http://www.robertsmithson.com/photoworks/chalk_mirror_nature_300.htm

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G1LzgVgrWqk/R2XLonJ2ggI/AAAAAAAAA9k/WaaCecNmZ7c/s320/Andy_Goldsworthy1.jpg

http://www.cindysherman.com/images/photographs/Untitled93.jpg

http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/tg.shtml

Georgio de Chirico is the founder of what was recognized as metaphysical art.  This period occurred right in the middle of World War I and drew heavily from philosophers such as Nietzsche, quoted above, and Schopenhauer both of whom are known for their ideas concerning God and man’s place in the world.

Understandably these are not new philosophies but have been studied for many centuries and indeed include the very questions which have driven man from his earliest consciousness. What is man? Where do we come from? What is our place? How do we function? The war brought on a new perspective because of it’s huge impact on the entire world. Questions of good and evil were set apart by the greater question of man’s morality. Is man inherently evil?

As a follower of such ideas and perhaps seeking his own answers, De Chirico painted his interpretations of the world via that perspective

Not only a painter, De Chirico was a military conscript, and worked in a hospital in Italy.His was a well rounded and intense education as well. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris and met many artists now famous for their contributions to movements such as modernism, surrealism and dada. But De Chirico traveled from one group to the next and found no place of his own among them despite his avid following.

Prior to 1918 he produced many very famous works which appear to reflect his deep and sincere concern for man.

This is The Seer, created by De Chirico and now showcased at MoMA. It portrays a man with no eye (and indeed no face) who has before him an easil with a perspectively perfect representation of his surroundings which are noticeably askew. Perhaps my favorite piece of De Chirico’s pre 1918 works, it is both serene and confounding. Shadows and light conflict in the real world, colors clash, and the lines are so perfectly drawn that their very perfection causees a sense of disfunction within the painting. And yet the draft before him is precise despite what it represents. De Chirico shows the difference between reality and what man wants or wishes were true. He shows us that we are the seers, the future is in our hands and that what we wish to be reality is far more clean than our crude existance permits. We are both animal and mystic.

Another image, portrayed in similar style, as much of his work is done, is The Two Sisters:

This work was also done in 1915 and shows a similar pair of maniquins as was portrayed in The Seer, this portrait differs in that there are multiple figures which De Chirico uses to make a remark concerning the common ideas which engulfed the ideas of race and human origin which were also being explored during this time. Despite differing atributes, De Chirico suggests that they are sisters as the title states and portrays them with the same faces which are incapable of expressing more than the barest of emotions. A tilt of the head here or a slightly turned face are the only things which suggest connection between the two. And yet they are also seperated by the wooden board which is physically between the two. This may be a mere suggestion of separation but it may also represent a piece of ship which was used to carry slaves and represents the much more human imposed seperation than anything physically different.

In 1919, De Chirico shifted his focus and with it his art began to change.  He published his article, “The Return to the Craft” following a breakdown during the war. He began to focus on Italian painters and classical styles.

Canzone Miridionale is an example of how his art began to transition.

His lines are softer, more impressionistic, his form is more carefully wrought and yet still there is no face. The body gives the expression as previously, gently hinting. For without our faces what are we but the sum of our pieces? De Chirico is exploring color and true light but has not entirely left behind what impact the war had on his philosophies. These pieces do not carry the ‘umph’ his previous did and appear to some extent childish. A man relearning an art must begin again from the start.

But let it not be thought that De Chirico fell into mediocrity as a man without a strong wind at his back may. His work may not have had the same message it previously did but progress and evolution have no purpose for good or ill. They simply continue as life itself does. Day by day changes shape us, effect us, and bring us into new understandings.

From here De Chirico began producing works which gradually began to resemble the more classical styles with which we are so familiar. In many early attempts at still life and portraiture, the stilted feeling and emotionlessness which were portrayed in his early works still seep in. However in these his more naturalistic portrayals are sure sign of change. Though more impressionistic than classical the first, Donna bionda di spalle, 1930, is clearly a beautiful work which gives the hint that De Chirico had found a piece concerning mankind. We are paradoxical. Knowing brutality, De Chirico found a way past his experiences to see that there is good to be found and represented it by way of beauty.

The second, The Swimming Naiads, 1955, shows his truly classical composition:

He never truly acquired the clean lines of the most classical, retaining the softness he had gained through transition, but De Chirico mastered a more natural feel and the comparisons with his earlier work suggest that his ability to see the world from multiple perspectives had not lessened as his works changed but had grown past the classification of one style.  It was said once, and I know not by whom, that you will continue learning so long as you believe you need to. Life offers ample opportunity for mistakes but it also has a tendency to allow a chance to learn from those mistakes and the mistakes of our peers (as well as their successes). For De Chirico, or rather for us, his avid viewers, his art is a visual journal of  what changes occur over a lifetime and how they are influenced by events which are greater than any one man. We may not be in control of the world around us, but we are certainly in control of how we respond.

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Sources:

Harrison, Charles; WoodPaul. Art in Theory, 1900-2000.Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated. 2002.

http://www.mcs.csuhayward.edu/~malek/Chirico.html

http://www.madsci.org/~lynn/juju/surr/misc/dechirico-chron.html

http://www.italica.rai.it/eng/principal/topics/bio/dechirico.htm

Images:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giorgio_de_Chirico_(portrait).jpg

http://wahooart.com/A55A04/w.nsf/Opra/BRUE-5ZKCFH

http://en.easyart.com/art-prints/Giorgio-de-Chirico/Canzone-Meridionale-33530.html

The artists themselves were experimenters as can be seen from piece to piece.

Whistler’s pieces Nocturne in Black and Gold (1874, Detroit) and Arrangement in Black and Grey: The Artist’s Mother (1871, Paris), for example, portray two very different styles.

While the curtains on the left are reminiscent of the scene below, Whistler’s techniques are vastly different depending on his subject matter and how he approaches it.

Other styles are not so easy to look at.

Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Grande Jatte(1884/1886) is blinding due to his use of pointilism which I cannot particularly say I like.

To actually be able to see a scene done in pointilism one must stand very far away, otherwise it looks like a tv pixilation which is impossibly hard on the eyes.

And still more from Van Gogh with Pair of Boots (1887)

Or Mary Cassatt’s Breakfast in Bed (1897)

Any number of other artists  might be brought up in order to display the diversity of the Impressionistic period. I cannot say that I dislike the Impressionists because there are pieces that are gorgeous and there are pieces which are difficult to even look at. But this taps into the definition of art and what should appeal versus what is beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. I cannot say that I dislike what I do not understand or cannot see the value of because it is simply beyond me. However, I can say that there are elements of Impressionism that appeal. Monet’s pieces are all noteworthy and obviously worthy of the term ‘art’ while also being aesthetically pleasing. Other’s like Seurat are difficult because the style does not appeal to me personally but it is apparent that Seurat understand light and the complexity of color.

It is not my favorite era of art, certainly, but I cannot ignore it’s value. Nor can I ignore it’s obvious wealth of talent and the breadth of experimentation which opened the doors to many later styles. Some artists appeal more than others and even some pieces appeal over others. I’m not a fan of Cassatt but her piece shown above is gorgeous and the emotion she portrays is beautiful. Whistler’s work is gorgeous no matter what his subject and Van Gogh I like depending on my mood. In the end it’s more a matter of which piece and which style appeals at the moment.

The advent of Neoclassicism began in France in approximately 1600 and continued until  the beginning of the French Revolution. Theatre during this period followed two trends: heroic tragedies and what were termed the ‘comedy of manners’ for which Moliere was a primary influence on English theatre. He was one of the early playwrights to utilize this style and in fact had little success as a writer until that point.

The purpose of Moliere’s most successful pieces was to portray the aristocrats in a realistic manner in the realm of the middle class. He saught to illustrate the faults and fecundity of a class that set itself up as irreproachable and untouchable. His criticisms were not of a moral nature nor did they necessarily prompt moral behavior for which he received reproach of his own. However, his portrayals were comedic and gained the favor of those in power and even those whom he criticized.

Moliere did not outright condemn the behaviors of his betters nor did he speak of outright dissent. Prior to the French Revolution the theatre had grown from ribald stage acts to performances which were complex and professional. Moliere’s style included a form of caricature which created the ridiculous air of humor. He was a consummate mimic and was said to have perfected the affectations of the upper class.

Of his forty or so works, The Pretentious Young Ladies, created in November 18, 1659, was written specifically to show the faults of the ‘elegance’ which was exhibited both in speech and action.  The French aristocrats who saught elegance in the manner which was being satirized by Moliere were called précieux and  précieuses. They ran salons, were delicate and saught refinement, fully believing themselves born to their status and superior to the lower classes. For some time it was banned from the stage by those it criticized but due to the popular demand of viewers it returned not long after.

The first link is a modern recreation of Moliere’s while the second is the best English version youtube could provide (which is not to say that it is necessarily ‘good’). There are other Moliere plays with better videos which might be worth checking out as well as the UK production entitled ‘Moliere’.

part one of seven

Personally, I appreciate the humor of Moliere particularly when criticizing people for faults to which they are often oblivious. There is an irony that his greatest patrons were those whom he criticized and this piece in particular mocks the habits which create characteristics which inhibit either intellectual or physical capability. They were useless artifacts which to some extent are still emulated by today’s wealthy classes. Sociability rather than utility is their purpose. While traits such as these may be useful in a more political setting or one in which beauty and deportment are favored above daily usefulness to society.

Sources:

http://www.theatrehistory.com/plays/pyl001.html

http://pages.towson.edu/quick/french.html

http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc35w3.html

Gaines, James F. The Moliere Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Company. 2002.

This exquisite piece portrays Pluto capturing Persephone who would become his wife through force. Having been struck by cupid’s arrow, Pluto caught site of Persephone, the goddess of fertility, and became obsessed with her. According to myth, Persephone’s mother Ceres searched the earth for her daughter as the growth of plants ceased and the fruits of the field were withheld. She found little remaining of her daughter but soon learned that she had been captured by Pluto, god of the underworld. Persephone, having eaten the seeds of the pomegranate, was bound to the underworld and while Jupiter intervened, Pluto claimed she had stolen the fruit, requiring that she remain with him six months out of the year in return for the six seeds she had eaten. Thus every six months Persephone would be allowed emerge and bring spring to the land before being pulled back to Pluto’s side in the underworld.

Persephone struggles against Pluto and Bernini’s obvious talent is portrayed in not only the serpentine grappling of the characters  but also in the supple skin which gives way under the palm of Persephone as she pushes her captor’s face. Her hair falls behind her as she twists away from him and her facial expression pleads for the help that will not come.

The power of the piece is twofold. The mere emotion of the piece is wrenching but secondarily is the attention to detail which Bernini exhibits.

The skin, the hair,the muscle all appear to be exact imitations of reality. Each depression of skin is exquisitely rendered and despite the violence of the piece there is a certain gentleness belied by Pluto’s grasp on Persephone. He is beguiled and struck for want of her but has no intention of physically harming her. As contradictory as his position as king of the underworld and his love for the goddess of fertility are, his actions mimic life. Even summer must give way unto winter. He relinquishes his hold on her for six months out of the year in order to appease Jupiter but this is rather indulgent on his part, as god of the underworld he is entitled to hold, permanently, the lives of those who cross the river Styx, no matter what manner they crossed it. 

Persephone, on the other hand, had little choice in the matter. She is portrayed as being caught between Pluto and Cerberus whose triheaded figure  savagely snaps at her heels preventing her escape. Yet another detail that illustrates Bernini’s skill is the patterning of hair on the dogs’ necks as well as their mouths which are open in aggression, showing teeth and tongues to any daring enough to look.

The single marble tear trailing down her face only lends more emotion to the grief which she expresses so openly. She can do naught but plead and struggle in vain. While her calls reach the appropriate ears, her actions while in the underworld inevitably give Pluto the key to her immortal chains.

The politics of this piece are present not only in the patronage of Bernini by members of the church, Borghese for one, but also in the fact that Borghese gifted the piece to a member of the Ludovisi family who were primary figures in church bureaucracy at the time (Pope Gregory the XV was formerly of the name Ludovisi and Ludovico was in actuality his nephew). Many members of the church hierarchy were of wealthy families who had paid their way into high power church positions. This type of favoritism brought the institution into greater political power as well as bringing in funding for grandiose cathedrals and pieces of art.

Borghese, as a member of one of the wealthiest families in Italy, had the wealth and position to acquire art as he pleased through honest and nefarious means. While a large number of these pieces ended up as gifts to various papal dignitaries, his private collection was recognized as one of the most immense in the seventeenth century. In later years the Galleria Borghese was built in order to house and display his famous collection.

Sources:

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/baro/ho_53.201.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07004b.htm

http://www.google.com/search?q=scipione+borghese&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=3Rr&tbs=tl:1&tbo=1&ei=XsE-SqqRIo-oswP1utnoCg&sa=X&oi=timeline_result&ct=title&resnum=11

So, blood and mayhem aside, the image presented is one of Titian’s finest and most famous. It exemplifies humanist representations of physical beauty even whilst depicting the most gruesome of scenes. Both Salome and Judith share similar predicaments in most of their portraits, a beheading has occurred and though the motives differ, each is shown holding the severed head. Salome’s mother requested the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. Judith personally beheaded the leader of the Assyrian army on the eve of what would have been a disastrous war for the Hebrew people.

The duality of the piece leads to its inevitably various translations. Judith was the female counterpart to the warrior David who slew Goliath while Salome was viewed with much less regard. A passage in the Gospel of Mark (6:21-22) states, “Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.” She asked for John’s head. Both women are characterized as using ‘female wiles’ to accomplish their goals, the lights in which they are each portrayed are, however, certainly divergent.

The expressions of all three individuals and the depth of character strike of the humanist ideas of the time. All three figures are stunningly beautiful, even the decapitated head of Holofernes/John is completely beatific in death. Salome’s look of distaste is graceful and the maidservant beside her looks on attentively, bordering on adoringly. Judith stands center, reminiscent of more classical pieces, sheltered from the outside world by the building behind her. This tradition is typical to pieces portraying Mary; virginal and  pure, she is always protected, separate from the world.  The combination of a typically Christian attribute along with the combination of old and new testament events also draws on the humanist habit of combining Christian philosophy with that of pagan or classical.

Strong female characters are hard to find these days. I’m not talking about the working ceo type go getter, but the valiant fighter, capable of slaying the man who intends to rape her (Judith). For Salome I have little respect. She was easily manipulated by an angry mother and has been sexualized to such a degree that she may as well have no character traits that are redeemable.  Judith is the heroine. Bold and daring she did what no man could do. Yes, she seduced a commander of thousands of men, but she got the upper hand and did what she had to do for her people and for herself.

There are many portraits of the slaying of Holofernes, but this is by far one of the most serene (Caravaggio for contrast). Red is the primary color, though it is not blood but Judith/Salome’s sleeve which pervades the image with this sense of violence. Holofernes/John is content to merely sleep his deep slumber while the angel in the upper corner looks on. For one the act was justified, for the other it was to slander her name for centuries. Titian presents this duality and leaves us to interpret what is most significant about his piece; beauty or the tales of the two women portrayed together as one.

Sources:

Gospel of Mark: 6:21-22.

Migiel, Marilyn and Schiesari, Juliana. Refiguring Woman: Perspectives on Gender and the Italian Renaissance. Cornell University Press. 1991.