Diversifying arts meaning

        
    In this blog I will be looking at three different artists and how they changed the conception of what art is during the mid modern movement. I will be using the elements of art to define the impacts of each piece of art to highlight the changing ways in which we interact with art through these different art movements. 

 


The left oil painting is titled Koska-Pal done in 1972 by French-hungarian artist Victor Vasarel, the painting on the right is also by Vasarel and is titled Tau-Ceti 36, done in 1967. Vasarel painted both while living in Venice and was arguably the first to paint in this style, the style we call today op art. This style is powerful in its use of the fundamental principles of art. Utilizing form, line, value, and shape creatively to trick the eye into having an unusual viewing experience. For this reason, I love the Op art movement, it creates art that isn't in the subject, but in the brain's meltdown reaction to the confusing subject. This creates an experience very unique to Op art, an impressive feat for the artists themselves. By breaking away from representative even abstract expressionism Op artists were exploring ways in which art elements could be used in a structured but new way, leading to an all-new experience for observers.  
 These two portraits titled Phil (left) done in 1969, and Bob (right) done from 1969-1970 are large-scale (108*84 inch) portrait paintings done by Chuck Close, a hyperrealist painter who worked in New York. Both portraits are done in extraordinary detail and on a massive scale, helping to get even more detail into the image. Hyperrealist painters observe excruciating detail in their work to create an uncanny sense of life in their work, while their works may do this they also create a unique feeling of unease (. Born from seeing an almost real person frozen into an image the viewer gets an interesting interaction with the painting. This movement is dependent on the use of value and line quality to convey detail, especially in these black-and-white paintings. This style ultimately faces us with the art of reality, by not changing anything about a subject we see these subjects as pieces of art allowing us to appreciate real life with more focused intention.    
These two paintings are by Andy Warhol, the left was done in 1850, and the right in 1851 while he was in Los Angeles. These paintings are titled Cambles soup cans and are a part of many soup cans that Warhol painted or printed during this time. This style is similar to the previous two because it challenges what we decide to accept as art. It is a simple style and a faithful representation of an everyday object, yet it is put under the guise of being art. where hyper-realism presents life in detail, and Op art tricks the brain, Pop art pushes the subject matter of art into new dimensions. Using color and simple forms Pop art makes the viewer wonder about what it is that makes these simple creations real art.
 These three different artists are all Mid-Modern leaders in their different styles, creating each a unique part of the culture of the arts at this time. Characteristic of modern artists they were looking for new forms of expression outside of what had already been done, ultimately questioning what could be considered art. This was all during a time of war, invention, and change for both civil rights movements and gender equality. we can see the influences in all of this art, as artists as well pushed for invention and new ideas. This gives us an important insight into how the different movements in art at this time were being bred, leading to the uniqueness of art in the mid-modern movement. Whether it be Confronting life (Realism) confusing the brain (Op art) or questioning value (Pop art) the impacts and interpretations of art evolved dramatically during this time of great invention, leading to new ways to create and express ourselves in the modern world. Aesthetically of all of these pieces, I would love to own a copy of Bob. There is a uniqueness about portraiture that makes you question why would want a picture of someone else's face in your house, especially when the painting is hyperrealistic. But Bob captures the emotion of a quizzical joy perfectly, it is this emotion that makes the piece worth having. 


Pace Gallery. “Pace Gallery | Chuck Close.” Www.pacegallery.com, www.pacegallery.com/artists/chuck-close/.

Tate. “Hyper-Realism – Art Term | Tate.” Tate, 2017, www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/h/hyper-realism.

“The Andy Warhol Museum.” The Andy Warhol Museum, 2017, www.warhol.org/.


Comments

  1. MomApril 20, 2024 at 4:22 PM

    Andy Warhol's "Campbell's soup cans" are such a well known portrayal of pop art style. It's so fun because we get to see something so normal and overlooked- like a soup can- turned into art! It's cool, brightly colored, and even a bit nostalgic for some viewers. I think the subject matter is one of the main reasons this art became so famous and well known. Everybody knows campbell's soup, whether they have had it, seen it in the grocery store, or on a commerical. It is an accessible kitchen cabinet commodity turned into something people want to hang on their wall.

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  2. Chris Kloeber's ART F200x blogApril 20, 2024 at 5:21 PM

    I find your theme for this week's blog captivating. I was compelled to create a blog that included Andy Warhol's art myself. Soup cans played a persistent role in Andy Warhol's art. In fact, on July 9th, 1962, he opened a show at Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles with 32 paintings of Campbell's soup cans. His art contradicted traditional art and demonstrated how capitalism and consumerism infiltrated American life and culture. These legendary soup cans were the first wave of the upcoming pop art revolution.

    Chuck Close and his paintings Phil and Bob 1969 reminded me of mugshots at first, with the depicted faces placed against a neutral background. I never embraced hyperrealism art, considering it rather a skill, but after prolonged viewing, I noticed the similarity to surrealism, making the artworks more appealing.

    All of the showcased paintings addressed the selected theme well. Pop art, hyperrealism, and op art certainly redefined the meaning of art.
    Chuck Close's choice of portraits in hyperrealism style can also be seen as part of his ongoing battle with prosopagnosia, a disability to recognize or differentiate between human faces.

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  3. Honor FraleyApril 22, 2024 at 7:20 PM

    Hi Fin! These are all such interesting paintings. I completely agree with your analysis of Op art. Its beauty is in what it does to our brains rather than the actual content of the art. Optical illusions like these are much more common now, but it would have been so cool to see art like this when it was first created. I absolutely thought the two portraits were actual photographs at first. It is impressive how accurate these paintings are. I think that the choice to paint only in black and white helps avoid the distraction that color would cause and allows the viewer to focus on the essential components of these paintings. I appreciate that you included some of Andy Warhol's soup cans. In second grade, I took an art class and one of the projects was replicating Warhol's soup can art. I remember how long it took to copy all of the details onto each paper. When I finally finished drawing, I was free to color them in however I wanted. That experience allowed me to notice the contrasts contained within the soup cans. They look so accurate, detailed, and restrained in shape and content, but the colors allow the paintings a whimsical and wild feeling as well.

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  4. Elliott HinzApril 22, 2024 at 11:10 PM

    I like the styles you chose Fin! I especially agree with you when it comes to Op art- optical illusions are fascinating, so it's really cool to see them being considered as a form of art. Something about the pieces you chose as well gave me an early computer kind of vibe, which I think felt almost a little nostalgic- kind of like something you'd see from the original Tron movie? Anyways, I also loved the portraits you featured! It's incredibly impressive that someone was able to make those, but something about the scale on which it was painted lends even more credence to the talent of Chuck Close. Personally, I never appreciated Andy Worhol's works in spite of his popularity, so I'm glad that you brought to light the other two artists that you chose to cover. You can always argue over what should be considered art, but seeing paintings like what Close and Vasarel created is certainly makes the conversation much less subjective, in my opinion.

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