Virtual Exhibit Post Modern Art

We are all products so to speak of the post modern era, and our artwork reflects it. Gone are the days of the Sistine Chapel frescoes, and the divine sculptures of David. In this period of time, we as humans push art to its very limits, stretching it, distorting it, turning it inside out and backwards, and creating something out of nothing, and nothing out of something. This is the age of art in which we live.

"Starry Night" Lego reproduction by Nathan Sawaya  C. 2001 New York, NY

 Art has become the most accessible it has ever been, and people like Nathan Sawaya are pioneers of this movement. Self dubbed 'the Brick Artist', an artist whose sole medium is Legos the children's toy bricks, Nathan Sawaya creates amazing 2 and 3 dimensional art pieces from these play things. His creativity and vision are incredible, and his artwork literally has great appeal to all ages.
His work is on display in various countries around the world, including the U.S., Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. He even has an upcoming exhibition in Anchorage, Alaska for those of you who live or would like to drive there. Click on this link to view his exhibition schedule http://brickartist.com/exhibitions/.

In an interview, Sawaya states, "The museum exhibition is accessible because it engages the child in all of us while simultaneously illuminating sophisticated and complex concepts. Everyone can relate to the medium since it is a toy that many children have at home. But my goal with this exhibition when it first debuted in 2007 was to elevate this simple plaything to a place it has never been before."(1) 

In addition to reproducing works of antiquity, he creates pieces of his own that reflect his own journey of creativity and our modern times. He also collaborates with other contemporary artists of other fields and together they rock our art world.

"Lego Gaga" Nathan Sawaya, C. 2014, New York, NY

  Here we move to another niche of today's art world- art of the internet. Art that seems to be exclusively available online, which may never have touched an actual piece of paper. 

"Postmodern Love" by Gunberk

Here is an interesting piece that I stumbled across online. I couldn't really track down much information about the artist (#postmodernartdilemmas) aside from his page on a website called Soceity6, where he sells his art in print form, on mugs, t-shirts, baby onesies and more. I found this particular print to be a great commentary on today's society and how so many people "connect" with each other. He plays with the notion of connection, both socially and emotionally, and I love how the USB cords have receptacles in the hearts of these two people and they are both physically separated and connected by Facebook on the computer. It says a lot. And I find the "loading" message hilarious as well. That is such a normal part of our everyday lives now- if we are waiting for something, it seems that 9 times out of 10 it's "loading".

 

"Giraffe" By Gunberk

More of Gunberk's work can be seen and purchased here: http://society6.com/gunberk/tank-tops.

 Another postmodern artist that caught my eye was Peter Bourgon, namely because his gigantic balloon animal looks so exactly like a real balloon. Unfortunately, his website is too postmodern for the likes of me, and I couldn't figure out how to get past the homepage, though you are welcome to try: http://peter.bourgon.org/postmodernism/#/step-1

 "Balloon Dog" Peter Bourgon

"Prometheus and God" By Dejano23, Serbia

Compare to:

"God Breathed Life into Adam" Michelangelo C. 1512, Italy

 Here I found something very interesting, some very spectacular art with incredible detail and style, though a bit dark for my own personal preference. Nonetheless I found it very intriguing and interesting. Further still, I liked what the artist had to say about it. 

"I did this image over the famous Michelangelo fresque ''God breathed life into Adam'' left side : mainly I wanted to show you who not create man.
Man was created from idea, idea is something that no one has proved, but it is obvious to everyone, Prometheus is knowledge and snake is a metaphor for danger of creativity.
Creativity and technology is not good or bad, it is not action,man must choose his way.
on right side : I tried to do a completely different world of giger,right side is a man and his first divine side, (big fish girl body with the baby at the end of the antenna) :0
man must choose to which side to tie umbilical coard."(2)

 Though not well edited, I liked the idea of taking a work, such as "God breathed like into Adam", and playing with it in such a contemporary sense.

 * * * * *

 How do we talk about art these days? How to we judge it? How to we describe it? How do we classify and catalog it? All of these elements have become much more difficult with the introduction of postmodern art, and I would say especially digital art. No longer is it easy to cite the date and place of creation, or even the name of the artist. Art can be anonymously submitted online, and just continue to float through cyberspace without any attachment to its originator.

 We of course, will always talk about art, whether it be our own, or that of someone else. There is always the good review, and the bad review. I think our good ole' boys Calvin and Hobbes sum it up pretty well:

"On postmodern art" from Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes Sunday, June 21, 1992

Let's take a quick trip around the world and have a look at postmodern art in India. Just for fun.

"Untitled" Thota Vaikuntam, Andhra Pradesh, India

I was quite drawn to Thota Vaikuntam's vivid colors and contemporary style. There is an obvious Indian overtone, but the representation of his subjects is very different from traditional Indian art.

"T. Vaikuntam draws a lot of inspiration for his work from the rural areas of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The men and women of his village have often been depicted particularly the Telangana women. He uses only primary colors usually in tempera and watercolor, on paper. The love for this subject can be traced back to his childhood, when he was fascinated by the impersonations of women characters by male artists of the theater groups that performed in his village." (3)

"Carpet" by Thota Vaikuntam, Andhra Pradesh, India

 

"Untitled" by Thota Vaikuntam, Andhra Pradesh, India

 Many of Thota Vaikuntam's pieces remain untitled, perhaps for cultural reasons. I love the use of bold primary colors and fluid lines as well as the representation of traditional clothes and patterns. I also noticed that all of the women are shown with the red-dyed fingers of mendhi, or henna. The ornateness of the everyday dress is well shown here, and many of his paintings sell for hundreds of U.S. dollars apiece. Born in 1942, Vaikuntam studied at the College of Fine Arts in Hyderabad, India. He later went on to study painting and printmaking at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in India. 

He was an avid observer of his fellow humans, and said, "I love a woman’s form and beauty. Their rustic simplicity holds enormous charm for me.
I feel immense joy and happiness when I am with them”.(4)

 Though uniquely his own, Vaikuntam's art well represents his country and its rich culture and heritage. 

"Thota Vaikuntam, senior Indian artist of international acclaim, is famed for his acrylic and mixed media portraits of the Telangana man and woman of South India.

Vaikuntam has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows, both nationally and internationally, including important group exhibitions at Salarjung Museum in 1989, the 7th Triennale, New Delhi in 1991, Art Encounter at Kassal, Germany in 1992.

He is the recipient of numerous awards including notably at the Bharat Bhavan Biennale, Bhopal in 1988, the National Award for Art Director, Film “Dasi” in 1989, and the National Award for Painting in 1993. Vaikuntam works and lives in Hyderabad now."

 Whether in the United States, Serbia, or India, postmodern art has dominated the world. It is the reflection of our innermost selves, and expression of every joy, every detail, every pain, and every thought our collective human organism has. It is truly the window to the consciousness of humanity.

 (1) "Nathan Sawaya." Exhibitions — — The Art of the Brick. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://brickartist.com/exhibitions/>.

 (2) "Prometheus and God by Dejano23 on DeviantART." Prometheus and God by Dejano23 on DeviantART. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://dejano23.deviantart.com/art/prometheus-and-god-313679402>.

(3) "Thota Vaikuntam." , Limited Edition Prints, Art from India. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://www.deccanfootprints.com/collections/thota-vaikuntam>.

(4) "Thota Vaikuntam ← Back to Artists." Indigo Blue Art Modern Indian Contemporary. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://www.indigoblueart.com/site/portfolio/thota-vaikuntam/#!prettyPhoto/0/>.

Let the Good Times Roll...

As we follow the progress of Art throughout the centuries, we have mainly been ensconced in Europe and its heavily white influences. Now, with the dawn of a new era in the early 1900s to 1930s, we finally see a splash of color and culture added to the Early Modern palate. The heavy influence here, comes from the African Americans, and their cultural hotspot in New York, which came to be known as the Harlem Renaissance. Such artists as Jacob Lawrence, Aaron Douglas, and Archibald Motley emerged into an artistic scene previously dominated by white people. Daring and bold color combinations and striking patterns confronted the eyes of 'conventional art', and also paid tribute to pioneers of the modernization of art such as Picasso, and VanGogh.

"Spanning the 1920s to the mid-1930s, the Harlem Renaissance [...] kindled a new black cultural identity. Its essence was summed up by critic and teacher Alain Locke in 1926 when he declared that through art, “Negro life is seizing its first chances for group expression and self determination.” Harlem became the center of a “spiritual coming of age” in which Locke’s “New Negro” transformed “social disillusionment to race pride.” Chiefly literary, the Renaissance included the visual arts but excluded jazz, despite its parallel emergence as a black art form." (1)

"The Ironers" Jacob Lawrence C. 1943

The use of color in Lawrence's "The Ironers" is a breath of fresh air after the hundreds of years of stiff portraits of aristocrats and their feathered and bejeweled cohorts. This painting depicts people in the most basic and casual manner- just doing their work and putting their full effort into it. Pretty much everything in the piece is flat, however the irons are made three dimensional, presumably to accentuate the weight of the objects, both physically and metaphorically. I enjoy it mostly due to the bright values and the sense of movement I get from the posture of the ironing women.

"The Creation" Aaron Douglas C. 1935

In a very different category of style, we have Aaron Douglas, whose works are very defined, with sharp lines separating the shapes, yet areas of translucent overlaps. I would have to say that Douglas's work is certainly up there in my book as far as fine art. I especially love the subject of "The Creation", as it has what is evidently god's hand either reaching down or drawing back from the sole man as he watches. There are many layers to the piece that give it not only depth but a sense of mystique.  His style jumped out at me right away. I enjoy the play between simplicity and complexity that it presents to the viewer. "Douglas was heavily influenced by the African culture he painted for. His natural talent plus his newly acquired inspiration allowed Douglas to be considered the "Father of African American arts." That title led him to say," Do not call me the Father of African American Arts, for I am just a son of Africa, and paint for what inspires me.""(2)

"The Picnic" Archibald Motley C. 1936

More different still, the works of Archibald Motley are a testament to the social scene of the Harlem Renaissance during that time. His pieces ooze chaos, commotion, pleasure, hustle& bustle, and charisma. His style reflected not only the physical environment, but the social environment as well. 

"Motley was incredibly interested in skin tone, and did numerous portraits documenting women of varying blood quantities ("octoroon," "quadroon," "mulatto"). These portraits celebrate skin tone as something diverse, inclusive, and pluralistic. The also demonstrate an understanding that these categorizations become synonymous with public identity and influence one's opportunities in life. It is often difficult if not impossible to tell what kind of racial mixture the subject has without referring to the title. These physical markers of blackness, then, are unstable and unreliable, and Motley exposed that difference."(3)

I personally like the forms that Motley creates. They are loose, relaxed, and seem to be at ease. His use of a different perspective also appeals to me, for example in "The Picnic" (above) he oriented everything diagonally, and it gives the painting a feeling of a real party, which is loud, slightly disorganized, free from inhibitions and lively.

"Embracing literary, musical, theatrical, and visual arts, participants sought to reconceptualize “the Negro” apart from the white stereotypes that had influenced black peoples’ relationship to their heritage and to each other. They also sought to break free of Victorian moral values and bourgeois shame about aspects of their lives that might, as seen by whites, reinforce racist beliefs." (4) 

Without the influence of African Americans and their Nubian cultural ties, as well as their penchant for fun, fine art, and self expression, art would be in a rather boring state today. 

(1) "Harlem Renaissance." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

(2) "Aaron Douglas." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 June 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

(3) "Archibald J. Motley Jr. | American Icons | Area of Design." Archibald J. Motley Jr. | American Icons | Area of Design. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

(4) Hutchinson, George. "Harlem Renaissance (American Literature and Art)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.