Unconscious And Richard Wilson’s 20:50

Talking about unconscious according to modern art I think that the Richard Wilson’s masterpiece 20:50 fir the subject really well. 20:50 is an installation made from sumo oil. Placed in Saatchi (in gallery 13) exactly fill the whole space, what makes you feel really wired, especially when seeing from ground level. Standing there you has the feeling like being in some surreal space – the floor is ideally the same as celling, even deeper.



It is really amazing how the artist can influence viewers’ mind by doing such a simple thing like feeling the room with thick oil.
What makes me laugh during my shift there is when people sometimes come and immediately go out saying ‘oh, there is nothing in this room’ or asking me where is the exhibit. Most of visitors ask as well how deep is the oil, because it’s hard to believe that is so shallow. Once the artist was asked how deep is the oil and je answered – As deep as your imagination…



http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/artpages/richard_wilson_oil.htm

http://www.richardwilsonsculptor.com/projects/20_50a.html#

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/2050-richard-wilson-saatchi-gallery-london-1870805.html

UN-POSISIBLE RETOUR- possible impossible return

If you were able to be back into the past, which moment of you life would you choose? I guess if would be something joyful and pleasant, rather then child’s trauma.



Each of us wants sometimes to be child again, to have this free mind and be happy all the time. To have such possibility, even for a short moment one of the young artist – Clarisse d’Arcimoles whose works were exhibited in Saatchi Gallery till 29th of April, made a fail attempt to return into the past. She’s chosen a family snapshots and recreated them in contemporary environment, using the same style of cloths, going to the same locations and what is even more important making the models to act with the same face and pose. She said she spent hours to get this particular – right photo, but the results are pretty amazing.



She managed to capture this part of personality, which still remains a child, because it’s impossible to get rid of this even if trying very hard.



http://www.clarisse-darcimoles.com/

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/clarisse_darcimoles.htm?section_name=new_britannia

Isabelle Caro – ‘ die young, stay pretty’

‘I have natural freckles, but I underline them to put more attention on my eyes, because then people won’t look at the rest of me’
She had anorexia since she was 13. Her mother didn’t want her to grow up (be tall), so little Isabelle stayed at home all days (fresh air helps growing) and her mother taught her at home instead let her went to school. So Isabelle wanted to escape from that mad situation and simply stopped to eat.



Four years ago she agreed to do shoots for the campaign against anorexia with controversial, Italian photographer Olivier Toscani. The photos run around the globe and provoked many controversies. The campaign was strongly criticized that rather encourage the young to become as ‘slim’ as Isabelle. She said that it’s not a beauty but ugliness. She said as well, she didn’t regret this campaign, what I more she was happy and got her motivation to get better.
It was really brave for her to show everyone how she looked, especially as a model.
She was fully conscious that this illness would kill her but she fought anyway, she died on 17th of November last year. After this her mother committed suicide.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1342580/Anorexic-model-Isabelle-Caro-appeared-shock-fashion-campaign-dies-28.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTIjRxT_Y9g

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/isabelle-caro-the-face-of-anorexia-dies-at-28-2172590.html

http://www.koktajl24.pl/Isabelle_Caro_w_Rozmowach_w_toku

John Stezaker

The possibility to see John Stezaker’s output for over 30 tears of artistic work in real in Whitechapel Gallery was a absolutely amazing experience. His collages are done in surreal and beautiful style in the same time.
The cut is so simple so it seems to be done in three or so minutes, but in fact John worked really hard and had many attempt to juxtaposed everything just right.



I think that two series of images of this British artist are the biggest and the most popular. First is the ‘Marriages’ where Stezaker cut face of men and women and put them together, giving in the same time the new meaning to the images. Second is the ‘Mask’ series where the artist put landscape postcards on the portraits.
Personally I really admire his style, art pieces, the simplicity of the form and cuts.

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/john_stezaker.htm

http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/john-stezaker

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jan/28/artist-of-week-john-stezaker

Cindy Sherman – postmodern modernist?

Cindy Sherman’s works can be discussed in terms of definition of modernism and post modernism. She is labeled as post - mod artist, however for me she doesn’t meet the all criteria to be called so. First of all she has her own very elaborate style, where post Avant grade has very free style. Secondly the ‘Untitled film series’ is very coherent and perfectly planned – make up, scenography, actor and photographer all is one – her. She comments the role of women is society, and gender issues in general. The Cindy’s ‘actress’ didn’t mean to show any particular film characters, only artificiality of stereotypes. The other negation of postmodern style is exhibiting. Modernist used to put special attention to catalog all their works and put them in the museums, so does Sherman.



On the other hand her artwork are lacking in the record of reality, there are kind if pastiche, which fit to postmodernism assumption. Even if Sherman’s output is somewhere in the middle of post/modern she is still one of the most influential and well sold artist for over 30 tears.



Hoy H. H., (2005), The Photo Book, Warsaw: National Geographic Society

http://www.brickhaus.com/amoore/magazine/Sherman.html

POP ART – art or not an art that is a question

Richard Hamilton, one of the members of The Independent Group (which created pop art in UK in mid ’50), defined the new movement, saying: “Pop – art is: Popular (designed for the mass audience), Transient (short – term solution), Expandable (easily forgotten), Low Cost, Mass Produced, young (aimed at youth), Witty, Gimmicky, Glamorous, Bid Buisness.




So it is still the art or rather the remix of mass media, but just rose to the range of the art pieces? My biased opinion is that it still can be consider as some kind of art. Definitely not sophisticated in meanings and techniques like Old Masters’ art or modern American Abstractionism trend. But what pop – artists wanted to do was simply bring the art into everyday life and synthesized commercials and art. Considering this I guess it was very successful comment on popular culture, even more in the USA, where fast food and leisure stuff was more common (especially in ‘ 60). Warhol’s first exhibited piece ‘Campbell’s Soup contains 32 cans painted on canvas can be great example of cooperation between art and commercial. After this exhibition (1962) Campbell in 1968 used this in their advert campaign. So as Hamilton said everything is a Big Business.



Monem N. K., (2007), Pop Art Book, London, Black Dog Publishing

http://www.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ENS-Popart-EN/ENS-PopArt-EN.htm#chronology

DISNEYLAND by Anne Leibovizt

Who of us didn’t watch the Disney’s movies when was a child? And who doesn’t love them? For me the old Disney movies are the most beautiful illustrated tales, which I have ever seen, so getting to this enormous style it is really hard to like something different or any attempt to make ‘like’ Disney. Walt employed only the best of the best to work with him; people who fully meet his criteria and those who were able to stood his difficult character. Now the Disney Company asks for cooperation only the best as usual.



The Disney Dream Portraits for Disneyland and Walt Disney Word’s Year of a Million Dreams campaign were shoot by famous Anne Leibovitz. This ongoing campaign started three years ago, in which Anne asked the most famous actors and celebrities to pose for her and become a Disney’s characters for a while. In the first series we can see for example Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella, David Beckham as Phillip form Sleeping Beauty. Few weeks ago the three more images came out with Penelope Cruz and Jeff Bridges in “Beauty and Beast”

Apparently all of them had a great time and said it was real pleasure to feel like a child again. So maybe we should not pretend to be really mature all the time and come back to our real playful nature?





http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/03/disney-parks-unveils-new-annie-leibovitz-disney-dream-portraits/

http://www.photographyoffice.com/2011/04/disney-dream-celebrities-portraits-by-annie-leibovitz/

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-01-25-disney-ad-campaign_x.htm

Robert Frank

Robert frank is the person who revolutionized the approach to photography after Second World War with series of 83 pictures ‘The Americans’ (1959). His photos seem to be accidental in terms of composition focus and framing – kind of snapshots, however each of them tell story itself. Frank shows here the USA from completely different perspective – shows the real America – multicultural, anonymous people in normal, daily activities. Here you cannot see any aspects of ‘American dream’, each of photo seems to be of context in a way but complete; accident but just right in the same time. He used too shoot holding the camera in the hip position or hiding it under the jacket, what makes his works even more real and natural.


As he said ‘There is one thing which a photo has to have – the human nature – this kind of photography is called realism, but realism is to enough – there must be a vision as well and these two things can make a good photo.



‘The Americans’ album

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3673127/Robert-Frank-melancholy-and-menace.html

Hoy H. H., (2005), The Photo Book, Warsaw: National Geographic Society

Semiotics

Each item has own meaning in connection to history, culture’s aspects and daily life. Considering all of this together, the contemporary, controversial, American artist Marta Roselr made a short video ‘Semiotics of the kitchen’ (1975) in which shows alphabet’s letters presenting them as kitchen’s items. In the same time underline the stereotypical position of women – as housekeepers through the centuries. Starting from ‘a’ like ‘apron’ goes through all, doing the strong visual presentation of each of them. Her face and body language don’t show any emotions, except some kind of frustration and ‘calm’ anger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSA9Rm2PZA

Watching today this clip from ’75 I was wandering how ‘semiotics of the kitchen’ should be read after 36 years. Because in ‘ 70 it has strong connection with lack of equality between men and women. But nowadays it can be consider just as film without any second meaning behind this ‘case situation of women changed during these time and they are not consider as a housekeepers anymore, at least that’s the official version because the dinner won’t be made by itself…

Reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSA9Rm2PZA
http://www.martharosler.net/

Feminine Feminist – Tamara Łempicka

On the border of 19th /20th century among all decadent and suffragette movements Tamara Łempicka is a perfect example of a fully liberated woman. It can be said that she is a 'feminine feminist’, in terms of her artworks and lifestyle.



As she said ' Style is the best way to change, to become who you want to be' so she's done it. She created her own unique style in art - art deco, as well as in the lifestyle. Because she needed money to maintain the family she started to learn painting – that was the best option to ear money for someone with a high position in society. After she immigrated to France because of the political situation in Poland, and after a while she become a posh style icon. She became a 'new' woman: full of self-confidence, very determined and focused on success, each of these features can be noticed in her painting (Woman in White Gloves). Her self-portrait (Tamara in Green Bugatti) shows equality with man, because it was new for women to drive cars, what is more to smoke cigarillos. For the 'new' women it was not a problem to cut hair and remain sensationalist feminine in the same time.



Tamara as liberated women had a very dissolute lifestyle – two husbands and in the same time many affairs with men and women. She was fascinated with women body and wanted to represent them in her pictures in very seductive way. She said that each of her works shown the actual state of mind, but even in '30 her works become more depressive her neo-cubistic – art deco
style still remain tough.


Dowgiałło-Tyszka, J., (2005) Tamara Łempicka - The Series of the most famous Masters of Painting, Warsaw: De Agostini Poland sp. z o.o.

http://www.wysokieobcasy.pl/wysokie-obcasy/1,96856,1229545.html?as=2&startsz=x

Martin Parr

I reckon that you can have only strong feelings to Parr, you can either love or hate him and there is nothing in between. He seems to be quite cynic with his comments but with great, quite dry sense of humor. The same is with his photos, there are really simple in composition but have ‘this’ something. Parr comments the reality in absurd and paradoxical way. He always catches the strongest and the most embarrassing moments. He used to photograph the British working class, vacationist on the British coast. In one of his album from 1989 he shows the following process after the British going to Paris or shopping madness.




He was a pioneer of reportage photography and became a master in color film photography. He joined to Magnum Photos in 1988 and became a full member in 1994.

Hoy H. H., (2005), The Photo Book, Warsaw: National Geographic Society

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&l1=0&pid=2K7O3R13MJ3V&nm=Martin%20Parr

http://www.martinparr.com/blog/

http://www.martinparr.com/index1.html

Hello Magazine is one of the most popular magazines, each week more then 405 thousand people buy this tabloid, especially women between 35-44. Each week something new happened in celebrities’ world and event if not it really easy to make up something. The idea of celebrity and fame existed always, but now it is on massive scale and celebrates are known around the world. It’s not only the local gossip market anymore - it is the global gossip market and huge business. Agencies employee photographers (called paparazzi in this case) to get the proof of scandal or to shoot celeb’s event, journalists to make the nice story and marketing people to sell as much as possible to wide public. For me it is only business and pop-cultural entertainment nothing more, nothing less.