DISPLAYING MODERN ART: THE TATE APPROACH
The gallery was dealing with such huge crowds that certain galleries needed to be roped off. It was the most popular museum of modern art in the world. The Tate has an astounding detail for British art. The way that we look at modern art is shown by historical concerns. The MoMa opened in 1929. This pioneered the new form of display. THis system for exhibiting was the product of the museum’s first director. It was a response to artistic modernism; it was the characteristic type of modern exhibition. The works were categorized in a series of rooms and chronologically. The movements evolved around each other based on their order. Artists began to explore the political concepts of the museum in their work. The history sold the museum as an ideological museum. Concerns expanded to look at the role of gender and sexuality in works. Professionals had to come to terms with these types of works. Works were displayed in 4 sections and each section provides a theme and principle for each work. The themes are landscape, still life, history, and the nude. Genres have expanded to make titles consisting of three terms, each relating to each other. The other terms widen the structure. Within these terms we can look at movements and develop themes. They yielded so much. These artworks were made at different ends of the 20th century, and Water Lillies was produced after WWI. The works are also made of different materials. In contrast, Long’s works consist of a circle of slate and a drawing made of mud and a photograph. The display challenges us to see parallels between different works of art.
BONES OF CONTENTION: NATIVE AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY
Over the past 150 years, the bones of Indians have accumulated in the name of science. During the colonization of North America, the bones of Native Americans were collected and studied at will by archaeologists. In 1974, a cemetery was found when a man was beginning construction on a highway. They were reburied in another ceremony but the remains of an Indian were taken to a lab and studied but the other 26 white people weren’t. The woman of the construction worker made a trip to the city council of Iowa. Maria Pearson’s battle caught the public. The first law protecting Indian burial sites was passed and went state to state. David Van Horn was searched by the police for possession of Indian bones. The crime carried a prison sentence of 3 years. The case was thrown out of court. The law also attacked artifacts held by museums across the country. Archaeology became the structure of American colonies. THey had to declare that the people weren’t the owners of the land when the colonists wanted them off the land. The discovered mounds and other earth works. Soon people began to dig up the mounds and the remains were collected. Skulls of Indian tribes were now being investigated. It resulted in the collection of 4,000 skulls. Starvation, war, and disease threatened the Indians and they were seen as a doomed culture. Dozens of museums were built to house the collections were the remains have rested. Attempts were starting to be made to recover these objects and remains. In 1985, the Smithsonian began an infantry of its Indian remains. It held the bones of more than 18,000 Native Americans. The new law was beginning to bite. By the end of 1999, the museums skewered their collections. Some tribes just want the bones returned as soon as possible. Studies that anthropologists were engaged in could provide much information however, they cannot continue on because of the law. In some Indian cultures, there are ceremonies that can identify ancestors. When science says they’re not related, Indians believe that isn’t true. Scientists don’t know the Indian culture and techniques they use to identify each other. Archaeologists see the remains as markers and if the don’t continue, they feel they lose the past. Indians use oral tradition to pass things down. They know what their lives mean because of the oral tradition. For many Indians, oral traditions contain all the information that they need. Scientists are piecing together the science of disease by looking at the effects on past bones. They hope to gain a better insight of diseases today. The problem with this is that it is open to disagreement. WIth this uncertainty, its not surprising that Native Americans are skeptical. Maria Pearson has taken place of a highway production in Iowa along with the governor to ensure that Indian rights weren’t excluded or that sites weren’t vandalized. The Omaha Tribe have lived in Nebraska for years. A collaboration has developed between the tribe and the University of Nebraska. They suggested that the bones be studied for cultural and medical information. These remains can speak to us, but only through science. Research is directed by the Omaha tribe and their council. They addressed the problems they needed. Diabetes has had a devastating affect on the Omaha tribe. It results from change in diet and activity. The lifestyle meant they were all in very good physical shape although patterns have changed. The answer lays now in their diet. They had a diverse diet and a large part of it was derived from bison, 40-60%. There is a lot of processed food and fat i Omaha diet today. This could have triggered diabetes. In the early 1800’s, trade took off. It brought about the tribe’s downfall. The change in the culture resulted from disease and a change in the economics. Before the epidemic, their health was very good but after the women had much more of a role in manufacturing and this contributed to their bad health. Women weren’t living long enough to birth, therefore the population declined. Research can be used to generate a sense of pride in the children of the tribe. Remains have been buried now; scientists have done their research. The Omaha also got their knowledge.
GEORGE EASTMAN HOUSE: PICTURE PERFECT
George Eastman was a marketing and business genius. He was born in 1854, he was a child of new photography. He was the founder of Eastman photography. He created the 1st affordable user friendly camera. The George Eastman house has been the mecca of film and photography. It includes over 400,000 photographs. This links the history of photography and film to the life of George Eastman. History was captured through these works. In this house, archives are right across the hall. It contains about 16,000 objects. It holds the largest Daguerreotype collection outside of France. It also has the first camera ever sold in the US. It was sold the $76 in 1840. In 1844, Talbot published his book using illustrations. Kodak became one of the best known brands in the world. In 1888, he offered the Kodak, costing $25. Processing the film was handled by Kodak. In 1900, he introduced a camera that sold for $1. It was a hit. Kodak shipped over 150,000 cameras in the first year alone. The snapshot was born. He knew engaging women and children, he was presenting to the world a way to capture memories. Adams used his pure art forms to create amazing pictures and memories. In 1894, a machine that took and projected movies was develpoed. Eastman, working with Edison, developed a film strong enough to deal with movement. Eastman had the first home theater in America. In 1902, he began construction on a 50 room estate, which is now the centerpiece of the museum. It had a photo album of prints of the home and garden taken during his day. It aided in the $2 million restoration of the house. The album allowed for accurate restoration of the house because it had so many angles of the house. The collection contains over 62,000 personal artifacts. His love of hunting shows all over the house. He brought back an elephant which hangs in the conservatory. He was making a movie of a charging rhino. He was a maker of film. There is a collection of 25,000 films in the Eastman house. The 1st great monster animation classic was the Lost World. Eastman was a man who was in control of his own destiny. He took his own life. He died on March 14th, 1934. His legacy is that he changed forever the way we see ourselves and each other. He gave us our image.
THE LOWDOWN ON LOWBROW: WEST COAST POP ART
Lowbrow is something somebody used. It is art that no one can categorize. It was seen on porno sites. It is reactionary against highbrow culture. It has many connotations. It used in relation to paintings with naked girls and hot rods. It evolved into a meaning of it’s own. A more appropriate term would be lowbrow surrealism. It was a manifesto. It isn’t surreal. It’s about heart. It’s more of a people thing. What makes the artists a group is the common experience that makes them want to be a part of that type of art. People can relate to the imagery they are seeing. There is a historical reference that is more personal in this type of art. It has a history in folk art. It comes full circle to consumerism. One thing that is important with this type of art is the post WWII period from the late 40’ t the mid 60’s. They had a lot of influential elements. At the same time there was an American consumer culture developing. There were very important images in this time that influenced lowbrow art. Rock posters were known all over Europe but weren’t shown in America. Lowbrow art was also seen in comics and was influenced by comics. One of the greatest alternative artists of our time is Robert Crumb. Tiki art is another successful aspect of lowbrow art. It shows a world we’re fascinated by. Conceptual art is conception. An artist just has to point to something and that is considered art. Conceptualism brought intelligent thought to the playing field. The established art world is joined systematically to help promote only certain forms of art like minimalism and abstract art. There has been an emergence of women artists who have made their presence felt. Things in pop culture women can reference that are sexually driven can be seen in this art. Women feel that they’re better qualified to paint women than man are. Lowbrow is better open to women than any other movement in the art history world. People are attracted to art when people aren’t telling them they have to be. It’s a natural attraction. One of the most important things is the artist audience interaction. Seeing the artists in public and knowing who they are adds a lot to the art. New York inherited fine art from France, due to abstract discretions. The fresh new capital of the world was New York. LA have the quality of being on the pacific brim and owing almost nothing to Europe. Things in LA are all new and exciting and are all related to art. This is where people are open to new things. In the late 70’s, punk rock happened. The majority of punk rock musicians had a fine art background. You can see many artistic abilities in the CD covers and fliers. This movement blew up because Bully Shire opened up a gallery. Juxtapose magazine made is possible for people worldwide to stay in tune with the lowbrow scene. It started out of necessity. People associate good art with NYC. There was recognition for lowbrow work on the west coast however. The greatest masterpieces are coming out now and people are spending a great amount of money on the art work. By the mid 60’s work, for example, Dali’s work was going for millions of dollars. 20 years ago, Robert Williams could beg anyone to show his work. Now, galleries are begging him for his work. This movement has gone under an amazing Renaissance.
No comments:
Post a Comment