Artist Research

Arman

Broken, messy and confused are a few of the words which instantly popped into my head when I first looked at this piece of art. I like the way he has used the juxtaposition of this beautiful instrument, which should be all lovely and polished, in a broken and unpleasant manner. This artwork reminds me of the emotions, anger and frustration due to the thought of beauty being attacked and destroyed. I have played the piano for 4 years and have ownership of an old wooden piano. Not in the literal sense however I see this art piece as a metaphor for society and over time its beauty can get destroyed by, for example natural disasters.

The use of colour is quite simplistic, Arman has composed a red background which compliments the additional warm colour of the brown piano. These warm colours make it to be easy on the naked eye of the viewers allowing them to relate to the piece in a more personal way. In the main, this piece illustrates sharp, angular objects which portray the angry and frustrated emotions. The surface upon this sculpture seems very rough as the strings from inside are tangled and the wood has splintered, this adds to the mental image of nothing merging together. The size of this piece is very large as Arman has used an actual grand piano. I believe it is this size to add to the metaphor about society enabling the viewers to connect in more depth. If this sculpture was any smaller I feel it won’t give off the same effect. The fact this piece is made out of an actual piano makes it more eye catching as it isn’t a traditional material used by artists. If this was just a painting of the smashed up piano, it wouldn’t carry the emotions that this sculpture succeeds in carrying. I believe Arman got a n axe and physically broke apart this piano creating the effect of the ‘beat up’ look. There are no pencil strokes or rubbed out markings which are visible on the background of this piece which may convey planning involved in the assembling of the piano. I believe the keys are the main focal points of this sculpture although they are not centre, almost pushed away to the side. Also, what is conspicuous by its absence of this sculpture is the pianist as they are the source of its beautiful sound.

Arman made this sculpture in 1962, this connects with the society around that time when rules were broken and music shifted from classical to pop. The piano being a traditional classical instrument symbolises the moving away from that style of music. This sculpture was made in France maybe to reveal that France also need to change musically and to be more like America and Britain. Arman was more born in Nice, France and moved to America in 1973 and became an American citizen. He is best known for his accumulations of identical objects and his destruction of objects. I believe people may have seen this piece quite shocking to destroy something of this kind and yet now the public are used to more unique styles. The connotation of the red background could symbolise anger or passion which allows the views to relate.

From the visual effects of this sculpture my views are the same. However the fact that the artist left his motherland and became an American citizen is quite dramatic as it indicates something must have been broken in his life. I believe the message behind this piano was more a personal meaning for Arman as smashing it up would have been a release of emotions for him. As a piece of art it is eye-catching and different therefore visually successful.

This is an interesting piece however doesn’t relate to my kind of art as I would prefer to create something rather than destroy it as I believe it doesn’t consist of any skill to smash up a piano. This does relate to our contemporary world as there will always be destruction, therefore makes it easier for viewers to relate using their imagination as everyone has different life experiences. I will included the idea of the warm colours within this piece to progress my own work as it is easy on the eye.

Etienne Gelinas

 

 

My first reaction to Gelinas’ work stirred confusion in my head. It upholds having a busy life and getting stressed out about it, I like his work as I can relate to that. His work reminds me of map contour lines and making a plan of where to travel to this is because of all the circles and lines included in his pieces. An interest of mine that I can connect his work to is the World Wars, for example in World War II when the war offices would plan where to fly their planes and they would use a big, old map to plan it on.

Gelinas’ use of colours in this piece includes yellow, black and blue. The background is black which allows the main of this picture stand out more. Within this piece there are many circular shapes and straight edge forms which make it very mathematical. The surface looks very rough with different materials adding more layers to the master piece. The effect of these techniques add to the emotion of confusion as Gelinas hasn’t stuck to one form nor texture, he has included a bit of everything in his work. Etienne Gelinas’ work comes in different sizes but are usually very big sizes, estimating 1 meter square being the smallest canvas. I believe the preference of this piece being bigger allows the viewers to feel surrounded by his confused and stressed emotions, making it easier for them to relate to his feelings. Gelinas has built his work up from the centre and has spread it out, getting smoother leaving just the background at the edges of his piece. He has allowed his work to stand out on the canvas using the different textures and layers. Gelinas has used simple, traditional art materials to create this big effective pieces of art, including paper, acrylic paint and geometric forms. If Etienne Gelinas changed the materials or colours in his work I believe it wouldn’t change the meaning completely as I feel it is the form and the texture which holds the main confusion emotion because his work is artistically messy and random. I believe the making of his work is completely improvised, whatever comes to his head he includes it instantly, for example paint splats and randomly use of shapes. The making of his pieces are invisible as they don’t seem to carry a processed plan behind them.

This particular piece was made around 2014 and was created and display in Toronto, Canada. I believe this piece is completely abstract as he wants to show his passion for geometric and mathematical forms. Etienne Gelinas is a native of Quebec, Canada and studies a collection of arts and project management. Gelinas’ interest has grown from the way in which society has evolved and juxtaposes the easy access of technology. I believe everyone views artwork in different ways due to personal experiences. Within his art piece there are a few words, almost like note taking on an engineering sketch, which supports this purpose of this work.

From the research, the artist has a background in abstract art and also in project management. An unusual mix one might take on. The mix of art being free hand and project management being very structured and logical reveal he likes to create a paradox. My views about this piece of artwork has changed as I believed it was made out of an interest of war and confused emotions. However it was produced with more abstract thoughts in mind. I feel the way in which it was interpreted by the viewers was more to the fact Gelinas managed to include maths into art. I think this piece is visually successful as you have to take a moment to explore the artist’s intension with this particular piece.

There are elements of this approach that may be interesting to incorporate into my own artwork like the use of subtle geometric shapes which I feel are very effective as they add some detail to the blank black background. The way in which this style relates to the contemporary world is it depicts a new type of art which combines the traditional abstract with the mathematical elements.

Frank Auerbach



My first reaction to this piece is that it is quite abstract and I like this style as it is different to your usual landscape painting as that is clearer with the shapes within the piece. This art work is eye catching and I am still able to identify objects within this picture. For example I see a busy street with steps going up and buildings in the background. This reminds me of a busy town/city as the unclear picture implies movement within the piece of art. I can relate as I live near to Birmingham and whenever I’m there it is always a rush.

The colours used within this piece are warm and natural colours, including orange, yellow, green and brown. These colours are a juxtaposition and allow different tone within the picture and portrays a relaxed almost homely feeling as I believe this may be a familiar place to Auerbach. The paint brush movements are very straight in this picture illustrating the structured, man-made architecture within the image. The paint looks as if it has been lavished on therefore may be a little rough, however this allows the art work look three dimensional. The size of this canvas is very large (1.6 x 1.4 meters). This size compliments the painting as the viewers would be able to relate to what Auerbach is seeing, if the canvas size was reduces the audience wouldn’t have the full effect. Frank Auerbach has used oil paints for this piece, which is a typical medium to use. If he had used water paints the three dimensional effect wouldn’t have done justice for his work. I believe Auerbach may have drawn a rough sketch to get the spacing right on this large canvas, however not much more planning as he has expressed his feelings in his painting which doesn’t usually consider planning. However if he has planned it, he has covered it up as it isn’t noticeable to the naked eye. The stair case in this picture are the main focal point as they stand out more, I believe Auerbach has done this to suggest they lead to someplace precious, which means a lot to him.

This piece of art was made in 1990-1 in his studios in London. This picture is of the displays the view from outside his studio, therefore is a view he sees a lot. Frank Auerbach was originally from Berlin, that being where he was born in 1931 and was sent to Britain aged seven, with 10,000 other Jewish children, where he left his parents who later died in a concentration camp. Auerbach excelled in Art and Drama, almost became an actor, but his Art proved stronger. Auerbach started working at his studios in 1954. I believe everyone views art in different ways due to own personal life experiences. If this piece didn’t have the description on the website I would still have the same views although I would be confused to where or what it is actually of, as the picture isn’t completely clear in the brush techniques. However I believe that adds mystery as the viewers are able have add their own personal intake of the painting making it easier for them to relate to its purpose.

My research of this piece of artwork has told me that it is personal and there was more planning then I encountered which went into this painting. My views have changed a little as I now understand the purpose of this creation as the ownership of the studio changed his life for the better and never wants to forget the view from outside the front door. I believe the intended message, of enjoying the view of the simple things in life, was successful and is portrayed in the use of colours within the painting as it is more colourful and uses more high key colours which allows this piece of art work to stand out.

Frank Auerbachs work will allow me to explore different styles of art of which I can experiment with. I can take techniques from his work, for example brush techniques and the way in which he uses pure straight forms within this painting to get a meaning across to the viewers. I believe it was the visual qualities which drew me into this picture, although the meaning behind it shined once I had identified it.