POSTMODERNISM - A feature in the GOAD at the National Museum of Australia

WHAT IS THE FEATURE?

The feature that I have chosen is the red and white striped poles. 

WHAT DOES IT REFERENCE?

These are meant to represent at least two things: (a) Surveyor's striped poles - surveyors cut much of Australia up into small blocks or farms, which was a very different concept to Aboriginal ownership of the land where it belongs to everyone & everyone belongs to the land.

(b) The Australian Artist Jeffery Smart's art work which was urban images filled with geometric shapes such as the surveyors poles (see image above)

WHY DOES IT APPEAL TO ME?

I am a big fan of Jeffery Smart's work, but also because my great great grandfather was one of the original surveyors in NSW in the mid-1800s. It makes me feel that he is represented here, BUT of course he didn't understand the Aboriginal concept of land ownership. (Does it make me feel ashamed of him, you may ask....No it doesn't!)

WHY DOES RICHARD WHEELER INCLUDE IT IN THE GOAD AT THE NMA?

Because of the differences between the Aboriginal and European concepts of land ownership. The GOAD is filled with differences between the two types of cultures.

WHY IS THE GOAD CONSIDERED 'POSTMODERN' LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE?

The GOAD is a complex representation of historical events and is a social commentary of Australia with particular emphasis on the differences between Aboriginal and European settlement, 60,000 and 200 years ago respectively. It is very postmodern in its concept - diverse, complex, has cultural interest and is a revaluation of the western culture.

Sol LeWitt Conceptional Art

This is my attempt at 'Sol LeWitt's Conceptional art'!

Hopefully it may be true to some of Sol's sentences such as:

13. A work of art may be understood as a conductor from the artist's mind to the viewer's. But it may never reach the viewer's mind nor leave the artist's.

21. Perception of ideas leads to new ideas.

Other statements by LeWitt appeal here such as: 'It is usually free from the dependence of the skill of the artist as a craftsman', and 'it must begin with an idea'.

I based it on LeWitt's geometric ideas. I would like to call it 'The Second Great Depression', but that may put too much meaning to it!

I like playing around in Photoshop, but I had the idea first.

New Tate Modern by Tim Marlow

Tim Marlow speaks about the characteristics of:

1. Work of Marcel Duchamp

2. Art movement 'Minimalism'

3. Work of Andy Warhol 

MARCEL DUCHAMP

Marlow was explaining the merits of Duchamp’s artwork/sculpture ‘The Bride Stripped Bare by her Bachelors” (on 2 panes of glass – completed early 1920s) saying that it was a work of sexual riddles that mostly one really could not make sense of. This artwork was groups of phallic or malic forms representing the male reproductive organs at the bottom of the artwork. The female is at the top of The Glass and she is geometric. It is arranged in order like the process of a machine, with several bullet holes which represented the scattered hit and miss of sperm (I guess) to result in successful reproduction or perhaps just successfully catching the bride. It is very basic, weird, eye-catching, not attractive and has shock value.

 

MINIMALISM

This type of art Marlow says is non-representational. It is a simple form – often just lines or one of more primary colours. This movement seemed to be very basic in form. Here Marlow spoke of several artworks including a later work of Marcel Duchamp’s – "Fountain" - a urinal (graffitied with 'R Mut 1917' on it) on its side which in the 1920s was severely shocking and in many ways still has shock value to think that a urinal is in any way artistic. However it was very original. Also Piero Manzoni’s tins of his own excrement (1961) – total shock value and a reaction to the times. Art does not have to be beautiful.

 

ANDY WARHOL

Warhol’s pop-artwork silkscreen ‘Marilyn Munro’ (1962) originated from a portrait of Marilyn taken when she was shooting the film ‘Niagra’ (1953). It is a series of 25 colour and  25 black and white repetitive Marilyn heads. The colour ones are beautiful in vibrant and pastel shades, each the same as the other; the black and white ones varied in quality from not too good to really bad. This could represent Marilyn’s roller coasting life of fame, glitter and depression, followed by her untimely early death in 1962 by her own hands. On the other hand it may represent the world in those days which in those post war times was on the surface quite prosperous ( in the West) but underneath there were many post war problems. Warhol's artwork here at the Tate is acrylic but he mass produced similar ones as silkscreens. Tim Marlow spoke of Warhol as a leader in the Pop Art period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 shots on Anzac morning

Bauhaus inspired architecture

                     

MANUKA SWIMMING POOL

Built in 1930, the Manuka Pool was the first pool in Canberra. Its architecture has not been modified since that time.

One might look at this building and say it is Art Deco, but Art Deco architecture was inspired by modernism, cubism and expressionism and all of these have their base in the ideas and ideals of Bauhaus. 

It is a simple design, functional, elegant yet not decorative and so is a good example here in Canberra of Bauhaus architecture. It was built from bricks made at the Yarralumla Brick Works and then covered with plaster and painted. It has no fancy ornamentation.

Two recent shots

Photographic Portrait Prize, 2009

As a judge of this Photographic Portrait Prize, 2009, I chose Mark Rogers Lambda print 'Rowan McNamara', 2008. It is set in the abandoned community at Jay's Creek, outside Alice Springs. Rowan McNamara stars in Samson and Delilah at that location.

This photo in my opinion is incredibly moody with its pitch black top 2/3rds. Taken at night, it is front lit onto Rowan's face and clothes (it is a side on view of him in an old fashioned wheel chair) with a touch of light from a house and car headlights - one on either side of him. The very high contrast is eye catching so we are forced to stare at the image of Rowan. It is spell - bounding. There is no frame which suits this photograph.

The two 'worsts':

First, the worst image goes to David Wills' 'Puddled State', 2008. It is really not a portrait; but mearly a mucky puddle with the shadow of a person reflected. It is far too small and the image really looks pretty drab. If it is the Wills I'm thinking of, he has taught photographic subjects at ANU!!??

Secondly, the worst frame goes to Dean Golja's 'Betty Churcher', 2008. A very nice image of Betty, but the frame overpowers it. From a distance it looks like pressed metal into a VERY ornate frame. However it is silver painted wood, but still does not compliment the very good image. It steels the observer's attention from the photo. A simple frame, even if the artist wanted silver to compliment her silver hair, would be just fine.