SUE TOMPKINS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiQTbXTyK_4 - video of Sue Tompkins

tp://www.axisweb.org/ofSARF.aspx?SELECTIONID=78 - Article

SUE TOMPKINS

I first heard of Sue Tompkins about two years ago and was intrigued by her work and performance art.  She is fascinated by rhythm, whether it’s the clicking of her typing (on a typewriter) or simply just the way words sound when they are repeated.  Tompkins does not focus on the meaning of words in the usual context, but instead repeats and syncopates words to make us rethink what language really is, and how words can be used in different ways to create different meanings. Tompins helps us look at words a part from their usual associations and mundane contexts. 

I found an article reviewing one of Tompkin’s performances of 2004, “No More Cola Wars”, written by Michelle Cotton.  The idea of a ‘cola war’ stemmed from the subliminal advertising of Coca Cola in the 1950’s, where an experiment was conducted in a cinema.  ‘Drink Coca Cola’ would flash on the screen for less than one second every five seconds in hopes that the audience would buy more Coke. In this performance, Tompkins repeats words and phrases out of context to create a new sense of meaning and acknowledgement of the words she carefully chooses. “Tompkins loops and re-plays words and phrases so that a rhythm is struck through repetition” according to Cotton. The main idea Cotton communicates is that Tompkins’ work is very effective, catchy, and meaningful in a different way. “Tompkins is interested in testing how language can acquire meaning or permanence through rhythm, repetition and variation of tone so like music it becomes endlessly replayed, whether it's heard or not.”  I find this relates also back to the idea of subliminal messages, and the Coca Cola experiment.  I am inspired by Tompkins’ work; how she is able to use words, mundane phrases and tunes in a new way, which ends up communicating an entirely new message.  I learned from this article review that it is not so much what words/materials you use to communicate that matter (it could be as simple as ‘Drink Coca Cola’!) but instead, HOW you use these words/materials can make a transforming difference.  For example, the tactic of the subliminal messages, or Sue Tomkins’ unusual repetition of words and sentences-something very new, inspiring, and even powerful could be communicated to the audience.   

    

The Narmer Palette

The Narmer Palette 

2950-2775 BCE.

The Narmer Palette represents the unification of northern and southern Egypt under King Narmer.  The palette was used for grinding eye paint which the Egyptians, both men and women, used to protect their eyes from the sun by reflecting the light.  There is great symbolism in this piece conveyed through iconography.  His name is represented by a horizontal fish (nar) and a chisel (mer) at the top of the register.  Narmer is protected by Hathor, the human face with cow ears and horns at the top of the palette.  The artist of this palette used the hieratic scale to convey the least to greatest figures.  Narmer is the largest, representing his power as a ruler and unifier of Egypt.  He stands in the composite pose, ready to strike the helpless enemy over the head. Beneath Narmer are the dead, proving his power and victory.  Narmer also wears the crown of upper Egypt.  The falcon, representing the god Horas, stands on top of the papyrus, a plant symbolizing Lower Egypt and also representing Narmer’s dominion and victory.  The falcon also appears to have seized the head of a man, perhaps representing Lower Egypt again. 

The other side of the Palette is divided by three registers, which makes for a balanced, interesting composition and also seems to show a timeline of the order in which the events of the battle took place.  Near the top of the Palette, Narmer wears a hat of Southern Egypt, proving he has taken control.  Corpses lay in lines, representing the enemy, Southern Egypt.  Below, two creatures with very long intertwining necks, creating a circle, represent the fact that Northern and Southern Egypt are now one and strong, under King Narmer.       

Collage Project

Through my collage, I wanted to convey the beauty of life/nature, as well as the fast moving society we are a part of here in America.  I depicted a sun setting on the ocean, which represents my home in Florida.  It also represents the beauty of life and my home.  Then, above the sunset, there are four red points in the sky representing my family.  The red points are connected by film strips to show they share a bond and are together.  The film strips also represent roads, and an outline of a road leads from the family to downtown Franklin, my town.  I used an x-ray of my dad’s artery to represent Hillsboro road, which leads to Belmont; the brick rectangle.  The moon is to the left in a red sky.  I wanted the red to represent inspiration and art.  I believe art is in everything, especially nature!  Also branching off of the family constellation are two antennas which represent a satellite/music/and sound.  My family and I all play music together and that is a great part of our bond.  There are sound waves coming from the antennas, leading our eyes to the moon.  I included pictures of my friends in the ocean, also serving as memories.  There is also another antenna in the ocean only this one represents a cell phone antenna, because sometimes I feel as though my cell phone is taking over my life!  It also represents a way of communicating with friends, just another way to stay connected, which is a great part of our society today.  There is a brown rectangle in the far right corner which represents a building/factory spewing money (the green rectangles).  I feel this also symbolizes the values of America.  Our country is also very fast moving and rapidly changing so I wanted to create a sense of movement in this piece to convey the energy of America.  And I believe all of it is art, everything is connected. 

You: The sun represents me.  I’ve always felt a strong connection with the sun, growing up in Florida. It also represents my home, both the sun and the ocean. Also, the antennas in the sky represent my love for music and sound.  The colors represent my love for art and nature. 

Friends and Family:  I included pictures of my friends in the ocean on the collage which are very nostalgic memories. The four points in the sky represent my family; me, my mom, dad, and sister.  We are connected like a constellation and depend on one another. 

Your town, community, school:  My town, Franklin, is represented by the circle and roads above the family constellation.  The circle represents Downtown Franklin, a place I always go with my sister.  Then, branching from Franklin is a road, Hillsboro Road, leading to Belmont; the brick rectangle which is surrounded by green; the beautiful campus.  

Your country:  I wanted the movement in the piece to help represent the U.S.  Everything feels so fast paced here, we never stop moving!  Yet there is also a lot of change taking place in America.  Also, the money tree/factory/building on the right represents American values.

The world today:  Again, I wanted the movement and energy to convey fast paced society, our world today, as well as the cellphone antennas.  

Art:  I believe you can see art in everything and anything if you want to.  I included some  water color scraps I had painted to represent my love for art; the red in the sky as well as the orange.  Art has a way of connecting us, like cell phones, music, etc..

History: I thought of history as memory.  The ocean and sun is where I came from, and above it in the sky is my new home in Franklin, TN, and then Belmont is also another home to me.  In a sense, this collage is like a timeline of my moves in life.  They keep building off of one another and I keep learning more and more each move.

Art in Review; Agnes Martin

 









"Art in Review," by Roberta Smith, is a critique of Agnes Martin's, a great minimal artist's, work.  Smith appreciates Martin's earlier work of the 1950's and 60's rather than her later work- to her death in 2004.  Smith recognizes Martin is an extreme minimalist artist, yet seems to describe Martin's work very mundanely.  I do not agree with this author's opinion of Agnes Martin's art.  I think of Agnes Martin to be somewhat like Mark Rothko.  Minimal art can appear cold, as Smith states referring to Martin's art work, but if one meditates long enough on whatever minimal mark, line, color, texture, light that is being portrayed, the work of art can become very strong and have a great affect on the viewer.  I really love Mark Rothko's paintings!  I've read that some people who have seen them in person have felt spiritual revelations and the simple colors had a great effect on their emotions.  I think this is the beauty of minimal art.  It really makes us slow down and really look at whatever little or simple piece of information is being portrayed.  It also can help us listen to ourselves.
Agnes Martin's work has always inspired me, her newer work as well as the old.  Perhaps the critic of this article does not know or appreciate the excitement of the ambiguity of minimal art, which is understandable because minimal art, like all other artistic styles, is very personal and one must have the taste for it, much like one would have a very different taste for Andy Warhol.  The central thesis of Smith's review is that Agnes Martin's work did not improve as she grew older; her concepts grew colder, more minimal, and ambiguous. I disagree, finding Martin's work to be a positive progression throughout her art-making career.
"Arranged by formal likenesses, the display moves from vertical elements to horizontal ones to occasional intersections of both. There are side trips into triangles and some atypical floating shapes, including circles, squares and, in one case, angled planes that cause a rare foray into deep pictorial space."   This is a quote from Smith's review describing Martin's later work.  I find this description to be simple and true.  It relates to the formal elements of art we've discussed in class.  The formal elements of line, shape, and color harmonize perfectly in Martin's work.  Her line variation, repetition of shapes, calming colors create a very individualistic style.  It is so difficult to create minimal art, I feel, because whatever information is laid down is extremely important because of its rarity.   

"Starry Night"

1889

Vincent Van Gough was heavily influenced by Seurat's idea of divisionism.  He let the two stylistic techniques of divisionism and Impressionism mold and transform his style of painting.  Instead of painting clusters of dots, Van Gough stretched out his brush strokes and created lines that give the painting "The Starry Night" its life and energy.  The wonderful movement conveyed in this piece is created by these multi-directional dashes/lines.  The lines of the sky oppose each other, insinuating that there is movement in the sky; perhaps wind or a storm on its way. The counterbalance of lines and the diagonal axis created from one end of the sky to the other helps ground the image and direct our focus.  The movement of the lines (the direction of which they were laid down) works to balance the piece also.  Triangles are created by the directions of the flowing lines, for example, look at the dark ominous looking tree/bush in the foreground, it is made of fairly vertical lines.  Now look at the lines of the sky directly to the left of the tree, they are horizontal lines, which then takes out eye to the curving lines of the clouds and then the moon.  This triangle really pleases the eye and also balances the composition.  By applying the paint so thickly, a beautiful texture and new sense of depth is made.  This texture also contributes to the momentum of the "Starry Night."
Light is a very important part of this painting as well.  Bright yellows surround and fill the stars, which makes it looks as though they are glowing and pulsating.  The light is not realistically painted but there was no purpose for it to be.  Instead it is very dramatic and intense, conveying the artist's emotional state. "Starry Night" is recognized as one of the first Expressionistic paintings, because the intensity of the artist's emotion is more important than the actual appearance of things.
There is high energy and ambiguity.  When I look at this painting, I do not feel happy or sad, I just get excited!  I sense  there is something going on, things are about to change, wind is blowing.  The energy and life of this piece feels most like excitement and inspiration to me.  You get the feeling that it's breathing.