Wallpaper Assignment

Response to Adolf Loos: Ornament and Empire

     In this reading, Adolf Loos took his "radical aesthetic purism" ideology too far in my opinion and at some points( the racist remarks) I almost took this piece of writing to be satirical. Loos brings his argument back to the beginning of "art" when the first men "smeared on the wall"; he states that if the modern man were to act upon this impulse and smear on walls then he would be considered "degenerate" in modern society. In a way, the ripples from this opinion of Loos' can still be seen today with street artists and the vast amount of disdain and criticism that they receive for acting upon this impulse. Through the century, our society has immeasurably changed for the better and highly opinionated and biased people like Loos are often shunned. I've noticed that we've continued to prove that ornament has not halted mankind's evolution but is instead co-existing with modern aesthetics to further advance and even inspire future forms of art.
     Another statement that Loos made in this reading was that "ornament is no longer organically linked with our nature" and "has absolutely no human connexions". From recently reading the "CAM Raleigh: Ornament and Pattern" article, I know that Loos' assertion close to false for modern science has suggested that humans are practically wired to seek out pattern in our surroundings. Another baffling opinion of Loos states that "We have art, which has taken the place of ornament." Little does he know ornament continues to permeate even in the modern art world; I'd love to see the look on Loos' face if he were to see Kehinde Wiley's massive paintings on display in some of the world's most distinguished museums today.

JUDITH AND HOLOFERNES, c.2012  

Kehinde wiley

OIL ON CANVAS 120" X 90"

REGARD THE CLASS STRUGGLE 

AS THE MAIN LINK IN THE CHAIN , 2007

Kehinde Wiley
OIL AND ENAMEL ON CANVAS 96 X 72 INCHES

Response to the Wolfsonian's exhibition "Art and Design in the Modern Age"

     I really enjoyed how this exhibition displayed the artifacts in a variety of themes ranging from National Identity and Political Works to Modern furniture and entire blueprints for future cities/metropolis'. This arrangement really helped me get a feel of how the people living in this period  viewed the world at the time. It was interesting to realize that the attitudes that the artisans felt about the rapidly advancing environment are reflected in the artworks. Some people embraced new modern aesthetics while others clung on to their love for ornament and embellishments. The most interesting pieces, to me at least, were the ones that combined both modern design principles with historical ornamentation; some examples are: Wilhem Hunt Diedrich's "Candlestand" and Carl Melmsten's "Chest". 

Candlestand, c.1925
Wilhelm Hunt Diederich

Chest, c.1925
Carl Malmsten

     Although I did thoroughly enjoy the minimalism and "form over function" aspects of the bauhaus furniture and housewares, the ornate and intricately embellished furniture informed me a bit more for our current unit Ornament and Pattern. Ornament completely adorn these furniture pieces and they are fully functional. These ornamentations not only serve as decoration but also incorporate motifs like the "Folding chair" piece and narratives like the "Stained glass window". The patterns on  "Sideboard" by Thomas Jeckyll showed me more examples of enclosed ornaments and how they look on wooden furniture.

 

 

Folding chair, c.1905
   

Stained glass window, c. 1930

   

Small Works

 Shapes in my sketchbook
 


My "quilt"

Response to CAM Raleigh: Ornament and Pattern

     One interesting thing that I pulled from this reading is that our human desire to see ornament is backed up by science and we are pretty much "hard wired" to see it. I love the fact that humans have always wanted to give more meaning to our lives, therefore we developed ways to "embellish" or "add layers of ornament" to our lives. An ornamentation has the power to tell compelling stories and make us better at apprehending/appreciating the things we often take fore granted. With all of its positive attributes, I was surprised to find out that ornament has been greeted with "skepticism and scorn". It gives me hope knowing that ornament possesses the ability to adapt and change with different contexts and aesthetics over time.
     It was interesting to read about the plethora of themes that ornament could have and be able to draw my own conclusion after knowing the ornamentation's context. This reading has reinvigorated my creative process and inspired me to continue to have a sense of purpose in my own artworks. Whether it is to tell a story or bring attention to a particular issue, I now think that an art piece is always more powerful when there's a sense purpose behind it. My artwork, like ornament, is meant to be read. Proper execution of an ornament can "offer a good read" and I strive to give my art work these qualities and leave room for viewers to wonder.

Response to PAMM visit: Ornament and Empire

     The visit to the PAMM to see the "Ornament and Empire" exhibit was especially interesting for me because I've never thought about how ornamentation can correlate with status and power. I was in awe and amazed at how Hew Locke utilized a perishable and everyday material such as cardboard to create such a magnificent  structure. The chaotic piece is comprised of incredibly elaborate patterns abound; with no resting spot for the eye, I was forced to carefully study the piece in detail. Upon learning that Locke's intent was to address symbols of British royalty, colonial histories, and narratives related to global migrations, I began to appreciate the piece more knowing that the object and material that Locke chose was intentional.
          Seeing Firelei Baez's work again remind me of my first Art Basel experience. I remember admiring Baez's massive, colorful and ornate installation that resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was nice to see her work once again in the Perez and have time to stop and read about her pieces. I have learned that she utilizes her art to address the long history of ornamentation and fashion as acts of resistance among African American women during times of French colonialism in New Orleans and the Caribbean. I especially enjoyed staring back at the figure in Baez's "Sans-Souci" piece and learning that the piece is about how free women of color of 18-century Louisiana turned oppression into expression.

Firelei Baez
Sans-Souci (This threshold between a dematerialized and historicized body), 2015
Acrylic and ink on linen

 

Firelei Baez
Bloodlines, 2015
Acrylic and ink on linen

    

                             Hew Locke

                     Hemmed in Two, 2000

        Cardboard, wood, acrylic, glue, and felt-tip pen

Response to Ivin’s Article

     This reading reminded me of how deeply rooted design is in human history. To start, I find it interesting that Ivins compared engravers to musical composers to illustrate the idea that these original creators intended to have their works "engraved by other hands" and evolve to become "elaborations of another man's work." I've gathered that "ornament" and the decorative art has enriched human lives for centuries and continues to do so and help humans develop. Engravers drew inspiration from painters, transforming one idea to the next. Ivins provided the Raphael Loggies as a great example because it was an instance where others took the works of the great master artist and turned it into ornamentation motifs that adorned the vaults of grand structures for many to see.

     Another thing that I found interesting was that these early engravers, with the help of the printing press, recorded designs in pattern books. Later in the reading, Ivins emphasized the importance of collecting and studying these drawings, prints, and book decorations as they will prove to be effective in helping us learn more about the functional growth and development of ornament and even use them as inspiration for new design. Towards the end of the article, Ivins stated that, "Unfortunately the fine ornament of past times has to a large extent been worn out in the workshops... and is becoming so rare and expensive that it is quite impossible for any but the wealthiest worker or manufacturer to form a good collection of it." This prompted me to do more research about how ornament is perceived in our modern society and what are other's opinions of it. The lecture/essay called "Ornament and Crime" by the theorist and architect, Adolf Loos, stated that ornament in art is degenerate to society and that lack of decoration is a sign of an advanced society. His ideology lead me to think about modern art works, especially the minimal ones, and wonder how true Loos' opinion is.

In-Depth Project

I continued to experiment with different surfaces and continue to explore my original concept about gender roles in my country and the perseverance of the Vietnamese woman for the in-depth project and these pieces are the result.

When making my final piece, combined what I've learned from previous pieces. I decided to depict/paint my grandmother (a woman that has never had anything luxurious in her life and persevered even through war times) on a surface of fabrics (silk, fur) that are usually associated opulence. I also chose to utilize gold paint to detail her figure in hopes of paying tribute and give her something precious.

Small Works Continued

  Being assigned mediums that I'm not used to making work with really pushed me to take a chance and continue experimenting without a complete sense of direction. I began working with my new materials immediately in class and was able to (almost) complete one of the pieces (the abstract one). I wanted to continue research and make these pieces more "me". So I did some research on the history of women in my country (Vietnam). During the research, I found out that Vietnam was once a matriarchal society until new leaderships took over and a new patriarchal society was introduced. These pieces depict observations of gender roles in my country and the perseverance and grace of the Vietnamese woman.

Response to ICA Visit

        The first exhibit I saw was Ida Applebroog's Mercy Hospital, which I observed to have a rather negative connotation overall. Her journals depict scenes of domestic abuse, rape, harlotry and even murder. I noticed that all of the scenes shown in her work are very private scenes that Applebroog took and made to be very public through her expressive and cartoonish journals and paintings; these scenes can easily be uncomfortable to some viewers for they hit very close to some triggering experiences and feelings. I was especially intrigued with her "BLUE BOOKS" series; she illustrated several domestic dramas utilizing repetition and poetic monologues which prompted me to become fascinated and curious to analyze each of the situations. When observing Appplebroog's large oil paintings, I find that it's interesting how she utilized cartoonish figures to render gruesome hospital scenes. The figures in Ida Applebroog's drawings are very organically formed and bear an eerie resemblance to anatomical human parts; these drawings, coupled with her thought provoking writings become very emotionally charged pieces.
        When looking at the work of Susan Te Kahurangi King, I could feel her impulse to work and create. From a distance, some of her drawings look like typical abstract works, maybe even landscapes, but upon closer inspection I could see that she utilized many cartoonish figures and objects to make up these abstract scenes. Another thing I noted is her artistic transformation throughout her life. Her early works comprised of bold colors and forms, then they gradually started to become less colorful to focus on the possible narrations that could be occurring; her recent and later works are almost completely abstract and comprised of the vivid colors once again. After learning that King lost her ability to speak as a child and was diagnosed as severely autistic, I started to look at her work through a different lens and was left with a sense of awe-struck curiosity. I began to ask questions like: What prompted her to start and continue drawing? What must be going through her head as a child for her to start illustrating the way she does (referring to the distorted drawings of Donald Duck)?

    

              

    

    

Small Works: Female Energy

Thought process:

This candle is what I initially based my three small works on. Although it isn't considered a handmade piece of folk art, I do see artistic aspects in the illustration on the candle and it did trigger my aesthetic emotion. The image of Mary, to me, represents a strong female presence and the roses surrounding her gave me the idea to utilize real roses in my three pieces. I chose to depict caryatids and the female greek bust because
to me they're literally iconic female figures in human history.