Museum visit by Jorge Fernando Delius

Artwork: For Dolores, also called Flores para los muertos by Tony Smith

Museum visit

Description

Tony Smith's interest in scientific principles of growth and form led to the study of cellular and molecular structure. His sculpture “For Dolores, also called Flores para los muertos (Flowers for the Dead)” underlines an important personal and emotional resonance in Smith's work that invigorates its systematic and geometric forms. The title, For Dolores, is one of many in Smith's oeuvre dedicated to a friend or associate, in this case, a design student at Bennington College. The alternate title makes reference to a line from Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire spoken by a Mexican vendor: "Flores. Flores. Flores para los muertos.( Hasher Sculpture Center)"

Art elements

Lines

The sculpture doesn’t have any straight line because Tony tried to express the motion of a molecule and the constant evolution. By having curved lines he represents the cyclical change in atoms. There are implied lines for me. For example the “sphere” has 24 points where implied lines pass through them and the center. They create a invisible and convergent point at the center of the sphere (at the nucleus, the most important part of an atom).

Shape

As you can see the sculpture has a lot of geometrical shapes. Most of them are not regular but many of them are triangles, squares, hexagons and cylinders. The main shape is the volumetric sphere with sizes: 44 1/4 x 44 3/4 x 45 1/4 in. The geometric shapes are “ in “ the main sphere and are part of it. Together form the power of a atom and show the force of unity.

Space

At the center of the sculpture there is no material, so it is an empty space. The largest side measures 115 cm ( 45 in ) so it is dwarf us.

Light

The object interacts with its setting in such a way that you can be affected when you see it. At the Nasher sculpture center there are a lots of sculptures but these one was the one that impressed me. The marble has a natural light because of its color and the architectural space helps a lot. The building designed by Renzo Piano has innovations on the roof to take advantages of the sun light. The light gives the implied motion and life to the atom

Color

The dominant colors are white and gray. They are the natural color of the marble. This wonderful color helps to the purpose of the meaning of the sculpture. The white color means unity, power, cleanness, purity. White is also the symbol of the whole (absolute).

Texture

You cannot touch the sculpture but I can assure that the whole artwork has a smooth texture. I think that the smooth texture helps to reflect more the light and also it doesn’t create shadows.

Art principles

Balance

The sculpture has a symmetrical balance because visual weight is distributed evenly throughout the composition. I think it has also an implied radial balance since it is a sphere and has a convergent point at the nucleus. Opposites like straight/curve lines are used to give the motion and unity to the sculpture.

Emphasis

For me the artwork has no defined focal point. I always rest my eye at the nucleus in order not to be queasy. It has a lot of accents in each of the nodes. The idea of motion and growth is also possible to have with that kind of emphasis.

Rhythm

The sculpture has a regular rhythm because of the repetition of each node of the “sphere” creating a subtle pattern and also it unifies the work. The structure of an atom (molecule) has to be cyclical and has to have a pattern that most of the time seems to be regular.

Media and technique

We can the sculpture in the round (see pictures). The Carrara marble is a hard material to it represents a huge challenge to the artist to give the shape. The object was created through a subtractive process. Tools like gravers and hammers were used.

Note on Images:

-Admission was free the day I visited (3/20/2010). Since there were no tickets, I hope my scan of a gift bag and the back of a postcard from the museum will suffice.

Museum Visit Assignment – Visual Analysis: The Illustrious Guest

James Henry Beard’s The Illustrious Guest is a painting that depicts Kentucky Statesman Henry Clay comfortably seated within a tavern as other visitors look on. It was likely set during the 1844 presidential election, and was completed in 1847. Following is a formal analysis of the painting’s elements.

Firstly, the most obvious lines in the image are those of the floorboards and walls. Those of the floorboards are thin and seem to point diagonally towards the center of the image, aiding in drawing the viewer’s attention to the figure of Clay. The lines of the walls are similarly thin, and point vertically, emphasizing the straightness, height, and stability of the walls in the room.

An implied line seems to begin with the individual in brown on the far left. It then travels down to a child wearing red, then up again to Clay and the man in green, and finally it moves slightly down to a gentleman wearing a top hat. This rhythmic line travels through all of the most conspicuous characters in the image.

Other lines in the image include the legs of the chair and the legs of Clay himself. Both sets of lines are thick and dark – easily the darkest and most obvious lines in the image. The gaze of the other individuals also creates implied lines, and virtually all of these lines point to Clay.

Multiple shapes compose The Illustrious Guest. Squares are used for the furniture and floorboards, triangles for the newspaper Clay is reading, and of course, complex shapes for the numerous people and objects. Two implied triangles are also formed among Clay and the more prominent individuals to both his left and right.

All shapes are drawn to give the viewer a sense of realism. Its subject matter is natural, and the image is certainly not perceived to be two-dimensional. The people’s characters are readily apparent in their stances – Clay is relaxed, focused on his paper, and the girl in red appears curious, much like the individual to her back, though he seems more restrained – holding the pipe of the stove. The man in green and his hatted companion seem simultaneously surprised and almost disdainful, and the other background figures, if not occupied with other activities (such as the two gentlemen observing what appears to be a cane), stare at Clay in a similar manner (note the women behind the door).

Clay, with his location in the foreground and ostentatious seating position, takes up the most space in the image when compared to any other individual. His large size draws attention to him as the subject of the painting. Furthermore, no individuals are in front of him or at the same depth as him; Beard’s intended focal point is once again made clear.

The painting is certainly 3-dimensional – with shadows, lighting, and geometry all used to emphasize the various objects’ positions and proportions to one another. The guests in the back of the painting are much darker, smaller, less detailed, and overlapped by those in the foreground, aiding the viewer in determining their relative depth and location in space. Despite these differences in lighting and clarity, all of the people in the image appear to be normally-sized, as though the onlooker were viewing the whole scene through a window. Open space is mostly found in the foreground of the painting, likely intended by the artist to facilitate and highlight the depiction of Clay.

Lighting plays a prominent role in The Illustrious Guest, and draws attention almost immediately to Clay and the child to his left. No other object or person in the image seems quite as “lit up” as these two. A small circle of light just below Clay and his young friend aids in confirming that this light is in fact natural; in addition, all shadows (those of the chair and people) point away from the same object – the stove, which explains why the light on Clay and the child is most intense.

The shadows are themselves depicted using darker pigments of color – the darker the tone, the more intense the shadow. By utilizing these shadows, Beard creates a more compelling 3-dimensional image than would otherwise have existed. Without these darker shades of color, elements such as the creases in the coats and contours of the figures would be far less discernible, and overall perception of shape and position would be impaired.

The most common colors in the painting are black, brown, red, and green. Clay is shown donning a coat of the deepest shade of black, contrasting greatly with the abundant shades of brown and black found in the rest of the image. Brown is used for both the room itself and most of its occupants, with the exceptions of a gentleman in green and children in red (complimentary colors). The reasons for their deviations from the common brown color are unclear to me, though it is worth noting that only the young girls wear red. Finally, the overall mood set by the colors is warmth and coziness, more than likely intended by Beard thanks to the stove.

Paragone discussion

Individual Input:

Jorge Delius Imbert

1.) Did the project take the amount of effort you expected?

For me was difficult at the beginning and I worked with soap and not marble! If you make a mistake there is no way to repair it and everyone can see that mistake.

2.) Explain the challenges you incurred.

I tried three times until I got what I wanted so I used 3 bars of soap. You need to have your sculpture mind in order to remove the exact amount of material. It is not so easy.

3.) Did this experience give you new insight and/or new respect for sculptors/painters?

Of course, now I know how difficult is to make a sculpture and the time you spend on it.

4.) Which part of the paragone could you most relate to because of your recent art project?

…if his art were perfect, through knowledge of the measurements, he would have removed just enough and not too much of the covering material. Excessive removal of material arises from his ignorance, which makes him remove more or less than he should.

The removal of material I think is the most difficult task of a sculptor. I experienced that, but I am not as ignorant as Leonardo explained. Obviously, I am not a professional sculptor, but even so, in painting, it is easier to re-make something.

5.) Which part of Leonardo’s argument was the strongest? Which part was the weakest?

The strongest argument was the reply that the sculptor says that his art is more worthy than painting. “This does not make the sculptor more worthy, because this permanence comes from the material and not from the artist”. Leonardo is completely right.

The weakest part was the argument that the sculptor pursues his work with greater physical fatigue than the painter, and the painter pursues his work with greater mental fatigue. The sculptor has more physical work, but that doesn´t mean that he doesn´t have mental fatigue. Like painting, you have to think before doing your work.

6) Which part of the sculptor’s arguments was the strongest? Which part was the weakest?

The strongest argument was that if he takes off too much of the outer portion of his material, he cannot add to it later as can the painter. That is true; you can be the best sculptor in the world, and the material can still behave unexpectedly (it can break).

The weakest part was the sculptor saying that his art is more worthy than painting because his work is more enduring – that it could more easily tolerate humidity, as weIl as fire, heat, and cold, than does painting. Painting and sculpture are both forms of art that are equally worthy.

Esteban Aguilar

1.) Did the project take the amount of effort you expected?

The project took more effort than I expected. While I did pay attention to necessary elements such as a vanishing point and orthogonals, the majority of my time was spent with an inordinate focus on minutiae that were irrelevant to the project. The clouds present in my image are one example of this misspent time - I originally sketched them with the intention of achieving a more realistic effect, but after judging their appearance to be unnatural, I opted for the traditional, amateur fluffy-cloud look that exists in the current image.

2.) Explain the challenges you incurred.

Challenges incurred include the measurement and placement of the orthogonals and overall maintenance of perspective. Even in the image's final form, I believe that errors in scale exist, particularly with the buildings.

3.) Did this experience give you new insight and/or new respect for sculptors/painters?

It did make me appreciate their work more; the master artists' and sculptors' attention to detail is one that is clearly not easily equaled. The amount of mental and physical effort necessary to complete a truly great work requires a level of patience that I suspect most people (including myself) do not possess.

4.) Which part of the paragone could you most relate to because of your recent art project?

I feel I could most relate to his discussion of mental fatigue. Simply conceiving an idea for subject matter took more time than I would have wanted.

5.) Which part of Leonardo’s argument was the strongest? Which part was the weakest?

The strongest part of his argument was his acknowledgment of greater physical fatigue for sculptors and greater mental fatigue for painters. Sculptors most laboriously chisel and polish stone in order to achieve their desired results, whereas painters must focus on achieving realism in lighting, perspective, proportion, and color on a 2D surface.

The weakest part of his argument was the claim that the durability of painting and sculpture are equal. Time-transcendence and repute could be said to be equal, but the durability of painting (since it is more susceptible to physical abuse, decay, the elements, and even certain rays of light) is arguably inferior to that of sculpture.

6) Which part of the sculptor’s arguments was the strongest? Which part was the weakest?

The strongest part of the sculptor's argument was (as already mentioned) the observation that his work is the more physically draining.

The weakest part of the argument is the claim that excess removal of material results from ignorance; there will always exist the possibility that such an error might result from a flaw in the material, the tools, or other factors beyond the sculptor's control.

7.) Do you think one type of art is superior to another?

I do not believe one type of art is superior to the other. I can appreciate both equally.

8.) Do you think a discussion such as the paragone is useful?

I believe that a discussion can be useful. Its effectiveness can only be determined in retrospect by the participants' level of interest and the quality of their input.

9.) How did your week as an artist influence your interpretation of this reading?

Playing the role of artist helped me to understand and relate to the amount of consideration that must go into any thoughtful piece of artwork.

Kimbra Elliott

1.) Did the project take the amount of effort you expected?

This project took a little more effort than expected; just because of the effort drawing the perspectives took. When you are trying to create a vanishing point and certain perspectives, more effort is necessary.

2.) Explain the challenges you incurred.

My biggest challenge was trying to put the hot air balloons at the correct place on paper to create a vanishing point and a sense of depth.

3.) Did this experience give you new insight and/or new respect for sculptors/painters?

Yes, very much so.

4.) Which part of the paragone could you most relate to because of your recent art project?

I related with the painter when he stated “The… task is to evaluate with care the true qualities and quantities of shadows and lights”. That was also a hard part to accomplish.

5.) Which part of Leonardo’s argument was the strongest? Which part was the weakest?

I viewed the strongest argument in the first statement, “the sculptor pursues his work with greater physical fatigue than the painter, and the painter pursues his work with greater mental fatigue”

I viewed the weakest part to be the statement that the sculptor’s ability comes from “material and not from the artist”. I feel like the sculptor has more skill than the materials given to him, and not everyone possesses the ability to sculpt.

6.) Which part of the sculptor’s argument was the strongest? Which part was the weakest?

I view the strongest part of the sculptor’s argument to be, “if he takes off too much of the outer portion of his material, he cannot add to it later as can the painter”.

The weakest part to me is, “his art is more worthy than painting”.

7.) Do you think one type of art is superior to another?

I think each type of art is unique – while one artist can hold strengths in painting, the other holds them in sculpting. If you were to ask them to switch professions, the outcome would not be the same because it takes a certain skill for each.

8.) Do you think a discussion such as the paragone is useful?

Yes – it lets you see both sides of the discussion!

9.) How did your week as an artist influence your interpretation of this reading?

My week as an artist helped be understand that skill sometimes doesn't come naturally, and I now have more respect for those that do art for a living because it requires a lot of skill.

Consensuses

1.) The project took more effort than we all expected

2.) Proper technique is difficult, and will often require additional effort, if not an entire redo. Skill in painting or sculpting does not come easily – the work is much more difficult than it seems.

3.) Placing ourselves in an artist’s or sculptor’s shoes has helped us to better understand their work and its complexities.

4.) Both painting and sculpture, despite requiring different skill sets and focuses, are equally qualified to be deemed works of art, and neither is superior to the other.

5.) Paragone is useful because it allows its participants to encounter different perspectives