Authorship: Hung Liu Title: Refugees: Little Girl Original Location: N/A Big Idea/Subject: Social Order Major Theme: Refugees Medium/Presentation: Oil on Canvas Visual Components: Color, Emphasis/Dominance, Gradation, Radiation, Rhythm, Scale, Shape, Value, Variety Category: Fine-Art Description/Interpretation:
“Known for paintings based on historical Chinese photographs, Hung Liu’s subjects over the years have been prostitutes, refugees, street performers, soldiers, laborers, and prisoners, among others. As a painter, Liu challenges the documentary authority of historical Chinese photographs by subjecting them to the more reflective process of painting. Much of the meaning of Liu’s painting comes from the way the washes and drips dissolve the documentary images, suggesting the passage of memory into history, while working to uncover the cultural and personal narratives fixed – but often concealed – in the photographic instant. Washing her subjects in veils of dripping linseed oil, she both "preserves and destroys the image.” Liu has invented a kind of weeping realism that surrenders to the erosion of memory and the passage of time, while also bringing faded photographic images vividly to life as rich, facile paintings. She summons the ghosts of history to the present. In effect, Liu turns old photographs into new paintings.” -From Hung Liu’s Bio on her website An image of a young girl, appearing to be frightened, is surrounded by a collage of paint and linseed oil. A red bird adorns her head above her left eye. The viewer’s eye rotates in a radial pattern from the focal point, the little girl, towards the bird, following the linseed oil drips to an image of buildings pointing to a figure on the left hand of the canvas, all to continue through waves of brushstrokes. This work captivates the viewer through mystery and radiance. The dripping linseed oil creates a somber tone for the young girl; she appears to be teary-eyed while she slightly looks down into her clothing. She is alone besides the waves of color swirling around her. She is the least colorful on the entire composition, yet she is the focal point. The title gives us a clue to the context: she is a young refugee. The longer I look into this painting, the more I begin to question the life of this young girl. Is she alone? Is she afraid? Will anyone help her? I believe Hung Liu created this piece, along with others in the series, as a statement to the terrors and tragedies refugees face. The young girl is painted with little to no color, yet she is surrounded by color. The red bird adorning her head serves as an icon of freedom. In Chinese culture, red is considered a lucky color, and this young girl is surrounded in red. But red also symbolizes blood, death, and despair. What does the red symbolize for her? Her faded memories or her rough and tiring journey surround her in a radiant storm. How many homes must she pass through? How many people must she pass on the street? How many stamps until she finds a home? Her eyes pierce the viewer and forces the viewer to question her validity and place in our social hierarchy. She’s a young bird who has travelled far, but has been left bloodied and tired. Use in Teaching: What do you see? What stands out to you the most in this painting? I want you to look at this painting a little while longer. What more do you see? Do your thoughts change as you notice more details within the work? What do you think the artist was trying to say? There’s a saying that a picture is a thousand words, but what of a painting? Do your thoughts on the piece shift once you learn the title? What if I told you this was of a refugee girl? Many times, we are left to assume a story until the author, or in this case, the artist tells us the story. Can you think of any other images where the meaning changes once you learn the purpose of the piece? Many works of art leave us with more questions than answers, and we interpret works of art in a variety of ways. Although we may not all come to the same answer, we are still drawn to artwork for a variety of reasons. Find a partner and discuss the other works I have provided of Hung Liu. Discuss her bio on her website and how her process of creating work alters your perceptions of her messages. After working in groups discussing her work and the importance of storytelling in artwork, students will begin a multimedia painting. I want you to find an image, or multiple images, in either the newspaper format or printed from a computer. We will learn how to work with multimedia on canvas to create a textured surface. We will then alter these images with paint and other multi-media materials. A key question to think about while creating this work is: How am I altering the truth to the original image?
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Authorship: Mr. Brainwash Title: Campbell's Condensed Trooper Spray Original Location: Art Wars Exhibition (2013) Saatchi Gallery, London, UK Big Idea/Subject: Materialism Major Theme: Iconography Medium/Presentation: Mixed-Media Sculpture Visual Components: Balance, Color, Scale, Shape, Emphasis, Repetition Category: Pop-Art Description/Interpretation:
To begin to understand this piece, two references must be addressed: Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans and the Star Wars films. Mr. Brainwash’s Campbell’s Condensed Trooper Spray is a form of Pop-Graffiti. Graffiti is typically made from spray paint. The depiction of the Campbell’s soup can is in direct relation to Andy Warhol’s Pop Art. The artist altered this paratrooper helmet. The helmet is white with red, black, and gold accents. The upper portion of the helmet is red, similar to a Campbell’s soup can. The gold accents on the bottom are shaped as fleur de lis; they are repeated as a bottom border. The text in the upper portion in red says “Campbell’s Condensed.” The lower portion of the helmet is in white, and the text near the mouth piece says “Trooper Spray.” There are three, red spray nozzles resembling spray can nozzles: one on the top of the head, and two by the mouth piece. The eye guard is made of chrome and highly reflective. The entire helmet can be regarded as a spray can (in a storm trooper helmet form). A play on art history and almost seemingly a mockery of pop art exists in this piece. Two highly known forms of culture, Andy Warhol and Star Wars, are combined to create this work. This spray can would be near-impossible to use, if functional, due to the size of the helmet. The piece could possibly be worn, serving to be functional, but I strongly believe this piece was made to be obnoxious for function. From the works of Mr. Brainwash (his work has only been documented to be created by others in a large studio) that I have seen, I am lead to believe he is only well-known simply due to knowing big-name street artists. His work largely plays off of the culture he has immersed himself in: street art. His large influence from Banksy can be seen in his constant iconography of a spray can. Other works also seem to be strikingly similar to Andy Warhol’s works, and even runs a studio similar to Andy Warhol’s studio (hiring artists to create the work in a workshop). Use in Teaching: What do you see? Do you believe this is art? (Let students answer and explain their reasoning) In what ways can you argue that this work is art? In what ways can you argue this is not art? What if I told you who the artist was and that he hired others to make this piece for him? Street artists have often been told their work is not street art, but rather it is Graffiti. What is the difference between street art and graffiti? Is there a reason why one is regarded as a higher art form than the other? Do you think this is right? (Show images of Andy Warhol, Shepard Fairey, Banksy, and other Pop Artists) What do you see that these works have in common? Any common themes or topics? (iconography) We can all easily recognize the people portrayed; this is an element of pop art. For this assignment, I want you to find an image, an image that we all know (show an example: Shepard Fairey’s HOPE poster) and create a print by carving a block of that image. We will use two blocks using both sides for multiple colors. You will layer colors, similar to Shepard Fairey, to create your image. First, I want you to find an image, a well known image that everyone would know, and print it. We will then work in partners to discuss our ideas on how we can turn that image into pop art using printmaking before we begin. You are given two choices depending on your desired outcome: You can print directly on top of your printed image OR you can choose to represent your chosen image to the best of your ability with only printmaking tools. You must explain through your finished work and your artist statement: what message you want to make about your print. Do not simply copy the image, alter it to make a statement. Be sure to show: -Printmaking demonstration -Examples of student work using both methods (printmaking over the printed image and use of only printmaking) |