Exercise 4.3

There is first of all the pure impulse or élan of creativity itself, the affirmation of being conceived as a sort of primordial energy or constituent power, the inexhaustible potential or transformation.’ (Hallward, 2006: 37)

In your own words (one brief paragraph) say why you think creation and affirmation are linked here.

I take the meaning of this paragraph to be that the very instinct of creativity, of creation, is a positive, not just the act of creation; creativity is unique in it’s power to bring forth that which was not there, or to restructure what already exists. It is a making force. It’s very existence as a force to inspire creative works means that it is not based upon the idea that difference denotes an absence. I find the word “affirmation” to be a positive rather than a negative, and I think it applies perfectly to the creative process which develops art from the world around us in order to enrich our lives.

Notes

I did attempt to do some background reading on this piece, but I found it an overwhelming volume of information that I couldn’t quite grasp at this stage.

Updated: Assignment 3

Read Plato’s account of the Allegory of the Cave and say whether and why you think it is valid today.

There are various ways you can answer this question. In what sense might we be ‘in the dark’ about the world we live in? Are we in some sense collectively manipulated or do we just think we are? Does Plate’s image of shadows on a cave wall bear comparison with the technicological screen? Try to provide sufficient evidence in your answer and take relevant quote from the text.

I have updated my assignment based on my tutorial. I really enjoyed discussing the essay with my Tutor and understanding areas that my work might be improved. I have re-worked the essay to include more in my word-count which is relevant to my argument, rather than recounting the piece from the question. I have included some footnotes, which should cover areas when I might otherwise veer off-topic.

Is this story relevant today? In short, I believe it is.


In today’s world, “the dark” or “the cave” could refer to many different things. The first thing that comes to mind for me is the idea of being “in the dark” regarding education or information. Perhaps that is indicative of the world we live in today, which is quite information/data based. We live in an “information age”, however not everyone has equal access to this information or to education which would allow them to understand it. The “coming into the light” could be the process of education, which is denied to millions of people around the world, particularly women and girls. In fact, “67 million primary-school-age children are still denied the right to education” (ACEI-Global, 2014) . Of those people who are denied their education, they may be aware of this denial – in which case they are aware that there is a world outside their cave, but they are unable to access it – or they are unaware that this education exists – in which case “they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads” (Webspace.ship.edu, 2019) [1]

The danger in either situation, is that the reality that they experience is being controlled by another force, and therefore ” they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave” (Webspace.ship.edu, 2019). When the information and education that you have access to is controlled by another person or administration, it can lead to the development of a very narrow point of view, a duplication of the administrations opinions, which you might consider your own, however you simply do not know any better at the time. I feel that this can lead to a fear of the unknown, a fear of The Other – other peoples, other cultures – and fear often leads to defensive actions or aggression; as one author put it “Fear and loathing of the unknown “other” fuels hatred—the underlying emotional driver of radical ideologies such as jihadism, white supremacy, and fascism.” (Goni, 2017). Our world today seems to be dominated by Terrorism – in which one culture of people attacks another because of differing beliefs or unequal resources, radical thinking .

I think that the Allegory of the Cave addresses this, in its description of men returning from the outside world to discuss the “truth” with those who know nothing of this world: “Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if anyone tried to lose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death”. Is the “truth” not simply what one is presented with by an Administration of sorts, designed to accomplish some need of that Administration – for example, religious extremists who will convince others that they must defend their religion against the West – The Other – they are being presented with a “truth” which may only be true when considered from one point of view – how can they tell the difference? [2] How could the man, released from the cave, have decided that the world above was “Real” and the world below was not? It’s a very interesting concept, and one that I think needs more in-depth discussion than this essay can allow.

Another way that I believe we are being ‘kept in the dark’ – collectively – is through politics and social media. Social media – any media, actually – is essentially owned by someone. Therefore, the information that we received in our media and news, is filtered through that someone’s point of view, political affiliations, financial obligations. Each society has their own Government. It is that Government who determine what access we have to what information, whether we like to believe that or not. In that way, they are like the marionettes who project images onto our cave wall. Our Government is the body whom we have assigned to inform us of what is true and what is not, and, in some ways, we have no power to be informed otherwise; for an extreme example, in Dictatorships like North Korea. “All media outlets are owned and controlled by the North Korean government. As such, all media in North Korea get their news from the Korean Central News Agency. The media dedicate a large portion of their resources toward political propaganda and promoting the personality cult of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-un. The government of Kim Jong-un still has absolute authority over and control of the press and information.” (En.wikipedia.org, 2019).

This reminds me of the line in the Allegory “How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?”. When the Government of a country becomes involved or responsible for the information that we have access to, it would be reasonable to say that we are all being collectively manipulated.

The most obvious comparison to today’s world is the comparison of the cave wall with our Screens; “According to the market-research group Nielsen, adults spend over 11 hours per day interacting with media.” (Brooks, 2018) (remembering, that this media is controlled). Screens offer us a whole new “reality” in which to exist; not only is there the opportunity to create avatars and live in artificial worlds and communities, but there are Social medias which allow us to share only what we want to share with others, to create new “selves” and to experience the world in different ways. We have access to seemingly unlimited information. However, what we seem to forget is that this is all virtual. What we see and experience and feel via our screens in in fact just projections of the “real” world outside of technology. Watching a video on animals in the Amazon, for example, is not the same as visiting the Amazon in person and experiencing this in real life.

What we experience through technology is simply “a mediated and low-resolution approximation of life” (Taylor, 2011) which can become addictive the same way drugs or sex can become addictive, as discussed in Psychology Today article on Technology: Virtual VS Real life” (Taylor, 2019). This makes me think of the people within the cave who congratulate themselves on their skill at identifying the shadows that they see, creating an exciting challenge for themselves in this very limited world; “conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future”.

It would be quite easy to imagine that the Allegory of the Cave was written during our modern times, rather than during 500a. It is very relevant to life today.

Footnotes:

[1] Education can help to alleviate poverty in the next generation, as well as develop communities and learn how to fight disease. Generally in developing countries, education of girls and women is not encouraged, which slows the progress of the community as a whole. See https://acei-global.blog/2014/03/06/15-facts-on-education-in-developing-countries/

[2] The use of the “other” is quite often employed by Governments, administrations, political or religious parties in order to unite their own followers against “something” or “someones”. For example, a Government whose followers are beginning to fragment, might be presented with a “Common Enemy” or “Other” against whom they must unite in order to protect themselves. It is an interesting idea in terms of art and history, propaganda, feminist art, religious art intended to inform and warn people, art used to declare wealth and status etc.

REFERENCES

ACEI-Global. (2014). 15 Facts on Education in Developing Countries. [online] Available at: https://acei-global.blog/2014/03/06/15-facts-on-education-in-developing-countries/ [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

Brooks, M. (2018). How Much Screen Time Is Too Much? [online] Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/tech-happy-life/201812/how-much-screen-time-is-too-much [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Censorship in North Korea. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_North_Korea [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

Goni, C. (2017). The Way to Combat Online Radicalization Is Actually Offline. [online] Opensocietyfoundations.org. Available at: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/truth-about-terror-and-youth-radicalization [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

Taylor, J. (2011). Technology: Virtual vs. Real Life: You Choose. [online] Psychology Today. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201105/technology-virtual-vs-real-life-you-choose [Accessed 3 Aug. 2019].

Webspace.ship.edu. (2019). Plato’s Cave. [online] Available at: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/platoscave.html [Accessed 15 Sep. 2019].

Exercise 4.4

Say to what extent Giotto’s painting can serve to illustrate the quote by Deleuze. (200 words)

Let us imagine something which is distinguished—and yet that from which it is
distinguished is not distinguished from it. The flash of lightening for example, is
distinguished from the black sky, but must carry the sky along with it. . . . One would say that the bottom rises to the surface, without ceasing to be the bottom. There is, on both sides, something cruel—and even monstrous—in this struggle against an elusive adversary, where the distinguished is opposed to something which cannot be distinguished from it, and which continues to embrace that which is divorced from it.

(Deleuze, 2014, 361)
Bondone de Giotto, The Kiss of Judas, 1305

The subject of this painting can be almost perfectly illustrated in Delueze’s quote; the Kiss of Judas. The act itself is a betrayal of Jesus by his apostle, Judas. Just as Judas wishes to be distinguished from Jesus – in his act of betrayal – he can never be distinguished from Jesus – who would Judas be to us had he not acted this way? His betrayal by kiss is a betrayal by love; one cannot experience betrayal without the existence of love, one cannot commit betrayal without distinguishing it from love. I feel that this concept is illustrated by Delueze’s words “Let us imagine something which is distinguished—and yet that from which it is distinguished is not distinguished from it.“

The light portrayed in the piece is distinguishable only as different from the darkening sky in the background. The glowing figures of Jesus and the disciples only distinguishable by their difference from the men behind. These attempts to make the light and glowing figures “different from” is only possible by the existence of the “dark” behind, the “dark” figures.

I also feel that they style of painting really emphasises the flatness of the surface that it is painted on, while also attempting to show depth in the figures clothing. The image would not be possible without the flat surface, and it cannot ever be a three-dimensional object; it’s depiction of depth is to differentiate it from a flat surface, but it cannot escape the fact that it is flat.

Exercise 4.2

Read the text of Newman’s essay in Art in Theory and write a short summary (200 words)
http://art310-f11-hoy.wikispaces.umb.edu/file/view/The+First+Man+was+an+Artist

*Note – the link provided does not work any longer. I googled, and found the essay here http://courses.arch.ntua.gr/fsr/142087/Newman,%20The%20sublime%20is%20now.pdf – I can only hope it is correct.

This essay is an argument for the existence of artistic impulses before utilitarian needs; it is very convincing.

The essay begins by explaining the position of the author, and providing an explanatory line for those who are reading the essay from a scientific perspective (as opposed to an artistic): “In the language of science, the necessity for understanding the unknowable comes before any desire to discover the unknown”. When it is written in this way, it does seem supported by logic – one cannot look for something without first conceiving of the existence of said “thing”.

The author makes statements relating to mans first speech; how it was made in response to emotion rather than to communicate something to someone. He discusses how language is actually universal to all animals, not just humans: “if language is to be defined as the ability to communicate by means of signs, be they sounds or gestures, then language is an animal power”.

He raises the doubt that the existence of God came about from a desire for communication, but rather from a desire to understand the beauty of the world around him.

The essay sprouts the idea in the reader that we are not simply here to work and consume, but that our natural origins are to feel, to see, to express and understand. The idea of the evolving man often shows early man to be an ignorant, unintelligent, worker. How could it affect our society now if we were to reimagine early man as the intelligent creative, the artistic poet and creator, the builder and idoliser of nature? It is a very interesting concept.

Exercise 4.1

Look again at Alfred Barr’s chart for Cubism and Abstract Art and say briefly how it might be understood as information in a system. Briefly compare it to Minard’s map (previous).

(Cubism and Abstract Art, 1936)

Barr’s Cubism and Abstract Art chart is a visual representation of time, art movements, geographical locations and external influences (external data). While it is visually interesting, it is most definitely a system of information for the observer to understand. It is different from a “simply visual” image, in that it dictates information to the viewer rather than transmitting information for the user to observe – we are “given” information, rather than “interpreting” an image.

It is of vertical orientation in terms of time, with some lateral movement of influence between movements, for example “BAUHAUS” to “MODERN ARCHITECTURE”.

We can say that it is a system of information, because of the limitations prescribed in the chart; specifically between 1890 to 1935. Also the use of specific symbols; such as red/black arrows for us to interpret as movement of time and influence.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION (Friendly, 2019)

Minard’s Map is also a set of information within a system, in that it visually displays information relating to a specific event, with specific symbols to represent different sets of information.

As a statistical chart, the map unites six different sets of data. • Geography: rivers, cities and battles are named and placed according to their occurrence on a regular map. • The army’s course: the path’s flow follows the way in and out that Napoleon followed. • The army’s direction: indicated by the colour of the path, gold leading into Russia, black leading out of it. • The number of soldiers remaining: the path gets successively narrower, a plain reminder of the campaigns human toll, as each millimetre represents 10.000 men. • Temperature: the freezing cold of the Russian winter on the return trip is indicated at the bottom, in the republican measurement of degrees of réaumur (water freezes at 0° réaumur, boils at 80° réaumur). • Time: in relation to the temperature indicated at the bottom, from right to left, starting 24 October (pluie, i.e. ‘rain’) to 7 December (-27°).

(Jacobs, 2019)

While the use of symbols in both charts is a similarity, the type of symbol and what they mean in each case is different, based on our expectations of the information being provided as well as our interaction with the descriptive legends provided in each.

One obvious difference I notice is the orientation of the charts; Minard’s being horizontal, Barr’s being vertical. While they both contain some movement in the orientation of the other, they are generally in opposing orientations but both representing time. Could this be called a different similarity? Since both reference one data type, but display it differently. It’s an interesting thought.

REFERENCES

Cubism and Abstract Art. (1936). [ebook] New York: MoMA, p.page two. Available at: https://www.moma.org/documents/moma_catalogue_2748_300086869.pdf [Accessed 22 Aug. 2019].

Friendly, M. (2019). English Translation of Minards Map. [image] Available at: http://www.datavis.ca/gallery/re-minard.php [Accessed 22 Aug. 2019].

Jacobs, F. (2019). The Minard Map – “The best statistical graphic ever drawn”. [online] Big Think. Available at: https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/229-vital-statistics-of-a-deadly-campaign-the-minard-map [Accessed 22 Aug. 2019].

work in progress

I normally paint fast. Oil paint with a palette knife, just painting what I feel at that moment.

previous seascape, oil on canvas

Right now, I’m trying to calm my mind, focus on a scene that I want to emulate by an artist I recently discovered called Ivan Aivazovsky

I’m working slowly -over two days so far which is a massive change for me.

We will see how it turns out!

Here it is as of now.

day two

What I like about his work is the transparency of the sea, so that’s what I’m looking for.

Ivan Aivazovsky ship on a stormy sea

Cornelia Parker – Daily Notes

I came across an article about Cornelia Parker’s “Exploded shed” works and I found it so intriguing.

Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View 1991 Cornelia Parker born 1956 Presented by the Patrons of New Art (Special Purchase Fund) through the Tate Gallery Foundation 1995 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T06949

The concept behind the piece is described by the artist as creating a lasting version of an instantaneous event (an explosion), which is something that we are constantly exposed to in our lives, but using a mundane yet sentimentally important area of our lives, the garden shed. Parker’s comments on sheds are quite romantic; as the place to store items that are no longer of use, but which one simply cannot throw away.

For the creation of this piece, she had a shed constructed specifically to be blown up. While she could have used a “found” shed, she felt that it would be much too personal to blow us “someone’s” shed. She then filled it with various bits and bobs, from car boot sales and some items of her own. Then, she simply blew it up!

One part of this that I found particularly interesting is her involvement of the army in creating the explosion. I think I found it surprising because I always feel that work – including installation work – is really the artists creation alone, and the idea that other people (especially people who are not artistically involved) would be involved surprised me. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, having recently discussed House in a course exercise.

The finished piece is so wonderful to look at. The shapes, the shadows, the suspended feeling, the feeling that at any moment it should resume it’s force and come towards the observer. I would love to see it up close, the view what is left on the inside of the wooden pieces, what survived the wreckage. It also makes me think of death, of returning to some atomic level of being, the light shining from within. I find it quite comforting.

Exercise 4.0

Look at the two paintings above and account for their similarities and differences in three columns – one for each artist – Millet and van Gogh – either side of a column for similarities. Indicate the differences by underlining the appropriate description in the outer columns

MILLET, THE SOWER, 1850SIMILARITIESVAN GOGH, THE SOWER, 1889
Oil on Canvas, 105.41 x 85.72cmBoth artists use the same materials; oil on canvas. Oil on Canvas, 80.8 x 66cm
A young man with a bag of seeds across his chest in extreme foreground of the canvas throwing seeds with his right arm. Both paintings show the figure scattering seeds and holding a bag to his chest. Both figures are standing almost identically, although this is not surprising as Van Gogh was copying Millet’s work.A man holding a bag of seeds, to the fore of the painting, scattering seeds with his right arm.
The detail of the painting includes small seeds, individual blades of grass – although the texture of the ground is quite smooth – the flock of birds quite prominent in the background.Attention to DetailVan Gogh’s style is quite dominant, where each brushstroke is defined and deliberate, allowing great detail to be included in the painting – for example the texture of the ground which appears covered in vegetation. The flock of birds in the background could easily be mistaken for rogue seeds.
Millet’s colours are focused on warm terracotta browns, reds, yellows and earth tones, bringing about the calming feeling of late evening. Vibrant use of colours to create atmosphere and suggesting time of dayVan Gogh’s palette is very cool, with blues, greens, yellows and dark strokes of colour, suggesting evening time or sunset.

Reflections on this exercise:

After starting what seemed like a very simple exercise, I realised that it was much more difficult that I had anticipated. I can see more differences than similarities, and so I found it hard to create a similarity in order to highlight a difference on the side. I feel I could have written more on the differences that I saw than the format of the answer allowed.