stefanie vd merwe
Subjective Objects
Subjective Objects
Subjective Objects
Subjective Objects
Subjective Objects
Subjective Objects
Subjective Objects
Subjective Objects
Subjective Objects
Investigation task
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Title: View in the Avon Gorge
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Date: 1791
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Medium: Painting
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Description: This painting depicts an impression of the avon gorge that Turner created when we was in Bristol during 1791. With landscape and antique-style topography being popular on the market at that time, whether with water colors or prints and books, it was Turner's first real form of income. This painting, among many others, was part of this.
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Title: Lake Geneva at sunset
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Date: 1917
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Medium: Painting
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Description: This abstract painting depicts a view of Lake Geneva that Hodler created in order to communicate an important message. Hodler's view on landscape paintings is that they should "show us nature made greater and simpler, pared of all insignificant details"; this particular painting portrays that abstract style of landscape paintings.
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http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/ferdinand-hodler.htm
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Title: Spiral Jetty
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Date: 1970
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Medium: Earthwork
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Description: During 1970, Robert Smithson created the Spiral Jetty in Utah at an area where there was an intersection between land and the Great Salt Lake. By doing so, Smithson created this system where the land and water could meet one another. Although this was where Smithson's artwork began, he also intended for the artwork to be inevitably affected by nature, and so this earthwork could depict the idea where change is inevitable and unavoidable.
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https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/minimalism-earthworks/v/smithson-jetty
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https://landscapelover.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/round-like-a-circle-in-a-spiral/
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Title: Grass stalks
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Date: 26 November 1981
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Medium: Sculpture, time & natural materials
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Description: This photography depicts an image of grass stalks on a forest floor in Cumbria. I think this photo is meant to appreciate a place, rather than a landscape photo. With the use of natural materials to create an abstract design on the forest floor, I think the intention of this photograph was for Goldsworthy to "leave his mark" on the forest floor. In the description of this photo, it seems like Goldsworthy went back to his design to check if it was still intact, and will continue to check on it so.
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http://www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/image/?id=ag_02059
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Title: Copan
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Date: 2002
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Medium: digital photography
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Description: This photography depicts a scene of two buildings in Copan. Although there is no specific context to this photo, the way that Gursky took this photo could communicate a message. In the image he photographed two buildings; one dirty and not well-maintained, and the other clean and vibrant. Personally, I interpret this as representing society and class. How one side lives in a clean and vivid environment, whereas the others, even though placed side by side, are left with dull and ignored environments.
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http://www.andreasgursky.com/en/works/2002/copan
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Title: Radiant Clouds
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Date: 2017
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Medium: Painting
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Description: This painting depicts a scene of an early sunrise in the countryside of Texas. With the use of thick brush strokes and vibrant colors, this painting aims to bring out the positivity of a sunrise and as well, interpret the view in a playful way.
https://www.erinhanson.com/p/Radiant_Clouds
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Title: Landscape Trauma
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Date: 2001
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Medium: Photography
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Description: This work intends on investigating areas in chemistry, physics, elements of photography, and "control of energy". In these collections of photos, Pollard focuses on nature, however, through a different perspective. By focusing so intensely on natural objects, it also investigates the concepts of size, from macro to micro, and how that may effect the audience's perspective.
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http://www.ingridpollard.com/landscape-trauma.html
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JMW Turner
Ferdinand Hodler
Robert Smithson
Andy Goldsworthy
Andreas Gursky
Erin Hanson
Ingrid Pollard
Analyzing artworks
1 ) Robert Smithson - 1970 Spiral Jetty
Function, Purpose of the artwork :
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The Spiral Jetty in Utah was created in an attempt to create an abstract earthwork that allowed for land to meet water of the Great Salt Lake. As well, Smithson created the spiral jetty to represent the significance of time, by being aware that the Spiral Jetty will undergo many environmental changes, and will indeed be affected overtime. The use of natural materials also allowed Smithson to communicate the ​general beauty of nature.
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Context :
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Robert Smithson created the spiral jetty during 1970, on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake and near Rozel Point in Utah. As Smithson's artwork was based off of using the natural resources in a specific area where the land could meet the water, the setting of the artwork played a massive role in the making of the artwork. Much of Smithson's artwork was developed due to his interest in entropy and his broader interest in geology and mineralogy.
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I believe that Smithson was a very independent individual, in that he created these abstract artworks due to his own personal interest in it. However, it is stated by others that Robert Smithson often constructed sculptures to confuse his viewers understanding of sculpture. For Smithson, it was up to his audience to decide how they perceive his work.
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Smithson is definitely associated with the landscape art movement. Although a very abstract and unique landscape artist, he accurately creates landscape artworks by creating artworks in the landscapes themselves, and in a way, making his mark on the surface of the earth.
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Formal Qualities:
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Name of Artist: Robert Smithson
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Name of Piece: “Spiral Jetty"
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Date: 1970
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Location: Great Salt Lake, Utah
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Materials: Stones, soil, sand
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Size: 4.6 m x 460 m spiral
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Objects in painting: A spiral
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Focal point: The Spiral
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Interesting fact: The spiral jetty has the ability to bring together land and water in an artistic form.
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Mood: confusion, curiosity, peace, earth, exotic, unfamiliar, calm
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Shapes: A spiral shape
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Space: A physical geometric symbol, with materials placed in a spiral shape.
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Pattern: A geometric pattern of a spiral
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Texture: The use of physical rocks and sand makes this artwork rough and soft at the same time.
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Colour: neutral and earthy tones.
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