How Does The Use Of Concrete Inform The Memorial For The Murdered Jews Of Europe?

An oil painting which was part of my A-level coursework, inspired by Caravaggio. (Oil on Paper)

Some of my photos which I took for the photography workshop looking at ‘A distance forms around our bodies’

What does the Sagrada Familia’s form tell us about its function?

Antoni Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia, Basilica

The Sagrada Familia is a basilica that has been under construction since 1882, designed by Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi dedicated his life to this masterpiece and near the end of his life he even lived in the Basilica. When Gaudi died in 1926, only a quarter of the construction had been completed. Construction is estimated to be finished by 2026. 

Gaudi was always inspired by natural forms and once said ‘originality consists of returning to the origin’. He stayed true to his words and did not include straight lines in his designs as nature has no straight lines. The Sagrada Familia is one of the most well known buildings designed by Gaudi and inspired by the natural world. It’s function is to be a place of worship, however Gaudi uses the idea of nature to uphold religious values and reflect biblical moments. The inside of the Basilica has been designed to look like a canopy of leaves while the pillars, which are 22 metres high, are intended to look like huge tree trunks. So that inside it feels like a forest where the canopy allows a lot of natural light to shine through. Another fascinating feature of the Sagrada Familia are the two main facades. One façade is the Passion façade, and the other, the Nativity façade. These two represent the birth and death of Jesus Christ. On the Passion façade, the stained glass windows are green and blue, which when the sun shines through them, drench the whole Basilica in blue melancholy light, to reflect death. On the other hand, the windows on the Nativity façade are red and yellow which then allow orange light to shine through to represent birth. These aspects of the natural world are used by Gaudi in his architecture to give the impression that we are in a natural space. 

The Sagrada Familia’s appearance reflects the importance of the natural world and brings us closer to the origin which is nature itself. When approaching the Basilica from the outside, you feel overwhelmed by the monumental scale of the construction and the details of the façade. This building gives an instant impression about it’s function, as a place of worship, glorifying something higher and sublime.

~I have used my own photos.

Sources:

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/15-amazing-facts-you-need-to-know-about-la-sagrada-familia/

https://blog.sagradafamilia.org/en/divulgation/stained-glass-windows-how-they-were-created/

https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/sagrada-familia.htmlhttps://time.com/sagrada-familia-barcelona/

My painting for the current project ‘Then and Now’. Oil on canvas (85cm x 140cm)

I have been exploring Slovak folklore and folk art and the political topic of Brexit which is a very current affair. Throughout the project I have been merging these two different ideas together as I am aim to tell the ‘folk story’ of how Brexit touches people’s lives in different ways. The girl (Britain) is wearing a blouse with an eastern European embroidery design to convey the message of, diversity, tolerance and multiculturalism, all apparent in one country, but she is brushing the EU stars out of her hair reflecting, the weakening of some of these important principles.

My technique was inspired by Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro and a painting by the Slovakian artist Julius Bukovinsky.

          Ethics and art - How considerate does an artist have to be?

Contemporary art seeks to challenge traditional boundaries, almost seeing how far it can go before it crosses the line. It can at times be confusing, confrontational and controversial and can shock or thrill the audience depending on the subject matter. Contemporary art can be anything from an installation to a painting, a performance to a sculptural piece, it can even be a random object that is claimed to be art. As there is no uniformity or formula, the artist can use any medium and can exhibit anything he/she wishes to.

Controversy in the art world has always existed. Even in Caravaggio’s religious works in the 15th century which depicted religious figures in a very realistic manner. One of his most controversial paintings at the time was ‘The Death Of The Virgin’ which depicted The Virgin Mary on her death bed. The controversy was not of the subject matter but more about the way that this biblical scene was painted. The Virgin Mary can be seen with her hand over her slightly bloated stomach and bared ankles which the audience found very upsetting. For these reasons it was rejected by the Chapel of Santa Maria della Scala for which it was commissioned by in Rome. It was also said that the woman that modelled The Virgin Mary for this painting was a common prostitute working in Rome. This brought further distaste to the artwork. Nowadays, it is a revered masterpiece however when painted, it was disputed over. A controversial modern day representation of The Virgin Mary is ‘The Holy Virgin Mary’ by Chris Ofili’. This painting depicts The Virgin Mary surrounded by the backsides of Women from adult magazines, balancing the canvas on two pieces of elephant dung. Ofili stated that it is a ‘hip-hop version (of the figure)’. The painting stands out with its vibrant use of colour, the yellow and purple starkly contrast with each other making the painting quite jarring and bright. Many would not find the artwork offensive at all however at the same this portrayal offended many religious people. It is difficult to please every individual audience member although I think that there is an unspoken responsibility to have mutual respect for the audience and be considerate of groups of the audience that may see your work.

When it comes to exhibiting artwork, ethics are important to consider. This form of ‘moral accountability’ encourages the respect of the audience. However, everyone will have a different opinion and take on the artwork and our life experiences will cause us to interpret art in various ways. At the end of the day, it is up to the artist to decide what to include in their work but some may argue that this doesn’t mean that the artist shouldn’t be held accountable for any content they exhibit. On the other hand, some artworks are intended to be controversial and aim to shock. The series of work 'Plum Grove' by Peter Howson (1994) does just that. This series of paintings, influenced by the break-up of Yugoslavia and the creation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, aims to portray these events in a graphic manner and the effect of the war on the civilians. Howson was the official War Artist for the British contingent of the UN Peace Keeping Force to Bosnia in 1993. As a result, his paintings included rape scenes, violence, and other graphic scenes which he witnessed himself or from eye-witness accounts. His paintings depict people in contorted positions with green and blue skin tones giving a sense of distress and pain. The paintings are quite expressive and have a sense of movement alongside a sense of exaggeration, exaggerating various features of the figures giving a further sense of suffering. The paintings undoubtedly leave the audience feeling uncomfortable. Although this series of work is in a way raising awareness of the events, some may say that censorship is necessary. Audience members who were not victims of the Yugoslavian conflicts or who have never experienced war of any kind can’t relate to the imagery as much as war survivors or people who have witnessed similar events. Although the subject matter is distressing and upsetting, the audience members are all effected in different ways based on their life experiences. The artist can choose whether or not to censor their work or to take ethics into consideration depending on the emotions they wish to stir up.

Appropriation, borrowing or recycling aspects of someone else’s work, plays a big role in contemporary artwork too. For example, in Banksy’s piece, ‘Show me the Monet’ (2005) a framed image of Monet’s painting is visible with orange shopping trolleys and traffic cones in his famous lily pond. I think that it shows the over-commercialisation of Monet’s work and art in general. Nowadays it is easy to see images of artwork online and it’s also common to buy merchandise with various pieces of art printed on. The imperative ‘Show me’ in the title of the piece further emphasises our consumerist society and ever growing demand for instant gratification. All of this has contributed to the devaluation of the artwork. Although the physical painting still costs a fortune, it is accessible on many platforms and is over-marketed so its purpose and meaning have been lost in the process.

I think that when it comes to handling delicate subject matters, it is important to somewhat take the audience into consideration. Some artwork is made for the audience to question and to be shocked by and will affect everyone in a different way but I think that there can be some occasions where a piece of controversial artwork can become disrespectful. Overall, I think that it is the role of the artist to push the boundaries of modern-day society and to adapt when necessary; a sense of mutual respect for all opinions and all views is important. Despite the fact that nowadays, art is created to challenge the audience and express emotion, I think that it’s the role of every artist to know what is appropriate and what isn’t depending on the subject matter they wish to portray.

 References

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/howson-plum-grove-t06961

https://artswithanna.com/2018/09/28/ethics-and-arts/

https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/39894/1/that-time-this-chris-ofili-the-holy-virgin-mary-hip-hop-pissed-off-the-art-world

My final sculptures. Two characters inspired by Baba Jaga and Nastenka from the Russian (1964) film Morozko. They show the juxtaposition between old and young and naïve and wise. They are also inspired by the woodcuts of Kathe Kollwitz with their harsh lines and feeling of movement and expression. I covered a pair in ZIP to create a metalic effect, a pair in copper and left it to oxidise and I painted a pair with acrylic paint and finished them off with gold leaf.

Some lino cuts for the book i’m working on...

painting work in progress.......

My own drawing of a traditional Slovakian woman for my project ‘Then and Now’

This is a mask made from cardboard which I have just finished as part of my art foundation course. It’s a poppy seed head. I made it rattle inside using dried peas and rice.