Landscape and the Sublime

1. Define the Enlightenment, including its context (time and place).

The Enlightenment was an era or movement in 18th century europe and america. It was an movement in which people began to believe in science and reason over religion. They still very much believed in a god heaven and hell, but they thought while man was on earth he would be able to determine his own fate. 

2. Define the concept of the Sublime.

The sublime is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as 'of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe'. This is mostly seen in art as a huge or vast landscape that makes the audience feel overwhelmed and small.

3. Explain how the concept of the Sublime came out of Enlightenment thought.

The concept  of the sublime came out of the enlightenment because artists drew away from painting religious or mythological concepts. They started creating paintings that reflected on the world around them. This meant things like still life and landscapes (which later developed to the concept of the sublime.)

4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Include some quotes from art critics and other writers who have written about his work. 

Richard Misrach's work makes the viewer feel small and overwhelmed by the environment. It is said his pieces are of 'an aerial perspective of human interaction and isolation' (http://www.cityarts.net/event/richard-misrach/) And on his work 'On the Beach': "the individuals in Misrach’s latest images seem every bit as vulnerable as the world that they occupy. The work is at once more urgent and more poetic as a consequence."

5. Add 2 new images of his work to your blog.

6. Describe how does Misrach's photography makes you feel. How does it appeal to your imagination?

His photography makes me feel very small. It makes me believe that there are still large areas of land that are almost untouched by civilisation but accessible to humans. I especially like the aerial shots because it makes me think of planes and how people can see of such vast and beautiful landscapes from the air.

7. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.

1840 John Martin, Assuaging of the Waters 

John Beerman, 2008

8. Add a Sublime image of your choice to your blog, which can be Art or just a Sublime photograph.

Albert Bierstadt, 1867

9. Reference your sources (books and websites).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment

New Oxford American Dictionary

http://www.artistdaily.com/blogs/features/archive/2009/07/17/the-sublime-and-the-beautiful-painting-the-hudson-valley.aspx

http://www.cityarts.net/event/richard-misrach/

Ron Mueck

1. Mueck's sculpture is described as 'hyper-real'. Define the meaning of this term and explain how it is evident in his work.

Hyper-real means that a piece of art is almost exactly like what it is trying to be. This means every detail is completely correct and in proportion. Hyper-real is evident in Mueck's sculptures because his view of things isn't distorted and he tries to portray human emotion and events (birth and death) exactly how they are with nothing left out or added.

2. Mueck says he is not interested in making life size sculpture. Find out why he is more interested in working with the scale of the figure which is not life size, and mention 2 works which use scale that is either larger or smaller than life.

Mueck never worked with life sized sculptures because he felt that if the scale was changed it would be more interesting to the viewer. The audience would be compeled to think about the hyper-realism of the sculptures versus the either oversized or undersized works. This is seen in one of his sculptures 'A Girl' which is a 5 metre long baby just after birth. Which is very confronting on its own but is made more interesting by the scale. Another one of Mueck's sculptures is 'Two Woman'. This piece involves two small woman facing each other and wearing winter coats.

3. Define Renaissance Humanism , and identify which aspects of Humanism can be seen in Mueck's work. Note that the contemporary definition of Humanism is much broader than the Renaissance definition.

Renaissance Humanism refers to the time when artists were considering their work to be more focused on the human form and the individual. I think Mueck's work has aspects of Renaissance Humanism in it such as how he focuses solely on the human form and getting every detail perfect. But Mueck works more with the human emotion of the sculptures and how the audience relates or reacts to them.

4. Research and discuss one of Mueck's sculptures that you might find challenging or exciting to experience in an art gallery. Describe the work, upload an image of the work, and explain your personal response to the work. Comment on other student blogs to develop the discussion around the variety of our own personal and individual responses to art and design.

I think Mueck's 'Dead Dad' sculpture would be very jarring to experience in real life. The idea behind having a hyper-real sculpture of a dead man right in front of you would be weird. But in a sense, I like the way this piece is very provocative and really squeezes out an emotion without being to in your face about it. Although the sculpture is small, it wouldn't have to be any bigger or life-sized for the very idea of death to draw a reaction.

http://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/multimedia/audio/floor-talk/ron-mueck-a-girl/

http://sunseven.hubpages.com/hub/Awesome_Sculptures_Of_Ron_Mueck

http://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/multimedia/audio/floor-talk/ron-mueck-two-women/

Fiona Hall's work

1. First define mercantilism, using material from your ALVC handbook, and explain how it has developed since the Renaissance.
Mercantilism is the government having control over import and export to foreign countries. It was common in western european countries in the 16th to late 18th centuries. Mercantilism works when a country (e.g England) colonises another country to exploit their resources. They then increase the countries income by exporting goods more than they import. Since the Renaissance, Mercantilism is more focused on rapid economic growth through advanced technology.
2. Identify the ideas or concepts in Hall's work that relate to Mercantilism?
Hall's work focuses on money and the fact that very few people in this world today can live without money. She created a piece called 'Tender' that was bird nests made from US one dollar bills. She is also making something natural out of money.
3. For each work describe the shape, form and materials used, and also explain the ideas behind each example.
Fiona Hall's 'Tender' are shreded US dollars shaped into bird nests. Another piece of work is 'Leaf Litter' which is some sort of left stuck onto a background of money.
4. In your opinion do the materials communicate the ideas of the work? Please explain your answer.
Yes, I think they do. The bird nests represent the tender nurturing of a mother and the money also represents tender or legal tender. This means it has a double meaning. 'Leaf Litter' also pays with the meaning of money by putting something natural onto money.
5. Fiona Hall's recent project The Kermadecs focuses on issues around the Pacific ocean. Research this project to summarize the importance of the area and upload an image to your blog for discussion.
The Kermadecs Trench, which is in between New Zealand's North Island and Tonga, is important because is it untouched and a very diverse ocean region. It has a range of environments and organisms which contribute to the ecosystem.