Bauhaus

The Bauhaus movement reflects works that exhibit features of simplicity, functionality and that are visually appealing to the eye. I looked around the house and came up with a few things that I think are inspired by the Bauhaus movement:

Door handles. They are uncomplicated and practical –

Bathroom towel rack. It is sensible yet contemporary, with an attractive feel -

The television cabinet. It is modern, smooth and compact, while overall efficient of its purpose to support and conceal -

The dining chair. The soft suede material creates a comfortable dining experience, while its appearance is once again simple and aesthetic -

National Portrait Prize

We visited the National Portrait Gallery again, this time to view the National Photographic Portrait Prize. Our assignment was to pick what we thought should be the winner, and what we thought shouldn’t have even made it into the finals.

Dichotomia by Peter Brew-Bevan, 2008

I chose this portrait as my winner. It immediately caught my eye because the white bodies against the white background make it stand out. The word dichotomy means a division, or duality. This is apparent in the portrait from the different facial expressions – one looks unsure and somewhat uncomfortable, while the other appears more content and almost devious.

Also, the mischievous left hand side is clutching 3 paint brushes in a hold that makes them stick out, seeming dangerous, like claws. The more submissive right side has his finger to his mouth, adding to his uncertain appearance, and holds the opposite’s hand hesitantly. His collar (yeah I can’t remember what these things are called…) also gives him an amusing, child-like look.

There is thought to be a certain degree of duality within a person - the devilish wild side, compared to the more straight-edged overall good side, and I think this portrait represents it well.


http://www.portrait.gov.au/exhibit/nppp2/images/photos/large/36.jpg




Nina and Paul by Emma Thomson, 2008

I really got nothing out of this portrait. To me it’s tasteless, and has nothing to offer the viewer. Visually it is flat and there is nothing that jumps out at you or catches your eye. It seems very point and shoot, as if no thought has gone into how it could have been shot.

Compared to a lot of the other portraits on display I find it weak. The way the subjects are positioned doesn’t represent them well, apart from the simple fact that the man enjoys photographing the woman in unappealing poses, shirtless...

Obviously this was the portrait I chose as the one that I thought shouldn’t have made it to the finals.

http://www.portrait.gov.au/exhibit/nppp2/images/photos/large/47.jpg

Primitivism

For our fourth assignment we discussed Primitivism. Some formal characteristics of Primitivist art include: abstraction of the human figure and change in the body’s proportion, flatness of space and geometric designs, simplistic and rough nature of work, the people in the art are marginalised and also unconscious or unaware that they are being used for the purpose of the art (as there is usually no eye contact with the viewer).

Primitive refers to the period of time where humans were leading simple, unsophisticated lives. They lived “in the wild”, so naturally and very basic with no technological impact. Primitivism however, is the art movement that captures the lifestyle and culture. It suggests that life within the early stages was simple, yet more ethical than today’s contemporary world.

Contemporary primitivism has the ability to manifest itself by today’s modern residents desiring to live how those in the early stages of civilization lived, simplistic with no technology aids.

The piece of art I came across that I find to be primitivist is titled Woman Planting Rice by Eduardo Masterre, from 1934. The photograph shows a woman bearing traditional woven clothing, planting rice in a rice field. She is concentrating on her work, face down, and doesn’t seem to be aware that her photograph is being taken. Looking at the woman’s clothing and the surroundings she’s in, the conditions appear relatively poor and disadvantaged.