Dada Poem

Singing gleam stir but no night his can bottle old in a quiet there’s lost snow through tears a stove the with red in alone beauty dawn till green feeling what a she love cup leans her about come dreams in there’s incense-pillow outside others in has her dusk. 

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.

NPG + NAA

National Portrait Gallery

I enjoyed going to the portrait gallery. There were quite a few portraits I liked, but ended up choosing these two...

Michael Hutchence by Harry Borden
Gelatin silver photograph - 1997

As soon as I saw this portrait I immediately liked it. His clothing, sunglasses and cigarette in hand scream rocker (well that’s kind of obvious I guess..) His pose and facial expression appears natural. I like the depth of field used to make him and the building in focus, while the rest of the photograph is out of focus. The street below looks crowded and rushed, while he looks at ease.




Image -
http://www.portrait.gov.au/exhibit/dof/7.htm


Vali Myers by Eva Collins
Type C Print – 2001

The first thing that caught my eye about this portrait is Vali’s vibrant wild red hair. And then the tattoos that decorate not only her hands but also her face. Her clothing and chunky costume looking jewellery give her a free spirited gypsy feel. Her eyes are bright and piercing, surrounded by heavy makeup. To me she looks like a person who has lived and has a lot to tell.



Image - http://www.portrait.gov.au/site/collection_info.php?searchtype=advanced&searchstring=:::::&irn=725


National Archives of Australia

At the archives I found the following:

Inquiry Records from 1928, compiled by J W Bleakley. The records give an insight to the status and conditions of Aboriginal people in central and northern Australia during this time. They include photos of farmland, the sparse outback, homesteads and gum trees in the dry dusty summer. All things which represent the authenticity of the Australian land.

Photograph album from 1919. The album documents vocational training classes for those who had returned from war, along with the widows of those who tragically did not return.

The vocational classes included plastering, building and bricklaying. This shows how much Australians stick together during times of hardship, and how valued we are to our country.

NGA + AWM

Okay so this is a bit late – but once again having Internet troubles. Yay for technology :)

Anyways here are two artworks I chose from the gallery and the assignment from our visit to the War Memorial.

National Gallery of Australia

Artist: James Gleeson
Title: The attitude of lightning towards a lady mountain
Date: 1939

Dada and Surrealism





This work was created using oil on canvas. The first thing that stood out to me when I saw the artwork was the pink coloured objects against the blue green background. Their texture reminds me of coral, while the shapes appear to be a human body and torso. I like how they appear jagged and rough, while the background is simply soft.

Image - http://nga.gov.au/Gleeson/

Artist: Mike Parr and John Loane
Title: Polish Mud
Date: 1995

Australian Contemporary

I like the rough looking technique used in creating this piece. It has a feeling of sadness, confusion and struggle. Each of the 12 parts to this piece has a face, and each represent these feelings.




Australian War Memorial

Throughout the war was time of great technological change. Photographs taken during World War 1 were black and white and would tend to appear blunt, blurry and marked. As time and technology progressed, photography moved into colour and there were a lot more action shots being taken. Video footage also came on the scene, with video cameras being attached to missiles as to view the actual bombing.

A photograph I came across from WW1 showed a group of exhausted soldiers taking roll-call after battle. They are shown shielded in a trench, with the terrain in the background completely war torn. The trees are shredded and the earth upturned. The soldiers lean their weary bodies against the trench wall, with looks on their faces showing not only their fatigue, but also concern.

Fashion during wartime changed over time, as well as country to country. A uniform would denote distinction as to rank and culture. Materials and style would contribute to form and function. For example, summer uniforms would be made from light material such as an earthy canvas to keep cool, while a winter uniform would consist of a heavier material that would have had a lining such as wool for warmth and resistance to water. Lycra was also used as it would allow easy movement but still provide a certain degree of warmth.

A tight fitting uniform would contribute to an authorative and intimidating figure. Some uniforms were more for show instead of for function. More practical uniforms had ammunition webbing and belts situated higher than normal to allow better movement (e.g. for crouching and crawling). Helmets varied from different cultures, with Australian helmets appearing very basic compared to the more convenient helmets used by the Germans. Their helmets had a strap to prevent losing the helmet, and it also went over the ears adding to the protection.

When parachutes came into use they were created to allow movement when jumping out of the plane. Machine guns were developed in a way so they were able to be used upon departure from the plane instead of having to drop the guns to the ground separately, leaving the soldiers unarmed.

The First

Woot for first post! Yeah I'm a bit behind. I've been Internet-less until now (yes I know, the withdrawals...). So anyway, here are a few photos of mine. Hope you like..