Trisha McCrae
This dissertation situates Maman(1999, Steel and Marble 9.2 x 8.91 x 10.23 m) (Figure 1) by Louise Bourgeois, in the context of an object-based installation space. My argument is that Maman in its making and thinking, shifts terrain between being a theoretical installation; a work that promotes theory about installation space; and Bourgeois’s personal transitional space; a space that helps Bourgeois come to terms with the complex relationship she has with her mother. Read more
Sandra Araújo
Analysis of the relation between syntagm and paradigm defined by Saussure
and Roland Barthes, and the use of the database as a paradigm of
contemporaneousness. The concepts of logocentrism, undecidability and
dissemination inherent to deconstruction as defined by Derrida, in an
attempt to reflect on the relations of meaning contained in the work of Vuk
Cosic. Under this analysis, I refer only to the works ASCII History of Moving
Images and ASCII Unreal, not by want of merit or mere will of exclusion,
but because they are the most meaningful and relevant in this context, and
starting from different elements in their analysis. Read more
Ron Hunt
This is an (inside) account of a virtually unknown U.K. group and magazine – Icteric- and two exhibitions the author curated in the late 1960’s. The main exhibition which was acclaimed, suppressed, neglected and abandoned was entitled– Poetry must be made by all / Transform the World and attempted to bring to light that buried undercurrent in the 20’s avant-gardes which posited the supercession of art and its realization in a transformation of everyday life. The group disintegrated under the impact of the Events of May ’68 and proximity to the Situationists. It has remained unknown largely due to a horror of recuperation. (Though this has changed with the acquisition by Tate Britain of certain archival material). The article aims to recapture something of the radicalism of the 60’s – its anger as well as its optimism, while acknowledging that this would appear to have been sadly misplaced. Read more
Alexander J Noelle
A Medium for the Masses and Masters Alike explores the history of watercolor as an American art form from its origins in Asia to contemporary artists working in the medium. Furthermore, the watercolor scandal of 1882 is highlighted and discussed to demonstrate the unique approach America had to this medium as well as its popularity and importance in American art history.
Many of America’s most esteemed masters have a substantial portion of their best works hidden from public view. Rarely exhibited due to their fragile nature, watercolors demonstrate the talent necessary to produce a successful work in this simple yet intricate medium. While the materials needed to create watercolors are easily transportable, inexpensive, and minimal, the resulting artworks can be unpredictable, require a substantial amount of spontaneity, and are unforgiving. The moment that pigment touches the paper, there is no going back and the artist has no room for error. Every drop of paint and brush stroke is visible in the finished painting, making a successful watercolor difficult to produce and a detailed or large-scale one almost impossible. Oil painting, on the other hand, is relatively expensive, requires a good amount of paraphernalia, and can be reworked for years to complete perfection. Nineteenth century artist and art theorist A. F. Bellows agreed, saying that, “…for certain luminous qualities, for purity of tint and tone, for delicate gradations, especially in skies and distances, watercolor has decided advantages over oil.”
Unfortunately, watercolor is a medium that is largely anachronistic today. Difficult to preserve and exhibit due to its unstable nature and fragility of the vivid colors, watercolors occupy little wall space in museums. This disassociation of watercolors with public exhibition spaces has led many viewers to consider them domestic or second-rate. While most are small and intimate works, their exquisite freshness and sense of impulsive reaction deserves attention beyond the homes of private collectors. Many watercolors were studies for larger oil paintings and gave artists a medium in which they could quickly and judiciously explore an idea. Windows into the minds of some of the most celebrated American artists, these lively works on paper reveal personal nuances and techniques obscured in the laborious process of completing an oil painting.
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