Thursday, November 19, 2009
The American Empire
Click here to view in youtube
I started the video process really without a guiding theme. I knew I wanted to do something related to a social issue, since, well, I'm really not that artistically talented to rely solely on aesthetics. As an Econ major, and someone very passionate about the struggling peoples in our economy, I decided to center it around The Great Depression and "The Great Recession". The construction of the video proved to be the most difficult as I spent more time fighting with the computer (and losing my first video) than working on the video itself. As far as the creative process, I enjoyed exploring imovie, and feel competent in placing and adjusting video together so that it flows. Playing with sound and the speed of video was the most fun for me: both of those elements can add so much to a project. If I hadn't lost my first video, I would've liked to expand more with video of the current homeless and struggling population. I am satisfied with the project, but really could have done a 10 minute video with the subject matter
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Paul Smith
Artist Paper 2
Jesse Hugo
Paul Smith
Amidst a dominating skepticism from artists in the 1990s towards the use of Photoshop and other technological advances, Paul M Smith emerged as one of the few artists to embrace the creative possibilities. Smith began his career after a stint as a combat engineer in British army. He starting taking night classes in fine art and became the regiment’s photographer, starting a worldwide trend of integrating photographers onto the battlefield.
He broke onto the scene with Artists Rifles, an almost comedic, multiple figure tableaux (of himself) depicting different snapshots of war. The self-reproduction, mirroring Bill Viola’s work, in his work became his trademark. He utilized the technique again in Make My Night which highlights the male bravado on a drunken night out with the boys and Sing When You’re Winning which freeze frames the huge range of activity and emotion birthed by fans, players, and the community surrounding a Premier League fútbol game.
Maybe his most shocking work came in a 2002 installation, This is Not Pornography, which graphically fused the male and female body, reminiscent of Hans Bellmer’s doll art. This is the most surreal body of work as he attempts to illicit an aesthetic or disturbing feeling rather than erotic, though the work seems to suggest that.
Through Smith’s work with the body and questions about masculinity, a moral debate arises: one that I’m ill-equipped to draw conclusions from. But maybe his work is just for that, to force the largely ignored, everyday actions onto the forefront, confusing our default reactions: hunting is play rather than survival, pornography is grotesque rather than erotic, and a lad’s night out is a play on group dynamics and the role of the individual.
Paul Smith is one of the few artists that proves that using new widely available consumer technology doesn’t dampen the meaning behind pieces of art.
Jesse Hugo
Paul Smith
Amidst a dominating skepticism from artists in the 1990s towards the use of Photoshop and other technological advances, Paul M Smith emerged as one of the few artists to embrace the creative possibilities. Smith began his career after a stint as a combat engineer in British army. He starting taking night classes in fine art and became the regiment’s photographer, starting a worldwide trend of integrating photographers onto the battlefield.
He broke onto the scene with Artists Rifles, an almost comedic, multiple figure tableaux (of himself) depicting different snapshots of war. The self-reproduction, mirroring Bill Viola’s work, in his work became his trademark. He utilized the technique again in Make My Night which highlights the male bravado on a drunken night out with the boys and Sing When You’re Winning which freeze frames the huge range of activity and emotion birthed by fans, players, and the community surrounding a Premier League fútbol game.
Maybe his most shocking work came in a 2002 installation, This is Not Pornography, which graphically fused the male and female body, reminiscent of Hans Bellmer’s doll art. This is the most surreal body of work as he attempts to illicit an aesthetic or disturbing feeling rather than erotic, though the work seems to suggest that.
Through Smith’s work with the body and questions about masculinity, a moral debate arises: one that I’m ill-equipped to draw conclusions from. But maybe his work is just for that, to force the largely ignored, everyday actions onto the forefront, confusing our default reactions: hunting is play rather than survival, pornography is grotesque rather than erotic, and a lad’s night out is a play on group dynamics and the role of the individual.
Paul Smith is one of the few artists that proves that using new widely available consumer technology doesn’t dampen the meaning behind pieces of art.
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