Sculptor – Cleveland State Art

Joan Jonas by Shelby Jones

Joan Jonas was born in New York on July 13th of 1936. Mrs. Jonas was one of the most popular female artists to come about in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. In 1958 she received a bachelor’s degree in Art History from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts(a liberal arts school for women). She later studied sculpture and drawing at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Joan had an interest in working with mirrors and how they could be used to show different aspects.

The mirror became a symbol of (self-)portraiture, representation, the body, and real vs. imaginary, while also sometimes adding an element of danger and a connection to the audience that was integral to the work. “I liked the way the audience is uneasy seeing themselves in the mirror,” she said. “They’re not just reflecting the audience; the mirrors are reflecting the space and the other performers. So I like the dimensionality of this.” During her time experimenting with the mirrors and how it made people feel, Joan started looking into choreography and studied with Trisha Brown for almost 2 years, and she even learned from Yvonne Rainer and Steve Paxton.

Joan Jonas was interested in multiple things. She was interested in and enjoyed to do video art, performance art and even sculpting.

In 1970, Joan went on a trip to Japan and had bought her very first video camera. She went to a puppet theater along with a dance and music theater. Along with her was a man named Richard Serra, who was an american sculptor.

In 1975 Jonas was a performer in a movie called Keep Busy which was made by a Swiss-American photographer and documentary filmmaker who was named Robert Frank and a novelist-screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer.

For five decades, Joan Jonas has created work that seamlessly blends live performance, drawing, video, and music. In the process, she has become one of the most influential and multidimensional artists working in today’s world. In 1994, she was made a full professor at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart, Germany. Since 1998, she has been a professor of visual arts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she is currently Professor Emerita in Art, Culture, and Technology within the School of Architecture and Planning.

In some plays or performances she was in or had done herself, she made her own masks or bought the most erotic ones she could find. She did this to make her works more interesting and to add edge to see how the viewers would react to seeing what shes made.

Jonas has been awarded fellowships and grants for choreography, video, and visual arts from the National Endowment for the Arts; Rockefeller Foundation; Contemporary Art Television Fund; Television Laboratory at WNET/13, New York; Artists’ Television Workshop at WXXI-TV, Rochester, New York; and Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD). Jonas has received the Hyogo Prefecture Museum of Modern Art Prize at the Tokyo International Video Art Festival, the Polaroid Award for Video, and the American Film Institute Maya Deren Award for Video

Jeff Koons – Tristian

Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons was born in York, Pennsylvania in 1955. He is an American artist known for working with popular culture subjects and his reproductions of banal objects– such as balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces. His art represent his obsession with sex and desire, race and gender, celebrities, the media, commerce and fame. He studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the School of Art Institute of Chicago. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1976. Koons now lives and works in New York City.

Koons was known for his neon-bright colored palette and large scale sculptures, such as his large sculpture known as “Puppy”. The result of Puppy was a 43ft tall topiary sculpture of a west highland white terrier puppy covered in a variety of flowers including marigolds, begonias, impatiens, petunias, and lobelias. The flowers covered a transparent color coated chrome stainless steel substructure. The puppy in Arolsen in Germany almost have 45,00 flowers covering it. Made of stainless steel, wood (Arolsen only), soil, geotextile fabric, internal irrigation system, and live flowering plants. The Puppy’s flowers are changed, different colors for different seasons and this process take about a week to finish. The piece was soon purchased in 1997 by Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and installed on the terrace outside the Guggenheim Museum in Spain. Also, another amazing floral sculpture was made by him called Split-Rocker (2000). Very similar style but different look.

Furthermore, he had series where all pieces were in high-chromium stainless steel with mirror finish surfaces. Koons began the series with Balloon dog in 1994, based on balloons twisted into the shape of a toy dog and coated with transparent color in Blue, Magenta, Yellow, Orange, and Red. Moreover, he also made balloon flowers and bunnies in addition to the dogs.

His works have sold for a lot of money, including at least one world record auction price. On November 12, 2013, Jeff Koon’s Balloon Dog (Orange) was sold for USD$58.4 million at Chriestie’s Post War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York City, aobe its high USD$55 million estimate, becoming the most expensive work by a living artist sold at auction. Koons also sold his other sculpture for millions. For example, one of his three Micheal Jackson and Bubbles porcelain sculptures was sold for USD$5.6 million. His Diamond (Blue), for USD$11.8 million. Lastly, his Balloon Flower (Magenta) from the collection of Howard and Cindy Rachofsky also sold for an record of USD$25.7 million

Furthermore, Critics are sharply divided in their views of Koons. Some people view his work as pioneering and of major art-historical importance. Others dismiss his work as kitsch, crass, and based on cynical self-merchandising. However, Koons has stated that there are no hidden meanings in his works, nor any critiques.

Diana Al-Hadid by Maicey Scott.

Diana-Al-Hadid experiments with material in such a way, that she floats between the realms of sculpture and painting.

Her processes fluctuate, yet are continuously messy, moving, dripping.

She’s fascinated with suspension, size, liquidation and decay, and has said that the reason for making such large pieces are so she is able to “navigate through them.” Navigation is such a wonderful way to put it, because her intricate lines and massive scale give you this strange sense of bewilderment.

Born originally in Syria, and not always familiar with biblical stories, Diana takes a part of “Western” culture and makes it her own. She allows mainly Northern Renaissance paintings to be her inspiration. There are specific Christian images that can be recognized in a few of her paintings and sculptures, but she tends to stray away from the idea that her pieces reflect certain interpretations. Though they may share the same ethereal characteristics of Mannerist works, for example, her work is very ambiguous.

Architecture appears to be a big part of her life, and though at times her form seems less than practical, Her larger, more three dimensional pieces are heavily supported with hidden steel bars and complex framing. She is amused with giving her sculptures the appearance of instability, “Unfortunately, sculpture has to obey gravity, I have this painting envy of Northern Renaissance and Mannerist paintings. They are given more liberties with illusion and space, while I’m dealing with actual gravity. “To get a sculpture to get off the floor, that’s the first way to rebel, that’s the main event. “I work pretty hard trying to have my sculptures not to fall. I don’t want to burden the viewer with mechanical details, but instead make something that seems improbable. I have enough reality in my life, and not that I live in such a fantasy world, I just want to weigh in on the other side “.

“I’m married to an architect, that’s why I realize I’d be a terrible one, but in terms of drawing out space or building structures, or thinking of counterweights and triangles, I’m still a builder at heart”.

“Al-Hadid creates her works by “painting” in polymer gypsum, fiberglass and plaster, forming a loose image in trails and drips over a wall-like support. She then pries the image off the backing, resulting in a stiff, lace-like scrim.”
These “fossils” are then aligned and suspended, or given frames. Her process is incredibly physical. Layers are continuously added and taken away. She is deliberately always cutting, pasting, warping, and transforming her work. There is a constant state of change, this perpetual movement in her world of celestial beauty. Religion is somewhat an allegory for this layering process. As people form religions in various cultures, she allows herself full range of the exploration of these spiritual images.

“Exquisite Mass.” Cultured Magazine – June/July 2015. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
“Diana Al-Hadid’s Suspended Reality.” ART21 New York Close Up. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
“Ground and Figures.” Exhibitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
“Such Beautiful Decay.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

Ghada Amer

Ghada Amer

By Rachel Jorgensen

Ghada Amer was born in Cairo, Egypt. She gained her MFA in painting at the Villa Arson EPIAR in Nice, France in 1989. Ghada now lives and works in New York where she continues to challenge the mind of society as well as the individuals that compose it with her thought provoking paintings, drawings, sculptures, and gardens. Ghada Amer’s art work is very intentionally feminine, seeking to empower woman in any way she can.

Intentionally feminine but not stereotypical, Ghada’s work is more honest than that. The artist attempts to portray women as they are, rather than how society expects them to be.

In her paintings Ghada uses mixed media such as acrylic paint, or gel, almost always accompanied by some type of embroidery. Again this is intentional on the artist’s part to convey a message about femininity to her audience.

“The history of art was written by men, in practice and in theory. Painting has a symbolic and dominant place inside this history, and in the twentieth century it became the major expression of masculinity, especially through abstraction. For me, the choice to be mainly a painter and to use the codes of abstract painting, as they have been defined historically, is not only an artistic challenge: its main meaning is occupying a territory that has been denied to women historically. I occupy this territory aesthetically and politically because I create materially abstract paintings, but I integrate in this male field a feminine universe: that of sewing and embroidery.” -Ghada Amer.

Often used to explore her own sexuality, Ghada creates many paintings and other art work demonstrating strong erotic themes. Some are more obvious than others, some are left for a more keen observer to find in the detail of the work.

In the above painting you see that Ghada has included well known Disney princesses, a theme found in many of her works. She creates a contrast between child and adulthood and at the same time shines light on the figures that young girls are modeling themselves after and what message the princesses convey to developing girls and boys.

As you can see the princesses resemble those in a coloring book, scribbled through by a young child. In the background you see these finely crafted embroidered figures of a nude woman. The artist did not specify what she meant by this but one interpretation that comes to mind is again an exploration of femininity and sexuality.

Other times Ghada creates this contrast without the use of princesses, merely by adding children to the background of an extremely erotic image of a nude woman.

These drawings and prints are used by Ghada, again to explore her own sexuality, but also to really emphasize that woman have it in themselves to explore their own bodies and their own sense of womanhood and sexuality. Ghada wants to empower woman and that is clear in her work.

Aside from her starkly feminine work in her drawings and paintings, Ghada also explores themes of love, war, and peace in her highly critical gardens.

The one I am highlighting is Ghada’s Peace Garden.

Peace Garden – Miami Botanical Garden, 2002 – Miami, Florida USA

“Peace Garden consists of the universal peace symbol, first designed as a symbol for the Ban the Bomb movement in the 1950s, made of carnivorous plants. The garden is also part of a performance in which attendants serve live worms and crickets to visitors who in turn feed them to the plants. The use of carnivorous plants to construct a peace sign represents the shift in attitude of an earlier generation that once strongly promoted and used the peace symbol but then, over time, came to take causes for peace much less seriously.”

Overall it is clear that Ghada owns a passion for her work and her message. Some artists don’t like to be political, they make art for different reasons.. Ghada makes art for herself, she creates a message for others. Important, relevant messages that need to be heard as they address problems that people have faced both historically and in today’s modern world.

References:

http://www.ghadaamer.com/ghada/Ghada_Amer.html

http://flavorwire.com/423765/24-powerful-works-by-contemporary-women-artists-you-should-know/3

William Cochran

William Cochran is an American artist, sculptor, and visionary. He creates works of art using paint, stone, steel, bronze and glass. He and his wife, Teresa often work together in the creative process of his designs. He also works with community leaders to accomplish projects that help to unite neighborhoods and bring new life to the area. One such project was the “Community Bridge” of Frederick, MD., where he used the creative power of people of all ages and walks of life to transform a concrete bridge into a work of art. What started out as a project to beautify and correct a flood prone area in the town of Frederick ended up touching the lives of people all around the world and drawing a once divided community together. The project seemed to take on a life of its own and is now brings people to a once abandon side of town.

Taking on social issues is a theme of Cochran’s work. To the right is a photo of “Pillar of Fire”, a 2000 pound glass sculpture that pays tribute to the AIDS healthcare workers in Washington DC, during the early 1980. In the early years of the AIDS-HIV pandemic, little was known about the disease. These dedicated healthcare workers gave compassionate care to those afflicted with the virus. The workers faced opposition and almost no funding as they worked tirelessly to help those who’s very life were at stake. Pillar of Fire is lit from inside and well as out to symbolize the pillar of fire at night and a pillar of smoke by day that led the Hebrew children through the desert to the promised land. It is a symbol of hope to those afflicted with the AIDS virus and a tribute to those who cared for them when others turned their backs.

One of William Cochran’s best known works is that of the Community Bridge in Frederick MD. He used the trompe l’oeil (French for fool the eye) technique to turn a plain concrete bridge into an old stone bridge complete with statues and ivy. Unless the observer looks closely they will never know they have been fooled. The city still gets complaints from the concerned public about trimming back the ivy that is overtaking the piece of art. Below is the video of the “building” of a community through art.

The Community Bridge p.t 1

Community Bridge pt. 2

Community Bridge pt.3

Cochran is one of a few artists living today to use the Renaissance technique of anamorphic projection, which creates an illusion of depth when viewed from certain angles. The perspective changes from the viewer’s vantage point; this technique was used in the painting of the archangel on the side of the bridge. When the viewer is on the bridge looking over, the angel appears to be leaning out of the bridge and watching over the community. His artwork has helped the city of Frederick win the Great American Main Street Award in 2005 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Below are photos of three of the best known paintings on the Community Bridge.

The Caiedral represents the Samaritan woman at the well and it speaks of how no one should be looked down upon because of the ethnicity. She was selected to become part of the bridge painting to make the statement that the bridge was for all people regardless of which “side of the bridge” they found themselves.

The Hidden Door, is another popular image on The Community Bridge. The viewer must go up to the painted gate and look “inside” through the ironwork to see the hidden door. This part of the bridge is another area that has hidden symbols. The city of Frederick often gets complaints by the public that something needs to be done about the ivy that is taking over the bridge, but it is doubtful the hand painted ivy will grow any larger.

The Archangel, is probably the best known work on the bridge. Cochran used the Renaissance technique of anamorphic projection. Standing at the base of the bridge, the angel looks mis-shaped. The observer has to stand on top of the bridge and look over to see the true image. When seen from the correct angle, the angel appears to be leaning out of the bridge and looking at the viewer.

Below are some of the awards and honors bestowed on William Cochran:

Award for Excellence, National Glass Association

Core Values Award, International Association of Public Participation.

International exhibit, architectural art glass, University of Mexico in 2007.

Public art consultant and design team artist for National Endowment for the Arts Mayor’s Institute of City Design grant for City of Rochester.

Project of the Year Award, American Public Works Association.

Identified in a recent art history textbook as significant figure in public art in North America.

Great American Main Street Award, National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2005 – Frederick, Maryland

Sources:

http://www.williamcochran.com

http://www.bing.com/images

www.artisphereonline.com/2011/02/14/writers/william–cochran

www.tndtownpaper.com/Volume3/artist_bill_cochran.htm

Adelaide Paul

Adelaide Paul, a sculptor, earned her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics in 1993. Three years later she earned her MFA from Louisiana State University. The main inspiration for her work is animals, due to her strong relationship and love for them. Describing the purpose of her sculptures is further explained by her stating how her work explores, “…the alternately cloying sentimental and brutally callous relationship between humans and animals, both domesticated and wild.”

Paul spent nine years with horses between her high school and college years, so they are often subjects in her artwork.

One interesting thing about her sculptures is her use of material, specifically leather, for the outer layer.

Another subject she focuses on is dogs. Further explanation for this is mentioned in her Artist Statement. “Since the 1940’s, thousands of collies have been bred so that nine transvestite ‘Lassies’ could perpetuate a celluloid myth about a boy and his dog. Collies, Chihuahuas, Dalmatians, Greyhounds and other breeds have, for various market driven reasons, experienced meteoric eruptions in popularity; invariably they have subsequently suffered the consequences.” “In its extremes, American culture posits an alternately cloying sentimental and brutally callous relationship between human and both domesticated and wild animals. Animals are anthromorphized in film, fiction and popular culture. They (and their requisite accessories) are hot commodities; like all commodities, they are also inexorably disposable.”

Besides creating artwork, she also focuses on the study and teaching of animal anatomy. In the year 2004, Paul attended a veterinary anatomy class which changed her way of earning a living and brought out a different aspect in her sculptures. Paul is now employed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine as a teacher’s assistant in the assistant in the anatomy lab.