Fernando Botero

I’ve always admired the works of Fernando Botero. Most of his conceptual works are paintings or the use of pastels. His colors are lively for surrounding area and clothes for the figures. The skins of his figures are dull white of brown color. He also gives expression to his figures even to the cats he depicts some of the cats have a Cheshire like expression.

Fernando Botero, Abu Ghraib Scene,
2005, oil on canvas

One of his recent works involved the incident in Abu Ghraib. His figures would be considered fat, but these figures are not proportionally correct. The eyes, nose, and mouth are too close together and usually the women he portrays in his painting have small breast and hands also exaggerated love handles and thighs. He states the proportions of his figures are not directed toward obese people. Also they are not comical depending in the work. He likes painting and sculpting this way. It has worked for him, many around the world know what works are Botero’s because of these large figures. 

           This piece is from his collection of Abu Ghraib events he wanted to bring attention. It relates to the photos that were taken of these detainees, but he adds the unique disproportion man. The man is blinded folded and is both emaciated with the ribs showing on the skin and fat with the large thighs and neck. Death resembling skeleton characters from Mexico embraces this detainee. He adds streaks of blood like tears around his body and viewer can see the pain coming from the detainees face with his depiction of anguish cries.

Fernando Botero, The Dancers, 2002 pastel, 56'x46.5'

Although Botero hasn’t really lived in Columbia after his world wide fame (only visiting once an year), he has painted the problems coming from his country. Columbia having the top spot in most violent country in the North and South America has issues of human right abuse mainly between the government and drug lords. He conceptual works involves the depiction of violence and death. Most of these works are like a stop motion painting. They show victims, but sometimes  he shows corrupt families in portrait like settings. He also displays the good times in Columbia like dancing, lovers, still lives, and cats. This painting The Dancers focuses these large couple movement and colors in their clothes in this night setting.

Fernando Botero, Cat, smooth bronze

           Botero sculptures are also unique because he uses the same method of adding every figure large and thick. He also use a smooth bronze for his sculptures given them a shiny stone like appearance. They are fairly large pieces and are found throughout the world. His works are very interesting to look and interpret from.

The Clay and Fire Sale

I went to the Clay and Fire Sale at Boise State. I had to rush my visit at Gallery 1 in the Liberal Arts Building because of my finals. It was hot in there. I was amazed how cheap the pottery was at first I couldn’t believe it. I always went to the pottery sale for College of Southern Idaho and it was a little pricey. I liked the jewelry. They had this chunky bead or stone like quality. I also like the glaze they used for the bracelets and necklaces. I didn’t see a lot of pottery meant for drinking or holding water, but that’s okay because I use them for decoration anyway. There were several pieces that were beautiful in the inside. They put stones inside the pottery with a large mouth and layer after layer of a clear glaze to mimic clear ice. It was beautiful and I liked the glossy finish. There was a nice variety of clay, glazes, and different heat settings made a variety of pottery in the sale. Also there were different themes some involved porcelain, some involved bear claws, others were like paper weights(?)the shape of doves .

I bought these little pots. It was made with porcelain in a wheel. The large one has a clear glazed in the outside with streaks of another color. It’s not really glossy like porcelain, but I like it that way or it would have been tacky. The glossy finish also would have lost the meaning of the actual baked clay itself.  The other two were only glazed with a grainy purple color in the inside and has no glaze on the outside. The lady who did these pieces wanted the viewer to appreciate the natural porcelain clay. I liked the lines produced with the tool she used when she made it with the wheel. I bought these for my sister for Mother’s Day. The last one I got for myself. I’m not sure how another lady made this or what clay she used. It’s a dark gray clay. She used a variety of glazes most were green and some gold. She then used her hands and maybe used slip to make sharp ridges for the texture. It reminds me of a leafy material or a avocado. It definitely has this organic quality on the texture. It’s heavy and hurt putting it high on my bookshelf, but I still like it.    Overall, I think the faculty, alumni, and undergraduate did a good job. I’m glad I went in between finals and work.  

Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly, Through the Looking Glass

Dale Chihuly, The Sun

Dale Chihuly became famous for his glass blowing techniques. He further gained notoriety after traveling to Venice and through a grant learned the famous Venice glass blowing techniques. His works now rival Murano’s glassworks. They used a team to make beautiful glass works. He did the same and his team of master glass blowers has made him more famous. His works are abstract in design making them more ornamental and fascinating to view. He also creates plant like themes in his glass pieces. Some have floral themes while others look like reeds. His very skilled workers are able to make his works very large and very extravagant. Many of this works are hung from the ceiling like chandeliers, put in shelves in the gallery wall, placed in fountains, and in manmade lakes, ponds or canals.

Dale Chihuly Chandelier Victoria and Albert Museum

           His glass sculpture The Sun is supported by this large pole sticking out of the ground. It is 13 feet hight and is made of long swirly rods. 1,000 separates rods were used for this piece. These rods have the yellow hue of the sun and also reds and blues. The rods are held together by a center piece and they stick out like rays of the sun.

Chihuly and his team from Finland also did a large chandelier for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This piece is similar to The Sun, with rods sticking out of several central pieces. This piece is large 30 feet in height and has green and blue color rods. This piece will eventually be replaced with a chandelier two times the height.   

           They have organic qualities either plant like or for me similar to squid tentacles. One work has this sea life quality, another chandelier installation for the Rio Della Torre Stelle in Venice. It has this rich blue like color and has thick tentacles like glass sticking out everywhere from the center. The many tentacles are in various position give the piece a lifelike appearance.

Dale Chihuly, Chandelier, Venice, Italy

Chihuly installation piece Through the Looking Glass is different than his other works. He adds a boat and places his pieces of glass in the boat. The glass pieces vary from red, blue, green and yellows and vary from in form. They all have this organic representation of leaves and vines. It looks like a fun boat party for colorful plants.

I’ve always admired the glossy and fragile qualities of glass. It takes strength and patience to work with glass. In Chihuly case, it takes a very supportive and great team effort to create these large mesmerizing pieces. 

Jaune-Quick-To-See-Smith

            I remember someone telling the art class (I think it was Erin or another student) about a Native American doing a performance about his ethnicity and this belief that Native Americans are a past in history. It’s sad that a large group of society think Native Americans as the invisible group or tourist attraction. I also remember a short story from Sherman Alexie. In part of his short story The Toughest Indian in the World, the main character picks up a hitchhiker which happens to be a Native American boxer, they stay at a hotel because of the weather (?) and upon entering the room they see a large painting of a band of renegade Indians losing a battle with the U.S. Calvary. The main character asks the hitchhiker “What tribe are they?” and the hitchhiker responds “All of them.” It’s funny that some contemporary artists portray Natives in a romantic mysterious sort of appearance. I think there should be a deeper meaning though than the warrior of the beautiful exotic native woman.  

Jaune Quick to see Smith, Trade(Gifts for Trading Land with White People)
1992, oil, mixed median on Canvas, 5’x14’2”

Jaune Quick-to-See has experienced this invisibility in the art world. Her artworks focus on identity of herself. In Trade(Gifts for Trading Land with White People), she uses mixed media on a large canvas. The canvas is a mixture of a collage with Native American newspaper clippings and oil paint loosely brushed onto to it. It has large patches of color reds, orange, and green juxtaposes in these large strokes giving it an appearance of a thick texture. The colors are placed in the negative spaces and in the middle is a painted canoe. From the picture, the canoe doesn’t seem to be in the foreground; the patches of colors remind me of a mist and cover parts of the canoe. Above the canvas, she hangs a clothesline which has a various objects hanging from it. Some of these objects are Native American artifacts such as belts and beaded jewelry mixed with sports memorabilia that have Native American names such as Washington Redskins and Atlanta Braves.

Jaune Quick to see Smith, Indian Hand, 1992,
 oil, mixed median and collage on Canvas, 72x72

Her conceptual image of an indigenous hand has the same qualities of Trade(Gifts for Trading Land with White People). This piece Indian Hand uses oil paints, mixed median and canvas. It is a fairly large like her previous work. She uses newspaper clippings exposing clippings that are the most important such as Landfill Reservation, Out of Control, Nation Prepares for Leaner Times and other various clippings. She cover the rest of this collage with oil paints similar to the previous one mentioned above.  She also allows the paint to drip leaving streaks and adding texture to the whole composition.   

She currently organizes exhibitions for Native American artists. Her works brings attention to the viewer of the life of an indigenous in the United States. 

BFA Thesis Exhibition

I was able to go to one of the BFA thesis exhibition in Gallery 1 in the the Liberal Arts Building for Spring 2011 students. My emotions were mixed about some of the works I viewed. I didn’t get some of the compositions in the walls of the gallery. One in my opinion was terrible. I didn’t get it and I can’t remember the name or the student who did the posters (?). It had the theme of a skeleton one similar to skeleton ornaments found in Mexico for the Day of the Dead  (Día de los Muertos). One of these large posters had this large animated skeletal figure in the foreground. The background was the woods and there was a tent in the woods. I’m not sure if there was this conceptual meaning I was supposed to interpret from that piece. As a whole, the meaning is unclear. I know el Día de los Muertos is about being with family that have passed away and it is celebrated with the whole family. It is meant to remember love ones. One way families do to remember a dead loved one is to give them something they liked when they were living, but for their spirit world. It is a tradition similar to ancient Egyptians idealogy of the afterlife, but it’s a pre-colonial tradition mixed with Catholicism. If I’m supposed to interpret that from that poster, I did not see it.

The ceramics and metal works were interesting, but I liked several pieces one was a bell of a white crochet thread(?) made from the same artists that I can’t remember her name. I was able to read a little about her artist statement and one part I agreed with her. In her artist statement, she explains that crocheting is a dependable fashion that like the leather coat will always be around. It’s true every year in the fashion world someone reintroduces the crotched sweater during the spring and the long leather boots during the fall.

It was interesting visiting the gallery. I was expecting more from the students with two dimensional compositions in the walls. I think I need more than the title, but their artist statement next to their work. It would have helped for me in my case. 

Lee Bontecou

Lee Bontecou, Untitled 1962 welded steel, wood and canvas construction 

Lee Bontecou began constucting three dimensional works extending out of two dimensional canvases during the 1960s. Her works during this time reflect the period of unrest for people standing up for equality, the Cold War, protesting against the Vietnam War, and horrible atrocities everywhere were finally watched for the first time with the ever growing use of the television. Her works reflect this period and they appear cold similar to machineary. Her conceptual works are like Harmony Hammonds works. They both want to provide viewers their interpretations of the world around them. Although, Harmony’s work reflect equality and feminism. Bontecou’s works don’t interpret equality and are feminist in appearance. They are dark reflecting in the dark side of society. Bontecou works are never titled because she believes viewers need to find their own meaning without the aide of a title in her conceptual designs.

For me in this present age, they remind me of industrial mixed with technological qualitites. They appear almost like parts of space craft, but in compositions. The work Untitled from 1962 has the appearance of the back of a jet that is about to blast fire.  It is made with an armature of welded steel, she then add canvas on various parts with copper wire. The stichting is roughly sewn to hold the canvas with the welded steel. The exposure of the wires give the compositions a rectangular patterns. She uses neutral colors of browns mixed with gray and she adds black to parts in the middle to make it look lifeless like metal machinery. Parts of the armatute stick out stretching the canvas tightly to mold into these metal like parts.

Lee Bontecou, Untitled, 1960, fabric, copper wire and welded steel

Another of Lee’s canvas Untitled created in 1960s doesn't extend out as the one stated above. This earlier work reflects on the pattern of the stitching as it spriral haphazardly into this dark black hole in the middle. Also made with tan and gray like materials, it has a lifeless, but mesmerizing like qualities. It reminds me of stain glass but with parts of canvases sewn individually onto the armature.

Lee Bontecou, Untitled, 1966, welded steel/canvas/
epoxy/leather/wire/light, 78 x 119 x 31"

This piece is much larger than her previous ones. Untitled from 1966, is a beautiful piece, but isn't as cold as the other two. Her hints of orange and whites mixes well with the pattern of black patched around several places in the compostition. It has a light quality like it could fly because of the fan like armature projecting from the right side. It also looks like it glows with the gallery light hitting the orange.

Her works during the 1960s had this quality of canvases projecting out in various places. Her conceptual works gave a cold dark meaning to the viewer while giving them this beautiful machine like quality.   They became her trademark until the 1970s when she had children and changed her medium. 

Cai Guo-Qiang Installations part two

Cai Guo-Qiang Head On, 1999, 99 life-sized replicas of wolves and glass wall;
Wolves: papier mâché, plaster, fiberglass, resin, and painted hide 

           Cai installation projects are large and vary in media. His art seems to go into this sad connection between society, fragility, and death. His installation can vary with traditional ancient China, Mao Zedong Communism, and events today like terrorism. Cai installations are usually large, well detailed, and connect with the gallery setting.  

Cai Guo-Qiang, The Orient
San Jo Tower, 1995
Salvaged wood, seirmograph, soil

            The Orient is made of salvaged wood that was from a sunken boat. It resembles a large temple or shrine from either Japan or China, but appears loosely made shack. In front of the makeshift tower, a mound of dirt is placed several yards away connected by a cable. The mound of dirt also bears a resemblance to a top portion of a person with a head, neck, and upper torso. Inside of the dirt there is a seismograph which gives these two different elements a meaning to the viewer. The Orient is also displayed in a gallery in Japan. Because their islands are in the Ring of Fire earthquakes are depressingly common. I’m not sure if The Orient is Cai version of something like a joke or something serious because eventually the makesift tower will fall when a powerful earthquakes shakes this part of Japan. It’s also funny that he used wood from a sunken boat which met its demise from water (another devastating threat for Japan) It’s very interesting and creates nervous feelings to the viewers.

Cai Guo-Qiang, Borrowing Your Enemy's Arrows, 1998, 
Wooden boat, 3000 arrows, electric fan, Chinese flag

        
Another installation that is meant to be hung from the gallery is Borrowing your Enemy’s Arrows. A large wooden boat is covered by 3000 arrows. The subject can be perceived as humorous and fascinating to the viewer. I find this very funny because it comes with an anecdote. Cai narrates a story of Chinese soldiers who were about to lose to the enemy because of lack of weapons and arrows. The leader devised a tactical solution to this dilemma by using wooden boats and during a foggy morning slipped them into the river where the enemy was located. Thousands of arrows pierced the boats, but with empty occupants. The leader managed to retrieve these boats and collect his needed arrows. Cai uses this legend and hangs a traditional Chinese boat from a gallery. He pierces 3,000 arrows throughout the boat, he also adds a small Chinese flag and a fan to mimic wind and blow the flag. It can be interpreted as the enduring spirit of a “Communist” nation.    

Cai Guo-Qiang, Inopportune:Stage One, 2004, 9 Chevy Metros, plastic rods, lights

 

          In the large installation Inopportune, Cai goes into problems arising in the Middle East. He explains the title of his work Inopportune as inopportune terrorist event which is commonly known as a car bomb. He uses nine white Chevy Metros with and hangs them changes their positions so they’re not actually on the ground. He also places long rods of various lengths with electric lights with pink hues in them. They are beautiful to view and the cars positions are similar to the force of an explosion lifting a car from the road. His work is very clear to the viewer of what he wanted to portray.

            A large scale installation is Head On. In this installation, Cai uses 99 life sized replicas of wolves and a glass wall. The media used for the wolves are paper mache, fiberglass, plaster, resin and paint for the hide. He places wolves in this start and finish line. In the start line, various wolves are amassing in this line, the line of wolves start levitating as if they were Santa’s reindeers and “fly” towards this glass wall a large distance away. The wolves that smack into this glass window fall to the ground in various positions. The work is to be interpreted of the events that happened in Germany with the rise of the Nazi regime to the communist construction of the Berlin wall. 

Cai Guo-Qiang Head On, 1999, 99 life-sized replicas of wolves and glass wall;
Wolves: papier mâché, plaster, fiberglass, resin, and painted hide

             Each of Cai conceptual installation greatly varies with the themes he wants to point out to the viewers. He dedicated to detail as one can see in Head On with the detail of the wolves. His installations also integrate the gallery environment making them mesmerizing like in the Guggenheim Museum for Head On. He is very interesting and his works deserves a part two for my blog.