Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary

"La condition humaine" (The Human Condition), an oil on canvas painted by René Magritte in 1933. This work is a clear juxtaposition of two obviously distinct and individual objects, a painting and a window. What is clear is that the painting perfectly mimics the landscape as seen through the window. Magritte uses the understanding or inference, that what is behind the painting is exactly what is show on the canvas within the canvas. This coherent continuance of the landscape in the background gives the viewer an illusion that what is seen in the painting within the painting actually exists behind that very painting. Magritte then uses the possibility that there is something else other than a tree or hill behind that inscribed painting against the viewer. He denies the viewer a glimpse of the 'reality' behind the painting, yet what is seen in that painting must be true because our perception demands that the directional forces of the road and hill continue and the possibility of a tree existing is in fact, true. This altered perception of a simple window and landscape does comment on the limitations of human perception, the fact that we cannot see what is truly behind this painting, yet we believe it to be real. This fallacy can be applied to any perception, what if what we are led to see and believe is not actually the truth? Can we trust the painting withing the painting? Or has Magritte fooled every viewer who crosses paths with this work? Even his title betrays our own situation; our own 'Human Condition' of perception.

Source

René Magritte

"La condition humaine"

1933

Oil on canvas

39 x 32 in

Design In Our Lives

                On this particular field trip I visited the Design Galleries and viewed many utilitarian and purely aesthetic designs from a variety of media. The essence of design is to create something that merges function with certain aesthetic qualities. In my opinion, designs that uniquely incorporates ergonomics are of the best quality, since their function has been well adapted for use by human beings. Ergonomics is the study of design and adaptation towards how human beings think and the limits of our physical bodies in association with designed objects. This practical or functional aspect is in my view, is not necessarily an essential part of a good design. Art and design are two separate ideas; with Art having to do with aesthetic emotion, message, and intent, while design is more related to function and purpose. Although they both embody two different sets of ideas there are many points where they overlap. An excellent design incorporates the values of art into its structure, displaying aesthetics and a sense that in essence the design could stand on its own as a work of art, before even mentioning its functional aspects. An outstanding work of art can then too, incorporate well designed function or purpose into its method or final product, giving it meaning as a well designed object before even considering its aesthetic qualities.

                The two pieces I chose to illustrate "high functionality" were SMIT's "GROW" and, Ido Bruno & Arthur Brutter's "EPT - Earthquake Proof Table". I chose both of these pieces because they masterfully incorporated a unique aesthetic into their design elements, yet had very functional aspects that stood out to me. "GROW" is a hybrid energy generating device that delivers both solar and wind power. The design is extremely ergonomic because these photovoltaic panels appear like naturally occurring vines, so it is not intrusive into everyday life. The design is extremely functional because it provides electricity, an essential need of the modern world. It is at the same time an aesthetically pleasing design, with each vine leaf well crafted to mimic nature. The "Earthquake Proof Table" or "EPT" is a steel and birch wood table which is designed to withstand falling objects weighing over 1 metric ton. Each table is engineered to ensure the safety of children that would hide underneath during an earthquake, with its weight resistance its feature. The table looks very unique and could stand on its own as a work of art because of its v-shaped truss and thin armature supporting the sides. This table is very ergonomic because it provides a solution to a dangerous and potentially fatal situation, solving a basic human factor of life. Both of these designs seek to solve an essentially human problem or need, electricity and survival. They also both incorporate their solutions in an elegant way, provoking an aesthetic emotion.

                The two pieces I chose to illustrate "low functionality" were Keita Takahashi's video game "Katamari Damacy" and Gae Aulenti's "Table with Wheels (Model 2652)". I chose both of these pieces because they illustrate either a lack of aesthetic thought or human functionality. "Katamari Damacy" is a video game which incorporates well designed game elements and mechanics, brightly colored objects, places, people. The game combines it with a creative objective, to roll up all the objects in sight into a ball. These well designed elements fit together to make a highly enjoyable game, however they serve no essential purpose that would benefit mankind nor do they provide a solution to any human problem. The only way I could see this video game becoming more ergonomic, is if the essential idea and mechanics of the game were adapted into teaching or some kind of disability therapy. "Table with Wheels" is a glass table with four metal and rubber swivel wheels that looks like a furniture dolly. In my opinion this 'table' does not demonstrate an aesthetic vision nor does it serve any particular function. Because this object's surface is made out of fragile glass, it will not be practical for transporting furniture and therefore could not serve any other function. If I could make this design more ergonomic I would use a more resilient material and somehow redesign the wheels into a more aesthetically pleasing shape or structure.

                In my opinion the essential aspect of design is that it has an aesthetic quality that separates it from the perhaps countless iterations of that object in the world. A highly functional design is one that intelligently interacts with the 'human condition' in a way that solves problems or provides for a need. The artistic elements of design can be separated from the desired function or solution, yet a truly great design would be able to creatively provide solutions and do so in an artistic way. In my view this fine line between aesthetic and function is where design resides, sometimes incorporating one or the other or both or none at all.

Sources:

Ido Bruno, Arthur Brutter

"EPT - Earthquake Proof Table"

2010 

Steel and birch plywood

28 3/8 x 47 1/4 x 23 5/8" 

Keita Takahashi 

"Katamari Damacy"

2003

Video game software

Gae Aulenti

"Table with Wheels (model 2652)"

1980

Glass, Metal, and Rubber

11 1/4 H x 27 1/2 W x 54 5/8" L

Samuel Cabot Cochran, Benjamin Wheeler Howes & SMIT - Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology, LLC

"GROW" 

2005

Thin film photovoltaics, piezoelectric generators, screen printed conductive ink encapsulated in ETFE fluoropolymer lamination, stainless steel, nylon, neoprene rubber, copper wire, and aluminum

16' x 8'

Illustrate A Story

In this story featuring Umberto Joseph DeJesus and Nancy Cardona, they talk about the day that the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11th, 2001. Umberto left his post and traveled down to the area where he met a high ranking police officer who was injured. He refused to go to a hospital and instead wished to go back and search for his men who were trapped underneath the rubble of the World Trade Center. My Acrylic on Canvas painting depicts the fallen police officers who were trapped beneath the rubble their red and blue souls still burning within them. I depicted this part of the story because I felt that it was the most poignant, an injured officer who wants to go back and search beneath a fallen building for his comrades.


http://storycorps.org/listen/umberto-joseph-dejesus-and-nancy-cardona/#

Chelsea Galleries Reaction

On our second field trip we explored the menagerie of art galleries in Chelsea. This is the home of the collections of the upcoming and well-known artists. My first encounter with a gallery that day was the Raymond Pettibon collection. I left shocked and somewhat disillusioned towards what kind of artwork I would see the rest of the day. I did not enjoy his apparent carelessness and indifference in presenting the artwork which looked as if it was just taped to the wall.

Eddie Anderson - Phillip-Lorca diCorca

Gerald Hughes (aka. Savage Fantasy) - Phillip-Lorca diCorca

My next stop on the road was in the same David Zwirner gallery as Pettibon, 'Street Hustlers' by Phillip-Lorca diCorca, a renowned photographer whose works sit somewhere between documentary and staged photography. His work really caught my photographic eye. I was especially drawn to two prints, "Gerald Hughes" and "Eddie Anderson". These two men are caught within a place and time and seemed to be a part of the scenery. 
The composition of each subject within their setting seemed to be very asymmetrical, yet at the same time had strong directional forces which kept my eye moving around for a long time. The subjects are scaled in the photograph in such a way that their surroundings seem to be just as important as the people themselves. All of the subjects in this exhibit are street hustlers who accept money to do a variety of entertainment activities for their clients. DiCorca propositioned these men for photographs and agreed to pay them their normal entertainment rate. I feel that this kind of photography is an excellent monetary investment because it includes this type documentary photo-journalism. In addition, diCorca captured the essence of a era, place, and face during a moment in our history which meant to me, a hundred years from now viewers would still have a diverse and colorful window into the past. These original photographic prints sell for $30,000 each and I believe would only increase in price towards the future. This is because each print is very poignant and describe a unique individual, time, and place; which is extremely important towards providing future value. The people of the future would also have to see worth in these images as I do, and I believe they would. These photographs would be hanging on my wall during the years for additional admiration and contemplation of their overall design and composition. Overall this exhibit was wonderful, as a photographer; I greatly admired his work. Each print was compositionally beautiful, with varied and interesting choices of scale, proportion, variety and emphasis.

"This Unfortunate Thing Between Us" - Phil Collins

On the other hand, after a few more stops along the 'gallery road' with my renewed sense of enjoyment towards the work after diCorca, I stumbled upon the Tanya Bonakdar gallery exhibiting work by installation artist Phil Collins. I was immediately impressed with the scale of the installations but was taken by surprise with its content. "This Unfortunate Thing Between Us" was a large installation piece which held two seemingly similar trailer homes. Viewers are asked to walk inside the space and experience what Collins has put forth, a large television screen with a bizarre German television show playing in the background. I was put-off by the plainness of the trailers and the absurdity of the television program. The second piece I came to was on the second floor, titled, "my heart's in my hand, my hand is pierced, and hand's in the bag, and the bag is shut, and my heart is caught". This piece was also very large, consisting of 6 large booths with turntables and records along the walls. I enjoyed the music, but thinking economically I would not buy these two pieces. The first piece is selling for $50,000 while the second on the third floor is selling for $25,000. I would not invest in buying these two pieces because of their sheer size, price, and the apparent subjectivity of the meaning which I believe future prospective buyers would not grasp and therefore have no demand t purchase it. If I had to buy them, they are extremely large installations and there is no apartment I would dare to buy, big enough to house these pieces, they would have to stay in storage. 

"my heart's in my hand, my hand is pierced, and hand's in the bag, and the bag is shut, and my heart is caught" - Phil Collins

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery:
Phil Collins
"This Unfortunate Thing Between Us"
2011
$50,000
Two channel video installation presented in caravans, color, sound on 60 min loop

Phil Collins
"my heart's in my hand, my hand is pierced, and hand's in the bag, and the bag is shut, and my heart is caught"
2013
$25,000
Ten 7 inch vinyl records, listening booths, turntables, amplifiers and speakers

David Zwirner Gallery:
Phillip-Lorca diCorca
"Gerald Hughes (a.k.a. Savage Fantasy)" 
Southern California
1990-92
$30,000
Chromogenic print
30 3/4 x 43 3/8 inches (78.1 x 110.2 cm)

Phillip-Lorca diCorca
"Eddie Anderson" 
Houston, Texas
1990-1992
$30,000
Chromogenic print
23 3/4 x 35 3/8 inches (60.3 x 89.9 cm)

MoMA Reaction

                This first field trip immersed us in the world of modern art. However with our new found knowledge of critical analysis, we must explore the significance that each piece represents and no longer just admire the aesthetic beauty of a work of art. Each artist presents a form of identity to the viewer that is historically, personally, or culturally significant. It is understood that creating artist is a form of personal expression, but many pieces transcend this categorization and explore how these forms of identity can take shape in art.

               Frida Kahlo's "Fulang-Chang and I" (1937) is made with oil paint on composition board represents, a form of personal identity expressed into painting. This painting is a self-portrait of Kahlo and her pet monkey. The monkey was considered to be her surrogate child and reflects her personal issues of infertility. The closeness of the two figures implies a deep relationship and alludes to her desire for children. The piece includes depictions of the imperfections of her own features which describe her desire to convey a great understanding of her personal appearance; a very personal trait.

                Ben Shahn's "Handball" (1939), made with Gouache on Paperboard represents an aspect of historical identity. Handball was a very popular sport during the 1930-40s, which is reflected in the painting. The clothing that the players wear is indicative of that time period that has since past. The intensity of the players lend significance to the game itself, and its historical importance. The background buildings and advertisements give vague reminders of its place in history.

                Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World" (1948) made with Tempera on Panel reflects a distinctly American cultural identity. Wyeth's cultural background is displayed by his choice of an arid farmland in Maine as the background. The choice of depicting a woman in the contemporary clothing facing away from the viewer towards the dusty farmhouses of the dust bowl era allude to its cultural significance. - this painting manages to depict a certain American farmland quality. It showcases a woman in the contemporary clothing facing towards dusty farmhouses of the dust bowl era. His choice of illustrating a polio stricken girl crawling through a field attempted to honor her conquest of life. Even though she has a debilitating illness that has significantly influence American culture during that period, Wyeth makes a narrative on the power of Christina.

                All three of these artworks share the fact that they were made during the 30s and 40s. However, their mediums are entirely different and exemplify the different aspects of nature they were attempting to capture. The significance of each piece is also apparent to me, although the displayed qualities of each aspect, historical, personal, and cultural. These essential qualities and ideas that stood out were the reasons I placed them into their respective categories.