Name: Hong Seung-Hye
Title: “More Interesting than War”
Year: 2008
Gallery: Kukje Hallery
Exhibition: Debris
Materials: Polyurethane on acrylic
Method of construction and dimensions: 14 x 18 x 27 cm, 14 x 20 x 7 cm, 10 x 24 x 5 cm, 14 x 40 x 7 cm, 24 x 14 x 10 cm, 10 x 10 x 5 cm, 12 x 18 x 4 cm
Ideas: loneliness, and rebirth
Context: the lack of interpersonal communication in the 21st century
Background: The artwork was inspired by and designed based on the artist’s previous creation, “Organic Geometry.”1
Philosophies: Philosophy of technology2
Critique
The fragmented shape of the artwork is supposed to represent the fractured 21st-century reality. By expanding her previous work, the artist managed to provide a witty commentary on the present-day lack of awareness concerning the imbalance between giving back to nature and taking from it.
Subjective response
Seung-Hye’s art catches the eye immediately and leaves a rather unsettling feeling.
Name: Mona Marzouk
Title: “The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Energy’s Evil”
Year: 2008
Gallery: Gypsum Gallery
Exhibition: The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Energy’s Evil
Materials: acrylic colors
Method of construction and dimensions: pictures, audio elements, and a projected 3-D animated film.
Ideas: return to nature, the passion within
Context: loss of touch with nature
Background: the theory of hybridized future, as the author herself defines it.3
Philosophies: nature vs. nurture conflict
Critique
Marzouk’s approach towards parodying the conflict between people and nature has a controversial edge.4,5
Subjective response
The satire that Marzouk chooses allows driving attention to the issue without being too preachy. However, the impressions concerning the art are still rather mixed. On the one hand, the reconciliation with nature that the artist offers is rather gratifying; on the other hand, the shapes of the animals, nearly unrealistic, often painted upside down, do not invite the audience to reconcile with nature.
Name: Henri Matisse
Title: “The Snail”
Year: 1953
Gallery: Tate
Exhibition: The Cut-Outs
Materials: painted paper
Method of construction and dimensions: cut-outs
Ideas: the disintegration of the world
Context: World War II
Background: Matisse’s torturous experience of abdominal cancer; consequently, the artist envisioned the world as collapsing and helpless.6
Philosophies: existentialism
Critique
The outstanding use of color and bizarre shapes allows the artworks to attract an audience even decades later.
Subjective response
The seeming simplicity of the elements of artworks creates the impression of chaotic puzzle pieces falling together.
Name: Kara Walker
Title: “A Subtlety”
Year: 2014
Gallery: Domino
Exhibition: A Subtlety
Materials: Styrofoam and sugar
Method of construction and dimensions: perspective transformation
Ideas: racial segregation; an homage to the factory workers
Context: The racial stereotype of a “Mammy”
Background: The exhibit was created in the Domino Sugar Factory
Philosophies: philosophy of race; political philosophy
Critique
Walker uses the “Mamma” trope7 from Gone with the Wind, which some people may find racially insensitive according to Loichot.8
Subjective response
The use of a well-known image does make the main message somewhat contrived due to the rich context and an aggressive, defiant shape.
Name: Peter Doig
Title: “Concrete Cabin West Side”
Year: 1998
Gallery: Tate
Exhibition: Echo Lake
Materials: oil paint on canvas
Method of construction and dimensions: 2305 x 3605 x 50 mm
Ideas: solitude, nature vs. nurture, environmentalism
Context: the increased pace of urbanization
Background: Doig’s move to industrial London from the Canadian countryside
Philosophies: natural philosophy
Critique
Emotionally fuelled and rich in metaphors, the painting represents the dual nature of a human being, as Manchester claims in her article.9
Subjective response
Doig’s painting is shot through with existentialism. It addresses the significance of an individual, making a powerful statement about the role of people in society.
Name: Pablo Picasso
Title: “Nude Woman in a Red Armchair”
Year: 1932
Gallery: Tate
Exhibition: Members’ private views: Picasso & Modern British Art
Materials: oil on canvas
Method of construction and dimensions: Support: 1299 x 972 mm frame: 1414 x 1081 x 83 mm
Ideas: sensuousness as a refuge for people during the demise of the humankind
Context: World War II
Background: Picasso and Marie-Thérèse Walter were involved in long and emotional relationships.
Philosophies: hedonism
Critique
The exaggerated sensuousness of the model’s body and the soft curves of the chair are opposed to the duality of the model’s personality represented in the model’s face, which Picasso set off by stressing the line between figure and field, therefore, making the message of the artwork more poignant.10
Subjective response
The unique use of color and shape help convey the concept of love as the saving grace for the desperate humankind in a very convincing manner.
Name: Karin Mamma Andersson
Title: “Tick Tock”
Year: 2012
Gallery: Karin Mamma Andersson
Exhibition: Dog Days
Materials: mixed media on panel
Method of construction and dimensions: 99×184,5 cm
Ideas: social isolation, family issues, loneliness
Context:
Background: Andersson draws the ideas for her paintings from her personal experience, according to Haapala’s interpretation of the artist’s vision11.
Philosophies: existentialism
Critique
The blurred lines, which Andersson uses to make the figures merge into the field, allow the viewers to envision mundane things in an entirely new manner, therefore, performing a specific semantic function12.
Subjective response
The images that Andersson creates seem to be carved out of ordinary life. However, the way, in which these images are arranged, creates an emotional tension.
Name: Honore Daumier
Title: Dig Days
Year: 2014
Gallery: Visions of Paris
Exhibition: Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition
Materials: Mixed media on panel
Method of construction and dimensions: 99×184,5 cm
Ideas: a history of Paris
Context: old French newspapers and other types of media
Background: the tragedy and drama that lurks behind the seemingly reputable camouflage of the city
Philosophies: sketchiness as a means to represent the uniqueness of the city
Critique
Brief and sketchy, the style of the artist restores the Paris of the bygone era, making the epoch revive and relive its days of glory.13
Subjective response
The dark, though not quite saturated, tones used by the artist create a surreal illusion, making the characters look almost ghostly.
Name: Carla Klein
Title: no title
Year: 2014
Gallery: Tanya Bondakdar Gallery
Exhibition: Solo Exhibition
Materials: oil on canvas
Method of construction and dimensions: 60 ft.
Ideas:
Context:
Background: an exploration of the links between photography and painting as the medium with equal potential.14
Philosophies: philosophy of photography; philosophy of painting
Critique
The tone as a unique combination of light elements beyond the horizon and a darker, gloomier foreground that is richer in tone allows for an elegant metaphor.
Subjective response
The approach chosen by Klein invites the audience into the blend between reality and the world of art that she creates.
Name: Rembrandt
Title: Head of Christ
Year: 2011
Gallery: John G. Johnson Collection
Exhibition: Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus
Materials: oil on oak panel
Method of construction and dimensions: 35.8 x 31.2 cm
Ideas: redemption, forgiveness
Context: the Christian Church in the 17th century
Background: Rembrandt’s search for the meditative ideal and its characteristic features based on the medieval iconography.15
Philosophies: philosophy of Christianity
Critique
The use of tone in Head of Christ, particularly, the shadowy background and a clear light spot with a focus on the face creates an entirely different image of Jesus.
Subjective response
The evident lack of traditional omnipotence in the image of Christ allows the audience to view the character from a new perspective and, thus, rethink the concepts of Christianity.
Bibliography
“A Subtlety.” Creative Time. 2014. Web.
Andersson, Karin Mamma. “Teachers’ Guide for School Tours and Classroom Presentations.” Aspen Art Museum. 2010. Web.
Cotter, Holland. “Wisps From an Old Man’s Dreams.” New York Times. 2014. Web.
“Culture.” Korean Times. 2014. Web.
Cumming, Laura. “Daumier (1808-79): Visions of Paris – review.” The Guardian. 2013. Web.
Gyton, Geogri. “BALTIC Hosts First UK Exhibition By Egyptian Artist Mona Marzouk.” Culture 24. 2008. Web.
Haapala, Leevi. “Karin Mamma Andersson.” Art Foundation. n. d.. 2014. Web.
Hofman, Stephanie. “Carla Klein’s solo exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.” Dutch Culture USA. 2014. Web.
Kaplan, David M. Readings in the Philosophy of Technology. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.
Loichot, Valerie. “Kara Walker’s Blood Sugar: A Subtlety or the Marvelous Sugar Baby.” Southern Spaces. 2014. Web.
Manchester, Elizabeth. “Echo Lake.” Tate Britain. 2002. Web.
Marzouk, Mona. “The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Energy’s Evil.” Baltic. 2008. Web.
Mikdali, Salwa. “Egyptian Modern Art.” Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2014. Web.
“Nude Woman in a Red Armchair 1932.” Tate Britain. 2014. Web.
“Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus.” Philadelphia Museum. 2011. Web.
Footnotes
- “Culture,” Korean Times. 2014. Web.
- David M. Kaplan, Readings in the Philosophy of Technology (New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), p. 11.
- Mona Marzouk, “The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Energy’s Evil,” Baltic, 2008. Web.
- Salwa Mikdali, “Egyptian Modern Art,” Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014. Web.
- Georgi Gyton, “BALTIC Hosts First UK Exhibition By Egyptian Artist Mona Marzouk,” Culture 24. 2008. Web.
- Holland Cotter, “Wisps From an Old Man’s Dreams,” New York Times. 2014. Web.
- “A Subtlety,” Creative Time, 2014. Web.
- Valerie Loichot, “Kara Walker’s Blood Sugar: A Subtlety or the Marvelous Sugar Baby,” Southern Spaces. 2014. Web.
- Elizabeth Manchester, “Echo Lake,” Tate Britain, 2002. Web.
- “Nude Woman in a Red Armchair 1932,” Tate Britain, 2014. Web.
- Leevi Haapala, “Karin Mamma Andersson,” Art Foundation, n. d. Web.
- Karin Mamma Andersson, “Teachers’ Guide for School Tours and Classroom Presentations,” Aspen Art Museum. 2010. Web.
- Laura Cumming, “Daumier (1808-79): Visions of Paris – Review,” The Guardian. 2013. Web.
- Stephanie Hofman, “Carla Klein’s solo exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery,” Dutch Culture USA. 2014. Web.
- “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus,” Philadelphia Museum, 2011. Web.