A Summary and Some Critical Thoughts

As I have been researching artists/photographers in order to draw parallels between more current art and the works of Ancient Greece and Rome, the critic and cynic in me can't help but to ask a few questions in relation to my discoveries.

Nan Goldin and Diane Arbus were both especially interested in capturing photographs of those who were considered to be on the fringes of society.  Both photographers openly discussed the fact that they were captivated by people who broke society-based opinions of "the norm".  I have been thinking a lot and I am really wondering if, by focusing so strongly on those who do not fit the general idea of what is normal, do these figures become idealized as well (though on the opposite side of the spectrum)?  It seems that they too have been exaggerated in some regards.  No, they definitely do not fit the nearly unattainable ideals of beauty instilled by the Greeks and Romans.  Though, what I have been questioning is this: Does focusing on the grotesque and the uncanny create a new sort of idealization... one centered on ugliness and deformity, rather than purity and conformity?

In a way, Willem de Kooning's work brings similar wonderings to mind.  His un-womanly female subjects appear to become an idealization of the ugly.  They are pictures of the grotesque, the strange, the violent, and the horrifying.  However, while they appear to be monsters, they are beautiful in the way that they are so perfectly unattractive.  The unsettling colors and forms cohere in a way that suggests harmony and balance.  Are these not idealized values in themselves?  Certainly similar statements can be made in regards to at least some of the models Goldin and Arbus photographed as well.

Are certain curiosities of nature actually so strange and unfamiliar if they have been photographed, painted, or sculpted by a variety of artists through the course of history?  I am somewhat inclined to say that the answer is "no".  These artists work with images and subjects that we as viewers have actually seen before.  As I have pointed out, unattractive and abnormal figures have appeared in art even as early as in classical antiquity really.  Maybe we do not see ugly figures as often, but it most definitely is not new subject matter.

It seems to me that idealization in art occurs often, in both positive and negative respects.  Perhaps as artists and viewers we are drawn to things that are obviously exaggerated yet in many ways, are able to remind us of life at the same time.  

Cindy Sherman: More than Well-Composed and Theatrical Portraits

American photographer Cindy Sherman is easily best known for her series of untitled film stills, created in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  These portraits are well-lit, perfectly staged, and generally depict beautiful women playing a variety of different roles.  Sherman's more recent works, however, are quite alarming in contrast.  

(Source Images- L/R: http://www.cindysherman.com/images/photographs/UntitledFilmStill8.jpg; http://www.cindysherman.com/images/photographs/Untitled250.jpg)

(The images above show the differences between Sherman's early work, pictured left... and her one of her more recent pieces, pictured right.)

While her newest subjects could still technically be considered portraits, they are certainly not pictures of the film-ready heroines viewers typically associate with Sherman.  These figures are down-right ugly, moderately provocative, and even slightly disturbing.  Most of their faces do not really match their bodies or body shapes and often times their limbs are bent in seemingly uncomfortable, contorted positions.  At times, arms or legs are even shown as being chopped off altogether.  

For example, in the photograph (above on the right), the figure appears to be very old when  one is considering the wrinkles in her/his face.  The person's body though seems to be much younger in comparison and additionally reads as being unquestionably female.  There is a disconnect between the juxtaposition of face and body, thus skewing the subject's identity. 

This sexually charged image almost cannot be discussed without mentioning the ambiguity of the doll's gender.  Its facial features seem to be fairly masculine, yet the long and flowing hair suggests otherwise.  The most confusing attribute in this mix-up is certainly the figures large, female breasts and exposed genitalia.  Again, the Hellenistic images of Hermaphrodites immediately come to mind.

Here is a video that displays arguably, the most famous Hellenistic Hermaphrodite: Click Here!       

Additionally, this is also an interesting video that considers how figures having both male and female genitalia have appeared in various art forms through the ages: Click Here!

Kara Walker: Gender, Violence, and Identity

Kara Walker is an American artist who is best known for her large black silhouettes, which are cut from paper and affixed to the walls of various exhibition spaces.  Often, through her art, she critiques racial and gendered stereotypes in America, in a cut-throat and narrative manner.  Walker addresses themes such as power, identity, violence, and sexuality.  The images Walker depicts are typically grotesque, up-front, and rather disturbing at times.  

(Source Image: http://sikkemajenkinsco.com/images/artwork/4369_11-kara_walker_Slavery_Slavery.jpg)

At first glance, Walker's silhouetted figures appear to have emerged from a childhood fairy-tale.  There is certainly something that seems playful and whimsical about the decision to create large, graphic (as in design) cut-outs.  However, upon closer examination, viewers quickly realize that something is not quite right about the subjects Walker depicts.  Clearly, these images are not suitable for children under any circumstances.

Many of the people Walker has carefully constructed are neither male nor female, due to the fact that they appear to possess reproductive organs of both sexes and cannot be easily identified as being one gender or the other.  Hermaphroditic figures are actually very common in the arts, and can be traced back to the Hellenistic Age.

 

(Source Image/L-R: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5262/5570707184_01c349ebeb_z.jpg; http://rudegirlmag.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/kara-walker-211.jpg)

Gender/Identity can be discussed as a major theme in both of these selected pieces.  The statue and the silhouette are fairly generic looking and may not appear to be direct representations of a specific person.  This is especially true of Walker's work, due to the fact that it is simply a black outline of a figure that could be a portrait of a man or a woman.  Each piece is playing with ideas about the fascination with curiosities in nature (in this case, the hermaphrodite), for the mixed genitalia seems to be such a prominent element in both of the works shown above.  I feel that Kara Walker's body of work connects back to the Hellenistic Period for several reasons, this being one of them.

Additionally, one should mention that Walker is especially interested in the narrative, myths, and traditional stories told widely throughout her culture.  Many of her pieces are representative of folklore and derive imagery that was passed down to her from generation to generation.  While the stories vary, this can certainly be said of Greek/Roman art as well.  Classical and Hellenistic artists found subjects in nature/life, but they also looked back to literature and beliefs... Walker does the same.  The result is grotesque and imaginative imagery, often times exaggerated forms, figures, and representations. 

In the following video, Walker discusses how she finds inspiration in stories and the imagination, and also how these ideas make her fairly uneasy: Click Here!

While Walker draws upon her own experiences and identity as she understands it, there are certain practices that most definitely parallel those of the Hellenistic Age of Art.

de Kooning and Vulgarity: Stepping Even Farther Away from Idealization

Abstract-Expresionist, Willem de Kooning, is perhaps best-known amongst art-enthusiasts for his body of work entitled, the Women Series.  These grotesque and abstractly painted figures are anything but beautiful, in the generally understood sense of the word.  

 (Source Images/L-R: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kooning_woman_v.jpg; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Woman3.jpg)

de Kooning's frenzied use of brush strokes, violent and sickening colors (such as red and yellow),  exaggeratedly accentuated curves and overly large facial features of his subjects, and drips of paint cascading down the canvases add to the unsettling feeling the viewer gets when looking at these works.  Typically, when one encounters the womanly figure or female nude in art, the bodies are portrayed as being soft and feminine, gently curved and classically beautiful.  However, in the case of de Kooning's Women Series, the females are depicted in a way that almost reads as being violent or aggressive.  

Looking back on the history of art, it is easy to draw obvious contrasts between de Kooning's women and the sculptures of females from classical Greece and Rome.  In fact, they could not be more different in many ways.      

 

(Source Images/L-R: http://uploads4.wikipaintings.org/images/willem-de-kooning/woman-i.jpg; http://sasgreekart.pbworks.com/f/Venus%20de%20Milo.jpg)

(de Kooning's Woman I in comparison to Venus de Milo)

Perhaps, maybe what is most striking and surprising about de Kooning's paintings is the fact that he strays from the traditional ideals of beauty and femininity, established during classical antiquity.  The artist seems to be most interested in the ideas of expression, vulgarity, and the grotesque.  His subjects are not beautiful in the typical way we consider women to be attractive.  This dialog of opposition is what brings life and meaning to de Kooning's paintings.

Of course, discussing the concept of the grotesque in the context of Greece and Rome directly leads one back to the Hellenistic Period of art.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am interested in drawing parallels between modern/contemporary art and earlier eras in art history, with a particular interest in exploring Hellenistic works.  Certainly there are many similarities between de Kooning's works and works from that specific art period.  Most importantly, the shared interest of going beyond the pre-established rules and perceptions of beauty. 

(Source Images/L-R: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:De_Kooning_sculpture.jpg; http://www.louvre.fr/sites/default/files/imagecache/235x196/medias/medias_images/images/louvre-personnage-difforme-dans-l039attitude.jpg?1336792632/)

(A de Kooning sculpture in comparison to a small Hellenistic sculpture)

The similarities between the two selected works are uncanny in many ways.  Both figures are twisted and turned as they are grossly abstracted.  This trait was common  in sculptures from the Hellenistic period.  Artists were more interested in evoking thoughts and feelings from their viewers, as the Abstract Expressionists did, so many years later.  It is fascinating to think about how trends and topics repeat throughout the history of art.

To see an online/interactive retrospective of de Kooning's work, visit: http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2011/dekooning/

Potential Future Posts: Coming Soon!

There are several other artists and themes I would like to explore as they relate to concepts/values of the Hellenistic period and ideas of the Grotesque versus idealized beauty.  While I may not get to do an entry for all of them this semester, I have compiled a short list, regardless: 

- DeKooning and Vulgarity

- Kara Walker

- Cindy Sherman (more recent works)

- Renee Cox and her depiction of Sara Bartman (Hottentot Venus)

- Catherine Opie

Exploring the Grotesque: A Fascination with People Who Exist on the Margins of Society (Diane Arbus)

As somewhat of a continuation on my previous post in which I discussed the work of Nan Goldin, I would like to explore the photography of Diane Arbus, an additional photographer/artist who also works with themes that closely relate to those of the Hellenistic period of art.  

Arbus is an American photographer who was best known for her pieces that centered on unusual people such as dwarfs, giants, transgendered figures, nudists, and circus performers.  She captured her best known photographs beginning in the 1950s and continued to work until the late 1960s/early 1970s.  In 1971, at the age of 48, Arbus committed suicide.   

As a photographer, Arbus was attracted to people whose normality gave them an appearance that most would generally consider to be ugly, alarming, and unattractive.  Her interest in disfigured and unusual subjects stemmed from a desire to expose the differences between what people wanted  or expected to see, and what reality actually presented.  She focused on the flaws of others and deviated extensively from the overly-accentuated and often unattainable ideals of beauty, established by society.  This desire for idealized beauty and perfection can in many ways, be directly traced back to the ancient Greeks.  

 Diane Arbus- Left: Mexican dwarf in his hotel room, New York, 1970; Right: A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx, New York, 1970 

(Image(s) Source: http://www.boumbang.com/diane-arbus/)

Essentially, this is the factor that best connects Diane Arbus and her photographic works to the Hellenistic age.  Like the artists who were making pieces during that time, Arbus had a deep-rooted interest in those people who existed at the marginals of society.  They too wished to stray from what was normally portrayed in the arts and to the public in general, especially those who made what are known as the Hellenistic Grotesques.  Hellenistic artists began to explore curiosities in nature, such as those with  both male and female genitalia, or hermaphrodites.  As I mentioned earlier, Arbus worked with transgendered subjects in some of her pieces.  Parallels between Arbus’s photographs and Hellenistic art works are very apparent when one views the works in comparison.  

Borghese Hermaphroditus

(Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Borghese_Hermaphroditus_Louvre_Ma231.jpg/640px-Borghese_Hermaphroditus_Louvre_Ma231.jpg-)

Diane Arbus- Hermaphrodite and Dog in a Carnival Trailer

(Image Source: http://theauberginecoat.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/diane-wie-u-mag-kiezen/)