MoMA Trip

     Visiting the MoMA is always an amazing and eye-opening experience. The pieces are exquisite and inspiring. I believe that appreciating modern art is important because, like humanity, it is a phase of evolution. A new step in the emotional and psychological human experience that deserves recognition just as much as any meticulous and elegant piece from the renaissance or Greek period.

Abstract Expressionism 1940's

     I am especially interested in abstract expressionism. I think the emotion and underlying meaning is a beautiful way to look into the heart and mind of the artist. One of the most popular expressionist artists, Jackson Pollock, is a pioneer of expressionism. The work below, Number 1A, was painted in 1948 and is seen as one of his greatest expressionist pieces. Pollocks substantial pieces need to be seen in person. Number 1A is huge, measuring in at 8'10"x 17'5".

      Using methods like drip painting, a technique where paint is dripped or poured onto a canvas evokes strong feeling of disorder and chaos. His work looks unplanned and random, but his work was meticulously planned and layered accordingly. These massive pieces when viewed more closely feel electric and alive. This creates a mental video of the creation of the piece.

Pollock carefully "dripping" over canvas

Pollock's first layer was a series of handprints
that set the body of the piece

His use of his body, brushes, and the tubes of paint themselves is remarkable and pertinent to the reception of the piece. Here we can see that a closer look shows us that Pollock was not only dripping but that he used his body as a tool for mixing. He has left an enduring piece of himself on his art. The viewer can imagine Pollock pacing around his canvas contemplating his next step, they can imagine him getting down onto his hands and knees and becoming an element in his art.

Pop Art 1950's

     Moving on to a very influential period of art, pop art. Appearing in the mid to late 50's, pop art challenged modern day consumerism and mocked pop culture, advertising, commercials, and social icons. During this time America was experiencing a cultural shift, advances in technology and the growing relevance of mainstream media, but also reeling against the war in Vietnam. Pop artists parodied popular culture as a form of "sticking it to the man" and spreading dislike for the materialistic culture of the Western world. In my opinion, pop art acted as a catalyst for the punk movement in the late 1970's and 1980's.
     Like Dada, pop art uses many mediums and found objects used in collages and sculptures. Heavy use of primary colors made pieces visually captivating and the use of everyday mundane objects represented as art was thought provoking. Pop art was also seen as controversial because it changed our concept of art. Artists were no longer only creating original concepts or imagery, but copying familiar symbols.

Campbell's Soup Cans, each canvas 20x16; 1962

     One of the most renown artists, who many see as the leader of American pop art, Andy Warhol was a master of challenging our vision of originality. Campbell's Soup Cans, is proof of this from the get go. It is composed of 32 of Campbell's soup varieties, to be arranged in no particular order. The cans are hand painted and stamped, a method he would largely abandon for photo-silkscreen processing. Warhol believed that everyone should be able to appreciate art, and what better way to reach the masses then by making his art familiar.

Performance and Video Art

Elizabeth Charlotte "Pipilotti" Rist, born in 1962 to Swiss doctor (father) and a teacher (mother)
She was given the nick name Pipilotti when she was a child, referring to children's novel Pippi Longstocking.
Studied commercial art, illustration and photography at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, then she studied video production at the School of Design in Switzerland.
From 1988-1994 she played in a woman's rock band and performance group called Les Reines Porchaines.

Themes:
Gender, sexuality, feminism
Multiple projector video installations with sound, lighting, and often staging with furniture.

Works:
She is known for her installations, mostly in film/projector format. Her interesting content and method of projection has caused an evolution in video art.
Part of art to Rist is to make art that can be appreciated by anyone, and can be enjoyable, stating, "the most important job of the artist: try not to just reach the converted"
Strange, captivating, but not intimidating

Influenced by:
Contemporary media and advertising and other video artists Joan Jonas, Vito Acconci, and Nam June Paik

In today's culture:
The music video for "Hold Up" but Beyonce is strikingly similar to Rist's "Ever Is Over All"
Her exhibitions remain very popular.

Sources:
Pipilotti Rist, Provoking With Delight

Art and Social Change

    Art can work in very powerful ways. It can evoke emotional responses to things we may not have thought about often. Creating art can change the way someone thinks and redirect parts of their life. Vik Muniz, modern artist, takes us on an adventure to Jardim Gramacho, a large landfill outside of Rio De Janeiro. Here he introduces us to a few of the workers in the landfill and their stories.

    Tiao, the catadores leader, had been working in the landfill since he was 11 years old. A prolific reader, Tiao would find books scattered across the fill, indulging himself with new information. He reveals that he read The Prince by Machiavelli, which gave him a lot of ideas about leadership and the state of the world and it's governments.

    The work the group made was sold for a total of $300,000. After this, Tiao was able to continue working on his dream of creating an association to assist the people who work in the landfill. Today his association works with the Brazilian government to send workers to recycling plants opening up around the city.

    What impacted me the most about this documentary is the mere amount vast amount of waste we have accumulated. We waste so much. The sheer amount of waste we discard to be taken care of by someone else is disgusting. As Walter mentioned, so many people will not recycle one thing, but that one thing over a long period of time adds up to an insurmountable amount of waste.

    Not only is it harmful to our planet, but the people who are left responsible with handling our garbage are at a great risk. Thousands of people waft through toxic waste and sharp objects, they are at risk of being crushed by the giant trucks and bulldozers, every day. Not only is it physically taxing, but it also takes a toll socially and emotionally. Not many of the workers are proud to admit that they work in a landfill. Often, they were average class people who experienced hardships and were forced to make ends meet in any way they could. Others that were born there still have dreams of a bigger future.