Analysis Of Beuys 's ' The Pursuit Of A Social Art '

When someone enters an art gallery, they believe they are going to view art, but under the guise of Institutional Critique, this notion often false. Instead of being the traditional art of painting, sculptures, and installations, viewers encounter, in the work of Hans Haacke, Daniel Buren, and Michael Asher in the 1970s, not much to look at, but a lot to think about. In essence, Institutional Critique is a protest against museums/galleries demanding them to view art and art exhibition in new ways, exemplified by Conceptual art where words, video, readymades, and even ideas are art. Institutional Critique manifested from the protests of the 1960s, one of which philosopher Michel Foucault participated in Paris, 1968. Clearly, Institutional

My perception of The Legacy of Jackson Pollock relates to my practice through the concept of regenerating materials to create artwork, while also regarding how Pollock’s work engages with an audience through his application of medium, showing spatial awareness through his method of creating.

Some of the most redefining and revolutionary moments in the history of man socially, have been catalyzed by use of art. Throughout the age’s music, imagery and poetry have been a fundamental tool in reaching out to the masses to condemn vices, motivate people and bring awareness. One cannot underestimate the impact that art has in influencing and communicating an idea to the people. Art is an integral ingredient in the cohesion and integration of any society. Through poetry, the poet is able to put across a message that resonates in the minds of the reader in an artistic manner that ultimately triggers a response. Art is therefore a force to reckon with in the transformation of a society or a regime.

Art is able to evoke different feelings and emotions to each person that sets their eyes on it. The act of ‘looking’ is simple, but a lot comes from it. Where the eyes are first drawn to, the duration that the eyes are focused on a specific detail, and the thoughts that flood one’s brain when viewing art is all significant. These actions say more than the piece itself, it reveals emotions of both the artist and the audience. Art can be expressed through infinite forms, but the underlying importance is not with the art itself. It represents a place in time, displaying what was noteworthy to an individual in their own life. It serves as a lasting creation representative of human imagination with the ability to bring out a multitude of emotions from whoever views it. When art is created it represents the creativity of the human mind compacted into a physical object. Art has little usage aside from pure observation, yet it has prevailed throughout time, showing its importance to humanity. Art provides a lens into humanity, showcasing the human ability over time. When studied through history, art is a view into the development of humans and their interests. Through something as basic as commonly using symmetry to transitioning to asymmetry, the European’s perspective following the Renaissance is revealed. The making of art is solely up to one individual and their creativity. It is the pinnacle of

The earliest forms of art had made it’s mark in history for being an influential and unique representation of various cultures and religions as well as playing a fundamental role in society. However, with the new era of postmodernism, art slowly deviated away from both the religious context it was originally created in, and apart from serving as a ritual function. Walter Benjamin, a German literary critic and philosopher during the 1900’s, strongly believed that the mass production of pieces has freed art from the boundaries of tradition, “For the first time in world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependance on ritual” (Benjamin 1992). This particular excerpt has a direct correlation with

As art slowly develops through the twentieth century, moving past voyeurism and historical art where it promotes passive spectatorial consumption, the role of the audience has evolved too. From the traditional historical passive visitor in perspective and panoptic spaces, art has gradually evolved into turning the spectator into an active contributor who not only engages with the work but also becomes the co-author in its creation and completion. Claire Bishop points out, “art must be directed against spectatorship, against the passivity of the masses paralysed by the spectacle of modern life”. This not only applies to art but to objects, image, stories, films etc.

Ruth Asawa’s, Untitled (S.114, Hanging, Six-Lobed Continuous Form within a Form with One Suspended and Two Tied Spheres), ca. 1958, is displayed at The Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. Asawa’s work follows the methodology of structuralism, which implies that artists use elements of human culture in relationships to a larger, overarching system or structure. Asawa is also influenced by abstract expressionism by incorporating it into her art by allowing nature to create her forms. Asawa’s specific background, technique, and material allows her to create beautiful sculptures that manipulate form and space, while also sharing similar characteristics as artists we have studied in class.

Since the beginning of art, typical mediums have consisted of oil paints, marble, pastels, and charcoals. As time has progressed, and aesthetics have changed, so has the extensive list of mediums found in art. One medium in particular, known as the use of “found objects” has become increasingly more popular since the days of the Renaissance. Found object art can be as straightforward as Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain,” which is a urinal fountain that is simply orientated sideways and signed; this, bordering the line between art and an object from everyday life, brings forth many questions and lots of public controversy. Art has always caused this same controversy, but one main argument frequently surrounding found objects is the extent unto which the piece must be abstracted or reincorporated in order to be considered “art.”

In both photographs I think that the artists were trying to make a point and break the social norms to which people had followed for many years. I do consider these as being work of arts. One reason why I think they are art works is because the artist went on and beyond the social norms of traditional western artworks and they’re for allowing them to express what they wanted. In both art works the artist were not satisfied with how certain systems and institution functioned in regards at to what was appropriate and not appropriate. In the case of Beuys’ artwork he tried to emphasize that need to be a balance between nature and culture. Beuys is shown with a to be wearing a gold leaf mask and honey that covers his skin, he also has a dead hare

The method by which understanding of art can grow is through “the development of intuitive perception and discrimination” and “the handing on of authoritative knowledge;” sharpening the “senses of the soul” being the main purpose (Josef Albers). Pure perception rather than expression both drives and defines true artistic projects.

This dissertation is dedicated to all the Artists in the world who believe that the Arts are agents of social development, cooperation, solidarity, and tolerance, even when their lives confront the injustices of the system.

Humans have a long history of expressing ourselves through medium for varying reasons that have not always had to do with survival. We as a species have continued to try and portray our visons from inside the mind to the tangible world for our fellow beings by using drawings. There are a multitude of ways that the mind can reach our world. Some ways are seen as more familiar than others. If there are more familiar ways, then there is also a less familiar way. The fine arts such as art are what separates a satirical essay from a Grecian statue. Jeanette Winterson examines what art means to in our larger society and how to learn to truly appreciate and experience art.

The artist Allan Kaprow reconstructed the meaning of art when he began to make art that became the antithesis of the typical paint on canvas or sculptural form and began creating environments and performances which enacted the artist’s, as well as audience participation. Kaprow’s work from the 1970s, what he referred to as Activities, further analyzed and assessed social relations and their relationship to everyday social interactions. His previous artworks in the 1960s were also dedicated to social interactions, however, the performances relied on a large group of artists and participants. In the 1970s Kaprow began isolating his scripts from the audience, aiming for more interpersonal events. By eliminating the audience, Kaprow’s work

Intention: The painting shows two intelligent beautiful individual people. However, their surrounding is plain and without any beauty of their knowledge. If we want to create a beautiful and harmonic community we need to reach for each other and combine our personal thoughts. During the process of making this piece I used a mixed media sculpture made out of shells and toothpicks to show that it is hard to make connections but worth trying.

For over two thousand years, various philosophers have questioned the influence of art in our society. They have used abstract reasoning, human emotions, and logic to go beyond this world in the search for answers about arts' existence. For philosophers, art was not viewed for its own beauty, but rather for the question of how art and artists can help make our society more stable for the next generation. Plato, a Greek philosopher who lived during 420-348 B.C. in Athens, and Aristotle, Plato’s student who argued against his beliefs, have no exceptions to the steps they had to take in order to understand the purpose of art and artists. Though these two philosophers made marvelous discoveries about the existence of art, artists, and