Interpreting The Norm In Robert Ryman's Bridge

My analysis of how successful and how did this artwork affect the society and culture as its target

In a world that has become immune to accepting all types of art, Marya Mannes believes we have lost our standards and ability to identify something as “good” or “bad”. In her essay, “How Do You Know It’s Good”, she discusses society’s tendency to accept everything out of fear of wrongly labelling something as being good or bad. She touches on various criteria to judge art, such as the artist’s purpose, skill and craftsmanship, originality, timelessness, as well as unity within a piece rather than chaos. She says that an individual must decide if something is good “on the basis of instinct, experience, and association” (Mannes). I believe that by using standards and the process of association, we will be able to judge what makes an art piece good in comparison to others. However, Mannes forces me to consider the difference between what may be appealing versus what is actually good, and when deciding which art we should accept, which is truly more important. I believe that “good” and “bad” are two ends of a large, subjective spectrum of grey area. It is possible for a piece of art to be good in some areas and bad in others, and if something does not live up to all of our standards, it does not necessarily mean it should be dismissed. Thus, I believe my personal standards for judging art are based on which my standards are largely based on the personal reaction evoked from a piece of art. Though I agree with Mannes’ standards to an extent, I believe that certain standards, such as evoking a personal response, can be more telling of if a piece of art is good as opposed to its timelessness, or the level of experience of an artist in his/her craft.

Required Text: Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists’ Writings, eds. Kristine Stiles and Peter Selz, University of California Press, 1996.

In the contemplation of art, or rather the conceptually intangible definition it currently possess, it is imperative to be mindful that “art” has been utilized as a promotional device, ceremonial item, aesthetically purposed article or perhaps none of these or all. It is because of this vague term that Carolyn Dean, in her text, “The Trouble with (The Term) Art”, makes a case for the consequences of applying the term “art” in societies that lacked such a notion which also accounts for the Western-centric lens the field intrinsically utilizes when viewing non-Western art. The claim is deftly supported by the utilization of expert accounts in the subject, alternative perspectives for what is considered the current norm, and self-examining questions,

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

In the same manner that capitalism has been heralded as the “end of history,” has art under the current age of capitalist globalization come to an end as well? In an exchange between two artists, rapper M.I.A and portrait painter Kehinde Wiley for Interview magazine, art has come to its demise, at least in the United States. In claiming such a death of art, both artists used their personal experiences and observations to make a comparative evaluation of the state of art in New York and in developing countries they have visited. This paper analyzes the rhetorical techniques used by both artists – ethos, pathos, and logos – in problematizing what is wrong with the contemporary art scene at the moment.

Over the course of time the motivations for creating art has shifted. Artists all have different intentions when they create a piece of art, depending on the context of the time period and society in which the work was created. Some artworks are created to provide commentary on a particular issue, to educate, record history, challenge the status quo, or for ceremonial/celebratory purposes. The motivations for creating art in the context of modern times is different from those of previous eras.

The art world holds many masterpieces. Some speak in volumes and pull you into them without any sort of hesitation, while as some gently whisper and invite you in with simplistic modesty. Whether or not the viewer understands the meaning or what the purpose of the piece, it is acceptable to not understand and to be left with thought provoking questions. Painted, sculpted, welded, designed, animated, photographed, composed art is all alive and each so imperfectly unique and perfectly bland it could cause a shift in anyone’s mind. Out of control and in perfect order art exists, it exists in chaos and harmony.

Throughout human history people used to capture the reality of their time, express their feelings and share their impressions by copying both literally or figurative the mundane. The so-called artists have had different impacts in society all along the centuries. Only a few are currently taught in school, although the reverberation of their work is still impregnated in XXI Century. Nowadays, the term ‘artist’ can be used in reference of painters, sculptors, writers, singers, choreographers and other professions whose production are considered valuable culturally speaking. One of the main problems is that their work produce such a magnificent impact on the audience the artist is set aside and usually forgotten as a person, so they feel their rights to be violated.

Throughout history, art has changed and transformed dramatically as empires have fallen and new civilizations have formed. There have been many different forms of art and extremely different tastes of art based on which civilization you decide to focus on. According to this opinion, out of all the different types of art, “the highest form of art is realism.” The writer then claims how many civilizations have undergone intellectual and creative declines when creating unrealistic art. This, of course, is simply an opinion, but the the thoughts and ideas of this writers bring up many intriguing questions about art and how society perceives art.

Art has been a major outlet for many artist around the world making masterpieces to represent what they see in the world. As generations pass, and we don’t talk about the past art is the connection to remind us of what once was. Visual art helps us connect to the past by using different art forms to show historical events and cultural beliefs/ trends.

The way we see and perceive this art is predetermined by a variety of different factor ranging from cultural background to socioeconomic status. “A people or a class which is cut off from its own past is far less free to choose and to act as a people or class than one that has been able to situate itself in history. This is why -- and this is the only reason why -- the entire art of the past has now become a political issue” (J. Berger pg. 33) He argues that if a group of people are robbed of being able to create their own culturally relative and socially correct standards for art, then they are being oppressed from engaging as political equals. People use art to understand their place within world history and create social and political meaning for themselves or their culture. Art gives you the power to control how people perceive the past, the present and possibly even the future. Although now the ability to control what art people see isn’t as “regulated” as it once was, but prior to the invention of the camera and the internet, art was controlled by the minority of the elite and wealthy. “the art of the past is being mystified because a privileged minority is striving to invent a history which can retrospectively justify the role of the ruling classes and such a justification can no longer make sense in modern terms” (J. Berger, Pg.157). The upper class mystifies the general population to stay in control; without the ability to see things through our own eyes, people are being deprived of their right to understanding themselves and placing themselves in a role of society. Mystification contributes a negative influence on our society. Mystifying of art distinguish upper class and low class, and more importantly causes the past of certain groups and cultures, such as women,

Art is all around us. It’s a part of our everyday lives. As time goes on more and more people will start to realize the importance of art. They will see that art is an essential tool that contributes to the growth of society. The future of art will be nothing less than bright. I predict that art grow in all aspects of life. In this essay, I will go into details of what I think the future holds for art education, public art, and what I will contribute to the future of art.

“Modern painting, breaking through old conversation, has released countless suggestions which are still waiting to be used by the practical world.”(Gropius) The birth of modernism and modern art goes back to the Industrial Revolution, a period that lasted from the 18th to the 19th century, in which rapid changes in manufacturing, transportation, and technology profoundly affected the social, economic, and cultural conditions of life in Western Europe, North America, and eventually the world. Before the 19th century, artists created art pieces for wealthy people and institution places like the church where they can create art works about storytelling of religious or mythological scenes . These arts were there to instruct the viewers.However, this changed when during the 19th century many artists began to create works that were about people, places, or ideas that interested them, and of which they had direct experience. With the popularization of the idea of a subconscious mind, many artists began exploring dreams, symbolism, and personal iconography as avenues for the depiction of their subjective experiences.Challenging the notion that art must realistically depict the world, some artists experimented with the expressive use of color, non-traditional materials, and new techniques and mediums.

The theoretically-informed spectator is then entrusted by the benighted audience to legitimize the artistry of the piece by providing and outline for interpretation. I imagine these assertive theoretical perspectives are as helpful to the audience as they are irritating to the artist. Theories, by definition are limiting. Once a piece of art is contextualized under the intellectual bias of an established thinker, there is a tendency for further interpretation to become obsolete. It is my belief that - in regards to Art – theories are counterproductive to their goal. They disseminate a bias that sabotages the individual experience rather than enhancing it. For the artist of 2014, however, the formulation of a personal theory or understanding is becoming more vital than ever.