UWE Visual Culture. New essay topic: Tante Marianne

Tante Marianne is a painting by Gerhard Richter (1965).

Richter,G. (1965) Tante Marianne [Oil on canvas 120cm x 130cm]. Galerie Nueue Meister, Dresden, Germany.

I have seen this picture twice; once in Dresden while on a camping holiday in 2011 and also at the Gerhard Richter/Panorama exhibition at the Tate Modern in 2011. 

i was profoundly moved by this image and the issues and times behind the painting. 

UWE Visual Culture: Reflections on the Lottery Ticket

Reflections on a Lottery Ticket.
I have been looking at this ticket for a week now and have become more and more depressed.
Why??
Although i am interested in the political and the social aspects of ideas, I have decided I am not a sociologist by training; my strengths are in the visual and I have found the aesthetic of looking at the ticket over a week depressing. I am sure there is an essay waiting to be done on why i have found the object/text depressing. There are also many essays and a possible PhD in the wings around the points brought up in the mind map.

In summary the lottery ticket idea was abandoned as I felt i was not playing to my strengths and also the subject was too big for a 1500 word essay.

UWE Visual Culture: Lottery ticket mindmap

Ideas for the essay in mind map form. Sorry about the writing folks; the quality of which has plagued me all my life.

UWE Visual Culture: Trawling for Essay ideas.

Potential Essay ideas:

• Leica cameras
• First World war
• Lottery ticket
• Blair the phenomenon
• Brabazon
• HMS Hood
• Christian Boltanski
• Gerhard Richter
• Joseph Beuys war record
• Isetta Bubblecar
• Trench coat
• Concorde
• Fray Bentos Steak and Kidney Pie
• Spam

The chosen subject was the Lottery ticket. This was chosen as there were many sociological and political subtext involved with the lottery. I played the lottery for the first time and watched the lottery draw on TV at 10pm on Sat 20/10/12  

UWE Visual Culture. Gallery field trip notes

Professional Practice Field Visit.

Date: 4/10/12. Time: circa 12.45pm to 2.15pm.

 Personnel: Jamie, Anata and myself.

Destinations: The Canteen and the Here Galleries, both in Stokes Croft.

Introduction:
     Our group of six had originally had chosen Spike Island and the

Canteen galleries for the field work.  Spike Island gallery was closed because of

extensive building work in preparation for the forthcoming new exhibition.  Despite

our protestations we were not allowed access to the gallery space.  The Here

gallery was chosen as a substitute by the three people who were eventually

available for the field trip.

The Canteen Gallery, Stokes Croft.

     The setting for art was in a large building which served as a community hub

where a large range of activities took place such as community events,

performance, welfare rights, live music, bar and cooking facilities.  There were 2

locations for visual art.  One was in a main gallery space measuring 11 meters by

7meters.  The other space was on the walls of a large community bar and eatery.

The main gallery space had the main reception/ admin and a door to a

welfare office on one side and on the other long side was a large glass window

opening onto the vista of vibrant Stokes Croft. The gallery was lit by a mixture of

natural light.halogen and tungsten lighting. The amount of light there was measured by an exposure meter.  The reading was EV. 9.  There was a photo exhibition on display at the time of the visit.  Large monochrome images were hung on bulldog clips on the white washed walls.  Typography and biographic details of the artist were also on the wall. The gallery was on the level and had satisfactory access for wheelchairs.  Ambient temperature and smell were satisfactory.  While we there we saw nobody engage with the art work although some people passed through the room while on other business. The room had facilities for some small to medium 3D work, as well as the 2D. There were also hooks on the ceiling for possible suspended work.

       The wall space in the restaurant/bar was essential for poster illustration

work.There was a strong smell of cooking in the room and the ambient light reading was EV.6.  The lighting was a mixture of daylight from the large window and economy lights with Chinese paper shades. The ambience was one of relaxed leisure.

      To hire the main gallery, the cost is £145 per week (25% discount for non profit organisations). There is a 4-6 week wait to exhibit. To apply, there is a booking form to fill which is then vetted by Abbey who is an administrator in charge.

Here Gallery, Stokes Croft.

     The setting for the art was in the cellar of an art book and magazine shop.

The had been a greengrocery shop in the past. The gallery and shop has been in

operation for the past 9 years.

      Entry to the gallery space is through the shop and down some wooden stairs

to the cellar which is below pavement level.  There is no wheelchair access and no signs of fire exits in the gallery space.

     The room has a vaguely triangular shape measuring 6 meters from apex to

base and 6 meters across the base.  The walls are made from hardboard

partitioning and have been erected in a slipshod manner. The gallery is also used to store stock.  The lighting was a mixture of naked economy bulbs, halogen and

daylight coming through prisms set in 2 iron grills at pavement level.  The EV.

reading was 7.  The room had a freestanding electric heater and a dehumifyer.

There was evidence of damp in the cellar. The prints on the wall showed signs of

buckling.  There were water stain dribbles on one of the pieces, the floor was

concrete cover by grey floor paint.  The exhibition was a collection of illustrations

around the themes of subverted fairy and nursery rhymes.  The prices of the pieces were in the single and double figure range.  The experience of the visit was one of informality, intimacy and fun in keeping with that of the shop whose content leaned towards graphic design. There were no facilities for 3D or installation.

     Exhibitors are by invitation only and they do not consider applicants.  They

say that people from all over the country exhibit in this space. (including an artist

from the West Coast of America). There were no other viewers to the gallery during our visit.

In conclusion:

     Although these 2 galleries were in Stokes Croft they had some marked differences between the 2.  The first was part of a complex with people walking through the space and the other was in a dedicated room although it was difficult to access.

      The suboptimal conditions of the Here gallery would limit the type of work that could be exhibited.  The Here gallery appeared to be exclusive while in the Hamilton House and Canteen galleries were more inclusive despite the cost of exhibiting.

UWE Visual Culture: The Three "Chosen" Artists.

The three chosen artists.

Christian Boltanski, born 1944.

Physical Process. Installation, Sculpture, Photography (Cumming,L.2009).

How are they made? By a team of assistants under artist’s direction.

Where are they shown and sold? The installations and photos are exhibited all

round the world in the major galleries which include MoMa, Gugenheim and

Pompidou centre (Franke,A 2009). His work is sold through auction houses such as

Sotheby’s (Sotheby’s 2011) and galleries such as Anthony D’Offray Gallery in

London.

Themes behind the work are History, memory, momento mori (Cumming,L.2009).

Prices. Vary from 4000 euros for a photo. 104,500 US dollars for a reliquary

(Sotheby’s 2011).

Who buys and consumes? Galleries such as Moma, New York (Franke,A),

Pompadou Centre Paris; and private collectors such as Marcel Brient (Sotheby’s

2011).

Pierre Soulage, born 1919.

Physical process. Painting.

How are they made? Oil paints with vigorous gestural brush strokes.

Where are they shown and sold? Pompadou Centre, Paris, Soulage Museum,

Rodez France. His work is sold through galleries and auction houses such as

Sotheby’s Paris (Grey,T. 2009).

Themes behind the work are exploration of colour, light and form, in connection with

childhood memory and mortality (Grey,T. 2009).

Prices. These are high with one lot selling in Sotheby’s for 8 Million Euros in 2009

(Artdaily 2009).

Who buys and consumes? Private collectors (difficult to know their identities as

they bid through agents on the telephone) and museums (Artdaily 2009).

Gerhard Richter, born 1932.

Physical Process. Painting and Photography.

How are they made? Oil paints, film, hard work and a team of assistants.(Godfrey,

Serota,Brill and Morineau p.131).

Where are they shown and sold? International art galleries, exhibitions, civic

venues and private collectors such as rock star Eric Clapton (Reyburn,S).

Themes behind the work are many, encompassing autobiographic, events and tides

in 20th century European history and still life.

Prices are high. Abstract paintings measuring 112 by 102cm fetched 4954500 US

dollars in May of 2012. “Abstracte Bild” painting was sold by Eric Clapton for 34

million dollars at Sotheby’s in October 2012 (Reyburn 2012).

Who buys and consumes? Art Galleries, civic authorities and private collectors

(Godfrey,M.,Serota,N., Brill,D.,and Morineau.p.291).

                                             ..................................

Bibliography:

Artdaily.org. (10 December 2009). Artdaily.org. Available from: http://

www.artdaily.org/index.asp?

int_sec=11&int_new=34829&int_modo=1#.UHiEnrST7FI

[Accessed: 12/10/12].

Cumming,Laura. (2010). Christian Boltanski: Personnes. The Observer. 17/1/10.

p17.

Franke, Andreas. (2009). MoMa The Collection. Available from: http://

www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=649 [Accessed 12/10/12].

Godfrey, Mark., Serota,Nicholas., Brill, Dorothee., Morineau, Camille. (2011)

Gerhard Richter/Panorama. London: Tate Publishing.

Grey,Tobias. (2009). Pierre Soulages Prince of Darkness. The Financial Times. 10

October 2009. p22.

Reyburn, Scott (2012). Blomberg Businessweek. [Online].Available from:http://

www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-12/clapton-s-richter-fetches-34-million-30-

times-purchase-price [Accessed: 12/10/12].

Sotheby’s. (2011). Contempory Art Day Auction. Available from: http://

www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2011/contemporary-art-daysale-

n08792#/r [Accessed 12/10/12].

Yau, John.,(2010) Before light, of light. London:Pierre Solanges and Bernard

UWE Visual Culture. Terms to reflect the 30 Artist's practice.

Terms to describe the works of the 30 artists that have inspired my practice:

• Memory
• Socio/political
• Historic
• Irony
• Mortality
• Biographic

UWE Visual culture 30 artists inspiring my practice

30 Artists who inspire my practice

Artist + Discipline                         Medium               Theme                          Validation

Richard Long

 Land Art                                  Natural materials    Environment,Landscape

                                                     photography           innerexploration

Tate Gallery.(2009). Richard

Long Heaven and Earth.

[online]. available from-http://

www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/

tate-britain/exhibition/richardlong-

heaven-and-earth

[Accessed: 30/09/12].

,

Chiharu Shiota           Installation              Life, death, memory

              Fine art                                                              

Birmingham City Council.

(2011). Lost in Lace.[Online].

Available from-http://

www.lostinlace.org.uk/artists/

chiharu-shiota [Accessed:

30/9/12].

Ai Weiwei                     Installation                 Sociopolitical 

Fine Art,                                            multimedia

Tate Gallery.(2010). The

Unilever Series; Ai Weiwei;

Sunflower Seeds.[Online].

Available from-http://

www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/

tate-modern/exhibition/

unilever-series-ai-weiweisunflower-

seeds [Accessed:

30/9/12].

Francis Alys                      Performance           Sociopolitical 

Fine Art                                                      Painting

Godfrey,Mark. (2010)

Francis Alys A Story of

Deception. London: Tate

Publishing.

Christian                        Installation           Memory, Death,

Boltanski                       Photography            Historic references

Fine Art

Parkettart. (1989). Christian

Boltanski, El Paso. [Online].

Availavle from-http://

www.parkettart.com/books/

22-volume.html [Accessed:

27/9/12].

Jenny Holzer                   Text                       Sociopolitical

Fine Art                                           Installation                       Poetry

Parkettart. (1994). With you

inside me comes the

knowledge of .... [Online].

Available from-http://

www.parkettart.com/editions/

40n41-edition-holzer.html

[Accessed: 27/9/12].

Anish Kapoor          Sculpture,                        Autobiographic,

Fine Art                                    painter, writer                          cultural

Royal Academy. (2009).

Anish Kapoor exhibition

Catalogue [Online]. Available

from-http://

www.royalacademy.org.uk/

exhibitions/anish-kapoor/

catalogue/ [Accessed:

30/9/2012].

Sebastiao                       Film                            Sociological 

Salgado

Photography

Salgado,S.(1993). Workers,

An archaeology of the

industrial age. London:

Phaidon Press Ltd.

Martin Parr                  Film                             Sociological 

Photography                                     Digital

British Journal of

Photography.(2010). Martin

Parr’s New Documents

[Online]. Available fromhttp://

www.bjp-online.com/

british-journal-ofphotography/

profile/

1736785/martin-parrs-newdocuments

[Accessed:

30/09/12].

Gerhart Richter      

         Painter,                                Paint, Film

 Photographer                                                        Sociopolitical                                 ,

Staatliche

Kuntsammmlungen Dresden.

(2012). Gerhart Richter

Archive [Online]. available

from-http://

www.skd.museum/en/

museums-institutions/

institutions/gerhard-richterarchive/

index.html

[Accessed: 30/09/12].

Richard Serra

  Sculpture,  writer                           Metal              Space and form

                                                            text

                                                          

Moma. (2007). Richard Serra

Sculpture 40 years.

[Online].Available from-http://

www.moma.org/interactives/

exhibitions/2007/serra/

flash.html [Accessed:

30/09/12].

Rachel

Whiteread         Many, concrete           Memory,

Sculpture                            gold leaf                transformation

Fine Art                              graphite

Parkettart.(1994). Rachel

Whiteread, Switch. [Online].

Available fromwww.

parkettart.com/editions/

42-edition-whiteread.html

[Accessed: 30/09/12].

Pierre               Paint, Colour,             Abstraction,

Soulages                                     poetic

Painter

Tate Gallery. (2012).

Painting, 23 May 1953.

[Online]. Available fromhttp://

www.tate.org.uk/art/

artworks/soulagespainting-

23-may-1953-

n06199 [Accessed:

30/09/12].

Mike Nelson        Installation                     Transformed social

Fine art                                                                       observation

Nelson.M (2012). Coral Reef

[Found Objects].Tate Britain,

London.

David Bailey      Film, digital                   Portraiture, fashion 

Photographer

Vogue magazine cover

Archive. (1964). September

1964. [Online]. Available

from-http://www.vogue.co.uk/

magazine/archive/issue/

1964/September%232

[Accessed: 30/09/12].

Frank Gehry      Pen and paper                Shape form and

Architecture                           and team                     transformation

MoMa. (2012). Frank O.

Gehry The Collection.

[Online]. Available fromhttp://

www.moma.org/

collection/artist.php?

artist_id=2108 [Accessed:

30/09/12].

Seamus                 Text                               Poetry

Heaney                                      Ireland History

Poetry Foundation. (2012).

Seamus Heaney [Online].

Available from-http://

www.poetryfoundation.org/

bio/seamus-heaney

[Accessed: 30/09/12].

Frank Stella       Paint and                    Abstract explored

Painter and                       Mixed materials               themes

sculpture

MoMa. (2012). The

Collection. [Online]. Available

from-http://www.moma.org/

collection/artist.php?

artist_id=5640 [Accessed:

30/09/12].

Steve Bell           Pen and ink                  Political satire

Cartoonist

The Guardian.(2011). Steve

Bell: Bell Epoque - in

Pictures. [Online]. Available

from-http://

www.guardian.co.uk/

artanddesign/gallery/2011/

may/25/steve-bell-bellepoque-

cartoon [Accessed:

30/09/12]

John Berger         Writer                        Art History

Art Historian

Berger,J. (1972). Ways of

Seeing. London. Penguin

Publications.

Anthony              large range of                Multi themed

Gormley                materials

Sculpture

Art Forum. (2012). Antony

Gormley Deichtorhallen

Hamburg. [Online]. Available

from -http://artforum.com/

picks/

section=de&mode=past#pick

s31612 [Accessed: 30/09/12]

Abraham             Found                        Intallations

Cruzvillegas        materials,                Conceptual art

Fine art

sculpture

Lowndes. S. (2009).

Frieze ,Abraham Cruzvillas.

[Online]. Available fromhttp://

www.frieze.com/issue/

review/

abraham_cruzvillegas/

[Accessed: 30/09/12].

Grayson Perry     clay, glaze                     Autobiographic,

Ceramics                            paint, digital.                      sociopolitical

Royal Academy of Arts.

(2011). Grayson Perry.

[Online]. Available fromhttp://

www.royalacademy.org.uk/

academicians/engraversprintmakers-

anddraughtsmen/

grayson-perryra,

1693,AR.html [Accessed:

30/9/12]

Anselm Kiefer        Paint,fabrics                 Historic, landscape

Painting and                             and organic

sculpture                                     materials

Guggenheim.org.(2012).

Anselm Kiefer. [Online].

Available from-http://

www.guggenheim.org/newyork/

collections/collectiononline/

show-full/bio/?

artist_name=Anselm

%20Kiefer [Accessed:

30/09/12].

Yohji                        Textiles                        referenced themes

Yahmamota                                       from Japanese

Fashion                                                                                  culture

Fashion design,

Vogue.com (2012).Autumn/

Winter 2012/2013 menswear

Yohji Yahmamoto. [Online].

Available from-http://

www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/

autumn-winter-2012/mens/

yohji-yamamoto [Accessed:

30/09/12].

Bruce Nauman           Multi range:                           Varied, social,

Fine art                                             sculpture,installation,              enigmatic

                                                          performance.

Tate Gallery.(2005). Bruce

Nauman:Raw Materials.

[Online]. available fromhttp://

www.tate.org.uk/whatson/

tate-modern/exhibition/

unilever-series-brucenauman-

raw-materials/

unilever-series-bruce-0

[Accessed: 30/09/12].

Paula Rego                Oil Paint, print                        Sociopolitical and

Painter                                                                                         autobiographic

Tate Gallery.(2010). Paula

Rego, The Artist Biography.

Available from-http://

www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/

paula-rego-1823 [Accessed:

30/9/12].

Tracy Emin               Wide range,                               Confessional/

Fine art                                      textiles, text, installations,            autobiographic.

                                                  drawing, sculpture                         sociopolitical

,

Parkettart.com. (2001).

Tracey Emin Self-portrait.

[Online]. Available fromhttp://

www.parkettart.com/

editions/63-edition-emin.html

[Accessed: 30/9/12].

Don MacCullin             Film, digital             War, Landscape

Photography

Tate Gallery.(2011). Tate

Shots:Don MacCullin.

[Online]. Available fromhttp://

www.tate.org.uk/

context-comment/video/

tateshots-don-mccullin

[Accessed: 30/9/12].

Gavin Turk                  Installation           Sociopolitical, artistic

Fine Art                                             sculpture                 institutions

                                                                                           explored.

Tate Gallery.(2012). Gavin

Turk; Artist Biography.

[Online]. http://

www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/

gavin-turk-2596 from-

[Accessed: 2012].