Journal – Arte:Historia

Week 8: Journal

On the visit to Asian Civilizations Museum, the “Blanket” from Laos is rather an interesting object among the others. It is an object that has a special element to it when the Tai Daeng weaver made this cloth and that element is it served as a healing or protection cloths for the user. In the Laos tradition they usually used these kind of cloth for healing ritual to cure a cold or physical injury. However there are times they used such cloth for protecting a newly born baby or casting their wishes upon the blanket for their child. It is like if the weaver weaves motifs of an elephant on the blanket, the weaver is wishing that the child would be strong and powerful. In their culture, they interpret elephants to be creature that portray an important role in military expeditions and thus it represents power. Likewise for animals such as birds, which represent free spirit, and horse-deer like creatures that also represent a form of military strength. Even motifs of plants represent something for the user. The way of using this cloth is when the baby is being wrapped in the blanket; the baby would in the process absorb the wishes within the blanket.

I find this fact of their tradition is interesting as the little details within the blanket has so much emotions and meaning towards the user and is something that we don’t really see now in the modern times since whenever we are sick, we would take medicine and get well from our cold.

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Note: Sadly I didn’t really take any pictures due to the lighting, thus most of my images are from my friends that have successfully taken the photo.

Week 7: Journal

If you could have a room of your own, how would you set about decorating it? Chinoiserie? Japonaiserie? Check out the video about a Chinoiserie room on this web site: http://www.gladstonehotel.com/spaces/417-chinoiserie-room/

I prefer Chinoiserie for its whimsical designs. Chinoiserie is a style inspired by China, Japan and other Asian countries designs. Personally I really like landscape paintings on porcelain from China. It looks interesting and refreshing to look at and to have this kind of design within the room I think it would be a wonderful experience to have. Since Chinoiserie is made up of an imaginary China, it enables one to have an experience of something different beyond their usual space. I like how the patterns feel so synchronize and within the pattern it may tell a story. It is like reading a picture book on a wide wall. The little details contain within works of Chinoiserie intrigue me, and made me think about what was the artist thinking of the story behind this image that was drawn, what kind of interesting characters were being drawn to create life within this space. In the process it feel as if my room would become a space that creates inspirations and an imaginary place for me.

If I would to set about my decoration I would like to keep it as simple as possible cause if there are too many things within the space it would be painful to look at when the purpose of having a room of my own is to relax within the space.

Week 6: Journal

Family portrait consist of close-ones standing or posing together for a picture for remembrance that is my definition of what a family portrait is. It captures time, relationship and culture at that moment within the portrait.

There is one family portrait that I know is Jacob Coeman Portrait of Pieter Cnoll and his familie, 1665. This painting depicts Pieter Cnoll, a senior merchant of the VOC in Batavia, and his Japanese courtesan, Cornelia, together with his daughter and servants. I find this family portrait rather interesting as through this painting itself, it tells people what kind of family they are and their relation to another. For instance the way they are dressed tells that they are from the upper class in society, as when compare with the servants in the background Cornelia is dressed beautifully wearing a white pearl necklace, holding a fan, while the servants are poorly dressed. The choices of colors on her clothes also tell us her status. As for relation, the capture of the Asian looks of the daughters tells us the connection between them and Cornelia. The fact that this was painted out fascinates me as I feel that it is harder to capture facial expression on a painting rather than just taking a photo to capture everything within that moment.

If I were to take a family portrait, I would most likely do it in a photo studio as they have everything provided there for us. But on second thought I think it would rather be interesting to take a family portrait anywhere in order the capture the moment as a family together in that period of time just by the way we dress and behave while taking that shot, rather than being so formal like Jacob Coeman Portrait of Pieter Cnoll and his familie,1665.

Week 5: Journal

Liu Kang Building Site / Samsui Women 1951 Oil on canvas

Laborer is needed everywhere. No matter how much time has passed, it is something that still revolves around us. Though now isn’t as harsh than the past where in the ancient Egypt, there were slave laborers to build pyramids for the king, and in the 16^th centuries, where laborer were hired to help out in shifting trades cargo. And now we have migrant laborer to help build and clean our home. All of them require a lot of effort and I do appreciate them for their presence. During presentation about laborer, I find the oil painting by Liu Kang is rather interesting. Because often when people talk about laborer, they will tend to look at the bad side of things and talk about cruelty against human rights and etc. However in Liu Kang’s work “Building Site/Samsui Women” he depicted the happiness of the laborers (Samsui Women).

By making his oil painting colorful, it shows realism in his work. When looking at the painting, the women point of view seem to be looking down on their work, it felt as if they were really focusing on the job that need to get it done by the end of the day. Somehow the work itself make one feel to look at it with respect rather than a judgmental point of view towards it. It is really a pretty refreshing way of looking at another point of view. Cause it is like saying that we should be appreciative towards laborers in our country and respect them for having to travel so far in order to earn a living, doing jobs that normally people wouldn’t really want to do in life.

Week 4: Journal

allan_sekula_welders_booth_in_bankrupt_todd_shipyard._two_years_after_closing._los_angeles_harbor._san_pedro_california._july_1991_from_fish_story_1989-1995_0 — Allan Sekula Welder’s Booth in Bankrupt Todd Shipyard. Two Years After Closing. Los Angeles Harbor. San Pedro, California. July 1991, from Fish Story 1989–95

In Allan Sekula’s engagement with the sea, the film and book “Fish Story” shows us of the lives of people living out in the sea and also lives of people working in the ports part of the trades that he took during his travels to industrial ports around the world. Among his photos that he took, it shows a change of labor in the ports works. I feel his photo “Welder’s booth in Bankrupt Todd Shipyard. Two years After Closing.” speaks a lot about how the port works nowadays. The neglected spanner felt like a representation of manual labor. Since the photo is taken in a port, it feels like with today automated container ports, there are getting lesser manual labors in ports and many stuff are handle by machine and welding. There are still labor handling the machine and welding of pipes, however there isn’t a need for that much people to do manual labor.

While in the 16^th century, there aren’t things such as machines or automated containers to help out in the ports. Majority of the stuff are handled by number of men that the captain has on his ship and also how much one labor’s strength is.

In Allan Sekula’s “Fish story”, he quoted from George Keyes:

“ …a ship is not an inanimate object but a complex manned entity that is rarely depicted in isolation; by its very nature it is related to a larger visible or implied whole. Not only are these ships some of the most complex products of seventeenth-century engineering, but their inherently human presence arouse our interest. Once we realize that they are pitted against the elements or against each other we become absorbed in their destiny. By implication the subject is dramatic because there must be an outcome: survival of destruction—victory or defeat.”

This quote made me think that people in the 16^th centuries are amazing. To be able to do trades via sea is not an easy task. Just imagining that when a merchant does his trades, he has to carry and ship stuff from one country to another. And without knowing where land would soon be seen is something that I feel personally it takes a lot of courage and risk along the way. While now we have devices to tell us of where we are out at sea.

Reference:

http://monoskop.org/images/8/86/Sekula_Allan_Fish_Story.pdf

http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/18/production-in-view-allan-sekulas-fish-story-and-the-thawing-of-postmodernism

http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/artwork/arrival-portuguese-ship-1620-1640

Week 3: Journal

Portrait of Isabella d'Este. Drawing. — Portrait of Isabella d’Este. Drawing.

Other than Catherine of Austria and her kunstkammer, I do not know any other female patron of the arts. Thus I begin my research and had a few names that I could find on the net. I ended up choosing “Isabella d’Este” for this topic.

Isabella d’Este was known for her role as patron of Renaissance learning, arts and literature. Thus obtaining the name as the First Lady of the Renaissance and the First Lady of the World. Her husband, Francesco Gonzaga, together with Isabella d’Este, supported many of the Renaissance’s painters, writers, poets, and musicians. Francesco Gonzaga wasn’t all the interested in arts and literature. However despite that, he was a generous patron with Isabella d’Este who loves arts and literature. Both husband and wife supported artist such as Leonardo, Perugino, Battista Spagnoli, Raphael, Andrea Mantegna, Castiglione and Bandello.

Their support wasn’t limited to artist only but also writers such as Ariosto and Baldassare Castiglione, architect like Giulio Romano, and even musicians like Bartolomeo Troboncino and Marchetto Cara.

Over the years, Isabella d’Este collected many art works and antiquities for her interest. The amount that she collected ended up creating a space that seems like an art museum. Some of the things she has are her commissioning work.

Isabella d’Este being a patron could also help make artists become famous. One artist that became famous because of her is Leonardo. Leonardo was one of the artist that Isabella d’Este really admired his work. It started when she admired the portrait of her brother in law in Milan who was drawn by Leonardo and at that point she hope that Leonardo would paint her as well. By chance, Leonardo worked with her for a year and produces his black chalk Sanguine cartoon of Isabella.

I find her different from other art patrons in the way that she had a tradition to have a competition with her artists. She would have one artist worked on her portrait while another artist producing her portrait of his own style. And once done she would choose the one she likes best. This creates a different level of respect for one another as an artist and understands where one skill level is. While other patron would just get artwork to display in their homes or just for collection purposes.

Reference:

http://nhcs.wikispaces.com/Renaissance+Patrons

https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=UK_jTggtYl8C&pg=PT154&lpg=PT154&dq=female+patron+of+arts+in+renaissance&source=bl&ots=i1rZj8k_bu&sig=H8ohpvNVnUzH1NTyeteMOjFKce8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAGoVChMI9JDI_qnxyAIVF5uICh2IyQpl#v=onepage&q=female%20patron%20of%20arts%20in%20renaissance&f=false

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/medievalitalianwomen/a/isabella_d_este.htm

http://italianrenaissanceresources.com/units/unit-8/essays/isabella-deste-collects/

Week 2: Journal

Africa is a country that constantly has animal poaching and in terms of society it still strongly deeply rooted to its culture that was my impression of Africa. It was interesting to know that Africa used to be one of the richest countries in the continent. However the fact that ivories are made of elephant tusk is something I didn’t quite expected. I knew that elephants are hunted for their tusk, but I didn’t know that it is to make African ivories. It is sad to hear that elephant hunting still continue on today due to the making of such ivories. Due to human’s desire for riches, elephants are becoming victim day by day.

African ivories also have another name to it. It is call “White Gold”. Just by its naming, it indicates that it is consider a luxury item and has great value due to its rarity. It won’t be a surprise to know that if one has it, the person must be rich.

In honesty, African ivories are really beautiful to look at and are really sturdy preservation as an art piece. As an artist, the making of such art piece really need a lot of skills and experiences. Since ivories are a rarity, the craftsman has to deal with the material wisely and carefully while crafting out the art pieces. I find it fascinating how ivories tell a story about their lives just like how caveman craft the cave walls with stories about their lives too. It is like no matter what era one live in; they would leave behind a story of their life in a form of an art piece. In African ivories, it tells us a story of Africa’s religion and it also shows us the daily activities of the African people’s lives.

Another fact that these African ivories are made for European patrons and these patrons use them as prestige gifts is really interesting too. Cause it allows us to know that merchants and ruler in that era are full of power and riches. This tells us the earliest instance of cross-cultural interaction between Europeans and West Africans.