I was following a thread recently on a Yahoo Group - Assemblage Art. A question was posed to the group regarding the use of party hats, butterflies, etc. so commonly seen in magazines such as Somerset, Teesha Moore (Zettiology) and countless others, including me. A controversial question. Opinions were voiced by several subscribers to the group.
My view is this - art is a personal process and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Once we become self-conscious about other's eyes, I think we risk the possibility of reaching our fullest creative potential.
The "eye" in the collage is Jean DuBuffet's - a master Parisian painter and collage artist. He coined the phrase "Art Brut" - or outsider art. He was also known for his bizarre butterfly collages.
The 'message' I attempted to convey is as follows:
The mannequin (represents a blank canvas) and has presented Jean Dubuffet with the 'objects' that were discussed in the Yahoo group thread. Next to Jean DuBuffet's eye on the right is the "Artist", fully exposed (read:naked/personal) and therefore, vulnerable to the opinion of the Master - or the 'viewer.' She has lost the joy in the process of creating, and has instead been reduced to caring more about the 'opinions' of her audience.
If people choose to glue party hats to crows, or attach wings to vintage women, LET it BE. It's ALL in the PLAYING.
One last thought - passed on to me by Nick Bantock this past summer -
The more we resist, the more we shrink. The more we search, the more we find. Follow your heart and do the soul work.
If this includes pasting butterflies onto heads.....so be it.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Collage - Grist for the Mill
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I was following a thread recently on a Yahoo Group - Assemblage Art. A question was posed to the group regarding the use of party hats, butterflies, etc. so commonly seen in magazines such as Somerset, Teesha Moore (Zettiology) and countless others, including me. A controversial question. Opinions were voiced by several subscribers to the group.
My view is this - art is a personal process and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Once we become self-conscious about other's eyes, I think we risk the possibility of reaching our fullest creative potential.
The "eye" in the collage is Jean DuBuffet's - a master Parisian painter and collage artist. He coined the phrase "Art Brut" - or outsider art. He was also known for his bizarre butterfly collages.
The 'message' I attempted to convey is as follows:
The mannequin (represents a blank canvas) and has presented Jean Dubuffet with the 'objects' that were discussed in the Yahoo group thread. Next to Jean DuBuffet's eye on the right is the "Artist", fully exposed (read:naked/personal) and therefore, vulnerable to the opinion of the Master - or the 'viewer.' She has lost the joy in the process of creating, and has instead been reduced to caring more about the 'opinions' of her audience.
If people choose to glue party hats to crows, or attach wings to vintage women, LET it BE. It's ALL in the PLAYING.
One last thought - passed on to me by Nick Bantock this past summer -
The more we resist, the more we shrink. The more we search, the more we find. Follow your heart and do the soul work.
If this includes pasting butterflies onto heads.....so be it.
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3 comments:
This is very interesting Trudi. I know it is more Marshall McLuhan to leave the interpretation up to the viewer but I truly appreciate a little education! Your explanation of the work brings far more meaning to it than when I saw it without the text. The hats and crowns on everything - it is a technique that I view as an indication of what the person in the collage is possibly thinking. It directs the point of view....what hat are you wearing today...the hat of the discontent or the hat of the enquirer, or are you feeling blessed today and therefore wearing a crown as a symbol of victory over something.
Linda T.
trudi, you must email me and tell me how the nick bantock workshop went. :) thank you for sharing his thoughts, I struggle with this so often... "The more we resist, the more we shrink. The more we search, the more we find. Follow your heart and do the soul work." So it really hit home for me today. Thank you!
tejae
amen sista!!!thats all i have to say. i love how you put so much meaning into your piece. it really conveys the message; one I may not have appreciated without being directed. pleasing all the same.
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