Sphere and Hemisphere
Barbara Hepworth
Though small in size Barbara Hepworth's Sphere and Hemisphere is a modernist sculpture from 1962 that stands out amongst the other works around it. With its nonrepresentational use of bronze and wood shapes, Hepworth creates a sense of harmony and the balance – or unbalance. The definite duality in the sculpture caused by the use of shape, and how those shapes are placed in congruence with the use of such heavy and earthy materials that is the cause for the sculpture to feel both harmonious and unbalanced at the same time.
Measuring no more than six inches on its longest side, one of the reasons Hepworth's small sculpture stands out is due to the somewhat reflective, polished bronze surface that calls for the eye to follow curves and edges of the metal shapes. By creating a reflective surface for light to shine off of, the lines of the pieces become clear and easy for one's eye to follow the flow of. The stained wood of the base, which still has a very slight gleam to it as well from the rich tone of the stain that was used on it,
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Using blocky pieces that are similar in shape – though differing in size – gives the impression that something is about to fall. The medium sized piece that is affixed to the size of the larger shape is what appears as though it may fall at any moment. Meadmore has found a way to bring a balancing act to the world with this sculpture. The carefully placed bent rectangles create an impossible pose that is a great balancing act. The harmony between the similarly shaped geometric forms, the darken sheen of finished bronze, and the precarious placement is what gives Meadmore's piece a place in the world. Like Barbara Hepworth, Meadmore has found a form that leaves the viewer questioning the stability, but knowing it will never actually
The plate, which is an exploration of decoration, is liquid clay or "slip pattern" of concentric circles around a valentine heart. This plate was wheel thrown, and glazed with iron oxide and copper red washes. I find it very interesting because it seems to portray more emotion than most of his other pieces. This can probably be indirectly associated with Fairbanks illness and how he was feeling at the time.
Large and medium sizes of the forms dominate over small in the painting. The arrangement of the objects in this art piece is mostly centric. However, even though it is central, it is not symmetrical. The painter also touched the left edge of the burlap and the right bottom corner of it; this helps viewer’s eye to enter the painting smoothly, move around and escape from it. The asymmetry of the arrangement creates the sense of imbalance. Lam uses basic lines and shapes in the composition. Nevertheless, the painter creates wonderful light movement inside the figure with wavy shapes, which directs viewer’s eye from the top to the
The most emphasized part of this image is the man lying on top of the child and leaning against the bed, part of the body being directly in the center and seems to take up the most space, this is where the eye tends to linger. The negative space is made interesting by including a turned over chair, and rumpled sheets on a bed and other homely objects, which indicates that this is set in a home. The contrast that is shown in this artwork is through the use of value since Daumier used implied light, the brighter and darker areas create a contrast against each other. While this piece is not symmetrically balanced, it is balanced asymmetrically. It is asymmetrically balanced through a man and most of a bed being placed in the center, on the right is a small child, the upper torso of an older looking man, a chair next to him, and the rest of the bed; on the left of the man is most of what seems to be a woman, and other less detailed furniture. There is a sense of repetition through the positive shapes of the people lying on the floor, this is also shown through the use of line that creates the entire lithograph. This provides a sense of cohesiveness and unity throughout the
The exhibition of recent stoneware vessels by Peter Voulkos at Frank Lloyd Gallery featured the sort of work on which the artist established reputation in the 1950s. The work was greeted with stunned amazement. However now it is too, but it's amazement of a different order -- the kind that comes from being in the presence of effortless artistic mastery. These astonishing vessels are truly amaising. Every ceramic artist knows that what goes into a kiln looks very different from what comes out, and although what comes out can be controlled to varying degrees, it's never certain. Uncertainty feels actively courted in Voulkos' vessels, and this embrace of chance gives them a surprisingly contradictory sense of ease. Critical to the emergence of a significant art scene in Los Angeles in the second half of the 1950s, the 75-year-old artist has lived in Northern California since 1959 and this was his only second solo show in an L.A gallery in 30 years.”These days, L.A. is recognized as a center for the production of contemporary art. But in the 1950s, the scene was slim -- few galleries and fewer museums. Despite the obscurity, a handful of solitary and determined artists broke ground here, stretching the inflexible definitions of what constitutes painting, sculpture and other media. Among these avant-gardists was Peter Voulkos.” In 1954, Voulkos was hired as chairman of the fledgling ceramics department at the L.A. County Art Institute, now Otis College of Art and Design, and during the five years that followed, he led what came to be known as the "Clay Revolution." Students like John Mason, Paul Soldner, Ken Price and Billy Al Bengston, all of whom went on to become respected artists, were among his foot soldiers in the battle to free clay from its handicraft associations.
The type of balance is considered asymmetrical. There is also no distinct pattern in this piece. Another detail to this artwork is that everything is in proportion. The only rhythm and movement found is that the young girl in the sky looks as if she is flying. A strong contrast found is, again, the bright floral border compared to the dark picture inside.
While there are numerous collaged items on the work, they do not create the tabletop flatness that Steinberg describes. Instead, all of the images: the paintings, pictures, and text, are oriented in the same real-life gravitational direction. Unlike Rauschenberg’s White Painting with Numbers, there is a clear direction that the work is to be viewed from, and this direction does not change whether the work is placed on a wall or on the floor; the indented gravitational direction is always clear. There is no mystery in the placement of the work, and no flatbed picture plane quality like that of Rauschenberg’s Third Time Painting (1962) where a normally vertical object, a clock, has been rotated 90
The Art Bulletin, Vol. 57, No. 2 (Jun., 1975), pp. 176-185. (College Art Association), accessed November 17, 2010. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3049368.
It also symbolizes how lives pressures or personal issues can get in your way and prevent someone from succeeding. The reflecting pool at the bottom of the columns add a wonderment affect to the sculpture. Light is constantly changing reflecting and refracting off of the water and on to the sculpture, an effect that seemingly adds additional dimensions to the piece. Even the fact that Lutgert Hall behind the sculpture is much larger and boisterous, it
Sphere and Heart of Darkness Comparative Essay The love of mystery easily fuels the love for adventure, and just as easily destroys it. The novel Sphere by Michael Crichton and the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad deal with lots of mystery throughout the novel and is the reason both protagonists embark on their journey. Norman Johnson is the main character in Sphere and he is part of a research team that travels to a crash site in the Pacific Ocean. Marlow is the main character in Heart of Darkness and is a sailor who has always wanted to be a captain or sailor and he earns his way to a steamship and to get to the Congo.
Requadt, Water E. “Modern Sculpture: Art or Incompetence?” What Is Art? 2006. 29 Sept. 2006
Artists of the Modernist era responded to the relationship of body and landscape in many different ways. This essay will focus on the works of Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) and Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) and will explore two works by each artist. A desire of the Modernist artist was the pursuit of pure forms and removal of extraneous detail that would encumber their vision of what the world should, or in fact did look like to them. As Honour and Flemming (2009) propose, the thought of seeking original elucidations to the issues that surrounded the production of paintings and sculpture helped to propel the movement forward.
The sculpture is small, approximately 4 3/8 inches, and is carved of oolitic stone, a porous limestone. Since this particular stone is not found in the area, it is believed that the sculpture was brought from another region. The size and shape of the figurine fit comfortably in the hand, which suggests the figurine was meant to be carried. Witcombe, sec. -.... ... middle of paper ...
To create more sympathy on the viewer, he used the abstract art, using the circle to represent for children (it looks like a dumbbell on her shoulder). He was smart when using a rectangle combined with the affected of linear perspective was created
They are locked in a longing gaze, attempting to stop time in anticipation of their separation. The figures are also placed further into the composition and moved from the center. A column from the pointed arch, the corner of the room, the window frame, and the ledge of the partition converge at the figures to focus the viewer’s attention to where the height of action takes place. Aside from their position, these lines are also elongated in comparison to the first painting, helped too by an elongation of the canvas. These stretched lines, along with the open space around the figures, reflect the characters’ helplessness in denying that their time together is soon ending.
Sphere is an interesting story about a group of scientists from different disciplines who are brought to a super-secret underwater site where the U. S. Navy has discovered a mysterious, glowing sphere. Although the movie was very interesting, a lot of scientific facts, it was just too long and there were parts of the film where I found myself yawning. I give the movie a thumb up for being the movie my teacher chose to show the class. Although the movie was directed by Barry Levinson and starred Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson it would not be a movie I would pick off the shelf and rent for my own interest.