My Reflection on El Anatsui’s MeyinaArt Exhibition
At Prins Claus Fund
Introduction
Art is one of the special expressive spaces (Appadurai 2000) for artists. Doring (2002) in his introduction chapter of the book “African Cultures, visual Arts, and the Museum” quotes the Headmaster of the Asmara Arts School in Eritrea, Feshaye Zemichael who argues that feeling and style can be individual but in general art is the product of the nation. In this context, I believe that art is for people by people and thus the viewer entitled to interpret and assert its own interpretation of the art regardless of the intended message by the artist. In doing so, I have taken the liberty to use my own words (without sounding it very scholar and references), hence,
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Looking at this sculpture, the first thing it provoked in my imagination is the colorful long lines representing the people who are migrating from all direction of and out of the continent. Here again I see this specific sculpture’s whole space as the continent of Africa, and the golden bottle corks symbolizing the natural resources. The people, represented by the elongated-worm-like colorful lines are a bold representation of the mobility of the people, from one space to another at different times. My interpretation of the lines comes in two folds: The lines which are ending at the outer space of the metal sheet represents those who migrated outside Africa and the lines which ends inside the metal sheet are those who migrate inside Africa. However the latter can also mean something else. The person who gave us the tour through the art works told us that the artist only employees men to assist him on the art work and these men are always destructed by women. In my mind, the lines ending the sheet are the result of the destruction in which the assistances perhaps deliberately discontinued or forgot to continue the line. This could also mean the mobility of the people met by unexpected incidents in life, the get stuck at a place where they did not intend to stay. Off the theme of meyina, in my imagination, the overlapping of lines and …show more content…
In its cultural perspective it expresses the high consumption of drink and thus drink is a popular culture in Africa specifically in the place where he comes from, thus we see here the time. In addition, the artist, by choosing the bottle tops as his main consumption to produce his sculpture is symbolic and projecting. On the other hand, his choice of bottle caps connotes a historical background as drink was one of the goods exchanged in trades between Africa and Europe. Moreover the innovative use of bottle corks sheds light on the dialogue between culture and creativity through it.
Conclusion
El Anatsui to me is an exemplar artist not only to the young artists in the continent but also in the world. He use innovative materials, engage the community and his students in his work and giving back to the community that helped him to do the work (orientation at the gallery).
It seems to me that the artist is influenced by his mobility from Ghana to Nigeria, born in 1944 in Ghana and moved to Nigeria in 1975 (bio of El Anatsui) and that is shown in the Meyina collections.
The gigantic sheets of bottle tops sewed together with a wire with the array of colorful patterns does not declare that much about their meaning at a glance, however for the audience who have the patience to see and try to analyze, they definitely brings the ‘inner artist’
His work included many cultural motifs such as flowers, dragons and landscapes. His china china series, a set of sculpted busts that had relief carvings of his cultural heritage, resembled traditional Chinese tattoos. His art isn’t considered pop culture but the series china china reminds me of art made by Dr. Lakara a Mexican artist. Both artists utilize their cultures in their art work Ah Xian use of traditional stylized Chinese landscapes carved into the porcelain bust is an example of how he uses his cultural identity in his work. He also uses the relief carvings similarity to tattoos as symbol of how permanent ones cultural identity is.
What inspires artistic genius? Some proclaim God, others beauty, many believe instanity, and a few say….mind altering drinks. One cannot but notice the companionship of alchohol with music, literature, and poetry. During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Absinthe was the beverage of choice for many prominent artists, and was at the center of the lives of such famous minds as Degas, Manet, Gauguin, and Poe. Le Feé Verte (its pseudonym, meaning green fairy) while immensly popular at one point, was prohibited because of its dangerous side effects and “immoral” connotations. However, its sudden come back in Europe and the U.S. has only reaffirmed its symbol as a drink for artistic revolution and just plain drunkeness.
My friends, after traveling through the Asian continent and Japan, I continued on to the Americas. The art in the Americas has three regions, North America, Central America, and South America. Each region has a very distinct aspect to their forms of art. All cultures have some kind of art. Being curious about art, I have collected samples from five different areas. The following works of art are very different from European art, but there are still some similarities. The similarities of the human spirit are evident in the following images.
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
Western attitudes to African people and culture have always affected how their art was appreciated and this has also coloured the response to the art from Benin.
In conclusion I feel this artist is really inspiring, as his art gives a whole new look at life. That’s the way I look at it and feel as though he would too. He grew up in one of the hardest era’s for an African American and yet he still perspired, which to me is incredible. Overall his pieces give an interesting look on life, through a piece of metal representing life and humans. All of his artwork intrigued me and I was happy to be able to picture some of the pieces in person. This experience was truly different and I’m glad I chose this artist for his true passion
Angeles, Los. (2009). African arts. Volume 28. Published by African Studies Center, University of California.
The works of art from the Archaic Period, Classical Period, and Hellenic Period developed physically and mentally, and the study of their aesthetic differences from period to period allow for a decided contrast and comparability. This interpretation has had a profound effect on the art world and that continues even in today’s world. The importance of Greek sculptures is evident in the storytelling of the gods, the people, and the culture. We use these sculptures as a tool to go back into the past of the Greek people, letting us admire how far mankind has truly come, whether it is in art or intelligence. Generation after generation has been and will continue to be able to see for themselves the society, culture and uniqueness of these periods through the wonderful sculptures that came out of ancient
This artist has done many works of art that some people just may not seem to understand why it was made. Some people find an interest in certain paintings while others may not find that exact attachment to the painting like others. I have chosen to write about this artist because of the many and beautiful arts of work he has created through many years. Although some I may not find a meaning to or why he would make a piece of art the way he did, they still seem to catch my attention to some.
Art is a topic that has been paid attention to by a number of people throughout the years. It has caught the attention of people belonging to various fields. They have their different interpretations of art. Leo Tolstoy in his essay ‘What is Art’ says “Art is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious idea of beauty or God; it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of stored-up energy; it is not the expression of man’s emotions by external signs; it is not the production of pleasing objects; and, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity.”
Art can mean many different things to many different people and was one of the earliest ways in which man has expressed him or herself to others, whether it was through cave drawings or hieroglyphics. It does not begin or end with just drawing or painting, items typically considered art, or the many other recognized facets of art including architecture, drama, literature, sculpting, and music. My research is based on Vincent van Gogh art, and two art paintings that I choose to study is The Starry Night, 1889, and the second art is The Sower 1888. Vincent van Gogh’s is known for Impressionism, that occurs to us in these times, much more to affirm close links with tradition, and to represent
We are going to compare and contrast the two comparatively different sculptures originating from ancient kingdoms, a bit contemporary and not so distant from each other – the pair originated from old kingdom of Egypt during 4th dynasty around circa 2575–2465 B.C. and seated Gudea from Neo-Sumerian kingdom of Mesopotamia around circa 2090 B.C. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. /n.d.). This analysis would to try to explain how successfully the appearance of the sculptures accomplishes their purpose of creation.
Kasfir, S. L. (2007) African Art and the Colonial Encounter: Inventing a Global Commodity, Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Modern art runs a very important role in man’s life throughout history, because it that does not only give us inspiration but also the freedom to express ourselves through the use of different mediums.
The contemporary graphic design work being analyzed is Flavours of KitchenAid, an advertising campaign created by DDB in Brazil, with illustrations from 6B Estudio. The two historical Surrealism examples being analysed are The Persistance of Memory (Soft Watches, from 1930 - 1931 by Salvador Dali and Sleep, also by Dali and done in 1937.