Leonardo DiVinci's figure drawings and anatomical sketches interest me. His exploration of ideas and exhausting research inspired my practice. As I have continued with my own exploration, I have expanded my research to include ideas from philosophy and science as well as art. The contemporary philosopher, Susan J. Brison has been a great influence in my practice. One quote that has inspired much of my work comes from her book, Aftermath: Violence and the Remaking of a Self. She said, “We are our molecules; our deepest fears, joys, and desires are embodied in the chemical signals of our neurotransmitters. But we are also creators of meaning, making up- and made out of- our histories, our idiosyncrasies, our crazy plot-lines, our unpredictable outcomes. How are we to make sense of the fact that we are both?”1 It is that question that I try to explore in my work. Recently, I have been exploring Francisco J. Varela's ideas of the portable laboratory. He said, “Human beings in their embedded, situated life, constitute a de facto topographical place (the body, the self) where procedures and gestures can be carried out to directly explore the human experience itself (the quest).”2 In my practice, I seek to explore both the physical and psychological aspects trauma and healing. I look to other artists for inspiration and affirmation in regards to my work. I am certainly not the first artist to portray ideas of the body and its fragility. Hannah Wilke, whose work dealt with ideas of beauty and vulnerability, is perhaps one of more influential artists for me. While her work greatly differs from mine, I believe that fundamentally she was asking similar questions of society through her work as I am. When I first saw her work, I felt f... ... middle of paper ... ...or or exterior? This dichotomy correlates to idea of separation, or even conflict, between mind and body. Are the two separate, or are they symbiotic, and entirely dependent on each other? Just as some people believe that meditation can clarify or synchronize the mind and body, my work is a process that symbolically expresses trauma, disease, and death, beyond what is apparent from a physical body, bringing about a similar synchronization. Works Cited Brison, Susan J. Aftermath: Violence and the Remaking of a Self. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2002. Obrist, Hans-Ulrich, and Elfasson Olafur. Experiment Marathon. Reykjavik Art Museum, 2014. Robertson, Jean, and Craig McDaniel. Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980. New York:, Oxford UP, 2013. Scarry, Elaine. The Body in Pain: the Making and Unmaking of the World. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985.
This paper seeks to discuss and further explore Susan Brison’s argument on the self and how violence can have an impact on us and change how we see ourselves, interpret our identity, and, in some cases how the self can be so altered as to no longer be the same. Brison explains when the trauma is of human origin and is intentionally inflicted, it not only shatters one’s view of the world, one’s safety in it, but it also severs the sustaining connection between the self and the rest of humanity, destroying the belief that one can be oneself in relation to other people (p. 14). This paper will attempt to explore further the traumatized self. That said, when we are speaking for others there is a concern that in doing so it would be unethical, arrogant, and politically illegitimate (Alcoff, p. 6). Nevertheless, if I spoke from a personal position, would this be anymore ethical with respects to this paper? I would be speaking authentically, but would this be inappropriate? Yes, it would be unethical and inappropriate. It is considered unacceptable to talk personally in a classroom. Then I
1. The body of chronically ill person is a nexus of living meanings made manifest by the patients articulations of pain and health, of sufferings and joy.
1. Hunter, Sam and Jacobs, John. Modern Art, 3rd Edition. The Vendome Press, New York, 1992.
Meadows, R.J. (2010) Understanding Violence and Victimization, 5th Edition, Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
the body. The notions and events that occur in the essay provoked emotional responses ranging
Through the texts included on my booklist, I am examining how culture becomes theorized through a variety of visual means, and how these visual means reflect cultural ideals. The historical debate between emotion and reason as two means for discovering truth are a salient example of such cultural ideals. The following texts range through the topics of anthropology, art history, philosophy and sociology to explore these cultural motives behind a work of art and how, in turn, that art functions within greater society’s ideologies. I particularly want to illuminate the indispensable connection between visual culture and modernization by taking a more sociological approach to the study of visual culture.
Leonardo Da Vinci bridged a gap between unscientific methods and our own trusty modern approach (Renissance Man). Da Vinci’s experiments in science has encouraged individuals science his time to further research (Renissance Man). In 1505, he became more involved with his scientific investigations (Renissance Man). Topics ranged from varieties: anatomy zoology, botany, geology, optics, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics with many others (Renissance Man). He was greatly influenced by the ancient Greek and Roman writings, but recognized the limitations of seeking the truth in those writings or the bible (Renissance Man). Leonardo Da Vinci took an approach like no other he began actually observing nature (Renissance Man). In a study of cervical vertebra shown from perspectives, Leonardo notes:
During senior seminar, I learned different way of the understanding of the body and embodiment. The topic I chose was the body as a victim which is very relevant today. The body can become victim in many unexpected ways. I will talk about various ways the body can be greatly affected. The definition of a victim is a person injured, harmed or killed because of a crime or accident. It is very easy for a person to become a victim and embody the idea of victimization because it’s easy to become victim.
Latorre, M. (2000). A Holistic View of Psychotherapy: Connecting Mind, Body, and Spirit. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 36:2, 67-68.
Thus it enables a state of being that is in the moment (it is present). The aesthetical (in terms of material aspects) of the body are also something that is a definite variable. When the body undergoes ‘embodiment’ it is the process of the locus, culture, traditions, biological traits of the body (sex, race) that plays a role in the construction of this experience (which happens on a daily basis) and at the same time simultaneously confines it (2009:3). ‘Embodiment’ is forever shifting and growing; as one’s experiences are continuously happening and thus making it a highly subjective experience as well (2009: 4). This process then allows the body to become something that is more than just a biological construct; it allows the body to become something that is able to express itself unto other beings in both words (the patterns developed when one is speaking and the language styles that one has been influenced to use) and non-verbal communication (the shape and form the body takes when moving in space or even sitting or standing still in a space drawn from experienced emotions and the person’s historical, social and political background). Therefore it is suggested that ‘embodiment’ is something that is a network of interlinked signs showing past experiences and continuously reshaping and forming to show new signs based on new experience (Thapan 2009:
Any pain from a large trauma can affect many people on a daily basis with no end or weakening in strength. When pain becomes a regular part of one’s life, present in everything at every moment, the mind often copes by trying to make sure the
Berman, Laura, Dr. "Grieving Stages a Rape Victim Goes Through." Love & Sex n.d.: n. pag. Print.
The English Patient notes that “we are communal histories, communal books”, which suggests the body resembles a text and ascribes to it the ability to be deconstructed, revised and amended. The English patient notes, “I wish for all this to be marked on my body when I am dead. I believe in such cartography--to be marked by nature, not just to label ourselves on a map" (Ondaatje 261). He wonders if he is "just a book to ...
Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the most famous artists of the High Renaissance, and perhaps of all time. Unlike the others of his time, however, he was more than just an artist. He was a scientist, and inventor, and arguably one of the most brilliant men to have ever lived. Many of his scientific achievements set him three-hundred years ahead of the medical professionals of his time (Squeri). He spent much of his life trying to expand his knowledge of the natural world, as well as how man perceives it. Leonardo’s passion for both science and art drove him to attempt to unite the two fields, because he strongly believed that “art without science is not art at all” (De Girolami Cheney). His studies of vision
The arts have influenced my life in amazing ways. Throughout my life, art has been the place I run to and my escape from the world. As I’ve grown older, art has become so much more than that. Every piece of art I create is a journey into my soul. It’s a priceless way to deal with my emotions and my struggles. I create art not only because I enjoy it and because I want to, but because I have to. Somewhere deep inside there is a driving force, urging me to put my heart down on paper. I become emotionally attached to each of my pieces because they are like dashes on the wall marking my growth. Each one is the solution to a problem I have dealt with and overcome.