Wabi-Sabi The term Wabi Sabi is difficult to define, through it is typically used to refer to accepting and honoring the imperfect. “Wabi has come to mean simple, unmaterialistic and humble by choice and sabi by itself means ‘the bloom of time’. It connotes natural progression.” Wabi-sabi rejects the idea that perfection is even possible, and further rejects the idea that perfection is desirable. In this sense, Wabi Sabi is the exact opposite of Modernism, or the spirit of the machine age, which sought to make things fit a standard. American culture is in opposition with Wabi-Sabi in that most people want immediate gratification, fast and cheap, not difficult and unique. Like people, tea bowls are imperfect and unique.
“While I am making
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In Cunningham’s Potentials of Imperfection, the progression of the figures in the background hint at time, age, and experience leaning toward the idea of ‘sabi’. The installation as a whole juxtaposes the American materialistic tendency and the Japanese wabi-sabi asking the viewer to consider that although many small things seem important in the now, and though those small things can have great effect in the short term, they all lead to a simple state of being, a whole that is the sum of its parts. Leonard Koren tells a story, in his book Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets, & Philosophers, illustrating the metaphysical basis of Wabi-Sabi. He …show more content…
It is up to the viewer - some may take the time to see the “twist or bend in a reed” or the subtle flame patterns, cracks, or distortions in a tea bowl. Do the figures in the background resonate with the viewer as natural progression and change? Similar to the installation of Potentials of Imperfection, Cunningham’s earlier Body Series embraces the idea of Wabi-Sabi. This series of torsos were made from handmade paper, wax, or clay. The entire series depicts female torsos in various states of imperfection. Body 3 focuses on the tear in the paper as well as the fragility and ephemerality of the piece. Body 7, on the other hand, has perfectly smooth skin, yet it is melting. The wax gives the piece a shiny, hard surface - juxtaposing the natural texture of human skin. Body 12 also has a hard surface, however the addition of paper to the clay body has caused pitting in the surface. The process of pit-firing adds to the complexity of the piece. Body 15, also fired in a pit, has a marred surface with crusty areas. These simple imperfections in each piece speak to the notions of
In the rough and tropical island of Papua New Guinea, lived an exceptional aggregation of individuals called, The Gebusi. In the 1980's, The Gebusi tribe was anything besides up to date and acculturated. The Gebusi had their own particular singular and special customs and conventions that they rehearsed and accompanied. The Gebusi tribe took part in custom homosexuality, divination or witchcraft was exceedingly respected and polished, and they partook in particular sister-trade relational unions. By 1998-99, The Gebusi tribe had made another lifestyle. The Gebusi had gotten accustomed with new social convictions, modernization due to “western ways” that had changed their lives until the end of time especially changing their ways and view on gender roles and sexuality.
Bordo, Susan. "Beauty (Re)discovers the male body." Bordo, Susan. Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Ninth Edition. Bedford/St.Martin's, 2011. 189-233.
In my examination of the works, I came across a particular sculpture that portrayed both beauty and craftsmanship. A 15th century sculpture (1490), made in Venice, Italy by Tullio Lombardo, shows a life-size figure of Adam. Titled Adam, the work is the most prominent in the gallery mostly because of its 6-foot standing. It immediately caught my attention and gave me a very realistic impression. One beige color and made of marble, Adam is depicted simply, yet the statue has intense emotions. His meaningful glance is seen in the upward and tilted head position. Adam has almost lifeless looking eyes and seems to be staring into the distance. With these sagging eyes, parted lips, and lacking posture I feel Adam’s guilt is displayed in this figure.
The reading assigned titled “The Socially Constructed Body” by Judith Lorber and Yancey Martin dives into the sociology of gender with a specific focus on how the male and female body is compromised by social ideals in the Western culture. She introduces the phenomenon of body ideals pressed on men and women by introducing the shift in cosmetic surgery toward body modifications.
Joan Brown’s piece titled Girl Sitting 1962 depicts a nude figure of a female body sitting. This colorful piece was made in 1962 and it is located in the Oakland Museum of California. It is oil on canvas, and can be seen on a white wall within a thin black frame around five by four feet. It has a composition of a female nude sitting to the left, leaving a big empty space on the right. The colors are made from a thick application of oil paint known as Impasto, where the paint are like globs, and does not look smooth at all. Instead, it is textured and shows off the brush and palette knife marks. Overall, the composition, application elements, colors, and size contributes together to give this piece an effect to make an individual feel small
The human form transcends throughout time persistently present in art. Dating all the way back to Paleolithic human beings our renderings of idealized forms have served many purposes. Though the Neolithic and Paleolithic purpose of these renderings is widely speculative the range of reason for these depictions ranges from idolization and worship to assertion of aristocratic and economic status even to simply serving as statements of self-expression. Amongst ruins and artifacts, sculptures of ancient cultures demonstrate the ways in which humans perceptions of what is aesthetically desirable have progressed. Two idealized sculptures the Woman from Willendorf and the Khafre statue with approximately 21,500 years separating their individual gestations this demonstrate the stylistic progression of idealized imagery through time.
In the Hellenistic imagination, although man can be seem as an original creator of physical art pieces, the artists can never escape the feeling that it is an imitation of th...
...e multiplicity of meaning embedded in these works suggests the importance of the body as a liminal site, a site of inscription and meaning making, in both historical-contemporary and more recent feminist work. It is, of course, unlikely that Antin or Kraus draws directly upon any singular theory explicated in this essay. Both artists are, however, undeniably interested in the formations, constructions, and shifts of subjectivity. Both Carving: A Traditional Sculpture and Aliens and Anorexia address the body’s uncontained boundaries, exploding the dual Cartesian model of interior/exterior self. As feminist artists, both Antin and Kraus are also surely aware of the complexity of discourses around food, self, and the body. Through the artists may not be speaking “to” or “through” any particular theoretical model, they are contributing to these discourses all the same.
Though the interiors he designed were created to be useful spaces, his focus was more on aesthetic than function . Within his individual objects of art such as chairs, tables, drawers, staircases and many others he focused more on the form of the object than on its intended use. Instead, Kuramata appeared to want the presence of the piece to surpass its function, something that is only possible when there is a symbolic value . One of the best examples of a work of art fitting these stipulations was his design of the Miss Blanche armchair (fig. 3) in 1988 . The chair is made of acrylic resin and embedded with artificial roses and aluminum . Kuramata’s title of the work, choice of materials, color contrast, process of creation and simple aesthetic combine to create a piece of work that forces the viewer to question whether or not it can even be considered a chair. This work of art allows the functionality to disapp...
For a long time now body art and decoration has been a custom in many cultural groups. Through research we have learned about the different types of body art and ornamentation such as permanent and nonpermanent tattooing, scarification, and piercings. These forms of body art and ornamentation are done for a variety of reasons, ranging from identification purposes to religious rituals. “Skin, as a visible way of defining individual identity and cultural difference, is not only a highly elaborated preoccupation in many cultures; it is also the subject of wide-ranging and evolving scholarly discourse in the humanities and social sciences” (Schildkrout, 2004). The process of ornamentation and body art is usually a painful experience, but it is a way to signify a person’s self-discovery and their place in society. In this paper, I will explore the different aspects of body art and ornamentation in two different cultures; the Maori people of New Zealand and the Yoruba’s of West Africa and explain the cultural importance of their art.
-McTavish, Lianne “Body Narratives in Canada, 1968-99: Sarah Maloney, Catherine Heard, and Kathleen Sellars” in Woman’s Art Journal, Vol. 21, No. 2 Fall 2000 - Winter 2001. pp. 5-20
The masculine and idealized form of the human body is an ever-present characteristic of Michelangelo’s sculpture. Many people over the years have speculated why this may be, but there has never been a definitive answer, and probably never will be. Through all of his sculpture there is a distinct classical influence, with both his subject matter and his inclination to artistically create something beautiful. In most cases, for Michelangelo, this means the idealized human figure, seeping with contraposto. This revival of classical influences is common for a Renaissance artisan, but the new, exaggerated form of the human body is new and unique to Michelangelo’s artistic style.
Overall, these techniques create a vivid, lasting impression. They 're used very effectively throughout, and carefully emphasise each other, creating intense images and impressions of chaos and
The use of multiple images to propel a narrative allows the audience to learn something through the characters that are there. Bloomer (1990)’s study on visual perception also draws upon Newton (1998)’s concern, as he explores the multiple perspectives and views of the event. By using a series of images, the characters mood and tone can be established throughout different elements of what we see. This may be the people, the place itself or the items within the place. By having a narrative of photographs, the audience has an even deeper understanding of the reality of that moment or event as they see more than just the ‘big picture’ as
There are many different ways that one could modify their bodies. An example of a more simple and common body modification would be the piercing of one’s ears. Ear piercing is so common nowadays that some even think of it as tradition to get their daughter’s ears pierced at a young age. It has become a common staple of femininity and beauty around the world. An example of a more drastic and uncommon body modif...