Environmental Art

I was immediately intrigued when I saw the photo of Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson. I haven’t ever really been a huge fan of art, but this is something that I think anyone can have an appreciation for. Nature is undeniably breathtaking, and no artist will ever come close to capturing the beauty that God has created for us! With that in mind, what better way to create beautiful art than incorporating the natural beauty around us? That’s exactly what Smithson did with this piece of art. This spiral is located on the edge of the Great Salt Lake and is composed of 6650 tons of black basalt, limestone, and earth. Since its construction, Spiral Jetty has been fully submerged twice, but at this time is again able to be seen from ground level. Something else I love about the idea of creating art using nature is the fact that it is constantly changing. Maybe not drastically, but changing nonetheless. Over time, the spiral has gradually become partly covered with white salt crystals that float in the water. Although the salt crystals weren’t part of the original construction of this piece, I don’t feel like it detracts from the beauty of the piece. Some might say it actually adds to it. 

I have a feeling that this is one of those pieces of art where a picture doesn’t even come close to doing it justice. There are so many possible ways one could view this piece, and I’m guessing the impact of physically experiencing it in the actual location is way beyond what we can experience looking at a photo.

An artist who knows how to make a big impression...

You would think after being in this class for an entire semester, random or strange pieces of art shouldn’t surprise me so much. But once again, our textbook has presented me with something that definitely took me off guard…

Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish sculptor associated with the pop art movement who made sculptures of everyday ordinary objects. This would be very boring, except for the fact that the objects are ten, sometimes even twenty times their normal size. The sculpture that caught my in the book is his sculpture of a giant clothespin, located in Central Square in Philadelphia.

My first reaction to this art was why would someone do something ridiculous like sculpt a giant clothespin, but then I thought why not? It’s definitely not the most ridiculous thing we’ve seen at this point, and kudos to Oldenburg for just having fun with his talent. He was able to break out of the mindset that art should contain serious subject matter or invoke profound thoughts.

Another example of his work is the Dropped Cone on top of a shopping center in Cologne, Germany. One thing you have to give him credit for is getting people’s attention. It would be pretty much impossible to miss a giant, dripping ice cream cone on top of a building!

A third sculpture of Oldenburg is titled Spoonbridge and Cherry.

I’m not sure what it is about his sculptures, but I’m definitely a fan. Just looking at them reminds you to not take life so seriously and just enjoy the little (or not so little…) things in life!

Optical Art

Optical “Op” art is based on the idea that what one sees is determined by how one sees. It is a type of abstract art driven by mathematics. Op art can create an illusion of vibration, a false sense of depth, the illusion of movement, and other effects. The op art movement was led by Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely. This painting by Bridget Riley is an example of optical art that gives the viewer a false sense of depth. Not everyone may see it the same, but as I look at this painting, I see the surfaces of the painting sloping inward towards the center. It seems as though there is a valley that continues on into the painting, but we all know that this is not possible.

“Sir-Ris” by Victor Vasarely is another example of the illusion of depth.

I guess I’m not exactly sure how op art works, but I know that it works somehow because I definitely started feeling nauseous as I was writing this blog. The pictures clearly aren’t moving in any way, but they are created to deceive the viewer into thinking that they are experiencing movement.  I find that whole concept really interesting, and I guess I never really thought about it as art before now. I always just viewed it as more scientific or mathematical.

I agree that art is seen differently by every person who views it, but op art is one technique that artists can use to control, to an extent, what those who view their art experience.

Ventures of Robert Venturi

Normally I tend to agree with a more practical approach to things, but in this case, I’m kind of leaning towards Robert Venturi’s side of the argument concerning architecture. Venturi is a Postmodernist architect who rejected the Modernist tendency of function over form. His response to the phrase “less is more” was “less is a bore.” Now I’m not saying that practical buildings are not necessary, but there is something about really creative and unique architecture that I find appealing. Venturi leans more toward creating architecture that is aesthetically pleasing and emphasizes individuality and excitement rather than buildings designed purely for preserving space and fulfilling basic shelter needs.

Take for example the Vanna Venturi House. Robert Venturi took basic elements used in building traditional homes, but used them in a way to create a unique house that is still modern.

Venturi also felt that it was important to preserve details and beauty in buildings. I definitely agree with this. I can’t imagine how boring it would be if all buildings were designed with the Modernist ideas in mind. There are some pretty neat glass and steel sky scrapers, but if that’s what all modern architecture looked like, our world would be a pretty boring place.

I enjoy Venturi’s architecture because it is simple, yet not necessarily boring. His respect for detail is evident in a lot of his designs.