Section A – Structured Questions
1.
1. Self Portrait by Affandi [Fig 1]
Oil on Canvas 126x97 cm Singapore
Art Museum
By looking at Affandi’s Self
Portrait we can tell this is a very emotional man. He painted the picture by squeezing pure paint
from a bottle and using both rough brushes and his fingers in a frenzy of
activity to create his portrait. We can
tell that he is old by his whitened hair and his receding hair line. We can also tell that he is gruff or somewhat
depressed. The lines around his eyes and
his mouth all sag and tend to be pulled downwards and his eyebrows are
furrowed. He seems like he might be
agitated or angry as he chose to paint his face in mainly reds and yellows. He also chose to paint his eyes half open.
They are looking at his, but not with a clear gaze. Maybe he is puzzled by the world and what he
sees, so he does not want to see it fully. He also tends to think of himself as a sort of
low life or someone who is not well put together; with his wild unruly hair and
his two large white teeth jutting out from his mouth. For all his emotion and rebellious painting
techniques, we also know that the artist is still influenced strongly by
tradition and the culture of fine art as he chose to paint his portrait using a
very traditional portrait layout, with his face and shoulders, looking out at
the viewer. Although the brushwork is
more extreme, it is very similar in colour choice and set up to Van Gogh’s own
Self Portraits.
c)
How does the artist use colour
and brushwork in this painting?
The artist uses pure colours
of an analogous colour scheme (green to red) blending them in a frenzied way
with a brushstroke or his fingers. He
chooses to paint using mostly curving squiggled lines vertically around his
face and more circular finer lines in his face.
He painted his face in mostly reds and oranges using swirls and circular
lines with create a simulated texture of rough coarse skin. His hair too is painted in white in yellow as
well as his scraggly beard with shows texture of thin coarse hair. His choice of red for the face contrasts with
the green background and creates emphasis on his face.
d)
In what ways could a portrait
photograph be more effective than a painting like this?
This was painted in 1975, so
I am not sure in 1975 a portrait photograph would be more effective. I think Affandi’s focus was to show his
emotions and his feelings rather than realistically portray his features. However, these days, portrait photography is
rather sophisticated and so there are a few ways it could be more effective at
showing his emotions. Firstly, we would
be able to capture his face in more digital detail, showing all his wrinkles
and blemishes. We would be able to read
his emotions and the history of his life from the lines and creases in his
face. We would also be able to see his
eyes in detail. Eyes are very expressive
and are able to show the person’s thoughts and feelings in a second. A photo would also come in real colour which
could me more interesting than the artist’s limited palette. Also with today’s technology and photoshop we
could change and alter the colours to add more emotion. Lastly, a photo would only take a few minutes
thus save the artist time. And it can be
easily reproduced not limited to one canvas.
2. 2. Juicy Salif (Lemon Squeezer) by
Philippe Starck 1990 [Fig 2] Cast Aluminium Height 29.5 cm
a)
Describe the appearance of this
design object
The Juicy Salif is an aluminum
lemon squeezer designed to resemble a spider. It has quite minimalistic in design and
stands as tall as two kitchen glasses. The
top is created in an oval-ish almond shape, rounded at top and tapering down to
a point. Simlar to an almond it has straight
un-interupted grooves from the top of the almond down to the point, presumably
to lead the lemon juice from the lemon down to the glass. The almond shape top is supported by a tripod
of three spindly legs that jut out in a jagged way, akin to a chicken leg. Like the almond, the legs too start off rather
sturdy and siphon off to a narrow delicate point, with all three creating the
shape of an implied triangle in which a glass is to be placed. The outer finish of the whole design is shiny
silver chrome and to be honest, it looks more like an alien space craft than a
lemon squeezer.
b)
Is the function of this design
object more important than its appearance?
I do not think the function
of the design is more important than its appearance. For one thing, if it was designed for function
alone, than we would not be studying it in O-Level Art. It is its design that has made it famous, not
its functionality, because let’s be honest, its functionality is flawed. A regular juicer has a rounded tip but
with a pointed apex. The rounded part is essential for the lemon to
curve itself over, but the point is needed to give the lemon an anchor on top,
something to hold the lemon in place while the squeezer twists it around to
squeeze out the juice. Using this model,
I fear the lemon would shift and slide around the top and may slip out of ones
hands spilling juice everywhere. Furthermore,
when one is squeezing a lemon one must push down with considerable force. A regular juicer is placed flat on the
floor. This one however, is balanced precariously
high on quite delicate legs. I fear
after a few forceful juicings the legs will no doubt snap. So although the design is super cool and I
would buy it just to have it look cool in my kitchen, unless it came with a
life time guarantee, I do not think it would succeed as a functional lemon
squeezer.
That we have become so interested in the design of an object as opposed to its functionality shows that as a society we are becoming more wealthy and more educated. We have surpassed using items just for pure functionality, we want more, not only do we want function, but we want creativity, we want aesthetically pleasing. This also shows that as a culture, we are spending more time in the kitchen, or rather our guests are spending more time in the kitchen so we are looking for cool new gadgets to display to impress. We are also more interested in our health, as we are focusing on squeezing fresh juice as opposed to buying packaged juice from the store. So there is a strive in our culture to make our food, to prepare our own juice, knowing that this is healthier for us. Sadly, it also shows us that we are a society that is easily done in by slick shiny marketing. We think this creative spider/alien lemon juicer is awesome and we need to have it in our kitchen. Yet we have no idea if it works as well as or better than a regular old traditional one. Yet its appearance grabs us and we must have it. So we have become a more shallow society that is interested more in appearances than in quality and functionality.
Section B – Structured Comparison Questions
2.
The Unique Forms of Continuity
of Space by Umberto Boccioni 1913 [Fig 3a] Cast Bronze 39x60x30cm Trustees of
the Tate Gallery, London
Rush Hour by Nyoman Nuarta
1992 [Fig 3b] Brass and copper 360x53x143 cm Singapore Art Museum
a)
Compare the different ways
these works suggest movement.
Unique Forms of Continuity is
a bronze sculpture portraying a large muscular figure walking. The figures legs are placed far apart with the
back leg just touching the ground and the front knee bent as if frozen in the
act of preparing for the next step. The figure’s
arms are raised up even with it’s shoulders and curved in front of its body,
like it might be walking fast or even preparing to break into a faster pace. The backs of the figures legs recede into
space in waves, resembling clothing that is being blown back by the wind or the
speed of the figures movement. The
figure also thrusts his chest forward as if he is determined to move and
struggling against resistance such as wind.
Rush Hour is also a bronze
sculpture that shows one figure in a stop motion view, rushing on a bicycle
down hill. The artist actually made the same figure 5 times in sequence akin to
a sports photographer taking multiple shots of a winning goal. The figure on the bike is hunched over the
handle bars, holding on tightly with his face turned up facing into the wind. His hair is being blown back behind his
head. The artist added fine horizontal
lines behind the figure to suggest the fast pace as well as added extra lines
within the spokes of the wheel to give the illusion of the speed of the
spinning wheel.
b)
How do the artists integrate
the figure with the surrounding space?
Both figures are currently
housed in a museum so the surrounding space becomes rather irrelevant in its
effect on the sculpture. In Unique Forms
of Continuity the figure is a tall strong muscular figure. It is created in a Art Deco type of heavy
style where the facial features are not defined and the figure has a rather geometric
appearance. The artist infringed on the
negative space around the sculpture by having the cloth-like remnants curl
out away from the figure. This creates a
graceful line down the back of the sculpture. The artist also placed the sculpture on two
rectangular platforms, elevating the piece above the general height of museum
goers. This allows the viewer to stand
near the piece and walk around it, but it will always be towering over them,
creating a sense of power and emphasis.
For the Rush Hour sculpture,
the figure is depicted as a skinny young boy with long lean limbs. The artist placed the sculpture on a solid
platform with a slant providing the viewer with the idea that the figure is
rushing down hill. The artist used
jagged thin lines of copper jutting out from the rushing figure to blur the
figure and give an appearance of speed. The artist also added thin and thicker lines
within the spokes of the wheels to create n effect of fastly spinning wheels. The artist created many spaces among the
figures in the sculpture of negative space, allowing the figure to view through
to the other side. This creates a rather
delicate ethereal quality to the work and helps with the suggestion that time
if fleeting and this bicycler has past by our eyes so fast they are just a
blur.
c)
Do you think the materials in
each work are effective for this subject?
The materials for each work
are effective and they are give each sculpture its own personality. Unique Forms of Continuity was created in 1913
at the beginning of the Art Deco era. Although
it is cast in bronze it is heavily polished in order to appear almost as gold. The heaviness to the figure matches the strong
solidness of the copper material. It
also gives it a timeless feel, as if the figure is marching on throughout
eternity. The geometric heaviness of the
figure and the material is contrasted by the lightly flowing fabric on the legs
of the figure. That the bronze was able
to be so skilfully cast as to suggest the delicate movement of a wind blown pant
leg is very impressive and speaks to the popularity of the piece and the
ensuing style of the Art Deco period.
In contrast, Rush Hour used
similar materials; bronze and copper but with a different patina, choosing to
create a dark textured sculpture. However,
this is just as effective as the artist was attempting to re-create the idea of
a stop motion film and trying to emphasize the excitement and speed of the down
hill ride. The brass and copper provides
a stability and a strong support to the sculpture which is very delicately rendered,
almost as fine as a spider web in some parts, like the spokes of the wheels. The black colour is also effective as it speaks
to the intent. It creates an outline, a
blurred figure whizzing by. If the
figure was carved in gold or wood, it would not have the same delicate thinness
and stability that was needed. Also the colour and texture of another material
would interrupt the clean clear silhouette.
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