September 9, 2019
This week I focused a lot of my attention on understanding the term "vanitas" as applied to Dutch still life paintings. I wanted to define the term, see how it manifests in historical and contemporary contexts, and to see how content and form specifically interact.
While reading "Vanitas: Meditations of Life and Death in Contemporary Art," I came across the reference to Julia Kristeva's "Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia." The quote from Black Sun read:
Because of the better known article "Powers of Horror" by Kristeva, and her reference to an essay by Freud, I wonder how I might be able to link the abject and the uncanny to these newer essays to me. Because of this, I intend to read "Powers of Horror" and "On Transience" in the upcoming week. I think that finding themes that link these works could help me link what feels like disparate ideas in my own content.
My studio work this past week was more of a study in formal elements that in content. I began by sketching from vanitas seventeenth-century still life paintings in order to practice my drawing skills (which are rusty) as well as to gain a more intimate understanding of how these works were typically composed. Additionally, I took still life photographs of my own objects to experiment with utilizing these compositions and lighting styles. Unsure of how I want my work to manifest going forward, I am trying to touch different mediums and modes of representing a still life to see if the process indicates to me any kind of conceptual linkage to my content.
Going forward, I will read the formerly mentioned articles by Freud and Kristeva. In addition, I intend to take a step back from still lives to explore and understand other terms related to my ideas. I want to finally take a look at those books on phenomenology (so I can finally see how this is or isn't relevant to my work) and do extended research on phenomenology related to meditation and mindfulness. By going through these texts, I should have a better and more narrow understanding of what direction I want my work to take next.
While reading "Vanitas: Meditations of Life and Death in Contemporary Art," I came across the reference to Julia Kristeva's "Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia." The quote from Black Sun read:
Is beauty inseparable from the ephemeral and hence from mourning? Or else is the beautiful object the one that tirelessly returns following destructions and wars in order to bear witness that there is survival after death?Is beauty (and art) death? Or is beauty (and art) the result of what hope remains in life after death? After reading Kristeva's article, I took away the idea that Dutch still life painting transforms death and mourning through allegory and imagination to create an hopeful optimism about loss.
Because of the better known article "Powers of Horror" by Kristeva, and her reference to an essay by Freud, I wonder how I might be able to link the abject and the uncanny to these newer essays to me. Because of this, I intend to read "Powers of Horror" and "On Transience" in the upcoming week. I think that finding themes that link these works could help me link what feels like disparate ideas in my own content.
My studio work this past week was more of a study in formal elements that in content. I began by sketching from vanitas seventeenth-century still life paintings in order to practice my drawing skills (which are rusty) as well as to gain a more intimate understanding of how these works were typically composed. Additionally, I took still life photographs of my own objects to experiment with utilizing these compositions and lighting styles. Unsure of how I want my work to manifest going forward, I am trying to touch different mediums and modes of representing a still life to see if the process indicates to me any kind of conceptual linkage to my content.
Going forward, I will read the formerly mentioned articles by Freud and Kristeva. In addition, I intend to take a step back from still lives to explore and understand other terms related to my ideas. I want to finally take a look at those books on phenomenology (so I can finally see how this is or isn't relevant to my work) and do extended research on phenomenology related to meditation and mindfulness. By going through these texts, I should have a better and more narrow understanding of what direction I want my work to take next.
LOTS of good stuff starting to happen here in terms of your thinking, Christine! You’re digging into some prime philosophical content and engaging with some of the classic, existential questions that both torture and invigorate those of us who enjoy this type of pondering! This might be the first I’ve heard you begin to delve specifically into the death/beauty/mourning triad. Though as you’re noting, this is embedded in the conventions of still life, but I don’t think you’ve articulated these aspects as being (potentially) central to your work until now – I would for sure keep thinking about this and working to determine how/whether there is a connection to your primary interest in ideas of home as space/construct, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe particular Kristeva passage is worth continuing to draw upon I’d suspect, as well, as it gets at this notion of endurance both in terms of what we can personally/culturally psychologically endure and the remnants of our world that endure in the face of destruction and devastation (the beautiful object either in physical or imagined form – elements of the sublime come into play here as well, potentially).
I think it’s certainly fine to do further reading on the abject, but based on what I’ve seen/heard from you thus far, I’m thinking perhaps the uncanny is more relevant to your project. Maybe there is good stuff to be gleaned in Powers of Horror in full though, so give it a go if you find yourself connecting with it. As mentioned in your outline comments, do think a bit more about whether psychoanalytical theories specifically are of relevance to you (as Powers of Horror is a full-on psychoanalytical discussion, albeit with phenomenological content as well, I believe). The brief Freud essay you cite seems right up your alley in terms of aspects of mourning, and seems to bring a (lighter than usual, for Freud) psychoanalytical approach to concerns of beauty. At any rate, just keep in mind my suggestion of collecting materials (full books, articles, etc.) as your interests refine/develop and then making determinations as to their relevance overall, and/or whether specific portions will be most significant. (I’m reminded right now of the Susan Stewart book, On Longing. Maybe I suggested that to you already? If not, grab it from the library and give it a glance).
In terms of your studies, it’s good to see you thinking about bringing drawing (and potentially painting) back into play. I’ll be curious to see whether you might use photography to help conceptualize possible set-ups and/or somehow combine the two forms of representation in some purposeful manner (or video, for that matter). I was intrigued by the randomness of the materials in the photo-based studies – junk mail and a spilled bottle of nutritional supplements in one, an empty glass jar with smoothie residue in another – seems there might be more here worth exploring…