Book With Wings, Essay Example

Art is a notoriously subjective topic and many definitions of its concept have been proposed. Nevertheless, despite such a general ambiguity, some definitions may be considered to be particularly inspiring in terms of how they give one a new perspective with which to consider art. For example, Georges Braque wrote, “Art is made to disturb. Science reassures. There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain.” (Krieger, 2002, p. 281) Art, therefore, must not be vulgar; it cannot be symmetrical to any commonplace notions or opinions. Rather, it must disrupt the prejudices and the mores of a society: it must be transcendent of the rules of this society. This same transcendence is expressed in a definition of art proposed by Michelangelo, however from a different perspective. Michelangelo wrote, “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.” (Krieger, 2002, p. 289) This quote at first seems to represent art as inferior to divine perfection, but it is also crucial to note the term “shadow” used by Michelangelo: it is precisely the shadow of the divine, therefore it evokes the form of the divine. There is thus a transcendence suggested by the work of art, to the extent that it recalls the godly. In the following essay, we shall examine various works of art, positing them in the context of Braque and Michelangelo’s views of art.

The 2009 Kandinsky Prize Winner Aleksey Belyaev-Gintovt’s painting “Pravoslavije ili Smert”, which means “Orthodoxy or Death”, recaptures some of the transcendental motifs in Michelangelo and Braque’s definitions of art. The subject of the painting is the divine, as Orthodoxy refers to Russian Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The picture of the skull shocks the viewer like in Braque’s definition, insofar as Belyaev-Gintovt effectively utilizes the motifs of divinity and death to displace common conceptions of how a religious painting may be depicted. The darkness of the painting bears a hidden light when the form is thought according to the content as dictated by the work’s title.

Anselm Kiefer’s “Book with Wings” incorporates the unusual material of lead for sculpture. The linking of wings and the text suggests a transcendent thematic, as with knowledge one is able to leave the mundane world behind. This is not so much a shock as in Braque’s definition, but rather expresses a desire to break with the commonplace. The non-traditional usage of lead also is a movement against convention.

Jože Ple?nik’s church “St Michael in the Marches”, located outside of Ljubljana, Slovenia is an example of how transcendence can be evoked in a piece of architecture. The main church tower clearly extends into the sky, evoking heaven. The use of vegetation on the same tower is a twist on standard church architecture, using unusual material in its composition.

“Winding Towers” by Bernd and Hilla Becher would seem to suggest an example of photography that captures the mundane as opposed to the divine. However, the careful juxtaposition of two winding towers gives a dignity to its object. Moreover, it disrupts commonplace perspectives by showing how an everyday industrial building can become art.

Gima Jansen’s print “Winds of Change” creates a certain hypnotic effect between the personages depicted, producing a sentiment of displacement in the viewer. The exchange of breaths in the print implies an otherworldly phenomenon, instead of the common unconscious everyday process of respiration.

Zachary Scholz’s “Untitled” demonstrates how conceptual art uses objects to invert common sensibilities. The stacked chairs on the one hand are absurd, yet their simplicity suggests a certain overturning of order in the world. The vertical axes created by the stool legs all imply a vertical axis that transcendentally extends to the sky.

Installation art shows how ordinary spaces can be transformed into other worldly spaces, such as in Olafur Eliasson’s “The Mediated Notion.” The room remains prohibited for entry according to the colors used on the floor. At the same time the blue green color recalls the sky alluding to transcendence and the otherworldly, a shadow of the divine as in Michelangelo’s definition.

The Serbian artist Marina Abramovi? utilizes performance art to subvert taboos and the divine world. Her piece “Rhythm 10: The Star” involves the artist arranging knives. The slow tempo of the process creates a subliminal effect that transcends perception. At the same time it utilizes mundane objects to annul common conceptions of space and time.

All of the above artists’ works can be interpreted according to our definitions from Michelangelo and Braque. They demonstrate a conceptual and formal deepness that both disturbs convention while evoking images of the otherworldly.

Works Cited

Abramovi?, Marina. “Rhythm 10: The Star.” Accessed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9-HVwEbdCo&feature=related

Becher, Bernd and Hilla. “Winding Towers.” http://www.signandsight.com/features/338.html

Belyaev-Gintovt, Aleksey. “Pravoslavije ili Smert.” Accessed at: http://www.doctrine.ru/delo/pravoslavie/?i=1

Eliasson, Olafur. “The Mediated Notion.” Accessed at: http://blog.ohcarlos.com/post/61403981

Jansen, Gima. “Winds of Change.” Accessed at: http://www.freewebs.com/artdame/index.htm

Kiefer, Anselm. “Book with Wings.” Accessed at: http://www.pbase.com/timchen/image/28751554

Krieger, Richard Alan. (2002). Civilization’s Quotations: Life’s Ideal. New York, NY: Algora Publishing.

Ple?nik, Jože. “Church of St. Michael’s in the Marshes.” Accessed at: http://www.plecnik.net/index.php?mod=col&id=217&lan=en

Scholz, Zachary. “Untitled.” Accessed at: http://sites.cca.edu/gradexhibition/scholz/10.html