Postmodernism

I feel as if post-modernism is impossible to define because it is vague and has no definite boundaries. However, if I had to describe it in a sentence, I would say that it's a protest against typical artwork in that it ventures out to call upon and question traditional styles and notions. Further, postmodernism tends to remix art and combines elements that normally would not be displayed together. 

One thing that confused me was the idea of hyperreality and how postmodernism achieves something that is more real than reality. Although this makes me question hyperrealism and how it functions, it definitely interests me in that it creates a new perspective that is applied to artwork.

Radiolab's "Colors" Podcast

Radiolab's podcast discussing colors was eye-opening in the sense that it caused me to think about color in a way I had never thought about it before. Of course I knew the that a glass prism caused white light to create "a colored image of the sun," as Newton would put it. However, it was interesting to learn that it was originally thought that the prism simply "muddied" the white light, adding the colors to it. Until listening to the podcast, I had never considered the idea of light existing within itself or as a separate entity with constituent parts. In the age of the scientific revolution, Newton was the first to theorize that light is a physical existence that lives in the real world. Therefore, light can be studied from from a scientific and a philosophical perspective.

However, the idea that light and colors existing in the physical world made me wonder to what extent are they actually physical, considering that light is not matter nor is it definite. For instance, does the wavelengths that produce the color red in a human's eye create the same color red that would be perceived by a dog? The answer is no, which is why Newton had to explore the idea that colors begin in the real physical world, but are finished through the eye and the mind. So, just like emotions, color is uniquely felt as it is not an objective existence.

The eyes translate color from the physical world to the mind. It is within our eyes that cones limit the number of colors that humans are able to grasp and identify. It is for this reason that an interior designer from Pittsburgh was able to look up at a "blue" sky and see colors on red. Being a tetrachromat, she was able to use her addition cone that allowed her to translate additional colors that the rest of us wouldn't even be able to philosophize about. Since Newton's time, little about the science and philosophy of color has been understood to greater lengths. It makes me wonder what kind of discoveries could have been made if Newton had been a tetrachromat.

Whitescape

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1: Most interested

Andy Warhol's "Shadow" (1979)

-Synthetic polymer paint, diamond dust, and silkscreen ink on canvas.

I would say that Andy Warhol used the golden triangle because the positioning of the abstract contrasts form somewhat of a triangle throughout the work. This was my favorite piece because of the whole day because of the different and unique materials used, specifically the diamond dust. The way the light hits these particles is different at each angle, so wherever you stand and the position you look at it from, you are technically seeing a different image each time.

2: Interested

Andy Warhol's "Self Portrait" (1986)

-Synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas.

Leading lines are the most obvious composition of the work although I believe several others could apply as well. The real and implied lines in his hair and face lead the viewer's eyes to the portrait's eyes. My favorite part of the piece is how it looks 3D-like with the use of negative space and colors. Also how the colors blend into each other, meaning no piece is fully pink or fully black. I also love how the eyes are duplicated, adding to the intensity of the portrait.

3: Interested, but not as interested as the others

Gustav Klimt's "Pine Forest II" (1901)

-Oil on canvas

Klimt utilized rule of thirds because the two darkest trees are present where the vertical lines in rule of thirds would be. In the room full of art, this piece immediately drew my attention because of the aura that it gives off. It reminded me of slender-man with its mystifying dark woodsy colors. But I especially liked how in the background there is a subtle amount of light permeating the trees.

Ways of Seeing

John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” was pretty insightful in the sense that it causes readers to think about things differently than they normally would. For instance, he draws upon two different way to look at the sunset. For one, there is the scientific knowledge that the earth is spinning, causing the sun to slowly go out of view. Then, there is the more surreal view that can be captured in paintings, highlighting the true beauty, simplicity, and yet complexity of a sunset. 

They way we interpret things are shaped by past experiences and personal beliefs; both the conscious and unconscious. Because of this, the same representation can mean so many things, each unique for each person. In the same sense, a painting can have different meanings for the same person over time. This is also as a result of the way we look at things are shaped by our lives. 

Aside from a single work of art evoking countless emotions and perspectives, I thought it to be very eye-opening how the camera has done so much to change the way we see and value different experiences. For example, the reading mentions how an image is simply a sight that has been reproduced and, as a result, is now detached from place and time. Further, the camera has the ability to make a moment in time stay still. And this allows people in different places and different times to have the opportunity to develop their own perspective of the pictures.

Visibility

In reference to Dante's Inferno, "Visibility" speaks of the imagination and how powerful it has the potential to be. When Dante was traveling through the layers of hell, he realized that "it is useless at every circle to invent a new form of metarepresentation, and that it is better to place the visions directly in the mind without making them pass through the senses. What I think he means by this, is that, the mind has the ability to represent representations, and to recreate thoughts and concepts based on self-experience and reflection. It is for this reason each person can uniquely interpret art and experiences. The author of "Visibility" goes on to connect how imagination has a similar power capable of "stealing us away from the outer world and carrying us off into an inner one, so that even if a thousand trumpets were to sound we would not hear them." Similarly, visions were presented to Dante in which he saw differently than the objective reality that was right in front of him.

"Visibility" also questions the role of the visual imagination in relation to the verbal imagination. For example, the first process, visual imagination, takes place when we read words then imagine it in our minds. As mentioned in the text, movies are examples of metarepresentations because the process of making a movie is in phases that require several interpretations. But then, even when we witness a movie, it once again goes through the imagination of the viewer. St. Ignatius of Loyola is then cited, making two points about the importance of imagination, representation, and how we must actively choose to see people. The first point he makes is that, in sum, we must see people from all perspectives and put ourselves in their shoes in order to have clarity. Further, the second point reminds readers to understand and have a relationship with the divine without having to physically see them or imagine them as something physical.

The entire concept of the profound imagination is one that is deep and multifaceted. It constantly shocks me how a single piece of artwork, abstract or straightforward, can have so many different meanings and evoke countless emotions for every single person who has the opportunity to gaze upon it. Or, in Dante's case, he thought it be better to place the images he viewed directly into his mind without allowing them to pass through the senses. Whether this would be possible or not, it definitely arises some new ideas about the power of the imagination and our own ability to control it. For instance, this entire reading caused me to think about the process of deep meditation in which people go into a state of being totally in control of all their senses. In the case of the burning monk, 1963, a man burned himself to death while remaining sitting still. This horrific example shows the extent to which the imagination can be controlled by some.

Pictured below: The Burning Monk, 1963.