Museo Rein Sofia visit- Madrid (research)
Museo Rein Sofia
Madrid
http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en
Bruce Conner Exhibition-
STAR FINGER ANGEL
1975
'Conner’s work emerged from the California art scene and addressed wide-ranging questions concerning American society in the post-war era: from the burgeoning consumer culture to the dread of nuclear apocalypse. In his work he cultivated alternate mediums - now the hallmarks of 21st-century art - adopting different techniques and often creating hybrid pieces midway between painting and sculpture, film and performance, drawing and printing. Early on in his career, he stood out as one of the first artists to make installations with found materials, while his relief and free-standing sculptures, for instance CHILD (1959) and LOOKING GLASS (1964), received critical acclaim at the time for their masterful compositions and markedly sombre nature. Furthermore, he was one of the pioneers of avant-garde film-making, redefining the notion of film by including footage from highly diverse sources – from the countdown leaders of early films in the medium, to movie trailers and training films and newsreels – to which he added his own 16 mm footage. He also developed a quick-cut editing method which distinguished his work, along with his pop soundtracks, for example in the pieces COSMIC RAY (1961) and BREAKAWAY (1966), regarded as forerunners of the music video. Much like his installations, Conner’s films deal with unsettling themes that still ring true today. He frequently adopted an incisive political stance and addressed problems such as violence in American culture, the objectification of the female body and the nuclear holocaust. By virtue of his structural innovations and daring subject matter, films such as A MOVIE (1958), REPORT (1963-1967) and CROSSROADS (1976) have become landmarks of experimental American cinema.' (http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/exhibitions/bruce-conner )
This vast collection of work boasted so much variety that it would be difficult for anyone to overlook. Even the title of the exhibition intrigued me, 'It's all true'. The questions presented there were what the exhibition was aiming to answer. The varying topics of the work and the differing media showed just how the artist had a flare for interpreting the world into aesthetics and conceptual pieces. Certain series of works did not appeal to me personally however many others, such as the 'Angel' series did. The process in which the works were produced (pressing his own body against photo-sensitized paper) was very personal. The artists own outline was then part of the work. I personally viewed these as a form of self-portraiture. These works then stood out from the exhibition as much more personal than other collections. Much of the work dealt with 'the spectacle' and consumerism (found object collection). This thematic aspect linked back to my own practice however the works had an uneasy feel to them as they were of dull colour and a claustrophobic assemblage.
Luis Gordillio Works-
Sacred heart of Jesus, In thee I trust
1997
Madrid
http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en
Bruce Conner Exhibition-
STAR FINGER ANGEL
1975
'Conner’s work emerged from the California art scene and addressed wide-ranging questions concerning American society in the post-war era: from the burgeoning consumer culture to the dread of nuclear apocalypse. In his work he cultivated alternate mediums - now the hallmarks of 21st-century art - adopting different techniques and often creating hybrid pieces midway between painting and sculpture, film and performance, drawing and printing. Early on in his career, he stood out as one of the first artists to make installations with found materials, while his relief and free-standing sculptures, for instance CHILD (1959) and LOOKING GLASS (1964), received critical acclaim at the time for their masterful compositions and markedly sombre nature. Furthermore, he was one of the pioneers of avant-garde film-making, redefining the notion of film by including footage from highly diverse sources – from the countdown leaders of early films in the medium, to movie trailers and training films and newsreels – to which he added his own 16 mm footage. He also developed a quick-cut editing method which distinguished his work, along with his pop soundtracks, for example in the pieces COSMIC RAY (1961) and BREAKAWAY (1966), regarded as forerunners of the music video. Much like his installations, Conner’s films deal with unsettling themes that still ring true today. He frequently adopted an incisive political stance and addressed problems such as violence in American culture, the objectification of the female body and the nuclear holocaust. By virtue of his structural innovations and daring subject matter, films such as A MOVIE (1958), REPORT (1963-1967) and CROSSROADS (1976) have become landmarks of experimental American cinema.' (http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/exhibitions/bruce-conner )
This vast collection of work boasted so much variety that it would be difficult for anyone to overlook. Even the title of the exhibition intrigued me, 'It's all true'. The questions presented there were what the exhibition was aiming to answer. The varying topics of the work and the differing media showed just how the artist had a flare for interpreting the world into aesthetics and conceptual pieces. Certain series of works did not appeal to me personally however many others, such as the 'Angel' series did. The process in which the works were produced (pressing his own body against photo-sensitized paper) was very personal. The artists own outline was then part of the work. I personally viewed these as a form of self-portraiture. These works then stood out from the exhibition as much more personal than other collections. Much of the work dealt with 'the spectacle' and consumerism (found object collection). This thematic aspect linked back to my own practice however the works had an uneasy feel to them as they were of dull colour and a claustrophobic assemblage.
Luis Gordillio Works-
Sacred heart of Jesus, In thee I trust
1997
'The work of luis gordillio emerges from the complex synthesis of various elements of informalism. Pop art and geometric trends. These sources fuel his work in simultaneous and intentionally contradictory ways, while his pictorial synthesis is presented as the repeated deconstruction and recreation of an image, whose incomplete appearance softens, misinformation and confuses. He shares certain intellectual concerns with the Trama Group, including their interest in psychoanalysis and post-structuralism. At the same time the constant alteration of the style itself, the splitting of the artistic personality or schizophrenia as a model of understanding one's surroundings. He worked toward inspiring the artists of the new figurativist movement.
In his paintings, Gordillio acts in a way that resembles the subconscious, which according to psychoanalysis (one of the sources for his work), is where all the layers of an individuals psyche coexists. This paradox is combined with unexpected changes in register or even simultaneous use of opposing symbols and Styles in a single creative period.
Rather than looking for elements that symbolise the biographical or cultural processes he undertakes, Gordillo focuses on the visceral accumulation , a soft corporealness (featuring organs, vessels, tissues and body fluids) which merge with images depicting altered geometries and dysfunctional mechanics. His tools also include repetition and the serial manipulation of photographs. These techniques are found in (soft series) Serie Blanda. (As viewed in Madrid March 2017).
The hybridisation that obscures Gordillo's painting refers to the many facets of the human psyche and links his work to the concept of 'rhizome', the term which essayists Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari developed in anti-Oedipus. Capitalism and schizophrenia. ' (exhibition leaflet, 2017)
Gordillio's work provides a bridge between generations. The broad theme of psychoanalysis and the psyche has been relevant to art and art practice through history. This artist is an example of the fabrication of the research and the long road to understanding the psychology of a human. Surrealism and Dada also handled similar themes and focused upon many things Gordillio did. This is proof of the long standing relationship between art and psychology. As I read chaosophy myself I begin to understand the influence of 'anti-Oedipus' upon the arts world and the psychoanalytical front. My own work confronts the subconscious and social conditions, how art may be part of change and activism. Therefore, viewing art such as this has been very beneficial to deepen my understanding of how past artists have documented their interpretation of what lies in the depth of the mind.
Viewing the books and writing samples first hand, in their original form hot home of the historical irony. The cultural impact of these works are so broad however, as time progresses, how these works and writings are used differ greatly. The new age sees psychology as a broad topic aiming to deal with a mass of capital led mental illness. However, with arts help, what would happen if this focus shifted to altering the capital subconscious and positively influencing.
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