Lucy Foskett

Contextual studies Assessment task 111 – Major Essay

Tutor: Malcolm Mosley

words: 860

Chose one work by each of two different post-modern artists. Describe each work and explain how and why they are postmodern. Discuss the content of the images and how they are made.

This Essay will explore two pieces of work by different artists. I have chosen to look at Maxine Sutton and Claire Cole because they have both influenced a lot of my recent work. I will be analysing there work and the qualities which define them as post-modern artists. Postmodernism is the shift from modernism to a more consumerist way of living. Modernism refers to a certain period of western cultural, artistic and sociological history; this period covers the later nineteenth and earlier twentieth century’s. Modernism is a vague and general term that refers to a period of great change in the western world. The change is mainly due to reality and different ways of thinking. One of the main reasons for this change was the First World War.

Today we live a post-modern society; one of the characteristics of postmodernism is that the world is seen as a much more complex and uncertain place. It is an attempt to think beyond the confines of the past. Like modernism postmodernism rejects all boundaries this rejection also includes the boundaries between different forms and genres of art. The art development of bricolage and pastiche are examples of this

Maxine Sutton likes the idea of the workshop household described by Mark Rosenthal “If one were to imagine a workshop household, one would envision a situation where most, if not all things were made in a more imaginative and beautiful way than in quotidian life”[1]  “the “importance of our interactions with materials, texture pattern and the handmade” [1] her recent research was how she was evoked by memories of home and her childhood, things like decretive patterns and wallpapers reminded her of her love for patterns as a child. Maxine remember how the furniture in her grandparents house acted as an “assortment” of scenery for games and props to be built around. Maxine combines a lot of different techniques throughout her work a lot of her she makes collages from found objects e.g., materials and paper and then sews into these using hand embroidery as well. Her work influences me because I like looking at vintage antiques and old bits and pieces I find, this is very much the same for Maxine her work is very vintage. This is what makes Maxine a post-modern artist."Sustainability is a priority, materials a mixture of natural organics such as cotton, hemp, linen and wool combined with found/recycled/vintage materials. Embroidered elements use plant dyed wool yarn, cotton, alpaca, silk and linen.” [1]

Claire Cole designs wallpapers using cut out old wallpaper and uses it to redesign her own. Claire designs and produces bespoke embroidered wallpapers for private clients and commercial projects. [2] All wallpapers are designed and handmade in house as well as the luxury wallpaper Claire designs imagery for the gift market. Just recently she launched a range of gift cards which are sold in paper chase and independent stores. Claire is classed as a post-modern artist as well because just like Maxine Sutton Claire uses vintage patterns and reproduces them into modern wallpapers.

Maxine Sutton and Claire Coles work all has a very eco friendly edge. Maxine’s pieces strike just the right edge between texture, colour, form and references to culture and the environment. Gorgeous embroideries stitched cloth, screen printed images and needle punch felting characterizes Maxine Suttons work. What is really interesting is that she uses combinations of reclaimed or organic fabric, low impact printing methods, and plant dyed yarns sourced from the Pyrenees all to keep her art production ethnical and sustainable. Claries work is also very eco friendly, Claire Cole collects vintage wallpaper and accessories and gives them her touch and adds her designs. Claire adds patterns and different textures to her wallpapers and makes collages for her range of wallpapers, ceramics and gift cards.

 Maxine Suttons work would be classed as more postmodern than Claire Coles work because she doesn’t just make 2d work she also puts her work onto ceramics, wallpapers and a lot of other things. Were as Claire Coles work is very flat based, 2d work until recently she has produced some 3d work.  Maxine Suttons work is a lot more collaged based and there are more things going on where as Claire Coles work is about one everyday thing for example, lamp shades, animals and furniture and Maxine Suttons is a mixture of everything put together.

Overall both Maxine Sutton and Claire Cole clearly represent postmodernism and how we live today; using recycled materials represents clearly how we live in an “eco friendly” and recycling world. Whilst the techniques and materials in these images are different what they both use and how they work is very similar.  For clear reasons, both of these pieces represent how art has changed over the past century. It’s Works like this that help make a smooth change into art that is being made today.

[1] http://www.maxinesutton.com/about.html 

[2] http://www.clairecolesdesign.co.uk/

 Assessment Task 2 - Conceptualising your own work

Lucy Foskett

Malcolm Mosley

Word count: 578

For one of my workshops this term, I choose to do 2d Surface Design. One of my projects during the three week rotation was to create our own up to date tableau I was really inspired by Timorous beasties whilst doing this project.

A toile de jouy is a type of decorating pattern consisting of a usually white or off white background on which a repeated pattern depicting a complex scene generally of an idyllic pastoral theme. The pattern portion consists of a single colour, most often black, dark red, or blue. Toile is most associated with fabrics (curtains and upholstery in particular) though toile wallpaper is also popular.

Timorous beasties is noted for its surreal and provocative textiles, one of its creations is the Glasgow toile, at first it looks like a vista on early 1800s wallpaper, but when you get closer to it, it shows a story almost of Glasgow during the night, where crack addicts, prostitutes and homeless are against the tower blocks and scavenging seagulls. I think my work is very similar to Timorous Beasties toile de jouy the only difference being is that mine is not portraying drugs, sex and prostitutes yet mine is showing my life and the things I enjoy doing. I find when you look at mine from a distance as just a piece of design work you don’t look at it as someone’s life and what is happening within, until you come closer and inspect it, then it is when you begin to see that it about a lot more.

Beasties work is printed textiles, doing printed textiles still allows you to be able to draw/paint freely and lets you be quite loose and able to create what you want. Timorous beasties have huge facilities which allow them to make made to measure fabrics, wallpapers, windows, grave stones and ceramics. A current design they have been asked to make is made using flock which is difficult because you can’t use much detail.

What I like about them is that there creating toile de jouys from today’s era and not trying to recreate Elizabethan ones like a lot of people try and do. A famous toile de Jouy is called the peacock amongst the ruins this had huge influence on the Glasgow toile and they very much look the same apart from depicting different times and places. Lots of different things influence Beasties works not just other toiles. Iron work, shapes, compositions and images all influence them and this is were I feel I can relate to timorous beasties because I feel a lot of my work is influenced through shape, pattern colour and natural objects and I enjoy combining these things together to make a piece of art work.

I began making my Tableau by drawing out silhouettes of all the things I enjoy doing or do in my life, such as walking my dogs, living on a farm, going out partying, driving to college, and me and my boyfriend. I then got some silhouettes of trees and flowers and added them to my drawing. After completing the drawing I took it to be scanned onto the computer. I manipulated bits, added colour and made things stand out, I went through lots of different outcomes but this one was the best. I’m really pleased with this piece of work that I have created and Timorous beasties has influenced me in a lot of other work since making my tableau.

           

Lucy Foskett

Pair 3 Boccioni; Giacometti

November 2010

Tutor: Malcolm Mosley

 In this Essay I am comparing two works of Art both of which are sculptures.  Firstly I am going to describe both works of art separately considering their context as well as their formal elements and then I am going to compare and contrast the two.

 The first piece of work is the sculpture unique forms of continuity in space by Boccioni (appendix 1) which he made in 1913. Umberto Boccioni was an Italian painter and sculptor and studied art through the Scuola Libera del Nudo at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome. Boccioni decided to become a sculptor after visiting various studios in Paris 1912, Boccioni died from being thrown from his horse during a Calvary training exercise and was trampled he died at aged thirty three.

 The sculpture is bronze and is polished to a shining gold colour, the sculpture is smaller then adult life size and near the size of a five year old child. It is free standing and you can walk all the way round it. The figure is kind of an abstract expression showing speed; it has no arms and a featureless head and is wearing a helmet over the face. The hefty thighs and big chest suggest powerful muscles, the figure is much like a machine rather then a man.

 My second chosen work of art is the sculpture La Foret (appendix 2) by Giacometti which he made in 1950.  Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Alberto was born in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland and was the eldest of four children he has also always been interested in art.

 Alberto attended the school of fine art in Geneva, and in 1922 he moved to Paris to study sculpture. This was where Giacometti experimented with cubism and surrealism and came to be one of the leading surrealist artists. The larger his sculptures became the thinner they got. I find his sculptures almost disturbing and quite creepy looking.

Both Boccioni and Giacometti’s sculptures are of figures, both of which are quite strange and disfigured. In Boccioni’s sculpture the body shape is all unusual looking and has a helmet covering the face, the sculpture also has no arms. I find Giacometti’s figures quite stick men like and until you look at them closely you can’t see weather they have any arms or legs. I feel Giacometti almost makes his sculptures look quite easy to make.

Boccioni’s sculptor was made from plaster and was never cast into bronze in his life time. Two casts were made in 1931 another two in 1949 and another eight in 1972. Giacometti’s sculptor of Le Foret was painted Bronze, his last multi figures compositions that were made represent Giacometti’s most sustained themes that he was pre occupied by in his life; sexual difference, urban space and the structural conditions of vision. As Boccioni’s lived such a short life after being killed in the world war this sculpture represents how he helped to define the nature of Italian futurism.

With both the sculptures they have quite a bit in common as they are both very unusual and disfigured, they represent different things but are both amazing defined figures that have a lot of background.

In conclusion I think that they both pursue what sculpture is and how different and wide ranged it is. My favourite one is the Boccioni sculpture because of the way it looks so unique, I really like the different shapes and how its been made compared to Giacometti’s sculpture I find his very unusual and not very attractive to look at.

Words: 600