2,355 research outputs found
âFrom Dreams and Visions and Things Not Knownâ: Technique and Process in David Smithâs Drawings.
For the American sculptor, David Smith (1906â1965), drawing was a language to replace words. It was the subconscious immediacy of drawing that allowed formal concepts to take shape during the laborious process of welding steel. In the 1950s, Smithâs sculptural output increased dramatically in both scale and quantity. At the same time, his drawings acquired a separate identity, largely independent of his sculpture, yet these drawings, and indeed much of Smith graphic process, have to date not been studied in depth from a technical perspective.
Utilising the technical study as its mode of inquiry, this thesis investigates the complex tacit knowledge present in Smithâs work, particularly as it exists in the relationship between the practice of drawing and the practice of sculpture, and applies it to the understanding of his oeuvre. Unravelling this tacit or hidden knowledge reveals that Smith attached much significance to materials. More pertinently perhaps, this approach prompts a hypothesis that argues for a simultaneous and synergistic material relationship between sculptural and drawing in Smithâs practice. The elucidation of the tacit within Smithâs work when framed within recent understanding of the importance of tactile perception in experiencing works of art reveals that Smith may have used materials that both perceptually and physically extended drawing into three dimensions and further, that these materials often had resonance with materials used in his sculpture.
Studying the technical aspects of Smithâs process inevitably provides a framework for discussion on durability, damage and authenticity in his work. Smithâs extensive investigation into materials - both industrial and artistic â is discussed as a function of his self-identity not as artist, but rather as industrial worker, with a pragmatic interest in the use of durable materials in his work, both graphic and sculptural. The fact that a significant number of Smithâs painted sculptures and drawings have aged poorly is therefore difficult to reconcile. It raises questions about the true durability of his media, why they have deteriorated and, more importantly, how an understanding of the tacit, and of technique and process might be crucial for decisions made for their conservation.
In this context the deterioration of a substantial number of Smithâs iconic drawings from the 1950s is discussed in juxtaposition with the now notorious decision in the early 1970s to completely remove badly deteriorated paint from a number of his unfinished sculptures by the then Executors of Smithâs estate, ostensibly to preserve the integrity of his work. That alteration has occurred in both drawing and sculpture in Smithâs work is highly significant, given Smithâs lack of demarcation between the disciplines. It provides a base for discussion on the meaning of intent, damage and restoration in Smithâs work and suggests that even small changes in surface texture, gloss or colour might irrevocably alter our perception of it.
The results of the investigation provide several important observations: Firstly, that there is a considerable tacit dimension to Smithâs graphic work not previously considered in studies of his practice and that in understanding this it becomes clear that Smith used drawing in a more complex and vital manner than previously considered. Secondly, that Smithâs drawings were informed to a great extent by both three-dimensionality and by the materials he chose, that tactility and notions concerning the haptic perception of objects might provide insight into Smithâs work, and that this can be applied equally to drawing as much as sculpture. Thirdly, that Smithâs ideological stance as an industrial worker profoundly affected his process and the materials choices he made, and finally, that change in Smithâs works whether the result of deterioration or deliberate intervention might profoundly alter perception and understanding of such nuanced work
Illuminated instruction: a paratextual, intertextual, and iconotextual study of William Blake
Traditional Blake scholarship has rarely ascribed value to the materiality of William Blakeâs illuminated manuscripts. This dissertation demonstrates the necessity of studying the materiality of Blakeâs texts by using an interdisciplinary methodological framework to highlight the pedagogical functions of illuminated printing. Exploring the composition, printing, and distribution of Blakeâs prints in a series of focussed micro-histories and paratextual micro-studies demonstrates the various ways in which Blake manipulated his media to educate his readers. In unravelling the pedagogical potential of Blakeâs works, the dissertation promotes an understanding of a material medium which has remained largely unexplored in terms of its print culture contexts, revealing how Blakeâs unique position as an engraver, artisan, and educator was hinged upon the materiality of his prints
A critical survey of the materials and techniques of Charles Henry Sims RA (1873-1928) with special reference to egg tempera media and works of art on paper
This thesis collates and provides new knowledge about the working practices and dissemination of materials and techniques of a leading Edwardian painter. Charles Sims RA (1873-1928) represents a neglected body of British artists who were responding to and assimilating certain new tendencies within early modernism yet at the same time were conscious and respectful of traditional practices and training methods. The study makes consistent reference to the extensive studio archive at Northumbria University whose existence has provided a unique opportunity to map Simsâ own informal working notes and observations, against the retrospective account Picture Making (1934) by his son, and instrumental and technical analyses performed on some works.
The significance of this specific period in relation to the development of new materials and techniques, and the role instruction manuals and teaching played in developing Sims' stylistic and at times thematic approaches to practice are also discussed. Of particular interest are those which focus on drawing, watercolour and egg tempera techniques, media which perfectly suited Sims' temperament and arguably featured in and formed his best works.
The thesis also aims to compare Sims' working practices with those of his better known contemporaries such as Augustus John, Philip Wilson Steer, William Orpen (all from the Slade) as well as members of the Tempera Revival movement. by crossreferencing reports held in national and international collections with hitherto unseen material. As a consequence the research will have a much wider application beyond the field of conservation, and will illuminate early 20th century artistic inheritance and intent
Research, Analysis and Conservation Treatment of a 19th Century Watercolor
This project focused on a watercolor from the mid- nineteenth century referred to as [Sailboats and Windmill] by Edward Tucker. The research concentrated on the popularity of watercolors in Britain in the 18th and 19th century along with the techniques and materials developed around this time. Visual examination along with multi-modal imaging techniques and scientific analysis utilizing X-ray fluorescence and Micro-Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Spectroscopy aided understanding and identification of materials
Doublecloth: History, Technique, Possibilities.
Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2320 on 06.20.2017 by CS (TIS)The aim of this research is to analyse through practical and historical
investigation the manner in which Doublecloth in the twentieth century has been
transformed from a traditional woven technique to one of artistic innovation and
challenge. The first series of woven samples and historic enquiry concerns the
structure and pattern of doublecloth at a time when its industrial and craft-based
use was for the production of decorative and utilitarian woven fabrics. The
research focuses on the extent to which this technique was given aesthetic
credibility by its altered profile at the Bauhaus and the subsequent influence of the
writings and work of Anni Albers.
While the philosophy and products of the Bauhaus and the role of Walter
Gropius have been documented and widely debated the practice of textiles, and
the influence on it of gender, class and the hierarchical practice of craft, has
received little critical attention. The research seeks to redress this imbalance,
evaluating why the output of the textile workshops was undervalued artistically
and considered marginal to the products from other workshops. This leads to a
consideration of the interface between the practice of Fine Art and the practice of
Craft, between designing and making, between art and industry.
The woven samples are a process of experimentation against which the
historic stages can be tested and the technical constraints of contemporary
practice can be explained. This primary material leads to a consideration of the
new technology and the impact of Nuno doublecloth fabrics on the production of
doublecloth for the mass market. The evidence suggests that while new fabric
finishes and experimental pattern effects are desirable, the difficulties of hand
production are so prohibitive, that it is only with computer aided technology that
such ambitions can be me
Textual hijacking: strategies of resistance and reclaiming the objectified woman in Balzac, Baudelaire, and Degas
From the courtesan Esther in HonorĂ© de Balzacâs Splendeurs et misĂšres des courtisanes (1838-1847) to the femme sterile in Charles Baudelaireâs Les Fleurs du Mal (1857) to Edgar Degasâs nudes, womenâs objectified bodies dominated artistic attention in nineteenth-century France. Appearance defined their roles, and tropes often replaced women in narratives centered on male desire. However, the women in these works resist erasure and challenge feminine passivity and marginalization. This dissertation explores their ambiguous female identities and their strategies of resistance.
The tension in Balzacâs, Baudelaireâs, and Degasâs works between objectifying women and their textual importance emerges through the relationships among subject, object, and the abject self (as defined by Judith Butler) and among the narrator, the work, and sometimes the reader or viewer. The male gaze limits womenâs identities within the subject-object-abject framework. In turn, these women exercise soft power to alter their status and identities. Joseph Nye defines soft power as attracting others and co-opting their power to achieve oneâs goals. Through gender theory, I redefine these women, not only as objects of desire, but also as narrative subjects.
In Balzacâs novel, Esther negotiates social dynamics to define her identity. She progresses from passive object to untenable abject self to literary subject. By using her body, creating documents, and crafting ritualized social encounters, Esther claims ownership of herself. In Les Fleurs du mal, Baudelaire often portrays women as a pretext for poetics. Yet, âLa Chevelure,â âLa BeautĂ©,â âLâHomme et la mer,â and âLe Serpent qui danse,â display signs of feminine power. Baudelaire stages interactions between the poet-narrator and the sexualized woman and counteracts the subject-object binary through the gaze. Both the poet-narrator and representations of the feminine are necessary to advance the text. Degasâs nudes hinge upon voyeurism, objectification, and self-representation. Degasâs women are ambiguous, as shown in selected brothel monotypes, bather pastels, lithographs, and sculptures. Through Caroline Armstrongâs and Kathryn Brownâs readings of the monotypes, I demonstrate how these works challenge the male gaze and grant the female nude at least partial status as narrative subject. Tracing these works across media elucidates a female interiority that resists objectification
Brushing the surface: the practice and critical reception of watercolour techniques in England 1850-1880
Twentieth-century art historical research has devoted little attention to the study of
watercolour painting techniques and artistsâ materials. This is especially true of the
period following Turnerâs death, when watercolour is said to have been in decline. Yet
the period 1850 to 1880 was a period of intense innovation and experimentation, when
watercolour painting finally came to be accepted on an equal footing with its rival, the
medium of oil. The expansion of annual exhibitions brought dazzling, highly finished
works to the attention of the new middle-class buying public, who eagerly scanned the
latest press reviews for news and guidance.
For the first time, I combine unpublished material from sources including nineteenthcentury
colourmenâs archives, conservation records and artistsâ descendantsâ
collections, with an analysis of contemporary watercolour manuals and art critical
writing in the press, to give a picture of the dramatic changes in technique which
occurred at this time.
Brilliant new pigments and improved artistsâ papers and brushes flooded onto the
market via a growing network of artistsâ colourmen. Affordable instruction manuals,
aimed at the swelling ranks of amateur artists, were published, their successive editions
highlighting the changing character of watercolour practice, in particular the growing
use of bodycolour, microscopic detail and new tube pigments. Progressive artists such
as John Frederick Lewis, Samuel Palmer, Myles Birket Foster, John William North
and Edward Burne-Jones, developed revolutionary ways of incorporating the new
artistsâ materials into their watercolours, often to great commercial success. Exhibition
reviews by critics in the growing number of journals often commented loudly on the
bright colouring, minute detail, texture and opaque effects produced by their use of the
latest pigments, papers and brushes.
The impact made on watercolour painting by improved artistsâ materials was farreaching,
bringing power and status to a medium which had previously been
considered an inferior artform
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