Hendra Gunawan

Hendra Gunawan, Family Portrait, 1968

What you need to know about Hendra Gunawan:

Indonesian. Parents divorced when young.

1st wife was a Sundanese woman.

In 1942 fighting broke out in Indonesia against the Dutch Colonial Government.

Upon Indonesia's victory, Gunawan began to paint patriotic posters. Fell into poverty during this time.

In 1945, started an artist community called Frontline Painters. Invited dropouts and unemployed youth who wished to be his students to come to the studio. Studio gained nationwide influence.

Began to gain an identity as a freedom fighter, being pro-communist. In 1965, the government went through a violent change of hands to a Pro-Western and anti-communist government that would last for 32 years. In 1965-1978, Gunawan was detained (put in prison) by the new government. He was imprisoned due to his political ties, and paintings of controversial subject matter (including those of prostitutes).

Throughout his life, his subject matter of his artworks have dealt with the working class, politics, and documentation of daily life.

Questions:
1. Describe the painting.

2. What can you infer about the family dynamics from this portrait? Support your answer with evidence from the painting. Remember that he painted this while in prison.

Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo Valley, 1935, Gelatin Silver Print.


What you need to know about Dorothea Lange:

Dorothea Lange was hired by the United States Government during the Great Depression to travel the country and document its people, as well as the effects of the Great Depression.

What is the Great Depression:

Beginning with the crash of the stock market in 1929, the Great Depression was a time of economic hardship in the USA, that spanned from 1929 until the beginning of WWII. At certain periods during the Great Depression, unemployment rose to over 30%.

Why was Dorothea Lange hired by the government:

In an initiative by the FSA (Farm Security Administration), many notable photographers were hired to show what life was like on the farm during the Great Depression. This was to document the time period, as well as to provide employment for the arts. Check out this site for more photographs from the Great Depression by other photographers. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_14.html

Many of Dorothea Lange's photographs are compelling because she catches her subjects off-gaurd, going about their daily lives.

Questions:
1. Describe the photograph.
2. How does the artist create movement?

Liu Kang 1 & 2

Top Left: Artist and Model, Liu Kang, 1954,
Top Right: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, Paul Gauguin,
1897, Oil on canvas
Bottom Right: Liu Kang, Life by the River, 1975

What you need to know about the Liu Kang:

He was a member of the Nanyang Style. See the post on Georgette Chen for clarification on what the Nanyang Style IS.

Liu Kang is influenced by the Post-Impressionists: you can see the influence of Paul Gauguin on his work. The use of flat color and sylization are the most obvious of influences.

Many of Liu Kang's artworks are influenced by events in daily life. Like Gauguin, Liu Kang went to an exotic location to draw inspiration. For him, it was Bali, on a trip with the other Nanyang Artists. For Gauguin it was Tahiti.

The following text about the importance of the Bali trip has been borrowed from http://www.postcolonialweb.org/singapore/arts/painters/channel/12.html purely for educational review purposes. Click on the link to read the entire article.

"In 1952, Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Chen Wen Hsi and Cheong Soo Pieng went on their historic field trip to Bali. While it would not be accurate to state that the Nanyang artists went to Bali because of Le Mayeur or even Gauguin's inspiration, Le Mayeur did create a deep impression of Bali in the Singapore art circle and, in fact, the artists met him during that trip.

The pioneers went to Bali mainly to search for a visual expression that was Southeast Asian. Not only did Bali offer them a rich visual source, the Balinese experience also revealed the ritualistic, experiential and decorative nature of Southeast Asian art -- a point which sets the Singapore story apart from the Gauguinian legend.

During and after the trip, images of Bali provided both the inspiration and visual sources which enabled the artists to crystalise their exploration of an aesthetic style in Singapore art.

In Artist and Model which shows Chen Wen Hsi sketching a Balinese woman, Liu Kang's dark outlines have become white -- an innovation which could have been inspired by batik painting. Painted in 1954, this work may be based on a sketch made during the artists' field trip to Bali two years earlier. Chen is seated, working on a sketching board propped on another rattan chair. This rhythmic repetition of chairs, further echoed by the number and arrangement of tea pot and cups on the round table makes the entire painting delightfully casual and whimsical.

Life by the River, a 1975 work, shows a village scene with busy human activity. Liu Kang is a master of composition. Depth in this painting is achieved more by the arrangement of shapes than by perspective, suggesting a pictorial sensitivity more in tune with the Chinese landscape tradition. The yellow walkway on the left and the river on the right not only echo each other, but also lead the viewer's attention to the houses in the distance."

Questions:

1. Discuss the stylistic differences in Liu Kang's work Artist and Model, done in 1954, and Life By the River, from 1975. Support your answer with historical information.

2. In what manner does Liu Kang's work show influence from that of Paul Gauguin. Include all possibilities, both visual and historical.

Social Identity: Portraiture as a reflection of the subject's status in society: Georgette Chen

Lai Foong Moi, Labourer (Lunch Break), 1965, Oil on canvas

What you need to know about the life of Lai Foong Moi:

• She studied art in Paris
• Came back to Singapore and became one of the most important painters of the Nanyang Style.

What is the Nanyang style?

• Check out this very informative webpage. You should know what the Nanyang style is, or at least the very basics of what it is, for your examination. Click here!

• She paints the everyday, that which is found all around.
  

Just like the last post, in which I analyzed the symbolic nature of Georgette Chen's portrait of her late husband, please do the following to analyze THIS artwork:

1. DESCRIBE the artwork.
2. Analyze the symbolism in the artwork. Based on the title, you will need to:

• find the typical labourer's dress of the day. See how his attire relates and compares.
  
• look at the posture and gaze of the subject
  
• look at the surroundings
• look at any other "things" in the artwork. Why were they purposefully placed there?

Please complete and submit via your blogs.

Social Identity: Portraiture as a reflection of the subject's status in society: Georgette Chen

Georgette Chen, Portrait of Eugene Chen, 1940, Oil on Canvas.

What you need to know about the life of Georgette Chen (in a nutshell):

• Was a forerunner in the Singapore art scene. One of the founders of the Nanyang style of art.
• Cultured early life: lived between Paris and New York, visiting China regularly with her father to remember her roots.
• Both Georgette and her husband were imprisoned during the breakout of the Second Sino-Japanese War, which later evolved into WWII.
• Eugene Chen was a minister
  
• Eugene Chen, her husband, died as a POW towards the end of WWII (before June 1944)
• Georgette Chen continued to paint portraits of her husband post-mortem.

Her style of painting is classified as Post-Impressionist. Refer to the earlier posts on Affandi and Vincent Van Gogh for details on the art movement and characteristics of the style.

In Portraits that are depicted to portray Social Status, we can look to posture and items in the image to show the class/interests of the sitter. Remember that this portrait is HOW HE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR ALL ETERNITY. Nothing is a mistake. Everything has importance.

First, it is necessary to look into the traditional clothing of the time period. In the late 1930's and early 1940's, suits, ties, and hats (fedoras) were in fashion.

Compare this to our sitter. He wears a simple what appears to be a cotton button casual shirt with a scarf wrapped around his neck.

This can suggest several things:

1. He is down to earth, and not concerned with the fashion of the day.
2. He is conservative, and does not with to attract attention to himself.
3. As we know that he is a minister, we know that the Chen couple is not hurting for money. This may imply that he is humble.
4. The scarf tied around his neck suggests that he is an intravert: it acts as a kind of shield in a way, almost like a blanket would.
   

He is posed wearing glasses and a book. This suggests:

1. That he is educated, and places value on having an appearance as an intellectual or knowledgeable man.

He sits in a wicker chair. This suggests:

1. That perhaps he enjoys admiring the outdoors or staying at home, as wickerchairs are not indoor furniture and are typically only found in the home.

He sits on the edge of the chair, and looks off into the distance as if distracted. This suggests:

1. He is worried or preoccupied. It looks as if the weight of the world is on his mind, suggesting that he is committed to his job as a minister.
   
2. He is a busy man who enjoys leisure but perhaps does not have time for such joys as reading.

While there is nothing for you to ACTIVELY DO for this post, please take note of the symbolism in the artwork including the traditional dress of the 1940's, Georgette and Eugene Chen's past, as well as the style of the artwork.

It is very important that you know HOW to do this. You'll get to practice on another artwork in the NEXT post :D

Self Identity 3: Bayu Utomo Radjikin

Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Lang Kacang, 1991, Mixed Media

What you need to know about Bayu Utomo Radjikin:

• In 1989 joined the artist group, MATAHATI. They had a great impact on the Malaysian art scene addressing controversial themes and pushing the boundaries of what defines "fine art".
• Work contains a lot of Post-Modernist traits.

What is Post-Modernism?

• Made big in the 80's, Post-Modernism encompasses visual art that criticized society.
• Work that is anti-corporate, a critique of the institutions, is mass-media.
• Ethical touchstone: Relativism -- the belief that no society or culture is more important than any other. Not unusual for Post-Modernist artists to use their art to explore and undermine the way society imposes traditional hierarchies and cultural values and meanings.
  

This artwork reflects the fact that the traditional culture from Malaysia is being abandoned.

The sculpture is in the shape of a warrior: traditionally, warriors fight for their country, whether they agree with the cause or leadership, or not.

Please answer the following questions:
1. What about the sculpture (physical attributes) reflects the fact that the traditional culture is being abandoned?
2. Why is this work classified as Post-Modern?
3. Please DESCRIBE the artwork.

Use this as a guide for DESCRIBING SCULPTURES

• What is the artwork an image OF? (What are the identifiable things IN the artwork?)
• Has anything been EXAGGERATED or OMITTED from the artwork?
• What is the artwork made OF
• Where are the materials located ON the artwork?
• Can you walk around the work?
• Does it have a base?
• What is the POSITIONING of the artwork?
  
• What COLORS are used & what do they look like? (bright, dull, earth tones, etc)
• What is the TEXTURE of the work?
• Where is the POSITIVE and NEGATIVE space?
  
• What style or movement was the artist a part of?

You can use point form in your answer if you wish :)

Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889, Oil on Canvas.

What you need to know about Vincent Van Gogh

• Tried just about every profession in the book, including teaching, and ended up being an artist
• His brother Theo supported him most of his life. There are documented letters back and forth between him and Theo
• Is documented that he would trade paintings for art supplies, as he had no money of his own.
• Only sold 1 artwork in his entire life.
• As his artwork was unusual for his time, was considered to be a failure as an artist.
• Set up an artist community with Paul Gauguin in Arles (Southern France).
• Van Gogh considered Gauguin to be a good friend. The two had a quarrel, after which Van Gogh cut off his own ear. This self portrait is a painting of the aftermath.
  
• Mentally unstable: spent the latter part of his life in a mental institution.
• Most of his works were created in the last 2 years of his life, 1888-1890. Van Gogh used to go into frenzies where he would paint quickly, and to no end.
  
• Died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the stomach in 1890.
  

Van Gogh is one of the main 4 Post-Impressionists. He paints in a Post-Impressionist style. The main goals of the Post-Impressionists was to communicate emotion and to have symbolic meaning. They were leaving behind the ideals and traditions of the Impressionists. It was a refusal to imitate nature and create artworks with moral significance.

About Van Gogh's painting style: The painting is brightly colored with heavy brushstrokes. It shows his preference for strong color. It is not unusual for a Van Gogh to have simplified forms.

Please answer the following:

1. Many artists like to idealize themselves, as their self-portraits will be how they are remembered. Why would Van Gogh highlight his weakness? Remember to IDENTIFY his weakness in your answer.

2. What is the mood, or feeling, of this work of art? Please use the painting, as well as historical knowledge to justify your answer.

Self Identity 1: Affandi

Please print out each of these artworks and make flashcards with the important facts on the other side. Study your cards regularly, adding on as we add new artists and artworks.

Affandi, Self-Portrait, 1975, oil on canvas

What you need to know about Affandi:

Very famous Indonesian Artist.

Life story (in a nutshell): Born to a blue collar worker. Dropped out of school to persue painting. Worked some odd jobs. Painted whenever possible. Joined the Lima Bandung community, an artist community made up of 5 Indonesian painters. He was the leader. Worked with Hundra Gunawan in this community. Made his house into a gallery. Died in 1990.

Inspired by Van Gogh, even though his artwork was created 100 years AFTER Van Gogh

Artwork is done in the Post-Impressionist Style.

Applied paint very thickly DIRECTLY from the tube to the canvas: used his fingers to paint.

His use of COLOR is important. Note the use of WARM colors in the face with MINIMAL COOL colors in the background.

Affandi's work is heavy on color symbolism. Think about what warm colors translate to (anger, happiness). This will help you with your interpretations. While he led a relatively typical life, artists tend to paint with expressive lines to show their emotions.

His use of LINE is important. Lines are curvilinear, wavy, and their direction helps to give definition to Affandi's face. The thickness and direction of the line varies.

Please complete the following for this artwork. Submit via your blog by next week Friday (16th July):

1. Describe this painting. Answer these questions as a guide for ALL painting describing questions (some questions do not apply to every painting):

• What is the artwork an image OF? (What are the identifiable things IN the artwork?)
• Where are these things located IN the artwork?
• Where does the subject of the artwork take place? (in a room, at a festival, etc)
  
• What COLORS are used & what do they look like? (bright, dull, earth tones, etc)
• What type of PERSPECTIVE is used in the artwork?
• How is the paint applied/what texture does it give?
  
• What style or in what way does the artist paint?

1. How does the artist create movement in this artwork?
2. What is your interpretation of this artwork and why? (use the artwork and the artist's history as supporting evidence).

Welcome

Hi Ladies,

As we get closer and closer to your examinations, we really need to concentrate our class time on getting you actual coursework projects done. I will be using this forum to "teach" you from home, giving you self-guided activities and providing you all the information you need to know.

To receive a grade for this portion of the class, you will need to respond to the posts. In order to cover all the artists and skills by the exam, plan on having two posts a week, one on Friday, and one on Wednesday. Please have both completed by your class time on Friday.

To complete the activities, please create your OWN blog, and become a follower of mine.

You're on Scouts Honor not to look at other classmates answers -- should you do so just for the grade and not to learn and to improve, I can guarantee that you will not do well on your exam.