After rough-sanding the table I started sketching out the design and began experimenting with the dremel.
Found this piece at Goodwill! Only $15. I thought I would make an awesome sand tray table.... let the fun begin.
According to Frances Asquith, the director of the Russian pictures department at Sotheby’s, the artists who established themselves in the Soviet art world under Stalin were faced with an interesting challenge: “They had to define something that didn’t exist.” And they had to define what didn’t exist in way that didn’t get them executed. That said, Even if the government commissions or controls art for propaganda purposes with certain principles, styles, and convention, artists can still use their skills to tweak the message. For example, well established Social Realist painter, Alexander Dienekes’ provocative portrayal of the naked human figure “transcended the state’s asexual self image.” Popkov pioneered a new style within Social Realism that showed greater experimentation with color and abstraction. This Severe Style also included “psychologically penetrating domestic scenes” that subtly strayed from the usual glorified depiction of family and the working class. Commissioned artists may seem a puppet of the government on one hand, but the work of Dienekes and Popkov present another idea altogether: he whose hand holds the paintbrush has the most control over the outcome of the painting, does he not? Now, I have no knowledge of the moral musings and political opinions of these artists. However, it excites my imagination to think that they may have attempted to undermine the oppressive policy and destructive messages of their commissioners by using their creative genius to manipulate the images in a way that resonated with people and went unnoticed by the government. Of course, such covert creative practices are probably as romantic as the much of the propaganda that supported Stalin’s vision of his country. We see that even subtle alterations in appearance of powerful figures did not slip past them so easily. For Social Realist painter, Isaak Brodsky choosing to paint a fur cap or hat on the head of military leader, Voroshilov, was a matter of life and death. Unfortunately, artists and their art are still at risk today, perhaps even more so than in the past. In the case of Brain McCarty, he found out that the terrorist group ISIS had stolen one of his photographs and doctored it to use as recruiting propaganda. The photographer from California was shocked when he saw that his original photo -- which was inspired by a girl from Gaza forced to live each day in fear of a missile strike -- into a poster promoting the terrorist platform. What angered him most was not that his work was stolen and propagated illegally, but that his art intended to promote peace was turned into a treatise of terror. The internet has made art both more accessible and more easily distorted. Vulnerability is the price artists all over the world pay for attempting to promulgate their work and their message using the technology of our time. This is yet another reason why I believe it is critical to consider context as well as content. If we only evaluated an artist on his or her workmanship, we may miss a key component of their craft: courage. If we only evaluated an artist on his or her workmanship, we may miss a key component of their craft: courage.
“Since the Esoteric Buddhist teachings are so profound as to defy expression in writing, they are revealed through the medium of painting.” -Kukai, founder of Shingon Buddhism
Written languages signified civilization, showed cultural advancement, and initiated the intellectualization of the human race, but to this day, imagery and pictures continue to serve profound communicative and connective purposes. Where words and analysis often fail to satisfy our hunger for truth and wholeness, art and spiritual experience help humans to reach states of ecstasy and enlightenment.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, an influential research psychologist, brings up an interesting point in his 2008 Ted Talk on a state of being called flow, or optimal experience. Csikszentmihalyi defines flow as a state of complete and total absorption or engagement which usually occurs during an athletic, creative, or musical activity--anything that is both challenging and enjoyable for the individual. Flow is, in essence, an “ecstatic state.” It is at once a step into an alternative reality and a state of being present in the moment. This said, Csikszentmihalyi makes the intriguing point that we know more about the flow states, or the ecstasies, of the men of thriving ancient civilizations than we do about their everyday lives. “We know the temples they built, where people could come to experience a different reality. We know about the circuses, the arenas, the theaters. These are the remains of civilizations and they are the places that people went to experience life in a more concentrated, more ordered form,” says Csikszentmihalyi. Over the course of my research on the early Japanese mandalas--specifically the Womb World mandala--of Esoteric Buddhism, I began to notice how the mandala may function no different from the art historical structures and sanctuaries Csikszentmihalyi speaks of in his lecture; despite the 2-dimensionality of the Womb World silk scroll, it too, aided in the creation of sacred space, in the making of a place where flow experience is possible. Moreover, perhaps Buddhist “enlightenment” and flow are one in the same. Where Csikszentmihalyi's decades of research show that flow states involve a challenge, engagement, openness, mastery and deepened connection to place, people, and time, the Buddha’s “enlightenment” is also achieved by a state of heightened concentration and deeper connection, a balance of wisdom and compassion. At once there is a loss of the baggage of the self but also a realization that by utilizing the unique qualities and skills of the individual, the self can contribute to the universal good. The art and spiritual practices of Buddhism originated in India and were introduced to Japan by two Japanese holy men named Saicho and Kukai in the 9th Century. Saicho and Kukai went on study missions to China and both returned with art, relics, and knowledge of Buddhist teachings. The two men founded the Tendai and Shingon sects of Esoteric Buddhism. With the introduction of Buddhism also came the introduction of new and intricate art forms, specifically the mandalas, that played important roles in communicating Buddhist teachings. Moreover, the Tendai and Shingon sects of Buddhism introduced tantric deities to the Japanese pantheon of Gods and consequently influenced the imagery of indigenous Japanese art. The mandala was a critical instrument of spiritual communication and comprehension. Kukai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, felt passionately that the unenlightened could not feel or understand the true essence of the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, by simply having the sutras, the sacred texts, read aloud and explained to them. He believed that only images could encompass and reveal the Buddha’s wisdom, claiming that upon viewing the Two World Mandala one’s “buddha nature” would awaken. This “buddha nature” speaks to one of the most profound and perhaps the most historically appealing aspects of Esoteric Buddhism: all beings have the ability to reach enlightenment and achieve buddhahood. According to Kukai, the Buddha and the Dharma exist within all sentient beings, and assisted and guided by visual and sensory aids, the unenlightened can journey toward enlightenment and learn to embrace the great compassion of the Buddha. Erin and I spent the week back from break brainstorming and planning our next project. I am excited to start filming next week!
Alejandro Maestre is a passionate photographer, digital film producer, and teacher. He majored in photography at the University of Cataluna and studied Imaging Science at the university of Alcala de Henares. Maestre has over fifteen years of professional experience. He has taught courses in photography, digital post-production, and prepress at CITM UPC, the Center for Advanced Technologies of Zaragoza (CTA), GrisArt, IDEP, and CEV. Maestre also worked as a professional photographer at various companies such as Contrapunto and BBDO.
I came across this series of portrait photographs El Hombre Que se Crea. Retrato A Julian Canovas (Man is Created. A Portrait of Julian Canovas.) when I was investigating mud art. Over the past couple of days, Erin and have been planning collaboration project. We plan to ask students to bring in dirt from where they live. We will film them making the mud and then ask the participant to paint the mud on their face in a way they think would enhance their appearance. Because the participants will not have a mirror to look into when plastering their faces with mud--they will have to rely on the internal image of self. This whole process/experiment will be documented with video or time lapse technology, and we expect interesting results! That said, I was thrilled to find this series that uses mud to externalize an internal journey. When I did more research into the piece, I learned that Julian is not only a fellow artist but also a close friend of Alejandro. Julian approached Alejandro about portrait project that could represent his creative capacity and his attempt to understand his own body and spirit. Alejandro admires Julian’s work and passion for his art, film, and writing, and produced this work to illustrate the emotional struggle of the creator as he shapes and discovers himself in his creating. I really love that Maestre edited out all of the figure except what was covered in mud. The negative space and dynamic compositions really make each piece unique powerful and provocative. |
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