Welcome,
Please remember:
1. Use you full name at the start of your post otherwise I cannot credit your participation
2. Answer three question only, each answer should be about 150 words so about 450 in total
3. Answer between now and Sunday, January 15 as we will discuss the questions on January 16.
Good luck,
Dr. Myzelev
Ray Ellenwood, Total Refusal.
- What were the main events and people that caused the young artists such as Riopelle and Gauvreau to become interested in new artistic movements?
- What was reaction to Refus Global manifesto?
- What were similarities between Surrealists and Les Automatistes?
- Pp. 14-16. What are main ideas of the Refus Global?
Laura Walter
ReplyDelete1)A new artist movement emerged in Quebec in the 1940s, with the great influence of Paul Emile Borduas. In 1939, he was a teacher at the Ecole de Meuble and began to experiment with a new style of art that was highly based in surrealism. His students including Riopelle and Gaureau, took to this new style of art and were greatly interested in creating a new artistic movement. This happened following the war when artists and intellectuals were exiled out of Europe and were coming into Quebec. There was also a growing sense of urgency and a need to do something. This new artistic movement also acted as a means of social revolution and many young artists were keen to become involved.
3)Les Automatistes’ foundation was in that of surrealism and its theory of automatism. Similarly to surrealism which emerged out of World War One, the Les Automatistes were highly influenced by World War Two. As its establishment lay in surrealism, the work of the Les Automatistes was very similar. They both utilized abstract paintings, going against conventions of academic teachings. Painting was done spontaneously without preconception. The main idea was to paint “automatically.” Following the surrealist Andre Breton’s ideal of a unconscious style of painting, which becomes a creative force for the subconscious. As well they both acted as more than an artistic style but a challenge to the social, political and cultural conditions of the time. They were as very much based on the idea of pure expression through art.
4)The manifesto begins with a history of how the French-Canadians came to be, leading to their main ideals on what should change. They reject the social, artistic and psychological norms and values of Quebec society in the 1940s. They saw religion as exploitation by the church who had taken the faith from the heart’s of the people. As well stating that they were misguided educators who distorted the facts. People became powerless in defending themselves against religious orders. Due to this anti-Christian message, Borduas was fired from his teaching position at the school. They also argued that there is a need to break from conventions of society and reject its utilitarian spirit, displaying a very anti-establishment message. Too long have they been exploited by various institutions and made to conform in a particular manner. People need to refuse to keep silent and instead make way for objective mysteries, love and internal drives. This of course is all connected with the art of expressionism. Adding that passion will shape the future through solidarity. Although they argue that they merely want to transform society rather than completely change it.
Stephanie Hernandez
ReplyDelete1. WWII played an important role in the in the introduction of new art practices with a decisive break from traditions of figurative painting in Canada. This was facilitated by the displacement of European artists in the inter-war and post war years. Paul-Emile Borduas was a main proponent of challenging the status quo and was able to challenge the teachings of the Ecole des Beaux Arts with his position as a teacher at the Ecole du Meuble. The growing disenchantment with the status quo led to Borduas to influence his students and the students of the more conservative Ecole des Beaux Arts. Borduas influence extended to more than just his students at the Ecole du Meuble as many young artists identified with his challenge of traditional art education. The availability of collections and ideas through displacement facilitated the ability of artists to expand the limitations of what was considered to be art.
2. The reaction to the Refus Global manifesto varied among differing societal groups. The anti-Christian and Church messages caused condemnation from Christian intellectuals. Given the content, this is not surprising. For other factions of the populace, the Refus Global was reminiscent of surrealist, and dada manifestos in Europe. The content and reception of the Refus Global was a large contributor to Borduas being fired from Ecole du Meuble, as he was considered unstable. The Refus Global was received as a radical anti-establishment, document that challenged the values of art. Within the group of ‘Automatistes’ there was mixed reaction as some members disagreed about what the overall message and intent of the manifesto should be.
4. The main ideas behind the Refus Global deal with a drive towards creative expression. The manifesto criticizes the rational control that stifles the soul. Borduas emphasizes the importance of spontaneous impulses that he believes are behind the great moments of history. Borduas shares his hope for a society that is free of fear, especially the types of fear he attributes to Christianity and the corruption of the Church. Borduas sees an inevitability of a collective drive towards a society of liberation. The main point behind the Refus Global is a look to the future and not the past which has been corrupted to this point of rationalization, self-service and inauthenticity which has been translated using the word INTENTION. Borduas advocates for a forward moving society that praises an inexplicable force translated using the word DRIVE towards true irrational creativity.
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ReplyDeleteChloe Stelmanis-Cali
ReplyDelete1. New energies existing in Montreal during the years of World War 2 challenged conservative institutions and made way for new artistic movements. These movements became strengthened by the event of WW2 which exiled both artists and collections of art to Montreal. These artists, such as Pellan, and collections served to impact and influence young Canadian artists in a new way. The emergence of European artists inspired Borduas to move away from traditional styles to more surrealist styles, and his work came to influence other Canadian artists such as Riopelle and Gauvreau. The impact that Borduas had on Riopelle and Gauvreau is evident in their work together on the Quartier Latin and in their contribution to Borduas’ manifesto. The Ecole du Meuble, where Borduas taught, was also a rival of the conservative institution of the Musee des Beaux Arts, and the Contemporary Arts Society founded by John Lyman was also a strong critic of the Musee des Beaux Arts. The growing criticism of the Musee de Beaux Arts subsequently lead to a rise of new ideas in art which were less focused on tradition and more associated with the French Surrealist movement.
3. While Automatist’s were undoubtedly indebted to the French Surrealist movement, I believe Ellenwood’s article stresses the importance Borduas sought in differentiating and distancing himself for surrealism. This is evident in repeated rejections by the Automatist artists of invitations to formally align themselves with surrealism or to partake in surrealist exhibitions in Paris. This need for Borduas to differentiate between Surrealism and Automatism echo his ideas represented in Refus Global, which suggest the importance for people to succumb to spontaneity and passionate impulses. Automatism, to Borduas, reflected this need for spontaneity and impulse in art through abstraction, while Surrealism, as Ellenwood suggests, was too focused on “intention.”
4. In his pamphlet Refus Global, Borduas indicates his feelings (which may be associated with the automatist artists) of being powerless, “fixed” and oppressed. He specifically stresses this powerlessness and “fixed” place as a result of the exploitive and decadent Catholic Church, who Borduas believed was misusing its power. In order to overcome the problematic “fixed destiny,” Borduas strived for the birth of a new collective thought, which he felt existed in glimpses in the past in hopeful but failed revolutions. A main focus in Refus Global is the idea that one must reject intention and reason, reflecting the Automatist artistic movement.
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ReplyDeleteNicole Jorge
ReplyDelete1. The main events that lead young artists such as Riopelle and Gauvreau to become interested in new artistic movement began in the 1940s with the war. When the war began european artists along with their paintings were fleeing to North America. Young artists gained a new exposure to works by european artists because of this. This exposure of new art lead to the questioning of the status quo and questioning of the traditional art schools. Paul Bordeau was a teacher Ecole du Meauble, he was a large part of the new artistic movement by challenging the traditions at the Ecole des Beaux Art. He influenced many of his students at the Ecole du Meauble and students at Beaux Art. The students began to challenge the traditional teaching of art and sparked a new interest in the new artistic movements.
2. The reaction to Refus Global manifesto was different among various social groups. Many saw this manifesto as anti establishment and a challenge towards the values of art. Paul Bordeau was terminated from his teaching position because of his participation in the manifesto, they felt he was an unsuitable teacher because of his views. The Christians condemned the writings, the manifesto took a very anti-christian and anti-establishment approach. The manifesto created a huge reaction with many letters being sent in about it. There was mixed feelings with in the autonomist group. The autonomist group disputed the tactics and purpose of the manifesto, there was a loss of communication and friendship between Montreal and France. Bordeau found himself increasingly isolated as time went on after the manifesto.
4. The main idea of the Refus Global was the need for authenticity and spontaneity in art. They felt art should be an experience for the viewer it should unleash emotion; love, desires, ecstasy. The Refus Global tended to be an anti-Christian message, probably because it was born under a society declining Christian society. Bordeau felt they we should obey our primary drives, generosity, spontaneity, passion. He was against rational control such as religion and the government. Freedom from fear of these structures will be freedom of creativity and our souls.
Allison Karakokkinos
ReplyDelete1. The event of WW2 was a main cause of increased interest in a new artistic movement as artists and intellectuals from Europe were sent into exile in North America. Canadian artists were influenced as the flood European artists brought along their work that proved to be very different from the institution established within Canada. Works like those of Piet Mondrian were seen for the first time on the continent and sparked interest in Canadian artists who sought to differentiate themselves. The Musee des Beaux Arts was the institution to challenge in Quebec during the 1940’s and one of its biggest critics was the Contemporary Art Society which boasted Paul Emile Borduas as the Vice President. Borduas’ painting changed dramatically at this time from figurative images to surrealist compositions lacking figurative content of any kind. This greatly impacted Borduas as well as his students at the Ecole de Meuble, a school that decisively rivaled the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
2. The Refus Global Manifesto caused a rapid reaction when circulated. Borduas was fired from his position at the Ecole du Meuble for it was now believed that he was unsuitable to teach according to the school’s ideals as exemplified by the manifesto. A “war of words” (p.5) ensued as over 100 texts were published in the papers and magazines within the year as people condemned and supported the manifesto. Many were offended by the anti-Christian tone that oozed from the manifesto, including Pelletier and Gagnon. The Automatistes as a group lost cohesion internally as well as externally with its ties in Paris. Borduas eventually withdrew and became almost entirely isolated. Some claim that this was the end of automatism, while other clung to the belief that it lingered until 1955 but without the dame zest as it had prior to the manifesto.
4. Refus Global presented a number of strong ideas and goals. One of the more prominent was to create a break with conventional society and its utilitarianism. Another was to stand up to fraud and vice that had been under the societal guise of “knowledge and respect”. As mentioned Borduas introduced an undoubtedly anti-Christian tone to the manifesto discussing the church as corrupted and implying its abuse of power. This can be linked to the anti-institution message of the writing for the church was one of the largest organized institutions at the time that controlled much of social life, a control Borduas was attempting to be rid of.
Lauren Rodgers and Noor Ale
ReplyDeleteSaturday January 14 2012
1) Upon the onset of World War II, many valued European paintings were displayed in North America, as it was a safe haven and free from destruction in a war torn Europe. A collection of Dutch paintings were brought to Canada in exhibition in 1944, contributing to a new artistic revelation for young Canadian artists. The Contemporary Artists Society established itself in Canada, and a new wave of artistic practice was implemented into Canadian culture, as they strongly rejected traditional institutions like the Ecole des Beaux Arts. There was a rejection of traditional figurative painting, and a new emphasis on emerging European trends, surrealism and cubism became popular styles during this period. With World War II looming, Canadian artists living abroad in Europe returned home to Canada to escape the dangers of war. Canadian born artists like Pellan, encouraged European techniques to young emerging artists influencing their technique, leading to a new, revolutionary style of art.
2) The reaction to the Refus Global movement was very much negative by conservative, traditional institutions, however the publication had an immediate impact on young artists, and the publication quickly sold out. Refus Global promoter Paul Emilie Borduas was fired from his position as the Ecole du Meuble as an instructor because officials stated the manifestos he published, and his state of mind made him unsuitable for teaching. Christian intellectuals strongly condemned Refus Global. Jesuit Ernest Gagnon’s outrange rejection of Bordua’s manifesto went so far as to call him “sick”. People opposed to the Refus Global movement often commented on the lack of education and training especially that of Borduas classifying them as anti-establishment and unprofessional. The Refus Global movement was an avant garde movement emerging in Canada, involving radically different trends from the traditional components of Canadian painting and artistic techniques.
4) The main ideas of the Refus global, outlined in the manifesto, declared the need for spontaneity, authenticity in art, and the urgency to break free from the intellectual and creative constraints imposed by the status quo in Quebec. Prominent Automatise writer and artist from the Refus global, Paul-Emile Borduas, considered passionate impulses to be the creative driving force that enables society to evolve towards a future that promises intellectual and creative progression. To Borduas, these creative impulses formed the most significant historical moments. Their precepts encouraged an internal compulsion to unleash an organic inevitability. They expressed anti-Christian sentiments, attributing the ignorance of society to the dominance of Christian ideology. Societal dependency on the Christian clergy needed to be abandoned in favour of a freedom of creative and independent thinking. Intel The Refus global sought to reveal the distortion of truth caused by the status quo, specifically the clergy.
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ReplyDeletePost by Samantha Pagliaro (0626878)
ReplyDelete2. The Rufus Global was not a very grand manifesto, yet it had a very quick and great impact on the readers (both positive and negative) and was sold out very quickly. There were numerous reactions to the publication of this manifesto, such as Borduas being fired form École du Meuble. Also there was a lot of protesting from religious groups who were offended by the comments that were made about Christianity.
3. Both the Automatistés and the Surrealists were formed as a result of war and were based from manifestos. Both of these ideas are based in the idea and the call for changed. They believed that for art to be pure and to be viewed purely (without the viewer dissecting) there must be a change in society. Though the Automatistés were very enthusiastic and indebted to the French surrealist movement they also worked very hard to create a separation from them. Though both had a great emphasis on ‘abstraction’ the Automatistés felt that they had too much ‘intention’
4. The main ideas of the Rufus Global is that of societies fear of change. There seems to be a great dislike for how society exploits are and calls for a revolution. There are many comments in the beginning of the manifesto about society feeling ‘sick’ or ‘nauseous’, it seems to be asking the reader how can they not react to what is happening around them. The manifesto states the Christianity has built this social norm, yet it will end and tear down the social systems it created on the way down. Science took over religion and then made the industrial revolution with the creation of decadence and its regularity. The Rufus Global claimed that Reason divided the world and claims that we must break free from the conventions of society and refuse to function ‘knowingly’.
#1) There were a few key events that resulted in the desire to create a new artistic movement. This yearning for a new artistic movement had begun in the 1940s. After the war, many different artists came to North America from Europe, bringing with them their own unique styles and techniques. These European artists influenced artists in North America because they were exposed to art that they had not seen before which triggered the desire to step outside of the box and create works more freely. The migration of artists from Europe to North America was an eye-opening experience and some such as Paul Borduas, an instructor from Ecole du Meuble began to experiment outside of the artistic norms at the time. He not only changed his artistic style but also influenced others such as his students to break from artistic traditions like figurative painting to more expressive modes such as surrealism.
Delete#2) The Refus Global sparked a rather large reaction among different groups of people when it was published. This manifesto written by the automatistes discussed the conservative political atmosphere in addition to the art scene in Quebec at that time. Many viewed this manifesto as anti-religious and anti-establishment and for these reasons, many people did not agree with what was being said. Paul Emile Borduas was fired as an instructor from Ecole du Meuble because “his writings and the manifesto he publishes and his state of mind make him unsuitable for the kind of teaching we wish for our students.” The manifesto was seen as against the social norms at the time and therefore was not accepted as a legitimate manifesto to the majority of society.
#4) Refus Global brought about many strong ideas. They wanted to get away from traditional society beliefs and norms as well as utilitarianism. They argued against matters that the majority of society during that time did not question such as ideas, beliefs, rules and regulations, many of which were implemented and supported by the church. The anti-religious undertone of the manifesto pointed out that the church, which controlled many aspects of everyday life, corrupted and completely misused its power. This bold statement is what gained the attention of many because these people relied heavily on the church. Refus Global wanted to break free of tradition and therefore argued for authenticity and spontaneity and the liberation of society.
Rachel Lauzon
ReplyDelete1. The main events which produced new artistic movements were the world wars and in Canada an increasing access to European art and ideas. Many young artists became interested in these new vibrant artistic movements and philosophies which questioned the old order. The world wars caused many European artists to immigrate to North America bringing with them the new ideas and styles being explored in European art. Influence from non-figurative movements such as the Surrealists as well as social movements such as Communism began to be felt in the Montreal art scene. This influence resulted in new connections between Montreal and the rest of the world. Publications and artworks also became more accessible to the artists in Montreal from both Europe and the United States.
2. The reaction to the Refus Global manifesto was one of shock and controversy. This was mainly due to the Manifesto’s strong anti-Christian message as well as an anti-establishment message. The wording of the Manifesto was very aggressive and critical of the social order of the time. The Manifesto did not hide its intention to be a catalyst of social change calling for readers to join them. Paul-Emilie Borduas lost his job at the Ecole du Meuble and the resulting public controversy in newspapers and magazines ended up fracturing the group eventually leading to the end of the Automatist movement in the 1950s.
4. The main idea behind the Refus Global was social change or revolution. The Manifesto aimed to make people question the establishment and to recruit new members into the movement. The aim of the manifesto was a freeing of society and art from history and tradition. The Automatists believed that people needed to be freed from convention in order to fully develop their physical and mental potential. The manifesto has an urgency to it that indicates that the writers felt that society was in crisis. The events of the preceding years, particularly the two World Wars caused many people to question where society was heading and the role of the Church in society.
1. Montreal faced cultural changes during the years of the Second World War. The conservative Ecole des Beaux-Arts became subject to criticism and the more contemporary Ecole du Meuble became important. Paul Emile Borduas was a instructor at that school and was instrumental in its rise in significance to Montreal’s art community. In an attempt escape the war in Europe, many artists and intellectuals fled to North America. The artist Pellan, for example, returned to Quebec from Paris with knowledge of Cubism and Surrealism. Equally important as the artists who came were collections of work that were brought on tour. One of these collections was a traveling exhibit of Dutch painting, which was influential. So, young Quebec artists had several new sources of inspiration.
ReplyDelete2. The Rufus Global Manifesto had an almost immediate negative response. Paul-Emile Borduas was fired as an instructor at the Ecole du Meuble as a result of the publication. Articles and letters were printed in Newspapers and Magazines, mostly because of the negative viewpoint taken of Christianity. Christian leaders and intellectuals from various denominations spoke out against the controversial manifesto. While some considered Automatism to shift at this point and continue through to 1955, many believed that the Rufus Global Manifesto was both the high point and the end of this movement.
4. Borduas begins the Rufus Global Manifesto with his history of the French-Canadians. There is a significant theme throughout of the negative qualities Christianity has on the people. Borduas dwells upon the various fears of prejudice, being alone without God, fear of poverty and established order. The main idea then is to completely reject intention and reason to make way for love and internal drives. The idea of being free from the establishment is put forwards along with the need to shape the future spontaneously and unpredictably.
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ReplyDeleteNatalie Banaszak
ReplyDelete1. Artists such as Riopelle and Gauvreau travelled to Paris, where they were exposed to the popular styles of the day. Gauvreau also made himself an acquaintance of Borduas, who had an immense impact on the young poet. Another thing which had a particular impact on Gauvreau was the series of surrealist inspired artwork which was exhibited by Borduas which was exhibited in 1942. Riopelle also adopted the surrealist style, as he signed the surrealist manifesto (titled Rupture inaugurale) while in Paris.
2. The Refus Global manifesto was not received very well. Paul-Emile Borduas was fired from his position as an instructor at the Ecole du Meuble, as he was seen as being in an unfit state of mind to teach students. The group (the Automatistes) protested against this movement, but to no avail; and often the main concern was the conduct of the Duplesis government. Over 100 articles and letters were published over the next year, Ellenwood calls it the “war of words”. Christian intellectuals rejected and condemned the manifesto, as it portrayed Quebec as a “nation born under the sign of fear, ripe for revolt against society. Groups of artists with similar artistic values and revolution-seekers cut off from the Automatistes, as communication between Montreal and Paris was less reliable. Bourdas was completely isolated. Because of this, the Refus Global was the climax as well as undoing of Automatism.
4. The manifesto is introduced with a history of French Canada, which leads into the main ideas about what the Automatistes think should be done to amend their way of life. Quebec was, as previously mentioned, outlined as a society living under fear, with a yearning for revolution due to the suppressive qualities of the church. Borduas also outlined the importance of spontaneity as well as authenticity in art. Necessite is defined as a very organic irrational force within which causes real creativity; and the opposite of this concept is intention which is outlined as rational control. Art should be an experience, not simply a representation or decoration.
J. Tanner Jackson (0678161)
ReplyDelete1. Paul-Émile Borduas writes the first insert describing the Anew wave movement of artists branching out of Quebec, ranging from abstractionists to the surrealists of European origin. These essays in Total Refusal totally reject the norms and values of the Quebecois society of that day. Anti-establishment was one aspect of the group’s motives, but other art critiques such as Pierre Gauvreau make bold statements such as ‘God does not exist’ stirring the pot even more in Quebec’s fine arts. This manifesto presents the peak of the 40’s, reflecting the previous ten years in which art in Canada began to rebel and shape the art and society for the better. An interest rather towards a political base issues begins to come of interest, as a homogenous identity created by the previous artists in Canada is great recognized.
3. Both originating out of post-War conflicts, Les Automatistes and the Surrealists both shared similarities in which are easy recognizable. Like the Surrealists coming out of France the Automatistes moved outside the conventions of painting – that being the teachings out of academia – applying similar use of painting from the subconscious, as well as removing any pre-determined plan before the execution of painting would take place. This exact action of removing all pre-conditioned motives applies to the name they gave themselves, which enforced the idea of painting “automatically” rather then previously hard planned works such as the Group of Seven’s landscapes. Both the Surrealists and the Automatistes presented their own manifesto’s which challenged the art culture both in terms of style and expression, engaging not only in the formal aspects but as well as politically engaged themselves to contemporary issues of their time.
2. Varying among the different establishments and cultural groups, Total Refusal’s main ideas impacted each group differently depending on the specific motive the Automatistes had. The fact that the group denied any existence to God made them lose anyone whom was part of religious practice, which immediately lost supporters from the beginning. Paul-Emile Borduas along with many of his contemporaries address the issue of religion and God through the Catholic Church as its main focus, pointing out its misguided power that implied everyone having a fixed path in life. Borduas feels this isn’t the case, and he decides to remove any ‘intention’ or ‘influence’ to his work, focusing as much as possible on particular moment the art is being made. This further isolated the group of Automatistes in terms of connections with the artists supporting in France, whom did not feel that the anti-Christian and anti-establishment motives were valid. It seems that the reaction lasted long, in terms of the papers being spewed back and forth, but in reality the movement itself began with an end, persisting on a small scale with artists trying to push the limits of the Quebec Art Society.
1. The large population that immigrated from Europe to North America after World War II had a prevalent impact on Canadian art. Newly immigrated artists produced a style of work distinct from the Canadian style at that time. The comingling of these different styles revolutionized Canadian art. Changes were most apparent in major art institutions in Quebec at this time, the Musee des Beaux Arts, the Ecole de Meuble and the Contemporary Art Society. The Vice President of the Contemporary Art Society Paul Emile Borduas drastically changed his painting style from figurative to surrealist.These changes were felt down stream by students of his at Ecole de Meuble. Piet Mondrian was another artist of the new movement that inspired young artists such as Riopelle and Gauvreau.
ReplyDelete2. The manifesto was not received well. The writer, Paul-Emile Bordaus, was fired the Ecole de Meuble. More than 100 articles and letters were published over the next year by Christian intellectuals and the like condemning the manifesto. Artists and others with similar values were denied communication with the Automatistes, and Bourdas defining the manifesto as the highest point and end of the movement.
4. The main ideas of the Refus Global manifesto are as follows: the necessity of authenticity and spontaneity in art. That passionate impulses enable intellectual and creative progression. To free oneself from intellectual and creative constraints imposed by the Catholic church and thus the status quo in Quebec. To expose society and the clergy for its distortion of truth.
David Winfield
ReplyDelete0675124
1. During this period of time, a lot of the eastern world was under the stresses of World War II. Due to areas in the West that were relatively free of these conflicts, such as in North America, Europeans began to come overseas in an attempt to avoid the effects of the War, many of them artists. These artists brought work with them, and in turn provided new influences and styles for the westerners to study and expand upon. In addition, many of these artists and styles were based upon the writings of certain manifestos—a practice that was not yet commonplace in English speaking countries such as those in North America. With the introduction of these writings came great influence for young North American artists such as Riopelle and Gauvreau to begin experimenting with their own ideas and beliefs of what art should be and how it should be done.
3. There were certain similarities between the two distinct groups of the Surrealists and Les Automatistes. Borduas and Gauvreau were heavily influenced by Mabille, a psychiatrist who was involved in the Surrealist movement, and wrote about the rise and fall of civilizations. The two Automatistes followed this notion as Borduas referenced history of Quebec often in his writings. In addition to this, the two groups were both formed as a reaction to the events of war and conflict. There creation depended upon this struggle and emerged as reactionary to these events. In terms of style in art, both groups believed that pure art should be clear from planning and draftsmanship. The Surrealists were concerned with unconscious painting as a technique to achieve pure art, while Les Automatistes were similarly creating art that was automatic, and in a way, sheltered from the influence of outside sources.
4. In a style heavily influenced by the Surrealist-associated psychiatrist Mabille, the manifesto starts with a heavy introduction to Quebec nationalist history. The goal of the Refus Global was to break from the traditions and structure of Quebec Canadians, who were strongly based upon religious foundations at the time. The manifesto stated that religion was an overbearing exploitation of residents and needed to be abandoned at least in part. They also strived for expression in arts, particularly free expression that left the traditions of the past to focus on a new, separate artistic movement focused on authenticity and spontaneity. Ultimately, the Refus Global was written to break free from a confined, pre-determined set of rules and routines guided by both the church and establishment. The focus was set upon blazing a new trail of art and artistic movements to better society and promote freedom of will.
Christine Gillespie
ReplyDelete1. WWII brought about significant cultural changes in Montreal, including a new energy that challenged established conservative institutions. The war brought many artists, intellectuals, and collections of paintings to Canada which were a revelation to young Canadian painters. For one, the French Dominican Father Alain Coururier encouraged new trends by giving lectures on modern painting, orgainizing exhibitions and publically criticizing the conservative Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Frontrunners of the Contemporary Art Society John Lyman and Paul Emilie Borduas led a boycott of all official exibitions of the museum and created a Salon des Independents. Borduas own new painting style devoid of recognizable figures greatly impacted his students at Ecole du Meuble. They formed a group, along with poet Claude Gauvreau and painter Jean-Paul Mousseau, under manifesto, Refus global. Making alliances with the European Modernists, the group pushed in new artistic movements with their own art writing, lectures and exhibitions.
2. A lot of groups reacted strongly against the Refus global manifesto. Paul Emilie Borduas was fired from the Ecole du Meuble for promoting artistic ideas contrary to the schools mandate. This action sparked a year of magazine and newspaper publishing taking up both sides of the cause. Christian intellectuals condemned Refus global and rejected Borduas ideas. Others protested Bourduas’ firing, some using his case to criticize the Duplessis government. Disputes arose within the Refus global group overs its own tactics and purposes. Communications with the group’s European counter-parts became less stable. Borduas became isolated withdrawing to Saint-Hilaire. To some this was the end of the Automatists but other members carried on with the group’s rebellious ways, recruiting new members and organizing exhibitions. An exhibition titled The Rebels recalled the euphoria and energy of earlier years. Automatism is agreed to have concluded as a movement by 1955.
3. Les Automatistes have various similarities to Surrealism. Certain concepts in Borduas’ Refus global manifesto directly echo the precepts of Surrealism. Borduas was an admirer of Pierre Mabille, a psychiatrist associated with the Surrealist movement. Borduas writes of the need for spontaneity and authenticity in art. This is described as an artist having drives or an internal compulsion which is the true force causing creativity. The irrational is valued and intention, rational control, and self-consciousness in art are denounced. These ideas are a page out of European Surrealism which has its interests in the inner psyche and its artistic expression through spontaneous, passionate impulses. While Les Automatistes undoubtedly have their foundations in Surrealism and Automatism, they differentiate themselves because they give particular sense and emphasis to such terms as ‘abstraction,’ ‘automatism,’ and ’surrational.’ This means they have too much emphasis on atistic ‘intention’ to fit in flawlessly with Surrealism.
Aimee Puthon
ReplyDelete1.Riopellle and Gauvreau were interested in joining a new artistic movement. During this time, WW2 in Europe was erupting and some artists and intellectuals fled Europe for Canada, and these two artists fit into the category. It is because of these artists and their artwork that the questioning and the art movement began. Because of Riopelle and Gaureau, there was now a growing interest in learning and finding new techniques to do and use in their artwork. A few Canadian artists were interested in this change and wanted to challenge the stauts quo, what has always been done. The members of the Automatise are today seen as creators of the avante guarde. This lead to artists challenging what art was and what it had been defined as in the past.
2. The reaction to the Refus Global was quiet strong, in a negative way by formal and traditional institutions. Paul- Emile Borduas, who is the leader of the Refus Global, was fired from his teaching job as soon as the book was published. The reasoning for this was because it was thought he was mentally unstable and not suitable for the teaching position any longer. Another reaction was by religious people, this is because they of the view that Refus Global was anti Christian. Not only were they individually criticized but also as a group. As well, Broduas was criticized for his lack of education and training in the majority of critic’s eyes. This movement was avant guard in Canada, Canada had never experienced something like this as a country before, radical in thought as well as artists ideas and new approaches to the creation of art. They were highly criticized for thinking ‘outside the box’.
4. Bordaus started the Refus Global by outlining the history of French Canadians and how religion played such a big part on their life and how this has had a negative and detrimental impact on them as a culture. In the Refus Global, the main ideas that are presented are ones such as individual freedom, to be free from the establishment (such as religion), to take life as it comes, spontaneously instead of planned. It was believed that this way people would fully access their physical and mental potential. They wanted to be liberated and change instead of doing things as they had for generations.
Monika Hauck
ReplyDelete1. In the years following the war Montreal faced many cultural changes, people began to challenge the conservative institution that dominated their society. These social and political developments created circumstances that were ideal for new art and literature to be introduced. Because of the war many artists and intellectuals were exiled so it was during this time that they were able to return and expose this changing society to their ideas and introduce modern art to them. All of this resulted in a general questioning of standards and people began to take action. The students of Ecole de Beaux-Arts demanded the resignation of the director, realizing that they were unsatisfied with academic standards. It was during this time that Borduas decided to make friends with these eager students (who later made up a good part of Les Automatistes and signatories on Refus Global). Borduas also adopted a new surrealist, non-figurative method of painting which was of interest to people who later became associated with him (individuals like Riopelle and Gauvreau).
2. The mere beginnings of what became Refus Global led the group to forgo a group exhibition in order to focus on the manifesto as a summary of their attitude. John Lyman had a negative reaction, which forced him to leave the group. Gauvreau and Riopelle also disagreed with some of Borduas' mentionings of surrealism but continued to contribute nonetheless. After the circulation of the first copies, Borduas was fired from instructing at Ecole du Meuble and within a month news stories began a "war of words" which resulted in over 100 letters back and forth over the course of a year. Many groups of people were clearly unhappy about the claims made in Refus Global, particularly Christian intellectuals. The reaction to Refus Global was generally a negative one, however it also drew attention to the student' belief of misconduct of the Duplessis government. The negative reaction to Refus Global caused many conflicts within the group and over time they lost communication and cohesion.
3. The Surrealists and Les Automatistes share many similarities, most importantly however is the fact that they are a reaction to society within a specific frame of circumstances. Artists involved in either group felt the need to distinguish their time, their experience and their opinion through visual expression. Another strong similarity is the interest in the subconscious as a wealth of inspiration in which the action/result of the mind or body is a point of emphasis. Both styles and groups critique their time through questioning the ideals of their society and more specifically artistic norms and methods. Both groups are attached to a distinct philosophy which results in an unexpected and subconscious expression.
4. The most general idea expressed in Refus Global is to not accept the expected standards. This manifesto is clearly anti-establishment and anti-religious. It is clear that this group is unsatisfied with the norms of society which includes government actions, religious morality, and academic teaching. This work expresses a clear and aggressive plea for change, or to at least recognize the state of society. There is also an indication of recognizing the reality of a society in the process of change being one that might not seem ideal. There is a sense of distaste or disgust of the society that has been accepted for so long. It is a call to come to terms with what is actually happening in Montreal, gaining control of their time by making a statement (such as this manifesto).
1. World War II was just starting in 1939 which forced artists, intellectuals and art collections into exile from Europe. In Montreal, Paul-Emile Borduas was a painter teaching at Ecole du Meuble which became rivals of the conservative Ecole des Beaux-Arts. French Dominican Father Alain Couturier moved to Montreal from New York when the war broke and encouraged new trends, giving lectures on modern painting, organized exhibitions and criticized Ecole des Beaux-Arts publicly. Borduas met other artists, students from Beaux-Arts as well as some of his own students who shared an anti-conservative intellect. Members of this group gathered informally and publicized their ideas and work in a University of Montreal student newspaper. Modern art movements traveled to Montreal including artwork from Piet Mondrian in 1944. Contact was made between artists traveling to Paris from Montreal. André Breton invited the group to take part in the International Surrealist Exhibition in Paris in 1947 but they declined to maintain their independence.
ReplyDelete2. Some members of the group such as John Lyman had a negative reaction to the draft copy and broke from Borduas, the Borduas group and the Contemporary Arts Society. Copies of the Refus Global manifesto quickly sold out but within a month Borduas was fired from his teaching position. After the story hit the press, as many as 100 articles and letters were published over the next year in newspapers and magazines condemning Refus Global and its anti-Christian message. The Automatist group broke apart over tactics and the purpose of the manifesto. Through efforts by five of the original signatories including Claude Gauvreau and Jean-Paul Mousseau as well as new additions to the group, Automatism carried on demonstrating with sandwich boards in 1950 at the Musée des Beaux-Arts Spring Salon. By 1955 the Automatism movement ceased to exist.
4. Refus Global was written as a politically radical artistic manifesto with an anti- conservative, anti-Christian message. A realization of the oppression in organized religion and the distorted facts of history lead intellectuals to question papal authority over humanity, denouncing “unmentionable things [that] could not be kept out forever.” The artists of this group realized a need for spontaneity and authenticity in art with an internal force opposed to rational control. A break from the conventions of society is requested, rejecting intention and reason. Refus Global specifies a need for spontaneity and authenticity in art with passionate impulses, liberated energies, and Automatism as a step beyond Surrealism.
2. Refus Global created varied and dramatic reactions. Paul Emile-Borduas’ overtly anti-establishment and anti-christian writing caused great opposition by a generally conservative christian population. Borduas was fired from his teaching position at l’Ecole du Meuble due to a concern for his state of mind and therefore the quality of his teaching. Even reactions within the group of Automatistes was mixed with many of them questioning the purpose of the manifesto. This lead to a gradual dissolution of the group by 1955.
ReplyDelete3. Automatism can be seen as a movement coming out of surrealism due to the fact that around the time of its development, european artists and artworks were more present in Canada and also canadians travelled to Europe as well as the United States and then brought back work and ideas inspired by the surrealist movement. Like surrealists, the automatistes emphasized the role of the unconscious mind in the creation of work. This meant the work tends to lack figuration, is created more spontaneously, and doesn’t necessarily use naturalistic colours. What differed between the movements in the mind of Borduas was his belief that surrealists worked “with too much intention”. He felt their work was too contrived and needed to be more spontaneous (as the name automatism suggests) and created even less consciously.
4. Refus Global was a manifesto created in the highly politicized styles of those created in Europe around the time of the first world war such as the futurist, dadaist, and surrealist manifestoes. In Refus Global, Paul Emile-Borduas critiques contemporary society which he feels is overly rational with blind and unquestioning faith in institutions such as the government, but even more so the catholic church. Borduas urges society to “transform” itself through individuals acting in a more impulsive manner, separate from underlying fears of institutional powers, and fears of consequences of tomorrow. This anti-establishment mindset seems to come out of Borduas’ observation of contemporary horrors of the war which created in him and many others a lack of faith and even contempt for establishments facilitating these occurrences.
Jasmine Formusa
ReplyDelete1. The main events contributing to new artistic movements included WWII, which was greatly affecting artistic expression. The re-evaluation of people’s rights and the whole mood surrounding the injustices of the war, contributed to the themes of art seen during the years before, during and after the war. Paul-Emile Borduas was an important figure in the effort against the injustices of his time. He wrote a manifesto called Refus Global and spoke to the people about how they should think for themselves, question popular belief and how the demise of the world was affecting people and how they create art. He felt that the contemporary world lacked freedom and that from this point on things needed to change, that Christianity was dead and how the industrial revolution had made us into rats in a race to accumulate the most of everything, a world devoid of societal empathy. Artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle and Pierre Gauvreau were part of this social shift towards a new climate receptive to different forms of artistic expression. This surge of culture through Canada was a continuous repercussion of the war. Art and its artists were being exiled from Europe and so, Canada was seeing some of this art for the first time, which could only influence the artists of Montreal and other city centers to adjust their ideas of what art was and what direction it was headed in.
2. There seemed to be very extreme reactions to the manifesto Borduas authored. Chairman of the Contemporary Arts Society, John Lyman was opposed to Borduas’ opinions, which led to the separation of Borduas as VP of the CAS. Artists such as Fernand Leduc, who contributed some text to Refus Global, wanted the same reaction as Borduas and supported the ideas laid out in the manifesto. Francoise Sullivan was another supporting artist as well as Bruno Cormier. Riopelle and Gauvreau however opposed some of the ideas relating to the comments made about Surrealism. Borduas sacrificed a lot of personal success to write this, as he was fired from his job as an instructor at L’Ecole du Meuble. Protests and a flood of articles and responses resulted after the publishing of this pamphlet, which I would say is a pretty good reaction to an all the more effective choice of words.
3. There is a very fine line, if not completely blurred line separating automatism and surrealism. If words did not exist, it would be hard to classify the difference. Automatism defines a group of Canadian artists who were labeled automatistes by Tancred Marsil a journalist for the Quartier Latin. The group was invited to Paris by Andre Breton to take part in a Surrealist exhibit and although they declined the invite, there was definitely a reason why they were being considered to couple their work with that of the surrealist heavy weights over in Europe.
Rebecca Benson
ReplyDelete1. The war years in Montreal created important cultural changes which facilitated the growth of the Automatism movement. The conservative institutions of Montreal were being challenged, and helped to introduce a climate receptive to modern art and literature; the churches strong hold on French Canada became increasingly challenged. The outbreak of World War II caused European artists and intellectuals to become exiled in North America, making personalities such as that of Andre Breton and Fernand Leger accessible. Quebec born artists living abroad, such as Pellan, returned home bringing their knowledge of surrealism and cubism. Collections of European art were also stored in North America during the war years, allowing the North American market access to many artists work for the first time. For example, a Dutch exhibition in 1944 exposed Canadian artists to Mondrian for the first time. The traditional art school Ecole des Beaux-Arts was challenged both by a French Dominican Father, Alain Coucurier, taking refuge from the war in Montreal, and by a rival institution, the Ecole du Meuble, home to and championed by Paule Emile Borduas and Maurice Gagnon.
2. The reaction to the Refus Global manifesto was a violent one, and ultimately fatal to the movement in many ways. Even before its completion and release to the public, it caused a rift between Paul Emile Borduas and his allies, and the Contemporary Arts Society and John Lyman. At this stage it also caused a rift within the Automatistes regarding Borduas’ comments on surrealism, which Jean-Paul Riopelle and Pierre Gauvreau objected to. Within a month of its publication, Paul-Emile Borduas was fired from Ecole due Meuble, and a publicly published campaign against Borduas was conducted in reaction to Refus Global. Some of those who protested the publication did so on religious grounds such as the Jesuit Ernest Gagnon; the Ecole du Meuble felt that Borduas “state of mind,” as well as his manifesto meant that he was unsuitable for teaching. The backlash to Refus Global caused further rifts within the Automatist group regarding the purpose and tactics of the manifesto. The group lost cohesion altogether.
4. The main ideas of Refus Global are articulated largely in negative statements within the manifesto, which expresses the following:
A rejection of religion and the oppression of the church.
An acknowledgement of the French Canadian past, and the leaders who denied their people access to knowledge of the true facts of history, revolutionary texts, and the brutal goings on of the outside world.
A rejection of the class system, colonialism, the status quo, traditional and figurative art, and tradition in general.
A rejection of all forms of intention, and reason; an embracing of objective mysteries, dynamisn, love, and ones internal drive.
Jessica Harris
ReplyDelete1.The Second World War created several cultural changes in the 1940s which formed a growing sense of need to do something. One of these changes was that of many artists and intellectuals were exiled from Europe and subsequently moved into Montreal. With this increased movement, as well as whole art collections being seen in North American for the first time in some cases, there was a shift in the art world. Paul-Emile Borduas, often associated as the sole producer for the pamphlet, was teaching at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Borduas was experimenting with a style of art formed from the Surrealist style. All of the cultural changes caused artists to become dissatisfied with both the political and artistic world they lived in and in turn forced them to search for ways to challenge them.
2.The pamphlet had an immediate impact on the public. Within a mere month Borduas was seen as unstable and thus unsuitable to continue teaching at the school for his views and what he had written. The Christian intellectuals strongly disapproved of the work seeing it as anti-Christian. There was a disagreement among the Automatist group and a loss of communication between those in Montreal and those in Paris. Borduas become more and more isolated as time went on. All in all, the manifesto created a large uproar in the press and in the lives of some of the signatories. As a result it was lost from public view for a number of years.
4.The Refus Global made a strong social commentary. It pushed for a break from social conventions and a rejection of the utilitarian spirit those conventions had. They desired a break from the past and a new outlook for the future. The manuscript looks at Christianity as a problem, that it abuses its power. It argues that if the Christianity continues on its current path it will kill itself off in the future. The pamphlet argues that there needs to be less of a focus on the past because it impedes the ability for change and it is impossible to live up to standards created throughout history. The Refus Global calls for transformation rather than a change, of the status quo. It desires a transformation within social class and the established order
Stephanie Caskenette
ReplyDelete1. World War II had a significant impact upon young artists, as it forced many of them to migrate with their work from one country to the next, quickening the spread and development of ideas. It led to a rejection of past traditional values in favour of newer, revitalized movements such as cubism and surrealism. Father Alain Courturier participated in this, evidenced by his travels from New York to Montreal, giving many lectures on and hosting exhibitions of modern art. The Paul-Émile Borduas also influenced young artists. He had the opportunity to associate with students from both the Beaux Arts school and the Ecole du Meuble, which precipitated changes in his style, causing it to become non-figurative, surrealist and abstract, a significant change from his former traditional and figurative work. Since he taught at the Ecole du Meuble, a cross-fertilization of styles and ideas took place between him and his young students, including Riopelle.
2. John Lyman, the founding Chairman of the Contemporary Arts Society, reacted negatively to the manifesto and broke with Borduas. There was also a negative reaction within the group, as Riopelle and Gauvreau disagreed with Borduas’ comments regarding Surrealism. Many people outside of the group also condemned it, like Christian intellectuals such as Gerard Pelletier and Ernest Gagnon, who were furious with the anti-Christian mentality built into the manifesto. Borduas was fired from Ecole de Meuble a month after Refus global was released due to his “unsuitable” state of mind. Following his termination, many protests against his firing took place in the form of articles and letters. Some artists and initial followers of Les Automatists withdrew their support. In some ways, the manifesto became the high point and the end of Automatism, although many people believe the focus simply shifted but carried on past this point.
3. The similarities between Les Automatists and the Surrealists include an interest in psychology, and specifically the work of the psychiatrist Pierre Mabille. There is a concentration in both movements on unconscious thoughts and actions. Both movements reject traditional, conservative art theories and practices, instead being drawn towards fresh modern notions. Les Automatists and the Surrealists were regarded as innovative and avant-garde. The two movements shared enough commonalities that Andre Breton had proposed that the Surrealists and Les Automatists align themselves together. Their equal interest in psychology meant that art from both movements focused on the ideas and meanings behind the art; both rejecting the traditional ways in which art was thought of and done.
Sarah Patterson
Delete1. What were the main events and people that caused the young artists such as Riopelle and Gauvreau to become interested in new artistic movements?
The Second World War initiated countless global upheavals, and many individuals in exile found themselves in North America. Intellectuals, artists, exhibitions, and art collections toured the continent, and many Canadians were exposed to their works for the first time. Fernand Leger and Mondrian caused sensation with their signature styles. Alfred Pellan, originally from Quebec, returned from France with his books and his knowledge on Cubism and Surrealism. French Dominican, Father Alain Coururier, held lectures on modern painting, pointing his finger at the “status quo” and encouraging new artistic thought. This introduction of foreign ideas inspired many young artists in Quebec, especially Borduas, to express a cynicism of previous isolation from these ideas. A movement away from traditional and intentional expression, as discussed by Futurists, Dadaists and Surrealists, also inspired these young Canadian painters. A desire to forge a Canadian-specific interpretation of these ideas was becoming a priority in many artists, who previously were isolated from these ideas.
2. What was reaction to Refus Global manifesto?
With its release on August 9th, 1948, the Refus Global manifesto quickly sold out all 400 copies. The year following sparked an on-going public discourse on the topics discussed in Refus Global. Borduas was fired from his teaching position, on the government recommendation sent to his overseer, claiming that his writings and internal thoughts were “unsuitable” for someone in a teaching position. That, in combination with a divorce and other personal turmoil, caused Borduas to move into isolation for a period of time. Because of the anti-religious statements within the pamphlet, many Christian Intellectuals were outraged with the blunt honesty of Borduas’ opinion. Arguments against the government for Borduas’ dismissal ensued and periods of protests from other artists passed within the year following the publication of the pamphlet. Although this movement lost momentum within 12 months, their ideas were revisited and studied in the 1960’s and 70’s, and helped with the driving ideology of the Quiet Revolution.
4. What are the main ideas of Refus Global?
Refus Global draws upon many core ideas from Surrealism: there is an emphasis on the importance of internal, instinctual expression. When Borduas was relieved from his teaching position, he famously quoted: “Once again I will obey those primary drives of my being, drives that are the enemies of short sighted & material interests.” The word (and refusal) of “intention” is repeated within the dialogue, claiming that “intention” is rational reason, and the precursor to material and mechanical needs of human beings, which are destructive. Borduas refuses to function under our intellectual potential and to be consumed by materialism. There are many objections against Christianity and religion, claiming that they have manipulated the development of intellectual ideas in Canada through isolation from Western Europe. Finally, Refus Global insists that the magic of love, internal drives, and passion is the key to development and personal freedom – as well is the disengagement from the repeated clubbing of the past.
1. The cultural climate of Montreal during World War II created a need to challenge established conservative institutions within the city in order to create an environment that was more conducive to the creation of modern art and literature. Artist and teacher Paul Emile Borduas was an essential character in the formation of the Les Automatistes, and the Ecole du Meuble, that he taught at became a rival to the more conservative Ecole des Beaux-Artes. John Lyman also founded the Contemporary Arts Society, which was openly critical of the Ecole des Beaus-Artes. Paintings were also sent to North America for safe keeping during the war and many artists were also living in exile in North America. In 1944 an exhibition of modernist Dutch paintings came to Montreal and artists such as Pellan, brought knowledge of Cubism and Surrealism which they shared with North American artists, who were eager for change.
ReplyDelete3. Les Automatistes were invited to officially join the Surrealist movement by Andre Breton and although they declined his offer there are similarities between the two groups. Both groups wanted to free themselves from the conservative dictates of society and create art that was more raw and closer to the authentic experiences of the subconscious. Borduas and Claude Gauvreau admired the Surrealist movement, specifically the psychiatrist Pierre Mabille, whose Surrealist writings heavily influenced the style in which Borduas wrote his manifesto. Borduas writings reveal his enthusiasm for the Surrealist movement and their influence on Les Automatistes, but he also distances Les Automatistes from Surrealism and accuses them of having too much 'intention.'
4. Refus Global called for the abandonment of the fear that governs society and instils social norms, whether it is fear of "established order- absurd laws" or "fear of prejudice- of public." It states that no matter what nation is actually in charge, they all have the same basic structure, they are all an equal degree of antiquated cruelty, and it Refus Global predicts that the age of the church is ending. The influence of psychiatrist Pierre Mabille, mentioned above, is quite prominent in this semi prophetic manifesto.
1. The thesis of the article is to evaluate the impact of the Regina community and the Emma Lake workshops at the end of the 1960s. The paper also seeks to demonstrate how effective the workshops are and how they influence the art world. The paper seeks to articulate what led to the decline of the workshops as well as addresses their lasting impact on Canadian art. The main questions that the article seeks to answer are the following: What was a sense of place? What constitutes the art as subject matter? What does tradition mean?
ReplyDelete2. Even though it is not clearly stated, Emma Lake workshops clearly define space as the ability to move past literal subject matter in search of greater truth and meaning for the people of Saskatchewan. The workshops themselves offered a literal and figurative escape where one could tap into one’s creativity because they were cut off from the rest of society. The artists no longer had the distractions of ever day life. By being in a place of isolation, it was thought that this provided a greater means to unlock one’s unconscious mind and see space not only in its broader sense but also in its geographical context.
3. Abstractionist’s are more focused on structure and organization focusing on a logical method. Abstractionists dealt with nature where ceramists focused on peopled landscapes. Ceramists are spiritual, so they differ from abstractionists as they do not follow logic, tending to draw subject matter from folk art and myths. Abstractionists centred their ideas on reality opposed to fiction. Ceramists thought that Canadians were isolated as they were surrounded by a rugged landscape opposed to the active art scene in New York city. Ultimately, the abstractionists focused specifically on the physical and the ceramists focused on the spiritual.
1) The new artistic movements of the mid 20th century, including those of the Quebec Les Automatistes, were, for the most part, fueled with a great distaste for the current social and political situations occurring both locally and world wide. French-Canadian artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle and Claude Gauvreau found their place among the Automatistes. They were inspired not only by their own rebellions of the status quo and craving for change, but also by the influence of the father of Automatism, Paul Emile Borduas. Borduas had travelled to Paris in the 20s, and was highly influenced by the controversial works being published there. Their strong anti-establishment messages stayed with him when he retuned to his home country with the onset of the Second World War. He began to question the world around him, and his distrust and revulsion with the current political and social powers at the time only grew. With famous European Art and Artists taking refuge on Canadian soil, the urgency these artistic pioneers felt was allowed to fester and grow, reaching its pinnacle with the publishing of their manifesto, Refus Global.
ReplyDelete2) The reaction to the RefusI Global manifesto published in 1948 was fast, sweeping, and largely critical. Although many members of the Les Automatistes movement had contributed to the publication, its lead contributor, Paul Emile Borduas received the blunt of the blow. He was promptly removed from the Canadian Contemporary Art Society and fired from his prestigious job at Ecole de Meuble. They reasoned that after reading his manefesto, it was clear to all that was he in no way in a “right state of mind”. The publication blatantly attacked influence of the Church on society, stating, “to hell with holy water” and called for the people to stop “clutching the skirts of priests’”. The Church and its followers reacted strongly and with a vengeance. Sadly, many of Borduas’ followers and friends seemed to disappear with all of the attention. He ended up in isolation, depressed and kicked while he was down, with his dreams of Revolution not fully appreciated until well after his time.
3)The Surrealist movement from France in the early 1920s played a large part in lighting the flame that would come to be known as the Les Automatistes movement in Canada in the late 1940s. The Surrealists were not simply a group of artists, but a group of like-minded philosophical thinkers, with aspirations to make a change to the political and cultural situation they were currently in following the First World War. When Borduas and his friends first began gathering, they attempted to not become surrealist painters, but to learn from their ways as a means to better their own work. Les Automatistes saw themselves as a completely different entity, a step beyond surrealism, a more pure and in inhibited form of expression. Like the Surrealists, Les Automatistes published their own literary work expressing their desires to change the quality of the world they were living in, presenting themselves as political players as well as artists.
Chloe Stelmanis-Cali
ReplyDelete1) In this article, Teitelbaum's thesis is that the decline of Emma Lake as a catalyst in the Regina community was the result of the issues that arose due to a difference in opinion by the abstract expressionists, encouraged by Clement Greenberg, and ceramicists such as David Gilhooly. In this article, Teitelbaum attempts to explore the issues of the disputes in the Regina community in the 1960's, and relate these issues to the impact and influence of the Emma Lake workshops.
2) For the early participants of the Emma Lake workshops, “space” was a metaphysical place where which an artist could release an “inner image” locked inside of them. Because to these participants, space was defined by what was inside an individual, it could essentially be anywhere. Because the location of Emma Lake was so isolated from urban cities, it encouraged this mentality of place as being a “shared sensibility” rather than a “shared circumstance,” of space. Emma Lake’s separation from urban cities/society allowed it to be “timeless,” with its lack of history, and therefore reflected the mentality of American modernist abstraction. As the workshops of Emma Lake provided “escape,” this escape also reflected early modernist approach to art which allowed an escape from audience expectation. This escape was essential to the early Emma Lake workshop participants who believed abstraction unlocked an “inner image,” because Emma Lake provided a space for artists without any experiences or “clues” from the outside world, which would prevent the artist’s access to their inner consciousness. The space at Emma Lake was also spiritual, in that it opened up the mind to experiences and imagery that the rigidness and narrowness that an urban city would serve to confine. Further, the isolation of Emma Lake allowed the artist to become aware of their own separateness, and therefore their own individuality, encouraging a self-awareness that was crucial for the abstract expressionist mentality.
4) While abstractionist approaches to art highly focused on the importance of nonrepresentational art, saw importance in mediums over subject matters, and rejected literary values, ceramists found abstractionist approaches to be restrictive. Ceramicists such as Gilhooly believed art was greater and could be more accessible than the modernist art that Greenberg praised. In contrast to Greenberg, who saw modernist abstract art as “pure” or “high art,” Gilhooly saw art in a more ordinary light, believing that anyone could be an artist. While abstractionist attempted to create art from their intuition, ceramicists focused their art on nostalgia and humour and celebrated the past. For them, “place” was a site of personal experience and a source of memory.
Sarah Sharpe
ReplyDeleteMatthew Teitelbaum, “Returning Home”.
1.What is the thesis of the article? What are the main questions that the article seeks to answer?
This paper explored the influence of the Emma Lake workshops on Saskatchewan art scene as well as the legacy of the Abstract Expressionists in Canada. It discussed how these artists sought to answer the questions: what was a sense of place? What constituted subject matter, and what did tradition mean? In the process of exploring these questions the article discusses the approach to art that Greeneberg, and Abstract Expressionists, such as Barnett Newman, took.
2.What did space mean for early participants of Emma Lake workshops?
Sense of space for early participants in the workshops was heavily influenced and defined by American Abstract Expressionists and the critic Clement Greenberg. This space was understood to be “the metaphysical space where one induced and experiences the release of an inner image” (pg 2). Barnett Newman felt a particular affinity to the Emma Lake in the context of space, because it brought him closer to the arctic tundra which was later interpreted as Newman’s desire to experience the “sensation of being surrounded by four horizons” and thus spatial infinity. The ultimate goal of Newman’s quest was to find an environment that was devoid of clues, and thus the temptation to work environmental influences into a painting would have been nil.
3.What was the meaning of the verb ‘transcend’ for Abstract Expressionists?
To Newman transcendence came out of the physical isolation of environment creating a “oneness within the studio” creating a kind of sanctuary within the studio. Transcendence to Abstract Expressionists was the expression of the unconscious uninfluenced by the physical imagery of the material world. As Ferren said when he led the Emma Lake workshop, the meaning of an artwork was locked inside the painter, and thus could only be realized in the physical act of painting, transcending beyond traditional attention to subject matter. To transcend was “to go beyond the confines of place” and arrive at a “point where one could escape self consciousness about tradition.” The Abstract Expressionists wanted to get beyond the subject of a painting, to a point where painting was more about materiality and space; elements that were considered by Greenberg to be the essential components that defined painting.
Lauren Rodgers and Noor Ale
ReplyDeleteMatthew Teitelbaum; Returning Home: Regina, Emma Lake and the Close of the 60s.
1.The thesis of the article seeks to examine the rivalry and dispute within the Regina art community, as well as the impact of the Emma Lake Artist’s Workshops, and the subsequent dissolution of its preeminence. The Regina art community was divided between artists who espoused Clement Greenberg’s modernist art precepts, and the Regina ceramic-makers who sought to liberate their aesthetic practice from modernist “high-art” values. Regina painters who promoted modernism aligned themselves with American internationalism, which is in contrast to the ceramic makers who created imagery that directly referenced home and community values. The article seeks to answer the differences between Regina modernists and ceramic-maker artists, the two opposing groups sought to define notions of the artist’s creative space, subject matter and the meaning and relevance of tradition.
2.American Abstract Expressionist Barnett Newman, preeminent workshop leaders, and art critic Clement Greenberg contributed to the definition of space as a “metaphysical space where one induced and experienced the release of an image.” To early Emma Lake participants, the notion of space revealed the artist’s inner confrontation and enabled artistic production. Abstract Expressionists considered the solitary geographical location of Emma Lake to be a place conducive of spiritual transcendence, which transformed the studio into a sanctuary. To modernists, Emma Lake’s embodied their spiritual aspirations. Modernists such as Barnett Newman believed that the close proximity to the tundra enabled him to feel a “total surrender to spatial infinity.” This timeless space offered no outside interference, the isolation unlocked the artist’s creative potential, and revealed his metaphysical relationship with the world. In other words, the notion of space for Emma Lake artists was undoubtedly influenced by modernist precepts, which favoured the purity of thought, and whose geographical location quite fittingly echoed the flatness of painting.
3.The concept of transcendence has meaning pertaining to abstract expressionism, as it is used to describe the intensity of power, and life beyond the limits of reality. To abstract expressionists, the meaning of transcend was found in the experiences at Emma Lake Artists Workshops. At Emma Lake, leaders and participants were distanced from the complexities of urban life, and transcended into a timeless, remote location in Northern Saskatchewan, free from pressures of audience expectations. Emma Lake provided artists with an atmosphere of spiritual transcendence, as it was a highly isolated. Abstract painted Barnett Newman describes Emma Lake as a place of “oneness within the studio”. Transcending influences of American idealism were influential factors for Saskatchewan artists as they moved away from traditional landscape painting and shifting their focus to a more transcendent abstract style of art.
Diana Topley
ReplyDelete1)Teitelbaum’s goal in the article “Returning Home” is to outline the influence, disputes, and issues the Emma Lake workshops spawned in the Regina community at the end of the 1960s. It also looks to outline why by the beginning of the 1970s, Emma Lake was no longer an important factor in the Regina community. These events are explained through the use of some fundamental questions, including the concept of ‘place’, the artist’s choice or idea of subject matter, and the notion of tradition in art.
2) For participants in the Emma Lake workshops, space was something that offered both literally and figuratively an escape. The workshop was located in a rural environment, free of the urban life and expectation. Figuratively, workshop artists accepted the concept of space first presented by Barnett Newman and expanded upon by workshop leaders and Clement Greenberg, as something metaphysical; an inner confrontation that therefore situated place anywhere. The physical isolation aided in achieving this state of mind because it allowed for self-awareness, and in this space an inner image is released bases on personal and individual experience.
4) The abstractionist approach to art is more grandiose, with the use of traditional high-art materials and large scale pieces. The works are non-representational, with little reference to familiar visual cues. Abstractionists shared these universal values of creating art. Ceramicists’ approach to art is more personal. The works are modest in scale and made of clay, a material not considered to be used in the creation of ‘high art’. The use of this material allowed artists to recall a feeling of nostalgia and playfulness, connecting them and their art to the heritage and memories of the small communities in which they were from. The artists were inspired by folk artists because they invoked communal values as well, and borrowed from their art the use of symbols, craftsmanship, and functionality. Ceramicists valued a personal experience in their art, and their value of the community was based upon the idea that art could be created anywhere, in any situation, and with many different materials.
J. Tanner Jackson (0678161)
ReplyDelete1. The difference between abstract art and non-objective art simply put is best illustrated as one with nature, and the other without. Both sought to reject the nationally accepted practice of art present in Canada of it’s time, but ‘abstract’ art kept in touch with nature. In keeping nature as it’s subject, ‘abstract’ art did not simply copy from but instead used had imaginative means of expressing a spiritual or mystical apprehension of the natural world. Non-objective art on the other hand focused highly on the geometric forms, colours and aesthetic structure, leaving no room for the subject matter to be that of nature’s influence. These artists while keeping a sort of spiritual influence were trying to create a central idea, in which this idea (or experience) was expressed through pure ‘plastic expression’. Moving beyond the physical world these artists took on styles in reference to Cubists and were highly considered with visual language.
2. In terms of influence, Canadian artists ultimately borrowed from a number of different styles that ranged geographically across both the continent and the world. Borrowing from the Abstract Expressionists like Barnett Newman and Jackson Pollock in America all the way to German Cubist Expressionists these influences are never ending. Joyce Zemans discusses the influence in writings, both by art critiques and scientists. Clement Greenburg and Kandinsky are both highly influential writers from America whom implement the creative role of intuition, and there ideals spread throughout the country. While Kandinskys writings surely sum up the views of Greenburg and all the other contemporaries in terms of abstract art and expression, Greenburg literally travels to the front of it all, holding one of the many Regina workshops at Emma Lake for the soon to be ‘Regina Five’. In addition, the writings on nature importance of colour, form and shallow pictorial space by Hans Hoffman come into play for the naturalists. As it is no surprise, science becomes increasingly important to most of these artists especially those who are exploring the sub-conscious (a key factor in the making of these ‘abstract’ artists’ works. Writers such as William James and Sigmund Freud are two among many who address the topics ranging from psycho-analysis and the access to ones sub-conscious along with new wave ideas on physics and new dimensions to geometrical problems.
3. The fact that Canadians attempt at the ‘abstract’ art’s was so geographically displaced is one major contributing factor as to why these artists had so much trouble in gained recognition. Europe, along with America, was already at the front of it all having there own style towards abstract expressionism which left it up to the Canadian artists to make their own identity of ‘abstract art’. Most paintings were not exhibited in their contemporary time, but rather years later since the majority of the public was harsh to accept anything out of the national school made by the Group of Seven. These artists - a lot like the Automatistes - were thought to have little talent devoted to traditional arts for many years. Even the fellow group of seven artists, such as Lawren Harris and associated J.W.G. MacDonald ended up turning to abstract arts faced much criticism, as they moved place to place across the country in search of perfect autonomous paintings which transformed pure emotion onto the canvas. These artists met up in small groups, and slowly made a small art market for themselves, but it still didn’t entail the greatness and success like that of Pollock with supporters like Greenburg praising his every detail. Groups like the Regina Five and the Painters Eleven established a small community in the hostile public environments, and it was not until the later half of the twentieth century that we see there works being nationally display with great recognition.
Nicole Jorge
ReplyDelete1. According to Zemans the North American way of abstraction in art was the abandonment of the significance of subject matter. Abstract also stressed the autonomy of the spirituality in the art object itself. The Canadian abstract artists also used the essence of nature with in their work, to express the oneness of our universe through their art. Abstract artists would take a motive from nature however they would change it into something far removed from the original scene. Non-objective art did not convey or begin with nature, the idea was that it would have no relation to nature but it could convey and idea or meaning. This message could dictate the structure and relationships in the painting such as colour, form etc.
2. There were a lot of different influences on the artists post war. After the war there was a higher attendance at art schools because of the return of the veterans which meant there was a new need for teachers. Magazines like Life, Canadian Art, Time and new colour reproductions of art helped artists become more familiar with contemporary European art and new American painting. The artists were also influence by the surrealists movement in the the fact that they wanted to move away from it and reject it. The artists of New York were also a heavy influence, the became the new measure that everyone was held up against. The critic Greenberg also had a strong influence on painters, he could make or break their careers. He came to Canada and did personal visits with some of the artists in their studios. Greenberg also held a landmark exhibition in 1964 with various Canadian artists including some of the Regina 5.
3. Abstract art was met with some reservations, the first national exhibit of abstract art was not held until 1952. They organized this exhibit in hopes of gaining acceptance for abstract art. Abstract art was met with reservations because it was new and different especially for Canada, abstract art was becoming the new Canadian landscape. The English-Canadian artists also did not have a decided theory on abstract. An example of an artist who met this resistance was Jack MacDonald. When he began painting he found that the art community was still dominated by landscapes and the legacy of the group of seven but he was an advocate for abstract art and was a strong influence on his students. MacDonald was also apart of the Group of 11 which was made to try to create more attention for their exhibits and replace the Group of 7. They were tired of showing only one painting at the Royal Canadian Academy, so they started an exhibition at Toronto’s Robert Gallery. It seems that the abstract artists did not accept that reservations that people had for their work, so they pushed hard to get their work in the public and succeeded.
1. What is the thesis of the article? What are the main questions that the article seeks to answer?
ReplyDeleteThe thesis of this article is when author Teitelbaum states explicitly that his aim is to explore the most prevalent discussions on the Emma Lake art exhibitions and their impact on the art world, as well as the larger community in Regina. The exhibitions were the topic of much debate in Regina during the close of the sixties, the author states, and he wishes to highlight the key elements of this debate. The article also seeks to explain the meaning of tradition, the role of the artist, and the meaning of a ‘sense of place’ all in relation to the exhibition.
2. What did space mean for early participants of Emma Lake workshops?
To early participants of the Emma Lake exhibition, the idea of space took on an important and particular meaning. In terms of physical, quantifiable space, the workshops took place far off in the north of Saskatchewan, away from the urban centres and busy cities that some artists were so accustomed to. In this way, space seemed unlimited, and when looking out on to the vastness of Emma Lake, the artist could enter into a deeper more metaphysical space, bringing us to the secondary meaning. For the early participants, the Emma Lake workshop was a kind of escaped space, a pure space, something new and simple in which to refresh one’s own creativity. Abstract expressionist Barnett Newman denoted that the space of Emma Lake became for him a “spiritually charged oneness...a place of sanctuary”, as well as praising the area for helping one shed the hard-mindedness that comes with being in a city, and come into touch with a more pure state of creation.
3. What was the meaning of the verb ‘transcend’ for Abstract Expressionists?
The Abstract Expressionists came to know a new meaning of transcendence when out on Emma Lake during the workshops. Abstract Expressionists in their art deal with subject matter beyond a more literal, quantifiable meaning, and so their experiences out on the lake translated into a deeper understanding of transcendence. The Emma Lake was both literally and figuratively remote, in the deep north of Saskatchewan; the artists were put into a space free of the conventions of urban life. A seemingly timeless place, the “pure space” of the Emma Lake helped bring about a “new order of consciousness” – this new transcendence of time, space, and idea, where artists could abandon expectation, and communicate in the “common language of art”.
Matthew Teitelbaum; "Returning Home: Regina, Emma Lake and the Close of the 60s."
ReplyDelete1) The thesis of the article was the issue of how the two separate movements (ceramicists and the AbExs) attempted to the resolve the questions on how art came to be and came to be placed in the world and the conflicts in their opinions. There were several questions that Teitelbaum attempted to answer in this paper to try explain why the two conflicting movements were 'avant-garde' in their separate ways and how these innovative and creative artists shaped the Regina culture in the 1960s. The main questions include- what were the primary issues being discussed by the community in Regina towards the end of the 1960s regarding the strong influence that the Emma Lake workshops had, what tradition meant to both the ceramists and the Abstract Expressionists and how it played into their work, what was considered appropriate subject matter in art for both groups, and when/why the Emma Lake workshops stopped being an important influence on the Regina artists.
3) The Abstract Expressionists were looking to transcend the traditional notions of what constitutes a work of art, especially a painting. They were attempting to transcend not only the mere materials used to create it, but also the literalness of the act of painting. They saw these aspects and actions that made up a work of art as the work of art itself, moving past the traditional reading of forms and symbols. The art work became the action and the physicality of the painting itself. They transcend all traditional notions of painting and the Abstract Expressionists were no longer limited to creating forms and illusions with paint. For them being avant-garde was the ultimate goal, if their artwork wasn't transcending the work that came before them than it wasn't good art. The Abstract Expressionists thought that this could be attained though a more pure and true expression through material and artistic practice.
4) The Abstract Expressionists were all about expressing human thought and emotion through surfaceness. They rejected illusionism and saw painting as simply a material, a surface and a process. On the other hand, the ceramists worked with the imaginary. They're sculptures were whimsical and anecdotal. Both movements attempted to challenge the notion of 'high art' but they did so in very different ways. The Abstract Expressionists used 'high art' material like oil paint, but they were using it in a new, non-representational way. The ceramists instead moved away from traditional materials and used clay which they considered to be the opposite of 'high art' materials- they were literally making artwork out of mud. Both movements saw the artist themself in very different ways. the Abstract Expressionists considered the artist to be a gifted individual who had the ability to transcend the individual's thoughts and place and that it was the artist's job to share this with the public through art. The ceramists were the complete opposite and considered art to be something that everyone could take part in and that the average person was capable of creating art.
David Winfield
ReplyDelete0675124
"Making Painting Real: Abstract and Non-Objective Art in English Canada" by Joyce Zemans
1. There is a clear division between what is know as abstract art and what is known to be non-objective art. To Zemans, you have on the one hand a practice concerned with representing nature—the abstract—and on the other a practice focused more on compositional unity, geometric depictions and colour than anything else. The former has a specific interest in achieving a depiction of the spiritual essence of nature rather than a precisely accurate re-creation on canvas. Non-objective art was primarily concerned, however, with the aesthetics of the finished product. The use of line, form, colour, and composition were more important than a depiction of nature in the minds of these artists.
2. Like most artistic practices, the influences of artists of the time depended upon where they were located in the world. Artists in Montreal worked from the automatism style, Vancouver artists looked to expressionist, those in Toronto to artists in London as well as New York, which was highly recognized at the time for a standard in art. In general, Abstract Expressionism was a huge influence on Canadian artists of that time. The well-known art critic Greenberg also had a big influence on artists with his idea of pure art in formalism. This undoubtedly affected the way many Canadian artists were painting at the time. In addition, the opening of new contemporary art galleries and the hosting of exhibitions focused on abstraction in art led to further development of the style as well as allowing a space for artists to display and critique work.
3. Abstract art was met with reservation in Canada for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was a brand new style with a drastically different set of rules for what is and isn’t important in a painting. As a style focused heavily on creating a feeling or spiritual representation rather than an entirely accurate or traditional one, it received a lot of criticism for not following the so-called “rules and regulations” of the traditional art practice. In addition to this, there was separation between styles due to the different influences taken on by Canadian artists. Not all artists of the time followed suit, many took to different variations on painting based on the art they were viewing and the writings of important theorists and critics such as Greenberg and Kandinsky.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra Hare and Lisa Muzzin
ReplyDelete1. Abstract art is inspired by objects actually in existence in the natural world. Certain aspects of what the artist is trying to depict are emphasized while other aspects are removed completely. Therefore, the final result is a work that may not be immediately recognizable as a certain entity but has aspects of that entity. Non-objective refers to art which is not inspired by anything existing in nature but rather is from the mind, the unconscious, etc. It uses elements and principles of art to create a certain psychological effect. Therefore the work is more concerned with sensory aspects rather than “embodying a living experience”.
2. There were many influences on post war canadian artists. In general, an increased sense of globalism was present with artists more familiar with world events, artistic movements, etc. An increased awareness and concern for a global network of ideas was increasingly normalized. Different psychological, theological and sociological ideas were increasingly explored. Existentialism especially was well understood and was greatly influential to artists who sought to create works that were the result of the self as subject.
3. Because of the existentialist focus on interior emotion as subject for art, the general public found it difficult to relate to the work in a meaningful way. In addition they were shocked by the drastic change from the emphasis on the picturesque canadian landscape that previously dominated the art market. When they went to see a show put on by the Regina 5, they expected to see prairie landscapes, but were taken aback by the abstractions. This thus made it difficult for canadian artists to create work that they wanted to make because of the lack of popularity and lack of monetary success they had producing it. Some artists were forced to create work in a more appealing style to cater to public desire and the temptation of actually making a living from their practice.
Jan 22nd
ReplyDeleteNatalie Banaszak and Kathryn Johansen
Making Painting Real - Joyce Zemans Article
1. According to Zemans, non-objective art is something which has a message. This underlying idea dictates the colors and forms used in the representation. Form is everything. According to Lawren Harris, non-objective art is meant to “embody the idea as a living experience in a vital, plastic creation” (page 166). It is something with a very powerful creative process. Abstract art, however, is less concerned with the form of the work itself and seeks to express a spiritual encounter with nature or with life in general. The essence of nature was the source of their art. Therefore, abstract art is inspired by an emotional response to an encounter with nature, whereas non-objective art was more of just a creative process without a necessary response to nature.
2. The main influences on many of these artists was the increased hype about art programs, which were created for veterans in the post-war period and mostly educated about contemporary art practices. There was also an increased concern with getting Canadian abstraction onto an international scale. What was considered relevant in an art community also depended greatly on the geographical location. Popular art styles varied greatly from place to place. Hans Hofmann’s theories of modernization also proved to be a large influence on Canadian abstraction. Despite all their different influences, the artists all shared one common influence: the commitment to Kandinsky’s principle which states that every artwork has its own language which creates individuality in art.
3. The age of abstraction came during the time when the Group of Seven dominated the Canadian art scene. This was a major issue for the development of the abstract style because the success of the Group of Seven created a lack of interest in other types of painting. Abstraction lacked representation which was the Group of Seven was known for therefore the style was criticized and rejected causing it to be met with reservation.
1. Abstract art conveyed spiritual truths that lead to a universal understanding, truths, humanity and harmony. It relied heavily on nature and the spiritual realm and was not concerned with subject matter in the sense that it rejected dominant modes of thinking. Non-Objective art conveyed central ideas through formal means and it conveyed many ideas and meanings that were associated with geometric forms, and colours. It was not influenced by nature in the way that abstract art was.
ReplyDelete2. After the war, Canadian art schools and universities increased due to the creation of programs for returning veterans. Magazines such as “Life” and “Time” also helped spread the word to artists about paintings that were contemporary European and American. The 1952 exhibition “Canadian Abstract Exhibition” organized by Alexandra Luke encouraged people to accept abstract art. Hans Hoffmann’s theories of modernism also helped shape American Abstract Expressionism which influenced Canadians because he talked about the importance of colour, formal relations and shallow pictorial space. Other groups established at this time promoted individualism and freedom of expression. Their manifesto also helped in promoting abstract art.
3. There were reservations about abstract art in Canada because the art that was produced at this time (mainly) and which was appreciated by many Canadians was not abstract painting. Canadians did not know what to make of this new style of painting and had a hard time relating to it because of the fact that it relied heavily on spiritual factors. Jack MacDonald is an example of an artist who experienced this - he and other artists were in the shadows of artists who depicted scenes that Canadians could identify with, such as landscapes. However despite this tendency to like more familiar settings, abstract artists continued to create in hopes of the public appreciating their work.
Jasmine Formusa
ReplyDeleteMaking Painting Real - Joyce Zemans Article
1. In Zeman’s article, Lawren Harris describes non-objective art as a central idea with no relation to anything seen in nature. It’s idea, meaning or message dictates the form, the colours, the aesthetic structure and all the relationships in the painting, the purpose being to embody the idea as a living experience in a vital, plastic creation. Geometric non-objective painting did not originate in natural forms but strove to evoke general psychological effects. Abstract artists on the other hand had rejected the dominant narrative of the national for the universal and sought imaginative means to express an innately spiritual and mystical apprehension of the natural world to express the oneness of the universe through art.
2. There was much philosophical contemplation and revelation involved in the creative process of abstract art, as it is less visually contextual and more of an emotional metaphor for the real world. Therefore, with help from such artist run initiatives as the Emma Lake workshops in Regina, exposure and connection with the New York, and emerging contemporary art critics such as the famous Clement Greenberg this new art movement was gaining notoriety, which would in turn encourage the patronage and support of Canadians everywhere. Paul-Emile Borduas was another front-runner in the advocation of artistic rights. He valiantly defied the Catholic Church in defense of his beliefs that artists should have the right to openly express themselves. He published a manifesto with the help of other contemporary artists called Refus-Global revolting the present constrictions being placed on art production at the time which greatly influenced the contemporary art movement and creating a tighter knit community of similar minded artists.
3. Abstract art was hindered because of the popular and overbearing presence of the Group of Seven’s landscapes, which defined Canadian Art at the time. It was hard to appeal to the sensibilities and aesthetic ideals of art collectors and patrons of the day because they were tentative of the popularity and substance of the paintings these abstract artists were creating. Many people seemed to think that these artists just took drugs and sloshed a paintbrush across a canvas without any conscious thought and without any message or didactic quality. It seems justified that abstract and non-objective art was widely disregarded as real art because most people wouldn’t understand the objectives surrounding its creation. However, many abstract artists were adamant about making their art-form part of the Canadian artistic plane, as many enthusiastic artists created initiatives in an effort to expose the art of abstraction in painting. One such effort was the Emma Lake Workshops in Regina, Saskatchewan where artists from anywhere across Canada were invited to learn about contemporary Canadian art. This was spearheaded by Ken Lochland who aimed to compensate for the insolation of the artists in the Prairies. Along with this new circulation of ideas and information the leaders of this initiative contacted American artists in New York in an effort to draw more attention to these up and coming contemporary artists.
1. According to Zemans, the difference between abstract and non-objective art is essentially the overall image and idea that they present. Abstract art tends to express a very spiritual sense of meaning and strives to become a “vision into the realm of eternal life”. Abstract art usually deals with themes of nature, and presents it as if it is an entirely new form rather than merely representing what is seen in real life. When speaking about non-objective art, Zemans says that it becomes mainly formal and geometric, and while still aiming towards a spiritual outcome, do not appear as majestic and magical as abstract art. The point of non-objective art is to create a main idea and to deliver it to the audience, whereas abstract art is more so about creating an environment from which the audience can admire it.
ReplyDelete2. In Zemans article, she discusses a variety of influences on the artists, ranging throughout the artistic periods. The three major artistic periods the Zemans references are automatism, abstract expressionism and geometric abstraction. Different cities in Canada were exposed to different types of artistic style, and were therefore influenced by different styles. The idea of painting become more and more abstract and drawing away from the ideal standards of the Old Masters was a compelling idea to artists, and was increased by the ideas of theorists like Clement Greenberg. Greenberg stressed formalism and the simplification and flattening of the painting, which led artists away from realism and farther towards abstract art. Finally, I think that fact that contemporary and abstract art were becoming increasingly popular made it easier for artists to become more relevant in this subject area.
3. Abstract art was met with resistance in Canada because it went against what everyone knew about art. Instead of being a strict, formal practice with guidelines, artists were able to paint what they felt and attempt to achieve a spiritual nature within their paintings. Canadian art before this period had also attempted to depict nature at times, but definitely utilized a more formal approach. This was a completely different style of painting than people had ever known, and they were not entirely sure how to deal with it. In time, practices of artists combined with works of critics like Clement Greenberg allowed for people to explore what exactly abstract art was, and how they could come to appreciate it.
Allison Karakokkinos
ReplyDelete"Returning Home" Matthew Teitelbaum
1. The essay is attempting to explain the dispute in Regina at the end of the 1960’s relating to the two workshops established: the Emma Lake artists who were formalists and the ceramicists. The differences between the two groups were displayed publically as general issues of how art came to be and its place within the world. There were two specific questions that each side formed their opinions around. These are, What was “sense of place”?, and What was the artist’s subject matter?. The answers given to the above questions show why the Emma Lake workshop was no longer deemed important in Regina in the 1970’s.
2. Space for the early people of the Emma Lake workshop was seen as something metaphysical, it was where an inner image was experienced and it was defined by inner confrontation. It was therefore, not a literal, measured space but a concept unique to the individual that can be accessed anywhere at any time. Space was not a definitive location, but more of a mental construct.
3. The verb ‘transcend’ for the Abstract Expressionists meant to go beyond the limits of place as a definite location and to escape a self consciousness about tradition. The artists had to go beyond their abilities to connect with “the inner recesses of the mind”. To them transcend meant to go beyond experienced life and attempt to portray life as it was felt. It meant an intuitive response opposed to one that was calculated and reasoned.
1. According to Joyce Zemans, North American artist who took to abstract painting were committed to abandoning the significance of subject matter. While the final results of abstract and non-objective painting may be similar, in practice there are key differences. Like the American abstract painters, Canadians were clear with their connection of abstraction with the essence of nature. This way of painting was essentially a method of expressing spiritual and mystical views of the world. Non-Objective painters were very much concerned with geometric forms, colours and aesthetic structure of a painting. It was more of a process that was concerned with the end result, than how it reached that point.
ReplyDelete2. While trying to establish their own identity, Canadian abstract painters were certainly influenced by the Americans. Immediately after the Second World War, the art programs being created for veterans were often taught by American artists. They also looked at European sources and were inspired by nineteenth century American Transcendentalists. New technology allowed for high quality colour reproductions to be published in art magazines. This familiarized Canadian artists with work from Europe’s and the States.
3. Abstract art was met with reservation in English Canada because of society and the ideas about art that were in place at that time. However while it may not have been wildly celebrated it was definitely a different reaction than that of Quebec. The group of seven was dominating Canadian art at the time when the first generation of English-Canadian abstract painters established themselves. There was little critical or institutional support because of this fierce adoration for the group of Seven’s landscape painting style. Also the public saw abstract works as illogical and hyper-emotional. So it was viewed as somewhat inaccessible.
Brittany Shantz -- Zemans article
ReplyDelete1. Abstract art focuses on spiritual truths. It also is a movement committed to the removal of significant subject matter, it highlighted the autonomy of the spirituality within the art work. The essence of nature was also a key point in abstract works. Non - Objective art was more set at looking at the imaginative means of expressing the inner spirituality and mysticism of the work.
2. The influences were after the wars. Due to the post-war years there was an influx of veterans entering the art programs in Canada. With this increase of students in classes more teachers were needed leading to more professional artist teaching and even some instructors coming up from the US who were schooled in abstract. New-technologies were also being introduced that heightened color reproductions. Leading to the influence of magazines like Canadian Art, and Life and Time - making works from Europe and new Paintings from America more accessible.
3. Hindrances for the movement was lack of unity between artists. Some where more abstract and some followed more of the British style. The first exhibit wasn't until 1952 and was for gaining the acceptance of the movement. It was seen as new and different in Canada and as it was progressing it was beginning to become the new Canadian landscape painting.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJazmyn Pettigrew
Delete1.Abstract and Non-objective art were seen differently to Zeman through the use of nature. She saw Abstract art as capturing the heart of nature’s presence and stressed the self-sufficiency of spirituality in the artwork itself. Meaning that the focus was not on accuracy but rather on the gesture of nature within the work. Non-objective art wanted to move away from nature and focused on the principals of form and was more concerned with line and colour rather than the mood or essence to be captured. Moving past this physical state or connection to nature allowed artists to move into the realm of cubism.
2. Canadian artists experienced many worldly influences coming from the United States such as Barnett Newman and Jackson Pollock who were both very involved in Abstract Expressionism. After the war an increasing demand for teachers in art schools were needed because of the newly created programs for returning veterans. Many American artists took to the challenge of teaching (many were Abstract Expressionists) and led to their influence in the school programs. Artists were not the soul influences, art critics like Clement Greenburg sought out great works of art through exhibitions, like the Landmark Exhibition in 1964. As found in most areas of study, science was on the rise in art through the exploration of the subconscious with major influences such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Young who experimented and explored the human psyche. These types of psychoanalytical exploration are what make the foundation of Abstract works possible.
3.Canada had missed the boat with Abstraction in some ways due to several external factors. One main reason being that American and European artists had been working with Abstraction, developing their own stylistic approaches. Canada fell behind and artists couldn’t show work until years past because Abstraction wasn’t in high demand and the public rejected what was being produced at the time. The Group of Seven tried to sway public opinion through their works with little success. Hoping to find an area that understood their work but it didn’t compare to the likes of Jackson Pollock, who was praised to the skies by Greenburg and it showed in his success. Other groups like the Regina Five and the Painters Eleven struggled to make their mark in the world of Abstraction that eventually paid off about a half century down the road.
1. Zemans views Abstract Art as art that was highly inspired by nature that disregarded the subject matter and solely focused on the spirituality behind the art. Abstract artists were also influenced by philosophical theories of American transcendentalists and by Theosophy. On the other hand, Non-objective paintings still contained a denomination of nature, however could never be as directly correlated as Abstract art was. It often borrowed shapes or colours, but simply took its meaning from nature. The viewer would probably not notice the relationship to nature.
ReplyDelete2. After the war art school was very popular. Art schools accommodated for an increase of students because they figured veterans may want to start furthering their educations. With the numbers of students heightening, there was a need to add more teachers. American teachers came and helped to teach their abstract ideas. Hans Hoffman heavily influenced Canadian Abstract Expressionism, as well as Clement Greenberg through their beliefs of modernism. Some artists were inspired by Existentialism, others architecture. However a main influence of artists seemed to be landscape. This influence could be loosely based and the artists may borrow some colours of landscape, but others would include the same form. The grid was a common theme found amongst the work of many abstract painters.
3. What hindered abstraction the most was their idealist notions and beliefs that ended up being broken down by postmodern thoughts. Abstraction ended up being a tad redundant and it seemed inevitable that one day another movement had to take its place. Abstract painters’ overuse of the landscape led to too much repetition. Pop and Op Art offered another wave of thinking that was never introduced in Abstract Art, and Conceptual Art was independent from these even still. It soon became questionable if painting could be considered a legitimate art form. It was up to painters to stir the pot and reach a new way of provoking interest. Otherwise, painting would be lost forever in a realm of craft.
Joyce Zemans: Making Painting Real; Abstract an Non-Objective Art in English Canada
ReplyDelete1. Abstraction was viewed differently by Canadians depending on geographical location and influences. Lawren Harris explained that non-objective painting does not relate to anything we would see in nature but still contains an idea, with meaning and a message. Abstract expressionism does not contain a predetermined idea or message. A new visual language was key to expressing a new world of ideas. In a 1945 essay for an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Toronto, The Development of Painting in Canada (1665-1945), expressionism was described as the “distortion of form and colour of natural objects to achieve an emotional or aesthetic effect.” Abstraction builds on relationships in the painting and aesthetics. Many Abstract Canadian artists maintained that the “essence of nature was the source of their art.” High hopes for spiritual truths conveyed in abstract art would lead us to “universal and absolute harmony for humanity.”
2. Kandinsky’s book from 1912 titled Concerning the Spiritual in Art was an important source for many artists. Kandinsky also wrote an essay titled Painting as Pure Art that argued art had two elements, both an inner emotion that could be conveyed to the viewer and an outer form. The first generation of Canadian abstract artists rejected the ‘national’ for the ‘universal’ wanting to express something more spiritual. Arthur Jerome Eddy wrote Cubists and Post-Impressionism in 1914 which was read by most pioneers of English-Canadian abstract art. After World War II, many were disillusioned and existentialism attracted artists who turned inward “rather than seeking universal truths.” Lawren Harris was influenced by the Transcendental Painting Group, Cubism & Theosophy. The ‘essence’ of nature influenced most Canadian abstract artists. Surrealism was not acknowledged formally yet influence is evident. European artists and social movements influenced Canadian artists like Paul-Émile Borduas, the Automatists, Jock Macdonald and Bertram Brooker, who in turn influenced the next generation of Canadian artists. Several artists including Jock Macdonald and Painters Eleven made it their mission to advocate abstract art.
3. In an ultra-conservative, early twentieth century Canada, abstract art was something so new and different that people had a hard time accepting this as artwork. Many did not understand the concepts behind these new forms of art nor did they dare to educate themselves on these topics. Organized religion still dominated the landscape of society and although cultural transformation was taking place slowly, critics such as Fred Houser, Augustus Bridle and Frank Johnston, who worked in the art world during this time, demeaned abstraction delaying the process. Bertram Brooker was disappointed in the lack of reaction of his first solo exhibition of abstract and non-objective painting in 1927 but never gave up. Although it took many years before abstraction earned acceptance, it took a lot of effort from many artists advocating change to turn the face of Canadian contemporary artist movements.
Sarah Cordeaux and Hannah Raaflaub
ReplyDeleteZemans, Joyce. "Making Painting Real: Abstract and Non-objective Art in English Canada
1. Zemans references Lawren Harris’ “An essay on Abstract art” (1949), that states that there are three stages of abstract art, one that derives from nature, another that has an idea that is conveyed through the piece in non-objective painting, and the third that has no central idea that incoporates more orderly elements in the work. Specifically the difference between abstract and non-objective is where the subject matter comes from, with abstract art the art references a more imaginative source of nature as opposed to realistically depicting a landscape or organic elements, with some parts of the piece being recognizable as to where it’s source came from. Non-objective art had an emphasis on the form and the works are not created with an intended idea to begin with, it stems more from a loose and imaginative state that makes no reference to nature and does not have any well constructed subject matter.
2. Many artists had influences over the art during this time in Canada. Borduas had an incredible effect in Quebec in regards to the Avant garde movement. In 1952 Canada had its first abstract exhibition, and in 1959 jury for the national gallery’s third biennial of Canadian art reported abstract expressionism, automatism, and geometric abstraction, and how art has progressed to that point in a positive view. Abstract art became the “academy of today”. Each province had a different focus in style, for example Vancouver had a more expressionist approach to style. Hans Hofman (theories of modernism) had a great effect on Canadians which was evident in the opening of many contemporary galleries and spaces for new art movement pieces could be on display for critique. Kandinsky idea was widely acknowledged that “every art has its own language”. Artists drew on “experience, expression and responsibility” creating a mish-mash of art based on geographical location and philosophies. Many artists rejected the dominant narrative and strived for more imaginative means to express their understanding of the natural world and the connection to the universe through art.
3. Abstract art was met with reservation as it was a new art style to come to Canada. Painting was considered a “Pure Art” in which abstraction was not acknowledged as a proper form of expression. The main hindrances in the careers of the artists discussed in the chapter were that that the notion of abstractionism was not considered a natural form of art expression in Canada. Artists were committed to abandoning the significance of subject matter that could be found in works by the Group of Seven which was still very prominent, as well as stressed the independence of the spiritually invested art object.
Stephanie Caskenette
ReplyDeleteArticle: Matthew Teitelbaum, “Returning Home”
1) Teitelbaum’s thesis is clearly found on the second page: “This paper will sketch out the dominant issues of dispute in the Regina community at the close of the 1960's in relation to the immense influence and impact of the workshops”. In particular, the paper is written regarding the influence of the Emma Lake workshops on the conflicting and other surrounding art groups such as the abstractionists and the ceramicists. These groups had many different beliefs, and so questions pertaining to the definitions of a “sense of place”, “the artist’s subject matter” and “tradition” are asked in order to gain a clearer perspective on the range of Emma Lake’s influence.
2) Early abstractionist’s accepted the concept of a sense of place as presented by Barnett Newman, as a “metaphysical place where one induced and experienced the release of an inner image. As a space that was defined by inner confrontation, place could be anywhere”. The Emma Lake Workshop was located at a place of true isolation, surrounding the artists with pure space which allowed them to find the art within themselves, and offering an escape from the expectations of the world around them. The meaning was unlocked from being on the inside of the artist’s mind onto the image of the canvas. So the space in which they surrounded themselves in had an immense contribution to the artwork that they were creating. When Newman later visited Saskatchewan, he identified with its isolation and relative closeness to the tundra. Therefore his idea of space was reinforced, as he felt he was at the end of the world.
5) This article looks at the Emma Lake workshops in Regina and how their existence initially offered an escape from American Idealism. The article covers the importance of isolation to the new and upcoming artists in exploring a sense of place through their own experiences, concepts that are supported by the ideas of Barnett Newman and his experience in a place of solitude. Furthermore, the article also covers a critical debate that was going on against Clement Greenberg and the New Art movement. Greenberg brought Emma Lake participants from a logical and spiritual space to the great American tradition, encouraging them to select careers in the American market place. While some of these artists continued their careers in this new market, many also stood strong with their belief that art should be made from your own experiences and feelings on things, not by intellectual garbage that is supported by art critics and leading artists. As a result there was some distancing from the Emma Lake workshops as they became corrupt with notions that followed what others expected.
Stephanie Hernandez
ReplyDelete1. Zemans differentiates Abstract and Non-objective Art through the role that nature plays in the composition. For Abstract artists, nature serves as the inspiration for their work, which as Zemans explains, tries to express the oneness of the universe through art. Abstract art expresses the inherently spiritual quality of nature through the very process of abstraction. Instead of capturing the subject itself, Abstract artists capture the feeling behind the object. Non-objective artists however convey an idea or feeling without a base in natural objects or subjects. Non-objective Art conveys its’ message through the composition and formal elements of their work. The idea behind their creation is embodied as an experience, in a tangible, physical formation, of aesthetic structure.
2. The post war period that helped to influence many of the artists mentioned was a time of increasing opportunity for growth and change in artistic movements. National exhibitions of art were integral in putting abstract and non-objective art in the forefront of Canadian expressionism. Art critics and theorists like Kandinsky and Clement Greenberg both influenced Canadian abstract artists and in the case of the latter, actually taught sessions for Canadian artists. Zemens also mentions major artistic movements happening in the world like CoBrA and Surrealism depending on geographical location in Canada. Painters Eleven artists and other abstract artists were not unified in their ideals or opinions towards other movements, instead their work was unified by a quest for abstraction.
3. Abstract art was met with reservation in that it defied what Canadians had defined as art up until that point. With artists like the group of seven setting the standard for Canadian art, the move from figurative or landscape motifs to abstraction was a jump that many people were unwilling to make. Meeting with so much criticism, many artists had trouble exhibiting their pieces. It wasn’t until 1954 that the first totally abstract art exhibition was held in Toronto. This type of resistance led many abstract artists to feel disenchanted with their surroundings and migrate to elsewhere in Canada, or even abroad. Artists had to look to the United States in some cases to improve their own work through the teachings of artists like Barnett Newman and Will Barnet.
So I had this ready for Sunday but I was not aware that we posted it under the same comment until now.
ReplyDeleteMonika Hauck
1.What is the difference between Abstract and Non-objective Art according to Zemans?
Abstract artists were driven by the idea of abandoning subject matter in its traditional form and instead placing emphasis on the autonomy and spirituality of art objects. The "essence of nature" was still the central focus of their inspiration, supplemented with European spiritual teachings which places nature in centre of their philosophy. Canadian abstract artists rejected dominant narratives that were being expressed by other artists (such as national identity, universality etc.) and focused on expressing the natural and spiritual world through imaginative means. Non-objective art does not originate from natural forms but instead strives to evoke a psychological or effect. Non-objective art is emotional in its exploration of abstraction through colour and form.
2. What were the main influences (e.g. artistic movements, natural phenomena) of the artists discussed in the article on pages 169-182?
During this time of transition in visual art there were many shows and exhibitions and therefore a large body of critical writing that ensued post-exhibition. These writings defined and clarified the movement towards abstract art, giving it new energy and a solid form of understanding in the minds of the public. The end of the war also plays a significant role in the changing methods of art. The birth of abstract expressionism would be defined by these artists and their emphasis on spirituality of art, the role of colour and formal relations, shallow pictorial space, singularity of language and aesthetic autonomy. After the tumultuous events of the war artists naturally turned their visual insights inward rather than attempting to uncover universal truths. Importance was also placed on the differences of artistic conception and presentation based on an artist's individual experience and location. In addition to this groups such as "Painters Eleven" and "The Regina Five" strove to make their work as abstract and controversial as possible in order to get noticed. The Painters Eleven adhered to the idea that the gesture of painting is actually the act of transferring pure emotion onto the canvas.
3. Why was Abstract art met with reservation and what were main hindrances in the careers of the artists discussed on pages 169-182? Give examples if you can and express your opinion as necessary.
Abstract art emerged from a period of a difficult social and political era and because of that art changed dramatically forever. The introduction of abstraction to art was one that was not expected by society despite the fact that it acurately depicted society at the time (one in chaos and without order). Because of this abstract art was met with much criticism. For example, some of the art being made by the Regina Five was criticized for its abstraction and random splashes of paint in lieu of the Canadian prairies. The legitimacy of abstract art was also challenged as society and artists began to sort out the world after the world. Movements such as Op Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art and others had philosophies that challenged painting as an artistic practice.
Aimee Puthon
ReplyDelete1.What is the difference between Abstract and Non-objective Art according to Zemans?
Abstractionist became a popular form of art at around the same time as the Group of Seven. Zemens states that the Europeans influences abstractionist painting because of social, political and cultural change such as religion, science and math. Abstract painting is when one abandons the “significance of subject matter”. This means that instead of paintings shapes and landscapes that have a purpose and meaning, painting something that does not have an intended meaning or purpose as it is the viewers job to come up with a meaning. Brooker defines non-objective painting as “some sort of replica of the color, the volume and rhythm I experienced when listening to music” (166). It is a painting based on the imagination. Non- objective painters wanted a psychological response when the viewer was looking at their work.
2. What were the main influences (e.g. artistic movements, natural phenomena) of the artists discussed in the article on pages 169-182?
There were many social and political events that influenced the artists during the time (1940s and 50’s). The Development of Painting in Canada was a collection of essays that described contemporary art and art movements. In 1952 there was a exhibit of contemporary art that was organized by artists who were part of Alexandra Lake, it was held at the YMCA in Oshawa. Another influence was Hans Hoffmann. He thought that incorporating nature into contemporary art was crucial. An art group that formed with the purpose of promoting abstract art was the Group Eleven who are known to be the Toronto avant-garde. Canada was also being influenced by the abstract expressionist movement in New York. Across the country there was growing influence for abstract art. In BC, there were institutions such as art schools and galleries focusing on solely abstract art.
3. Why was Abstract art met with reservation and what were main hindrances in the careers of the artists discussed on pages 169-182? Give examples if you can and express your opinion as necessary.
Abstract are was met with a lot of criticism and hesitation. This is because the movement was moving away from formal art forms and ways of painting into territory that had not yet been tried or tested. Instead of painting a landscape using a color realistic color palette, the abstractionist were painting things which they may not have seen, such as forms and shapes and using bright colors. They were thinking outside of the box and this is what caused the hindrance. Abstract art was made under the persons experience and ideas as well as expression and this is what made it so different. It was entirely up to the artist/ individual to create something from their imagination instead of creating it from a ‘real life’ scene or event.
Shaylah Costello
ReplyDelete1. What was reaction to Refus Global manifesto?
Disgust and negativity was directed at Borduas for writing the Refus Global. It went against the law, the religion, and the general way of life.
2. What were similarities between Surrealists and Les Automatistes?
the Automatiste movement created Abstract art that was absolutely meaningless. IT was to have no higher purpose, just to be created and that's it. The Surrealists wanted people to connect with their work psychologically, for it to instil an emotion into their hearts.
3. Pp. 14-16. What are main ideas of the Refus Global?
The main ideas were that the Catholic Church had to much censorship power and the law was corrupt. The idea that God did not exist was a big one. Also the classes of people were to be demolished so that everyone would be equal and not "lower, middle, or upper".
Gail Michalski
ReplyDelete2. What are the dangers of uniformity?
The dangers of uniformity are that the electric technology is within the gates and we are blind, deaf, numb and mute about its encounter with the Gutenberg technology, on and though which the American way of life was formed. The American stake in literacy as a technology or uniformity applied to every level of education, government, industry and social life is totally threatened by the electric technology.
3. What are the effects of technology on human life and the psyche?
The effects of technology are a numb stance of the technological idiot. For the “content” of a medium is like the juicy piece of meat carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind. The effect of the medium is made strong and intense just because it is given another medium as “content.” The content of a movie is a novel or a play or an opera. The effect of the movie form is not related to its program content. The “content” of writing or prints is speech, but the reader is almost entirely unaware either of print or speech. I think this is just a fancy way of saying that the effects are so gradual and cannot necessarily be seen because we are slowing being conditioned into what technology “wants” us to be or do.
4. Explain the meaning and application of the last quote by C. G Jung. What would be an equivalent of slave mentality in contemporary life?
The meaning of the last Jung quote is that one cannot shield themselves from constant bombardment of being subject to a certain person or people all the time. In the case of the slaves, being around slaves all day every day, all the time one cannot help but be affected, however non intentional by that person. In a contemporary sense, advertising is a great example. There is no escaping the ads of everyday life, they are not just in magazines and on TV anymore but they are on buses, the back of bathroom stalls, before watching an intended clip on the internet, there is now a mandatory ad that must be watched in order to continue on with the intended viewing. One cannot help but be affected.
Gail Michalski
DeletePreface
1) Unity is the state of being combined or united into one. Unity is the act of coming together for a common goal and while still maintaining a state of individuality. Uniformity on the other hand is overall sameness, consistency or harmony. Everyone is belonging and being of the same mind frame.
Kelsey Atkinson-Derasp
ReplyDeleteWhat are the dangers of uniformity?
If we try and be the same we will not accept each other for our differences, demonstrating the dangers of uniformity. This concept causes people to segregate from others as people have certain expectations of eliminating issues that they deem inappropriate such as individualism. In the end, people are unable to express themselves in their own unique way. McLuhan writes that a child does not understand social expectations and is thus imaginative, unable to fit into niches or behave in a uniform fashion. Due to the fact that a child’s brain is still developing, they do not yet know the roles and conditions of social and cultural expectations. A contemporary example of someone who is trying to deviate from uniformity is Judy Chicago. She is an artist who attempts to redefine the role of women in society by bringing to light domestic and sexual issues that still surround women today.
What are the effects of technology on human life and psyche?
Technology has many benefits because it can give a wide range of information that is quickly and easily accessible. The downside is that we lose what makes us culturally unique because the person is bombarded with so many other cultures through technology. McLuhan shows that obtaining information easily is good, but ‘information overload’ is not beneficial. This can be too much for our brain to handle causing people to lose sight of informational concepts, ideas, and values. Visually, technology is a way for us to process information and to give meaning and value to a unanimous object, acting as a hue helping us to remember material.
What is the difference between unity and uniformity? (Frye article)
Unity in the Canadian sense can be defined as a concept or an idea that brings the people together from the east to the west. Unity focuses on how one represents them at a national level distinguishing itself from identity which focuses instead on individuals defining themselves locally. These two concepts are vastly different from uniformity. This next concept does not emphasize the individual; its main function is to look at the similarities between people opposed to their unique identity. Uniformity is about expressing ideas or concepts that belong to the masses. Ultimately, unity accepts the differences between people; whereas, uniformity is an example of a collective conscience that does not deal well with individualistic traits.
‘Medium is the Message’
ReplyDelete4) I agree with Marshall McLuhan’s main argument that the ‘medium is the message.’ He argues that medium shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action. That even though a light bulb offer a great medium, for example lighting a sports game at night, there is a message behind that medium. As light allows for social interaction and leisure activity, without it these things could not occur. Although he does not mention it in the article I think that a really good example that illustrates his main point would be news broadcasters. There could be a variety of different news reporters reading the exact same news, but a different message could be received depending on the medium. Which in this case could be different in regards to gender, age or race of the reporter. Depending on the type of news, people will take the point of view of one reporter over another.
‘Preface’
1)Frye proves through his article that unity and uniformity are complete opposites. Uniformity is where everyone belongs, meaning that they act, dress and think similarly. It produces a society that Frye argues is comfortable but lacking in any actual human individuality. While a society that is brought together through unity tolerates differences while joining similarities. Fyre states that unity rejoices in a variety, it wants people to be stratified in society. As unity provides people with their own identity and a want to better themselves amongst their fellow beings. This allows for competition in society, versus a uniform one in which everyone would be working for a common good. Unity Frye argues is national in reference, international in perspective and rooted in a political feeling. For example he talks of how different each province is in Canada in regards to its landscape and the people that live within them, but everyone still shares the unity of being Canadian.
2) In “Preface,” Frye offers his point of view on Canadian Identity. He argues that identity in itself is rather a regional question more than a national one. That due to the fact Canada is so large and vastly different across the nation; there are a variety of identities. This is dependent upon which province a Canadian lives in. For example a person will have a different sense of Canadian identity if they live on the plains in the Prairie Provinces, or in the wilderness of Northern Ontario or on the coast of the Maritimes. People identify themselves as Canadian in connection with their specific homeland. He argues that these different identities though become tied together and make our nation unified. As Canadian people we are accept, encourage and embrace the mosaic of the nation.
Natalie Banaszak
ReplyDelete'Medium is the Message'
What are the effects of technology on human life and psyche?
Technology demands that we act in a uniform or continuous pattern, which alienates others who cannot conform or cannot keep up with the rapid pace of society and labels them as pathetic. Technology sets standards for society which we as citizens strive to achieve, however when those cannot be met the effects are quite debilitating on the person’s spirit. In a culture where the economy is based on one or two major staples, lets say television and internet, these staples become “fixed charges” on the community’s psyche. In surrounding ourselves with technology, we are open to the influence of media even unconsciously, and nothing can stop us from this influence.
"Preface"
1. Uniformity creates a society in which the thought is that everyone must be the same way, act the same way, and conform to a certain type of very specific lifestyle in order to be considered a part of the whole. Everyone dresses the same way, talks the same way, uses the “same cliches”. Unity, however, tolerates differences and even promotes them. It encourages different traditions, and understands that the creation of a proletariat or citizens of a “second-class” is in fact a dis-uniting factor.
2. Canadian identity is a predominantly regional one. It is not to be mistaken with unity, because this would create separatist ideals and therefore would in fact isolate certain provinces or groups. Each province or territory has its own values, its own traditions which have developed over time. These are created by geographical differences and cultural differences as well. The Canadian identity is in fact defined by this regional identity, instead of one national tradition.
Northrop Frye, “Preface” Shaylah Costello
ReplyDelete1. What is the difference between unity and uniformity?
Frye stated, "the essential element in the national sense of unity is the east-west feeling, developed historically along the st. Lawrence- Great Lakes axis, and expressed in the nation motto, a mari usque ad mare."
This talks to me about the sense of "us" and "them". Mostly the "us" part. Unity means to be united and accepting of each other's differences and when one is united with others- it creates the "us" feeling.
Frye also said, " Uniformity. everyone 'belongs', uses the same cliche's thinks alike, behaves alike, produces a society with seems comfortable at first but is totally lacking in human dignity."
This description of uniformity is a little bit frightening. It says that if we are all the same then there is no creativity, no strengths or weaknesses and therefore no dignity.
2. What does Frye think about Canadian identity?
He thinks that Canadian identity or identity of any kind, is local, personal, rooted in the imagination and a political feeling. Everyone feels that they are from a certain place and it defines them.
Allison Karakokkinos
ReplyDeleteThe Medium is the Message
2. The dangers of uniformity that McLuhan describes are first, the misconception that those who do not conform are pathetic/lower status/ needy etc. Those that are deemed outside of the uniformity are left to find their own niche; McLuhan uses the example of a child. Second, uniformity can leave out people with different abilities, such as those who learn by doing rather than through literature as McLuhan described. He states that we can become numb or desensitized since everything is the same and unified in mechanical, ‘literate’ culture.
Preface- Northrop Frye
1. Unity is the opposite of uniformity Frye says. Uniformity is defined as when everyone conforms to the same behaviours, thoughts and speech, thus in this way everyone ‘belongs’ because everyone is basically the same. Frye says that the resulting society of uniformity is comfortable originally, there are no objections to ‘the norm’, but in the end it lacks human dignity, individuality and expression is repressed. Unity on the other hand tolerates differences in opinion or disagreement and thrives on varying traditions and points of view. Unity recognizes that as humans we should not divide ourselves, for example, into various levels of class or rank in society.
2. Frye’s opinion about on Canadian identity is that identity isn’t a national question but a regional one since Canada is so large. Frye describes it as if traveling to another country when you get accustomed to a particular Canadian region, say Southern Ontario, and then move to another totally different region for example the Maritimes. The differences are vast. What he calls the ‘diseases’ of Canadian life are assimilating unity to identity which results in provincial isolation and the assimilating of identity into unity which leaves “empty gestures of cultural naturalism” (p iii). He is saying that when our acceptance of differences (unity) becomes our identity we are divided, but when we say that the Canadian identity is our ability to tolerate differences and thrive on this it is a feeble at nationalism for it seems to be an answer for lack of finding a better agreed identity.
Beth Pufall
ReplyDelete“Preface”
1. What is the difference between unity and conformity?
Fry illustrates in his article the ways in which unity and conformity are differing terms that must be understood as different from one another. He describes uniformity as a negative trait, where although everyone belongs to one group, it produces a society that lacks any human individuality. Unity on the other hand, is perceived by Fry as a positive element. Unity brings societies together by celebrating differences and joining similarities. This means that differing traditions and the like become encouraged and allows people to create their own identities for themselves. Unity therefore, allows for diversity within society whereas uniformity requires everyone to be the same.
2. What does Fry think about Canadian identity?
In “Preface,” Fry offers his own point of view on Canadian identity. He argues that Canadian identity is largely a regional one rather than a national one. Because Canada is such a vast country, made up of many provinces and territories, each has its own values and traditions that have developed over time. This means that within Canada there are a variety of different identities depending on the province in which they live. These varying identities are created by geographical differences as well as cultural differences. However, though these differing identities exist, people still identify themselves as Canadian. Fry argues that these identities come together to create a unified nation.
“The Medium is the Message”
3. What are the effects of technology on human life and psyche?
The effects of technology on human life and psyche have both positive and negative attributes. Technology has benefitted us because it allows for a wide range of information to be readily available at such a fast pace. On the other side of this, technology can also cause us to lose what makes our culture unique because of the accessibility we have to information about other cultures around the world. McLuhan illustrates in this article that while obtaining material easily is good, it is not beneficial to attempt to gain too much from technology as it can cause people to lose sight of their own cultural concepts, ideas and values.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDiana Topley
ReplyDelete“The Medium is the Message”
2) The dangers of uniformity, is that individualism is not valued. Uniformity implies that a society is expected to act and behave all the same way. McLuhan explains that if someone does not conform to this notion of uniformity, the individual is seen as pathetic. He/she is seen as a ‘victim of injustice’ because the individual does not or cannot fit into the societal roles assigned to them, or they are not expected to in the first place. The danger in this is that uniformity and continuous pattern are viewed by society as a signifier of intelligence, which therefore unfairly eliminates the deviant citizen.
“Preface”
1) Uniformity is when a society thinks and acts the same of one another, neglecting a sense of human dignity. In contrast, unity embraces variety of thought, behaviour, and traditions, or at the minimum tolerates these differences. Unity does not involve exclusion, therefore fostering a feeling of belonging to the human spirit. In regards to Canada, unity on a national level is primarily created from the tension of the ‘east-west’, coast-to-coast feeling, which is a combination of a political unity and an imaginative locality.
2) Frye believes that the Canadian identity is local and regional. He explains that because of the vast land that encompasses Canada, we do not share in the same cultures and traditions. For example, on a geographical level the Maritimes, prairies and west coast are 3 distinct geographical regions of Canada, and therefore the Canadians who live there adapt to their everyday surrounding in different ways. He illustrates that it is these differences, our ‘present lack of will to resist its own disintegration’, our accepting attitude of our cultural variety, that creates a national unity. He argues that when identity and unity are combined together, provincial isolation occurs, destroying a genuine feeling of belonging.
Chloe Stelmanis-Cali
ReplyDeleteNorthrop Frye, "Preface:"
1. For Frye, unity and uniformity are opposites. While unity gives Canadians a sense of belonging, a sense of wholeness from east to west, and nurtures cultural and political identity, uniformity threatens such things. Unity embraces difference among regions and localities as being "Canadian," while uniformity creates a society which, in its goal for "sameness," hinders the growth of human dignity. While unifications strives for similarities in regional cultures, unity understands that understanding and embracing such a variety is actually crucial to Canadian identity.
2. For Frye, Canadian identity is based on regional identity. In Canada, identity is not based on simply the country itself, but is regional and local, as well as it is rooted in the imagination. To explain Canadian identity as rooted in the imagination, Frye gives the example of Canadian landscape and spaces. The empty spaces and various other factors contributing to an "obliterated environment" fosters imagination different from other various localities. Canadian unity, from east to west, is also crucial to the strength of Canadian identity. Frye gives an example of this by explaining that when unifying ties from east to west in Canada begin to weaken, political forces supporting separatism amongst various Canadian regions simultaneously begins to strengthen.
Marshal McLuhan, "The Medium is the Message:"
1. In reading all of McLuhan's examples in support of his claim, which is also the title of his article "The Medium is the Message," I found not only his example of the electric light, but all his examples of a source being used for various different purposes, and some purposes, being viewed as better than others, to be particularly insightful in his attempt to get his point across. He explains in his example of the electric lights that the light itself may not have a message, it still has "content." Since many activities, such as, as McLuhan states, night baseball or brain surgery, contain electric light in order to exist, the light "shapes and controls" how humans associate or relate to such actions. I think by outlining his claim through the use of such literal, everyday examples, such as the electric light example, allows his claim to become easier to understand as well as more assessable and easier to relate to.
Samantha Pagliaro
ReplyDeleteMcLuhan
5. I completely agree with McLuhan in his book when he writes about technology. There are both positives and negatives to technology that we now see in hindsight. However, if you remember that he wrote this book in the 1960’s it really shows that he understood where technology and automation was headed even at a time when the family and core values were still upheld. Technology has gotten to a point where it is essential to our daily lives. For example McLuhan mentions that with automation it does create jobs for people who (at the time) we disengaged from both work and society but that it eliminates jobs and takes over the role of the worker.
Frye
1. The difference between unity and uniformity come down to culture and there societal norms and rules. Unity implies a consecutive whole in which a culture works together to include the other. Even if complete unity is not met there is the understanding that there was the attempt. Uniformity however implies that there is a hierarchical system in place, in which there are those who are in the upper circles and those who are below them who are attempting to gain more resources and power by using uniformity to gain respect.
2. Frye says that Canadian culture had been drastically changed, however he claims that it is not from its struggle to form a Canadian identity but from the paradoxes that surround that identity. It seems to be attempting to produce a Canadian Canon and allude to where Canadian culture should be headed through one of the most valid questions. The largest thing at seems to be questioned is the ambiguity around the definition of Canadian cultures and art. It would seem that though it is one of the largest questions about Canadian identity and it cannot be answered because there is still no solid ground in which Canadian culture bases it upon.
“Preface”
ReplyDelete1. Unity and conformity are two different things as described in this article. Frye describes the idea of uniformity as negative. The reason why this is seen as a negative is because in this definition and idea, everyone “belongs to the same group” and the society is not rich with individuality. People are the same in literally all aspects. Unity is different from the idea of uniformity because unity brings together societies in a positive way. Unity allows people from other groups to celebrate differences within society while embracing them at the same time.
2. Frye explains that Canadian identity is not composed of one main idea or notion but rather Canadian identity is regional. It is not national because Canada is made up of many provinces that encompass their own set of ideas, politics and customs, Canada as a whole is not homogeneous. Frye points out that the provinces are not all alike and therefore Canada does not project one main identity. However he does suggest that these differences in terms of customs, values (etc) do come together to create a unified nation.
3. Technology “accelerated media changes” and along with this, the article explains that the media was a “massacre of the innocents” and some were no aware of the effects of technology on the psyche and many were beginning to conform to these new technological ideas. Many found that there was a lot of pressure coming from technology and the effects of technology did not happen on a level of all opinions or concepts. There are of course some positives of technology. For example, it has allowed us to easily access and relay information. However, technology has changed all perceptions as well as set standards for society. Technology became an extension of oneself and people were becoming consumed by technology which was a negative aspect because it eliminated jobs for example. With the development of technology society was constantly bombarded with new ways of doing things as well as new ideas.
McLuhan:
ReplyDelete1. I think McLuhan’s example of the light bulb is the clearest, most easily understood, and therefore the most efficient argument in the text. McLuhan argues that the electric light bulb is viewed as not having the same content that a medium containing written text does. The content or meaning of a lightbulb is not all the things that can be done because of the lightbulb but instead the change that the lightbulb facilitates and engenders in society. Therefore the idea of light, what it allows for, is itself the content of the lightbulb. This argument uses a commonly known and understood medium to demonstrate that the medium is the message.
2. The problem with uniformity is the fact that it is limiting. The idea of uniformity creates a preconstructed uniform and continuous ideal which is used as a basis for determining intelligence and credibility. Therefore anyone who does not fit into this category, anyone other that a man, is discredited as laking rationality.
4. C.G. Jung explains the notion that a group cannot shield itself from the psychology of what is around it. He uses the example of the presence of slaves in Rome “infecting” the psychology of the romans until they were themselves slaves as well. I don’t think Jung meant that the Romans literally became slaves, but instead that they became concerned with the concerns of slaves and used the slaves as a way of defining themselves. McLuhan would argue a contemporary example of this phenomenon is technology infecting the psychology of the world. With the increase in its presence, technology changes the way humans think and behave thus changing our psychology.
Frye:
1. Frye sees unity and uniformity as opposites. Unity he defines as an all encompassing, national and political idea that allows for variation, difference, and regionalism. In contrast, Uniformity does not allow for those characteristics and instead creates a singular definition to fit within.
2. Frye sees canadian identity as a balance between regionalism and nationalism and a tension between a political sense of unity along with an imaginative idea of locality. Because of Canada's vastness, and differing geography, a localized sense of identity is fostered. on the other hand, an east-west, from sea to sea perception of canada creates a unified sense of identity.
Paige Connell
ReplyDeleteWhat are the dangers of uniformity?
The dangers of uniformity are the consequences of our own typographies as mentioned in the article. When we create a standard that is meant to encompass all members of society, we already create a situation in which some will fail. Those who are outside the norm are regarded as less intelligent and therefore less significant in the broad spectrum of society. With all the technological progress the world is making, it becomes increasingly hard for people to measure up to expectations of performance. The pressure to conform is unnecessary stress upon all other stressors. It is a danger to individual mentality and self confidence. And it will also become a danger if society loses its independent and influential thinkers that function outside of the norm. From the very beginning of the dissemination of information in the form of print as discussed in the article, some form of uniformity has existed. Information is extremely influential and access to it is even more so on impressionable minds.
What are the effects of technology on human life and psyche?
Technology has caused the human life and mind to move faster and do more, but has decreased the intellect and complexity with which we live our lives. Technology has proven its ability to make tasks easier, to lighten our load, you could say. It has however, left us with less impulse to question and think. This may seem contradictory, considering the amount of information at our disposal because of the Internet, but finding answers and thinking about answers has become less of a challenge. Many take the information they gather from the Internet at face value thinking “that was easy.” The pace at which we live life now has much less time for values of family and beauty. The media tells us to work, consume, follow trends, and to not look up from whatever personal device you carry around.
What does Frye think about Canadian identity?
Frye approaches the question of Canadian identity in a very literary fashion. He starts with personalizing the issue to Canadians by mentioning that such an issue of identity is not often present in other countries. Within this context he expertly points out the confusion caused by the instruction of our own governmental leaders, which was to promote both identity and unity. By bringing up this important point that these are two very different things, I think Frye deconstructs the mindset of this issue into something comprehensive. Canada is such a large country with such diverse terrains that each section in itself is unique and identifiable. Therefore identity becomes regional. He uses unity as method of cohesion, however, clarifying that it is different than identity and refers to our ability as a nation to exist as one entity. Unity creates a nation that is intelligent and accepting of the differences of identity that together make Canada. I think Frye sees the issue of separatism as a historical reoccurrence that is maybe inevitable, but sees Canada’s potential as a strong unified country.
Aimee Puthon
ReplyDeleteWhat are the dangers of uniformity?
Frye states that there is a danger of uniformity. This danger is because at first everyone fits in, is comfortable and happy. Yet as time progresses people become lacking in human dignity because of how comfortable they are. There are no differences when something is uniform, people act the same, do the same things, wear the same clothes, think the same way and do the same things. Frye thinks that change and difference is good and that it is a positive thing to embrace these differences. He states that humans, across Canada, are different and he uses the example of provinces and the landscape and this is just one example to show how Canadians are so different.
What are the effects of technology on human life and psyche?
Frye states that technology in todays world is negative. This is because people are so influenced and married to technology. One has to keep up with technology otherwise they will fall behind. People are almost forced to adapt to technology whether they want to or not. An example of technology being a negative influence on society is that people are losing their jobs. If a company can use technology to cut their costs, they will. It is an essential part of our daily lives, we use it everyday our telephone, to check our email, our alarm clock in the morning, etc. We use it daily without thinking about it. Technology may also hinder the human mind and creativity. There may be a lot of ideas and a lot more information that is easier for one to find yet at the same time it may make one think that everything has been done and there is not a chance for something new.
What is the difference between unity and uniformity?
Uniformity is when things are the same. People who live in a uniform environment do everything the same, they have the same ideas, they think the same, they enjoy the same things, and they dress the same. There is a lack of diversity and want for difference. They feel comfortable where they are and doing what they are doing. They do not feel that it is necessary for things to be different. Frye suggests that this draws a society and culture back. They do not challenge or change, they are stagnant. Unity is when people are different and yet they respect each other and are able to be different without being judged or held back. Frye suggests that Canadians are like this. We are different from coast to coast and he ties this to the environment and landscape that surrounds each province.
Monika Hauck
ReplyDeleteMarshall McLuhan, “The Medium is the Message”
1. McLuhan gives numerous examples to support his main argument. What in your opinion is most efficient? Why?
McLuhan's various examples allow the reader to really access his perspective from many different angles, however the variety also makes it a complicated process to discern precisely what he means. I believe that the most efficient example of his argument is his last example of Shakespeare. Not only does he demonstrate his point with direct textual references that illustrate the idea of medium being the message, but in this example the medium (phrases and stanzas) is demonstrating the message in actuality while simultaneously serving McLuhan's purpose as an example in his text.
4. Explain the meaning and application of the last quote by C.G.Jung (p. 21). What would be an equivalent of slave mentality in contemporary life?
I think that C.G. Jung's quotation has a very interesting application to modern society. If "slaves" are considered an influential force on individuals then much of our society is made up of "slaves", imposing their psychology and agenda on us subliminally. The difference today lies in advertising, societal expectations and achievement over the course of our lives. By being bombarded with advertisements and images that preach of "a better life" if you subscribe to a particular ideal which is being misrepresented and twisted by corporations, your own psychology is being influenced and not by any choice of yours. We are also expected to get jobs and participate in society the way our parents did by working our whole lives and work towards fulfilling our dreams with all the money you might make one day. These are two examples of "slaves" in our modern society which clearly impose on our unconscious, leaving us questioning the validity of doing anything against this grain.
Northrop Frye, “Preface”
1. What is the difference between unity and uniformity?
Both unity and uniformity stem from the same root, one which identifies an importance of singularity or oneness. However, unity and uniformity are vastly different in their application and understanding. Unity embraces a stratified and multifaceted outlook on culture, life and society, but in order for a sense of unity to be reached all parties involved must acknowledge a larger sense of belonging. All the small and different aspects of society, no matter how varied, come together to form one unified identity. Whereas societies that suffer from a strong sense of uniformity generally lack all the varied and multiple perspectives of a unified society. Uniformity simply means that all parties involved are alike and similar in many ways, leaving little room for difference and uniqueness, it lacks in what makes society human.
Lauren Rodgers and Noor Ale
ReplyDeleteMarshall McLuhan "The Medium is the Message"
1) Marshall McLuhan examines the way technology altered human interactions in the social and technological constructed landscape. The medium, a supposed conduit of communication will deliver the message to the human participants. McLuhan’s most effective case study is the example of electric light, which has undoubtedly accelerated to unprecedented rates the social consequences of existing processes. He is effective in demonstrating his thesis by revealing that the message is dependent upon the medium. In his example electricity shaped the social landscape and enabled the formation human activities such as groundbreaking medical advancements or stadium lights for entertainment and athletic purposes. These activities, nor the existing social circumstance that they developed, could not exist without the power of electricity. Electricity as the medium compresses time and space, and enables interactions amongst humans, as exemplified by the Internet (message), which is delivered through electricity (medium).
2)According to Marshall McLuhan the danger of uniformity lies in the elimination of the tactical man, as we have replaced intelligence with uniformity. We have become unaware of out typological cultural biases. McLuhan uses the example of the dwarf, the stew and the child. He explains that in a uniform society, there are assigned roles, and those marginalized individuals who do not conform to the societal standard, create their own spaces, separate from the uniformed individuals. He states that people who do not conform to the norm, are not expected to fit into a uniform niche that doesn’t fit their size anyways. Those individuals who do not fit in amongst the uniform are considered to be pathetic, and the victims of injustice.
3) In our contemporary society we have seen many instances of both positive and negative outcomes of technology. McLuhan writes about the negative effects technology has had in cases like Hitler, however it has lead to positive outcomes like the American way of life and prosperity and riches. It has the ability to be our greatest strength or our greatest weakness and threat. McLuhan explains that the effects of technology do not shift our opinions, however they do alter our sense of perception steadily and without resistance. It is impossible to live in the North American culture that we live in and not feel the effects of technology, and not become engrossed and involved in the constant technological shifts that occur.
McLuhan:
ReplyDelete2. McLuhan writes about the ancient assumption that uniform and continuous habits are a sign of intelligence. With this idea in place all those who don’t fit into this uniform idea can be seen as pathetic and as useless to society. He also writes about how literacy in America is a uniformity that applies to education, government and social life but that this is threatened by an electric technology.
Frye:
1. Frye clarifies that identity is local and regional where as unity is national and rooted in political feeling. Unity raises a sense of belonging in human life and truly tolerates dissent and embraces a variety of outlooks and traditions. Uniformity on the other hand is where everyone belongs, thinks alike and behaves alike. It is comfortable but lacking in human dignity.
2. Frye believes that there is no united Canadian identity, but rather that there are regional identities within Canada. He describes the identity of Newfoundland as being different from the rest of the Maritime provinces and Southern Ontario being separate from Northern Ontario and so on. To some degree each region views the other as being different. There is a tension between a political sense of unity and a sense of locality that is what Frye says Canadian identity is.
Posted by Sarah Sharpe
ReplyDeleteMarshall McLuhan, “The Medium is the Message”
2. What are the dangers of uniformity? (pp. 16-17)
- One danger of uniformity, according to McLuhan, is that it is created by a specific group of people and anyone who is not from that ruling group may not be able to adhere to the specific type of uniformity that is being enforced. In the article McLuhan uses the examples of children, or women, who are obviously unable to adhere to the exact uniformity created by a grown man. In other words, uniformity created certain niches that people are expected to fit into. But these niches were arbitrarily created, so people often do not fit neatly into them as planned.
Northrop Frye, “Preface”
1. What is the difference between unity and uniformity?
- According to Frye unity and uniformity are not synonymous with each other. Uniformity refers to a sense of total sameness, creating a society in which everyone belongs, but also thinks alike and behaves alike. Frye admits this type of society may seem comfortable in theory, but is actually totally lacking in dignity (Preface, vi). Unity, by contrast, allows dissent and enjoys the variety of perspectives that different people contribute, while recognizing that it is better to unite than to divide, and creates a sense of belonging through this tolerance.
2. What does Frye think about Canadian identity?
- Frye thinks that Canadian identity is influenced by regionalism and defined by tensions. He says that where a person has grown up is an essential component of their identity and how they will continue to interpret their world. For example someone raised in the vast flatness of the prairies cannot help but have a different outlook from someone who grew up in the Maritimes, next to the ocean. This regionalism is an essential component to identity, which Frye believes is rooted in the imagination and culture, in contrast to unity, which he thinks is “national in reference... and rooted in political feeling.” (Preface, ii) Frye believes that the tensions between political understanding of unity and the imaginative understanding of locality, is the essential component of what Canada is.
Frye:
ReplyDelete1. Unity and uniformity, according to Frye, are entirely opposing ideas. Unity is a collection of people in society on a national scale who incorporate multiple beliefs, ideas, and an overall diversity into different lifestyles, all of which are accepted by the country, or at least tolerated. Uniformity on the other hand believes that all people in a society should be the same, act the same way, and believe in the same thing. The belief is that this will allow for a comfortable, uniform society with little to no conflict. However, the result on a long-term scale is one that represses expression and individuality.
2. Frye believes that Canadian identity is something that is local or regional, differing among many different places in the country. He believes that this identity is formed and shaped by your experiences in a certain geographical location, and that this place ultimately instills a sense of what’s important and what’s not. This is why, Frye believes, that when you travel to a place in Canada unlike where you are from things do not translate easily in terms of being able to live there. You are accustomed to a certain way of life that you have been taught based on location and you cannot forget this because it is your identity as a Canadian.
McLuhan:
2. The dangers of uniformity are simply the lack of difference and variation. If a country is only inhabited by one kind of person, and everybody believes in the same things, expresses the same opinions, lives the same lifestyle and ultimately act the same way, the entire practice of self-expression is eliminated. We will see no individuality in society and therefore when and if we do this person who does not follow suit so to speak will be cast out of society as unintelligent, different, and not normal. The person will not be accepted into society as a whole because they will not fit, they are deemed too different. This is exclusionary and does not allow for expression of self.
Tanner Jackson (0678161)
ReplyDelete"The Medium is the Message"
1. McLuhan provides with the reader with many examples to support his argument "the medium is the message", ranging from things like a light bulb to a newspaper. He stresses the notion of new technologies, and the light bulb example to me seems the most effective in portraying his central point. The use of light to MclLuhan doesn't matter - he provides the example of a baseball field or brain surgery - as these activities are non-exist-able with the light itself, making it the 'content'. It is the light itself - the medium - "that shapes and controls the form of human association itself (pg. 9)". This example is best used and most understandable because it simplifies the subject and gets straight to his point. McLuhan follows up this argument throughout the rest of the essay, but it becomes much harder to understand once he uses examples that adhere to broader spectrums - such as the effect of type and newspaper messages.
2. The dangers of uniformity according to McLuhan, creates a bias on many levels. His example of the I.Q. test best illustrates this, as testers assume that uniform and continuous habits must conclude in signs of intelligence, but this being applied to every level of education, government, industry and social life makes us all blind to the "content" of which the I.Q. test provides. The I.Q. test (the technology) is presented as the medium, as the 'content' is totally invisible to the people who are taking it. McLuhan uses the term 'technological idiot' as we are all numb, deaf and blind to the actual message that the medium wishes to portray.
4. The use of C.G. Jung's quote about slaves in the Roman empire is easily read as another example illustrating 'the medium is the message'. The 'medium in this case would be the slaves, in which their 'content' - that being the atmosphere of there life being exposed to their superiors - unconsciously effects the minds (the 'psychology') of the superiors, which is unpreventable but in many ways unnoticeable. In contemporary times I think of capitalism and consumerism, the use of advertising as the central medium to it's success. The 'content' of such advertising could be compared to McLuhan's example of "the juicy piece of meat carried by the burglar to distract the watchdog of the mind (pg. 18)".
Nicole Jorge
ReplyDeleteThe Medium is the Message:
1.The main argument of the article is the as stated in the title, the medium is the message. He gives numerous examples to support his this point. He uses machines replacing human skill as an example of this, it can be seen in positive and negative lights. It does not matter what the machine is doing just that it has replaced the human aspect of the job and that is the message the machine delivers. Electric light is another example, the light is the medium and the message is that activities that the light is enabling. These activities or messages could not exist with out the medium, the light. I believe the light is a very effiecient arguement. He is getting across that the medium is more inportant it is the independant variable, it is the cause of the message the dependant variable. The message will always depend on the medium making the medium the message. The light may not be a communication medium but it still exemplifies the point he is making.
2. The dangers of uniformity are the guidelines which define uniformity. We are uniform when we all fit in one category, similar looks, skills, intelligence etc. It is seen as pathetic if you do not fall within the guidelines of unidormity. Uniformity is dangerous to any minority that doesn’t fit within the guidelines. Everyone has to be the same to fit in. The article states that the most prevailant danger in uniformity is the threat from electric technology. An example of this it the Americans they have created uniformity within their education systems, social lifes, industries, governments, etc. They have formed their way of life around this electric technology, which hasn’t been identified as a threat yet. The content of the medium is the distraction to the medium itself. The danger of uniformity is that everyone will think in a similar mindset making it easy for the threat of technology to do damage without us even realizing.
5.In general I disagree with McLuhan that the medium is the message. I belive that the medium and the message are both equally important. Without a message the medium is nothing. If the medium is a radio ad but there is not message then it is just silence which means the radio ad doesn’t really exist. If the message is to buy a certain brand of cola but there is no medium then there is no way for the message to ever reach any of our sense to be acknowledged. He makes examples of a gun being the medium and that it is neither good or bad until someone decides how to use it. The evil of a bullet can not exist with out the gun to fire it, and the evil of the gun can not exist without the bullet to perform evil actions. In these examples I am trying to say that thge medium and the message depend on each other, neither one could exist without the other.
Sarah Cordeaux and Hannah Raaflaub
ReplyDeleteNorthrop Frye, “Preface”
1. The difference between unity and uniformity is that Unity accepts opposite views and embraces variety of opinions and traditions. Human kind works better united than it does divided, unity creates a sense of belonging to human life. Uniformity is where everyone “belongs” to this cliché society in which everyone thinks and acts alike to produce a secure society but really there is a lack of dignity. Unity is viewed as national, but internationally it is how Canada is viewed. This is a very political perspective, and there are common forms of unity throughout the country but there will always be differences between each provincial identity. With uniformity, these characteristics would be lost leaving Canada to be uninteresting and less diverse. The tension between unity and uniformity is dependent on the word and definition of “Canadian” which attempts to incorporate identity through empty gestures of cultural nationalism; this also leads to provincial separatism. Canada is such a diverse and interesting collection of people, the notion of uniformity seems impossible and unrealistic. Canada celebrates cultural differences which makes the country an inviting place to live.
2. Frye believes that Canadian identity is both local and regional and that it is rooted in the imagination of the cultural society. Canadian identity is recognized internationally, and unity plays a part in how Canadians are viewed. The identity of Canada, however, is based on provincial characteristics as each province and territory is known for iconic or stereotypical things. This can be seen in the video Souvenir of Canada by Douglas Coupland as well as the song “Canada’s Really Big” by the Arrogant Worms. The Canadian identity is built up of a lot of stereotypes that we can be proud of (if not we’d say “sorry!”) and unite to agree upon. This makes our Canadian identity so unique and awesome.
Marshall McLuhan, “The Medium is the Message”
4
I believe that the quote by C G Jung means that we all influence each other, as a society we are independent, yet a united group that have our energies, culture, media and beliefs projected amongst us that we become each other in a sense. He referred to the slaves surrounding the Romans, these people were in such an environment that they psyche was affected and altered by the slaves around them. Jung believes that it cannot be avoided that we adopt certain technologies and resources as extensions to our psyche, an example today being how we use the internet and other technological resources to accomplish tasks and also how we are shaped by the advertising and programs made available to us, and in return through our repetitive use of a site how google or any other search engine will shape its advertising and the way it serves a person to meet our individual needs. Media is such a heavy role in our lives that humans and their personalities are spliced in with what we use and how it plays a role in our lives, this also creates a uniformity amongst us.
Marshal McLuhan, “The Medium is the Message”
ReplyDelete2. What are the dangers of Uniformity?
Marshal McLuhan writes of Uniformity as a problem socially. Uniformity creates a society built out of conformists which inevitably leads to someone being left out because he or she is not the same as everyone else and does not fit into the pattern correctly. It creates an environment in which anyone who does not conform properly is seen as pathetic. McLuhan uses the criminal as an example. A killer is viewed through the same eyes as a cancer victim; both are seen as unable to meet the demands of the uniform pattern and are therefore pathetic.
Northrop Fry, “Preface”
1. What is the difference between unity and uniformity?
Frye sees a sense of unity as being the opposite of a sense of uniformity. He writes that a sense of uniformity brings about a society that is completely lacking in human dignity. It is a society in which everyone belongs simply because they think alike and behave alike. Unity on the other hand accepts and even rejoices in dissent. Unity values variety in outlook. It aims to unite rather than divide. It creates a place in which a sense of belonging brings about genuine human life.
2. What does Frye think about Canadian identity?
Frye writes of the Canadian identity as a problem. He claims it is a problem because identity is a regional and local idea not a national one. There is not a completely united identity for all Canadians because the idea of identity is rooted in creative imagination and that imagination and view is based off of one’s person experience within his or her own region. Frye notes a difference between individuals from Newfoundland compared to those from the Maritimes or Southern Ontario in terms of environmental views which translate into a different take on landscape art.
Kathryn Johansen and Sean Abraham
ReplyDeleteThe Medium is the Message
What are the dangers of uniformity?
The dangers in uniformity are derived through humanities dependence on technology. If we were to behave in a uniform way we become inclined to see others who cannot conform as pathetic. Humanity needs different views, cultures, and beliefs. Our strength lies within our differences. In difference we get a new take or idea on an existing problem. If everyone was the same and held the same ideals, thought process and beliefs the world would not be as amazing and diverse as it is. We are unique; it is one of our strengths as a species. A perfect example of what happens when a large group of people become uniform in belief if that belief is used to hurt others. Hitler believed that the German race was just plain better than others and that Jewish people were the worst kind of people. He was one man with his own belief but because of conformity the world faced genocide. To conform can cause atrocities but when you are blind to the hate you are breeding to conform to what is right like not being racist, prejudice, or homophobic can be a good thing. Positive conformity and negative conformity both exist. Deciding what is right and wrong is ours to decide but to conform can be dangerous.
What are the effects of technology on human life and psyche?
The effects that technology has had on the human life and psyche are as follows. We have a conventional response to all media. We are not aware of what is filtered or if it is subliminally charged. Technology allows for the disregarding of specific culture or spiritual belief. Canada and Japan for example could see the same advertisement for coke a cola an American invention riddled with American ideals. Technology has also allowed for any information to be accessed at any time. This allows for a freedom of ideas
Preface
What does Frye think about Canadian Identity?
2) Frye believes that Canadian identity is quite confused due to the fact that Canada is a country with quite a vast landscape. Canada’s physicality along with its variety of languages and a strong dependence on a railroad to tie the nation together struggles to have an identity together. Frye describes the word Canadian as being a tension between a political sense of unity and an imaginative sense of logicality. When the tension has given up, the two elements of unity and identity are confused. In the article he talks about traveling to Montreal and finding it difficult to identify with the people there. Not only because of the language barrier but also due to cultural memory. Even within the own borders of his homeland, he felt division. This has a lot to do with the difference between unity and uniformity. Uniformity being where everyone belongs, acts and thinks the same compared to unity which is a society that accepts many different outlooks and traditions therefore allowing genuine human life.
Rebecca Benson
ReplyDeleteMcLuhan Question #4
Marshall McLuhan’s introduction to Jung’s quote is necessary to understanding its application in a discussion of the effects of the development of technology on society. McLuhan’s discussion considers how the creation of new mediums also creates new social structures, and fundamentally alters each humans internal experience of the world. McLuhan states “...our human sense, of which all media are extensions, are also fixed charges on our personal energies, and that they also configure the awareness and experience of each one of us.” The institution of slavery altered each Romans experience of the world because it implicated every member of society in the dynamics of slavery, be they slave, owner, or neither. Its pain and horror, became an aspect of society which each individual had to engage with through the direct experience of being a slave, through the experience of inflicting that state on others through slave ownership, or through silently acknowledging and being aware of the reality of slavery in one’s society. An equivalent of slave mentality in contemporary life is perhaps consumerism. Whether one actively participates, protests, is without the means to participate to the extent that they wish to, or facilitates the growth of consumerism, there is no individual in the world today who remains unaffected by the way emotions are manipulated by corporate retailers. The basic human emotions of want, need, the wish to be like others, and shame, are manipulated through processes such as retail marketing, to make consumerism inescapable.
Frye Question #1
Frye defines unity and uniformity as being opposite to one another. A society of uniformity is one of “Cliches” where everyone is encouraged to think and act alike; Frye defines it as a society without human dignity. Unity on the other hand, creates dignity, it tolerates dissent, difference, and rejoices in individuals varying traditions, histories, and opinions. It believes in the ability of man to unite, and creates a true sense of belonging for its members. Individuals in a united society live with the reassurance that through their own tolerance and the tolerance of others, they will be accepted regardless of their differences.
Frye Question #2
Frye thinks that Canadian identity is fractured and disparate, divided across geographical and political boundaries. He defines the sense of identity that Canadians have as being based not on the country of Canada, but on their specific geographic point of origination; that the sense of identity which a Newfoundlander has is distinctly different from that of a Southern Ontario urbanite. He sees this disparity reflected in our literature and poetry. He also closes his article by implying that the Canadian imagination can create the myth of unity, and by implying that it might be a reality in our future.
Nicole Markland
ReplyDeleteMcLuhan “The Medium is the Message”
1) McLuhan’s analogies are – in my opinion – the most efficient examples used to support his argument in this article. Specifically, his railway analogy was most efficient. By explaining how the railway (the medium) in a sense accelerated or enhanced a human function (movement) he demonstrates how telling the medium is of the changing state of human life/affairs. While the things that the railway carries for people are important, it is not demonstrative of how human affairs changed rather it is content, a medium in itself which is dependent on the railway medium. The railway’s existence and its invention forever changed the state of transportation and movement in civilization and it is because of this fact that it holds a very, very important message about human affairs, civilization and cultural and scientific shifts in the human paradigm.
5) I agree with McLuhan’s argument because it is important to assess every aspect of a message or idea in order to understand what it means and why it’s message is the way it is. McLuhan insists that content can be blinding to the message and I also agree with this statement because content is not the only intermediate towards a message; the medium of the content (although not always as easily discernable) itself has an important character and message of its own that is equally communicative of its own message. But while the medium may have a message, one must make sure to never disregard the messages found within the content. I get the impression that McLuhan believes the medium to be the only message worth interest and inspection and this is not necessarily true.
Frye “Preface”
1) Frye describes unity as a referent to the notion of nationhood which would allow for differentiation from people outside of the nation due to its international perspective. Frye’s description of uniformity is as something akin to homogeny and opposite of unity because unity is meant to include variety and dimension which can allow for differences in identity while also enforcing a sense of belonging by recognizing the necessity of community. Uniformity “produces a society which . . . is lacking in human dignity” because people only ‘belong’ because they behave and think the same – which is not harmonious but rather homogenous, two distinctly different things.
Kyle Griffiths
ReplyDeleteWhat are the dangers of uniformity?
The concept of uniformity and its hazardous effects are described by Mcluhan early in the writing. It is stated that in a world of uniformity, all value associated with individuality is lost. Those who do not conform to the uniform society are scene as outsiders and must find their own way of doing things. Some people cannot fit into “normal” societal roles because they are unfit or unable to do so. The dangers of this way of doing things is the creation of a pattern of thinking as well as a hierarchy to the able.
What does Frye think about Canadian identity?
The sheer scale of a country like Canada creates problems with any notion of unity or a generalized identity for Canadians. The countries population is spread so far and wide that it’s people are able to form mini cultures and traditions associated with regional beliefs. This geographical division of cultures can threaten one another and create segregation between the cultures. One unifying idea that most Canadians have is our acceptance of the unavoidable cultural variety of this country. The paradigm is not only accepted but encouraged.
Brittany Shantz
ReplyDeleteFrye Article:
1) Uniformity is when a group of people show at face value to have all of the same identity. They want to all belong, with the term uniformity it comes with all the ideals of thinking as one. The main difference that Frye brings up to show that unity is not the same is that of having a group with different ideals. The point is that unity has functional problems in the society but they know that they can still have a unity with that involved, it is a healthier society then hiding all the problems underneath a veil of uniformity.
2) Frye thinks that Canadian Identity is regional. That the nationality changes if you live in the west, prairies, east, or northern Canada. That our nationality is a little confusion and conservative.
Medium is the message
5) I do agree to an extent with the message of this essay. The medium is a way to shape the content of a piece. It helps in adding a new dimension of the work and draws emotive responce from the viewer. As is said "the medium shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action."
Northrop Frye
ReplyDeletePreface from The Bush Garden
What is the difference between unity & uniformity?
1. Frye explains that uniformity lacks human dignity where “everyone belongs . . . thinks alike and behaves alike” and is opposite to unity. Initially Frye tells us that unity is “national in reference, international in perspective & rooted in a political feeling” but he later pinpoints that real unity tolerates dissent and celebrates different perspectives and traditions. This idea recognizes that it is necessary for humanity to unite instead of divide and conquer. Frye opposes the “ideal of uniformity” but is loyal to the “ideal of unity” because it elevates a sense of belonging on a global scale.
What does Frye think about Canadian identity?
2. Frye demonstrates that Canadian identity is local and regional with separatists ideas due to the vast geographical area and differences in early settlers. He struggles with the tension between a ‘political sense of unity’ and the ‘imaginative sense of locality’ to describe the essence of “whatever the word Canadian means.” For Frye, “assimilating identity to unity produces empty gestures of cultural nationalism; assimilating unity to identity produces a kind of provincial isolation . . . called separatism.“ Frye deciphers that separatism promotes prejudges in perspectives of the ‘other’. He considers “most of the imaginative factors common to the country as a whole [as] negative influences” and states that “national emphasis is conservative.”
Marshal McLuhan
Medium is the Message
4. Carl Jung’s last quote in the article speaks of the influences of the environment in which we live. His analogy of every Roman becoming a slave due to circumstances of living with slaves is justified in that “no one can shield himself from such an influence.” An equivalent of slave mentality in contemporary life is the proletariat working towards a better life only to be inundated with messages of what a better life entails, confusing and changing this idea with the passage of time and the advancement of technology. The rat race leaves the working class constantly striving to ‘keep up with the Jones’ as the ego develops in a world of acquired junk.
Northrop Frye
ReplyDeletePreface from The Bush Garden
1.What is the difference between unity and uniformity?
Frye believes that unity and uniformity are two very different ways of describing a cultural identity and that Canada is a strong example of a nation with unity but without uniformity. He states that our nation derives its sense of unity from the feeling of national pride in our diverse landscape and sprawling land from east to west. Uniformity means that everyone falls into the same categories, thinking and acting all the same. This simply does not describe the Canadian people, according to Frye. Instead, we are united in a different way, a way which accepts and has pride in its non-uniformity and is united by that instead. It is a much more genuine approach to looking at culture and he sees it as an ideal.
2. What does Frye think about Canadian identity?
Frye sees Canadian identity as a much more regional thing, breaking down Canada's vast landscape into much smaller communities. He says that the very different environments across Canada produce a different sort of person and they contrast each other. Frye feels that our identities are largely rooted in out specific, smaller communities, and that even when we visit other parts of Canada or other countries we will always identify with our first home. In this way we can even be foreigners while still in Canada.
Preface- Frye
ReplyDeleteWhat is the difference between unity and uniformity?
Frye defines unity and uniformity almost as two opposing ideas. Uniformity, he suggests is something empty and void, in his own words, something that is “lacking in human dignity”. Uniformity strips people of their diverse opinions and ideas, and categorizes them into easily digested ranks. Unity, on the other hand, is a system that celebrates differences and individuality, and seeks to bring together and fortify a diverse group of people within the Canadian society.
What does Frye think about Canadian identity?
Frye develops in is writing the idea of the Canadian identity as fractured and fragmented across the nation. He proposes that the identity of the Maritimes, specifically using Newfoundland as an example, would be different than that of southern Ontario or Quebec. The problem, for Frye, is that the Canadian identity is local, or regional, and focuses not on the Canadian-ness of all citizens, but rather on the original point of origin of each individual. This fragmentation of the Canadian identity is something that Frye thinks may be a problem for us in the future.
The Medium is the Message- McLuhan
What are the dangerous of uniformity? (pp. 16-17)
The dangers of uniformity, according to McLuhan, are essentially summed up in the idea of a single mindset having dominance over everyone. If everyone conformed to this singular viewpoint, and citizens who could or would not conform were ostracized, the world would be lacking in the strength that McLuhan stresses is found in the individual. Diversification and multiplicity is something that fortifies a nation and uniformity strips these things away, and moreover allows for dangerous single minded thinking to govern an inherently diverse population.
1. The dangers of uniformity come into play when we become wrapped up in our “new, electrical world”. McLuhan cites examples of literature that mention how a society becomes a “massacre of the innocents” when it becomes dependent on technology. Through our dependence on technology, we all become one and the same, and do not seem to accept those who cannot or choose not to conform. We must be able to accept differences between people. When we are all the same, it almost becomes a type of army, excluding everyone who does not fit in. From looking at history, we know that groups can isolate and exclude those who do not fit their ideal type, which is demeaning and completely wrong.
ReplyDelete2. As I mentioned in the last question, McLuhan cites technology as one of the problems in our society. He references novelists and their ideas that technology has taken away people’s innocence and has made us all conform and use technology. He says that we, as literate people, see those who are illiterate as pathetic. We feel that technology is an easy thing to adapt to and those who cannot do this are the weak members of our society.
3. I think that C.G Jung’s quote at the end of McLuhan’s article becomes a metaphor for technology today. His quote talks about the addition of slavery to Rome, and how every person unwillingly became a part of it. Even if one did not own a slave, they could not go anywhere without being bombarded by the images and reality of slavery. This is very much like technology today, as even if someone is not truly engaged within the technological world (i.e does not participate in or own any piece of technology), they are a part of the technological world just by living. I think that a contemporary version of this idea could be he way that we all follow different trends mindlessly. Even if you do not actually like what is being advertised, you are still inadvertently swept into the love of it.
Steph Caskenette
ReplyDeleteMarshall McLuhan, “The Medium is the Message”
1) In “The Medium is the Message”, McLuhan argues that mediums, meaning any extensions of ourselves, are not the neutral tools we incorrectly consider them to be. Instead, he believes that any culturally endorsed medium will in itself have an overwhelming influence upon the people who use it. This influence is so subtle as to go unnoticed, but alters paradigms and behaviour in fundamental ways. His strongest argument supporting this appears on p. 21, where he compares our current (at the time) technologically dependent society to past societies who relied upon oil or cotton to sustain their lifestyles. He describes how each “medium” took a hold upon its society, and altered it so that the lifestyle of its people subtly shifted to revolve around that medium. He demonstrates that a dominant medium isn’t powerful in a sense that it dramatically changes opinions or forces behaviours, but is influential because it has the ability to alter the entire lifestyle of a society.
4) The quote from Jung, which McLuhan provides on the last page, is an analogy for contemporary society, whose citizens are surrounded and infiltrated by their “enslaved” technological mediums. Jung describes how the commonness of slaves in Rome eventually spread through the psyche of the Romans, leaving them almost as psychologically enslaved by their slaves as the true slaves were physically by the Romans. The infiltration is almost undetectable, occurring without it being known to its subject. In today’s society, we are similar to the Romans, believing that we are in disconnected control of our allegedly harmless slaves. Technological mediums, of course, are our “slaves”, however McLuhan believes that by their very existence and popularity, they are in turn enslaving us. We remain oblivious to the fact that we are being influenced, changed, and imprisoned by their existence and our use of them, just like the Romans were.
5) McLuhan investigates a multifaceted and unique topic in this article. As he points out, it is extremely complicated to determine when one is being psychologically pervaded, especially when it is by a medium that commonly is thought to be a harmless tool. Yet he makes a intriguing point because we cannot disagree that our cultural psychology has altered with the technological revolution. The introduction of cell phones, for example, saw an enormous communication shift which has allowed more recent generations to communicate with each other differently those in previous decades. As a result, their experiences with, understanding of, and attitudes toward communication differ vastly from their parents, as does their technologically-reliant lifestyle. They relate to and rely upon a routine that is immediate, always linked to the global unconscious, and constantly accessible. They are free to contact anybody at anytime. This attitude is unique to these current generations, a result of the cell phone medium.
Paul Langis
ReplyDeleteMarshal McLuhan, "The Medium is the Message"
2. The danger of uniformity, according to McLuhan, is that it elevates conformity to a desirable status. To a 'unified' society a non-conformist is seen as a flawed individual who is unable to adjust him or herself to the standards of society. This standard of non-conformity extends to those with a differing cultural bias from that of the established majority, as well as those with mental disabilities, different political views, criminals and more. Essentially anyone with a a new or foreign idea could be considered flawed and dangerous.
3. McLuhan's take on technology is that it leads to a homogenized society, a groupthink of sorts, though this is largely dependant on the type of technology. The instantaneous transfer of energy afforded by electricity allowed for a faster exchange of ideas, unifying nations and societies, much as the written word did so centuries prior to the innovations of radio and television. Electricity however, due to it's invisible nature, has the tendency to leave us unaware of how it, and the mediums that utilize it, affect our perceptions. Electric media is seen by McLuhan as having lead to the homogenization of Western culture by exposing everyone simultaneously to the same images and sounds.
5. While I agree with McLuhan that there is a growing, united-global-consciousness I do not view it as negatively as I believe he did. The content of a message may indeed be influenced by the medium through which it is delivered, but I feel that should not take precedence over the content itself. The internet has allowed for instantaneous conversation across the globe and the largest exchange of ideas the world has ever seen. This is a radical shift in communication and nothing like it has ever existed before. While it may indeed lead to a homogenization of peoples I simply believe this is the natural progression of societies as technology evolves.
1) In her essay ‘Image as Identity,’ Ann Davis uses three examples of art movements and specific artists to demonstrate the creation of a Canadian identity through the use of art. She uses the Group of Seven, the Automatistes, and the works of Sterbak and Lukacs. Through their art she argued that they sought to expose something of their time and place. As well of their own feelings and opinions of how they felt about something that was not receiving sufficient attention and thought. Overall she believes that each of these art movements contributed to our understanding of our place and mind and body. The Group of Seven used the wilderness as a symbol for Canadian Nationalism. They attempted to unite political sense of unity with the imaginative and local sense in landscape. While the Automatistes wanted to create a new identity for art in Quebec, through going against the church and the political elite. As well to be on the same modern art scale that was emerging in New York and in Europe. This idea of creating art through the use of one’s subconscious. Lastly Sterback and Lukacs offered a different view from the one that was propounded by society in the nation. Their art was based on the use of the body to make social commentaries, particularly focusing on the skinheads and homosexuals. Each of these very different art movements helped to foster nationalism, freedom and individuality in Canadian Art.
ReplyDelete2) The Group of Seven believed that there role as artist’s was to first reflect and then to develop the society. That the artist and their work had the power to improve society, through the use of Canadian landscape paintings. They saw the land as salvation against the mounting industrialization of the nation. A.Y Jackson made an excellent point to support this ideal, “Even now the romantic milkmaid has faded away and the cows are being milked by machinery.” (p. 228) The natural aspects of Canada offered an escape from urban life. The artists saw moral laxity within a materialistic urban society. They preferred the natural landscape which was the elemental form of creation and a life giving force. They focused on painting the landscape as it offered nationalistic symbols and figures for Canadians to attach their identity to.
3) H.A Innis’ contributed to this national identity for Canada through arguing that the nation was not an extension of the United States but was actually independent. He argued, “Canada was a geographic and economic unity in her own right.” (p. 231) The identity and economy of Canada was greatly influenced and shaped by its geography. Through the use of the landscape and its resources (fur, fish, wood, etc) Canada developed its own economy.
What is the thesis of this article?
ReplyDeleteThe article seeks to examine the influence of the Group of Seven, the Automatists, as well as two contemporary artists and how they define Canadian art. By analyzing these artists, it shows how Canada’s identity has evolved due to the fact that these artists are from different time periods and have different styles. Sturbak, Lukacs, and the Group of Seven are dealing with various aspects of social and cultural traits in Canada. These artists not only reflect their time period but help you define Canadian identity. The article also provides critiques for each of the points discussed revealing how influential these artists were in constructing the Canadian identity as we see it today.
What was the attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature? (pp.228-230)
The Group of Seven had a very respectful attitude toward nature; they thought it was essential to understand the land first before one could understand the cities and the industrial world. They had a strong dislike for materialism; they thought that nature was the most creative mews. Therefore in many of the Group of Seven’s work they thought that to understand Canadian identity you had to understand nature first. Nature represented superiority over cities as well as the modern world. Many of the members of the Group of Seven developed a strong dislike for modern cities and preferred to be out in nature and were often disconnected from people as well as society.
What was H.A. Innis’s contribution to the development of the national identity?
Innis brings to light that the uniqueness of Canadian geography unites us as a people. Looking at his example of the water systems, he recognizes that it is different from Europe and is unique to Canada. He is unlike the Group of Seven, where they were relying on art and expression to demonstrate Canadian identity; instead he is relied on more physical aspects. He focuses on how Canada has a greater geographical area than Britain; to demonstrate his point he analyzes Canada from the east-west opposed to the north-south. He ultimately identified how Canada is a segregated unity from the United States thus defining itself as its own nation within North America.
Ann Davis “Image as Identity”
ReplyDeleteDiana Topley
1)The thesis of this article is to illustrate the influence and strength of Canadian art in the Twentieth Century, and how that art helped shaped Canadian identity. Ann Davis shows this by the use of 3 different groups of Canadian artists from different time periods: the Group of Seven, the Automatistes, and 2 representative artists, Sterbak and Lukacs. The article outlines the contrasts in style, methods, and social and aesthetic goals between the 3 different groups, as well as the differences in regards to their approach to the concepts of place, mind and body.
2) The Group of Seven had an attitude towards nature and land that situated it as the pinnacle of Canadian development and a symbol of a strong, dynamic, independent country. The group strongly believed that reflecting upon and then developing society was the foremost duty of a painter. In order to understand other elements of society, such as cities, a deep understanding of the land must first take place; it is “the most elemental form of creation”.(p.229) It is also believed that the group saw the land as a life-giving source, and salvation to the growing urban society that at the time, was viewed by some as a reason for moral decline. The Group of Seven hoped to use their art to reform society by creating a greater appreciation and respect for the land.
4) Borduas values in art stemmed from the ideology of surrealism founded by the writer Andre Breton. Surrealism aimed to redefine reality, and postulate that many realities existed. The movement shifted from representing the external world, to unlocking the images created from one’s subconscious. After presenting his understanding of surrealism in “Mille manieres de gouter une oeurvre d’art”, Borduas adopted a philosophy he would use in his painting which was, automatic painting as a style, emotion as a theme, and nature as a source. He rejected representational art and was interested in individual analysis, both of which would create less emotional and intellectual limitations.
Monika Hauck
ReplyDeleteAnn Davis “Image as Identity”
1. What is the thesis of this article?
An important aspect of identity is the symbols by which it can be represented. Through the use of symbols, associations can be made about identity that would be otherwise difficult to convey. Canadian artists understood the vast land and rugged nature as strongly symbolic and fitting for Canadian identity. Throughout history, Canadians' attachment to nature and the landscape has become integral to our identity. In this essay, the artistic methods and social/aesthetic goals of three groups/artists (The Group of Seven, Les Automatistes and Sterbak and Lukacs) will be examined based on the time in which they are practicing.
2. What was attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature? (pp.228-230)
Members of the group of seven felt a strong connection between Canadian identity and nature, so strongly that they felt responsible for painting it into history. Nature was clearly an aspect of Canadian culture and this fact was reinforced even more as the urbanization of society began to disrupt nature, nature had to be preserved and protected from the known negative aspects of urban development (such as industrialization). It became even clearer that Canadian identity was intertwined with nature because of its immunity to the effects of industrialization, Canada's rural character was strong. However, as urban development and industrialization increased it resulted in people realizing the negative effects, which increased their relation to nature and the Canadian landscape as it once was. For the Group of Seven, the unknown landscapes that they discovered through painting was their understanding that nature held all the mystery and all the answers they would ever need, and that nature was the foundation of life.
3. What was H.A. Innis’s contribution to the development of the national identity?
Innis' contribution to the development of national identity came in the form of recognizing the benefits of Canadian geography. He argued that there was a strong sense of continentalism within Canada because of its inherent geographical structure functioning on an east-west axis as opposed to a north-south axis. Innis introduced the idea of unity and identity being a result of natural geographical cause.
Monika Hauck cont'd
ReplyDelete4. What was important to Borduas in art? How do you think he would define his identity vis-à-vis images?
Borduas was connected to nationalism and identity but based on the situation in Montreal he began to identify with the ideals of Breton and surrealism. Based on his readings and writings he seemed to place emphasis on expressing emotions through the act of painting, completely uninhibited and always inspired by nature. He also developed a distaste for representation, form,content and perspective, preferring nonrecognizable forms and relying on emotional instincts in order to subvert direct representation and any possible academic interpretations. For Borduas, identity would be an inherent quality that could only be revealed upon contemplation and through abstraction of extensive thought; objective qualities could never encompass the thoroughness of a national identity; it could not be symbolic, but rather, emotional.
5. Do you think the article has an adequate focus? What do you think of its conclusion (last paragraph)? Do you think the Place, Subconscious, and the Body have enough in common?
Although this article spans much time and a variety of practices from multiple artists it maintains a clear focus on the idea of identity in regards to Canadian culture. This identity may have changed based on the work of these artists and the era they worked in, however the discussion of Canadian identity and how it changes develops our understanding of the importance of maintaining an identity and additionally being able to acknowledge it. I think the last paragraph of the essay strikes the reader as unrelated, however giving it more thought reveals that Canada and Canadian identity have been approached in the same way as Sterbak's meat dress, the body is similar to Canadian landscape and Canadian identity is our garment, nature is the unifying flesh of our country and its identity. The subsections of this article were an efficient method of connecting the different artistic methods, artists and time periods examined, and it further expands on the idea of identity being something that changes over time while either maintaining some sort of status or perhaps it explores new aspects of itself based on the norms and expectations of the time. Being able to identify a place, it's subconscious and it's body creates a unified whole.
Nicole Jorge
ReplyDeleteImage as Identity
1. The thesis of the article is to look at the social and aesthetic goals of three very different groups of Canadian artists that were working in three different time periods. The article is going to examine their artistic methods and strong creativity. The three groups she looks at are the Group of Seven, the Automatistes and two representative contemporary artists. This essay is an attempt to explore the rich and varied history of twentieth century and Canadian art scene.
2. The Group of seven’s attitudes towards urban life and nature changed over their career. It seemed as if they began painting their landscapes to show the desolation of urban living and then they began to use their paintings as a way to escape urban living. Tom Thomson grew to dislike commercial values and urban living more and more as he put more into his wilderness experiences, the wilderness he painting became a part of him so much that he no longer wanted to stay in his studio and function in an urban society the same way. But their painting were not created to escape or show desolation of urban living. They were an appreciation of the beauty of nature. The Group of 7 thought the nature held all the knowledge and mystery, it was the ground for which life was constructed. Canada’s nature was unknown and unexplored the Group wanted a deep understanding of the Canadian landscape before they could understand the people and the cities. The Group of 7 painted nature to try and show others it’s beauty and reality. The land was a positive life-giving force, they were showing respect for nature and in turn showed an opposition to city living.
3. H.A Innis was a historian in the 1930s, he was challenging the idea that Canada was a part of the United States. He contributed to the Canadian Identity by showing the interdependence of Canadian and European economies. Canada was geographically and economically independent from the states and is her own unique country. People said the states and Canada were related because of Geography. We share water systems and major geographic features, but Innis pointed out that these features are shared along the border. This is a east - west axis and that our north-south axis is different which makes us our own unique country.
Natalie Banaszak
ReplyDelete1. The thesis of the article is that the “Group of Seven, the Automatists, and Sterbak and Lukacs all sought, through their art, to expose something of their time and place, of themselves that they felt had not received sufficient attention and thought.” These groups of artists were concerned with a larger social picture over an aesthetic value of the art works produced. She argues that each of these artists has effectively influenced how we see ourselves, each contributes to the way we understand our place, mind, and body.
2. The Group of Seven supported a rural/antimaterialistic way of life. According to A.Y. Jackson, there is a certain romantic (I would call it nostalgic) quality to the work of farmers/milkmaids. If the entire work of farmers is replaced by machinery, Jackson claims that there will be no sentiment left for artists to draw inspiration from. MacDonald as well was “sensitive to the senseless destruction of nature in the name of progress”. Historians like Underhill argue that instead of using the Northern landscapes as way of expressing their vision of Canadian life, they use it to escape from urban life. Others argue that the Group of Seven’s purpose was the search and exposure of nature’s order - a way of synthesizing human and natural life.
4. Borduas valued automatic painting as a style, emotion as a theme, and nature as a source. He compared surrealism to the spontaneity and innocent naive openness of children. He claimed that automatistic painting should reflect the total of the artists physical and intellectual being. He also focused on the primitive aspect of emotion, and the centrality of nature. According to Borduas, nature “invites us to cleanse ourselves...let us lose for a while our overburdened memories”. His identity, as defined through images, is actually quite clear. He is someone who is interested in raising attention to social maladies - as he does through an obvious rejection of representation or perspective. Mayakovski once said that “art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it”, and I believe Borduas embodies this notion.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRachel Lauzon
ReplyDeleteDavis “Image as Identity”
1. The thesis of the article is to examine the progression of art in three groups of Canadian artists in three consecutive time periods within the 20th century. The author uses the Group of Seven in reference to the importance of physical space in art, particularly as related to Canadian identity. The work of the Montreal Automatists in the 1940s is mentioned in terms of the artistic movement’s attempt to access the subconscious mind within art, and therefore access a deeper meaning. Lastly to bring the time period the essay covers up into the present the work of Jana Sterbak and Atilla Richard Lukacs and their exploration of the body are described. The author closes the essay with reference to the influence of time and place on artistic production and the way in which investigation of “large social questions - nationalism, freedom and individuality” is expressed through artistic production.
5. According to Davis, Jana Sterbak and Atilla Richard Lukacs are irreverent as both are endeavoring to illustrate how social controls, particularly concerning appearance, affect our view of others. Lukacs portrays the world of sub-cultures using images of skin-heads and homosexuals, exploring a part of society that is not always portrayed by main stream media. He claims to avoid perpetuating stereotypes in his work, portraying the figures in a realistic matter-of-fact style and usually avoids picturing them engaged in any activity. Lukacs is more aggressively irreverent in his addition of words to the American flag with phrases such as “How to Labour” silkscreened onto it and in his depictions of American army recruits emphasizing the military’s use of order and control. Sterbak is irreverent in her questioning of society’s mores concerning appearance and social control sometimes using meat as a material for wearable garments. This is interpreted as a way to explore themes of exterior vs. interior and the concept of flesh. Sterbak is pointing out that in modern society flesh has become meat (a product to be exchanged or consumed).
6. I found the article interesting and comprehensive, particularity in its coverage of the contemporary works of Sterbak and Lukacs. The one thing that maybe undermines its cohesiveness is that of the three examples given only the first two groups of artists were “poster boys” of defining moments in Canadian Art History. The Group of Seven and the Automatists are inextricably tied to the political/cultural climate of the time and were ground-breaking in their achievements whereas Sterbak and Lukacs are merely part of the contemporary art scene today, important participants but not definers of the present art scene. The present art scene in Canada has been much more influenced by modern day globalization which contributes to its resistance to defining movements or people and makes it less illustrative of national concerns and identity. Davis asserts in her last paragraph that art is a product of time and place but in the more homogenizing cultural climate of today’s world maybe place does not play the role it once did. I think the connection of the three groups of artists discussed to the concept of place, mind and body was well presented and had enough in common in the sense of presenting a continuous thread of focus leading up into the importance of the body and image in today’s culture.
Chloe Stelmanis-Cali
ReplyDeleteWhat is the thesis of this article?
This article seeks to examine the social and aesthetic goals of the Group of Seven, the Automatists, and two contemporary artists, Sterbak and Lukacs. Although Davis admittedly suggests the limitations of her paper, by choosing artistic movements with various methods and beliefs, she, at least, is attempting to show case the rich and various artistic movements that make up the history of Canadian art. Additionally, she suggests that while the Group of Seven focused on the physical representation of Canada, the Automatists focused their art on the subconscious. Contemporary artists, Davis argues, rely on the previous establishments of places that the Group of Seven and the Automatist’s created in order to achieve their own artistic goals.
What was the attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature? (pp.228-230)
While members of the Group of Seven were not opposed to civilization, but they disagreed with materialism and industrialization, and they strongly believed in provoking respect and understandings of Canadian nature. In this way, the Group of Seven felt that through representations of nature they could better Canadian society, and their ability to create such representations allowed them to believe they actually had a responsibility to improve Canadian society by doing so. The Group of Seven’s stance that understanding Canadian nature and land was important was rooted in their belief that understanding land was crucial to Canadian development. Additionally, the Group of Seven felt that material culture and urban life, which was rapidly rising, could not be understood without understanding Canada’s land and nature. They also believed that through art they would promote nationalism within Canada.
What was H.A. Innis’s contribution to the development of the national identity?
H.A. Innis contributed to the development of national identity by distinguishing Canada economically and geographically as independent from its neighbor, the United States. Since Canada, as a part of North America, is geographically located next to the States, it is assumed that Canada is tied economically and geographically to them. Innis challenged this assumption by suggesting that Canada was both geographically and economically dependent in its own right. He gives the example of Canadian water systems which run east to west, thus providing Canada with features that are distinctly Canadian, since they do not leave Canada’s geographical sphere.
Samantha Pagliaro
ReplyDelete1. The main thesis of the article seems to be a study of Canadian art over a long length of time to attempt to compare and contrast these three different stylistic movements, Group of Seven, the Automatists and contemporary artists.
2. The Group of Seven according to the article seem to really dislike urban life and its growing faults. They had a very large respect for nature and the land, which they felt would lead them to the power they needed to improve society and the land, was essential to Canadian identity and development. They felt the urban life was industrialized and a sign of materialism and the course of moral dissolvent. Land and Nature however was a way to get away from this urban life and was seen as almost a salvation against the city life. There was a large romantic idea around nature that the Group felt was their responsibility to portray in every aspect of art and visual culture.
3. Innis’ contribution to Canadian identity was one of geography. Where most people believed that Canada was just a part of North America and that it was a part of the United States was unacceptable and he fought that Canada was its own entity which governed itself and had its oven identity and economy. This was done by showing the natural gains that Canada had to offer, such as water ways.
1. This article highlights the influence of the Group of Seven, the Automatistes and other contemporary artists and how these three groups helped to form views of Canadian art and identity. The article discusses the different social goals as well as aesthetic goals and the different methods that these three groups applied to their work. The article puts emphasis on the groups thoughts towards mind and body.
ReplyDelete2. The Group of Seven is most famous for the fact that they were all about representing Canadian landscape. To them, Canadian identity came through the representation of nature. They were heavily influenced by nature and frequently commented on the fact that they disliked urban values and wanted to get away from urban life. The Group of Seven “used wilderness as a symbol of urban desolation” and had a very negative attitude towards urban living, as well as materialism. “To the group, nature was the most elemental form of creation”, to them it was the foundation and urban life was simply not as important and did not express Canadian identity.
3.Innis contributed to the development of Canada’s national identity because he argued against the idea that Canada was bound with North American community through the economics and geography of the United States. He pointed out the interdependence of Canada and Europe and argued “Canada was a geographic and economic unity in her own right.” Innis described the physical characteristics of Canada in order to underline the qualities that made Canada unique which differed from characteristics attributed to the United States
Allison Karakokkinos
ReplyDelete1. The thesis of ‘Image as Identity: Aspects of 20th C Canadian Art’ is an exploration of variations in 20th C Canadian art by looking at three prominent examples, the Group of Seven, the Automatists and two contemporary artists Jana Sterback and Attila Richard Lukacs. Davis looks at the methods of these individual groups across their different time periods and studies their methods, as well as social and aesthetic goals. In essence it is a comparative essay. Davis admits to the limitations of her study stating that it does not cover the vast range of Canadian art or its societal role. However, by comparing these three distinct groups the paper is highlighting the diverse ways Canadian 20th C art was used to help develop a Canadian identity.
2. The attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature was that they believe land was central to Canadian development and thus veered away from urban life and industrialization. A.Y. Jackson mocked the progress of industrialism in terms of farming production. Tom Thompson showed an overt dislike of the city and urban life as well as commercial values. As a whole the group believed that nature had all the knowledge needed for the human population and life should therefore be based on it. Since Canada’s landscape was so vast it was almost all unexplored (artistically) the people and cities could not be understood until this knowledge was unlocked. The Group of Seven decided it was their role to provide this understanding of the Canadian landscape to foster this knowing of Canadian identity and recognition. In their first catalogue they wrote “the group of seven artists… are all imbued with the idea that an Art must grow and flower in the land before the country will be a real home for its people” (Davis, 230). There was some misconception on this idea that the group conveyed. Critics/historians like Underhill wrongly believed that the Group of Seven saw nature as the opposing force to the unfavoured, materialistic urban city. However, they merely saw the land as a positive aspect on its own, as a life giving being, rather than an anti-urban entity.
3. Geography was recognized by historians as a basis for national historic theories. The first to clearly explain this concept was H.A. Innis, in the 1930’s, in a contribution to the development of national identity. He challenged the assumption that Canada was merely part of North America in terms of economics and geography, linked completely to the United States. Innis showed Canadian and European independence economically and argued Canada was a geographic unity in its own right. He argued that geographic unifying features ran in an East-West direction not a North-South one that would reinforce continentalism, for example water systems. Therefore this theory unified Canada on its horizontal axis. Innis stated that Canada as an entity is because of geography.
2. The group of seven showed their attitudes toward urban life and nature through their paintings of northern canadian landscapes. Like many artists, they felt it was their duty to first observe and reflect on society and then to help develop it. They wanted to improve society by depicting visual and emotional truths in their paintings. Like many people in the early twentieth century, the group of seven became disgruntled with the increasing industrialization, urbanization, and capitalization of society. They used their landscape paintings as both an escape from urban life and an assertion of what was important. They believed that the natural landscape provided all the knowledge and mystery needed for man and were baffled by how an artist could be inspired by the urban landscape.
ReplyDelete3. H.A. Innis developed a theoretical model that advocated for a view of canada that was not dominated by the country’s geographic proximity or economic and political relationship to the United States. Innis believed in Canada as a “geographic and economic unity in her own right” separate from the influence of both the United States and Britain. Innis believed that the country arose as an independent sovereign because of its East-West geography rather than in spite of this fact. Innis’s theory was the first of many canadian theories about canadian nationalism centered on geography and land.
4. Borduas defines art that is rooted in the subconscious as relevant and important. He was quite interested in psychoanalysis and the theories of the surrealists and like them, saw the emotional limitations that depicting representational images had in art. Rejected was representation,the figure-ground relationship, and biomorphic and zoomorphic shapes.Therefore Borduas focused on form, colour, etc in his paintings to create associative emotional impact.
Ann Davis “Image as Identity”
ReplyDelete1) What is the thesis of this article?
The thesis of the article is meant to examine a broad range of Canadian art, specifically that of the 20th century. To do this Davis chooses three separate and quite different movements/groups of artists. These examples are: the Group of Seven, the Automatists, and two contemporary artists (Jana Sterbak and Attila Richard Lukas. The Group of Seven study and represent Canadian identity through landscape and a sense of place in their paintings. They focused on nature as their subject, and although the Automatists believed strongly in the importance of nature in art they took a different perspective on it. Through the work of Freud and Andre Breton they delved into the subconscious to study natural human instinct and thought. Once Canadian art had thoroughly examined Automatism Jana Sterbak and Attila Richard Lukas began to create contemporary work that examined the social and psychological elements of the body. Although Davis could not cover all aspects of Canadian art and art identity in the 1900s she attempted to touch on all three in detail in order to uncover the social and aesthetic goals, and methods of each movement and time period.
2) What was attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature?
The Group of Seven saw the rural life and nature as a whole as very valuable. This was a reaction against the increasing urbanization in Canada and the rest of the world at the beginning of the 1900s. Many people at the time, including the Group of Seven, felt that by returning to nature and a more traditional way of life that they could reverse the negative by products of industrialization. Things like a decrease in morality and a new found materialistic way of life. Landscape painting, particularly the work the group was doing in Northern Ontario, showed an ideal. MacDonald even went so far as to describe urban living as a cell, and none of the members could stand the environmental destruction that was taking place in order to fuel the industrial revolution. They were not alone in this way of thinking and many writers, other painters, and writers agreed.
3) What was H.A. Innis’s contribution to the development of the national identity?
Many theories surrounding Canadian identity revolve around Canada’s unique and vast geography, in particular the ‘East-West’ axis. H.A. Innis saw this characteristic as central to our identity, especially when it came to the issue of finding our identity in the Americas as a whole. He disagreed with the notion that Canada was tied to American and European geographic features and economics. He stated that Canada was completely capable of an independent identity from the United States. The vastness and uniqueness of Canadian geography was what set us apart from the rest, according to Innis.
Lauren Rodgers and Noor Ale
ReplyDeleteAnn Davis “Image as Identity: Aspects of Twentieth-Century Canadian Art.”
1) In her article, “Image as Identity: Aspects of Twentieth Century Canadian Art”, Ann Davis argues that the history of art throughout the twentieth century in Canada is both rich and varied. She examines this as her thesis by exploring three examples of strong creativity by investigating three prominent Canadian artistic movements. Ann Davis observes the artistic methods of the Group of Seven, The Automatists and two representative contemporary artists- Jana Sterbak and Attila Ruchard Lukacs. She wishes to examine social and aesthetic goals of the three groups. Davis’s aim in this article is to explore the wealth and variations of Canadian art, through the three varied groups and their artistic methods and how that has contributed to Canadian identity in art.
2) The paintings of the Group of Seven are dedicated to the natural landscape of Canada. Therefore, the group became very wary of the changing landscape and “senseless destruction of nature in the name of progress” (p.228). Tom Thompson was overtly opposed to the urban life. He believed that the urban city, was all about commercialism, and materialism, and grew to dislike the city landscape, in favor of the northern wilderness. The group began to use the North as an escape from urban life, rather then an instrument to express their Canadian vision. The group believed that nature held all the wonders of man, and added to their spiritual psyche upon which they believed life should be constructed. The group believed it was their duty in a sense to educate the people living in urban environments about the beauty and wonder of nature, which not everyone was able to experience.
3) H.A Innis was a historical academic that contributed to the development of national identity through the study of geography and economics. The Group of Seven, have prominent recognition in the Canadian geographical landscape, and according to historians like Innis, geography is an important factor in developing national historical theories. Innis focused on the political economy of Canada. Instead of fixating on the assumption that Canada was country solely link to the economies and geography of the United States, Innis showed the interdependence of Canada, and argued we were a unity on our own right. He enriched Canadian culture by arguing we worked on an east-west axis, rather then a north-south axis, and this reinforced Canadian identity. This provided a fundamental basis for Canadian nationality, that would involve “- simply the land” (p. 231).
Sarah Cordeaux and Hannah Raaflaub, Ann Davis “Image as Identity”
ReplyDelete1. Anne Davis references the Group of Seven, the Automatists who came out of Quebec and contemporary artists Jana Sterbak and Attila Richard Lukacs to explore their different styles and methods. Davis aims to explore the differences between their social and psychological states, through comparison and with references to art historians writings, as well as study their aesthetic goals. Davis uses sources from the 20th century Canadian art world.
2.To begin, AY Jackson believes that the romanticism of rural life has been lost. The Group of Seven enjoyed escaping from the city to Canadian wildlife. In particular Tom Thompson who spent more and more time working within the wilderness environment had a stronger resentment towards urban landscapes, and he started spending much less time in his studio. The members were displeased to see the landscape providing resources for the urbanization of the country. Frank Underhills analysis of their work and subject matter is a view that they use their medium as an escape from the urban centres. He was wrong on this count, whereas the work of the group instead held a focus that nature was a foundation to mankind. Their art holds a kind of process to understand the vast Canadian Landscape that we still don’t know or comprehend. The land had to come before the understanding of people, culture, cities etc. could be understood. They also aimed to place us within nature, nature had spiritual ties and tied to the creation of “new consciousness”.
6. I think the article has a broad focus. Our place, mind and body are vast topics to cover in limited pages when it comes to Canadian identity and how artists have influenced Canada. The conclusion has very strong opinions of art, and how artists can only make a significant contribution to existing material and other circumstances which have been previously expressed upon. Artists strive to express something of their time and place which hasn’t received adequate attention and focus on large social questions. Through the artistic expressions of the Group of Seven, the Automatists, and Sterbak and Lukacs their visions have influenced how Canadians see Canada and how it has changed our identity. When it comes to art, Place, Subconscious and the body have enough in common. Each meaning or reference can be tailored to each individual piece, e.g. pieces by the Group of Seven reflect Ontario mainly, and the Body of land and wildness of the Canadian landscape and subconsciously targets our desire as humans to escape and be free. Whereas I Want You to Feel the Way I do... (The Dress) by Jana Sterbak is a political statement that directly reflects the female body in particular, as well as the consumerism of society and our dependence on others.
Ann Davis “Image as Identity”
ReplyDeletePaul Langis, Lesley Earl
1. What is the thesis of this article?
The thesis of this article is to look at three examples of strong creativity in twentieth century Canadian art; these three examples include The Group of Seven, the Automatists, and two representative contemporary artists. The paper is meant to address the wide range of Canadian art including issues of cultural politics and the role of art in society. This paper discusses the social and aesthetic goals of each of the three groups.
2. What was attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature? (pp.228-230)
The Group of Seven’s art work focusing on landscape displays the preference to escape urban living and materialism. The Group believed that to show Canadian identity, there needed to be an understanding of Canadian land before there could be an understanding and representation of Canadian urban life. The saw the land as positive, life-giving and the opposite of the evil that was presented in urban materialistic culture. The group believed that art was the most ‘sensitive element of national consciousness’ in other words, nationality shown in art could be a difficult subject but with the right lead a nation could build confidence and become independent, strong, and dynamic. Their overall belief was that nationality had to start in the land before it could grow in the culture.
3. What was H.A. Innis’s contribution to the development of the national identity?
H.A. Innis contributed to the development of national identity in the 1930’s, he encouraged Canadian geography as an important theme to build national theories. He challenged the idea that Canada was just a part of the North and tied to America through geography and economics. He proposed the difference and therefore the independence of Canada from Europe and European economies. Inni’s main argument was that Canada had their own geography and economic structure all on their own.
Beth Pufall
ReplyDeleteAnne Davis “Image as Identity”
1. The thesis of this article is to examine the ways in which the history of art throughout Canada during the twentieth century. As a means of doing this, the author, Anne Davis, examines three differing movement that became predominant: The Group of Seven, the Automatists, and two contemporary artists. The Group of Seven’s main goal was to represent Canadian identity in their paintings through its vast landscape. While the Group focused on nature, the Automatists dealt with the subconscious as a means to represent inner human desire. Later came more contemporary works which looked more at the body. The social and aesthetic goals of each of these three groups are examined as a means to explore how each of these movements contributed to the creation of art in Canada.
2. The increasingly urban nature of Canada contributed to the increased emphasis placed upon rural values and society. As described in the article, many Canadians saw, “the land as salvation against mounting industrialization…symptomatic of a materialistic, urban society.” (pg. 227) Members of the Group of Seven also shared this point of view, supporting a rural and anti-materialistic stance. Tom Thompson in particular, is one such member of the Group of Seven who expressed much dissatisfaction to city life, preferring to stay in the wilderness in which he painted. This notion is expressed by historian Frank Underhill, who argued that they Group of Seven used the North as a means to escape from urban life. This idea, as described by Davis however, was never recorded and ignores the positive elements the Group saw in nature. Here, the author expresses that to the Group, nature, “was the more elemental form of creation.” (pg. 229) They perceived the land as a positive life force, not as the opposite of materialistic, urban cities though they did prefer to dwell in the rural areas.
3. H.A Innis challenged the previous assumption that Canada was only part of the North American communities tied through economics and geography to the United State. He believed that the interdependence of the Canadian economy allowed for Canada to be a geographic and economic entity. This meant that instead of focusing on continentalism which placed emphasis on a north-south axis, unity would be better articulated by using the major geographic features that operate on an east-west axis. By thinking about Canada in this way, the members of the country are encouraged to think of themselves as having a Canadian identity rather than a North American identity.
J. Tanner Jackson (0678161)
ReplyDeleteImages as Identity: Aspects of Twentieth Century Canadian Art by Anne Davis
2. A.Y. Jackson, humorously talks about the sentiment being lost in industrialism when he quotes that the romantic Milkmaid had been lost - probably referring back to Vermeer's work in the Baroque period. The replacement of man by machine in a farms working conditions puzzles both Jackson and even more so for his contemporary J.E.H. MacDonald who writes poems about it. Historian Frank Underhill tries to pinpoint their view by relating the baroness, solemn and melancholic scenes as a reflection of the depressing urban wasteland, but in fact contradicts himself when he later states that they were in fact used to escape the urban city life. Since nothing was ever recorded, but it is clear that the under discovered and unexplained landscape was of much more importance to the Group of Seven rather than simply the other features - such as people and city culture. This understanding of nature would better the civilization, as well as support the goal of making their art a nationally identifiable piece.
3. H.A. Innis recognized the importance of Canadian geography, and that it was an essential item to national identity. She shows the interdependence of Canadian and European economies arguing that Canada had geographic and economic unity - meaning that these geographic features - such as water, open access East to West - would open Canada up to the rest of the world, also containing some continentalism. "The present Dominion emerged not in spite o geography because of it (pg. 231)."
5. Sterbak and Lukacs both play around with the notion of identity in which on one hand individualism is totally taken away and the other it is clearly visible to a learnt audience. The irreverence however, which was centred on U.S. Cadets in the military colleges in the 1990's presents a series of frontal portraits Lukacs uses the German fascist themes to underline the failure of these Militaristically ordered images making them seem ironic. To do so some themes present concern with group control, submission and pain, accompanied by silkscreened words overtop of American flags to emphasize his point even further. The irreverence is mostly in the subliminal usage of the German fascist views, along with his deliberate defacing of the flag, and in addition his 'misspelling' of 'labour' in the Canadian way rather then the American spelling adds to the insult even greater. Sterbak's irreverence is a little more subtle and her effect is more brought out by her use of material accompanied with her wit, whcih is clearl seen in her work "meat dress". This work is much more ambiguous and takes more insight into the feminist readings, along with ironic connections such as meat being the closest material we have to human flesh.
Ann Davis “Image as Identity”
ReplyDelete1. What is the thesis of this article?
This article aims to look at the history of Canadian art by closely exploring three examples that Davis finds to be “of strong creativity” (226). She focuses on three of the main movements during the twentieth century; those being the Group of Seven, the Automatists, and two representative contemporary artists. She leaves out the cultural politics and policies instead opting to explore the social and aesthetic goals through the artistic methods of her focus groups within their respective periods. Davis looks at the Group of Seven’s reputation as wilderness painters, claiming they used the land to study their idea of the Canadian identity. The Automatists were concerned with the social and political systems in place in Quebec. They were interested in a surrealist-inspired philosophy and were concerned with the subconscious. In a more contemporary setting, Jana Sterbak and Attila Richard Lukacs focused on the human body and representation. They explored the social and psychological factors presented.
2. What was the attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature? (p228-230)
Many believe the longer the Group of Seven focused their attention on the wilderness the more they turned against urban life. A historian, Frank Underhill claimed the group “shifted their purpose... and began to use the north as an escape from urban life rather than the tool through which they could express their vision of Canadian Life” (228-229). Davis argues that the Group of Seven saw nature as “the most elemental form of creation” (229). They used the unknown wilderness of Canada’s North to understand identity before they could explore the people and cities that furthered that identity.
3. What was H.A. Innis’ contribution to the development of the national identity?
H.A. Innis challenged the common belief that Canada was merely a part of the North American community rather than an independent nation. he argued that canadia was a “geographic and economic unity in her own right” (231). He was the first to see that the geography of Canada in itself gave way for unity within as well as individualisation from America. One of these features as explained by Davis is the water systems of Canada. This new theory opened the way for others to discover more of the national identity through theories like the Laurentian thesis created by Donald Creighton after exploring the St. Lawrence River. Later a historian, A.R.M. Lower, proposed instead that the land in itself is a fundamental basis for nationality in Canada.
Paige Connell & Katie Borgford
ReplyDelete2. What was attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature? (pp.228-230)
The Group of Seven were largely in support of the Canadian landscape remaining untouched by urbanization. As Canada’s population increased and rural transformed to industrial in many areas, they saw the land as place of salvation. They emphasized the experience of the wilderness and portrayed the rural life as noble. They were empathetic with the view if the Imperialists that industry and urbanization would destroy the moral and simplistic values of life. The quote from Frank Underhill seems to sum up the Group’s view on the importance of nature perfectly, “They believed that nature held all the knowledge and all the mystery necessary for man; nature was the foundation, the basis for the spirit, and the ground on which life should be constructed.”
3. What was H.A. Innis’s contribution to the development of the national identity?
Innis’ contribution to the development of national identity was the crucial differentiation of Canada from the United States. Our identity was recognized as geographical in a sense that had always amalgamated us to the U.S. Innis inspired a viewpoint that Canada’s geographical landscape united our large country and made us unique from the rest of North America. The landscape became the symbol of the country as a whole even with its inner diversity from coast to coast. Therefore, when painting a landscape, one would be painting their country and what we stand for. Innis’ work was the foundation for Creighton’s Laurentian Theory and Lower’s own views on how the land represented Canada. Combined, these views were influential on artistic practices of the time and encouraged the Group of Seven on their endeavors of representing their country.
4. What was important to Borduas in art? How do you think he would define is identity vis-à-vis images?
Borduas emphasized the importance of the subconscious as the channel through which art was created. Being uninhibited by the constricts of the external world and to embrace the mystery and emotion that emerge from the unconscious through Automatiste work. His identity through his images can be defined through the description of his process: Automatism as his style, emotion as a theme, and nature as his source. This shows his process of translating the world that he experiences around him through his emotive responses into a form of imagery that can represent his individual mind. His work is able to represent himself as well as speak to its viewers through their own forms of unconscious recognition.
Nicole Markland
ReplyDeleteAnne Davis, “Image as Identity”
2. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Canadian land was considered the salvation against industrialism and the ‘moral laxity’ which was felt to be a symptom of materialistic urbanity. In essence, the increasingly industrialization and decreasing rural nature of Canada led many artists – not just the Group of Seven – to turn to depicting the increasingly rare rustic realities of the Canadian landscape. The Group of Seven were products of their society, and so they too viewed urbanity in this anti-materialistic way – as the destroyer of the simple life. The turn away from city life in Canada by the Group of Seven reflects not only their desire to provide a vision of Canada but also their desire to escape the developing urban character of Canada during this era. The Group believed that their depictions of the landscape were of a national school and that their vision was truly reflective of the nature of the Canadian lifestyle. Despite the fact that now it is widely understood that their art was more reflective of regional Ontario rather than national, nature to the Group of Seven was the ‘elemental form of creation’ and in depicting nature in painting, it served as the foundations from which they were able to construction their own ideas about the character of Canadian life.
4. Borduas was very much influenced by the ideologies surrounding surrealism when it came to art. The shifting away from the external world in order to explore the individual’s self-conscious was an idea that he explored throughout his career. In general, surrealist and internal explorations are what Borduas focuses on when it comes to art. In his essay, “Mille manieres de gouter une oeuvre d’art” he identified automatism as being the style which ‘permits the expression of images or memories assimilated by the artist’ and that is should ‘reflect the totality of his physical and intellectual being’. The subconscious was considered most important to Borduas when it came to art – just like with the surrealists – except for him specifically he tended to move away from representational art. His styles changed from following more representational avenues modeled on already established surrealist styles in the beginning of his career to a more minimalist path later on in his career. Since Borduas identified automatism as being the mirror of the individual it can be said that he must also have understood that his own identity would have been evident in his images. This is obvious when one considers the evolution of his art work from representational to nonrepresentational. Borduas himself defined and exemplified his own transforming self through his stylistically metamorphosing images.
6. I think that the focus of the article is okay. I believe that Place and Subconscious had more in common with one another than they both did with Body. The arguments presented in Body seemed to me to be a bit disconnected with the whole of the article and I think that is because Davis focussed a lot of attention on defining the mocking characteristics of Lukacs’ and Sterbak’s images and not enough time clearly connecting the notions of identity of these two artists to the Group of Seven and Borduas. Her point in this section of the article is not as readily apparent as it was in the Place and Subconscious sections. The conclusion was very short and it gave a quick explanation of what all these artists have in common when it comes to the creation of identity in their art. I only wish Davis spent time outlining some specific connections between all of the discussed artists’ works.
Ann Davis- Image As Identity
Delete2. The Group of Seven worshipped nature, and this is what their identity was shaped around. They felt that they could develop a sense of nationality to Canada through representing the land that we live in, and that they could make Canadians feel more strongly for their country. The Group of Seven felt that nature was a pure form that was not tainted by the world, unlike things such as materialism. Nature remained untouched by humans and their technology, and that is why they chose to constantly represent it in their works. The group also believed that Canadians take advantage of their own nature, and that by representing it in their art they would force people to appreciate the beauty around them. Seeing all of the paintings done by the group of seven make it obvious that they loved and appreciated Canadian nature, and wished to preserve it in every way.
4. Borduas took most of his ideas from the Surrealist movement. He felt that art was more of an internal process, and attempted to draw away from the external world in order to examine his internal self. This is what created the inspiration for his own work, so he definitely believed in it. Borduas also highly believed in the automatist movement, which consisted of a lot of abstraction and free format. This was very unlike the Group of Seven, who painted exactly what they saw around them and stayed away from their inner feelings. These two styles of paintings fought for attention at the same time. I think that he would define his art as holding a part of his identity, which he so truly believed in. His style of painting evolves to a non-representational style, but his character and his self is still ever present within his paintings.
6. I thought that this article was very interesting, and it brought together different identities of Canadian Art. The last paragraph ties the entire article together, explaining how each of these focus groups is highlighting an important aspect of their time. The Group of Seven put their focus on the beauty and richness that the natural land of Canada has to offer. The Automatists tend to focus on the subconscious processes that produce art, and lastly, the two contemporary artists deal with issues of the body and the individual. Although it does bring the article together, I don’t think that Davis spent enough time tying the ideas together within the article. I do not see much of a connection between any of them until it is all brought together in the end, but there is still not too much in common. I think that they are all dealing with different subject matters, and that the common factor is that they all have a different way of representing their internal feelings and the world around them.
1. The Group of Seven felt that it was their duty as painters to first reflect and then develop their society. They seemed to think that they were responsible for improving society via painting by imparting truth about the spiritual and visual aspects. They and others believed that urbanization and industry was socially and morally damaging. Even though they all had urban residents and corporate design jobs they were all fascinated with the rural and nature, spending as much time in northern Ontario they would return with these scenes as their inspiration. The rural life was being phased out by technology, not only were landscapes being changed dramatically but eliminating jobs and changing those that survived. They were concerned about the ‘senseless destruction’ of the environment by industry, they were aiming to revive and preserve nature via painting.
ReplyDelete2. H.A. Innis first introduced the ‘geographic theme’ looking to challenge the idea that Canada was simply apart of the North American community tied through economics and geography to the U.S. He believed that geography united the country, specifically the east-west oriented water systems (St. Lawrence River) strengthened this idea. These theories addressed the problem of Canada’s geographic diversity, which many believed made Canada devoid of any unification. Many believed that the east-west orientation of the country, emphasized by the world’s longest undefended boarder, made regions more apart of the United States than apart of each other. Innis introduced an argument that identified Canada from the United States via geography, though it was the inspiration for later ideas that believed that uniqueness of regions was the unifying strength.
3.Borduas was fascinated by the unconscious, he wanted “the mind’s eye to become the man’s eye”. He wanted to merge the dream state with reality. Since the work he was found of was extremely abstract, and often included the use of illicit hallucinogenic drugs, I think that it is likely that he would argue either that Canadian art is art made by a Canadian, that if a pieces captures the unconsciousness of a Canadian, then it captures the essence of Canadian-ism. Either this or he may argue that work produced in a state of unconsciousness and later interpreted to reflect some aspect of Canadian culture or landscape.
Ann Davis “Image as Identity”
ReplyDeleteAimee Puthon
What is the thesis of this article?
The thesis of this article is that the Group of Seven wanted to create a national identity of school through their painting style. They painted Northern Ontario. They were attracted to the wilderness, the wildness, the solitude, the serene and the picturesque. This was during the 1940’s when the Group of Seven dominated the Canadian painting style. The artists were influenced by other art movements during this time such as the Automatise and what was guiding them in Quebec.
What was the attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature?
The Group of seven wanted to create a national school of painting. They wanted to capture the beauty and picturesque of Northern Ontario. As a collective group they thought that it is the wilderness that portrayed them as a strong and independent country, not the city or urban areas. The Seven thought that it was their job to reflect and then develop their society. They thought that as individual painters, they were in charge of creating a better society. As F.B Housser stated, the group wanted to paint nature to reach man. They thought that the land and nature was a positive force in the world and that urbanism was evil and detramental. As a national school, they wanted to create a consciousness for the country and believed that it was this that would bring people together and create a strong country.
What was H. R Innes contribution to the development of the national identity?
Innes was the first to view Canada as an independent nation because of its geography. That the landscape was different then the American one, even though they were connected across the boarder. Canada was unique and seen as an individual because of the water system, the mountains and the landscape.
What is the thesis of the article?
ReplyDeleteThe thesis of this article wishes to examine three strong examples of creativity in Canadian art as well as chart the social and aesthetic goals through artistic methods. The artwork Davis explores spans over different time periods from the Group of Seven, the Automatists and two contemporary artists: Jana Sterbak and Attila Richard Lukacs.
Ann Davis takes into consideration the place, the subconscious and the body in her exploration of these artists. The Group of Seven’s emphasis on the land defines their place in society and their feelings of responsibility to improve society through the stimulation of a deeper understanding of the land and the creation of a new consciousness. The Automatists were influenced by Freud and the Surrealists in their exploration of the subconscious while Sterbak and Lukacs explored social and psychological aspects of the body.
What was the attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature (pp.228-230)
Although each individual in the Group of Seven may perceive and express their understanding of nature differently, there was a harmony in their respect for nature. Jackson criticized industrialism, MacDonald was sensitive to the destruction of nature, and Thomson grew more and more attached to his time in the country. Davis explains that the Group of Seven were “not opposed to evidences of civilization” but that they wanted to promote a greater respect for nature as a positive force. There was a belief that “nature held all the knowledge and all the mystery necessary for man: nature was the foundation, the basis for the spirit, and the ground on which life should be constructed.” The Group of Seven’s emphasis on the land defines their place in society and their feelings of responsibility to improve society through the stimulation of a deeper understanding of the land and the creation of a new consciousness.
Do you think the article has an adequate focus? What do you think of its conclusion (last paragraph)? Do you think the Place, Subconscious and the Body have enough in common?
The article’s focus of aesthetic and social issues in artistic production during the twentieth century in Canada is comprehensive. Not everyone reading this article will be influenced in the same way depending on their own understanding of these issues. I recognize the need to express something the artist felt was not properly understood. After decades of artistic investigation of consciousness, I still can’t say that much of society has come any closer to understanding the aesthetics involved in this spiritual pursuit. I do not agree that “creativity is a reflection of the fundamental preoccupations of a specific time and place” because these are global issues that are (or should be) constant preoccupations. The place, subconscious and the body have enough in common as they all relate to our understanding of ourselves in this world.
Jazmyn Pettigrew
ReplyDelete1)The thesis of this article looks at a variety of different Canadian works. Since the Canadian art world consists of such a broad range, Davis discusses the various artist groups and movements that contribute to the culture. She explores three prominent Canadian artistic movements including the Group of Seven, the Automatists and two contemporary artists- Jana Sterbak and Attila Ruchard Lukacs. She sets out examining the groups social and aesthetic goals while exploring each artistic variation and how it has contributed to Canadian identity in art.
2)The attitudes of the Group of Seven pertained to urban life and nature through their paintings of Canadian landscapes. They devoted their talents to sharing these landscapes with Canada in hopes it would help societies development through depicting visual and emotional truths in the works. The group became resentful with industrialization and urbanization. Their works created and escape from urban life for both painter and viewer to preserve what they felt was important. They carried a strong belief of natural landscape and how it offered all the knowledge and mystery that man needs. The group couldn’t comprehend how an artist could be enthralled with an urban landscape, when in their eyes it offered very little.
3) In the 1930’s H.A. Innis contributed to the development of national identity through geography and economics. He followed a theoretical model that promoted Canada’s independence from the United States politically, geographically and economically. Innis wanted Canada to stand in unified with these three aspects to help uphold the countries independence not just with the US but with Britain as well. He found the stretch from East to West contributed to the countries independence because it created such a diverse population across the land mass reinforced Canadian identity. This theory was a way to help the country being seen as Canadian identity, opposed to a North American identity.
1. In ‘Image as identity’ Anne Davis outlines three groups of Canadian artists who are separated by time, region and ideology. She first discusses the Group of Seven. This includes their influences, contemporaries and their views of Canadian ‘wilderness’. She then moves to exploring the Automatist of Quebec and finally the contemporary artists Jana Sterbeck and Attila Ruchard Lukacs. With each of these she looks for comparisons between them. In doing this she examines the social and aesthetic differences of these three groups. She shows the vast variety of Canadian art, which is not only linear in nature but also deeply connected to the social and regional conditions of the artist.
ReplyDelete2. The group of seven believes that the land is central to Canadian development. In the beginning of their development as a group, they began simply doing fishing holidays in the Georgian Bay area and in Algonquin Park. They saw the country as a welcome escape from urban life in Toronto. MacDonald connected the city with a jail cell and the country was seen a pure and beautiful in comparison. Eventually they came to believe that nature held all the mystery that man could need.
3. H. A. Innis challenged the common idea that Canada was simply part of the North American community and as being tied to the States through economics and geography. He argued that Canada was a geographic and economic Country that independent and emerged because of its geography.
Kyle Griffiths
ReplyDeleteWhat is the thesis of this article?
The article is based on three groups of Canadian artists from the 20th century; the group of seven, automatist as well as Jana Sterbak and Attila Richard Lukacs. The article considers art historical writings as a mode of exploration for the selected artists work. The article investigates political and social issues concerning the three groups of artists.
What was attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature? (pp.228-230)
The group of seven resented urban life and pursued the natural beauty of the canadian wilderness. Their work focused on the fleeting idealism of the wild. This concept was expanded into a link to canadian identity as a whole. The group of seven saw the land as good and a source of life which opposed the evil of an urban materialist culture. They believed that the land was the root of all canadian nationality and culture.
What was H.A. Innis’s contribution to the development of the national identity?
H.A Innis challenged the idea that Canada’s identity as a nation is based on its geographic and economic ties to the United States. Canada’s landscape allows for it to be considered a separate entity whose geographical features define it as its own. Natural resources that define Canada including; water, land and open spaces are the foundation of its national identity. Canada’s span from east to west creates a unique link to the rest of the world and not just the United States.
David Winfield
ReplyDelete0675124
Images as Identity: Aspects of Twentieth Century Canadian Art by Anne Davis
1. Basically, Davis’ role in this writing was to showcase a Canada’s wide variety of strong creativity in the world of art, particularly focusing on the 20th Century. Through the examples of The Group of Seven, The Automatists, and two contemporary artists Sterbak and Lukacs, all of which were large variations and important movements/individuals/groups for the development of Canadian art. Davis uses information from art historians and theorists, as well as various of references to distinguish the differences and separations in the social and aesthetic goals of these three very different yet equally important art movements.
2. The Group of Seven had a strong and conscious negativity towards urban environments such as Toronto. They believed that there was too much of a focus on materialistic matters and not enough focus on the beauty of the landscape, of what came before people and cities and material devices. The Group truly believed that the value in natural land and scenery was of more worth than any man made creation. This was the overall view at this time for the Group especially as influenced by the rapidly increasing number of urban elements of creation. With less rural land available and quickly decreasing, the Group felt the need to protect what was left of untouched land through the presentation of knowledge through the medium of painting to the public.
3. H.A. Innis was the first person to view Canada on an East-West axis rather than North-South. This theory was based on the individuality demonstrated in Canada’s geographical features leading to what Innis believed to be one of the main role-players in the development of Canada’s identity and interdependence. This helped to separate Canada from the U.S. as well as other European countries, also because of Canada’s economics situation.
Colleen Savage
ReplyDelete1. H.A.Innis stated that Canada’s wealth in geographical relatedness was able to keep the country as a whole. He said that because the water systems of Canada flowed throughout the country it was able to maintain a bond. Although the land is diverse, the variety helps to benefit the country, which is what helps to differentiate it from the United States. The land is very vast but because the resources vary by province, communication is necessary to trade.
2. According to Davis Sterbak and Lukacs rebellion through the means of the human body is irreverent. Their commentary on social rebellion through the body is striking as it mocks social diversity that has been common throughout the years. A lot of their work is very provocative with no censoring. It bluntly speaks against the subject matter and the political issues being faced. The work is often quite literal and is able to be interpreted by a mainstream audience. Sterbak tends to focus on the female body where as Lukas the male body is the primary subject. Their work has been described as “ironic” and was blatantly attempting to strike up controversy.
3. The Group of Seven detested urban life and focused their work on nature. They attempted to find relationships with human beings and nature as if we all stem from the same source. The city was evil to them. It wasn’t possible for them to create work about the city as it wasn’t relatable to them; which is necessary to have any passion about the work. It was said that the more these artists focused on nature the more they despised the city.
Steph Caskenette
ReplyDelete2. The Group of Seven’s attitude towards urban life was fairly negative, as they had based their beliefs on the notion that land was central to Canadian development, giving us a true sense of place. They also romanticized the beauty of nature and farming. A large population of Canadians saw the land as a type of freedom from the growing industrialization and the industrial urban life would destroy the ‘robustness’ of body and morality, as well as the general simplicity of life. The group saw nature as the most elemental form of creation and they believed that nature held the knowledge, mystery, foundation, spirit and ground to which life should be constructed. The Group of Seven's work was not just meant as a celebration of their homeland, but also helped to inform society and promote greater respect and understanding of nature.
3. Historically, there had been a prevalent view and assumption that Canada was merely an extension of the United States, a secondary player to the North American community due to its economic and geographical ties to America. However, Innis showed “the interdependence of Canadian and European economies and argued that Canada was a geographic and economic unity in her own right”. Essentially, to elaborate on this, Innis intended to emphasize the notion that specific geographic features assisting in unity (such as water systems) indeed operated on an “east-west axis rather than on a north-south one that would reinforce continentalism”. Thus, Innis seemed to ultimately stimulate others to think of Canada’s place in the world and its national sentiment. For instance, Donald Creighton first built upon Innis’ theories, and A.R.M. Lower subsequently theorized about Creighton’s. First accepting Creighton’s “Laurentian theses”, Lower later modified his position on the topic and rejected Innis’ view of geographic determinism, shifting the focus of Canadian nationality instead on simply the land itself.
5. The word “irreverent” means to show disrespect or to be sarcastic; thus it is not altogether shocking that Sterbek and Lukacs were labeled this term by Davis. Throughout their artistic careers, they critique society and expose harsh political realities. For instance, Lukacs’ work focuses on sensitive subjects, specifically pointing to America and societies inadequate ability to include those thought to be subordinate. For example, in his piece 'How to Learn', he openly defaces the American flag, truly mocking and displaying irreverence. Similarly, Sterbek’s work centers on the body, in particular the female body and how it is political. Her infamous meat dress, 'Flesh Dress' for the Albino Anorectic, is undeniably subject to feminist readings about the body. Regardless, the work reveals more about the consumer society where the body, the female flesh, is a piece of meat.
1. What is the thesis of this article?
ReplyDeleteTo look at the social as well as aesthetic goals of three very different groups (the Group of Seven, the Automatists, and contemporary artists) working in three different periods and to examine their artistic methods.
2. What was attitude of the Group of Seven to urban life and to nature?
(pp.228-230)
They agreed with the idea that the natural landscape of Canada shielded them against Industrialization and the moral dissimulation that they believed comes from a materialistic society. The Imperialists, who were convinced that an industrial, urban life would destroy the strength of body, morality, and simplicity of life, influenced them. The Group of Seven found that the landscape represented vitality, individualism, and patriotism to them and they spread this idea widely. They felt so strongly about their Canadian nature that they actually began to use it as a relief from urban culture, which annoyed some people in the country.
3. What was H.A. Innis’s contribution to the development of the national identity?
Innis proved the national identity to the people of Canada by saying that Canadian and European economies were not dependent on each other. He also argued that Canada was geographically unique because the water systems operated on an east-west axis rather than on a north south.
1) In her essay Crosby states that the “Imaginary Indian” functioned as the “negative space to a positive force of colonist hegemony.” (p. 269) In this sentence she is arguing that the view that many people have in society of aboriginals is a Eurocentric view. That the Indians are constructed as opposites to the west and are made that way in order to fit into their history. In her studies Crosby encountered many Eurocentric constructions that she terms an “Imaginary Indian.” This image of a blood thirsty savage or a passive colonized human. They were constructed negatively to act as a positive for colonist’s dominance and history. They constructed them as a need to be saved through colonization and civilization.
ReplyDelete2) Crosby’s has a very interesting point of view on the works of Emily Carr and Paul Kane. They both claim to be authentic images of aboriginals and the culture, but Crosby challenges this notion. Crosby argues that Carr’s works were ‘produced authenticity,’ that to her the images that she was recreating were authentic, but actually they were romanticized. That in fact Carr was making ethnographic depictions of abandoned villages and rotting poles. That her works instead provided evidence of racial contamination along with cultural and moral deterioration. Carr was painting the “Imaginary Indian.” Although many art historians argued that Carr had a “...profound understanding of the meaning of that heritage...,” Crosby argues that was not the case. (p. 277) Similarly Kane believed his ethnographic drawings were of the ‘real’ aboriginal and he correctly wanted to document them in history. Crosby is unsure of their actual authenticity but states that they are a good example for the views that 19th century society had about indigenous peoples. Through reading Crosby’s arguments on the portrayal of an ‘authentic Indian’ I agree with her greatly as most of the images produced by Carr and Kane are very much romanticized beautiful paintings.
3) I would say that Crosby’s essay really does read like a position paper. Due to her bringing up a lot of her personal history and opinions, it seems less of an academic source. Although it is still very interesting to read as one is able to understand the opinion on the portrayal of the aboriginal in history from an actual native. She brings up many great and interesting points throughout the essay that one of western European background would miss. It is also evident in the very last paragraph of the essay that this piece is more of a position paper then an actual academic and researched work when she makes the following statement: “My narrative is based on a brief survey of four years of experience within post secondary institutions...”(p. 280)
1. The author of this article discusses how the “Imaginary Indian” has functioned as the negative space to a positive force of colonist hegemony. In saying this the author is ultimately saying that people have a negative view of Aboriginal people because of the Eurocentric view that has been placed upon these people and has been completely constructed by Europeans. The author states that this Eurocentric view is based around the self-interest of the west and that the Native Americans were to be considered as “others” compared to the dominant Western view. The author reinstates her point by saying that historically, the view of Native Americans has been constructed as “the white man saves Native American through colonization and civilization.” This construction however is not positive noir is it accurate and the author reinforces her opinion by giving examples of how the Eurocentric view was adapted because they were seen as the more dominant group.
ReplyDelete2. The author does recognize that some artists attempted to display Native people, their culture and their history. She says that in recent years there has been a space created for Native people to “enter into the art arena” but at the same time the author also recognizes that there are those who have “externalist” point of views about Native communities. The author states that many of the artists who chose Native American society and culture as their subject matter really only observed these people rather than collected true facts. Crosby discuses the accuracy Emily Carr and Paul Cane’s paintings. The author suggests that Carr’s paintings were embellished and did not really represent reality. She says that Carr constantly represented the Native American people as dying vs. developing and she states, “we did not all die.” Crosby also says that Native people in these depictions did not all assimilate to Euro/Canadian culture and the events that she painted did not all occur. In other words, Crosby suggests that Carr depicted the Imaginary Indian that she talks about throughout the article. Crosby does not say that he thinks Cane and Carr do a bad job at representing these people but she questions the accuracy although she states that overall (Cane’s) paintings do show the sorts of ideas that many had about these societies. I do agree with Crosby. Even though I understand that these painters had a great knowledge of these societies, they definitely embellished their representations.
3. I do agree that this article reads as a position paper. Crosby incorporates a lot of facts into her article but also draws the reader in on an emotional level and allows the reader to comprehend the history and facts that she brings into her article. In addition, I believe that this paper reads as a position paper because not only does the author state her views, she reflects upon her personal experiences. Before reading this article I wasn’t fully aware that these representations had been misconstrued. But now after reading this article I realize that views that were put upon Native Americans were often misshaped and bias.
Monika Hauck
ReplyDeleteMarcia Crosby, “Constructing the Imaginary Indian.”
1. “Imaginary Indian” functioned as a “negative space to a ‘positive’ force of colonialist hegemony”. Please explain based on the reading.
The idea of the "Imaginary Indian" was a Western social construct that described what First Nations people represented within Canadian identity, a society of people who needed and now rely on colonialist support. It was a negative space that could be filled with a conception of "Indians" that supported the larger forces of colonialist hegemony. However, despite the potential for misrepresentation the "negative space" also acted as an outlet for First Nation's culture to be explored and represented as an integral part of Canadian History, within which Canadian Identity has become intimately intertwined.
2. What is Crosby’s opinion on the works of Paul Cane and Emily Carr? Do you agree? Why?
Crosby's opinion of these individuals posits that they provided a generally positive representation of Native People but it is clear in Crosby's discussion of them that she is hesitant to agree with Cane and Carr's position. This is likely the result of the "Imaginary Indian", in which all representations of Native People could border the smokescreen of inaccuracies and misrepresentation mixed in with actuality. To this extent I agree, there are a number of factors that feed into an accurate representation of any culture. For Native Indians, which have been represented in a similar manner since colonialism, have dealt with, tolerated and accepted their status within Canadian identity. An identity which has become ingrained in our understanding of their role within Canadian history. Therefore, even those individuals who may have been close to understanding an accurate representation of Native culture, there is the potential for Native culture to exist as we understand it today. It has become so distorted that it has become what we have made it.
3. This article reads as a ‘position paper’. Do you agree? Why?
This article is clearly an expression of the author's personal opinion. There is a a general lack of academic sources and furthermore she clearly inserts her first person status as the author throughout the paper. In this case I don't believe that a position paper takes away from the validity of her opinion because she has clearly been affected personally from her experiences learning about First Nation's culture and identity. The use of first person pronouns and anecdotal evidence without serious opposition of argument clearly makes this a position paper, however it is still effective in it's cause.
Allison Karakokkinos
ReplyDelete1. By stating that the “imaginary Indian” functioned as a “negative space to a ‘positive’ force of colonialist hegemony” Crosby means that together this constructed view of the “Indian” and European/Canadian society equal a historical whole. They are presented as opposites. This oppositional standpoint of Native Canadians allowed for the European Canadian culture to be viewed as superior, therefore enforcing the need to “save” the Native Canadians through colonization and civilization. (p.279) It legitimized this process. It reflects the notion that in order to promote something as good/better it needs a lesser comparison. In the case of European Canadian society this lesser being was constructed hence the term ‘imaginary’. Dominant culture used the First Nations to define who it was or was not by measuring itself against it. (p.281)
2. Crosby believes that the works of Paul Kane and Emily Carr are part of the “salvage paradigm”, meaning they attempted to save/salvage the remnants of the Native peoples, who they believed to be a dying society. Crosby says that it was this notion of the “Imaginary Indian” that had died to these artists, what they believed to have been the truly authentic, untainted Indigenous people. Those that ‘save’ a society decide, based on their own identity, society and culture, what part gets to be saved, just as Kane and Carr did. Each of the two artists believed they were portraying the “authentic” image of the peoples of the North-West Coast, but really their images implied their conception that the Native Canadian no longer existed. Kane’s image ‘Muck Cranium’ (1846) of a Fort Carlton Cree exploits the “uncivilized barbarian” or the “savage” view of the man shown. This reflects the 19th C political and religious views of Indigenous people, but still today enforces the stereotypes. Carr’s ‘Tanoo, Queen Charlotte Islands’ (1912) displays abandoned villages and totem poles as relics of a historical civilization, not a society of the still living. She believed it was her mission to document and save these objects from being forgotten. Both artists maintained the “imaginary Indian” basis. I agree with Cosby that the two artists romanticized the Native Canadians as a dying/lost civilization, but I think that they were simply a product of society at the time without some of the more critical viewpoints we have today.
3. I agree that this article reads as a position paper. Right from the beginning Crosby states that “I also consider it an act of affirmation to speak in the first person singular… to assert my own voice” (p.277). She has already disclosed to the reader that this is her own voice, her own opinion. Also she is a Haida/Tsimpsian and therefore has a personal, emotional attachment to the topic; she is not able to look at the information from a detached, strictly academic point of view. To further this she talks throughout the article of her own experiences and encounters with information of the way Canadian society views Native people. For example her university life, and the teachers and readings she did play an important role in her explanation.
Natalie Banaszak
ReplyDeleteMarcia Crosby, “Constructing the Imaginary Indian.”
1. Marcia Crosby describes the idea of the ‘imaginary’ indian as the construct of western society’s opinions or stereotypes of the native peoples. The positive force of colonialist control over natives is described as education. Native Americans would potentially benefit from this negative exposure of their culture, because any exposure can be said as ‘good exposure’ as it furthers the education or awareness of their culture. It is, however, false; and the spreading of falsehoods is what Crosby describes as the ‘negative space’ of the positive force of colonialism. The juxtaposition of these falsehoods and truths emphasizes that Native American culture does not function within the stereotypes which are so widely accepted as realities.
2. Crosby thinks that Crane and Carr contribute to the idea of the ‘imaginary Indian’, as they are representing Native culture in a way which reflects the limited Western view of how the culture functions and what it stands for. Instead of contributing to the education of Native culture in a positive way, both Cane and Carr play into the stereotypes of the culture. I agree in the sense that Carr saw herself as a “missionary in reverse”, which seems to reaffirm the western view that Natives are a dying culture which needs to be documented before it dies off. Despite her efforts to preserve the culture, she is reaffirming this NEED for documentation which confirms the belief that the culture is slowly disappearing.
3. I definitely think this is a position paper. Marcia Crosby puts a lot of her own passion and emotion into her work, it is quite clearly her opinion on how Native American art functions or should functions. She includes her own experiences in the analysis of the work, and the tone of the work is fairly biased in her perspective.
1. This definition of the “imaginary Indian” that Crosby has developed suggests that the “imaginary Indian,” as it is represented through images and literature, serves to reinforce a hegemonic between indigenous people and their colonizers. The “imaginary Indian” represents a fictitious history of the indigenous people that is often being represented by non-native artists, and is often used to for the Westerners search for their own roots and identity. The “imagery Indian” is problematic in that it is always positioned alongside colonialism, and often created by a Euro-Canadian perspective.
ReplyDelete2. Crosby states that Kane “documents ‘real’ Indians as a requiem for s dying people,” and that Carr “alludes to the native imagery as a means of establishing a regional identity.” However, Crosby exposes each artist intention as being undermined by their euro-centric beliefs. As Kane attempts to ‘salvage’ Indian history he is exemplifying what Crosby refers to as the “salvage paradigm,” which suggests that those doing the “saving” (of a culture) also choose what the will “salvage,” and thus they become the owners and interpreters of what they attempt to salvage. Crosby therefore saw Kane’s work as perpetuating hegemony and explicitly makes a connection between Kane’s work and the Indian Act. By depicting a group of people as a “dying” people, Kane enforces the hegemonic stereotype that indigenous people are “savage” and are incapable of understanding land title, thus rationalizing the Indian Act which sought to remove native reserves and appropriate indigenous people entirely to a Euro-Canadian culture. Crosby’s problem with Carr was in the belief by many that Carr had a “profound understanding” of indigenous people that Crosby did not believe was possible because of Carr’s euro-centric beliefs. Crosby believed that Carr’s relationships with Indians only perpetuated Indian myths, and her work was then based on such myths. I agree with Crosby because although Kane and Carr represent Native culture they do so in a euro centric light, evident in their European styles as either romanticism or realism.
3. Yes, I think this paper reads as a position paper. I think the author is also aware of this which is why she felt inclined to tell us her background, and include some of her personal history and experiences within the article. I think that although this article has a strong personal element to it, Crosby maintains academic rigour in her paper by her inclusion of so many artists and examples whom I think Crosby appropriately analyzes in support of her argument about the “imaginary Indian.” I think this paper as a position paper is also evident at the end of the paper, where Crosby suggests that the nature of academic papers which study the Indian often serve to contribute to, or produce, another “Imaginary Indian.” Perhaps by producing something with a greater presence of her own opinions and by including aspects of her own background and personal life, Crosby was attempting to move away from the possibility that her own paper would be further contributing to the imaginary Indian.
1. This quote means that the Western construct of the imaginary Indian was a force that was only self-beneficial amplifying and driving colonial power. Through the construction and perpetuation of the image of the primitive Indian who lives off the land having no concept of private property, the idea that we, the Euro-Canadians, the educated, must “help” the Indian by educating and colonizing him. This construction of the indian as the opposite of ourselves, as an “other”, helps further these goals which seem philanthropic but in reality resulted in brutality.
ReplyDelete2. Crosby believes that both Paul Kane and Emily Carr had noble intentions in terms of their art which depicts First Nations peoples along with symbols of their culture, however, their art in addition to the pedestal that Euro-Canada places them upon is misleading and self benefitting. The work of both artists is largely considered documentary because of its observational basis. However, Crosby feels their artworks reinforce stereotypes of First Nations peoples as primitive and untainted by civilization, and a dying ‘species’ in need of preservation as artifacts of Canadian heritage. These philanthropic associations that the paintings of Kane and Carr have seems to irk Crosby. Instead of looking at first Nations culture as something dying, she feels we should look at it instead as something changing, but ever present and alive. In addition, the idea of First Nations culture as belonging to Euro-Canada is also irksome to Crosby who feels this heritage instead belongs to the First Nations peoples exclusively. For the most part, I think Crosby makes valid and intelligent points. However, I do think she discounts the benefits that the art of Kane and Carr had. These artists depicted First Nations people as beautiful rather than barbaric savages which created greater appreciation and tolerance for them within Euro-Canada. However, Crosby would probably argue with me saying that there is no hierarchy of stereotypes, they are just that, stereotypes.
3. A position paper is defined as “a formal, usually detailed written statement, especially regarding a single issue, that articulates a position, viewpoint, or policy, as of a government, organization, or political candidate” (dictionary.com). Considering this definition, yes, I agree that Crosby’s “Constructing the Imaginary Indian” is a position paper. Her work is formal, written for an academic audience especially one versed in art history and art theory. The paper articulates Crosby’s viewpoint of a single topic which is, in short, that the Indian is a Western construction that is self benefitting. She sites numerous anthropological, cultural, and art historical examples to argue her position on the topic. Her writing is subjective in that she uses examples to support only her viewpoint rather than siting rounded examples and opinions of other theorists that generate a broad, objective discourse around the idea of whether or not the indian is indeed an imaginary construct.
Nicole Jorge
ReplyDeleteConstructing the Imaginary Indian
1) In the essay Crosby stated that the Imaginary Indian functioned as a positive force of colonialist hegemony. In this quote she is referring to the way that Indians have been portrayed through out history. For the most part they have been represented as the Imaginary Indian. In history books, academic articles etc. they have been described as “our native people”, “totem poles mean..” and other anthropological descriptions of the “Indians”. Often these one sided Euro Centric descriptions are accompanied with Images of blood thirsty savages waiting to be saved by the Europeans. Trying to make it sound as if the Indians were saved and their lives were forever better because of colonization. The Indigenous have been shown through positive images presented by Paul Kane, Emily Carr, Bill Reid, and Jack Shadbolt, but even these images are an attempt at reality, not authentic but romanticized.
2)The view that most people have is that Paul Kane and Emily Carr both claim to be representing the authentic Indian imagery. However Crosby challenges this, she doesn’t agree that their works are representing the authentic Indian. Her argument is that Emily Carr’s works were “produced authenticity” and the she did not create real images she created romanticized images. She argued a similar point about Paul Kane’s work. He was trying to correctly document the Indian through ethnographic drawings, but Crosby is unsure of the actual authenticity. Kane was just creating portrayals of the Imaginary Indian of the 19th century european society. I agree with Crosby’s arguments because the paintings are romanticized. The artists created very beautiful paintings, making them not very authentic. The artists have incorporated their own view on the Indigenous life and this may not perfectly parallel reality.
3) Crosby’s essay is a position paper, it focuses a lot on her own personal views and experience. I would not say it is an academic source because it is more based on personal experience not research based. It is also evident that it is a position paper when she says “My narrative is based on a brief survey of four years of experience ...” I don’t think this paper is meant to be an academic source it is meant to tell the side of today’s Aboriginal. She also began the paper saying that she wanted to assert her own voice and thats why she was going to speak in first person. She is also writing with a bias because she is very emotionally attached to the topic.
Marcia Crosby, “Constructing the Imaginary Indian”
ReplyDelete1)Marcia Crosby proposes that throughout Canadian literature and art, from the past to present, there is a consistent stereotypical profile of Native Americans found, which she calls the “Imaginary Indian”. Such stereotypical traits are that they have greasy hair, savage, smells bad, as presented in George Bowering’s Burning Water. Most notably, they are presented as needing to be ‘saved’. The imaginary Indian” functions as a “negative space to a ‘positive’ force of colonialist hegemony”, because the illusionary profile acts as a peripheral component to Euro-Canadian history, and serves to affirm the necessity and justification of colonization and civilization.
2)Through Crosby’s studies, Paul Cane and Emily Carr were presented as positive images of native people. They were believed to have aided in establishing a regional identity and establishing a reference to point of a ‘real’ Native American to what was thought a dying culture. Crosby feels that the work of Paul Cane uses imagery of a Euro-centric, stereotypical idealisation of native peoples as barbaric and uncivilized. The documentation of these images evolved as the Indian Act was established, which was aimed at assimilating Native Americans into Canadian society. Crosby sees Cane’s artwork as another instance of perpetuating the imaginary Indian”. His work supposedly serves as a marker of the last ‘real’ natives, and was certified as authentic by local white officials at the time. Crosby states that the success of Kane’s work is partly because of the concept that native culture would inevitably die within an industrial society, and on this basis justified the denial of aboriginal rights.
Crosby feels that Emily Carr’s artwork also further encourages the stereotypical idea that the ‘authentic native’ only exists in the past, as she paints remnants and ruins of totem poles in abandoned villages. Her work allows the thought “that all the changes that occurred afterwards provide evidence of racial contamination, and cultural and moral deterioration” (p 276).
3)I agree that this is a position paper. The author has a very clear opinion that Native American’s have been misrepresented throughout Canadian history and this image has been used as a justification for cultural interference and colonization. The use of personal and experience and writing the paper in first-person adds strength to connecting with the audience. At the same time I feel like Crosby relies too much on personal opinion and experience to communicate her thoughts and not enough on academic sources and facts. However I understand that part of her argument is that there aren’t many accurate sources regarding Native Americans, and perhaps the paper is not meant to be academic within its self.
Jessie Toonen 0638721
ReplyDeleteIn the article I felt the statement, the “Imaginary Indian” functioned as a ‘negative space to a positive force of colonialist hegemony’, meant that by the creation of the Western idea of the Indian which to me was the stereotype of aboriginals as promiscuous, dirty, barbarian, alcoholic ex. creates the idea of the Indian as the complete opposite of Western civilization and this idea of being drastically different. These negative stereotypes only continue the idea that the people or their culture needs to be saved. It is just another way for their identity to be controlled by anyone else either than themselves.
What I think Crosby’s opinion of the works of Emily Carr and Paul Cane is that she feels that the works show a huge difference between what is showed and what is implied by the work. The work of Emily Carr shows old totem poles sometimes rotting into the ground, her work is a preservation of those totem poles and therefore in a sense a preservation to those cultures. Emily Carr supported aboriginal visual arts and culture. She also wanted aboriginal works to be respected and although Crosby does not say this is a bad thing, she says her own views leak into the work then of those she is depicted. Carr believed their heritage needed to be saved but did the people she depicted? Therefore, it is more of a story of colonial expansion for Crosby, of an attempt to preserve a dying culture. I agree with this statement, although Carr’s intentions were good, she merely perpetuates stereotypes that are already revolving even before she started making these works.
I would agree this article is a position paper. The tone of the paper is set in just the first sentences of the paper. She opens by stating that she wishes to speak in first person because she wants to reject difference and speak as herself. She states her position as a first nations woman. She states her opinion clearly and tries to convince the reader that her point is valid with the examples of Emily Carr and Paul Kane. She makes connections with her thoughts and what she has experienced in her personal life although with the first example of her studio class I think that maybe she was interpreting her professor a little too harshly but I understand where she is coming from. It’s like when Chinese people are assumed to be good at math in school and are pushed to taking those courses in school.
Noor Ale and Lauren Rodgers
ReplyDeleteMarcia Crosby, “Constructing the Imaginary Indian”
1. The construction of the Imaginary Indian has a functional purpose, which is to reassert the dominance of European colonizing powers. The myths and stereotypes of the Imagined Indian often portray a false portrait of a dying culture that is in dire need to be saved through European colonization and civilization. Author Marcia Crosby argues that the fabricated construction of the Imaginary Indian as a victim of a dying culture always benefits the Europeans who although appear to be saviours, have actively participated in this misrepresentation. As an example of the Imaginary Indian, author George Bowering employed the stereotype of an Indian woman in his parody Burning Water, which served the function of using First Nations people as a means to define the identity of the dominant European powers. As an example, Burning Water demonstrates the Western notion that it is appropriate to use native literature and art even if it’s intended for the colonization of native culture.
2. According to Crosby’s opinion, the works of Paul Kane and Emily Carr functioned as a rationalization for colonialist hegemony. The creation of their artworks was motivated by the salvage paradigm; through this process the artists become owners and interpreters of the elements that they salvaged from the dying culture. Kane’s sketches and notes reflect ethnographic documentation of a dying culture. Although their content reflects an outdated 19th century viewpoint, they continue to influence art historians and government officials. In the context of Carr, the totem poles in Tanoo are disembodied from their original owners and treated as relics from the past. To Crosby these works perpetuated myths of a “dying people” and an “empty land,” which was altered by the European contact and portrayed the victimization of the uncivilized and barbaric First Nations people. This is not exclusive to literature or artworks, since these problems are deeply engrained in Canada’s social and political fabric and persist in our contemporary society. We agree with Crosby’s argument, these works have perpetuated myths and stereotypes of a dying culture, and deny First Nations people control over their identity and history.
3. Marcia Crosby’s Construction of the Imaginary Indian is a position paper because she is countering the Eurocentric construction of First Nation peoples as primitive, nostalgic and idealized. According to Crosby’s position, the construction of Imaginary Indians is manipulated by Eurocentric institutions, and widely disseminated through art and literature. In order to support her argument Crosby draws from anecdotal and personal accounts, and examines the opposing tensions between the Eurocentric perpetrators and proponents of indigenous culture. At the end of Crosby’s analysis she admits that her argument is based on a survey of her personal experience in post-secondary institutions. To an extent, there is a level of resentment that condemns the research of academicians as the inevitable fabricators of imaginary Indians.
Rachel Lauzon
ReplyDelete• Imaginary Indian” functioned as a “negative space to a ‘positive’ force of colonialist hegemony”. Please explain based on the reading.
Crosby refers to the Imaginary Indian as the negative space to the positive force of colonialism as a metaphor to describe the historical “picture” of Canadian heritage. In artistic production the negative space of a picture accentuates the positive space; she is comparing the presentation of the Indian as a device to justify or complement the colonial forces. Throughout the article she describes ways in which native culture is viewed as dying, in need of recording as a historical artifact, primitive, inferior, etc.. This view is Eurocentric; the point of view Crosby is making in the article is that native culture is alive and well having survived a period of massive change. According to Crosby the colonialist mindset cannot accept native culture as viable, if native culture was seen as having a future in addition to its past, colonialism begins to be seen in a different light. Both cultures become the “positive” space in the historical picture and therefore at conflict. For colonialism to be moral the native culture must be portrayed as declining and therefore ready to be replaced by a superior culture.
• What is Crosby’s opinion on the works of Paul Cane and Emily Carr? Do you agree? Why?
Crosby’s opinion of Paul Cane and Emily Carr is that regardless of their intention to be helpful they both held strong Eurocentric beliefs about native culture. Paul Cane and Emily Carr were both trying to record a disappearing culture before its uniqueness was forgotten; an action intended to preserve native history. However from Crosby’s point of view they both were taking ownership of something that did not belong to them and both contributing to the image of native culture as something that had reached its end. Both Cane and Carr were also imposing their view of the Indian as part of their regional heritage rather than as a people who existed and had a current evolving history which did not need European interpretation or validation. According to Crosby both artists had a part in the construction of the “Imaginary Indian”.
• This article reads as a ‘position paper’. Do you agree? Why?
Yes this article reads as a position paper, it strongly rejects the way in which the dominant European influence on North American culture has presented native culture. The author is trying to expose the motives behind the portrayal of the native and expose the resulting image of the native as make believe, concocted to justify colonialism. Colonialism and the cultural imperialism of the time period sought to make it acceptable to exterminate another culture and this is only recently beginning to be examined in a more unbiased light. Crosby is arguing that the Europeans representation of the native was a result of this. In order for colonialism to be accepted it had to be viewed as having a benefit to the place being colonized. I think that Crosby presents a strong argument from the perspective of a native person and provides good examples of contrasting attitudes from within and outside of native culture.
J. Tanner Jackson (0678161)
ReplyDeleteMarcia Crosby, “Constructing the Imaginary Indian”
1. This 'imaginary indian' which is proposed by Marcia Crosby is something that is represented through literature and images, and these indigenous peoples in relationg to there colonizers create a hegemony. This relationship creates an unbalanced and negative relationship although it is posed to be a 'positive' force by the colonialists. The fact that the Euro-Canadians were able 'educate' the under civilized indigenous peoples whom were not familiar with the concepts brought over from Europe - such as private property, education and so forth - creates a romanticized view of the indigenous in the images displayed during this period. Despite this being a positive force, it's greatly negative and heavily biased.
2. Crosby's view on Emily Carr and Paul Kane in the simplest terms would be regarded as positive ones, in which both help to establish a 'real' identity for these indigenous cultures. The only problem that Crosby states in terms of there work in the inability to create real rather then romanticized images of these cultures, making them misleading to the contemporary viewer today.
Crosby definitely favours Carr's work, since she focuses on the preservation of these indigenous cultures, through her grounded totem poles as key signifiers of this but Kane's work seems to be criticized a little further. According to Crosby Kane's main problem is his reference to the 'salvage paradigm', of which a clear hegemony exists. Making explicit connections between Kane's own work in relation to Crosby's discussion on the Indian Act. Kane then seems to provoke the main problem that the Indian Act purposed, that being the indigenous peoples being appropriated into the Euro-Canadian Cultures. The main theme Crosby explores is the notion of a distorted view towards the cultures represented, it seems that as much effort we put into representing them, there will always be some negative assumptions made to their representations due to its shady colonialist history.
3. I agree that this paper has a clear position, as right from the beginning of the paper Crosby defines and outlines very clearly the notion of an 'imaginary indian'. This immediately is followed up with a strongly biased explanation where we see Crosby explain that the 'imaginary indian' functioned as a "negative space to a 'positive' of colonialist hegemony". This is strongly referring to the negatives of the colonialist activity and it suggests that there is a passion for such a topic as she outlines also her own background and history with the subject itself. She provides many artists and examples including comparisons of good and bad, but in return it seems she replies on the more personal and less scholarly sources in some cases.
David Winfield
ReplyDelete0675124
Marcia Crosby, “Constructing the Imaginary Indian.”
1. Basically Crosby indicates that throughout the history of art and in general native people have been stereotyped as savages—dirty, wild, alcoholics, and overall a lower form of human beings who need to be “saved. This is where the colonialists and the Europeans come in to play. By stating that the “Imaginary Indian” functioned as a “negative space to a ‘positive’ force of colonialist hegemony”, Crosby is alluding to the fact that this negative stereotyping of native peoples’ ultimately leads to a positive or biased outlook of the European colonists. They appear to be the long-awaited saviors of the native people, educating them and training them to blend in with European traditions and sociological norms. In reality, however, this did not do anything more then to break down a unique culture, striving to create more of a uniformity, a concept we looked at a couple weeks ago in an article by Northrop Frye.
2. Crosby has a bit of conflicting thought on the work of Paul Kane and Emily Carr. For instance, she believes that their work is created with good intention—a preservation or call of attention to these cultures as a way to keep them alive. However, she also believes that though the work is trying to do a good thing, it is ultimately still a biased form of Euro-Canadian hegemony. The artists’ both take these aspects of native culture and make them their own. Carr uses the image of the rotting totem poles both as a reference to the culture breaking down and as a sort of relic or historical artifact to remember or commemorate this dying culture. However, it also comes across as a form of dominance due to the appropriation of cultural signifiers by these non-native artists.
3. This is an obvious position paper. Crosby is native herself and throughout the paper establishes her views on the European colonization of the native peoples’, stating that they were unnecessary destructions of cultural identities in an attempt to create a uniformity between the natives and the Europeans. She takes a definite side in her argument, and brings up important points such as her notion of the “Imaginary Indian” and her own opinions of such non-native artists that use native cultural signifiers in their art.
Jazmyn Pettigrew
ReplyDelete1. Crosby is trying to demonstrate, though this quote that the paradigm of the imaginary Indian was of a Westernized self-beneficial power that intensified colonial rule. Through the perceived image of the primitive Indian, an individual who has no concept of private property from living off the land must be colonized and educated through our means and ideas, to assimilate the natives in Western culture. This false assumption of the Indian is seen as the opposite of ourselves, which causes the need to “help” the Indians understand our ways. This seemingly harmless idea works out in theory but in practice it can quickly become destructive.
2. The works of Paul Kane and Emily Carr, are viewed by Crosby as a positive representation of the First Nations peoples. However these representations can be misleading because documentary works can hold an observational basis. Crosby feels the artworks reinforce the common stereotypes of First Nations being strictly primitive and untouched by civilization. She expresses the need to look at Native culture as something evolving instead of looking at the culture as something dying, helping keep their traditions alive. As a whole I agree with Crosby’s line of thinking, the want to have the First Nation culture flourish and not be seen merely in past tense. Although I think she discounts the validity of Kane and Carr’s work because they depicted beautiful non-barbaric images of the First Nations in appreciation of this vastly diverse society.
3. I agree that Crosby’s “Imaginary Indian” is a position paper. Her work is well formalized and written with a strong academic tone. She is clearly well versed in art historical and theoretical background. This paper articulates her point of view of the Indian and the impact that the Western construct brings about through art and education. She uses personal and circumstantial instances to help support her thesis of the existing tension between the Eurocentric felons and the First Nation peoples. Crosby concludes her analysis by acknowledging that her thesis is based upon personal experiences within post-secondary institutions. This leads the reader to question the full validity of her article due to the limited range of sources.
Colleen Savage
ReplyDelete1. Maria Crosby’s reference to the “imaginary Indian” alludes to the fabricated assumptions people come to when trying to perceive a historically native individual. This imaginary figure has been described to us by cultural images and literature. Crosby was never before able to identify with her own native culture until her first anthropology course. Through this course she became more informed about her culture and was then able to see how her first impressions of the native culture had been flawed because of the influence of the images she had been exposed to previously.
2. Crosby seemed to have mixed responses to Paul Kane’s and Emily Carr’s works. She felt that they both had validity in their practices, but that some of their depictions of native culture weren’t entirely true. Crosby stated that there were exaggerated elements in both of their artworks that challenged their authenticity. It is difficult to look at their paintings and to be convinced that they are realistic, as it seems as though colours have been altered and the landscapes have been adjusted to appear more beautiful. There are elements that remain close to the truth but to depict a culture one must not stray from honesty.
3. I would definitely agree that this article reads as a ‘position paper’ as Maria Crosby identifies the stance she is taking and her role as the author throughout her essay. In the beginning of her essay Crosby identifies her intentions by stating “the purpose of this paper is to refuse the prescribed space set aside for the Imaginary Indian.”(p.267) As the author she also places herself in the role of the protagonist in which we as readers learn to relate to the topic she is addressing by the first hand experiences she describes to us. With this said, even though her opinions seem to be well considered, we must realized this is only one perspective of the native culture.
Marcia Crosby. “Constructing the Imaginary Indian.”
ReplyDelete1.”Imaginary Indian” functioned as a “negative space to a ‘positive’ force of colonialist hegemony.” Please explain based on the reading.
Marcia Crosby writes of the imaginary Indian being a concept that the western culture has created to further its own development and image rather than to be a truthful non-stereotypical view of human beings. She tells us it is an image that changes form to fit the historical moment. It is a vision that presents them as connected to nature. The view from the Westerner view claimed they were in need of our help. We created a philanthropic view when in reality was a negative and stereotypical view that furthered them as the other and different from us.
2.What is Crosby’s opinion on the works of Paul Kane and Emily Carr? Do you agree? Why?
Crosby sees the works of Paul Kane and Emily Carr as referencing stereotypes and constructs. When she first studied them their works were listed as European art. She goes on to argue that Kane’s work very much aided the Indian myths and stereotypes. When he claims the Indian culture to be one of dead or dying people who need to be saved he works on the concept of the “salvage Paradigm” (274), in which the culture responsible for saving another choose what they want saved allowing them to become the owners and interpreters of what is there. Crosby argues that Carr painted the Indians she loved calling into question the authenticity. Crosby questions whether the Indians were real in the sense that Carr had meet them or if they are representations based on textual evidence of the past. I agree with Crosby in that each of the artists depicted the “real Indian” they did so with a western view.
3.This article reads as a ‘position paper.’ Do you agree? Why?
I strongly agree with the statement that it is a position paper. Her writing is very personable. Marcia Crosby makes it quite obvious from the very beginning of the essay that it is her opinion on the matter. She includes several stories of her own experience with the subject matter such as those from her classes in university.
Brittany Shantz
ReplyDelete1. The term imaginary indian used by Crosby refers to the way Native Canadians have been seen throughout history by non-natives. It is a purely Euro-centric view point that documents parts of a 'dying' heritage that they wanted to preserve. Through the use of myths and stereotyping of the imaginary indian an ideal is formed of a fading culture that could only be saved by european influence. The fabricated view of this dying culture made europeans to appear to be the heros in the salvation and recording of cultural information, although they were the active part in picking select sections to preserve.
2. Crosby sees the works of Kane and Carr as a way of enhancing the european colonization. with the use of the salvage paradigm only certain elements of the culture are slavaged as seen fit by the artist. Kanes works are more ethnological and a way of documenting the 'dying' culture of the Natives. Carr uses the forms of the culture that are left for her to bring these images into the view of the people, she looks more at the regional identiy of the culture and the artifacts and landscape of the people. However both of the artists work toward the goal of documenting what they saw as a fading culture, adding to the function of European hegemony, and the imaginary indian.
3. Yes I do agree that this is a position paper. Crosby takes the position against the imaginary indian and how it wrongly identifies her culture heritage and that of the wrong doings that europeans have continued to make. She also brings her own feelings, reactions, and schooling background. With these references and not a large amount of scholarly sources being used in her explaination of her ideas.
Marcia Crosby “Constructing the Imaginary Indian”
ReplyDeleteLesley Earl and Paul Langis
1. From Crosby’s explanations of how she came upon the “imaginary Indian” in her studies, I propose that it functioned as a negative space in that it was a culture that was seen as a part of history that needed to be included in history to show how they were forced into the colonialist hegemony. She says that when she discovered the “imaginary Indian” there were common themes such as the Western hero with the Indians as its opposite, always needing to be saved through means of colonization and civilization. The Indian had been stereotyped as the ‘other’ in Western history to show how the West could change them. Discussing the Indian in art, Crosby critiques her Canadian art history class to be lacking a wider contemplation on the Indian’s role in art – in so many words; she proposes that the idea that the Imaginary Indian functioned ideologically to rationalize colonialist hegemony.
2. Crosby discusses Paul Kane’s work as attempting to depict the ‘real’ Indian all the while showing them from a dying culture angle. He wrote in his journals that his hope was that his work would be valued to a historian; the result of his work was that the view that he produced – of the Indians as dying people – was accepted. Crosby argues that since these are works discussed in a class and education plays such a huge role in shaping ideas, the myths and stereotyped should be pointed out as such and they should be taken a step further and the conditions of their creation should be examined and discussed.
When it comes to Carr’s work Crosby questions the authenticity of her depiction of Indian culture, she says that the Indian that Carr depicts is he Indian that Victorian culture is rejecting, the “Imaginary Indian.” Examining the paintings and the documentation of material culture, Crosby places Carr’s work under salvage paradigm.
I agree with some of the ideas that Crosby has discusses, such as the idea that since educational institutions do shape a huge majority of a person’s ideas and beliefs, it is important to exhaust every angle of a story before moving on. When it comes to Western art depicting the Indian I believe that it’s important to know the historical facts about the Western culture imposing itself on the native culture, and all other key points that could sway my ideas of an unknown culture. However when it comes to Emily Carr’s work I feel as though the argument of the authentic Indian is a gray zone and will forever be one, yes it is smart to question whether the Indian culture she interacted with was in fact authentic, but I believe that it could be defined as authentic in too many different ways. I believe Crosby’s more successful argument was classifying Carr’s work as salvage paradigm, and giving the reasons as to why she fits that title.
3. Despite the legitimate concern behind the portrayal of the American Indian in schools and popular culture this paper is quite blatantly a 'position paper'. Crosby does very little to hide the fact that she is expressing her opinion and biases, though she does so well enough that the paper is still enjoyable. Her writing in the first person as well as utilizing many of her personal experiences in the paper make it clear that she has an emotional connection to the issue being discussed.
Stephanie Caskenette
ReplyDelete1) To Maria Crosby, the term “Imaginary Indian” refers to the Euro-Canadian construction of the identity of First Nations people which has existed for hundreds of years and been reiterated in art, literature and Western histories of European colonization. In this statement, she argues that the construction of the “Imaginary Indian” in Western culture was necessary for the justification of European colonization, which obviously had a profoundly painful and significant impact on the lives of First Nations people. Therefore, in order to justify colonization, this constructed identity of First Nation people involves depicting them in a negative space, as savages, either noble or brutal, but nonetheless needing to be “saved” by the “positive” force, which is European civilization.
2) Crosby believes that both the works of Emily Carr and Paul Kane continue the tradition of depicting First Nations people as the “Imaginary Indian” and their work falls into what she calls the “salvage paradigm”. To Crosby, the salvage paradigm means that both the work by Kane and Carr represent First Nations people as a dying culture, and therefore their artwork is salvaging what remains of that culture. For Paul Kane, she argues his representations of the Imaginary Indian’s dying culture contributed to the passing of the Indian Act. Although a bias is evident in her article, I agree with this argument. Kane absolutely would have been influenced by his own social, political, and cultural context as a Euro-Canadian, just as any artist working in a specific time and place. Therefore I agree and further argue that his artwork acted twofold, being both influenced by his social context and influential within that context.
3) I agree that Maria Crosby’s article is a position paper. As a First Nations woman herself, the reader must be aware that a bias does exist throughout her work. Therefore, some of her arguments may be exaggerated based on her own opinions and background. Having said this, her arguments and resentful tone are understandable and justifiable. The true identity of First Nations people has been as ignored and reconstructed to fit Euro-Canadian culture and history as the people themselves, particularly the land agreements and treaties between First Nation People and the Canadian government which still not been settled or rectified. Considering the history and continued Euro-Canadian mistreatment and neglect of First Nations People, Crosby’s resentful tone is understandable as well as her arguments.
Marcia Crosby "Construction of the Imaginary Indian"
ReplyDeleteSarah Sharpe
1. The Imaginary Indian is a mythical construction that the colonial power could use for its own purposes, to justify their authority and ownership of the land because of the lack of civilization and the barbarity of the Native communities that already existed, as well as highlight their own culture as advanced, justifying their placement of Aboriginal cultures below them. These myths include the idea that Aboriginal culture is a dying or dead culture instead of one that is changing and adapting to the modern world. This myth of the dying culture influenced government policy, making the ultimate goal assimilation.
2. Carr wrote that her works were to document the totem poles for posterities sake and to document the culture that created them for the sake of the history of BC and of Canada. However, Crosby questions who Carr considered created the totems and concludes that Carr did not see them as the Native people as they actually existed, but a nostalgic mythical memory of Native people, created within Carr's own Eurocentric framework. I agree somewhat. I understand Crosby's point that Carr always depicts the totems in an empty landscape implying that the people who created them are long dead, but I am not sure if this was a conscious choice by Carr, whose works I really enjoy.
3. I completely agree that this piece is an position paper. Crosby makes it clear at the very beginning of her article that she is not a distanced author, but an active participant in her own paper.
1) Crosby uses the term 'imaginary Indian' to refer to the skewed idea what means to be a First Nations person through the filter of Euro-Western colonialist thought. By constructing the idea of the imaginary Indian, one who was in need of 'help', the colonizing forces were able to provide justifications for their own actions. The imaginary Indian is the composite of perceptions, and Cosby argues that these perceptions allowed for Europeans to feel confident in their colonization of the indigenous peoples' lands.
ReplyDelete2)Crosby sees the work of Paul Kane and Emily Carr as being fragmented representations of pre-existing stereotypes about the native people. She argues that Kane's representations document "'real' Indians as a requiem for a dying people', while also reinforcing the idea of Canada as a land open for discovery rather than having a rich history of it's own. Her argument with Carr is simply that she paints quaint cultural fragments of the native society, totem poles specifically, rather than attempting to capture a real portrait of the indigenous Canadian culture, and furthermore paints them as these grandiose tombstones in an empty and otherwise uninhabited land . In some respects, I do agree with Crosby here, as I am certain that the content of these paintings have been passed through the Eurocentric Western filter of Kane and Carr, and lack the real spirit and content of the First Nations cultures.
3) I would definitely agree that this piece is a position paper. Crosby clearly writes from an identifiable viewpoint. She writes with passion and clarity, defending her point and arguing concisely for the duration of the paper.
Natalie Banaszak and Kelsey Atkinson-Derasp
ReplyDelete'Lesbian National Parks and Services'
1. They used the stereotype of the ranger which everyone was comfortable with. The only reason they really pulled it off was that they had this white ranger stereotype which invited people to approach them and talk to them. They engaged with the viewer and were able to talk to them and interact with them in a friendly manner. They were seen as a person in position of more knowledge/training than the viewers themselves, as they were the rangers which know the land and territory better than they do, which made the viewers trust them
2. The national park resembles a museum because of its representations of whiteness in Canadian culture. The catalogs and brochures also promote the idea of the Native cultures dissolving somewhere into the past, instead of promoting their culture and reality today. The nature mimics objects in a museum as it acts as artifacts that give testimony to the past. It is viewed in the same way as you pay admission, enter the park/museum. Then you are free to explore on your own or take a guided tour which is available for a small fee. Both museums and national parks contribute greatly to the construction of a Canadian identity - especially a regional one as the national parks and museums both differ from region to region.
3. “Boundariness” is portrayed as a masculine quality - the women’s limitations in the world are highlighted. The Ranger is usually a role played by men, so Millan and Dempsey are highlighting the idea of the gender boundaries by breaking the boundary itself. In a national park, there is a “boundariness” to the viewer’s visual consumption, as the wilderness offers much to look at and engage with, whereas museums provide a limited number of works which usually follow a very specific program. This also relates to the innocence because there is seemingly no manipulation or premeditation in the display of national parks, as natural elements are in play. Children were used to portray this notion of innocence, as they were used to engage viewers. It’s kind of the same idea - children are seen as having no capabilities of manipulating adult thoughts.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGail Michalski
ReplyDelete1. Francis writes: “However, an ongoing contradiction haunted the Lesbian Rangers performance. While Dempsey and Millan engaged in a hyperbolic display of "lesbianism," the best example of which can be seen in their Recruitment Day in Banff Central Park, they received virtually no negative response to their performance. On the contrary, they were treated with awe and respect. Anyone who has kept track of provincial responses to human rights legislation, particularly in Alberta, cannot rail to wonder about this. This article explores the obvious question: how did they pull it off?” Try to answer the questions: How Dempsey and Millan pulled it off?
While the central focus of the LNVS was to queery the heteronormative status of the iconic Park Ranger, the project also stages, and provides an opportunity to observe, the visible-yet-invisible effects of whiteness, in representations of being Canadian. This project begins with an analysis of how the Lesbian Rangers performance works in the context of the representational history associated with ideas about the "wilderness" and national parks, particularly Banff National Park. A central argument is that implicit in the Rangers queer subversions is the constitutive power of whiteness. In the LNPS, queerness and a supposedly "benign" whiteness intersect: ironically I suggest this is a central contradiction providing the sense of tension and surprise--that makes the project "work."
2. What are similarities between museums and national parks?
Similarities between museums and national parks are that museums been an important foundational tool for developing the idea of a nation. Jody Berland elaborates on this in relation to Banff, arguing that, [Banff National Park] has been maintained for nearly a century as a kind of natural museum, in which mountains and trees function as testimony to the past ... as display objects in a museum without walls whose vistas commemorate the territorial triumphs of the land's founding fathers.
While museums have preparatory elements to the display of objects, parks have a more untouched quality and they are at the disposal of elements and thus the more natural element to the beauty of a park.
Images of Banff National Park where the "wilderness" is portrayed as an empty space available for visual consumption are deeply performative representations. Further, I would suggest that the seemingly "natural" centrality of wilderness discourse to Canadian national consciousness is a disciplinary practice which has often worked to reproduce a host of racialized exclusions, while normalizing particular representations of place
3. Explain how the notion of innocence and “boundariness” contribute to understanding of Millan’s and Dempsey’s work “'Lesbian National Parks and Services'.
Both masculinity and whiteness have been characterized by the notion of "boundariness" (51). No doubt the sense of benign goodness associated with Park Rangers relies on the idea that they are engaged in legitimate forms of white, male boundary maintenance: the patrol of national parks. This "boundariness" is the necessary backdrop, constituting the "good citizen" to which the unbounded and outrageously campy lesbian is contrasted. As Maclear comments, many of us have been semiologically trained--in summer camp, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, or those grade-school trips to Algonquin Park--to see Rangers as "out friends"
In short, they (Millan and Dempsey) assisted tourists with photographs or directions--engaging them in conversation about the mandate of the LNPS when possible, and ensured they got a brochure into their hands before they left. This process of engagement produced many memorable encounters.
1. Francis suggests that Dempsey and Millan pulled off their performance without creating negative attention primarily through their benign whiteness. Whiteness is argued to be an inconspicuous canopy that the rangers were able to hide under in order for people to accept their overt “lesbianness”. Therefore it is suggested that one aspect of “otherness” is balanced out by an aspect of “sameness”. In addition, their existence as park rangers, characters we have been conditioned to see as “benignly good”, allows them to be taken seriously. In addition, Francis notes that consumers of an experience have a good time if what they experience is different, but manageably so. Therefore, the experience the LNPS were providing was perceived as different, but manageable. I would argue that Dempsey and Millan’s unintrusive behaviour and “normal” park ranger behaviour contributed to this sense of manageable difference.
ReplyDelete2. Museums and national parks share a mission to preserve and display national treasures. while a museum displays tools and other cultural artifacts illuminating a certain civilization, national parks show off natural specimens of the landscape to define a nation. Landscape has been spoken of as a symbol for Canada’s sense of national identity. Through national parks, this beautiful land that is shared by Canada is displayed as something that defines all of us. There is an illusion that this land belongs to all of us equally. In the same way that museums show objects that define a nation, national parks display the land that defines one.
3. Francis remarks that “ranger” is the name given to a senior girl guide, which conjures up notions of a wholesome, innocent, and benevolent young person. As such, the LNPS are received as all those things themselves which is non-threatening and admirable, therefore approachable. Francis insists this only works because the LNPS are white, which is perceived as normative and benign. She feels that if they were not, there may have arisen negative responses of their performance by viewers. I am not sure I agree that drastically negative responses would have occurred, but I do agree that they would have drawn more attention to themselves as a racial minority. In that scenario, Dempsey and Millan would have been displaying three characteristics of otherness: being female, homosexual, and non-white. If this were the case, more attention would have been drawn to them and likely more observations of the absurdity of the existence of a specifically lesbian park ranger.
1. Dempsey and Millan “pulled it off” by being white Canadians, Francis says that this allowed them to use the concept of the Ranger who is assumed to be a white male as their contrast, this is what makes it ‘work’. The whole concept of a National Park is built up of white racial supremacy, with the displacement of aboriginals, the disregard for various historic events (like the Chinese railroad workers dying in the thousands in the mountains). Non-white artists would not have been able to use national icons in this way and be received well Francis says. Dempsey and Millan relied on the fact it is taken for granted this ‘benign’ character to serve as the backdrop for their heterosexual challenge.
ReplyDelete2. The similarities between museums and national parks began with George Caitlin who was the first to suggest the establishment of national parks and said that the Aboriginals and buffalo needed to be preserved for future generations. This is like a museum where human and animal specimens and objects are preserved. Museums are important for developing the idea of a nation just as national parks do, especially in Canada where they are a main tourist attraction. Banff national park is maintained as a museum because the nature is on display as a testimony to the past Jody Berland says.
3. ‘Boundariness’ contributes to the understanding of the work because as suggested by Richard Dyer it characterizes masculinity and whiteness. The white make boundary maintenance and therefore patrol of national parks. This is necessary to contrast the LNPS against because they need the established norm of the Ranger in order to diverge from it. ‘Innocence’ contributes because it adds humour Francis says. It conjures up images of Girl Guide, where the senior members were called Rangers. It also contrasted to recruiting people to the LNOS which was seen as not innocent, pure or the norm. However, Francis mentions that this only works for the majority white audience who already have the preconceived notion of what a Ranger for a national park is.
Margot Francis, “The Lesbian National Parks and Services
ReplyDelete1.Francis writes: “However, an ongoing contradiction haunted the Lesbian Rangers performance. While Dempsey and Millan engaged in a hyperbolic display of "lesbianism," the best example of which can be seen in their Recruitment Day in Banff Central Park, they received virtually no negative response to their performance. On the contrary, they were treated with awe and respect. Anyone who has kept track of provincial responses to human rights legislation, particularly in Alberta, cannot rail to wonder about this. This article explores the obvious question: how did they pull it off?” Try to answer the questions: How Dempsey and Millan pulled it off?
Margot Francis suggests that “the artists’ whiteness was crucial to their ability to pass.” it enabled them to pull off a hyperbolic display of ‘lesbianism’ without a negative response by giving them the “respectability necessary” (6). The LNPS created a reassuring and comforting atmosphere by contrasting the hyperbolic display of ‘lesbian’ with the ‘benign’ white body of the Ranger. Rangers have become a sense of security for many people and as such Dempsey and Millan were able to creating a comfortable space in which people were likely to engage with their process. They made sure to engage in conversation with their audience and when possible gave them a brochure. Francis also argues their location helped; they were positioned in an open park, unobtrusively, people we able to avoid them or converse with them easily. They demonstrated the unstable nature of social scripts and pushed against heteronormativity, while remaining manageable rather than becoming disturbing.
2.What are similarities between museums and national parks?
“Benedict Anderson notes that museums have been an important foundational tool for developing the idea of a nation” and Jody Berland elaborated this idea in relation to Banff’s national park claiming it “has been maintained for nearly a century as a kind of natural museum in which mountains and trees function as testimony to the past” (3). Francis writes the brochures distributed at the park can been seen as equal to a museum catalogue. Basically, both parks and national institutions are designed, in nearly the same way, to speak to and maintain the ideas behind a nation.
3.Explain how the notion of innocence and “boundariness” contribute to understanding of Millan’s and Dempsey’s work “'Lesbian National Parks and Services'.
Francis explains the theory from Dyer stating white dominance is everywhere but never spoken. The benign whiteness of a park ranger is based in the idea that they are “legitimate forms of white, male boundary maintenance.” This idea provides a backdrop for the “unbound and outrageously campy lesbian is contrasted” (6). Their innocent approach that created wholesome images makes it funny. Francis emphasises that the image of innocence only works for a majority white audience who see the Ranger as a benign and normative symbol (10).
Steph Caskenette
ReplyDeleteMargot Francis, “The Lesbian National Parks and Services
1) According to Margot Francis, both Dempsey and Millan were able to pull off their performance with no negative responses due to their ‘whiteness’ and the concept that white people have colonized the definition of 'normal'. She also states that the combination of ‘benign’ whiteness and queerness had formed a campy embrace with the completely reassuring, national icon of the park ranger. With the title of 'Park Ranger' cp,es a certain amount of respect, therefore people associate them to positive things such as protecting and preserving nature. These reasons coupled with the fact that tourists are open to seeing and experiencing different things are why these two artists were able to execute this performance. Francis claims that non-white artists would not have been able to pull off a benign visual repertoire of national icons in the same manner, as white people would have.
2) The similarities between museums and national parks, as described in the article, all seem to focus on the idea of preservation. A connection between the two is evident through the concept of a park (in which human and animal specimens are preserved for the public) being similar to the idea of other national institutions such as museums. Additionally, museums have been an crucial developmental tool for foundation of the idea of a "nation". On a similar note, Jody Berland states that Banff has been maintained for close to a century as a kind of natural museum: the mountains and trees function as the relics and testimonies of the past which forms a museum without walls that in turn commemorates the territorial triumphs of the land’s founding fathers. So therefore, like a museum, national parks hold stories and histories.
3) Innocence and boundariness are crucial elements to the success of Millan and Dempsey's work and in addition they help the viewer understand their work more comprehensively. The notion of innocence can be seen in how they presented themselves, as non-threatening, trusting park rangers, with a set up and atmosphere similar to the girl guides. This innocence did not deter any tourists and was key in the success of the piece. The idea of boundariness also comes into play on a few levels. Firstly, the whole idea of the park ranger is about protecting the boundaries and regulations of the park. As well, there is also the idea that rangers were hetero-normative white males which is a boundary in and of itself. By subverting the boundaries of who is a ranger and what they represent, Millan and Dempsey are successful in their criticism and artwork.
Margot Francis Reading:
ReplyDelete1. The similarities between museums and parks are tied together through the ideas of painter George Katlin, who brought to light the need for parks in Canada. He says that the two are alike because they both preserve human and animal specimens for viewers to look at. Benedict Anderson also brings up the idea that both of these institutions attempt to retain the culture of the country by protecting special things. While the park is a natural museum, the museum itself is manmade, so they provide two different ways of looking at cultural aspects of Canada.
2. Dempsey and Millan are able to pull off their performance without any negative reviews for one main reason, because they are white. Francis says that because white people are the norm, they are almost looked over for their other minorities, in this case being queer. If Dempsey and Millan had been African Canadian lesbians, I think that they would have met more resistance from viewers, due to their pair of minority statuses. Because they are part of the overwhelming culture (white Canadians) they are able to have a sense of power, and people actually take the time to listen to the message that they bring. I also think that the fact that they use such an untouched position like park rangers allows for more curiosity from viewers.
3. We can better understand Dempsey and Millan’s work by understanding how it relates to innocence and boundariness. As I mentioned before, the idea of the park ranger has not been broached much, so it becomes a very innocent profession. This is one of the reasons that they are able to avoid negative responses, because there are no previous biases towards this job, which makes viewers genuinely interested in this fresh perspective. The idea of boundariness can be seen many times throughout the article. I think that it mainly represents the idea of the boundary between the white people and the natives, and how close we are in distance, but how very far away. This also refers to the job of a park ranger, which includes enforcing the boundaries of the park. By including lesbianism into this profession, Dempsey and Millan are certainly pushing the boundaries.
Nicole Jorge
ReplyDeleteLesbian National Parks and Services
1) Dempsey and Millan pulled off their lesbian national park performance because they were caucasian females. On top of that they weren’t really offending anyone with their performances, they were on site gags. People found them humorous and surprising, not intimidating or threatening. Since the women were white they were only touching on the subject of sexuality. Their whiteness gave them the ability to under cover as a park range and to also perform as lesbians, it gave them a benign anonymity. It also works because there is a contrast between the white park ranger and the lesbianism.
2) The biggest similarities between national parks and museums is that they re both trying to preserve the past. They are made so that the specimens and pieces are there for public view and public knowledge. Museums have played an important role in developing the idea of a nation. National parks are also a tool for developing the idea of a nation. The trees and rocks are like a natural museum, they are a testimony to the past. The park just like the museum is also staged. It has been stripped of earlier cultural meanings and the natives have been completely removed. It seems that for both museums and Banff National Park white tourists have become the true heirs.
3)The notion of innocence and boundariness contribute to the understanding of Lesbian National Parks and Services because it gives the necessary backdrop of the good citizen where they can contrast their lesbian behavior. The notion of Boundariness from male whiteness that has been associated with maintaining our countries boundaries and borders. We have all been trained to see Rangers as our friends. It changes the way we read the situation, it is a queer foreground in a white background in straight space. This gave them the ability to engage in conversations with people before they realized what the performance was and decide if they wanted to associate with them.
1. There were no negative reviews because Dempsey and Milan were both white and therefore were privileged in this particular situation. White people were "preferred" and therefore these two did not face negative feedback because of their race. However, had they been of a different race they probably would not have been able to "pull it off" and they would run into problems. Even though they were seen as the minority in terms of their sexuality, they were still privileged.
ReplyDelete2. Museums and National Parks are similar in that they are both centered around the idea of preservation. The article talks about how the museum is used as a tool for developing the idea of a nation and in a way its a form of a national museum in this sense as well. Both these places emulate the idea of nationality. In terms of the national parks, they have trees and mountains and other natural objects were serve the function of being aesthetically pleasing but on a deeper level that in a way are the treasures of the park that acknowledge the past. Both the national park and the museum also have the intention of maintaining as well as representing the ideas of what makes a nation in terms of objects (such as trees as stated earlier or in the case of a museum, a national work.)
3. The notion of innocence and boundariness of Lesbian National Pars and Services contributes to the understanding because its characterize whiteness as well as the idea of masculinity. The mention of the park ranger (who are usually men) as well as the idea of boundary are considered to be a masculine quality which relates to this park. Milan and Dempsey express the idea of boundary in terms of gender boundaries. This contributes to the understanding of national parks further in terms of the viewer and how much the viewer is able to look and experience.
Paul Langis and Lesley Earl
ReplyDeleteMargot Francis, “The Lesbian National Parks and Services
1. Instead of being critiqued Millan and Dempsey were treated with awe and respect, their success in this performance is based on a few contributing factors. The two took advantage of their race, ‘whiteness’ gave them respect that was necessary for this performance. Along with their race it was their contrasting visual presentation that ensured a welcome reaction from the audience – they contrasted the hyperbolic display of ‘lesbian’ with the favouraable white body of a park ranger. Millan and Dempsey guaranteed a success in the performance by providing a memorable interaction with the viewers; they played the iconic park of the helped, respectable park ranger while also playing the part of the performance and informing the visitor about LNPS when possible. Another factor that resulted in the outcome ofthis success is the idea that tourists want to see something different than the everyday scene, however they avoid things that are too extreme, so the author suggests that LNPS was manageable for the crowd. A final factor that played a role in the success of this performance is the atmosphere of the park compared the an everyday place, such as school; in a park people would have the choice to distract themselves with something else in the park whereas others would have had the chance to view and explore the performance.
2. The article puts the national park in the same category of museums; like the museum the idea of a park as a place where humans and animal specimens are preserved for public view. Museums have been an important tool for developing the idea of a nation, so too have national parks. Like museums, national parks erased the previous history and assigned new value – the Aboriginal history of the land is only visible to a certain degree, the land was seen as a place for public visual consumption. National parks brochures are the catalogues of museums; they guide you around and give information as to what is in the park. To conclude one could argue that the national park is basically an outdoor museum.
3. The concept of male masculinity is one that is regularly associated with the park ranger, something which Richard Dyer explains is a form of “boundary maintenance”. It provided a base for which Millan and Dempsey were able to base their work and illuminate. They were able to bypass the concept of boundaries inherent to the park ranger by simply playing the role of one. They were successful because as women they were able to give the additional impression of innocence to the persona of the park ranger, allowing them to still be approachable.
1) Dempsey and Milan were able to pull off their staged display of lesbianism mostly due to their race, attire and position within Banff National Park. Francois argues that because they were white, they were given much more respect than if they had been of another race. For example if they would have been aboriginals the display would have gotten a much difference response. As well because they were dressed in Park Rangers attire and were aiding people with information and directions, they were able to pull off their mandate. Another factor to the operation was the location of their display which was a recruitment table located at a wide open arena of the park. It was seen as similar to a Girl Guides table, which gives an impression of innocence.
ReplyDelete2) National Parks can be seen as very similar to that of museums. Firstly, they are usually both created by the state for preservation and public viewing. Like a museum which preserves great historical objects, National Parks preserve nature for future generations. Banff National Park for example can be seen as a natural museum, as its mountains and trees function as testimonies to the past. As well both the museums and national parks serve as educational tools for the public. Similarly to museum, where a person could learn and acquire a certain idea of taste through particular objects, national parks provide a place where one from a city could learn about the variety of tree species or creatures. Lastly, they are both public spaces and places of leisure.
3) The notion of innocence and “boundaries” contribute to understanding Milan and Dempsey’s work as they examine the idea of gender boundaries and whiteness in regards to national parks. They argue that the park ranger is engaged in legitimate forms of white, male boundary maintenance. That the lesbian is contrasted against this as unbounded. Whiteness and masculinity are the major identity factors for a park ranger. Aboriginals are discredited and lesbian women are not included. It is interesting that when a male comes up to ask a question, he is completely thrown off by their attire and their gender. Due to the fact that they are white females, he sees them as not proper representations in his white male mind of a park ranger, thus they cannot be counted on to answer is question correctly.
Crosby
ReplyDelete1. Europeans were so fascinated with Natives because they could compare themselves to them. In their eyes everything Europeans were Natives were not. This comparison was twisted ti accommodate Europeans master of the world mentality. Europeans owning land, Natives without land ownership.
2. Does not think they are valid representations of Natives. I some what agree. I believe that it’s impossible to remove cultural bias, but I do think that living with them gave her a much better Idea of what their culture is like. The only way to truly know is to experience it as a native.
3. Yes cause shes pissed that her culture has been surpressed, and wants to cultivate the truth from the situation. As a Native i think she’s confused herself about what is native and what isnt and that is upsets her to see a culture misunderstood and that the world is mislead. I think she just wants native peoples to be left alone and is bothered that their once self-sufficient life has been destroyed.
Frye
ReplyDelete1. Uniformity is the same across the board, false motivation to a goal that is not ideal. Unity is sharing a common bond but being open, accepting and encouraging different of ideas.
2. Canadian identity is divisible in two major parts which became apparent to him through the work of the group of 7. The romantic aspect of what Canadian identity is and the regional aspect of what Canadian identity is. The attempted fusion of identity and unity is what Frye believes to drive Canadians to be without a national identity and carry a regional identity instead.
1.In this article, the author argues that because Dempsey and Millan are white, it gave them the ability to gain the necessary respect from other campers to act in such as way without being reprimanded for it. As well, since they were dressed as Park Rangers and providing campers with maps and other information, they are able to pull of their project. This is influenced by ideas about Park Rangers which the LNPS uses to subvert an image that is reassuring. The position of their recruitment table also aided in the success of the work. Since it was located at a open area of the park it was seen as a similar to a Girl Guides table, which allowed them the impression of being innocent.
ReplyDelete2.National parks have been considered to be similar to museums. According to George Caitlin’s vision, national parks have become places where human and animal specimens have been preserved for public view which suggests the connection between Parks and museums. This means that, like a museum, National parks preserve the artefacts within it for future generations. As well, museums and national parks have been important in developing educational tools for the public. Similarly, museums being places where people can go to learn through the objects that are placed within it, national parks also allow people to enter a space where they can learn about nature.
3.The notion of innocent and boundaries contribute to the understanding of Lesbian National Parks and Services because it provides Dempsey and Millan with the necessary setting to present themselves as trustworthy park rangers. By presenting themselves in a similar manner to that of Girl Guides, they were able to create personas that represented them in an innocent way. As such, the LNPS were then received as non-threatening which made them approachable.
Natalie Banaszak and Kelsey Atkinson-Derasp
ReplyDeleteJayne Wark article: Dressed to Thrill
1. Wark describes the purpose of the article as bringing light to how performance art, costume, and dress generate meaning towards a Canadian identity within specific historical contexts. A distinct feature of the performance art effectiveness is the persuasive use of humor and the references to pop culture. This shows how Canadian identity through performance art is constantly changing and being redefined.
2. Leopard spots were associated with female sexuality and attractiveness. They suggest exoticness, sensuality, and an untamed promiscuity. Because of these particular qualities, it has become attached with fetishism. Lady Brute was a persona, a mask that could be put on or removed as needed. The leopard attire worn by Lady Brute acted as a device to disrupt middle class propriety, to problemize the relation between self and image (as Lady Brute was always a temporary persona), and to identify with something very specifically female, where this form of glamour acts as either social bondage or as potential power.
4. Parody can either expose what the powers-to-be would like to keep hidden, or be used for exploitative ends. When you take humor to the level of parody (to make political criticism more palatable), it involves emphasizing form over content which leads to a sense of detached aestheticism. Using popular forms of humor and entertainment allows artists to speak through the language of the common culture to gain critical purchase of that culture. Canadian performance art in the 1980s was using techniques of parody (undermining romantic fallacy) to undermine gender binarism and sexual categories. Therefore it can be related to postmodern theories of subjectivity, as the parody is a way to create trouble for the fallacy of gender as an abiding or ontological essence.
Monika Hauck
ReplyDelete1. What are similarities between museums and national parks?
The similarities between museums and national parks are many, in general they both stand to preserve, document, and educate people about a particular historical moment. Francis states that both museums and national parks develop the idea of a nation. However, national parks have an unspoken history that is largely excluded in LNPS that has to do with Aboriginal land and history. This history would be largely covered in a museum as museums generally function based on accurate facts and historical documents. National Parks preserve the land and the ongoing history but it does not necessarily have to be anthropocentric or fact/document based. There are no boundaries in nature.
2. Explain how the notion of innocence and “boundariness” contribute to understanding of Millan’s and Dempsey’s work “'Lesbian National Parks and Services'.
The Park Ranger is a concept that most people could identify as a role that generally subscribes an attitude characterized by preservation, an ability to nurture, specific knowledge of nature and an ability to educate. All of these attributes contribute to innocence in that they are caretakers and "do-gooders", they preserve the landscape and maintain it's boundaries. However, there is also a stereotype of Park Rangers generally being men, or at least bulky, campy women. Millan and Dempsey are interrupting the innocence by falsely fulfilling the park ranger position and this imposes on the boundaries of the job.
Monika Hauck
ReplyDeleteJayne Wark, “Dressed to Thrill”
1. What are the goals and the objectives of the articles?
The main goal of this article is to recount the neglected and forgotten performance art and artists that/who have slipped into obscurity because of their associations with larger movements in society (like feminism or equality issues). This article goes over specific artists and performances using their body in space while they critique and question the norms set out for them.
2. Explain the significance of Lady Brute’s leopard spots and their fetishist qualities.
Lady Brute's leopard spots references a larger understanding of animal prints being associated with camouflage, female sexuality, sensuality, kitsch, exoticism, and wildness. All of these aspects combined with Lady Brute's performances dealing with the idea of glamor, power, mass consumer culture and female association with those aspects places lepopard spots in the realm of fetishism. Lady Brute took advantage of this position and incorporated it into her performance furthering the social dialogue that she was questioning.
3. Wark discusses several different performances, all of which deal with one or several feminist issues. Explain how at least three of these performances deal with the pressure on women to be attractive and beautiful.
Lady Brute's work with leopard print and pink epitomizes some of the most recognized clothing that women might be expected to wear in order to feel beautiful or powerful. Lady Brute plays with this idea in her work and uses it to her advantage. She uses leopard print to evoke a sense of power and confidence within herself and she uses pink to "calm" the audience while she make demands that might cause anxiety. Lady Brute plays into these aspects in her work but leopard print and pink in today's society is always associated with women's garments and not necessarily in a positive way. Perhaps women today think that if they adorn themselves with pink and print they will achieve feline power or instant sense of peace. But really, in today's society it seems as though these are merely costumes that are put on and it is assumed that the one wearing it will become beautiful and powerful, which is not the case.
Suzy Lake's performance as Scary Spice brings up the issue of age. That becoming old means a decrease in the ability to participate in the same ideals as the young. Lake tackles the issue of "youngness" and beauty as incongruent with what is realistic. We as a society are so fixated on being young and maintaining youth for as long as we can. In doing this we place age and beauty at opposition, when women become "old" they are pressured to maintain their youth in whatever way possible, because it is "impossible" to be beautiful if you are "old".
Tanya Mars deals with the binary of virtue and sin in her performance, she extends it to make her point in Pure Nonsense. Her portrayal of virtue and sin teeter on the edge of what might be acceptable for a woman in society yet it highlights the fact that women are generally expected to be both virtuous and sinful. Her negotiation of this binary suggests that it is actually nonsense and generally impractical to attempt to participate in the balance of both.
4. How and why the idea of parody informs Wark’s understanding of performance art in Canada?
Performance art in Canada largely works with humor and satire. Parody also fits into this picture because it is effective in evoking a reaction from the audience through a clearly parodic performance that also effectively portrays the reality of the issues being negotiated. Parody is an accessible viewpoint from which to tackle sensitive issues that might deter audiences from even participating at all. Parody exists within a suspended reality that portrays what is real but it also questions, critiques, mocks and informs the audience.
Diana Topley
ReplyDeleteJayne Wark, “Dressed to Thrill”
1)The article examines Canadian performance art from the 1970s to the end of the 1990s. It discusses the artist’s theatrical use of parody and references to pop culture, which criticise and challenge the use of the body as a means of differentiating and categorizing deviate persons. It identifies these issues through the use of the body, how the body is dressed, and the implications of these manipulations.
2)Lady Brute was Kate Craig’s alter ego who, like Dr.Brute, adapted the leopard print as an identifying symbol through her wardrobe and other accessories. The pattern served as a broad symbol for popular culture, fame and power because of its references to camouflage, sexuality and kitsch. The leopard print is connected to fetishism in its associations with female sexuality, in which feline sensuality and exoticism were appropriated. Jacques Lacan argued that fetishism only existed in lesbian women. It is by the exploitation of the fetish symbol that Lady Brute challenges sexual coding and assumptions about gender identity.
4)Wark identified that parody served as a device in performance art to deploy cultural assumptions. Humour was incorporated with cabaret, fashion, music, and lifestyles. The Clichettes used humour in their performances to comment on stereotypes that continue to be perpetuated and controlled by men. For example, Half-Human, Half Heartache was a narrative performance in which 3 aliens came to Earth and unsuccessfully tried to become human girls, but they could only imitate them by lip-syncing. Wark identifies criticism to parody that argues it is an indication of narcissism resulting from feelings of alienation, and can only be successful by the use of existing forms. However, Linda Hucheon’s “A Theory of Parody” redefines parody “as a specifically post-modern mode of criticism” (p. 94). She suggests that “parody is critically effective because it undermines fallacy of originality” (p.94), and therefore can be successful in damaging gender stereotypes.
Dressed to Thrill
ReplyDeleteSydney Torgov
Wark focuses on Canadian performance art which began in 1970s. Wark explains what performance art approaches in terms of the art, costume and overall dress that was applied to this art style. Wark talks about performance art in terms of its engagement with popular culture and how it expressed queer and marginalized identity as well as how it is used in humorous ways and rebellious ways. Wark emphasizes how through performance art, Canadian identity was shifting and becoming redefined.
2. The article describes how performance art often included costume and props. One of the main symbols used in performance art was the leopard spot applied to many of Brute’s works because of the idea that it was a sign of camouflage, sexuality and kitsch which “converged with their interests in glamour, power and banality of mass culture.” (91) The leopard spot was often worn by Lady Brute, a persona, and the spot often made connections to this idea of female sexuality which further suggested wildness, exoticism and feline sexuality. The leopard gear served as a “device to be publicly disruptive of middle-class propriety, to problemize the relation between self and image and to identify with a specifically female culture for whom images of glamour operate as a form of social bondage and a source of power. (90)
4. Humor and parody were used throughout Canadian performance art in the 1980s and drew upon forms of popular culture in addition to the fact that it commented on cultural assumptions as well. Humor and parody in performance art opened up a dialogue and allowed for artists to communicate and expose their message on a different level. This type of performance art commented and worked to undermine sex and gender boundaries and divisions. For example, the Clichettes commented on political and social matters in a satirical way through various modes of song and dance. Linda Hutchon’s redefined parody in her 1985 study as a postmodern mode of criticism that depended upon already existing forms to fulfill itself. (94) She noted that parody was successful because it undermines “romantic fallacy of originality…forcing a reassessment on the process of textual production.” (94)
1. According to Francis, the reason Dempsey and Millan didn’t encounter negative responses to their performance was because they are white. Francis wrote that ‘whiteness’ is in the majority of representations of being a Canadian. The Park Ranger is an icon of Canada. A combination of that and the fact that they are white, made them appear less threatening and different to white tourists. They were able to question heterosexual norms but perhaps didn’t realize the need to also question racial divisions.
ReplyDelete2. The similarities between Museums and National Parks are central to how and why they were created. Both of these organizations were formed with the function to preserve and also to display. Francis writes that Banff is a place of staged authenticity. Museums to a degree deal with that as well, particularly those such as anthropological museums that display native artifacts. Often preserving the idea of the Imaginary Indian of the past sends the message that native people are no longer authentic. George Catlin wrote about Yellowstone national Park as a place for preserving the native Indian, containing them as a specimen of the past for people of the future. Both try to hold on to things that they each believe to be dead or dying, without acknowledging changing and hybrid cultures. They also take a white side, separating themselves from the subject. Also, both the museum and the National Parks have tried in more recent years to separate their current mission with the past.
3. The notion of innocence applies to the reading of the performance because by using this the viewer finds it non-threatening and even relatable. Francis writes that the image of innocence associated with the Girl Guide persona's Dempsey and Millan adopted would only work with a majority white audience. This is because white people are often described as being as ‘just people’ which people of other colours have never been because they are often first connected with that identity.
Lauren Rodgers and Noor Ale
ReplyDeleteJayne Wark "Dressed to Thrill"
1) This article aims to discuss performance art in Canada during the 1970s, which Wark believes has largely been neglected from an art historical perspective. Wark discusses the importance of dress in performance art, and the ability of dress to transform the performance. Wark looks at the engagement with pop culture, and other factors of influence that have a transformative power on society. Different artistic and social movements are discussed as having an influence on Canadian performance art, such as the FLQ crisis in Quebec, the Punk movement and Expo ’67. The article looks at performance artists at the time, and the influence of contemporary Canadian culture, and how the manner of dress was a performative outlet for these expressions.
2) Kate Craig used the leopard spots as her defining symbol of her alias Lady Brute. She was apart of a group of young Vancouver artists, who were interested in Dada absurdity, puns and pranks, and had a Warholian fascination with mass-culture imagery, especially its fetish and ritual characteristics (p. 90). The fascination with the leopard print arose from its associations with “camouflage, sexuality, and kitsch, which converged with their interests in glamour, power and the banality of mass culture” (90). The leopard pattern is also significant in its associations with femininity, referencing sexuality, wildness, exoticism, and feline sensuality. The fetishism of the leopard pattern stems from Richard von Kraft-Ebing’s psychological identification of fetishism as an irrational sexual overvaluation, which Lacan furthered, stating that among women, it is only found in lesbians. Craig saw her Lady Brute costume as a performative tool in that she could put it on, or take it off when need be. She used the costume to become apart of a female culture that adopted the costume to show the relationship between self and image.
3) Jan Wark considers parody as a critical approach in performance art, through its humorous appeal and appropriation of pop-culture narrative, artists sought to expose the hierarchies of power and privilege that marginalized women. Parody, theatricality, and the manipulation of women’s bodies through costumes, has enabled Canadian performance artists to appropriate the strategies of pop culture. Strategies of artifice and pleasure found in women’s performance art has countered the female body as a site of difference and deviance. Canadian performance artists Lori Blondeau, Suzy Lake, and Shawna Dempsey demonstrate that parody functions as a tactic of resistance against women’s marginalization and oppression. Parody has enabled performance artists to disarm and lure audience members, their decision to use familiar narratives of pop culture allows the exposure of audience members into a women’s world of oppression.
1) The main goal and objective of Jayne Wark ‘Dressed to Thrill,’ is to examine how Canadian performance artists used clothing as a way to portray a certain meaning within specific historical contexts. She looks at particular artists that utilize costumes to formulate a particular identity, and to get their message across to their audience. For example the Clichettes who wore white patent leather boots with eye-lit stockings to address pop groups of the time, or Mars who dressed as Elizabeth 1st to signify authority, wealth and rank when addressing feminine power. Wark argues that performance art emerged in Canada at a significant period in the 1970s during a time when Canada seemed in a good situation to make its mark in the art world. This being when Pierre Elliot Trudeau came into power and was funding the arts and after the great World Exhibition of 1967, which saw new emphasis on Canadian identity. She also looks at how humor is used to get a political message across in popular culture.
ReplyDelete2) Kate Craig uses the character of Lady Brute to take on a different identity that of a glamorous sexually charged woman of power. She is able to do this through her costume which plays on leopards and their fetish qualities. Wark examines the role of the leopard in Craig’s costume arguing that it denotes camouflage, sexuality and kitsch in connection with the interests of glamour, power and banality of mass culture. She adds that leopard skin is associated with wildness, exoticism and feline sensuality. Through these particular characteristics fetishes thus emerge. Some men become obsessed and attracted to this strong powerful sexual woman and want to have her. While Freud argues that some feel inferior to this type of woman and male castration anxiety emerges.
3) Wark uses many examples of parody in regards to performance art in Canada in order to get a better understanding of the message that they are striving to get across. She argues that humour utilized through clothing lures audiences in and keeps them entertained. Artists use this satirical idea of taking well known things in popular culture and alter them to gain a certain message. For example Suzy Lake did a parody of Scary Spice, in ‘Forever Young’ in order to tackle the idea of eternal youth. As a middle aged woman dressed and acting like scary spice she is addressing the female want to never age and to be/look young. She is mocking this idea and youth culture, arguing that women should instead embrace their own age. Similarly native artist Blondeau in her work Surfer Squaw, plays on the popular show Baywatch to get her message of white female identity across. In her piece she is dressed in a fur bikini with a pink surfboard on the frozen river bank in Saskatchewan.
Kathryn Johansen 0671759
ReplyDeleteDressed To Thrill
By Jayne Wark
1. The objectives of this article are to recognize and understand some the qualities of performance arts in Canada from 1970 to the present. Wark states early on that it is about both conceptual concerns as well as strategic approaches that distinct this Canadian area of art. Overall it is her way of spotlighting this art form in Canada historically and in the present through its engagement with popular culture, use of drag in order to show the visibility of queer and marginalized identity to society as well as the use of parody. It is a way to show what has been neglected in the past as well as the importance of different dress in performance pieces in order to create impact on society and bring forth meaning.
2. Lady Brute was a fictional identity created and performed by Eric Metcalfe and Kate Craig. The persona was extremely fond of leopard print and took the leopard spot as a defining symbol. Leopard skin is historically known as a symbol of female sexuality and ideas of wildness, exoticism and feline sensuality. To these two performing artists, the leopard skin was associated with their fascination with camouflage, sexuality, kitsch and their interests in glamour, power, and banality of mass culture. It was a device they used to publicly disruptive of middle class propriety as well as to question the relationship between self and image for women. It was known as a part of fetishism because fetishism is identified as irrational sexual overvaluation.
4. Parody has been in Canadian performing arts for a long time. Wark discusses the use of parody in the 1980s and how it was a way to undermine ideas of sexual categorization, which is, an idea aligned with postmodern subjectivity. It was a tool in order to entertain audiences but deeply touch on the political and social issues of the time subtly but effectively.
David Winfield
ReplyDelete0675124
Jayne Wark- “Dressed to Thrill”
1. The goals and objectives of the articles in Wark’s “Dressed to Thrill” are to call attention to Canadian performance art in the 1970’s, a subject she feels has been largely neglected in the art historical realm. The articles also place a great deal of significance on the power of clothing in performance arts, both in the way that they help to reinforce the artists’ message and because they can help relate to a specific audience or target group. Wark also uses the articles to discuss how particular types of clothing can be used by artists and artist groups to portray a certain message or relation to an institution of their own such as Mars.
2. The significance of Lady Brute’s leopard spots are that they contain very precise messages and carry specific notions that are connected to their symbol. Wark discusses how the symbol of the leopard spots signifies sexuality, wildness (exotic animals), kitsch, and camouflage. In addition they are associated with feline sensuality, which is where the notion of fetishism comes into play. Lady Brute was a persona developed by Kate Craig who was smart enough to realize all of the connotations that came along with the leopard print and used them to her advantage during her performances to allude to certain themes or provoke a sense of sexuality in her art.
4. Humor and parody were very common themes of performance art throughout the 1970’s and 80’s. The use of these two techniques in performance alluded to cultural happenings that were relevant to the audience members and easily relatable to all those viewing, both allowing for an easy spectator-artist relationship as well as to blur the boundaries between existing stereotypes and transition into a more tolerable audience in regards to the performers’ message.
Allison Karakokkinos
ReplyDelete1. The objective of the article is to identify and analyze key conceptual concerns and approaches that define Canadian performance art from 1970 until now. These important elements are continual use of popular culture, use of drag and camp to emphasize visibility of marginalized culture and parody/humour as a source of empowerment and rebellion. Another goal is to emphasize the use of clothing and costume in performance art which has generally been ignored as an accessory because, as Wark says, the body in performance art is rarely unadorned. The body can be adorned with social ideas if not with literal clothing.
2. It was Kate Craig who developed the idea of Lady Brute. She wore leopard print clothing and other paraphernalia around her ‘performances’ in Vancouver. The fascination with leopard print was its like to camouflage, sexuality and kitsch, however this was also melded with glamour and power. Leopard print was seen as associated with female sexuality as wild and exotic and therefore became a part of fetishism. Richard von Kraft-Ebing created the first modern psychological identification of fetishism by calling it an irrational sexual over-evaluation. Freud claimed that fetishism was a symptom of male castration anxiety. Each of these identifications link the notion of fetishism to sexuality which is linked to fascination with leopard print. Craig who adopted Lady Brute as a mask as will, claimed she was ambivalent towards leopard print as fetishism.
4. Parody can expose what society would like to keep hidden since it needs an established idea in society to play off of. The artists discussed use parody/humour to attract the audience by either identifying their socially marginalized position or by disarming a hostile audience by taking them by surprise. Parody allows artists to engage in the language of common culture to make their point. It also exposes power relationships between those who possess the ‘original’ and those who possess the parody alternative as mentioned in Linda Hutcheen’s study. Canadian performance engaged in parody to undermine gender binary differences and sexual categories.
Steph Caskenette
ReplyDelete1. In her article, Wark sets out to expose costume and dress used in performance art which had been neglected in scholarship up until this point. More specifically, she believes that the spotlight should be focused upon Canadian performance art from the 1970s to the present, as she says it needs “sustained historical consideration.” Wark states that her objective is “to identify and analyze some of the key conceptual concerns and strategic approaches that have been distinctive to Canadian performance art during the period from about 1970 to the present.” Some of these concerns and approaches she considers include the engagement with popular culture, the visibility of queer and marginalized identities, and the use of parody and humour.
2. There was a young group of artists in Vancouver who practiced performance art, and each member of the group created an alias for the art world. These alter egos acted as blank slates for the individual, as well as ways to explore alternative art forms. Kate Craig created Lady Brute, and chose the leopard spot as her identifying symbol. Craig collected anything with the leopard print on it, which were mainly women’s clothes, and wore them around Vancouver. The leopard print was associated with camouflage, sexuality, and kitsch, and come together with interests in glamour, power, and the banality of mass culture. The leopard print became a part of fetishism because of its associations with female sexuality, as being wild, exotic, and sensual. Craig, however, did not see herself as the above, she merely thought that Lady Brute, and the associations that came with her alias, was a mask that she could put on as she pleased.
3. Wark writes about many performance pieces, some of which deal with the pressure on women to be attractive and beautiful. The Pink Poem, also by Kate Craig, features the colour pink to try and calm the audience, as what she is doing may cause anxiety. She appears in a pink straightjacket, and writhes around while a female voice sings about torture. This shows that the pressure put on women to be beautiful constricts them, and that the pressures associated with femininity cause pain to women. Another work that was discussed was Consumer Cyclone, by Colette Urban, that was meant to trigger responses from her viewers. In this particular performance piece, Urban went around a shopping mall wearing a costume that consisted of clothing and cosmetic paraphernalia to maintain feminine beauty. She shouted phrases “regardez moi, regardez toi” showing the extent at which females are influenced by consumerism, and the pressures put on them to buy certain products to become beautiful. A third work revolving around the same ideas is by Tanya Mars, titled Pure Virtue. She plays Elizabeth I, and the clothes she wears are symbols of her feminism. Clothing was established based on gender, and there were standards to uphold if you were a woman.
Nicole Markland
ReplyDelete1 Francis argued that the Lesbian National Parks project offered the opportunity to observe whiteness as a representative of “Canadianness”. The white masculine ranger was a persona adopted by Millan and Dempsey which presented a notion of sameness which overshadowed the queerness of the content of lesbianism within the project. Francis points out that Kobena Mercer argues that “white people colonize the definition of normal” and this certainly rings true. While lesbians may not be particularly ‘normal’ or rather common, their abnormality is masked and becomes more implicit when it is presented to the audience within the context of the more ‘respectable’ white ranger we all know and love. So in this may as Francis describes, the whiteness of the performance piece enabled its success without enabling negativity because of its content. This provided a sense of normality which did not overtly push people into the uncomfortable position they may feel if they were confronted explicitly with ideas of lesbianism. The customary presentation of the conception of the ranger and common ‘whiteness’ created an environment of openness that probably would not have been seen without the representation of these concepts.
2 Francis describes National parks and museums both as institutions which seek to preserve the human and animal (or natural) past of Canada for the sake of the public spectacle. They both operate in such a way that makes them tools for the development of the idea of the nation. The Park functions as a natural museum which like a museum commemorates the past. In the specific case of the park as Jody Berland says, it commemorates the past triumphs of the founding fathers over territory while the museum may be more suited to celebrate the political, social, economic triumphs of founding fathers and pioneers of the nation. In addition, the national park can easily function as a representation of ‘Canadianness’ and by extension the nation because crucial emblems of Canadian national identity which have already been well established in the national psyche have popularly been represented through the wilderness. And so in this way, the National park naturally functions within notions of national identity in Canada. As public institutions which are expected to reflect a condition of the nation, both parks and museums present themselves to the public in a similar way for the sake of uniformity when it come to the representation of the nation.
3 The Park ranger is an individual who is easily associated with goodness in general. It’s a stereotype of a sort which connotatively attached the notion of innocence to their person and occupation. Francis identifies Byer’s argument about boundaries saying that the notion of territorial boundaries is connected to perceptions about masculinity and ‘whiteness’. The park ranger for their occupation in natural areas is easily assumed to be not only an innocent person – because of their connection with unspoiled nature – but also a male because they function within an specific area allotted to them. The lesbian park complicates notions about territory, and gender because of the fact that women take on this masculine ranger persona who is innocent. While in reality, these women not entirely innocent in their role in the park because they are recruiting and they are not male. They work outside of the hetero-masculine role we expect while maintaining a persona of innocence that is also two sided. They aimed to subvert and in a sense mock those pre-established notions that people hold about gender, territory and sex by complicating the personas of their rangers.
Jayne Wark, “Dressed to Thrill”
ReplyDelete1.What are the goals and the objectives of the articles?
Jayne Wark’s article “Dressed to Thrill” explores the work of Canadian artists working in performance art around the 1980s in an attempt to recognize elements that are significant to Canada. The article draws attention to the power of clothing, something that has previously been overlooked. Wark looks at the artists’ desire to break down social codes and gender binaries through their use of clothing. She also explores their method of using parody and humour to make their message more accessible to their audiences.
2.Explain the significance of Lady Brute’s leopard spots and their fetishist qualities.
Lady Brute, an alias created by Kate Craig, used the leopard spot as her defining symbol, just as Eric Matcalfes alter ego Dr. Brute used. Craig chose to use mainly articles of women’s clothing that depicted leopard patterns for her costume during her performances. Wark argues that leopard skin is” associated with female sexuality, suggesting wildness, exoticism, and feline sensuality” which led to its place in the” repertoire of fetishism” (90). Wark claims Craig’s choice of leopard print fetishism was ambivalent; it was a mask to be used at will for Lady Brute. The leopard print allowed her to “exaggerate something that already existed in the culture”; serving as a way for her to publicly disrupt the social code of the middle-class.
4.How and why the idea of parody informs Wark’s understanding of performance art in Canada?
Parody was a common aspect of performance art in the 1980s. Wark explains the idea of parody through Linda Hutcheon’s description claiming that parody can be critically effective when it undermines the “Romantic fallacy of originality,” but it is also “derivative in nature and depends upon already existing forms to fulfill itself” (94). Wark argues that the Canadian artists in the 1980s creating performance art used this idea of parody in an attempt to “undermine gender binarisms and sexual categories.” The act of parody relies on a common social idea allowing their works to become relatable to their public audience.
Paul Langis and Lesley Earl
ReplyDelete2. Lady Brute was an alter ego developed by Katie Craig; she acted as a blank slate for personal mythology and an opportunity to explore alternative lifestyles and art forms. Lady Brute took on the leopard print just like her partner Dr. Brute (Metcalf) because she had collected lots of leopard paraphernalia that were mainly articles of woman’s clothing which she started to wear when Lady Brute. Her fascination with the pattern was related to the idea that it was symbolic of camouflage, sexuality, and a type of kitsch that joined in her interest of glamour, power, and the predictable mass culture. Craig’s obsession with leopard print gained the name of fetish defined by Richard von Krafft-Ebing as an irrational sexual overvaluation.
3. Wark discusses a few performances which all touch on some sort of feminist issues. The Clichettes lip-sync group is one example of a group of girls that had to fight the odds of becoming just another simple nostalgic homage to pop girl groups. To achieve this they elaborated their routines by employing a narrative to their performance – many of which they were dressed as ‘mock males’ in suits and making obscene gestures. However how hard they tried critiques generally waved off their performance as frivolous and decadent.
Tanya Mars looked at the relationship between men and women. In her shows she played difference archetype females who were political, sexual, and showed creative power – however she performed these archetype females in a burlesque style that leaned towards vulgarity. In the context of feminine issues, she placed these powerhouse women at the center of her performances but one has to question the reason as to why she showed these women in burlesque instead of just showing the empowering women.
Suzy Lake is another perfomative artist who took on the role of playing Scary Spice in a fundraiser during the time the Spice Girls were a hit. At the time she was middle aged but was depicted as a young pop star idol dressed in tight pants (trappings), with big fuzzy hair, trash jewelry and in a belly shirt. Wark notes that this is a culture that pushes women to the outer limits of being seen (visibility vs invisibility) while turing youth culture into a prolific and lucrative industry.
4. Parody was widely used throughout the 80s as a means to draw attention to groups and ideas that otherwise would be overlooked. Wark notes through the writings of Linda Huteon however, that parody relies on a shared awareness of these subjects in order to be effective. She also notes that when parody becomes overused it simply becomes another form of alienation and ceases to be an intelligent form of discourse.
1. The objective of this article is to explore the concepts around Canadian performance art and how costume and clothing play an interval part of its content and history. She looks to chance a academic opinion of clothing in performance art. She uses humour to reach her audience and focus of some of the key cultural groups in society for example popular culture. She looks at the 1970’s and the significance that the clothing had then all the way to the present.
ReplyDelete2. The significance of Lady Brute’s leopard spots and their fetishist qualities is to relate a message in their symbols. They sued the spots as their icon and there is the idea that with this print you can both stand out and have a very powerful message, yet at the same time uses it the hide within the ‘tacky’ or kitsch aspect of it.
4. The idea of parody is an imitation of a style that exaggerates very deliberately for the sake of a comedic or revelation effect. The artists used parody as a way of reaching and engaging with heir audience no matter what their situation. With a subject that is heavy in concept and social problems it becomes very tricky when thinking about who is viewing your piece and the reactions that everyone will have. With humour it allows an artist to reach a greater number of people by not singling out a specific group and allows many to relate and become involved with the work.
Nicole Jorge
ReplyDeleteDressed to Thrill
The main objective of the article is to identify and analyze the key concetual concerns and strategic approaches of performance art. Specifically contemporary Canadian performance art from the 70s until now. Some these key concerns and approaches include the engagement that performance has with popular culture, using drag or camp attire to make queer identities visible, and the use of parody and humour. The article will look at how the above mention can be used as a rebellion and an empowerment. Wark also believes that the topic of dress in performance art has been ignored. She wants bring the theories of on performance and dress together to show the relationship between subjectivity and cultural meaning within performance art.
Lady Brute was the altar ego for the artist Kate Craig, she used a leopard spot as her defining symbol. She had a large collection of women's leopard print clothing that she would wear in her appearances in Vancouver. The significance of the spots was the association with camouflage, sexuality and kitsch which matched her interest in glamour, power, and the banality of mass culture. Leopard print has become a fetish because of the qualities associated with it; female sexuality, wildness, exoticism, sensuality. Some men in particular have a fetish for leopard print because of this. She was using this leopard skin to become a part of the culture of women that wear it already and are a part of this fetishism, and exaggerating this pre existing group.
A lot of the performances have to do with feminism and the pressure that society places on women to be attractive. The Clichettes were a lip sync group who wore kitsch punk clothes as they sang a parody version of You Don’t Own Me. They elaborated their routines with narratives where they play three aliens who had to undergo heartache to become human girls who could only lip sync. This was a metaphor for the cultural imperialism that women experience. In She-Devils of Niagara they attacked this imperialism with performances dressed as mock males wearing shiny suits and white shoes and as before was lip syncing. They strutted around while making obscene gestures. Lady Brute performed the Pink Poem that culminated in the video Straightjacket. Where a writhing body in a pink straightjacket with a female voice singing of torture is in the background. She was creating a powerful confrontation for the side of feminism. This confrontation was between the body and the gaze of the camera and audience.
Rachel Lauzon
ReplyDelete1. The association between homosexuality and textiles is understood by Larsen to be “ingrained” within our culture originating in the notion of homosexuality as effeminate. Homosexuality is often more aligned with the feminine, the masculinity of homosexuals often being ignored. Larsen states that society’s view of femininity as concerned with items of a superficial or decorative nature resulted in textiles art becoming a feminine domain. This connection between femininity and textiles is the root of the association between homosexuality and textiles the homosexual male being treated as being having feminine traits. Textiles which were handled by heterosexual men become trades such as upholstery, textiles handled by women become crafts such as sewing and unsuitable for heterosexual men.
2. The works mentioned in the article do help to elucidate the artist’s identity; however they may not always say what the artist intended. David Grenier’s work “366 Confessions” is according to the article about “sex and sexualized male bodies” (when the context of the artists other work is brought into account); but having never seen Greniers other work I don’t make this connection. The only reference to gayness I perceive in the description given in the article is the fact that the sweaters have sometimes been altered with embroidery and stitches. A man sewing may evoke gay stereotypes in some ways but I personally don’t make inferences about gayness when I see something a male artist has sewn. To me Grenier’s piece is more about a passage through time and the ups and downs of personal attitudes and emotions day to day. The work by Thomas Roach also speaks about the identity of the artist as someone interested in religion, but I do not see it as including gay identity. Roach has sewn the garments for The Eucharist celebration which does symbolize sharing and becoming one with God, but there is no reference to the church’s exclusion of homosexual males. The title “Take our Fear Away, Take our Fear Away” could reference the traditional view of religious belief as protection from evil. I would like to read the text included in the installation in order to get a better reading on the meaning of the work and what is says about the artist. Some of the other work described by Larsen, particularly that of Neil of MacInnis contain much more obvious references to homosexuality.
3. While I agree that sexual preferences will influence an artist’s work at times I do not think that it will influence their work all of the time. I also find the premise that textile and craft are feminine and therefore associated with homosexuality is becoming dated. While the stereotype of the gay fashion designer may still be accepted straight men are making inroads into traditionally female occupations at the same time as women are entering into traditionally male occupations. The occupation of “craft” is also becoming more closely aligned with art rather than being viewed as “low-end”. I don’t really see how a man sewing an object makes that object into a statement about homosexuality, unless he wishes to add other references.
Chloe Stelmanis-Cali
ReplyDeleteJayne Wark "Dressed to Thrill"
1.Wark’s objective in “Dressed to Thrill” is to explore the relationship between performance art and both gender and marginalized identities. Wark discusses elements and approaches of Canadian performance art such as how camp or drag is used to assert marginalized identities, and how parody is used as a rebellion against the status quo hegemonic power structures or to empower transformations. Wark’s exploration of Canadian performance art, an art Wark suggests needs to be more historically considered, is strongly focused on representations of the body through props and costume.
2.Lady Brute was created by Kate Craig. The fascination with Lady Brute’s leopard spots stems from the association of leopard with” camouflage, sexuality, and kitsch,” which parallels with cultural concepts glamour and power, as well as reflects the banality of mass culture. Most importantly however, Lady Brute’s leopard adornments came to represent fetishism, since leopard is socially associated with female sexuality, wildness, and feline sensuality. The association of Lady Brute with fetishism allowed her to become a figure representing cultural assumptions about fetishism, such as Freud’s theory that male fetishists experienced castration anxiety, or Lacan’s addition to this theory that fetishists applied to only men and lesbians. Lady Brute exemplifies how literally fashion and how a body is adorned can come to represent and this either challenge or support cultural ideas or beliefs.
3.Artist’s Suzy Lake, Lori Blondeau and Shawna Dempsey all use parody to explore women’s sexuality and the female body, and all touch on the pressure that women experience in society to be young and attractive. Lake, for example, created a performance piece during the height of the “Spice Girls” phenomenon, where which she dressed up like Scary Spice. Her eventual alter ego “Suzy Spice,” a middle aged pop star, who adorned clothing reflective of the Spice Girls costume, parodied society’s ability to render older woman invisible and turn younger woman into idyllic profit making bodies. Lori Blondeau, a Native Canadian, parodies societal expectations of what a woman should be by exploring with her own body what hegemonic power structures see as the idyllic white female. In “Lonely Surfer Squaw” Blondeau holds a pink surface while wearing a fur bikini and mukluks. In “Mary Medusa,” Dempsey begins her performance as just a head, asking her audience: Is women still a woman without a body?” She later strips down to a business suit, a then to a pair of controlled top panty house, evidently using costume to represent gender and then deconstruct societal expectations of such gender in her performance.
Diana Topley
ReplyDelete1)Larson stipulates that textiles and homosexuality are culturally ingrained as being associated with one another within western society. Textiles and craft work are considered feminized art forms, as well as anything considered decorative or superficial. Homosexuality is also associated with femininity, and it is this connection that also groups it with the use of craft and textiles. The feminization of textiles caused the view of such work to be regarded as subordinate and inappropriate for straight men to take part in. Exceptions are in place where brute strength is required, thereby masculinising the task, for example furniture upholstery or fishing net crochet, and creating the separation by grouping the work as either craft or trade.
2) Ann-Marie Larson presents the work of 4 homosexual artists and explores the cultural critiques each artist makes with regards to their own personal identity. The artists she examines are David Grenier, Neil MacInnis,Thomas Roach, and Patrick Trae. She states that each artist uses textiles and fabrication to draw on the histories of domestic and industrial uses of fibre, and use its processes and applications (such as embroidery, weaving, printing etc), to challenge stereotypes. She states that “each artist speculates about fabric as a social skin” (p. 100). David Grenier’s “366 Confessions” is a work that involved altering a sweater for each day of a leap year. He alters each sweater by stitching some together, embroidering phrases on others. The work as a whole reflects a range of lived experience, but also reflects the artist’s personal ideals and anxieties.
Thomas Roach is an artist who was frequently commissioned to produce church vestments. With this background, Roach created religious inspired works for Boys with Needles. For example, he used gothic architecture, religious books, such as the bible, and song and prayer books, to supplement the vestments to create a theatrical understanding of rituals and worship. The role of the Eucharist serves as a symbol to ‘full commitment’, as well as an act of sharing. The work is an optimistic plea of acceptance by Roach’s church community and calls on them to re-examine the limits of their faith.
3)I think a person’s opinion on all things in society is highly influenced by the social context they are or were a part of. On any given situation, certain factors are going to affect different people in different ways. It is based on this that I think it is very appropriate that Larson interconnect the reading and discussion of each artist’s work in relation to their lifestyle and sexual preference. Each artist’s work aims to draw and challenge existing stereotypes in regards to identity and sexuality, and in order to fully understand their work the audience must be informed of its context.
1. This article seeks to expose the messages that come from the use of costumes, fashion, dress, and the naked body in performance art. Wark feels that these aspects of performance are largely ignored or are viewed as accessories rather than important parts of the works. Wark creates a survey in canadian performance art, but i think the large number of examples she discussed was at the expense of a detailed analysis. Her introduction and conclusion explained the aforementioned goals of the article, but they seem incongruous with the body of the article which, again, functions more as a survey.
ReplyDelete2. Lady Brute’s leopard outfits worked as a parody of the fetishistic qualities they poses. This pattern has become synonymous with feminine sexuality, but Kate Craig used them to subvert these expectations. As Wark points out, some critics find parody questionable in its ability to criticize. Instead, some feel it merely quotes or perpetuates the notions and associations that accompany the “original”. Wark points out that as soon as Kate Craig realized she was “too invested in the fantasies of her male peers, she retired Lady Brute”. In other words, as soon as Craig’s persona failed to work as a criticism and instead functioned as a perpetuation of stereotypes, the artist stopped using the persona.
4. As mentioned above, Wark sees parody in canadian performance art as a way of subverting associations with the thing being parodied. This quality of humor, often self-deprecating, allows for the critique and exposure of an often serious or accepted social/cultural/political norm. I would argue that the use of humor creates a warmer reception of the critique in the viewer. If the performance were more serious, the viewer may sooner forget it, but with humor the audience is more receptive. Wark points out though that work employing parody and humor must be carefully balanced so as not to lose its criticality in favor of becoming “seductive and subversive”.
Jayne Wark, “Dressed to Thrill”
ReplyDeleteRachel Lauzon
1. The objective of this article is stated as “to identify and analyze some of the key conceptual concerns and strategic approaches which have been distinctive to Canadian performance art during the period from about 1970 to the present” (page 87), the main approaches described in the article are parody and humour. The article begins by describing the importance of dress and costume to all culture. All the performances described by Wark are connected to dress and the human body, the body being used in performance art as a tool by which to critique contemporary society. Wark also describes the use of performance art to question constructions of gender as related to dress and bodily adornment a theme that is explored in many of the performances described. One of the main functions of dress is to express identity and conform to cultural expectations although Wark describes how in performance art often the anticipated identity is out of place with the body used in such as in the performance such as Suzy Lake’s “Scary Spice”.
2. Lady Brute’s leopard spots are significant as leopards symbolize female sexuality and in the late 20th century the leopard skin pattern was popular as a symbol of an exotic, sexy, and somewhat tacky lifestyle. The leopard print pattern symbolizes sexuality and fetishes in a similar way to the black leather of dominatrix attire, but in a less threatening more feminine way. Kate Craig the artist who used leopard print in her construction of the identity of Lady Brute was exploring constructions of feminine sexuality; but, later abandoned the Lady Brute identity as being a construction more about the male interpretation of feminine sexuality and male fantasy than an expression of female identity. She stated she never felt like she was Lady Brute but Lady Brute functioned more like a “mask” or costume.
3. Parody is important to Wark’s understanding of performance art as parody in performance can be used to draw attention to how identity is constructed through dress. Parody uses symbolism common to society but changes an aspect within the parody in order to expose a truth or cause the viewer to question cultural restraints and norms. Parody and humour can be tools by which to rebel against restrictive norms and explore the influences of popular culture. Parody can be used to exaggerate rituals and identities resulting in humour but also a deeper questioning of the values mass culture encourages. The performance group the “Clichettes” are a good example of using parody by referencing popular entertainment but exaggerating its presentation to allude to deeper problems such as the coerced cultural assimilation imposed on women by a patriarchal based imperial culture.
Natalie Banaszak and Kelsey Atkinson-Derasp
ReplyDeleteBoys with Needles
1. The association between homosexuality and textiles is that homosexuality has become associated with femininity, just as textiles have. The creation and design of textiles is seen as women’s work, making the craft feminized, subordinate, and an inadequate undertaking for men (straight men). Their activity is often viewed as effeminate even while they construct assertive statements about homosexual identity.
2. The identity of McInnis, for example, is brought about in his works like Blue and Blood. He uses a technique called Jacquard, which he computerized to show what we are seeing is IN and not ON what we are looking at. MacInnis is concerned with a breakdown of fundamental attitudes towards homosexuality, as is reflected in his portrayal of the breakdown of practices of looking. He also gives the viewer options to make their own meaning about what his work is about, and does not suggest one obvious statement. It can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the experiences of the viewer. This is the attitude towards homosexuality in society which he promotes. Traer’s Baby Blue Balls also poke at the stereotypes of queer identity, by using leather-like vinyl (to mimic sports gear - something very stereotypically masculine).
3. We found there was not a lot of cohesion in the article. He didn’t fulfill his argument, nor did he link the 3 artists together very well. It was almost as though he was analyzing 3 separate artists within the same exhibition, rather than trying to tie them together and compare/contrast them. It was really short and lacked detail or exterior research on the matter. Analyzing the 3 works within the same exhibition really limits the reader’s understanding of the topic as this is just one view on a topic, manipulated to portray a certain side. It was kind of sloppy in the research and the overall form of the argument.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1 Larsen understand the association between homosexuality and texture as a deeply ingrained idea in Western culture, so much that is archetypal. Homosexuality is linked with femininity, the idea of textiles and femininity are linked to the idea of superficiality and decoration. Textiles are seen as women's work further enhancing the idea of the feminine homosexual. Any jobs involving sewing and textiles turned into an inappropriate job for straight men.
ReplyDelete2 The works discussed in this article elude to the identities of the artists. An example of this is David Grenier’s 366 Confessions. This piece was an investigation of several areas and was part autobiographical. He altered one sweater for everyday of the leap year. He had 366 yellow sweaters of different shades with different embroidery. It also came with a video of him wearing the sweaters. It eludes to the identity of the artist because sizes take their shape from the human body and develop their own history. These sweaters were almost a catalogue of the artist’s history for that year, all the embroideries show his interactions and anxieties with the world. It shows memoirs and his sexual biography but also a whole range of his lived experiences. You can reveal Neil MacInnis’ identity as an artist in his piece Boys with Needles. He lays threads across each other to create saucy tapestries. On these tapestries he puts very sexual male imagery and dried blood. He uses these pieces to show a link between technology, textiles, and his sexuality.
3 I think that linking the three artists together based on their homosexuality is a good basis for comparing the three artists. We often compare artists who are creating work for the feminist movement. I think because of this it is fair to compare them because of the artists sexual orientation. All three of them are exploring their sexuality through their work. They are consciously expressing themselves and identify themselves as homosexual and their pride behind it. I think that it would be unfair to compare them if they were not looking at the themes of homosexuality through their work. I think it is the same thing that not every women is called a feminist artists, only the ones that explore feminism through their work.
Allison Karakokkinos
ReplyDeleteBoys with Needles
1. Larsen says that the association between homosexuality and textiles is deeply ingrained in Western culture, it is almost archetypal. She understands the association between homosexuality and textiles, by rationalizing that homosexuality is associated with femininity. Both are linked to objects that are decorative, which corresponds to the feminization of textiles. Once textiles were seen as ‘women’s work’ it was inappropriate for men (straight men)- the only execptions are in what are classified as ‘trades’ instead of ‘craft’ like upholstering furniture.
2. The works in the article elucidate the identity of the artist because all of the artists in question are openly homosexual and they speculate about fabric as a social skin as they champion a sexual identity. McInnis’ works ‘blue’ and ‘blood’ is definitely and consciously decorative and link between technology (computed Jacquard tapestries), textiles and sexuality. He deals with a history of repression and violence that places a contemporary queer consciousness into textile history (literally). This shows his identity as a homosexual. The idea that a male in the domain of textiles is unnatural and he uses this to parallel the assumed ‘unnaturalness’ of homosexuality as seen in the past. Roach has the identity of being both gay and a Christian. He is trying to not abandon either. For the exhibition he designed garments for communion which is seen as an act of observant sharing. This is an indication of his hope of integration in both social realms, since it is only his homosexuality that alienates him from the church.
3. Yes I agree with the premise of the article only because the artists appear to be openly asserting their sexual preferences in their work. If this hint/clue was not apparent in their work then it would not be an acceptable argument. One would not compare the work of a straight male to that of another just because of their heterosexuality and attempt to find evidence of this in their artwork. The better way to phrase the idea of Larsen is that the artists share the same goal of championing/raising awareness of homosexuality in contemporary society of which they are each immersed in, as opposed to saying she is looking for their sexual preferences manifested in their work.
Gail Michalski
ReplyDelete1. The goals and objectives of this article are laid out on page 87, it states as follows: “The objective is to identify and analyze some of the key conceptual concerns and strategic approaches that have been distinctive to Canadian performance art during the period from about 1970 to the present. These include a sustained engagement with popular culture, the use of camp and drag to assert the visibility of queer and marginalized identities, and the use of parody and other forms of humour, both as a means of rebellious effrontery and as empowering transformation.” By describing dress being a tool, much like the human body, Wark describes the differences between male and female ‘dress,’ their performance and how they are connected.
2. Lady Brute’s leopard spots are significant because leopard print “lay in its association with camouflage, sexuality and kitsch, which converged with their interests in glamour, power, and the banality of mass culture.” (pg. 90) The leopard print acted much like the black leather of the dominatrix clothing, however it was much less intimidating and more feminine. Kate Craig who created the identity of Lady Brute, later decided that Lady Brute was more of a male interpretation of female sexuality rather than a true expression of female identity. “Given these associations, Craig’s own view of Lady Brute and her fetishistic trappings was ambivalent...Craig saw Lady Brute as a mask to be put on or removed at will: ‘I never felt I was Lady Brute. One of the wonderful things about Lady Brute was that there was a stand –in at every corner....It was a way of exaggerating something that already existed in the culture.’” (pg. 90)
4. The idea of parody informs Wark’s understanding of performance art in Canada can be used to
draw attention to how character is created through dress. Lasche argued in his book, “The Culture of Narcissism” that the use of parody in popular culture was especially indicative of this cynicism: “Many forms of popular art appeal to this sense of knowingness and thereby reinforce it. They parody familiar roles and themes inviting the audience to consider itself superior to its surroundings.” (pg. 94) Parody uses symbols that are common to society but it changes in regard to an aspect within the parody with the goal of exposing the truth or at least cause the viewer to question cultural norms. Parody and humour can be a tool to rebel and influence popular culture.
Monika Hauck
ReplyDeleteAnna-Marie Larsen, “Boys With Needles”
1. How does Larsen understand the association between homosexuality and textiles?
Larsen recognizes that since sewing, needlework and the use of textiles has become engrained in our society as "women's work" and therefore makes it unfit for males to participate in the practice without becoming feminized. Furthermore homosexuality is associated with being feminine, so homosexual males who are interested in textiles only further ingrains the stereotype in society. Even though there are many practices that involve textiles that are dominated by males (upholstering, tailoring, fishing net construction) these are defined as "trades" so as to not emasculate the practice as one that could be associated with other textile practices.
2. How the works discussed in the article elucidate the identity of the artist (discuss at least two works)
Greiner's work "366 Confessions" brings attention to the constantly shifting thoughts, interactions and anxieties as a male and a homesexual person. His use of textiles as individual thoughts and experiences also identifies an aspect of lived experience that is built upon by the sheer number of articles in the work. His identity is shown through the work by fleeting expressions of thought in the form of yellow sweaters that accumulates into a personal history - one that addresses a history of the artist's body.
Traer's work places much more emphasis on the visceral and tactile experience that artwork can evoke. His playfulness in addressing sexually explicit aspects of the male body, gay sex culture, and other topics that are misunderstood or badly represented within society. These aspects would be central to a person's identity and how they relate to other people. Traer's work brings these issues to the front of the conversation, but does so in a way that makes it accessible, elegant and desirable. He works within the framework of queer stereotypes while questioning their insertion into society and how they are understood by the larger public.
3. Do you agree with the premise of this article? In other words Larsen takes three homosexual artists and attempts to connect between their sexual preferences and their work. Do you think this is sufficient basis for analysis?
The premise for this article is valid, Larsen has chosen a smaller sample of homosexual artists to convey each of their issues within their own identity, the identity of homosexuality in public and how the public relates to it. I think the artists and work that Larsen chose was appropriate, it is not overwrought with biases or explicit dispositions towards homosexuality and the lack of acceptance by society of gay culture. It is merely a point of access with a defined, intimate and personal focus, one which inevitably addresses the history of homosexuality. I think it would be easy to broaden the sample size of artists involved, an exhibition of this nature could be done on a large scale, but at an increased size there lies a risk in the effective nature of the work. The show might just become supersaturated with homosexual artists and their struggles and opinions - at that point it might loose the simple, quiet and intimate nature of a small show that presents a notion about homosexuality history and culture.
Anna-Marie Larsen, “Boys With Needles” Erica Bowes
ReplyDelete1. For Larsen, the association between homosexuality and textiles is deeply ingrained within Western Culture. Textiles and Craft, is historically linked as a feminine specific medium and once it was seen as woman's work, sewing, needlework, and all crafts alike were recognized as subordinate, feminized, and inappropriate work for men (at least for strait men). Occupations that involve sewing or needlework (sewing fishing nets, upholstering furniture, and tailoring clothes) which men participate, have been classified as 'trades'/ Homosexuality is also associated with femininity and both Homosexuality and Textiles/Craft are linked to objects and ideas thought to be superficial and decorative.
2. Patrick Traer, baby-blue balls, 2002: this piece eludes to the artist's homosexual identity. He describes his own work as representative of gay men because, as he sees it, testicles are more feminine then the phallus. They are 'nice, cute, soft, rounded, extremely sensitive, and easily hurt: all of these qualities making them unacceptable representations of male 'power'. David Grenier, 366 confessions: In this piece, Grenier alters one sweater for every day of a leap year using embroidery or stitching. The end result is 366 sweaters that read as a catalogue of his sexual interactions and anxieties throughout the year.
3. The article did not seem to be arguing or comparing/contrasting anything. I think it was simply to show the subversive use of textile work among male homosexual artists. Much like lesbian performance artists have used clothing and dress subversively to comment on the pressure of feminine beauty, these artists are using textiles to comment on the ridiculous boundaries of socially acceptable 'maleness' and the sexualized assumptions of males participating in 'feminine' activities. I think the four artists used by the author were sufficient for analysis, but it would also be interesting to note heterosexual male artists using craft or textile mediums. If homosexuality and femininity are linked, and femininity and textiles are linked, I would think that the heterosexual male use of textiles would be more subversive...
"Dress to Thrill"
ReplyDelete1. The objective of this article is to identify the concepts and strategic approaches that have been used in Canadian performance art from 1970 to the present. Wark believes that the subject of performance art in Canada is one which is understudied and that clothing in performance art is not given enough attention. The clothing the actors dress in during their performances are just as integral to the function of their performance as an artwork as their actions or words may be because it gives the body of the artists a specific context. She identifies this as a “cultural visibility”. Through clothing, the actor can identify or negotiate their character in their performance. Understanding the subjectivity and performances aspect of art in relation to the clothing the actors don whilst acting sheds light on the significance and uses of performance art as a cultural phenomenon.
2. The leopard print was the defining symbol of Lady Brute – so much so that Kate Craig compiled a large inventory of leopard print clothing for this character. Obviously, the print was integral to Lady Brute as a character and to how Craig herself negotiated that character in her performances. Leopard print is easily associated with kitsch culture. Moreover, it is also connotatively associated with camouflage and female sexuality. Its fetishist nature come from the prints close relation to sexuality and animal behaviour because the print in popularly accepted to suggest wildness of the subject, as well as exoticism and sensuality. This print created an identity for Lady Brute that Craig would find later to be inseparable from her performance as Lady Brute. Craig used this clothing to make this fetishist aspect of feminine culture relevant to Lady Brute and her character was eventually retired because it became too invested in the sexuality that the print clothing lent to her.
3. Parody informed Wark on her understanding of performance art in Canada because parody it is a form of critique. It is dependent on “already existing forms to fulfill itself” since the subjects of parody are derived from facts of cultural reality. Performance art uses parody to criticize certain aspects of society. The artistic performances discussed in this article drew on pop culture, gender binarisms and sexual categories in order to undermine them and allow for reflection on the oppressive nature of those cultural norms people do not readily find any reason to rebel against. Parody brings those aspects of culture that are being critiqued on to the forefront making more easily recognizable because it already buys into that common culture everyone is so familiar with.
Jazmyn Pettigrew
ReplyDeleteJayne Wark, “Dressed to Thrill”
1. The article ‘Dressed to Thrill’ by Jayne Wark discusses performance art in Canada during the 1970s, and argues that such art forms have been largely neglected in the eyes of historical art. Wark focuses on the significance a uniform/outfit has in performance art and how such dress can easily transform a performance. She discusses influential factors involved with pop culture, and other stimuli that have manipulating effects on society. Various movements such as the Expo ’67, FLQ crisis in Quebec and the Punk movement are seen as heavy influences on performance art. In short the article looks at performance artists, the influences that surround them and how the importance of dress was utilized in the preformative realm of art.
2. Lady Brute’s leopard spots were associated with female sexuality and suggested sensuality, promiscuity and exoticness. Such qualities can be associated with fetishism due to their heavy sexual connotations. A leopard is seen as a rare and wild animal and Lady Brute steps into such label when stepping into the suit. Lady Brute’s persona acted as a disturbance to middle class propriety, helping problematize the relation between self and image. These spots were the main identifier with something very specifically female, where such form of high allure acts as a seductive trap or as prospective social dominance.
3. The use of Parody through the 70’s and 80’s was fairly common, it acted as a non-threatening way to expose and bring to light various societal issues. Satire in performance lead to the use of cultural happenings and interventionist acts. These were highly relatable to ensure that viewers remained engaged. Parody exposes the power relationships between the ‘original message’ and the ‘parody alternative’ while also blurring the boundaries between existing stereotypes. This helps to transition viewers into a more tolerable and understanding audience helping to relay the performers’ message.
"Dress to Thrill"
ReplyDeleteAimee Puthon
1. The objective of this article was to identify and convey the different types of textile art that have been used in Canada, and the contemporary culture in which they are created and are displayed in. Larsen states that textile art in particular is very much associated with homosexuality, being feminine, an art and craft that is decorative. It is seen as a delicate, fine and timely art form and that it is only acceptable for a woman to do. The article presents a list of male artists who use textiles as their chosen form of material. Larsen reasoning for this is to display their abilities of fine needlework, as males, when it has a stigma of being a woman’s only work.
2. The artist that she examines are David Greiner, Neil MacInnis, Thomas Roach and Patrick Traer. These four tectile artist experiment with different materials and relate it to sexual identity. They are openly gay men who stich (100). Greiner writes 366 confessions, which is a project that consists of 366 yellow sweaters that are pinned to the wall or put in a messy pile on the floor. Each sweater becomes its own piece of history. MacInnis does art that focuses on body parts. For Boys with Needles, he wants to make the connection between “technology, textiles and sexuality” (101). By doing this he has a focus on the study of homosexuality in the cultural context, the past history and the present. Roach creates a Eucharist for the church with his fabrics. He explores religion and homosexuality together and what divided or separates him from the church because of this sexuality. Traer celebrates male genitalia and the “power” of them (105).
3. I think that the premise that Larson has focused on is very interesting. Larsen takes homosexual artist and tries to connect their sexuality to the art work that they create. I think that this is a very interesting concept. I think that everyone, whether an artist or not, always has different factors influencing them. Whether it is their family, friend circle, teachers, where they live, etc. We all come from different backgrounds and have had different influences in our lives. I think that the way in which she has brought together a persons sexuality, in this case homosexuals and their art, is very fascinating. I think she makes some valid points and connections. At the same time, I think that we should not be so ‘boxes’ in or label others. Someone’s sexuality should not matter, they are human and we should respect them and appreciate the art that they make and not base it on their sexuality. But if they are willing to make the connection between their sexuality and the art they produce, it may make it more understandable or interesting for the viewer.
David Winfield
ReplyDelete0675124
Anna-Marie Larsen, “Boys With Needles”
1. Basically, Larsen views the association between homosexuality and textiles as an almost subconscious, ingrained view based on sociological structure that is ever-present in Western society. We view homosexuality as a very feminine sexual orientation, making it easily relatable to the production of textiles and other decorative, historically feminine methods of creation or craft. If a man who is sexually oriented towards women becomes interested in these types of practices he is all of a sudden deemed as an effeminate personality strictly because of the rule of societal deviance. He doesn’t follow the guidelines that are embedded in our sociological structure and therefore is not a man, but a feminine or homosexual man (assuming the rule is true). As a defense mechanism of sorts, men who participate in similar activities such as furniture building and upholstery are referred to as taking part in a trade rather than a craft.
2. Grenier displayed and elucidated his identity through the work “366 confessions” in which he altered a different yellow sweater everyday for the course of a leap year. He used embroidery and sewing throughout the process, blurring the border between craft and trade, and taking on a feminine role as a man alluding to his homosexuality while at the same time trying to add the evidence of the queer into a public space.
Similarly, Roach also plays into the act of crafting as a male, also adding the twist of religion influence to his art. He is a homosexual male, yet also is passionate about following God—a bit of a conundrum for the world of the church. His art plays with the desire for religion and homosexuality to be tolerable and accepting of each other, an end goal obviously influenced by personal characteristics, beliefs, and sexual orientation.
3. When discussing the sufficiency of Larsen’s basis for her analysis of connecting homosexual artists’ with their work in terms of sexuality is a delicate subject. On the one hand, an artists’ personality and character traits are undoubtedly going to influence the work that they create because these components are representative of the mind and body of the artist, something that provides subject matter and reason in the art-making process. It is, however, not always the most accurate or complete way to look at an artists’ work because a number of different factors influence what they create, not just personal traits as specific as sexuality. For instance, often times the art-making process can be influenced by outside sources that are external to the artist and their personal characteristics, yet resonate in some way with them, maybe not because of sexual preference, but because of a memory or a moral/ethical situation (just as an example).
Lesbian National Parks Service:
ReplyDelete1. There are a couple of major contributing factors which enabled Dempsey and Millan to perform on such controversial topics without complaint. Firstly, they are dealing with more than simply the issue of sexuality, they address the topics of national identity, tourism, environmentalism, and aboriginal rights in addition to queer rights. Secondly, they are constructing a performance piece which statirizes issues from within its environment, rather than working with costumes and materials that were foreign and out of place to the environment, worked within the norms of Banff: tourist brochures, rangers outfits, information tables, demonstrations etc. Thirdly, both artists were white, as part of the “majority” (not that this is true anymore, but rather the nations accepted majority) they were accepted as dealing with their own issues rather than criticizing others, and whiteness carries a sort of “benign” nature.
2. National parks may easily be compared to natural history museums, in that they aim to preserve and display. They look to preserve the “vanishing”, whether it was the vanishing environment or the vanishing indian. In the same way that museums exclude certain aspects of history and cultural groups, national parks exclude the lands aboriginal history. The story of colonial marginalization of aboriginals is not included, and those who remained are forced into marginal roles, mostly artisans (producing souvenirs for white consumers…not all that unlike 150 years ago) whose work uphold ideals of national identity. Both areas are meant to be entertaining and informative (with limitations) both displaying and preserving the selected icon of identity, and both meant to be consumed by a certain group of tourists.
3. Innocence or “benign” as the author typically describes it, plays a large role in allowing the artists freedom in this touchy subject. They seem to associate this gentleness and innocence with the role of whiteness, and the role of the parks rangers. There seems to be a sort of affinity between this nature, these roles and Canadianess, the culmination of which gave them the “respectablitiy to perform as queer”. The author furthers to say that whiteness and masculinity have been characterized by the notion of boundariness. The role of park ranger is associated with a level of trust and goodness, they are invested in the maintenance of respectable boundaries, patrolling national parks. These associations were also necessary in order for the artists to maintain the image of the “good citizen”, to which the image of the lesbian is contrasted (“the unbounded and outrageously campy lesbian”).