Genius, the Figure of the Artist - Essay Example

Genius, the Figure of the Artist Introduction Works of art when appreciated immensely as well as transcend time become classics in their own merit. Many classic artists did not produce their own auto biography and in most cases, even when they are capable of writing well, did not finish probable autobiographies. It was other people who wrote extensively about these artists as geniuses, because for true artists, they may not be comfortable heaping praises or even describing in detail about their works no matter how many throngs appreciate their works or would fight to own any one of them. This paper will discuss the differences of two artists: their works and their words for their works. It will decipher the reality of their art as well as the messages conveyed whether or not the word reflect the art or just a pigment of their imagination. It will be focused on Latin Americans Federico Uribe and Doris Salcedo, both 20th century sculptures. describe and discuss the differences regarding the figure of the artist in each case; Doris Salcedo An artist is usually defined and remembered for their impact as well as their influences that usually will be associated with them even when they deny it. Doris Salcedo, however, emphasized “the autonomy of the art work” (Merewether, 1180). She defined the art work further as an imposition by a reality such as the Colombian civil war, and that even the artist claimed to have been un-able to choose the themes that inform (1181). Salcedo added that “The oft-celebrated freedom of the artist is a myth,” (Merewether, 1181). For Salcedo, the artists is like an instrument, and in her case, referred to Lithuanian philosopher Emmanuel Levinas who had to respond to the “urgency of its assignment” and even the artists cannot make up for being tardy. Salcedo added, “I am not the one who chooses; my themes are given to me, reality is given to me, the presence of each victim imposes itself,” (quoted by Merewether, 1181). In Unland featuring tables, the familiar becomes strange as another part of a table overlaps the other, like a fallen bridge, that needs to be fixed in order to get to the other end. Salcedo explained that Unland is about tragic heroes or victims of violence who had to endure and that in enduring, they will need to shut themselves up, be mute and silent as in Franz Rosenzweig’s The Star Redemption (Merewether, 1181). In the image or art work, a message is conveyed but only through silence where the viewer can contemplate what is being communicated, “the experience of the victim as something present – a reality that resounds within the silence of each human being that gazes upon it,” (Merewether, 1181). Here, Salcedo concluded that “the work of art preserves life” and that it allows another connection and interaction between two people who have different realities (Merewether, 1882). Federico Uribe Federico Uribe’s works provides an interesting mix of color, texture, common disposable objects and curiosity. His is identifiable and unique in a way that he will be remembered once his art was known. One does not need to extract any explanation or description of his work to classify his work as art. An artist, as described by Pressley, transcends time, and “[is] not to copy servilely, reproducing common nature as in a Dutch still life in all its mechanical facility, but was to strive for nature perfected, le belle nature, which distilled an ideal beauty based on general principles. This high-minded art had the ethical purpose of inculcating virtue and the artist increasingly needed to guard against the pitfalls of a commercialized culture that would have pictures cater to private passions (15). Uribe described his initiation as an artist to be a “very painful process of self-knowledge” as it was clear what he did not want and that his evolution as an artist was sort of a reaction to this denial. Interestingly, Uribe described his works as interplay of words, yet the process of working was slow, tedious and costly (Bello, 5). What he meant about the words defining his works can be glimpsed on their titles and sculptures produced: “Mujer Centimental” or “Sentimental Woman”, “la Bocalista” or “smart” or “ready”, “la Entrenadora” or “The Entertainer” and “Between Forks” among others (Bello, 5). He acknowledged then that words play an important role in the works of Uribe. He humbly admitted that his sculptures are as far as time and money would allow him (Bello, 5). When asked about the Latin American art entering the international markets like USA and Europe, Uribe claimed that “Art does not belong to any one place. Art is a human expression that as n cultural barriers, and for this reason, s something that nobody who takes the decision of studying art knows,” (Bello, 6). in the critical comparison, please show how this text can serve to construct an idea of the artistic identity. On Doris Salcedo Certain contradictions are presented on the art work and the explanation of Doris Salcedo about her works of art as independent of herself. She said that she was not able to control her products yet spoke eloquently about their representation as “for the victims of violence,” (Merewether, 1182). She claimed to be personally related to the victims of violence so that she served as “witness of the witness” and standing for them making the art works as testimony of the victims. The art works were “not my rational intent but rather the experience of the victim that tells us about trauma, pain, loss,” (quoted by Merewether, 1182). She also claimed to be fully aware of “every detail that informs the life of the victim; the corporeality, the feelings, the vulnerability, the failings, the space, his or her life’s trajectory and language. I don’t formulate the experience of the victim, rather, I assemble it so that it remains forever a presence in the present moment,” (quoted by Merewether, 1182). This does not follow her claim of independence of her work since throughout the process, she could not have been working unaware of what she was doing, which “once completed, are autonomous creatures, independent of my intentions,” (quoted by Merewether, 1182). Her claim of the works as independent, however, is reinforced when asked about what she would want her audience to remember. Salcedo denied of manipulating her viewer but instead, only revealed or exposed an image that becomes complete in the space where the audience will find it. Here, she provide the freedom to the audience who, of course, would have choices of approaching the art work or not, and that any inference will depend “on their internal code,” (quoted by Merewether, 1183). When asked about the notion of community, Salcedo provided two observations: she referred to Rosenzweig whom she claimed to believe that art does not create a community (Merewether, 1181). On the latter part of the interview, Salcedo, opening up the self to another is the start of the notion of community. It is when one accompanies another to an end up to a point when that person forgets about him or herself. Salcedo claimed to have carried out an exhaustive investigation on the deaths of the victims of violence and that she has assumed responsibility towards them and then emphasized the need to be “more responsible than all the others,” (Merewether, 1183). On Federico Uribe Uribe is one obsessive compulsive artists who finds pleasure in doing repetitive task such as inserting metallic objects and forming sculptures out of them. He found the task relaxing and the the same time, an exercise of freedom whom no one would dictate nor influence him. “I do not care whether my work does or does not appear to be consistent,” he said, but despite the uniqueness of one from the other, Uribe’s works, as mentioned earlier, are distinguishable from other works of art. He described them as diverse and eclectic, and these descriptions cannot be far from truth. One specific them that is recurrent on Uribe’s work is the woman torso, although he added that each object used in every work was “a kind of skin” that described the type of person being done. “Aesthetically speaking, it has to do with the commemorative busts that describe thirty persons representative of different classes, ethnic groups, functions, etc.” (Bello, 6). He also described how thousands of pencils he was working on represented “something enigmatic that can be perceived in the influence of the thoughts of the characters depicted occurs,” (Bello, 6). Uribe was also able to articulate on the label of artists, such as that of a Latin American like himself. He said that the label could be useful for a while, but “after this phase, it is their work that speaks for itself, and if the emphasis is stronger on the Latin American than on the poetic quality, it does not go too far,” (Bello, 6). Please make references to some broader theoretical issues regarding the figure of the artist The figure of the artist can only go as far as what Uribe has pointed out. Art is a form of expression that connects a viewer to the work, without exaggeration of explanation. An art work should be able to stand by itself, and not depend on how the “artist” will explain them to his or her viewer in order to be comprehended. Uribe’s attitude is that of a true artist – he spoke for himself and not for his art. His art works had, like what Salcedo describe, their own life. Incidentally, Salcedo’s need the eloquence of her quotes from literary figures to be able to provide a message for her “independent” works of art. Although Salcedo’s works were curiously interesting, not everything that is curiously interesting could survive as a work of art. It takes more than an exhibit as well as sufficient publicity to produce art that endures. Many art works, as mentioned by Pressly (15-16), can only be appreciated as “the distraction of the vanities” and time will tell if their value could be real art. (genius) and how (auto)biography as art historical strategies have been dealt with in 20th century and contemporary art Art in the 20th century evolved to encompass many forms that are quite rebellious of the classical as well as well-accepted form of painting, images or sculpture (Pressly, 15). Likewise, throughout history, there were those artists who remained in the academic discussion, historical references, and continuing interest for they merit the attention that their products brought. There were also many “artists” who would soon disappear to oblivion despite the noise or apparent attention they might have garnered during their time. Biography and autobiographies may at some point be helpful or complementary to the character as well as appreciation of the work of art on the artist being featured. However, it should be noted that many of the classical and considered great artists up to this time did not fancy their works and contributions enough to bloat their ego with their own autobiographies. Instead, many biographers wrote, researched, and continued researching about the real great artists in order for the rest to learn from. Incidentally, too, true and respected artists did not memorize other great men’s words if only to speak for their work. They rarely spoke about their works. Conclusion Doris Salcedo seemed to have been influenced by young British installation or abstract sculptors and her abstraction present more than what they are trying to convey, in her own words. The imagination is a world apart from reality and to even be able to capture a little of it and present them in solid, visual form is feat enough for anybody. However, although art is done by an artist outside the influence of many others, it is not a product to be consumed and experienced by the artist alone. While many artists including Uribe admitted to the painful process of becoming one, the art work will soon find its audience, the message transferred and received, and this is independent of what the artist may need to talk or elucidate about in his or her own words. There truly are genius artists who transcend reality and present in a poetic manner such as the classical artists being studied, patronised, and appreciated by many throughout ages. But there are also those who claim to be one, capable enough to memorise good quotations of great men and women before them to explain their work of art. But their art remain dumb and silent no matter how much they want it to shout. Federico Uribe on the other hand learned the painful way to be an artist and became a genius without having to quote words of great men before him or even patrons about his works. Works Cited: Bello, Millagros. The Artist of the Month: Interview with Federico Uribe. Arte Aldia, April 2005. Merewether, Charles. Doris Salcedo (b. 1958) Interview with Charles Merewether. Ideas of the Postmodern. n.d. William L. Pressly . The Artist as Original Genius: Shakespeare's "Fine Frenzy" in Late Eighteenth-Century British Art (Studies) University of Delaware Press; 1 edition (January 31, 2008) Read More