Similar Ideas Expressed by Different Artists - Essay Example

Museum Paper The two works of art under consideration are a self portrait by Ansel Adams on display at the Bowers Museum and the Chuck Close print titled Emma. Both works are magnificent in their beauty yet the impact they have on the viewer is quite different. While one focuses on the power and strength projected by the art of photography, the other pushes the boundaries of print making. However, before dwelling into an examination of the works themselves, it would be better to get a bit of background information about the artists. Ansel Adams was a famous American photographer who worked mostly with black and white images and with landscapes of the American natural heritage. Adams is not only a photographer par excellence, he is also a famous environmentalist known for pushing preservationist agendas and working for the protection of the American natural heritage (Bowers, 2007). The sublime in nature is clearly evident in most of his works where the majesty of the natural environment is presented to the viewers unadulterated by colors. The collection on display at the Bowers Museum features not only pictures of nature but also of man and some which are in combination. Clearly, Adams was not looking at nature to the exclusion of human beings since he does take his own self portrait amongst natural surroundings even if it is just a shadow of his self which is imposed on nature. However, the images and the artist himself come with the implication that nature is certainly a fundamental part of who he is and what he thinks is important (Bowers, 2007). On the other hand, Chuck Close seems to be focusing on the art and wealth of effort which is required to produce a single work of art. While the works seem like pictures and images when seen from a distance, upon closer examination the art seems to dissolve into pixels that can be found on television or computer screens (OCMA, 2007). This I found to be quite magical since the image presented by the artists could change significantly depending on the distance I was standing away and the areas I was focusing on. Chuck Close’s work does not focus on the elements of nature which surround us but rather it focuses on the greatest creation of nature, i.e. human beings. More exactly, it focuses on the human face in its many variations, colors, shapes and ages. For example, the Self-Portrait of the artist shows a middle aged man who is looking directly at the audience while Emma shows a young child who seems to be gazing into the distance rather than looking at the viewer (OCMA, 2007). Additionally, while Ansel Adams focuses on the art of photography (Bowers, 2007), Chuck Close works with several different mediums including lithography, handmade paper, Japanese woodcut and silk screening (OCMA, 2007). The formal elements of the works show that Ansel Adams has presented a self portrait in black and white where the shadow of the artist occupies the majority of the space in the picture. At the same time, there is the presence of a landscape which seems to be towering over the artist even though the landscape appears to be sunk into the background. The texture of stones and rocks is beautifully juxtaposed with the texture of the shadow which also includes a camera that is the essential tool of the artist. The formal elements for Emma have a lot to do with color since the image itself is formed from many smaller images with a variety of colors that come together to make the final image. These smaller images are squares and rectangles filled with different colors and it almost looks like a clear photograph is being viewed through the stained glass windows of a church. This is a very beautiful illusion and it becomes almost impossible to say which artist has produced a more attractive work of art. It would be difficult to associate a direct meaning to any work of art since I feel that my own reflection on the work would create a meaning which is true for me and it would remain true even if a different interpretation was presented by someone else. Therefore, my interpretation of Adams’ self-portrait comes from what I know of his work and life and I think that Adams was trying to show how he was a part of nature even though he was not really in the picture itself. His shadow is a creation of nature since without the sun there would be no shadows and the inclusion of the camera in his self-portrait pays homage to how that great tool has become a part of what he thinks is his inner self. The picture of Emma by Chuck Close has a far less complicated meaning for me since I consider it to be a child looking at the world in complete amazement and a sense of wonder. Perhaps it would be a look we all could have on our faces if we come across a sufficiently advanced piece of technology or a superb work of art. However, there is also something disturbing about the picture since after staring at it for a long time, I felt that the child was broken or incomplete in some way. At the same time, if I stepped back and looked at it again with squinted eyes, the child seem whole and happy. The context of both the works certainly affected the way I experienced them since the OCMA has several other works by Chuck Close on display and presents a lot of background information on how the works were created. The sheer volume of works prepares the viewer to better understand the picture of Emma once s/he comes to it but that does not mean that the impact of this particular image is lessened by that fact. On the other hand, while expecting a picture of the face of the artist in Ansel Adams’ self portrait, I was at first shocked to see the outline of a shadow. However, on a deeper examination and by knowing how important nature was to Ansel Adams, it becomes clear why he would have selected this shot as his self portrait and after a while that understanding is converted into appreciation of how he considered nature and natural landscapes to be a part of himself. It is a wonderful union of art and artist and in some ways it becomes superior to other self portraits which only show the face of the artist. Overall, I feel that the examination of two different works of art by two very diverse artists was an excellent experience and it certainly made me think how similar ideas can be expressed by different artists using different means. It does lead me to believe that there could be a unifying theme underlying all art regardless of the medium used or the methods to distribute the art from the artists to the final viewers. As we have not found that singular meaning and unifying theme, we have to continue experiencing art as we do today but once that single meaning is found, perhaps we shall have a new way of experiencing all forms of art. Word Count: 1,237 Works Cited Bowers. 2007. ‘Ansel Adams: Classic Images’, bowers.org, [Online] Available at: http://www.bowers.org/anseladams/index.html OCMA. 2007, ‘Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration’, OCMA.net, [Online] Available at: http://www.ocma.net/index.html?page=current#Chuck_Close_Prints:_Process_and_Collaboration Read More