Deciphering Yoko Ono's Artworks - Essay Example

Submitted] Deciphering Yoko Ono's Artworks "All of my work... is not an assimilation of all the other arts as Happening seems to be, but extrication from various sensory perceptions... the closest word for it may be a wish or hope." - Yoko Ono This statement of Yoko Ono Lennon captured the theme of her life's work- seemingly innocent to the naked eye but transforming into something else depending on the imagination of the viewer. Her style, according to her, is that of conceptual art.. Her life's story is that she was a Japanese-American artist and musician from a wealthy banking family and the spouse of John Lennon from the Beatles. One of Yoko Ono's works that testifies to her use of conceptual art is that of the ceiling painting which is shown in Figure 1. The artwork consists of text on paper, glass, metal frame, metal chain, magnifying glass and painted ladder. In this well-known Ceiling Piece (1966), the seeker's journey up a ladder is rewarded with a benevolent "yes." Yet the word can't be easily read. A magnifying glass hanging nearby must be used, reminding the viewer that it is their desire to know and see that carried them to this moment of affirmation. There is not so much subtlety in the Line element besides from the fact that the words were written so as to produce the desired effect of curious thinking. The simplicity of the shape, a three dimensional ladder, induces the mind as it makes the viewer wander about where the ladder is leading to. Its effect is that it arouses curiosity and such is the way to make others view your work. When it comes to texture, the artwork seems to suggest of the smooth transition as the viewer climbs the stairs. We see that when it comes to space, there is that little space where the ladder is focused. There is no boundary for the negative space and it is this vastness that the viewer is attracted to the artwork. We see that the stairs were highlighted. The contrast between the ladder and its surrounding serves to further emphasize that this ladder is not just an ordinary ladder but something more. That placement of the common ladder makes it so conspicuous that someone passing by would be interested in taking a glance at the artwork. The lightness value of the way the ladder was emphasized somehow gave it a glint of mystery which made it more mysterious to behold. After having read the words yes with the magnifying glass, the whole work achieves harmony with the viewer as he now feels the aura of mysteriousness and the sense of fulfillment. Perhaps the movement in the artwork is the climbing of the stairs, usage of the magnifying glass and reading the words. Each movement leads the viewer more to the essence of the artwork and makes him internalize the meaning of what he has just experienced. I could not agree more with what Bowen (2003) tells us that Ono "Ceiling Piece encourages us to ponder where we're heading..emphasizing the visual nature of this quest by linking spiritual affirmation to the seeker's curious gaze. On the other hand, what is finally found is a word, not an image. This substitution makes the mental nature of vision apparent." Another work of art of Ono is the invitation to her exhibit This is Not Here (1971). The invitations were written on partially fixed then folded photographic paper. When the invitation was opened and exposed to the light, the image imprinted disappeared. Instead, what was left was Onos name and telephone number. The recipient was left with a blank sheet of paper and an afterimage of its contents. The feeling of being puzzled and awe was for Ono what art should be and that is "wonderment". This use of photographs, as she called it, is "a tool with which to picture our world, mediate our desires, fulfill our goals, and yet it too exists in flux, perpetually afloat and ridden with life". The question that now faces us is how to delineate the elements of art in this work. Can we consider the lines that gave semblance to the imprints as having some artistic significance All lines disappeared except for the name of Ono and her number. If we take the perspective that having drawn that line to be the one left behind is what we can count on as having used the element of lines, then this is the use of the line in Ono's work-to give focus and 'wonderment'. The same could be said of the texture which presents a smooth transition/movement from innocence into a work of wonder. The disappearance of the image serves to give space for the true artwork. It serves to make the reader curious about what the message meant and thus emphasize the fact that there is art in this piece. What could we say of the value of the art The disappearance of the image to give way to another image suggests a transition between dark to lightness as what was left was a simple print of Ono's name. Placing a telephone number as part of the message gave balance to the art as it transports back the receiver from the world of amazement to a world of logic. This and the name of Ono serves to achieve harmony with the disappearance. Due to this, the art achieves its goal of achieving 'wonderment' from the viewer. Ultimately, Ono wanted to play with our concept of permanency and thru the photograph, she reminds us that those photographs is a tool with which to picture our world, mediate our desires, fulfill our goals, and yet it too exists in flux, perpetually afloat and ridden with life. After encountering Ono's work, I am reminded of Beethoven's Moonlight. The sonata is characterized by three movements starting with a melody that is played 'very quietly' continuing into a moment of relative calm written in D-flat major and then climaxing into a stormy final movement that is accompanied by strongly accented notes and an effective performance demands flamboyant and skillful playing. Ono's work seems to be relatively simple at first glance but then the thrill begins to increase as you go up the ladder. This is the second phase of transition comparable to the second phase of Beethoven's work. The momentum builds up as the magnifying glass is reached and finally climaxing into a feeling of amazement as the word 'yes' is read. The same goes true for the invitation as the moment of truth is achieved when the viewer calls up the phone number included in the work. Such a flurry of emotions is felt ranging from bewilderment, wonder, amazement then finally appreciation. Works Cited: Bowen, Dore (2003). "The Moment of Vision: Phenomenology and Post-War Photography". New York: Prentice Hall. Wikipedia Online (2007). "Piano Sonata Number 14". Retrieved from www.wikipedia.org Read More