Comparison of Artistic Works - Essay Example

Name Tutor Course Date Comparison of Artistic Works Introduction The works of art has been used over the years for different reasons including passing information in relation to the prevailing situation. Art is an essential ingredient in the lives of people across the globe. Different artists usually use different techniques when carrying out their work. Personality as well as the emotions of the artist is usually displayed in some of their artistic works. The painting named ‘Blue Poles’ by Jackson Pollock is among the most popular paintings of the mid twentieth century. The technique used during the painting was random spreading of ink and it is sometimes referred to as action painting. On the other hand, untitled (tribute to Ross LA) is also a famous artistic work of the late twentieth century and it was done by Felix Gonzalez-Torres. The two artistic works were influenced by various factors including the personalities of the artists and the emotions involved during the process of preparing the artistic works. Certain similarities as well as differences are also notable in the two artistic works. The concepts of psychoanalysis, post structuralism and deconstruction are always important in terms of comparing the artistic works of different artists. The paper compares and contrast the painting named blue poles by Jackson and Untitled (tribute to Ross LA) by Felix in relation to psychoanalysis, post structuralism and deconstruction. Psychoanalysis The concepts of psychoanalysis deals with the perception, cognition and other important characteristics of art that leads to its production. In comparison between the artistic work of Felix and Jackson, the difference lies in the abstract and sculpture. The Blue Poles, done by Jackson, is mainly an abstract and action painting technique was used. However, the artistic work of Felix is a sculpture that was meant to honour his lover who had passed away. Mortality salience is one of the important concepts that are used in arts to show that the artists understand the knowledge of approaching death (Amanda, 6). The artistic work of Felix displays the knowledge of mortality salience. The work was being dedicated to his lover who had died. Nevertheless, since the sculpture can be replenished by items which make it; it also displays that the artist believes in the continuity of life. This is unlike the painting by Jackson which does not display the concepts of mortality salience and hence the difference in the two artistic works. The meaning in an artistic work is also an important issue. Most of the critics argue that the ‘blue poles’ painting does not have any significant meaning due to its random painting. This is unlike the work of Felix which carries some of meanings and it can easily be interpreted. Such differences therefore play an important role during the psychoanalysis of the two artistic works. It is also important to note that production of the two artistic works also differs in terms of their techniques as well as the materials that were used. Complexity is also an important concept that is used psychoanalysis of the art. This mainly deals with the nature of the artistic work and how it was produced. The complexity of the artistic work plays an integral role in terms of winning the support of the public. Both works are complex in nature and this has played an important role in terms of increasing their popularity. It is for this reason that both works have continued to attract a lot of attention as well as high amounts in terms of sale. Evidence from neural evidence also shows that the abstract painting is more likely to receive more attention as compared to the sculpture. This is also true at some point for the blue poles painting which had a high popularity among the people (Cosic, 12). The personality of the artist is also an important factor during psychoanalysis. This also determines how the persona; life of the artists influences their works. The artistic work by Felix revels a lot about his personality as compared to the blue poles paintings. The work by Felix also highlights the issues of sexual orientation as it clearly portrays that he was gay. The response of the people in relation to the two artistic works was also different. The works of Felix received different responses from different people. It important to note that a sculpture or a figurative art is more likely to elicit reaction and response from different people as compared to an abstract. Post structuralism Post structuralism puts in place a theory that suggests that the human mind is not stable. This has an impact on the interpretation of the works done by different artists. Various concepts and variables are usually used in post structuralism in order to interpret the work. The works by Gonzalez portrays some degree of post structuralism (Reckitt, 7). This is because his artwork has multiple interpretations although it was mainly meant to honour his lover who had passed away. One of the interpretations represents his sexual orientation. On the other hand, the aspects of continuity of life can also be derived from his artwork. The study of the object and the system of knowledge that was involved in the production of the object is also an important concept of post structuralism. The interpretation of the artwork of Gonzales therefore requires an understanding of his nature so as to fully interpret it. Understand that he was a gay person living in the United States of America is important in terms of ensuring that the artwork is well interpreted. On the other hand, the elements of post structuralism are not portrayed in the works of Jackson. This may partly be attributed to the time in which the works was produced. This is because in the mid twentieth century most of the concepts were based on structuralism and it had a great influence on the works of the artists at the time. The interpretation of the blue post painting is however complex due to the nature of the technique used during the process. The connection between the observation and the systematic view of knowledge is an important concept of post structuralism. This is one of the concepts that is evident in the artwork of Gonzalez. The body of his lover who had died carries a lot of political language that can be used to analyze his personality and opinions with regard to being gay in America. However it is also important to note that the principles of post structuralism argue that it is complex to use abstracts when dealing with the social issues due to the problems with interpretation. It is for this reason that the artwork of Pollock is not classified under post structuralism (Barrett, 5). On the other hand, the use of post structuralism also involves the use of simple methods which are open ended in terms of conveying information. The interpretation of the artwork of Pollock is much difficult as compared to that of Gonzalez and hence the relevance of post modernism. The elements of conceptualism are also displayed in the artwork of Gonzales. This is achieved by the connection that the sculpture is intended to bring although his lover was already dead. On the other hand, the artwork of Pollock does not offer connection with the facts or realities in the world. It is for thus reason that some critics turned it meaningless. Deconstruction The principle of deconstruction is aimed at exposing how the opposition works and also create new concepts in relation to art. The deconstruction of the art is an important concept that is portrayed in both artworks although they are addressed differently. The deconstruction takes place by moving away from the normal practices which are considered tradition. Pollock achieves this by placing canvas on the floor for the purposes of painting it. Through this technique, Pollock argued that it is possible to move around the canvas and hence make the painting process easy (Herskovic, 8). On the other hand, he also argued that the movement around the canvas on the floor during the painting process plays an important role in establishing a relationship with the painting. The same technique was used while painting the blue poles and the desired objectives were achieved. The use of physical body is also displayed by Pollock as he moves around the canvass during the process of developing the painting. It is also important to note that the use of the body is evident in both artistic works. While Pollock uses his own body, Gonzalez creates an artistic work that symbolizes the body of his lover who had passed away. This is for the purposes of passing information and as a form of expressing his emotional feelings towards the death of his lover. It is also important to note that the mass of the body that he had developed was equal to the original body weight of his lover before his weight started to drop due to the disease. The use of the metaphor is also evident in the artistic work of Gonzales which is also a principle of deconstruction. The removable installations signified the loss of weight of his partner due to battling with sickness. The replenishing of the removable installations indicated the continuity of life after death. It is thus evident that the two artistic works differed as Gonzales relied on the body of the spectator while Pollock used his own body. The lack of reference to culture is also an important aspect of deconstruction. This is evident in the artworks of Gonzales where no cultural reference is used and hence adhering to the principles of deconstruction. This is also true for Pollock who does not make cultural references to his artistic work. The reference to a moral opinion is also absent in the artistic work of Gonzales (Rost, 17). This is despite the moral opinions that surround the issues of gay relationship in the United States of America. This is therefore an indication that the principle of deconstruction is applicable in the artistic work. This is also similar to the artwork of Pollock as his painting had no issues regarding morality. Any information derived from an authority is an indication that the artistic work has a frame of reference. However since this is lacking in both works, it is that notable that the principles of deconstruction were applied. It can also be argued that the deconstruction principles in an artistic work play an important role in evaluating the creativity of the particular artist. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the principles of psychoanalysis, deconstruction and post structuralism plays an important role in defining artworks. It is also evident that the differences in the artworks are due to the different principles that are applied by the artists. The artwork developed by Gonzalez is different from that of Pollock in terms of the psychoanalysis. The time that the artwork was developed also contributes to the differences. This is because different principles and concepts were prevailing at the time. On the other hand the post structuralism is also an important concept and it has brought about the differences among the two artistic works. This can fully be attributed to the time as the painting by Pollock was developed much earlier before the post structuralism era. On the other hand, the two artworks have some similarities. The similarities mainly lie on the deconstruction principles. The deconstruction principles are upheld in both artist works despite their differences in the time of development. However, the similarities are due to the principles that were used. The similarities therefore portray some significant changes in terms of eliminating the use of frames of references. The use of the body also defines the message that was intended by both artists. It is however evident that the body was used differently by the two artist with that of Pollock being directly and that of Gonzales being indirectly. Works Cited Barrett, Lindsay. The Prime Minister's Christmas card: Blue Poles and Cultural Politics in the Whitlam Era. Illinois: University of Illinois Press. 2006 Cosic, Miriam. "Jackson Pollock's landmark work remains in pole position". The Australian. 2012. Herskovic, Marika. American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey. New York: New York School Press, 2003. Reckitt, Helena. Forgotten Relations: Feminist Artists and Relational Aesthetics. In: Angela Dimitrakaki and Lara Perry, eds. Curating Under a Glass Ceiling: Exhibiting art by women and feminists. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2013. Amanda, Adams. "“An Alternative Narrative: Memorial Culture, Mourning, and Death in the Work of Felix Gonzalez-Torres, 1987-1995”." Electronic Thesis or Dissertation. University of Cincinnati, 2011. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. Rost, Katharina. Given the Felix Gonzalez-Torres's Case: The art of placing a different idea of participation at our disposal. A Journal of the Performing Arts, 2011, Volume 16, Issue 3, Read More