To counter act the previous article that I talked about, I read a newspaper article, Animal rights activists fail to close Italian art exhibition by Garrett Harris, that talked about the same artist: Adel Abdessemed. In 2009 the artist had a controversial exhibition at Turin-based gallery. Included in the exhibition were images of animals being slaughtered. Some of the images included where the same images that were closed in the San Francisco exhibition the previous year. These images are included in the work Don't Trust Me (2008). The exhibition also included more films shot in Mexico that showcased roosters and dogs fighting in an area that the artist has put them in.
The Italian rights group reported concerns about the works involved with the exhibition to Turin's councillor, Domenico Magaone. The outcome was that works didn't have anything incriminating or illegal about them. So, the show went on as planned.
There is also mention about the exhibition at SAIC and what happened there.
____________
My thoughts:
It appears to me that the Italian animal rights group approached this exhibition in a different way than In Defense of Animals did with the SAIC exhibition. There was no mention of any direct threats to the artists or anyone else involved at the Turin exhibition. Is this because there wasn't a more massive public outpour of the exhibition? I wonder how many people actually reported concerns? Was it just a handful of people or thousands of people like with the In Defense of Animal group? I think the more people that are reporting a negative aspect of the works would have a great impact of shutting down the exhibition.
Is a more forceful direct and even threatening approach the only one that is going to work? I found these two newspaper articles fascinating because it has two different groups trying to shut down the same artist's exhibition. I do not think that animals rights groups should be going ground treating people. That is just not right. The question then remains who can animal rights groups approach exhibitions and artists who are harming animals in order to get their message across to the public?
I really have no desire to research more about the artist Abdessened. The work is just something I don't want to deal with; however, these newspaper articles about his work allows me to see evidence of animals advocacy groups trying to close down exhibitions.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
A Rupture in the Field of Representation: Animals, Photography and Affect
A Rupture in the Field of Representation: Animals, Photography and Affect
Recruiting Strangers and Friends: Moral Shock and Social Networks in Animal
Rights and Anti-Nuclear Protests. Reviewed by Matthew Brower
{curator of the University of Toronto Art Center; book is Animal Traces: Early American Animal Photography.}
concept of punctum is used to look at the importance of animality related to
the concept. Jacques Derrida is also brought up and his work on animality.
Jasper and Poulsen feel that animal rights activists encounter images of animal
suffering and use activism as a response to the suffering imposed within the
photographs. The response is referred to as "moral shocks," which
they describe as, "when an event or situation raises such a sense of
outrage in people that they become inclined toward political action, even in
the absence of a network of contacts." Activists used the images to attach
meaning and symbols that have adding meaning as a recruitment tool. The moral
shocks help to develop the animal activist groups.
John Berger's canonical argument of photographs of animals used to reinforce this
separation among humans and animals and humans. {Find out if I can get
Berger's book Why Look At Animals?} Photographs can show us how animals
remain separate from humans and our society has completely disconnected from
the animals.
Jonathan Burt {Book Animals in Film} looks at the potential affect animals have in
emotional responses. Animals can signify a "rupture in the field of
representation" The body of the animal act, however, they can't perform
any function. The essay further explores Burt's analysis of animals in film.
The most important part of Burt's argument is that the filmic punctum of animal
bodies isn't a private matter, but rather social and political.
The anaylsis of Burt is used for the reader to understand Barthes's punctum.
Barthes discusses the studium and the punctum in Camera Lucida. The
punctum, which is most important for this essay, is when the photographs expose
a wound and something that is outside the image. He refers to this as
"madness." The image in the photograph shows us something dead or a
horrifying event. It exposes our own finitude.
Barthes's punctum is seen as a singular and unsharable event; however the punctum
can't function without sharing of the finitude. The essay then goes into
describe other's ideas on animals and death. Akira Lippit believes that in the
Western way of thinking the emphasize the animals inability to comprehend
death. Derrida argues that animals have to signify that they are social beings.
The "madness" of the image in any photograph is "the spectral logic of hauntology."The madness in the photographs are unable to be maintained because we have to share
the wound that has been exposed to the viewer. The animals haunt the Camera Lucida and if we are able to find away to take animals seriously, we can understand how the
punctum has an affect to the social realm.
_______________________________
Thoughts:
This article was very interesting. I am wondering what it means that this is a
Review Essay. I thought that this article was very concise and easy to follow.
Brower brought up some really valid points and was able to call upon some
major authorities on the topic. I really need to further explore Jaques
Derrida because I have seen his name mentioned in a lot of the articles
that I have come across on the topic of animal rights in the arts. I was
able to pull some great information on ideas that I wasn't aware of before, one
of them being the idea of the punctum. This was new to me and very
fascinating. The bibliography of the article is going to be extremely
helpful to me because it provides a lot of resources that I believe will be of
value to me topic!
I haven't thought about exploring photography as the object of my paper prior to
reading this essay. I think that photography is an important medium and
sometimes can be overlooked. I do believe that photography of animal rights
issues can have a big impact on society. I will need to further explore
photographers who deal with the topic.
Animal Activists Closing Exhibitions
I recently found two articles/newspaper writings that dealt with the same artist: Adel Abdessemed, an Algerian, Paris based artists. The first one, Terror campaign by animal rights group forces closure of exhibition by Charmaine Picard published in Art Newspaper, May 2008, Vol. 17, p3-3; 1p,2008.
The exhibition was held at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) in March 2008. The curator, Hou Hanru had received numerous death threats by animal rights groups because the videos in the exhibition showed the killing of six animals. Abdessemed shot the videos in Mexico to show the documentation of traditional methods of food production. The animals were killed with the sledgehammer to their heads. The animal group, In Defense of Animals, set out emails to its members urging them to send letters for the exhibition to be taken down.
The group was classified as "extremists" by the president of SFAI, Chris Bratton. He said that the emails targeted the artist, staff, etc. It was shut down after one week of being open.
The artists' art dealer, David Zwirner said that the work was important political statement to make people aware of what is going on with the war. The animals were consumed for food. It is also about how other cultures view death.
_______
My thoughts:
I am not sure how I completely feel about the method of how the animal rights group approached the exhibition. I would also like to see proof of how threatening the emails actually were. I am sure that some of them were really threatening, but I don't believe that all of them could be. Having the exhibition shut down does show that activists groups do have some power.
I do not agree with what the artist had done for his work. I feel that he could have approached the political subject matter in a more tasteful way without harming animals.
For my thesis, I am not sure if I will want to deal with animal rights groups and there impact on artists/exhibitions. It is really interesting to see how powerful a group can be. Also, I wonder if the animals rights group have taken a more direct approach against other artists.
The exhibition was held at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) in March 2008. The curator, Hou Hanru had received numerous death threats by animal rights groups because the videos in the exhibition showed the killing of six animals. Abdessemed shot the videos in Mexico to show the documentation of traditional methods of food production. The animals were killed with the sledgehammer to their heads. The animal group, In Defense of Animals, set out emails to its members urging them to send letters for the exhibition to be taken down.
The group was classified as "extremists" by the president of SFAI, Chris Bratton. He said that the emails targeted the artist, staff, etc. It was shut down after one week of being open.
The artists' art dealer, David Zwirner said that the work was important political statement to make people aware of what is going on with the war. The animals were consumed for food. It is also about how other cultures view death.
_______
My thoughts:
I am not sure how I completely feel about the method of how the animal rights group approached the exhibition. I would also like to see proof of how threatening the emails actually were. I am sure that some of them were really threatening, but I don't believe that all of them could be. Having the exhibition shut down does show that activists groups do have some power.
I do not agree with what the artist had done for his work. I feel that he could have approached the political subject matter in a more tasteful way without harming animals.
For my thesis, I am not sure if I will want to deal with animal rights groups and there impact on artists/exhibitions. It is really interesting to see how powerful a group can be. Also, I wonder if the animals rights group have taken a more direct approach against other artists.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Where is the Animal after Post-Humanism?
Where
is the Animal
after
Post-Humanism?
Sue
Coe and the Art of Quivering Life
By A l i c e K u
z n i a r
Kuzniar,
Alice. 2011. "Where is the Animal after Post-Humanism?." CR: The New
Centennial Review 11, no. 2: 17-40. Humanities International Complete, EBSCOhost
(accessed November 27, 2012).
Bibliography
Kuzniar,
Alice. "Where is the Animal after Post-Humanism?." CR: The New
Centennial Review 11, no. 2 (Fall2011 2011): 17-40. Humanities International
Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 27, 2012).
Article
begins by addressing Adorno and his take on the gaze of Homo sapiens. Kuzniar finds the quote from Adorno to
contradict each other.
Quote
from Adorno:
Nichts so ausdrucksvoll wie die Augen von
Tieren—Menschenaff en—,
die
objektiv darüber zu trauern scheinen, dass sie keine Menschen sind.
There
is nothing so expressive as the eyes of animals—especially apes—which
seem
objectively to mourn that they are not human. (Adorno 1970, 172/113)1
Die
Philosophie ist eigentlich dazu da, das einzulösen, was im Blick eines
Tieres
liegt.
Philosophy
actually exists in order to redeem what is to be found in the gaze
of an
animal. (Adorno in conversation with Horkheimer, cited in Claussen
2003,
305/255)
Adorno uses the term Menschenaff en to apply
to the expressivity of the humanlike animal gaze. The term is used to show the
slippage of the boundary between man and animal.
The
second part deals with another idea: “gaze is so incomprehensible, perhaps so
unhuman-like,
that it calls upon philosophy as its paramount task to think
through
and put into words all that is contained in it—to keep the promise,
as it
were, of what lies in the gaze of the animal. Philosophy thus becomes a
field
of inquiry less into the human being
than into sentient animal being” {page 18}
Kuzniar
goes on to further explore this relationship in the following paragraphs.
“In
sum, the mutual gaze is the contact point where human and animal meet,
where
the concrete interaction disrupts the “animal in theory,” where the
visual
disrupts the dominance of the logos,
where Lévinas stops short of
attributing
a face to animals, and where an attack is mounted against the
so-called
humanistic preoccupation with what the gaze could mean.” {page 19}
She
goes into further exploration of Sue Coe’s work as a graphic artist and animal
activist who has been mistrusted. She quotes Steve Baker on Coe’s work:
“Steve
Baker, forinstance, observes that her drawings “constantly risk being drawn
close toa stylistic sentimentality in order to express the artist’s moral and
political
outrage”
{page 19}
It
seems then Kuzniar disagrees with what Steve Baker has to say about Sue Coe’s
work.
Kuzniar
wants to look at Coe’s work differently than looked at by Steve Baker and other
critics. She describes Coe’s work by questioning, “to ask how she redefines the
parameters in which one can address compassion and respond to the face of the
animal without falling into sentimentality. In what ways can it be said that
her art indeed shatters the viewer’s sovereign gaze?” {Page 21}
In
order to examine Coe’s work, Kuzniar has to reassess her work in order to be
able to retrace the meaning.
{Pagee
22} provides some background information on Coe as an artist. There is some
really good descriptions and facts to look back on.
I
really appreciated how this article took a different look into the topic.
The
notes page provides a lot of good resources that I need to further explore.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Artists {Sue Coe}
Since I discovered the work of Steve Baker, I have been researching artists who specially deal with the rights of animals. I am not to familiar with contemporary art dealing with animals, especially artists who are critiquing the animal/factory farm industry. One artist that I found through Steve Baker's writings was Sue Coe, an English artist and illustrator working primarily in drawing and printmaking.
I discovered an interesting video of Sue Coe from Our Hen House, a vegan activist group. It was really interesting hearing from the artist herself and what she thinks about her own work and the creative process. I think that is one benefit of researching and writing about an artwork/artist that is more contemporary. You can have a first hand account and your questions might be answered a little more easier, even though you can't always trust what an artist says about their own work.
http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2011/12/new-video-sue-coe-art-of-the-animal/
From watching the video and looking at her work, I am truly inspired. I haven't come across any types of prints like Coe's before. They move you and make you think about the factory farming industry. One thing that I really came to appreciate from watching the video was the face that Coe grew up near a factory farm and had a first hand account of the horrible acts that took place inside and outside the farm. Not many people are not able to have a direct account of the industry and how horrible it is.
I think that I would like to somehow include Sue Coe into my paper. I am just not sure how exactly I want to go about doing that. I know that I will be able to find a way, just not sure how I want to incorporate her works, either as an example or a main focus of the paper.
Exhibition at Galerie St. Etienne in New York.
http://www.gseart.com/- click on Sue Coe's name for information on her past exhibitions.
___________________________
I think when you are researching something that you really care about makes the process both easier and more enjoyable. When I first started researching on Mexican churches I was not really into it. I could tell that when I was trying to find out more information on the subject, it was more of a hassle and wasn't really interesting to me. When I switched over to animals rights through the arts, I wanted to keep researching and I found out more information. I think that it is very important to want to really ask questions and figure out something that you really care about. I am pretty certain that I will be writing on animal activism in the arts and not on Mexican churches.
I discovered an interesting video of Sue Coe from Our Hen House, a vegan activist group. It was really interesting hearing from the artist herself and what she thinks about her own work and the creative process. I think that is one benefit of researching and writing about an artwork/artist that is more contemporary. You can have a first hand account and your questions might be answered a little more easier, even though you can't always trust what an artist says about their own work.
http://www.ourhenhouse.org/2011/12/new-video-sue-coe-art-of-the-animal/
From watching the video and looking at her work, I am truly inspired. I haven't come across any types of prints like Coe's before. They move you and make you think about the factory farming industry. One thing that I really came to appreciate from watching the video was the face that Coe grew up near a factory farm and had a first hand account of the horrible acts that took place inside and outside the farm. Not many people are not able to have a direct account of the industry and how horrible it is.
I think that I would like to somehow include Sue Coe into my paper. I am just not sure how exactly I want to go about doing that. I know that I will be able to find a way, just not sure how I want to incorporate her works, either as an example or a main focus of the paper.
Exhibition at Galerie St. Etienne in New York.
http://www.gseart.com/- click on Sue Coe's name for information on her past exhibitions.
___________________________
I think when you are researching something that you really care about makes the process both easier and more enjoyable. When I first started researching on Mexican churches I was not really into it. I could tell that when I was trying to find out more information on the subject, it was more of a hassle and wasn't really interesting to me. When I switched over to animals rights through the arts, I wanted to keep researching and I found out more information. I think that it is very important to want to really ask questions and figure out something that you really care about. I am pretty certain that I will be writing on animal activism in the arts and not on Mexican churches.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The Postmodern Animal
While furthering my research, I discovered an authority on animal arts,Steve Baker, an art historian. {Further research on his background} His book, The Post Modern Animal, deals with the significant features of ironies and its relation to the postmodern art of animals. He mentions how irony has played a significant role in early postmodernism.
Chapter 2 from the book:
Chapter 2 from the book:
- The question being dealt with is whether the activities of an artist can save certain animals, homo sapiens, etc.
- Irony played an important part in self-consciously clever moves of postmodernism
- 1980s: Images of the animal seemed to proliferate across the arts. He discusses this 'first stage' of postmodernism and discusses it further in the chapter in order to get a sense of how exactly the newly visible animal got caught up in parroting and parodying and to what effect.
- pg 27: example used was the Royal Academy's exhibition A New Spirit in Painting, a return to painting was now a big focus
- two colorful paintings by Malcom Morley: Parrots & The Lone Ranger Lost in the Jungle of Erotic Desires
- pg 28: This exhibition wasn't embarrassing like Kitsch art had been; it was rather striking. Other images of animals were also present
- A presence of animals meant that there was an end to the 'austere' modernism which felt that there wasn't any place for animals
- Christos Joachimides addressed in a catalogue essay of avant-garde of the 1960s & 70s "bound to be self-defeating" on account of their narrow, purt art approach devoid of all joy and senses."
- Writers found Morley's animal imagery 'postmodern' formal expression and in his evocation of a sensual primitive pleasure
- Julian Barnes novel Flaubert's Parrot {1984} told a story of how an English doctor Geoffrey Bralthwarte went to France in order to find the parrot that Faulbert had wrote about. It was a really sad and serious story
- He attempted to do something by considering how Flauberts own animal imagery may now be understood
- Uses film exp. Greenway
- pg 37: psychoanalyst Adam Phillips: rage and how you can feel humiliated, revealing what matter to us
- "postmodern animals might productively be thought of as the rhetorical figure of the human, animal, and artist or philosopher whose purpose is to imagine it hold to idea of a good life"
- Adorno "from time immemorial was regarded as the true field of philosophy"
- pg 38: two stages of postmodernism
- ironic detachment and a freedom from humiliation
- vainly raging about things that matter
- Irony changes nothing; it will have little to contribute to creative work of postmodern animal
The chapter was very interesting and I would like to further explore Baker's works. I think that he is going to be a very vauable resource in my thesis.
To do: check out Picturing the Beast: Animals, Identity, and Representation from the library. Call number: 398.369 B168P
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Week 10
I am currently thinking about why I would want to write about animal advocacy in the arts. My top reason would have to be that I am extremely passionate about animal rights and how the world perceives and treats the animals, especially farm animals. It would be amazing if I was somehow able to connect the two together. I think that it is very well possible, but I am not quite sure the direction that I want to go. I know that previously their have been artists who have done performance pieces with dead animals or they tortured animals. I want to find out all the artists who have done art pieces with animals and figure out their reasoning behind choosing that for their art.
I think that we can learn a lot of our culture by how we treat animals. How does society perceive living among the animals? Why is it ok to treat a dog a certain way and a farm animal differently? This weeks reading on Social Art History as very interested to me and I would like to future explore this methodology. I really connected to what T.J. Clark had to say about social art history in this weeks textbook reading.
Current task: further explore the connect of animal advocacy in the arts. I want to figure out what is currently being down. I am also not to familiar with advocacy among the arts and would like to further explore. Find books. articles dealing with both animals in the arts and advocacy in the arts.
I am really excited about the direction that my topic is going! I look forward to learning more on the topic.
I think that we can learn a lot of our culture by how we treat animals. How does society perceive living among the animals? Why is it ok to treat a dog a certain way and a farm animal differently? This weeks reading on Social Art History as very interested to me and I would like to future explore this methodology. I really connected to what T.J. Clark had to say about social art history in this weeks textbook reading.
Current task: further explore the connect of animal advocacy in the arts. I want to figure out what is currently being down. I am also not to familiar with advocacy among the arts and would like to further explore. Find books. articles dealing with both animals in the arts and advocacy in the arts.
I am really excited about the direction that my topic is going! I look forward to learning more on the topic.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Week 9
This week I wanted to further explore the idea of the
Mexican holiday: Day of the Day. I already knew a few things about the
festivities that are celebrated, but I wanted to know some more background
information. The holiday is a version of the Roman Catholic Feasts’ and All
Souls Day. It is unique to Mesoamerican legacy. It is a symbol of the nation
itself. It has been celebrated from colonial times up until the present. The
holiday is also seen as a political event for some. The holiday is typically
observed November 1st and 2nd.
It is also known as el Dia de Arvimas (Souls Day), el Dia de
los Firidos (Day of the Deceased) or el Dia de los Fieles Difuntos (Day of the
Faithfully Departed)
Events take place from October 31st to November 2nd.
{More information is available on the celebrations each day} There are three
masses take place on November 2nd today.
The holiday is a key symbol of national identity, especially
for those who live outside of Mexico.
Is this something that I really want to write about? I am
not sure. While thinking about the Day of the Dead, I discovered that there is
currently an alter honoring animals that have been used for human consumption
at the Mexican Art Museum here in Chicago. This is a fascination to me. In our culture
here in the U.S. we have a disconnection with the animals that we consume. Here
the animals have been honored and they are being respected.
Since one of my biggest passions is animal rights and advocacy,
I became very interested and started thinking more about animal advocacy and
how animals are used throughout the arts. I want to further explore the
connection of human interaction in the arts throughout history.
I remember that in my twentieth century class that animals
were being harmed for art purposes. This isn’t okay with me. Can animals not be
harmed while making art? Yes, I whole heartily believe this to be true. It may
have not been done before. Can we honor animals throughout the arts without exploiting
them? Yes.
{To do: Find examples of animal advocacy in the arts in 20th
century, contemporary art, and historical references}
I believe that art can be a vehicle for animal advocacy. I
will need to further explore what is currently being done within this field. I can imagine that it is growing, but it can’t
be that big—{more research on this}
Even though I am really interested in exploring colonial churches
of Mexico, I don’t think that is the direction that I want to go in. I am extremely
passionate for animal and researching animal advocacy would be really
exciting!!
It is interesting how you research on topic, which then leads
you to another topic. The process of research is a really fascinating idea. Through
this process I have learned so much about how I work best and what I am truly interested
in researching.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Current Toughts
I am still not sure where to take my research. I am finding that figuring out a specific topic is really hard!!
What I have learned about researching so far is that I need to do it in the morning. I can get more things accomplished before noon.
I found out about the DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS exhibition at the Mexican Art Museum here in Chicago an I want to check it out. I know that I am to focus on some aspect of Latin American art, but I don't know if architecture is the right direction for me. I am fascinated by the day of the dead in Mexico. I think that this exhibit could help me figure out a specific topic to write about. I plan to go there soon!
Link:
http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/exhibits/featured/d%C3%AD-de-los-muertos-2012
It looks like there are a lot of artists in the exhibit. I hope to be inspired!
What I have learned about researching so far is that I need to do it in the morning. I can get more things accomplished before noon.
I found out about the DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS exhibition at the Mexican Art Museum here in Chicago an I want to check it out. I know that I am to focus on some aspect of Latin American art, but I don't know if architecture is the right direction for me. I am fascinated by the day of the dead in Mexico. I think that this exhibit could help me figure out a specific topic to write about. I plan to go there soon!
Link:
http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/exhibits/featured/d%C3%AD-de-los-muertos-2012
It looks like there are a lot of artists in the exhibit. I hope to be inspired!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Background Research
Since I am not sure what direction I want to go with for my topic, I decided to work on some basic background/historiography of Mexican architecture and churches. I looked for information on both colonial and modern architecture.
While searching for information on modern architecture, I came across some interesting facts in the article The Preservation of Historic Architecture and The Beliefs of the Modern Movement in Mexico 1914-1963. In the article it looks at both modern architecture and preserving the architecture of the 17th-19th centuries.
Within the modern movement in Mexico, there were two important events that took place: one in 1914 and the other in 1963. In 1914, the architect Federico Mariscal influenced the thoughts behind preserving historical Mexican architecture. In 1963, the Plaza de las Tres Culturas took place and presented the preservation of previous centuries with critical components. This must be understood under a new cultural program endorsed by Jose Vasconcelos, the founder in 1922 of Public Education Ministry.
Mariscal was an important figure in preserving the viceregal architecture in Mexican culture and found that it was a primary element of Mexican Identity. He discussed the theory of "Motherhood and Nation" which concluded that buildings should be cherised and not destroyed; and the Mexican peoples are compelled to learn about this works.
Note: This information is something that I have been wanted to find out. I want to somehow relate the contemporary back to the past centuries through architecture. I was very elated when I read about Mariscal!
Mariscal also discussed the importance of embracing the Mestizaje as the foundation of a new way of thinking. (Look for his book: La Patira y la Arqurlectura.)
I also found an interesting article on background information: The Catholic Church in Mexico. The article goes through this history of the Catholic Church in Mexico from the time of the conquest to present Mexico. I think there is valuable information that could be used whether I decide to focus on colonial or modern architecture.
Mexican Baroque: Capital is Puebla
Architect Lorenzo Rodriguez (Spanish) influence on design. Masterpiece is Sagrario Metropolitano in Mexico City, which I have seen in person. Churrigueresque style
Other church that I have visited Ss. Sebastian y Santa Prisca in Taxco. Very ornate, over the top, so much gold used.
While searching for information on modern architecture, I came across some interesting facts in the article The Preservation of Historic Architecture and The Beliefs of the Modern Movement in Mexico 1914-1963. In the article it looks at both modern architecture and preserving the architecture of the 17th-19th centuries.
Within the modern movement in Mexico, there were two important events that took place: one in 1914 and the other in 1963. In 1914, the architect Federico Mariscal influenced the thoughts behind preserving historical Mexican architecture. In 1963, the Plaza de las Tres Culturas took place and presented the preservation of previous centuries with critical components. This must be understood under a new cultural program endorsed by Jose Vasconcelos, the founder in 1922 of Public Education Ministry.
Mariscal was an important figure in preserving the viceregal architecture in Mexican culture and found that it was a primary element of Mexican Identity. He discussed the theory of "Motherhood and Nation" which concluded that buildings should be cherised and not destroyed; and the Mexican peoples are compelled to learn about this works.
Note: This information is something that I have been wanted to find out. I want to somehow relate the contemporary back to the past centuries through architecture. I was very elated when I read about Mariscal!
Mariscal also discussed the importance of embracing the Mestizaje as the foundation of a new way of thinking. (Look for his book: La Patira y la Arqurlectura.)
I also found an interesting article on background information: The Catholic Church in Mexico. The article goes through this history of the Catholic Church in Mexico from the time of the conquest to present Mexico. I think there is valuable information that could be used whether I decide to focus on colonial or modern architecture.
Mexican Baroque: Capital is Puebla
Architect Lorenzo Rodriguez (Spanish) influence on design. Masterpiece is Sagrario Metropolitano in Mexico City, which I have seen in person. Churrigueresque style
Other church that I have visited Ss. Sebastian y Santa Prisca in Taxco. Very ornate, over the top, so much gold used.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Research
I am still researching how I can connect contemporary Mexican architecture with colonial architecture. From my research on contemporary Mexican buildings, I have discovered an interesting architect and his work: Luis Barragán.
Barragan developed Jardines del Pedregal de San Angel: an exclusive Mexico City subdivision designed and built between 1945 and 1953. Being an exclusive subdivision really intrigues me. What made it so exclusive?
I am even sure if I will try and use this for my paper/topic, but I find it very interesting and will keep it in the back of my head.
Sources:
Postwar Modernism in Mexico: Luis Barragán's Jardines del Pedregal and the International Discourse on Architecture and Place
Keith Eggener
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians , Vol. 58, No. 2 (Jun., 1999), pp. 122-145
Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the Society of Architectural HistoriansArticle DOI: 10.2307/991481
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org.emils.lib.colum.edu/stable/991481
http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1870-11912010000100007 {use for Bib}
InterSections: Architectural Histories and Critical Theories
By Iain Borden
Other thoughts:
Still thinking about how to relate colonial architecture to modern. Is this possible? I think that is, but needs further research. I haven't been able to find much on modern "church" architecture? Why? There must most be a need for new churches to be built. The older churches still have a major presence in the lives of Mexicans, the same as when they were built. I question though if they have the same meaning as they did when they were constructed. I think for some of the population they do, but I don't believe that all of the population is greatly affected by the church architecture.
To do this week:
More research
Interlibrary loan books requests
Barragan developed Jardines del Pedregal de San Angel: an exclusive Mexico City subdivision designed and built between 1945 and 1953. Being an exclusive subdivision really intrigues me. What made it so exclusive?
I am even sure if I will try and use this for my paper/topic, but I find it very interesting and will keep it in the back of my head.
Sources:
Postwar Modernism in Mexico: Luis Barragán's Jardines del Pedregal and the International Discourse on Architecture and Place
Keith Eggener
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians , Vol. 58, No. 2 (Jun., 1999), pp. 122-145
Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the Society of Architectural HistoriansArticle DOI: 10.2307/991481
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org.emils.lib.colum.edu/stable/991481
http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1870-11912010000100007 {use for Bib}
InterSections: Architectural Histories and Critical Theories
By Iain Borden
Other thoughts:
Still thinking about how to relate colonial architecture to modern. Is this possible? I think that is, but needs further research. I haven't been able to find much on modern "church" architecture? Why? There must most be a need for new churches to be built. The older churches still have a major presence in the lives of Mexicans, the same as when they were built. I question though if they have the same meaning as they did when they were constructed. I think for some of the population they do, but I don't believe that all of the population is greatly affected by the church architecture.
To do this week:
More research
Interlibrary loan books requests
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
This past week, I have been thinking about what direction I would like to go in for my paper. I don't know if focussing on colonial architecture in Mexico is what I would like to research. I would love to somehow be able to relate the churches somehow to some effect that they have on the cultural today. I am not sure if this would be a good idea or really even possible.
I am also wondering if I should focus on art from the twentieth century. Something more contemporary might be more interesting. I am not sure.
There is a lot to consider when choosing a topic!
I have found a couple of articles that could be helpful in determining what my specific research topic will be.
César Augusto Salgado
http://www.jstor.org.emils.lib.colum.edu/stable/541365
http://www.jstor.org.emils.lib.colum.edu/stable/987393
Hybridity in New World Baroque Theory
http://www.jstor.org.emils.lib.colum.edu/stable/541365
The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Autumn, 1963), p. 78
-Find the book, not looking to use the review of the book as a source
Review: Latin American Baroque
Early Music, Vol. 39, No. 2 (May 2011), pp. 295-298
-Also, find the book for this
Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 5, Latin American Architecture (1945 - 1946), pp. 27-32
Style in 18th Century Mexico
http://www.jstor.org.emils.lib.colum.edu/stable/164894Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Topic Ideas
The past week I have been thinking of potential topics for my paper. I have the broad topic idea of Mexican Churches, but I know that I need to focus and be more specific. I probably will want to focus on churches from the colonial era/Baroque style of architecture.
Questions to consider:
-What area of Mexico to focus on?
-Was there one main architect?
-What is the meaning behind the church architecture?
-When did the Baroque style begin?
-How was the church influential in converting natives to Catholicism?
-Is their a political/government role involved with the churches today?
-Does the church architecture play the same role as it did when built?
Trying to find a narrow/specific topic is very tricky. I like the idea of questioning how the church the church has influenced the people. How much did the style of architecture play an important part in converting natives?
Having been inside some of the churches in Mexico, I am amazed and astonished by how much gold and details were put into the churches.
For me I find Mexican Barque churches to have elements of the European Barque style except it is on steroids. I am very fascinated by this and want to further explore the elements that make up this style of architecture.
Questions to consider:
-What area of Mexico to focus on?
-Was there one main architect?
-What is the meaning behind the church architecture?
-When did the Baroque style begin?
-How was the church influential in converting natives to Catholicism?
-Is their a political/government role involved with the churches today?
-Does the church architecture play the same role as it did when built?
Trying to find a narrow/specific topic is very tricky. I like the idea of questioning how the church the church has influenced the people. How much did the style of architecture play an important part in converting natives?
Having been inside some of the churches in Mexico, I am amazed and astonished by how much gold and details were put into the churches.
For me I find Mexican Barque churches to have elements of the European Barque style except it is on steroids. I am very fascinated by this and want to further explore the elements that make up this style of architecture.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Researching
As I begin researching further into my topic for my senior capstone, I would like to write down different different research techniques/resources that both worked in the past and those that haven't worked. From prior experience I know that it is best not to wait to do your research. I will admit that I am a procrastinator, which is something that I have improved upon throughout college, and waiting until the last minute for your research doesn't work at all. Research takes time. I have used the Interlibrary Loan Service before and it is wonderful. I love the fact that you can get a book from another library; however, you must request the book well in advance because it could take a couple of weeks to get to you. I will definitely be using this service for my project.
I am pretty familiar with JSTOR and have used it for most of my research papers. I have started to look for articles on my topic, but I probably will have to use more books than articles if I do decide to write about Mexican Churches. I have not been able to find tons of articles pertaining to the topic, but I will keep on researching.
From the last class, I learned about Zotero and was really intrigued by it. I have made an account and have been saving my articles that I find on JSTOR. It is a wonderful website! I really wish that I would have know about this sooner. I think that it will help me with my project and keeping track of the different resources that I am using. In the past, I have lost a citation that I have needed and had to go back through and try and find it. I really would like it avoid that happening.
I am still continuing my research on Mexican Churches, focusing on those from the colonial period and Baroque style. I am not sure what direction I want to go with this topic. I hope that my research will help me find a more specific topic to focus on.
I am pretty familiar with JSTOR and have used it for most of my research papers. I have started to look for articles on my topic, but I probably will have to use more books than articles if I do decide to write about Mexican Churches. I have not been able to find tons of articles pertaining to the topic, but I will keep on researching.
From the last class, I learned about Zotero and was really intrigued by it. I have made an account and have been saving my articles that I find on JSTOR. It is a wonderful website! I really wish that I would have know about this sooner. I think that it will help me with my project and keeping track of the different resources that I am using. In the past, I have lost a citation that I have needed and had to go back through and try and find it. I really would like it avoid that happening.
I am still continuing my research on Mexican Churches, focusing on those from the colonial period and Baroque style. I am not sure what direction I want to go with this topic. I hope that my research will help me find a more specific topic to focus on.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Opening Reflections- Questions & Commitments
Senior Seminar in Art History
Project Journal
Fall 2012
At the beginning of my undergraduate career, I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in or exactly what I wanted my future career to be. I ultimately decided to major in History with a minor in Art History. After my first semester at my previous college, before I transfered to Columbia, I switched my minor of Art History to my major. I no longer was satisfied with History as my major because I wanted to associate visual images with the history. I planned on pursing my master's degree in Library Science, but I am not sure if that is still what I would like to do. I hope that this capstone course will help me decide if that is what I would really like to do.
Through my previous coursework, I have discovered that I am really fascinated by colonial art and religious art and architecture. I am interested in exploring how images set within colonial culture and religion have shaped the cultural ideal and what is accepted as a cultural norm. I would like to find meaning in how religious art has shaped a culture's beliefs. I have found that I also am interested in European Baroque, but even more Baroque Architecture in Mexico. I wonder if the churches from earlier periods still have the same influence in the culture as they once had.
In the Senior Seminar Capstone, I hope to further explore methods of art history and how to research certain types on imagery. How do we decide what type of image is more valued than another? Does it depend on the time and place the object/image was made? I hope that my path in this capstone will help to answer some of these questions that I have. I also hope to find a topic or specific art/artist that I would like to further explore on a deeper level.
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