HSC Visual Arts Section II Extended Response PDF

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FULL MARKS: VISUAL ARTS SECTION 2 EXTENDED RESPONSE
Artists included: Cezanne, Otto Dix, Kathe Kollwitz, Ai Weiwei.
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HSC Visual Arts: Section II Extended Response Conceptual Framework (2018 Visual Arts HSC) Question 6 (25 marks) Analyse what it is that makes an artwork valuable. In your answer, refer to specific artworks and other agencies of the art world. 8-9 pages in 45 minutes - approximately 1000 words POINT

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“Artist or critic quotes”

The value of art is not merely present through its capacity to communicate messages and meanings through the use of signs, symbols and forms. It’s true value lies within its ability to offer alternative perspectives and interpretations of the world to an audience, originating amidst the world and context of the artist. This rhetoric pervades artworks including Paul Cézanne’s A Modern Olympia (1874) and Still Life With Water Jugs (1892-93), Käthe Kollwitz’s Unemployment (1909), Otto Dix’s Wounded Man (1916) and Ai Weiwei’s Study of Perspective: Tiananmen Square (1995) and Sunflower Seeds (2010), as they exhibit, through artistic means, their interpretation of the world around them. The value of art demonstrated through the communication of alternative perspectives on the concept of ‘high art’ and the capturing of visual sensations is prominent within the artworks of Paul Cézanne. Cézanne (1839 – 1906) was a French Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th- to 20th-century art world. Cézanne’s 1874 A Modern Olympia - an appropriation of Manet’s earlier work, Olympia (1856) - portrays his radical view of ‘acceptable’ subjects of art. In this oil painting, the contrast of the nudity of the central woman with the elegant black attire of the spectating man, all contribute to the erotic and theatrical character of the scene, further accentuated by the presence of a curtain hanging on the left of the painting. It is a composition which presents and publicises the theme of the demi-mondaine - a group of people who live hedonistic lifestyles - contrary to the ‘proper’ artistic values of the context. Furthermore, Cézanne’s view of artistic expression also extended to the way in which artists convey the visual sensations of still life art. His oil painting, Still Life with Water Jugs (1892-93), demonstrates Cézanne’s belief that conventional perspective, which uses a single viewpoint, did not accurately reflect the way that we perceive the world, stating that “Painting from nature is not copying the object, it is realizing sensations.” The intense study of the subjects of his works can be observed through the combination of several viewpoints, his repetitive, exploratory brushstrokes and planes of colour intended to create depth. Thus, the value of art is evident through the paintings of Cézanne, challenging the commonly accepted assumptions of ‘high’ art with the artistic depiction of reality, and encouraging the audience to understand still life art as a vehicle through which the artist may convey the sensations of seeing life. The presentation of different perspectives on unemployment and war through the artworks of Käthe Kollwitz and Otto Dix speak to the value of art within our society. Käthe Kollwitz (1867 – 1945) was a German artist whose art depicts the effect of poverty, hunger and war on the working class through “dramatic and revealing portrayals of the humble, the miserable, the helpless” (Mina Klein, 1972). Kollwitz’s 1909 etching, “Unemployment” exemplifies her social commentary on the domestic ills that arose as the result of unemployment within an urban context. The artwork manipulates the use of light and shadow to indicate the burden forced upon men to provide for their families, who, in this artwork, are bathed in an angelic light, slightly touched with shadows of concern. Kollwitz also calls attention to the mother's hands cradling her child's head to illustrate the promise of eternal maternal protection.

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HSC Visual Arts: Section II Extended Response Although the family are depicted to be sleeping, an aura of foreshadowing hangs about the work, as the reality of death is upon the family without employment. Otto Dix (1891 – 1969) was a German painter and printmaker, noted for his nightmarish depictions of German society amidst the brutality of war. Dix’s etching, “Wounded Man” (1916) - one installment of his 1924 portfolio Der Krieg (The War) grotesquely portrays the image of a war-ravaged soldier who lies injured on the ground, a nightmarish look of anguish upon his face. The use of shadow accentuates the angles and features of the soldier’s contorted face, emphasising disillusionment of the glorified experience of war. Dix manipulated etching and aquatint mediums to amplify the emotional and realistic effects of his meticulously rendered images of horror and agony. He denoted that Der Krieg neither glorifies World War I, nor heroises its soldiers, but aimed “to let people know how dreadful war is and so to stimulate people's powers of resistance." Henceforth, the true value of art is not merely the communication of meaning, rather it is the deeper interaction with the audience in terms of revealing the ghastly realities behind historical hardships including unemployment and war. The contemporary reality of censorship and state power is exemplified through the artworks of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, illuminating an alternate perspective and holding significant societal value. Ai Weiwei (born 1957 in Beijing) is a Chinese contemporary artist and activist, who is openly critical of the Chinese Government's stance on democracy and human rights. “Study of Perspective: Tiananmen Square” (1995) is silver gelatin print of what first appears to be a classic tourist snapshot, with the addition of Weiwei’s hand, his middle finger up at Tiananmen Square Gate. This location in itself is a contradiction, as it was also the site of a brutal massacre in 1989, during which state soldiers shot peaceful protesters. Grayscale photography forges a sense of loss, illuminating Weiwei’s blatant rebellion against the compliant nature of Communist China. The social commentary upon the reality of censorship and state power in China is emphasised by Weiwei: “[the Chinese government] don’t believe in liberty. […] There is only one simple, clear task: to protect their control, to maintain their governing.” Furthermore, the recontextualisation of ancient Chinese symbols is an example of the value of art in renewing the understanding of tradition and its place in a contemporary context. As part of the Unilever Series (2010), Sunflower Seeds (2010) filled the Turbine Hall of London's Tate Modern with 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds, each made by a Chinese craftsman. The duality of Weiwei’s use of ‘readymade’ items concurrently supports smaller-scale Chinese artists, and speaks to the manual labour and level of toil required during mass-manufacturing in China. Weiwei also utilises the symbolism of seeds, cast on the ground, to evoke an oppressed, downtrodden society, supported by Juliet Bingham, a curator at Tate Modern, who states: “The thinking behind the work lies in far more than just the idea of walking on it. The precious nature of the material, the effort of production [...] create a powerful commentary on the human condition.” Ergo, the value of Weiwei’s art is present through its capacity to provide a source of social commentary and an alternative point of view demonstrating national and global issues of violence, state control and censorship. The value of art can be demonstrated via its potential to explore historical and worldly ideas regarding the meaning of art and visual perspectives, the woes of economic downfall and the war, as well as the reality of life amidst an actively censored country. This is increasingly evident through the analysis of the artworks of Paul Cézanne, Käthe Kollwitz, Otto Dix and Ai Weiwei. Their respective artworks, varying in meaning, practice and intention, collectively demonstrate the value of art in its capacity to enlighten the audience about new and unique perspectives within different world contexts.

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