Week 7 D - Discussion posts week 7 PDF

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What techniques employed by Neo-Dada creators such as John Cage, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Allan Kaprow correspond to Duchamp’s ideas? One particular technique I noticed from Neo-Dada creator, John Cage, that went alongside Duchamp's ideas was submitting work that challenged what could be considered art, or in Cage's case what could be considered music. Cage's 4'33" (Fig. 1) presents a score that consists of soley silence. However, the music does not come from playing from the score, rather the music comes from the noises that present themselves during the silience of 4'33" • What other Dada artists addressed in Unit 4 may have influenced Neo-Dada artists? Staying on the topic of music in Dadaism, I believe Hugo Ball also influenced Neo-Dada artists such as Cage due to his founding of the Cabaret Voltaire and "invention" of sound poetry. What techniques employed by Neo-Dada creators such as John Cage, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Allan Kaprow correspond to Duchamp’s ideas? The Neo-Dada creators pulled multiple techniques from Duchamp’s ideas. For example, like Duchamp, Jasper Johns wanted people to view everyday objects in a new light. Like Duchamp’s piece Urinal, Johns sculpted replicas of two beer cans and gave them a tangible feel. Neo-Dada artists wanted to create a collaboration between art and material and challenged traditional definitions of art. John Cage’s 4’33’’ was a silent piece that relied on audience participation and accidental noise. He was challenging the traditional definition of music. What other Dada artists addressed in Unit 4 may have influenced Neo-Dada artists? I definitely think that John Cage’s 4’33’’ was highly influenced by Hugo Ball and his antipoetry. Ball pushed the boundaries of poetry and created “sound poetry,” which was essentially poetry without words. Cage pushed the boundaries of music, creating a score that was completely silent.

Hugo Ball's antipoetry Karawane A performance of John Cage's 4’33"

• What techniques employed by Neo-Dada creators such as John Cage, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Allan Kaprow correspond to Duchamp’s ideas? Duchamp’s idea was to take something that’s already been made and turn it into “art.” Especially with his urinal labeled Fountain, he somewhat poked fun at the high artists of the time because his subject matter was something you could find in your boring, every day life. The Neo-Dadaists thought similarly. For example, John Cage had a guy simply open and close a piano lid while the audience made noise in the background (Foster et. al., 406). Robert Rauschenberg had a drawing, erased it, and then called the dust and shadows on it art (Foster et. al., 408). Jasper Johns took a beer can and made a replica of it (Unit 7 lecture). Allan Kaprow took a picture of a yard filled with old tires and called it art (Foster et. al., 490). This movement was a direct hit at the Abstract Expressionist movement in that it took boring, lowly subjects and classified them as “art.” There was no meaning or emotion behind the pictures, just ironic art.! • What other Dada artists addressed in Unit 4 may have influenced Neo-Dada artists? One example that comes to mind is Raoul Hausmann and his typography art which can be comparable to Jasper Johns’ Periscope (Hart Crane). Another example is how Kurt Schwitters and his take on the collage of found words and objects can be somewhat comparable to Jasper Johns’ Flag."!

"Raoul Hausmann"O F F E A H B D C

"Jasper Johns"Periscope (Hart Crane)

What techniques employed by Neo-Dada creators such as John Cage, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Allan Kaprow correspond to Duchamp’s ideas?

Techniques that correspond to Duchamp's ideas consisted of Cage's silent piece which relied primarily on the audiences random and accidental "sounds" as well as Rauschenberg's "Pelican" which used several bicycle wheels"referencing"Duchamp's "Bicycle Wheel" (1913). The Pelican also used accidental and improvising acts. In addition to Rauschenberg's "Pelican" he also used everyday objects"for material"such as: tires, blankets and stuffed animals. Duchamp liked seeing texture in works of art and Jasper Johns did so. He created his paintings with something tangible. His painting "Target and Flags" used a melted wax medium and he also took a readymade"object and put his own twist to it as Duchamp did with a urinal and making the "Fountain". Fig. 9: Photograph by Alfred Stieglitz of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (1917) (SCAD Digital Image Database) What other Dada artists addressed in Unit 4 may have influenced Neo-Dada artists? Kurt Schwitters "Merz Column" is somewhat relatable to Jasper Johns "Painted Bronze (Al Cans)"". The items used in both pieces are everyday objects that may have been lying around in"the house or outside. Photograph by Wilhelm Redemann of Schwitters’s Merz Column (1923 – 1925) (SCAD Digital Image Database) Jasper Johns, Painted Bronze (Ale Cans) (1960) (Museum Ludwig)

How does Benjamin describe the redefinition of art in the age of mass media? Benjamin's redefinition of art in the age of mass media is descibed "as the aura of the reproduced image disappears, it actually allows for new social meanings to emerge" he also stated "the instant the criterion of authenticity ceases to be applicable to artistic production, the toatl function of art is reversed". Does the easy and ubiquitous reproducibility of works of art truly change one’s relationship to those original art objects?

Personally, I think it does change one's relationship to the original art objects. I am one who loves to have an original piece and to have something reproduced does not give you that same feeling as if it were the real object. With a reproduced object it also take the value away and depreciates over time. Also, unless you pay a great amount f money most likely the reproduced image/object will have some minor/major flaws in them. Below is just an example as it is very hard to see differences online rather than in person. You can tell the painting on the left has texture to it and the painting on the right does not.

The Weeping Woman, 1937 by Pablo Picasso Reproduced The Weeping Woman, 1937 by Pablo Picasso Cite examples of how British and American Pop artists addressed the mass consumption of images in the 20th century. Richard Hamilton's, Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing? the mass consumption of images used to create this piece consist of everyday images that are used in society. The stereo on the floor and the tootsie pop in his hand these are just some of the items that consumers saw on commercials, advertising, television etc.

• How does Benjamin describe the redefinition of art in the age of mass media? At the base of it,"he claims that art was made to be made again, reproduced, and by doing so it gives it a new meaning. Once a piece has been replicated, it does not hold the value of the original. He believed that because our attention was so quickly caught by things such as commercials, we needed something that would do the same in regards to art. Thus pop art becoming popular. • Does the easy and ubiquitous reproducibility of works of art truly change one’s relationship to those original art objects? Eh this is a rather difficult question personally. I honestly don't know where my stance is on this. An original is an original and always will be, no matter how many times it is reproduced, all the copies and remakes are just not the same thing. As impressive as some may be, and when used well it really does give off a new meaning- but they're just not the original work that was given thought and effort before. • Cite examples of how British and American Pop artists addressed the mass consumption of images in the 20th century. Upon researching this, I have to include the piece by Richard Hamilton, Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing? It caught my eye immediately.. To its core, its using strategies that are still used in todays commercials that are meant to get our attention. For example. They man and the woman in the piece play as eye candy. Not going to lie, those two figures are what made me think "What the heck is

this", so I had to check it out. This piece has attention getters all over it, pretty successful if you ask me.

Richard Hamilton, Just What Is It That Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing?

• How does Benjamin describe the redefinition of art in the age of mass media? Benjamin describes a loss of "aura" in artworks due to their mechanical reproduction as the piece of art is no longer unique in its authenticity (Harrison and Wood, 514). Because these works can be seen through various prints it lacks "autonomy," and its audience simply enjoys it visually and on the level of its social significance (515-516). I think Benjamin believes that because these works are easily reproduced it lacks personality and it's just used to hollowly please the crowd. • Does the easy and ubiquitous reproducibility of works of art truly change one’s relationship to those original art objects? In my opinion, I don't think that the reproducibility of a work undermines the relationship to the original object. While the same concept may be available in multiple places now, like the various pop art works today that were inspired by Warhol's Marilyn Monroe series, still have an impact on the viewer. I think it is because of its use of elements like color (similar in how Greenberg formed his critiques) that allow reproducible art to still be effective.

Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, 1967 • Cite examples of how British and American Pop artists addressed the mass consumption of images in the 20th century. The mass consumption of images was a good subject for Pop artists as works like Richard Hamilton's Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? comment on society's consumer culture with its depiction of popular images like a Tootsie Pop and a Young Romance comic within the collage. His collage uses the very images people are surrounded by to show how integrated the mass consumption of these images are in their everyday life. Richard Hamilton, Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, 1956...