Week 5 - The Social Status of the artist - The Renaissance and now.

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

Week 5 - The Social Status of the artist - The Renaissance and now.

Self Portrait in Fur Coat (1500)

Albrecht Durer

Knob (1997) Gavin Turk

Damien Hirst and Maia Norman (1995)

Albrecht Durer's 'Self-Portrait in Fur Coat' (1500) shows a significant change in the way that the artist views and portrays himself. Research the paintings by Albrecht Durer, Gavin Turk and Damien Hirst in order to answer

the following questions;

1. Identify aspects of Durer's self portrait that show a changing view of the artist's view of himself as an individual.

Durer portrays himself in a Christ-like figure he makes himself looks superior and righteous. During the time that Durer did his self portrait he had just rose to the upper class social circle. He is adorned in a fur-trimmed coat these coats were usually worn by humanists and patricians. There is clear evidence of geometry in his portrait and were everything is placed, he also adds a Latin inscription in the top right hand corner of the painting. Durer adds these mathematical and rhetoric elements to distinguish himself from the mere craftsman, rather he wants to be acknowledge as an intellectual labourer.  

2. Explain how the artist's social status increased during the Renaissance period. Briefly explain why this happened.

Around the 16th century there were a few artists who rose to fame two of them being Michelangelo and Raphael.The ideas of the "artist" changed, an artist was someone "who had made serious study of his art" as told by :The Elder Pliny's Chapters on the History of Art (1977). 

There was also a change in artistic patronage, Italian rulers and the papacy in Rome provided artist with gigantic projects which meant a big commission. This enabled artist to stop relying on the guilds and escape from them. The workshops had a rival; art institutions were started, where various artists would gather together for training in three arts; painting, sculpture and architecture.

Poetry was viewed as an intellectual skill, the reasoning arose that poetry and painting should be viewed as equal because both are created through the exercising of the imagination. Hence if poetry was seen as a liberal art  painting should be too. 

3. Comment on Gavin Turk's work in relation to individualism, status of the artist and egotism.

Turk's work "Knob" is a screenprint of the artist's signature. This relates to individualism because his signature is his trademark, his has printed on white wove there are no distractions around it the focus is solely on HIS name. 

Because this work is egotistical is shows that Turk thinks quite highly of himself, the print is so simplistic and it is what it is, he lets it speak for itself. In my opinion Turk is showing that he doesn't have to try to impress because he has already made a name for himself. 

4. Comment on Damien Hirst's use of his work and the media for self promotion.

Damien Hirst's works make a statement his collection of animal deal on quite a heavy subject matter. It get's people talking, he seems like quite an outspoken man and he sounds his ideas out through his art. He uses the media very well for self promotion as we see in the photo, Hirst is pictured there he looks gregarious and eccentric, I find him intriguing.

5. Find 2 images of work by any artist or designer that reflect some of the ideas of individualism, self promotion or egotism that have been discussed on this blog. Upload images to your blog, title and date the work, identify the artist/designer and comment on the work in relation to the question.

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (1889) Van Gogh

In his portrait Van Gogh has painted himself in a very vulnerable state, it shows his fragile state of mind. It was rumoured that Van Gogh had cut of his own ear to prove a point to someone. Van Gogh's self portraits can be seen as self promotional he is known for his many portraits of himself.  




Self Portrait (1906) Henri Mattise


This is the most well known self portrait of Mattise, the artist gazed right at you he looks confrontational. He paints himself in a striped T-shirt that was most commonly worn by fishermen in that day. He presents himself as a "human being" rather than an  artist.  This portrait reflects the ideas of individualism because the artist is depicting just himself he has not add anything fancy to give his audience more information about him. His stare is enough to captivate someone. 

6. How do you think artists and designers are viewed in Western society today?

In my opinion artists and designers in the Western world today are well respected. They have the freedom to express themselves, their thoughts and ideas. Art is no longer seen as a lowly skill or talent compared to academic studies, it is viewed as equal.

The world needs artists and designers to make people's lives more interesting, Our environment is so diverse and ever changing, unlike the times in the Renaissance period there are no more rules our boundaries. Artists and designers are definitely not looked down on rather they have a place in society, and they can make their own mark .

8. Reference the websites and/or books you have used, at the end of your blog.

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/durer/self/

http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth200/artist/durer_intro.html

http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth200/artist/durer_koerner.html#anchor436030

http://www.smk.dk/en/explore-the-art/the-royal-collections/french-art-1900-1930/highlights/henri-matisse-self-portrait/