Monday, April 21, 2014


Hello All,

Exhibit: One Another Spiderlike, I Spin Mirrors

Theme:  This exhibit showcased women artists that expressed different relationships that people, in particular women, interact with their surroundings.

Gallery: Albright-Knox Art Gallery

·        Types of lighting: There were skylights, hovering lights in the center of the ceilings, and even light that was directed right toward the pieces at angles depending on where the art was. Also, there were sections that used screens to stop the light from overbearing the room.
 






 

·        Colors on Walls: All of the walls were white. This let the artwork stand out for itself and allowed the light to reflect off of the walls, contrasting with the darker colors of the artwork. This focused attention on the pieces and made sure there were no distractions.

·        Interior Architecture: The gallery was very open due to the choices to use marble pillars and high ceilings. The floors were white and represented a very clean atmosphere. Also there were many sets of stairs both large and small allowing you to enter a newly themed area.


 

·        Movement Through Gallery: The walkway through the gallery was based on a linear and angular design. This made the gallery very easy to navigate and give the viewers a straight path to follow, but also allow the freedom to make different choices and even circle back.

Artwork:

·        Organization: The main collection consisted of the downstairs area. It was separated by types of art. There was a series of paintings when you first came in that were more realistic and less abstract than the rest of the gallery. Then as you circled the downstairs,  you saw themes of color, lines, sculptures, and even a wallpaper exhibit that were all separated by a few steps or a doorway that led to a new section. The main exhibits were located upstairs and were separated by rooms or hallways and the two main visiting exhibits were separated by a large open room that clearly divided the upstairs into two distinct sections

·        Similarities: No piece in the gallery was the same by any means, but each section shared similarities. For example there was a section that was purely pieces that incorporated lines and color, but there was another section that showcased the human connection to its environment. The other exhibit consisted of landscapes in a large scale and so on. Each section related to one another, but it was clear when you were changing sections that the theme has changed from room to room.

·        Differences: As I stated before, there definitely were no duplicate pieces and the art was unique in every section. The pieces may have been similar in ways, but each had an individual message and also designs. There were pieces that were abstract and ones that were not.

·        Frames: Some pieces had traditional frames, some were just sculptures on the ground with no frame, and some were in glass cases. The framing varied a lot, but it fit each piece.

·        Piece Identification: Each piece had a plaque that gave the name and description of each piece of art in order to further describe each piece.

·        Proximity: There was a lot of space between each piece, but you could still tell there were groups of pieces that were themed together.

 

Piece 1
 

Title: Born

Artist: Kiki Smith

 Media: Bronze

Date: 2002

1: What’s Good: This piece clearly depicts a woman and a deer. It is also clear that the deer is giving birth to the woman. The details and textures clearly depict the situation.

2. Subject Matter: There is a baby deer giving birth to a fully grown woman.

3. Formal Analysis: This is a bronze sculpture of a woman and a young deer. The color is bland and dark with no variety. There is a clear linear motion depicted based on the angle and location of the woman’s legs that allows us to comprehend that the deer is giving birth.

4. Bracketing:  The deer in this piece can represent a number of things, but in this case it represents nature and the “birth” taking place represents the life that nature provides us.

5. Personal Interpretation: This piece obviously shows a young deer giving birth to a grown woman. I think this represents the dependency that human and nature share. We are gifted with life by the natural resources that we have available, such as game for food and even natural resources that make our lives seem resourceful. We take it for granite that we are provided with such a miracle.
 

 

 

Piece 2:
 

 

Title: Inhabit

Artist: Janine Antoni

Media: Digital chromogenic Color Print

Date: 2009

1. What’s Good: The woman in the center grabs your attention and you follow the lined to figure out the hidden meaning in the photo.

2. Subject Matter:  There is a woman in the center of this piece that is suspended in air by mysterious white tope type things, which is an attention grabber. There are bright colors and it there is a lot going on in this photo, which allows a lot of observation and intrigues a lot of curiosity.

3. Formal Analysis:   There is a center focus of the woman suspended in the center of the piece. There are primary colors that seem to be purposefully chosen. Also, the white straps create a line of direction that forces your eyes to follow to see what is holding this woman up.

4. Bracketing:  There is a spider, and the white straps resemble a web. Other than that, there was just a common understanding of a household with a child.

5. Personal Interpretation:  This piece clearly was modeled a mother and her relationship to the house and her family. I think this woman felt overwhelmed or trapped in this house. I believe that woman is either a single or stay at home mom and is stuck with the normal routine of raising a family and can never get everything together as a spider has to recreate its web constantly, the mother has the endless cycle of housework and a family to care to.

 

 

Piece 3:

Title: Barefoot

Artist: Alison Saar

Media: Wood Bronze, Ceiling Tin, and Tar

Date: 2007

1: What’s Good: This piece is simple, but it definitely grabs your attention when you see a person with roots as feet.

2. Description: This is a basic sculpture of a person lying on the ground with roots as feet.

3. Formal Analysis: This piece is a sculpture made up of wood, bronze, ceiling tin and tar. As the previous sculpture was represented, this piece lacks color as well in order not to lose focus. There is a clear grabbing point in the branches that are linear with the path that brings you to the circular shaped fetal positioned body. The lack of color creates simplicity and you see a person with roots attached to their feet.

4. Bracketing:  The only thing two things that I can pull from this is that the roots represent life and the person in the sculpture is young and may represent youth or innocence.

5. Interpretation: I feel that this piece represents person’s life. I feel that the branches are the part of a person’s life that can either hold this person down or allow them to grow. This person is going through  a struggle, thus the fetal position and if they do not get up and face their issues, they will not be able to plant their roots in the soil upright and continue to live a healthy and strong life.  

 

Going to the gallery in a purposeful way was definitely a different experience. I became a lot more aware of the organization and atmosphere of the gallery itself. Also, I learned that there were “exhibits” and a permanent collection, which would explain why some parts continuously change. I never realized the importance of the color scheme, architecture, lighting, and even organization of the gallery itself and how it enhanced the experience of the art displayed. It was definitely an experience that will change the way I look at art galleries in the future in a positive way.

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