My tribe...

... Or, giving credit where it is due, or the appreciation of what was, or those women that have contributed to my growth as an artist and human being. I feel compelled to write about these women as not only were they each unique, brilliant and strong, but they helped me as a student of art and as a woman about life. That is not to say there weren't other artists, male artists, that did not inform my mental make up as it pertained to art, but, I feel enough has already been said about them.

Alice Neel

A feminist- unconventional, refusing to fit into any popular art movement, and so being true to what she believed art should be.  A grandmotherly looking figure; she was fantastically refreshing in the way she worked. While minimalism, post-minimalism, pop, expressionism and modern art, held the art world in their grasp for the bulk of the 1900s, Ms. Neel was painting landscapes and people. For me, it is her people paintings that hold the most interest. Notice I am not saying portraits, but people. Each painting is at first glance a painting of person, however it refuses to remain a surface exploration. Each work delves into the complexity of being human, leaving the viewer with a reading on the model as a person complete with thoughts, feeling, personality, depth and a history all of their own. No two paintings are the same. I am going to write about Alice Neel again in another post when I discuss the 'female gaze' and feminism in art.

*

This is a self portrait of Alice Neel done in 1980. In this painting, if she were clothed, we would see her as a grandmotherly old lady, except she isn't clothed and unlike most female nudes, which tend to be sexualised, youthful and objectified, she isn't. We see her with her brush and rag in hand. We see her looking directly at the viewer. She isn't shy. She sees us just as much as we see her. And when we do, we see her as she sees herself- a woman, an artist, complete, whole and confident.

Eva Hesse

"I think art is a total thing. A total person giving a contribution. It is an essence, a soul.. In my inner soul art and life are inseparable"- Eva Hesse**

***

Unlike Neel, who lived and worked a long career, Hesse was only 34 when she passed away from cancer. However, in that short time, she delivered a powerful body of work, much of which has not survived. Using fiber-glass, wire and threads, her work spoke of her delicate sensibility, adding a psychological fragility to the work, mirroring her own struggles with illness, both physical and mental. She juxtaposed opposites, big with small, soft with hard, geometric with biomorphic, painting with sculpture creating a quirky sensibility that defied the emotional coldness of minimalism.  Eva Hesse was beautiful and that came with its own set of challenges. In a world where most women were seen as subject matter or objects and muses that men used to make great art, her battle for acceptance and recognition as an intellectual, capable artist was even more challenging. Hesse, along with Neel, generate questions about gender equality and the biases within a profession that is supposed to nurture the social critics and thinkers of its time. 

As artists, we are all pulling from the same creative energy. Our expressions may be as different as our muses, but we are part of a chain, a link that existed before us and will extend after. In making art, these women contributed to generations down the line, even though in their eyes, they were merely doing something they felt compelled to do. In Hesse's words, her life and art were inseparable, a tribute to her honesty in her work, a view that I hold sacred as well.

References:

* picture from http://www.aliceneel.com/gallery/?mode=display&decade=8

** http://www.theartstory.org/artist-hesse-eva.htm

*** picture from http://jadegilchrist.blogspot.sg/2010/11/eva-hesse.html

Saying what needs to be said

There is a disturbing trend out there and I’m seeing it more and more frequently these days. It’s a trend that begins with the dreaded ‘P’ word. It is what expelled countless students from colleges for dishonouring the honour code of conduct. It is the threat under which all shuddered, carefully covering their bases, crossing their ’t’s and dotting their ‘i’s, in silent libraries, over towers of books and florescent lighting, with the faint smell of coffee in the air. We made absolutely sure that the ideas that we espoused were our own and not ‘borrowed’ from elsewhere. And, if it so came to be that we did use another’s ideas, quotation marks and references were provided. 

Plagiarism. 

The Oxford Dictionary states the definition of Plagiarism as,

'The practice of taking someone's work and ideas and passing them off as one's own.'

Wikipedia says,
'Plagiarism is the "wrongful appropriation" and "stealing and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions" and the representation of them as one's own original work. The modern concept of plagiarism as immoral. Plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty and a breach of journalistic ethics. It is subject to sanctions like penalties, suspension, and even expulsion.Plagiarism is not a crime per se but in academia and industry, it is a serious ethical offence…’

In other words, it is wrong to copy another’s work and pass it off as your own!

Imagine this, an artist produces an art work and presents it. When people see it, they see it in isolation, as part of a show or a single painting. In reality, that painting or sculpture or photograph or writing, was a single step in a long long journey, a journey that started the very first time a pen or a pencil was picked up in their hand. There is history in the art work, a past, both personal and technical. There is hours of labour, of thought, that goes into the creation of it. It is birthed out of refining and re-defining ideas and thoughts to make the most effective presentation.

 A viewer may see two circles and a slash of red paint, but believe me, there is a story behind that painting. That painting has evolved to that point after a series of experiments. If you want to know, ask me and I’ll tell you. But be prepared to sit though a talk…a long one. You see, my work and the work of any artist is not just a thing. It lives it’s own life and breaths it’s own truth. 

Simply said, when you plagiarise someones work, and I’ll simplify it further, I mean copy it, even if you change the colours, or the composition slightly, you will eventually be found out. Hold artists accountable. Ask them why they made what they did. Just to express their feelings, is not a valid answer. If they can’t talk about what they made or wrote, as yourself, why? 

In a way it doesn’t matter, as those that are inspired, pull from a fountain of overflowing ideas. Some artists, like me, feel we don’t have enough time to do all we want to do. Nevertheless, be respectful. While its okay to be inspired by someones work, please do not, and I say this humbly, with folded hands, copy it.