Hey, so I decided not to bother editing these since everyone should have their own notes to reference this time but I hope these are helpful! I did miss a few days so there are some gaps. Good Luck!
3/24/2012
Agases expedition (polygenism)
Academies Worked, 17th Century
Louis IV
The hierarchy of Genres in Painting
1. History Paining
2. Portrait
3. Landscape
4. Animal/Scientific
5. Still Life
Look up (Reiterate) Authenticity
To create not recreate? The way to do art
One way to suggest NeoPlatoist
Keats
Salons
Problems w/ Brazil copying this art. 19th C problem.
They didn’t have the $
Too many artists worked to be artists but not enough $
Artistic or Originality?
Good solid tradition
They have to be modeled to open the nuance is important
Conclusion-original
Cortareo? Official office government
John the Baptist in Prison, Vitar MMeireles, 1852
Then the French Mission
Go to Europe for 4 years then did “First Mass in Brazil” Voto
Need to celebrate authenticity
You are with the Indians placed in the shadows of the piece with a desire to move towards the light & priests; symbolic of leaving Barbarism and venturing into civilization
What is more Brazilian?
Vitor Meireles is a favorite Prof of Dom Pedra, stabilizes the monarchy
Dark is uncivilized
White soldiers being shot at
Empire Falls
Slaves are freed
Not and image of war-Indepence or Death
Freedom of Slaves was force by England and social pressure (the 400 year devil)
Freed slaves lives do not improve-uneducated and incapable
Tried to find the Brazilian Art that the country can be proud of
New TO Map w/ Paris as center.
3/26/2012
Copies: what is authentic? Modern concern. Rio de Janrio was trying to copy Paris. Look at what and what not was copied and why. Intent and context change
Costumbristo was a rural fetish but in the Urban centers modernity was the concern (there was nothing more modern than Paris). 19th Century lasts until WWI, when Victorian system & Colonialism break down.
American’s are inheritor’s of the European tradition but they are very insecure about being in the new world and constantly look towards the Old World. Who is copying who?
See Breakers (Vanderbilt house) in Newport, RI.
London they copy Turkish Bath, in Turkey they copy Egyptian Architecture.
Scientific Eclecticism: In an exhibitions one culture trys to be at once exotic (subaltern-a person who is not a part of inner core/civilization- indigenous female is subaltern to the white male) yet on the inside the are cosmopolitan and very much the same.
End of 19th Century, French and English Archaeologist are traveling to Persia etc and copying the architecture. All represented in a knowing and calculated way to display power. Cabinet of Curiosities- posses the world (travelled, wealthy, and educated). These people were confident in their world view of history and they could pick and choose from anything to reproduce,
1888-fall of slavery
1889-Republic formed
New civic symbols must be created
New flag: green and yellow copy of Star Spangled Banner lasts a few months and then is replaced by current flag.
Country of the future-moving towards a grand (manifest) destiny
Auguste Comte: Positivism is a philosophy of science based on the view that in the social as well as natural sciences. Data derived from sensory experience and logical and mathematical treatments of such data. Are together the Exclusive source of all Authentic Knowledge (Empirical Knowledge is the only Knowledge in which you can have faith). Furthermore society operates according to laws just as the physical world operates according to laws (i.e. the law of gravity).
Through the positivist approach has been a recurrent theme in the history of Western thought from the Ancient Egyptians to the present day. The concept was developed in the early 19th Century by the Philosopher and founding sociologist.
Utopian (and false) science.
All the world’s problems can be solved through science and rational living.
Religion was still a structuring force and if removed than the uniting (between people & man and the cosmos) force was destroyed and civilization will fall apart. Hard science was world of man and the mystical faith of religion was soft and feminine (misogynists ideal) but after his mistress died he recognized this affect on day to day life.
Positivism temple based upon the Church of St. Genevieve/Pantheon of Rational Thought (transformed/rededicated during revolution-light was meant to be Divine-windows are blocked up and only rational thinkers light is used) Jacques-German Soufflot, 1758-91
We are reliving the 19th C, Man wants to build a Temple to Aethesim in London, see facebook page
Holy City of Humanity is Paris, Rose on Compass points to Paris. High priest w/ busts dedicated to ideas, figures related to the Positivist ideals (Painting, Sculpture, etc)
3 Pillars are Altruism, Order and
Positivist figures corresponding to new calendar (all new religions reset the calender)
Figures were Moses, Homer, Aristotle,
“Virgin Mary” was Clothilde/Gustav’s mistress
No reason to rebuild church as all are modern (yet all the other churches are still functioning)
Calender of the Positivist Church represented on the Biblioteca Estadual do Rio Grande 978455Do Sul
Room’s dedicated to Italian or Moorish Art and a Dante Room. They are modern and can go back and own and dominate the past.
Plan of Belo Horizonte, 1893-97 open pasture until a grid system is imposed independent of topography which makes it horrible to walk, and opposite of the catholic meandering road to the Church on a Hill ideology.
White and Black landscapes do not merge. Blacks are gathering as evidenced by the developement of Black culture such as Capoeira. White’s were afraid and both allowed and forbide specific rights and behaviors. US was much more controlled and would never have allowed room for the developement of something like Capoeira.
No plumbing until 1880’s and still places without it today which meant many trips a day to the public fountain. Slaves could gather there. Unsanitary and Disease fears as well as fears of uprising and rebellion. Modern technology solves many of these problems.
Carnival, elites watched from windows, separation between house and street is still respected. If any woman was on the streets she was suspected of being a prostitute.
Old traditions are brought to new world, evidence of African Voodoo, Hataii and Brazil religious traditions originate in the Yoruba region (language is the only union, political disunion facilitated slavery).
Ashe: Primordial stroke or Life Force, given by traditional Gods, Orixa, Oxum, Iansa, Ogum, Xango, Exu, Oxala, Oxossi, Iemanja
Casa Do Candomble, society organized by slaves and run by slaves. Alters with a mix of Africian and Christian Gods/Figures including folklore to create a new Afro-Brazilian religion. Sacrifice (bleeding chickens or sugar cane alcohol or popcorn).
Transformation between regular everyday person to an Orixa. dancing with people who are in a trance (dance for hours and hours). Blood letting is a way of capturing Life Force/Ashe. People outside religion are escorted out in order to not be allowed to become Possessed.
Hoop skirts (white landscape power), Jewelry (wealth and status) Bongda-made of clip based on clip with a key to open and add objects like a charm bracelet-
How was it made- gather silver, roll it out in sheets (repousee) skilled craftsman (AfroBrazillian) who got this knowledge and how?
Women are carries of Asha-matriartical society-Mother of the Saints highest rank- Authority to organize.- Sound, weight, cumbersome, not missed by anyone, distinguishes her within the walls of the temple but also out on the street.
Men and others wear white to symbolize purity
Turbans originate in Africa
3/28/3012
Capoeria would never been seen in an upper classes neighborhood (not like Yoga to us) but only lower class
Photography was a manifestation that Brazil was modern
Lack of regard shown for how these people looked is evidenced that they were shown no regard in society, he doesn’t dress them up, slaves could not wear shoes, etc. Images were sold to tourists, no one living in Brazil would want these. Modeled posses for sale not for power of subjects.
Religion could help elevate one’s status
Modernity as Modernism was reinvented at the end of 19th C
2 problems
1. Race: melting pot, breed out/ marry out
2. Contanstantly trying to modernize and always ending up passe
Problem inherent in Modernity is that never stays modern, in order to be modern it must constantly reinvent itself
Modesto Brocos is behind what Cezanne did 12 years earlier, even the moment it is painted it is not modern
Romantic style architecture is replaced by sleek clean lines
What do you do when you realize that you aren’t modern anymore? Finally realize that they cannot constantly copy Europe. It doens’t work for them.
Post Uclydeian Geometry (Uclydeian: lines up world on vanishing point) World can be seen from many points simultaneously-encapture the experience of something
Does painting need to be “accurate” now that we have photography
Primivitism is brought by
1. The belief in the value of what is simple and unsophisticated expressed as a philosophy of life or through art or literature.
2. Unsophisticated behavior that is unaffected by objective reasoning.
It was en vogue to take from Paris but now that is passe and one should borrow from the native (Indian) etc. This also allows a standard to compare your modernity against.
Science: Hall of Machines compared to the Human Zoo at the same exhibition however the Human Zoo (Pygmy or Safari or Harlem renaissance etc all become cool and hip because it is cool and hip and especially dangerous).
Josephine Baker & the Banana Dance (went to vaudeville and then Paris and was an example of the Primitive) Makes fun of the Euro-describing how slippery the idea of primitive is, however it is all control so it is safe (behind bars like at the zoo)
Anita Malfatti: Yellow Man (yet his Italian/Euro-arbitrary color not black nor white) she is deeply hurt by the animosity of her show, and it is shut down and she never regains her avant garde ambition
On the 100th anniversary of Independence from Portuguese they invoked an Iberian (Spanish/Portuguese) style-going back to their roots but this doesn’t work for the young avant gardists-they want to bring real 20th C modern art-Men who had been to Europe and meet Picasso
Sao Paulo-money & commerce bring culture and art
Organizers all became important modernist figures & dominated discourse in aftermath
Group stays together for a short time but separates into two camps
Was a failure w/ audience throwing food but it is rewritten as a success that brings modernism to Brazil
1. Expression of Brazilian art entirely free from European influence-to do this the wealthy go to the favellas
2.
Sensuality, Laziness, Dancing, Singing, Carelessness, Unassuming, all elements of the Brazilian Soul
Favela by Tarsila is show as healthy, happy, bright & ignorance is bliss- doens’t take Euro out of it but paints the Eiffel tour in the favela and by the 1920’s trains are old hat and airplanes are the new-but Brazil does have some industry
Curves are essential -Euro is fractured-modeled, softer, more feminine
Cannibalism is the ultimate act of conquest: Brazil can make Europe part of Brazil
Eat the government and church - put them under their control
Achieve the promise that Brazil always claimed it should be but never was- reaffirming the Indian as lazy and natural part of Eco system was going to take over again
4/2/2012
That Man from Rio: French film, one page about compose impressions of city, what it represents and how it is portrayed
One page about Donald Duck: Impressions & Why would they portray Brazil as a parrot?
Today: What position do Africans hold or have held in
How are they portrayed in popular culture, how are they or how are they not portrayed
Brazilian street scene, Urban landscape, modernist-belle epoch-neoclassical buildings all blend
Book: “Masters & Slaves” how instrumental this was in fashioning the racial divides or “heal” or solve problem for a few decades.
Primivitism:
Established a new voice, identity, stand on their own
Drawbacks: dehumanized and
Gave Brazilians a basis for creating an “authentic” national identity
“Independent” of European influence/mimicry
Allowed Brazil to acknowledge and incorporate their African and Indigenous heritage into the nation’s identity
Brazil’s primitive identity emphasized the country’s exotic-ness and consequently its otherness
Btazil’s primitive identity “feminized” the country, making it open for literal and metaphorical exploitation
Brazil’s primitive identity
Two Camps: Independent: impossible and misinformed, cannot plus why would you want to since Euro history is part of Brazilian history
Cannibalism: empowerment: incorporate history-our ability to manipulate and use gives present precedence and foundational justification
O Aleijadinho was a sculptor/ artist that they idealized (Sanctuary of Bom Jesus, 1796-1800) who he was as a person: son of a white man & black woman-mixed race=authentically Brazilian (physically made up of all these culture). He is prolific and work is unique to locational politics. He offers an image that is both authentically white and authentically black however the Group of 5 needs something more contemporary.
Gates, historian,
Gilberto Casa Gran
Racial democracy, most racially diverse, people use100+ categories of what color they are, Black in Latin America series.
Carnival-splendid excess-Mia de Santos (mother of spirits throws popcorn to symbolizes offerings to god & to promise a good carnival) in Bahia. Close to Africa, Slaves brought their religion, gods, culture & music. 2nd largest black population in the world.
Salvador, ‘blackest’ city, 3rd largest city in Brazil, study in contradictions, last to abolish slaver but first to declare itself free of racism. Race is weighted differently in America, black is black, etc.
In Brazil slaves were easier to get, closer-cheaper to replace slaves then to propagate them
Slavery was worse in Brazil
City is poor, dirty, crowed, peeling paint, cheap plastic chairs, no one in fancy cloths, signs painted on buildings & graffiti, metal gates to protect doors. lush wild plants everywhere but also in pots. Beautiful religious costumes, Condemblee, temple, mixing of different African religions and cultures and catholic tradition.
You are the man, also. Master used capoeria to keep kids off the streets, capoeria was a way to organize and defend themselves on plantations (through strength and hand to hand combat) from brutality. Disguised training as a dance.
Huge shortage of white women produced the mixed races, racial diversity is dependent on sex not intermarriage.
Sugar (separation) vs Gold, Diamond mining (same street lived white & freed blacks all over the city, even in nice large houses with chapels-no segregation)
freed by buying from mines, prostitution or concubines freed by dying masters
Silence of church, bishops denounced the sins of racial mixing, denounced and say they won’t do it again but they always did.
Chica de Silva, 18th C slave mistress of mine owner, but once freed became one of the most wealthy and powerful citizens (woman). Freed her on Christmas day, stayed together for 15 more years, 13 children. Dressed and acted like a white woman, she had to erase their blackness, social climbing and passed as white
Is it the whiteness or the behavior, what is the correlation?
Is black beautiful today? trying to reverse the social ideals of beauty & increase pride in natural black “afro” hair.
Stacked, mixed style buildings, piled up on top of one another, lots of cement, (dingy)
White elite after abolition had to deal with the color and decided that in order to ‘civilize’ they needed to whiten the country, paid for over 4 mil Euros to come over in hopes of breeding and lightening the colors of skin and incorporate white behavior. Black culture was prosecuted, seen as barbaric and need to be eradicated. Kirino, activist artists, said no need to immigrants as Africans had already civilized Brazil and the blacks were fundamental to identity and capable of fulfilling all roles in society including those traditionally considered higher and filled only by whites.
Corino (Quinera) ignored during his life, died in 1923
White scholar, Gilberto Frera, b. 1900, raised on sugar plantation, “masters & slaves” claimed that Portuguese were open to extended sexual relationships and fathering of children w/ slaves (bad in U.S.) and that the roles were more fluid. Everything that is a sincere expression of our lives, bears the mark of African. Shocking at the time and now it is seen as naive regarding rape and coercion and exploitation.
Attitudes changed, rupturing turning point were blacks are put on the same level as the Portuguese. African culture became miscegenation into culture and the was the beginning of Brazilian identity. Supports Multi ethnic society w/ ethnic and racial democracy.
Until recently all blacks were seen as ugly. It was a risky move and one that put jobs on the line when a black women was put on a magazine cover, sex symbol from film.
Has anything changed? In Rio, there are very few blacks and still a predjudice against black women on covers. Are white women exotic and therefore elite?
One cannot be normal and exotic at once.
City of God, Infamous Favella, 5 mil people. Brazil’s most famous rapper has always lived in the favela, those who make money leave to live somewhere else. Living here is part of his identity. Majority is balck, one of the blackest neighborhood, but there are still others, and those others have more opportunity, there is no racial democracy. Land of the “brown” people but no black people at hotels, magazines, on the beach. Social standing allows access to places others cannot get into but may still be treated poorly. Myth of Racial democracy, crime and poverty surround social & economic problems that are inherently connected to race. Never had any legeal segragation but this has also prevented any kind of civil rights movement and has continued segregation much longer than is normal elsewhere. 2nd blackest nation after Nigeria. 2nd class citizens, poorly educated, have to be opptimistic to survive (God would be Brazilian-people are so happy etc etc)
Affirmative action (20% of students would be black (some up to 40% for blacks and poor) reverse racism or re-addressing. Does this increase racial tensions when race is supposed to be irrealevent and forces people to push their racial identity. Institutionalization of affirmative action “is only way for Brazil to acheive equalization”
Replaced Art academy: 1939 2 exhibitions: French Impressionism 1940s people flocked to them, DeBry’s works were rediscovered and show just after the Impressionism, no one comes to see them. Images are no longer relevant.
4/4/2012
Enlightenment, scientific
Celebration (by Euros & French) in Imperialism, comfortable embracing the foreign (degenerate) as it is no longer foreign but something they own.
The City Rises, Umberto Boccioni, 1910 - wild horses that are charging into the future and not even the strongest workman can contain the power of science and technology.
WWI-declared the war that would end all wars
Men are wanted for War (women only wish they were wanted) to defend their country. Nationalism brings world war and trenches & science makes mustard gas & technology makes flame throwers.
Do you still embrace modernity, is this still the world you want, are these “advancements” what you want?
Capitalism goes bust especially in Weimar Germany (Treaty of Versailles is strict w/ them)
produces bread lines, poverty and death
Dada Fair-spoof at World’s fair but instead of celebrating Nationality and achievement they celebrate nothing
Word Dada is meaningless, nonsense word which is what they wanted to capture with their art
1922 in San Paulo is celebrating Modernity-How do you escape modernity? No everyone can go back and live on a farm-we are ruining the world today but how do you jump out of it? You don’t, you’re stuck w/ it. Brazil never had Modernity and therefore cannot escape it. No Dadaists in Brazil. People believe that if done more and better then that is the solution to the instability caused by the war.
Brazilian Republic is founded only on the liberation of slaves-400 year institution of Monarchy is seen as slain yet it history and systems cannot be erased over night. Slaves are now in the same situation of forced indenture in order to support the aristocracy who build networks and retain power and become minor Governors or Coroneis (colonel).
Keiser, Czar and Monarchies fall, so do their politics. Replaced by hyper-nationalistic Dictators (Musselini, Hitler, Franco etc.)
Estatdo Nuvo - calls the monarchy the old republic which is dead, and replaces it with the New State brought by him, Getulio Vargas.
Children learn in homes and schools appropriate
Heavily Regionalized or segmented country, Rio Dejanerio and San Paulo were heavily invested as they were the only areas we had control from the Coroneis
Military, propaganda, etc. Orders the ceremonial destruction (burning flags etc) w/ mass of anything regional.
Gets ride of folk prophets (Robin Hood like figures) and replaces it w/ Dom Pedro a historic national hero.
Religion becomes very important. Christ the Redeemer of the World (Old project but never built until Vargas) & Our Lady of the Apparition (similar to the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico)
Culture invaded to reflect a colorblind nation. National dish (black beans-blacks, white rice-whites-green veggies is lush forest-orange slices-happy sun) beans made w/ left over pork parts given to slaves, celebration of this does not make one not racist
Patronizes Carnival & parades
Modernist architect-Le Corbusier, Rio de Janeiro-Swiss architect expatriate becomes French citizen-hired to build NeoClassical but this isn’t what he does. Vargas realizes Brazil is still backwards and decides he must be cutting edge.
Le Corbusier visited favellas and makes impressions of them (found favella blacks as good & good hearted, beautiful, magnificent and able to deal well with what they have)
He is saying how happy they are despite their conditions (they don’t know they’re poor) bull-they make do because they have to in a horrible living conditions, they are not pets to be relegated to scraps.
These explorers always see themselves as gifts not burdens. He spends time with Josephine Baker and always refers to her as a savage.
Wanted to build a network of freeways but with several stories of apartments on top of.
To create architecture is to put in order, put what in order? Function and objects.
A House is a machine for living in.
1. Elevate on pilotis (pilars-breezy plaza)
2. Roof terrace (replace ground it takes up-eliminate footprint)
3. Free facade (each building independent monument-w/ internal pilars for support so window walls)
4. Ribbon Window
5. Open Floor Plan (hence need for cubicals because there are no walls)
Proposes to rebuild Paris w/ repetition of sky scrappers and open space-nothing city creek like, doesn’t want a village w/ shops & houses, he wants everything separate. Small fragment built, Palacio Gustavo Capanema-Ministery of Education & Health-says something about their culture, teaching Brazilians to live and be modern.
Problem-Modernist wanted a purely Brazilian Modernism (not this imported Corbusier/French modernism) so they don’t give him credit. Oscar Niemeyer & Lucio Costa
Sun Blocks, Mulato Statues & curved inner structure to make this building modern
Curves are feminine-primitive is feminine-the whole of Brazil is seen as a voluptuous female body
Curves tied to curvy churches-he was black & white (mulato) (he was building to be innovative and outdoor others not to be modern)
Geography & geology of the nation tied to
Not a natural idea but very constructed
Brazilian have an idea of curved time-American time is 5 mins late-Britianic time is on the dot
Parrot-copy cat-parroting- red light & cigar-shady-smooth suit-crooked & curvy behavior promoted-people are thieves because they are Brazilian not because they haven’t had a good education or many opportunities etc. attitude of acceptance towards mediocrity
Every major Brazilian city is beach front-vast open space unsecured since colonial times
True Americans are in the Heartland similarly, Brasilia is placed in the center and therefore more Brazilian.
Power of a good narrative-Lucio Costa claimed that he saw it in a burst of creative vision-modern architecture is in theory w/o a past and is fully developed.
Brasilia is inaugurated in a giant mass w/ what is assumed to be the same cross that was used at the conquest to submit the natives. Was and had to be built in 5 years (before next president)
Brasilia is the last attempt to create a Utopia . Politics don’t bring people together. A few service people will be in community but lake is supposed to drown out favela’s however some survive.
Not creating something that is just beautiful, but they build their terror-what is the precipice? what is it like to live in the future w/ o any history? Afraid it will be corrupted, that is will no longer be modern and it is chaining yourself to a single moment-Most modern and most backward city of the world-Like entering the Age of Aquirius-Olympian city
4/9/12
Disney creates cartoons during WWII as a counter to Black Legend that never really went away.
We assume that we are much more conscious of diversity and therefore represent other cultures, they’ve solved the problem by not acknowledging it.
We have images of African Americans but culturally those represented are very ‘white’ they are people who have their own TV shows etc however neither are the white people on magazine covers the reality of white Americans. Michelle Obama is no different in her image then Jackie Kennedy.
We expect black culture to come out of the deep south and the ghetto
Sexy Beyonce & Athletes are similar to Josephine Baker, where blacks are seen as entertainment
Urban Jungle is the modern representation of primitivism that has replaced the tropical jungle
Hottentot Venus in the Salon of the Duchess of Berry, 1830-was displayed & after her death her internal organs were preserved as proof of their inherent sexuality.
It is easy to pick up racism in someone else’s culture or in a past culture. What will we see as racist or primitive 50 or 100 years from now.
What are the other options?
Since colonial times there have been images of the African America as an other
Do our images of the ‘other’ symbolizes continuation or liberation or rejection etc.
See article on facebook page about Media portrayals of Black Women.
Tropicalia:
Modern-stems largely from Les Demoisells D’Avignon, Pablo Picasso, 1907-express 3 demensions on 1D surface
WWI-destruction and failure of enlightenment
Response to these: Nonsense response to anything Established, Anti-Nationalism, Anti-governemnt, Anti-Church etc
Suprematists & Russian Constructivism & De Stijl
Wanted to create a new world based on Science & Technologies etc if they were channeled correctly they could produce a Utopia.
White on White by Kazimer Malevich:
Time and Space continum, is it inside or on top of, it feels like it is spinning away from plane yet both squares are the same plane. Leftist, Communist embracing of Space Time Science continum towards a more advanced future
De Stijl: Piet Mondrian: World view based off of order, geometry, pure form, pure color, essential and unmarred, unmuddied, full of promise
Russians were seen as backwards and this was finally their chance to move out of stereotyping, so there is more energy & dynamism (Lenin tolerated but Stalin didn’t get it and there was no space for the allowance of this short burst of Utopian creativity)
Establish order from an organic world-new order vs Dictator’s who wanted order but based on an old world mentality.
Aleksandr Rodchenko & Vladmimir Mayakobsky-Box for our industry caramels, 1923-dynamism of industry was not enough for leader so had to include the more obvious planes etc. Wanted art & theory to permeate society, even on Candies for your office drawer
Modernity Brazil chose to go with? Picasso-1907-old at this point, rejected Dada and Supremitism but combined with some nationalistic quaintness
Its a modernizing without Modernity-image was appropriate to Brazil but not modern-seen with Tarsila’s Antropofago-kitschy & cheesy in the way that it is interesting in being welcoming to the people & interested in National identity, not at all Avant Garde just modern style
Hybird of Modern abstract & not modern ultra readable.
Interior of the ministry of education pavilion, estado, novo expositio, Rio de janeiro, 1938-very modern & progressive display but includes a bust of Athena-
You cannot just eliminate the history overnight-utilizing it anchors in heritage & creates stability-
Mestico-Candido Portinari, 1934 & La Flute de Pan, Pablo Picasso, 1923
We all accept tradition to a degree & every generation rediscovers the classics
Portinari: skin almost looks like clay-structured with lines to circle the head, powerful image, asking viewer to confront the Mestico who confronts you as an equal-whites would have seen it originally & it would have shaken their core beliefs
The Dead Child, Portinari, 1944 is celebrating Brazilian people on the same level as the Christ paintings it’s organization & figure’s quote from
Favelas & tropical birds etc are expected but also included artists such as Fraz Weissmann & Alfredo Volpi which are abstract images of Brazil where Brazil is so unrecognizable that Brazil is not a part of the images on many levels. They have found the Constructivist & are looking back & imposing order into their art in opposition to their wild untamed unorganized jungle. Many critics (Euros) say that Brazil never has had or will have order & progress-ironic coming from Europe that caused the World Wars
Modernism is fragmenting, Narratives disintegrate & entangle themselves.
Concrete Art: Concrete artists in general terms defended autonomy of research on the basis of clear and universal principles capable of guaranteeing the positive insertion of art into industrial society
No mark of the Artist and Artist is not represented, work is bigger than the artists
Industrial materials incorporated into work, rejected pictorial allusionism, agreed with Rothko & other abstract expressionist (but more Utopian) rejected the kitschy realism of yesteryear, these artists created in order to inspire & shape a new world order by promoting industry and scientific exploration
Pavilion Ciccillo Matarazzo, Oscar Niemeyer, 1958- still includes curves-biennial exposition allows work to be seen & become institutionalized
“Bicho” Lygia Clark, 1960 only understood vis a vis
Grounds work in geometric concrete forms but also
The Quick and the Dead exhibit at the Walker Art Center
fordable sculptures were meant to be folded and reconfigured by audience, fluid w/ lack of distinction, no right way-explores interest in life & death & existential issues of how we interact with form
How we interact with social & institutional structures varies and can be manipulated by us seen in a pre-facebook and designed interaction or engagement with audience-responsibility of success of intention is transferred from the artist to the audience
Dialogue through sight-inverted to stare or consume others
Baba Antropofagica (Anthropophagic drool) thread “drooled” from students mouths onto another student: putting yourself onto someone else, you are putting yourself upon on someone else but then what you said or put out is then absorbed or cannibalized by the recipient. Playing with ideas of the primitive-the modern Brazilians desired this absorption -thread looks like a “hairy savage”
helio Oticia, Metascheme, 1959 & Grand Nucleus, 1960-66
interested in taking work beyond paper to a personal experience with art through penetrables-3-D works that audience can move through or around to be seen in a way that only you can. 3-D constructivism
moves to body art which audience can wear as an extension of work of art.
Films slum dwellers in costume performing-bringing Favelados into museum in a way that no one else ever has. Human beings as an extension of art- patrons see them as invaders into the temple of art & they are almost immediately expelled by the elites (wealthy whites)
Tropicalia, 1967: Work starts a whole new movement: Plants, sand from the beach, structures that are either beach shakes or favelas and invites audience to cannibalism images of Brazil (objectifying and commodifing).
4/16/2012
African American males portrayed in pop culture
Not an actual human but image composed of a gun pointed at you (or other periphanialia). Is this outdated?
How are Afro-Brazilian women portrayed? Woman can display themselves or not however they want. The issue is the origins of the portrayal in mythologies from the last several thousand years in Western Culture. See Library of Congress (intellectual roots of country-built after Chicago’s World’s Fair-Classical style building-major thread in Western culture is Greco-Roman Philosophy, Thought, Architecture, etc) ATHENA-ideal woman but one book & only one displayed in main reception is the Gutenberg Bible (first printed Bible but also The Bilble) Judeo-Christian foundation to an increasingly secular nation. Scenes of Classical Myths & Monks working as Scribes-What is the place of the Greco-Roman Woman (In Aristotle’s times?
“Woman is Defective and Misbegotten...Human ...” Woman is almost a man, therefore no force (seed) to reproduce the perfect likeness of god. Woman has no place in society but is good and necessary in the home.
1960’s high alter brought out for audience to participate-before we saw a screen w/ Christ imagery of Life Force (Sacrament) etc.
Eve figure: shows one foot w/ six toes (adds to the idea of the defect-woman who ate the apple and caused the fall)
Vanity etc shown as a woman because woman automatically have a weak character
Women were painted in order for men to view-image created behind image-allows man to ogle woman-permission to view a naked a woman in an ultra Christian era. Means “justify” the act-Something must be crooked in order to need justifying.
Lady Gaga-Wonder Woman-Cartoon made by Men for Men-Comics were male-What does this figure do? Displays herself under a ‘guise’ to become an object for men (makes woman a powerful/feminist etc...Rosie the Riveter time but still an image made by men for men)
Mad Man Poster, Male Gaze-Male position of Power & Woman on Display
Same issues in Brazil (true for everything that is “colonized”)
Not a universal conversation-What is okay or positive in one culture is very different in another
Concrete Art: Ordered, Grid Based, Promoting clear universal principles to insert art into modern post-war industrial cities, defending autonomy, geometry, rational basis, mathematical. Making Art relevant to 20th C world
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Oiticica-roots in colonial but quickly moves beyond-rejection of modernist efforts to portray Brazil in a certain way but also an acceptance-rejects old idea-goes into the institution & performs in a very personal way to engage & confront the viewer but those are contained and can be objectified due to ambiguity of separateness in the comfort of your social structure. Dealt with as art not as actual people. Oiticicia mixes the people and the slums offend and are escorted out. Painting of Metizo, 1st just a painting & 2nd is a painting by a white guy becomes a second check, Oiticicia cannot control these people, the artist loses authorship to performers & cape.
Tropicalia-brought the slums into the museum-inviting people to experience “Brazil”Happy Clean, Safe Favella brightly colored & cheap-obviously constructed (plants still in pots) to imply that Brazil’s image is obviously constructed and not fooling anyone. Its slapdash. Ironic & Iconic Monumentalizing the Kitsch-we laugh at it (like the Onion). Taking something conical such as the modernization of Brazil evidenced by the Favella’s and turning it around to be deconstructed and desantified.
Oiticicia turns Brazilian symbolism on its head & makes fun of it.
Question “When does Brazil get its own identity?” becomes irrelevant, doesn’t matter in many ways but in others it still does
Post-Modernism: It’s our Word. Don’t Use It. Don’t Try to Define it. Above All, Don’t Label us With it. Even if We Apply it to Ourselves.
Ideal is that everyone has their own narrative-French theorist defined things such as the word “Truth” to mean something different to the Journalist, the Artists, the Church, the Scientist etc. Jargon makes specific narratives personal since no one culture or institution controls our narratives (Church or Science of Enlightenment etc no longer dominate)
Titanic moment: when technology fails us
Idea that Post-Modernism is embedded in overturning-Why do we want a building that is both modern & classical? Because we can there is no meta narrative-
Venturi and Brown didn’t want to build a classical building or a high modernist building but he wanted to build a strip mall so he did w/ neon arches
Medieval Era Cathedrals defined people but huge sacrificial costs. Strip mall, is ugly and function but who cares if it goes away, no investment or attachment and we expect it to be replaced by something better.
The Saint’s Paradox, tiny statue casts a huge shadow, lot to say about how private devotion has a huge impact but does not have a precise narrative
Blue Tango, Miguel Rio Branco-National Sport made problematic by political history-silhouettes of children in an underprivileged neighborhood, before Capoeria is made known but no specific narrative
Ernesto Net, Anthropodino, Pantheon, Paris, 2006- dealing with social issues, art needs to be experienced in person in resistance to our modern technology. Engaging other senses, bags filled with spices, pure form, 3-D
Vik Muniz-”Pictures of Junk” (Pictures w/ thread, pictures w/ chocolate sauce etc)
Zoey Deschenal “the perfect girl” on SNL
Violence in Brazil: The Onion: Our Dumb World -Christus holding Mack 10s,
