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| Our Visual Artists, from left to right, Yasha, Ms Anita, Anaisha and Tarini. Congratulations from Mr C, we are all now looking forward to the full exhibition in April 2017. |
Please post a brief comment here on any aspect of the Visual Arts Work (preliminary exhibition) which we visited last week. I am particularly interested in the concept of connections between the visual arts and literature or how the visual arts remind us that artists construct different responses to the human condition across the range of creative works we collectively call "The Arts".
However, I encourage you to express yourself on any aspect of the visit that impressed you and share with us a personal response. As we know from TOK and the Learner Profile all knowledge is connected and we are all part of the fabric of personal knowledge and shared knowledge.
Thank you so much to Ms Anita and her students for providing a stimulating and provocative series of works at the exhibition.
ReplyDeleteI found the sculpture “Liebestod”, by Tarini extremely attractive and interesting. It is the German word for ‘Love Death’. She brought together the two vast concepts of “Romance and Mortality” into one skull. When used in Literary Context it is usually used to explore the relationship between love and death. It is commonly assumed that death, in some cases is caused due to love. Popular fiction and literature are replete with references, implicit and explicit, to Liebestod. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is perhaps one of the more famous examples of Liebestob. Where both lovers kill themselves, for if they couldn't live together they didn't want to live at all. Several may consider this notion romantic. Hence, they glorify death in the name of love. this concept of Liebestod and glorification of love was portrayed through sculpting perhaps one of the most recognizable symbols of death- the skull. I also noticed that Tarini has transcribed famous literary text extracts that revolve around love and death onto the skull (eyes).
ReplyDeleteExpressionism is a powerful tool that portrays individualism and identity. The pieces of work at the art exhibition composed elegance and refinement. Art connects human beings to each other in the way it constructs an idea of freedom in perceptions, emotion and experiences. My favourite piece of work was Yasha's interpretation of ' The Diluted Truth'. The piece of art was simplistic in the way it portrayed circular molecules that undergo complexities and changes. Yasha complimented her painting with glasses of acid that kept getting darker with time. The entire idea of truth being 'ever changing and progressive, never static or absolute', was beautifully interpreted through this piece of art. In my opinion, 'movement' was extremely symbolic because it portrayed a sense of subtle complication and entanglement in her painting. I have really been inspired by this idea because it is so realistic and practical.
ReplyDeletePresident Franklin Roosevelt famously asserted, "The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." 'An unappetizing truth' exceptionally captures ones attention by its unusual form. It arises curiosity at first glance. Yasha thoroughly explained the meaning behind her artwork. The 3D face held an anxious expression. while being covered by a hand. The idea was inspired by Yasha's own fear of darkness. The hand over the face depicts her understanding of the phrase 'you are your own protection'. Fear is defined as an anxious feeling, caused by our anticipation of some imagined event or experience. Fear is a common emotion amongst humans. It leads to vulnerability and anxiousness. Yasha used art as a means to express her fear. The idea of a 3D structure, positioned in a dark room in the presence of eerie sounds evidently intrigues the audience.
ReplyDeleteI loved this artwork the most due to the mysterious aura surrounding it. The art held a deeper meaning about something I could relate to. Often people let their fears consume them but using art to convey expressions and thoughts is certainly interesting. I loved her ideas and thoughts behind the development of her work. The process of executing her idea was also admirable. The art exhibition on the whole was amazing and I loved the different stories behind the different art works.
I was captivated by Tarini's model of ‘Ersilia’ – a city where inhabitants stretch strings from the corners of their houses to signify relationships. The colours of the strings vary according to the type of relationship they represent. Once these strings become so numerous that the inhabitants can no longer pass among them, they leave, dismantling the houses and leaving only the strings and their poles behind. Like a skeleton. They then move to new pastures where they build a new Ersilia. This process is repeated for eternity. This has a deep meaning to it. It shows how relationships are something to be savoured, but once they become so complicated as to not allow us our daily routines, they must be left behind. Life is an experience of making relationships, but sometimes we must leave them behind and move forward. Ersilia signifies the complexity of life, and shows that to build anew we must first dismantle the past.
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled that we got the opportunity to visit the Visual Arts Exhibition held by grade XII art students, and the chance to interact with these artists themselves, which provided me with a personal insight on each of the pieces they created. Each piece didn't only portray their artistic skills and techniques, but had a deeper underlying meaning to it. Yasha's piece named 'Miniscule you' is one that really spoke to me, and stimulated thoughts in my mind that questioned the very reason of our existence. The piece was made entirely of glass, with large blue globes and waves towering over a tiny figure coiled in wire. This piece represented the insignificance of one individual in the vast universe - we are merely a spec of dust in this endless medium of darkness. Even if we reduce this darkness to merely our planet, our lives are still too negligible to create a consequential and lasting impact on this world, or on the lives of others. Even a legend is soon forgotten after generations pass. This elegant work of art left me with a rather scary after thought that made me wonder of the purpose of one individual's mere existence.
ReplyDeleteThe artwork that intrigued me the most was Tarini’s model of ‘Ersilia’. Ersilia is the name of one of the cities described in the novel ‘Invisible Cities’ by Italo Calvino. Having read this novel, it was interesting for me to see how differently Tarini and I had interpreted the same text. Seeing the novel from Tarini’s perspective made me realize the connection between Visual Art and Literature – that through art, we are able to give a physical form to the thoughts in our mind and the words on paper. Art helps us display how we see the world, and it is a powerful tool to voice our opinions. I was truly impressed by the impeccable quality of the artworks exhibited this year.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite exhibit was "The Voiceless Voice" by Yasha Shah. The exhibit was a portrait on canvas. It depicted a a girl with a fearful expression. The girl did not have a mouth, and there was a thick padlock and chain across the frame of the canvas. Yasha expressed that the painting symbolised the phase in her life where she was too frightened of voicing her opinions, because she feared that they would be incorrect or misunderstood. In my opinion, Yasha used a powerful medium to express her verbal silence as opposed to the raging turmoil going on in her head. The thick chain and padlock across the frame seems to give the viewer a sense of restraint or even captivity. The silence of the "voiceless" portrait manages to speak volumes through Art.
ReplyDeleteYasha’s artwork ‘The Evanescent Dreams’ that was inspired by Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, was extremely thought provoking. Her idea rooted from the quote “desires are already memories.” The Nautilus shell that spiraled outwards led to three beautiful shells standing erect at the high end of the shell. These shells are symbolic of our desires and aspirations. The barricaded divisions represented society’s expectations and norms that hold us back from pursuing our dreams. This reminded me of the God of Small Things where the social norms of the love laws and caste system prevented Ammu and Velutha from expressing their love for each other.
ReplyDeleteAccording to me, the most interesting and thought provoking art work was “Cracks” by Tarini. In this piece, Tarini had taken t-shirts and had covered each of them with plaster of Paris. From a distance, these t-shirts looked clean and new. However when you looked at them closely, you realised that they had cracks running through them. These cracks became more apart, the closer you got to the artwork. She compared this idea to the fashion industry. The fashion industry is one which looks glamorous from a distance but only when you're in the industry do you understand the struggles you have to face. Each t- shirt had a magazine cover on it which portrayed different social problems and mocked the society we live in. This unusual comparison really intrigued me and made me question my beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThe artwork which I found most interesting was 'The Diluted Truth' done by Yasha.The essence of the work was to portray how people believe only the things they want to. She used two different mediums to signify how truth changes for people and in situations. One was a painting which showed concentrated blue bubbles gradually spacing out to the other end. The second was use of cylinders filled with concentrated liquid, which was diluted to match the spacing of the bubble in the painting.Through this Yasha projected how the essential truth is first 'preserved' but later gets diluted because of different perspectives. I realized how individuals and societies alter the truth to fit into their needs.It made me question if there is any such thing as absolute truth?
ReplyDeletePersonally, Yasha’s ‘Sovereignty,’ was one of the most striking paintings in the art exhibition. Her depiction of the concept of ‘existentialism’ (which I’ve explored while studying the Metamorphosis) through art helped me understand how literature can be presented and understood through various mediums. Yasha represented the ‘search to find who and what you are’ through the extended, sprawling roots growing out of the human being she painted. As per my interpretation of her work, as a human grows in terms of experiences, his or her personality also ‘spreads’ as depicted by the roots. The concept of existentialism is introduced at this stage. It’s only as a human identifies his or her purpose in life, is there a connection between mind and body. This level in life can only be unlocked through the understanding of perspectives which arises through human development (once again represented by the roots.)
ReplyDeleteBeing an Art HL student, going for the 12th graders’ Art Exhibition was a great opportunity for me to understand what is expected of me and also what I should look forward to. Standing where they stood a year ago, I realised that Tarini, Yasha and Anaisha have an excellent grasp on the numerous concepts and mediums involved in Art HL. I think the piece that really caught my attention was “Gourmet” - Tarini's cartoon on the beauty of Bombay. She created the piece using a permanent marker on the wall of her father’s office. What interested me is that something that started out as a fun doodle turned out to be an extravagant piece of art - one that Tarini can proudly display to a large audience.
ReplyDeleteWe had the amazing opportunity to visit the grade 12 art exhibition. The pieces of art made by all the students, whether it was a sculpture or a painting, really made me think. However the work that really resonated with me was Yasha's piece called "Minuscule You". Made entirely out of glass, this piece showcased a small human with huge waves surrounding it. The piece was made with a variety of shades of blue which really caught my eye. It really made me think about how in the grand scheme of things, we barely make a difference to the world. However, this does not mean that we cannot make our mark in the universe in our own small way. The waves portrayed in the sculpture, to me meant the obstacles we face or the hardships we encounter, which seem so much larger than us, and impossible fro us to tackle.
ReplyDeleteI think that although Language and Visual Arts are such different facets of knowledge, they are both similar in the way that it is possible to interpret both in different ways. The ways we interpret them show more about us then they do about the artist. They also make us ask questions like, "Does the way the artist intended for us to perceive the work make a difference in our perception of it?" Ronald Barthes essay "The Death of the Author" also talks about a similar phenomenon.
All in all, I enjoyed the exhibition immensely, and it really made me think critically.
Art has never been something i have ever personally enjoyed or been able to relate to. It has always been something fascinating but never any thing personal. However that has slowly begun to change. During the grade 12 Art Exhibition one piece of expression that particularly stood out to me was Yashvi's The Diluted Truth. It was a riveting visualisation of how truth never changes but instead becomes less authentic forms of itself. She depicted this by painting molecules going from regions of higher to lower concentration. Her idea was reflected in the paint, as the substance never changes only becomes weakened. I was able to relate to this on an extremely personal level as often loosely constructed versions of the truth are circulated claiming to be authentic and while they may not be entirely inaccurate the fact that they are diluted is often what makes all the difference. I also loved the irony created when she used formaldehyde ( a chemical used for preservation ) in her art.
ReplyDeleteThe art exhibition was a very different experience for me. It was a very beautiful place with so many colours around and looked very attractive. I only saw it as shapes and colours till I could speak to the students about the central idea of them. The most interesting one was the Tshirts hanging. It looked like any other Tshirts hanging from the hanger which we wear everyday. But when I looked at it closely, I could see the different messages it had on them. These normal things which we use in our daily lives tried portraying the taboos which we try ignoring everyday. This tells us that the things we use everyday also want us to accept these things in our routine.
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