Post 2- Influences In Art- CTF

 Post 2: Influences in Art- Caitlin F.

1. Who are the 5+ artists you chose?

1. Naudline Pierre

2. Salman Toor

3.  Amy Sillman

4. Lynn Hershman

5. Julie Mehretu

2. What were 5+ themes the artists addressed about making work?

1. Spirituality, fantasy, alternate universes, disconnect/connection, and being raised in a religious household.
2. Freedom and Lack thereof, Queerness and embracing parts of yourself you’ve had to neglect, and human connection.
3. Contradicting yourself, Going in blind and continuing with the process, the internal struggle of art, and revising things.
4. She addressed how women at the time were just realizing how invisible they were especially in the art field. How she didn't have much of a voice and her wax sculptures were deemed “not art” by galleries, Art is more than the “safe” drawings she had made but also her capturing of her life.
5. She talks about how no landscape isn't political, like how you can think about America without thinking about all the wars and injustices that have happened. So in her work, she took blurred photos and created them into one piece- a complex visual landscape.

3. What were the 5+ challenges the artists faced in making their work?

1. The only thing that was mentioned was the fear instilled in her due to her religious upbringing. Another, one can gather, is not being seen in most of the religious works she's seen growing up, due to most of the religious imagery being depicted of white men. So we can take her work as a way of reclaiming the fear she had as a kid, but also a self-comfort of being a part of that glory she feared she might never get.
2. He had mentioned being vulnerable, coming from Pakistan where being queer wasn't accepted to NYC, where he was able to express himself and his queerness through his work. He even states it was almost “annoying” how much freedom people have here- that it was a difference, a good one.
3. Sillman mentioned that in her work part of the process is a struggle, this isn't an illustration, you don't have a plan, all you have is the paint and tools (tools being paper towel, rag, scrapper), and the experience in between- it's contradicting in how mindless and mindful this experience can be. Because she will contradict herself, question the material, and maybe wash the paper halfway through- her work is a process.
4. Not having a voice and then creating one for herself through her work, almost facing death at a young age due to pregnancy and becoming overly aware of time, getting an artist to show her work in the 70s, Limitations of what art is in the industry around the time.
5. She talks about how with her work it is also her life that is in it- like witnessing the 2018 complaint and being enraged by how one human being could negatively talk to another human being, her children, and the emotions she's felt, her life in general.. that's all a part of the work. Her work also makes people think about the land they are on, like how we are on native land, so topics of colonization and colonialism come into conversation.

4. What were 5+ inspirations you drew from the artists?

1. I adore her depiction of snakes, angels, and biblical-divine beings- taking symbols she had known from her childhood and creating this universe with them, characters, putting pieces of herself into her work, making it more personal. I also adore how most of her work is whimsical and woman-focused.
2. How immersive he is with his work- like you can see through his daydream, and his exploring of freedom through his pieces- painting vulnerable depictions of himself showing how he's able to express himself and his queerness, and connections, in a way he had never been able to before.
3. Challenging yourself and the materials you have, you dont need fancy brushes to make good work. You don't need to scrap a whole project- you can work with what you have and evolve it. To not only use your mind in your work but your body as well- to drag and pull, cut parts of the piece, glue them together- you are a part of this process more than the material is.
4. She collages a lot in her work, mixing, and layering different paints or translucent paper with glitter on it, combining these different mediums into one singular work- a visual manifestation of her voice.
5. The way she incorporates these now blurred images into old paintings like ones made by Thomas Cole (a landscape painter), then painting over them in abstract ways, like writing and being in the present moment.

5. What were 5+ things you would like to incorporate into your work after watching these videos

1. I grew up in a religious household and had depictions of angels- later on I also had angels in my work. But it's how she stylizes her work, it's layered, stylized, and bold. Her work also is heavy on religious depictions- I want to try that someday.
2. The importance of exploring color, in his work- he had a sires where he focused on the color emerald green. I have my color palette- but I think the idea of getting out of your comfort zone and challenging myself with a singular color would be interesting. Also focusing on memory and imagination rather than looking at photos for inspiration.
3. Going blind is something I want to incorporate in my work- I think I'm always going to incorporate photos I haven't used my imagination for a long time, and also challenge myself to accept imperfections and processes rather than expecting perfection immediately. Art is supposed to be fun, an experience, I alongside others might have forgotten that.
4. Not staying in my comfort zone, she made sure to not limit herself to JUST drawing but also branch out into sculpture and audio even when galleries were telling her that it “wasn't art”. Never having your voice suppressed.
5. The idea that one piece has this whole history behind it, from when the painting was made to the photos that took place throughout the time..before she painted over it all creating presence. I also really loved her adding the paint on after, drawing and writing, it made it more personal and I think that's important to have as an artist.