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[ayadaniels]

Reflection on David Batchelor’s “Whitescapes”

Our discussion on whiteness and color in sculpture in our last class while we “critiqued” our group sculptures really interested me. I hadn’t consciously realized that color in sculpture wasn’t something that was heavily talked about or almost ignored? So, while reading this chapter in Batchelor’s book, I kept thinking back to this discussion and discussions I’ve had with some of my professors about color. Right off the bat, this text was a bit... challenging to read? I don’t read often, which I admit is sad, so when I read denser texts like this it takes me a while to really grasp some concepts. But, challenging texts are more interesting to delve into because they offer more questions and more focus on the work at hand. With that being said, there were a couple concepts/topics that really stuck with me as I read this essay/chapter.

One was the concept of minimalism being associated with whiteness. I admit, I have been the one to call things that are seemingly empty and white “minimalist”. I believe we’ve all fallen victim to that misconception. I find it interesting how I feel as though I don’t have a mind of my own sometimes? Because when I have seen Minimalist art, I have noticed its presence of color, not its absence of it. However, if someone were to call an all white, “blank” piece “minimalist”, then I wouldn’t bat an eye to it or argue with them. With this association of whiteness to minimalism, there’s then its association with being unfinished. I guess from a painter’s perspective (or at least someone who enjoys painting), when a canvas is left blank, or white, it makes a piece look unfinished and even amateur-like? I don’t know if I really have this sentiment anymore, having seen many paintings with exposed, white canvas. But, it’s so WEIRD because with painters, like Helen Frankenthaler, her work (or at least the stuff I’ve seen and researched) has exposed canvas, but it isn’t primed canvas so it has a light beige color. For some reason unprimed canvases look more finished than white primed ones? Or at least that’s kind of how it feels in my mind? There’s such a stigma with white (and black for that matter) in painting, or at least I’ve witnessed so much stigma towards those colors.

This is going to be a ramble reflection, I’ve decided that. To continue with my thoughts, I’ve also received just a lot of shit if I call white a “color”. When I google what white is, it tells me in ART white is the absence of all color and black is the presence of all color, then in regard to LIGHT, white is the presence of light and black is the absence yada yada and so on. I mean, I guess this makes sense right? It really does for the light spect at least. But I just can’t wrap my head around white not being considered a color in art terms and then getting BOMBARDED if I mistakenly mislabel it. Like stated in Batchelor’s essay, “For Conrad, to speak of white with certainty is, knowingly or otherwise, to be a hypocrite or a fool” which I agree with. This makes me feel better about not really knowing what to call white or what to think about white.

Sorry to keep this going, I could talk about this for a while? I think I’ll try to wrap this up by talking about the end of this chapter. Once Batchelor starts talking about classical bodies portrayed in sculpture, this text took a surprising turn? It became very aggressive when talking about how closed off the classical body is and how the art collector’s kitchen and overall house compared to this. The list of “no eating, no drinking...” jumps to “no sucking, no fucking...” in well, a couple of words of course. But the intensity of this paragraph and end of this essay becomes so drastic and I did not expect it, to be frank. I don’t know why I didn’t expect it, it might be a stretch, but I guess the whole idea of purity being associated with white really came through in my ideals because I wouldn’t expect the text to get so vulgar when talking about whiteness.

To REALLY wrap this whole reflection (can you even consider this one?) up, I want to say that I’m interested in this topic and conversation about color and whiteness. When I was talking to my surface professor about what major I should go in to (PAPR vs. Sculpture) she was just telling me about her painting classes and her sculpture classes. She told me that in painting I would learn a lot of information about color and said that “color isn’t really talked about in sculpture and I hate that” and I found this so coincidental and funny since we JUST discussed this in project class. I’m interested to see other people’s take on color because I myself don’t know all that much about it, or at least I don’t possess much formal knowledge about it. Maybe I’m underestimating my ability to talk about it, but all I can say is that this text brought new ideas to me and has offered a lot of questions.

[ayadaniels]

Jesse Chun

Going to her talk was very nice. I’ve only been to about three artist talks, but I believe her talk was the most interesting. Or I could connect to the work better? I’m not sure. I found her mural work very exciting. I know it’s not traditional mural work since she did so in pencil, not paint, but I could relate to the process because I’ve done a typographic mural for my high school. It is very painstaking and walls are just difficult to write on since they’re perpendicular structures. I free-handed my work, while she traced projected letters, but that does not devalue her work. Her decision to keep the eraser shavings was also neat, especially because of her message about erasure. Overall, I really enjoyed her work and the range she displayed from sound installation to printmaking, her talk and presentation was very inspiring. 

[ayadaniels]

He was known as Mickey Mouse,

the man loved to meet new people

they say he was born again.

“You’re so special Eric,” said looking around

may his day live long

“I simply can’t,” cried Eric.

He jumped through the vortex

a low hum

who are you to say these things?

Don’t let that beast tear you apart.

[ayadaniels]

David Altmejd

His art is very inspiring, like you said in your email Corin. Just his use of material is so fascinating and interesting to see. There’s so many elements that go into his artwork from what I could tell in his videos, i.e. chains, toy ants, fishing wiring/thread, body casting, NEEDLES!!!! His use of materials adds to such a visually engaging piece that keeps your eyes moving while still somehow creating a narrative. There’s an artist at the Anderson at the moment, her name slips my mind, but she incorporates so much stuff into her artwork that are seemingly irrelevant to one another, but actually go together in a convoluted way. I’m wondering if his work also does this? I’m also very enamored with the way he speaks about color, I just finished a “color theory” painting for my surface research class and to hear him talk about colors in such a manner was... it made my night. Also, his use of assistants??? Really reminds me of Kehinde Wiley because doesn’t he hire other artists to paint the background of his paintings while he makes the portraiture? Idk, it’s nice to see how it’s not collaborative work in a sense, but the assistants still play a significant role in Altmejd’s artwork. Before I end this post I also want to say that the scale of his work interests me too!! I would love to create something massive in this class, but I have a tendency to be overly ambitious... a blessing and a curse. Thank you!

[ayadaniels]

What subjects in the world outside of art most interest you?

A lot of things interest me besides art, but right now since it’s the most recent thing I’ve been learning, I’m really interested in the Ancient Mediterranean world. In my historical detection class we’ve discussed the Iliad, Herodotus’ Histories, and now we’re discussing gender and sexuality in Classical Athens. I’ve liked EUROPEAN/ANY OTHER COUNTRY’S history, I am REALLY not interested in American history I’m sorry... that’s not intriguing to me at ALL. I’ve also taken a leaning towards chemistry even though I despise math... I’m contradictory sometimes. Sorry my mind is all over the place so I’ll leave it with that!

[ayadaniels]

What games do you like to play?

I love any Nintendo game, but I’m most interested in any Mario game. As a kid I was OBSESSED with Mario (really I had and have a fixation with Luigi). I played Super Mario 64 DS, Mario and Sonic at the (Winter) Olympic Games, MARIO GALAXY, MARIO AND LUIGI BOSWER’S INSIDE STORY, Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart... I can seriously go on. Mario is my shit and sadly I don’t have any systems to play any games on (I play on buying a switch soon), HOWEVER, they came out with Mario Kart Tiur for phones and I have been playing that for about a month now. Yeah... I’m just a huge fan of those games and they hold a very special place in my heart and I’d love to incorporate them in my art (without uhhhhhh copyright infringement).