Art 21- Fantasy

For this assignment, I chose to watch the episode “Fantasy” from season 5. Before watching the episode, I was assuming it was going to be about artworks that were lighthearted, imaginative, playful, and fun (what I think of when I hear the word fantasy). I was surprised to find out that the process behind the work was rather meticulous and precise. The theme of fantasy didn’t always come through in their work, but rather the process and ideas behind the work.  

Jeff Koons Jeff Koons was the first artist featured in this episode. His work is playful and so out of place due to their size and color and subject, that his art can’t help but catch your eye. The subject matter of Koons’ work fits the Fantasy theme well, but so does his theory and ideas behind the art. Koons seems to be extremely particular about his artwork. He composes the images and ideas, but has teams of people execute the labor behind the project. I thought this was really interesting as I don’t imagine this production line when I think of artwork being created. I think Koons’ process pushes the boundaries of art, from conception, creation, process, and the finished product. 

Koons made a rather thoughtful comment during his segment on this episode. He made a comment of one having a strong sense of empowerment and power because of the art that is made. While it is important to use that “power”, the artist has a moral responsibility of embracing the power of art (to build others up rather than disempower them). Koons said he feels a sense of power through empowering. 

Mary Heilmann Mary is an artist who when I first saw her work, I didn’t see the connection to fantasy. Her paintings are rather flat and abstract. It wasn’t until I heard her story where I realized the connection to fantasy was. Mary admits that she had rather big dreams and loved to be a center of attention. For me, the connection was with Mary’s fantasy she has in her head. She was always trying to do something else to fulfill her desire for attention. She admitted that she loved going against the status quo and wanted to cause a sort of troubling response when people viewed her work. Like many of the viewers of Heilmann’s pieces, I wasn’t really interested in her pieces until you know a little more about them and read their titles. I think Heilmann is brilliant for the way she visualizes her pieces. Everything around the art becomes a part of the piece. The title (that she describes as small poems) to the space the art is in plays a part in making her painting whole. She says that there's a different kind of space in each painting; the real space, the fake space, and the physical object. She is using this overarching idea of fantasy to create memories and experiences that are based on true backstories, but are now their own because of how they are abstracted. 

I found a recent painting of Heilman’s titled Pink Crush. 

https://www.303gallery.com/artists/mary-heilmann?view=slider

The piece itself is of two paintings, one large abstracted water color of milky pinks. The second painting is a smaller, rectangle with a variety of pink rectangles in a sort of checkered pattern. Looking at the first larger canvas reminds me of looking at clouds in the sky. If you look hard enough, you can find pieces of images. I see a nose and lips towards the center on the top in the darker pink color. I think Heilmann engages others through the ambiguity of her pieces and the emotions and memories colors have the ability to remind the audience of. Though her pieces are created from backstories specific to her, they can remind us of a time or feeling specific to us. For me, the pink is playful and energetic, but the tints of pink have a calming effect. The way it is painted, watery colors running in to each other, reminds me of pouring creamer into coffee. I think this is Heilmann’s goal when she creates her work - to let your imagination run wild with the possibilities behind the work’s intention and meaning.  The juxtaposition between the wild and unkempt flow and patterned tiles also adds an interesting element to this painting. To me, it feels like the two ground each other. There is a balance because of the contradictory sense between the two.

When trying to find the meaning behind this work, I found an article that beautifully describes the aesthetic of Heilmann's work. I've linked it below as well.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-mary-heilmann-review-20180727-story.html

Florian Maier- Aichen  Florian is a photographer who uses real spaces and images and alters them to the point where they can no longer be categorized as “real” anymore, but an idealized image similar to “the way postcards used to work” (27:30). Florian is interested in how maps and postcards can abstract reality. They give the viewer a glimpse of what it could be like. I think it’s interesting that Florian works backwards to a degree. He states that he “turns a finished photograph back into a scribble” (34:24). Florian’s ability to combine abstraction and representation in such a smooth way results in these fabulous, altered landscapes that allow the viewer to feel as though they are looking into another world. According to Saatchi Gallery, Florian addresses globalization and virtual perception. I think it’s interesting to note the way art can be perceived. When watching the Art 21 clip, it seemed (to me) that Florian was doing this because of his love of the art of photography and the way you can alter a photo into what you want. I didn’t even think of his work as a way to address and question globalization, although it is fitting. 

https://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/florian_maier_aichen.htm

I chose to look into some other work by Florian. I found a photograph that shows a rather dark beach and tree line. Your focus is brought to the center of the photo. The clouds are pink and there’s a white orb (the sun) towards the top of the photo, and its reflection towards the bottom. My eye just seems to rest in the center. I think the photo is really beautiful and rather calming, until I read the title. “Backdrop for Monsters”. The title initially made me think of Godzilla, or King Kong. I thought to myself “You wouldn’t find them here.” And then I realized, we are the monsters. You would find so many people looking for this spot to take a photo in, or just to relax in. I think the title really makes me question how we (humans) affect the environments we consume. 

https://www.303gallery.com/artists/florian-maier-aichen?view=slider#3

Cao Fei 

Cao’s tie with fantasy is more obvious in the sense that she is creating this art piece and a sort of social experiment through the digital simulation of a game called Second Life. The game allows you to essentially have a second life. You can be whoever, wear whatever, talk to whoever you want and be represented by a customizable avatar. This idea of fantasy is obvious. I think what is not so obvious is the creation of something new because of a blend. Cao discusses the impact of hip hop music on chinese culture. She explains that “a fluid and mobile environment allow cultures to mix and diverge”. To me, this fits with fantasy because it is something new being created that others may have never thought of before. 

In this episode, Cao goes on to explain how playing as her avatar in Second Life gave her an idea of how to create her own city, RMB City. She works with others to create this city, and is always thinking of not only how it will look, but how it will run. I was really interested in the social aspect/experiment of this. Cao created the city and said she feels it is a democracy. I believe every 2 months another player on Second Life is the mayor. They are free to implement new rules and run the city as they please. RMB City pushes the boundaries between fantasy and reality, virtual and physical and shows how those lines are blurred and converged into one entity is really quite interesting in this segment. 

QUESTIONS 

1. What is fantasy to you? What does it mean?  What does it look like?

2. Are dreams/aspirations the same as fantasies? Why or why not?

3. Do you think fantasy is a part of your everyday life? Why or why not? 

   1. Possible answers: yes; working towards goals/dreams ; No - don’t live in a fantasy. I am realistic about expectations etc. 

I used the educator guide for my second question. https://2yhr3j6imaw4e4zzg38k38ar-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/art21-season-five-guide.pdf

ACTIVITY

Suggested for 4th-5th graders. 

QUESTIONS: 

1. What would a fantasy landscape look like? 

2. Is it easy to tell, through photos, what is real and what is altered/fake?

3. What makes a photo not real?  

Students would look at Florian Maier- Achen’s work. I like to start discussions of art by implementing The Visual Thinking Strategies. I would show students some of Florian’s photographs and we would have our class discussion. After our VTS conversation, I would ask students what looks real about the photos, and what doesn’t. From there I would move on to the introduction of the project, and how to use materials to create their outcome. . 

I would have a variety of postcards that students can use but have the name or location of the photo taken off. From those postcards, students would make their own stylized or abstracted map from where they think that place is. I thought of this idea when watching Florian’s segment on this episode. He was really interested in how representational the painted map was. I remember him saying this obviously isn’t what that location looks like, but it was painted in a way that was idealized and simple. I think this is an interesting segway into map making and creating fantastical landscapes based off of something that is real. It feels like a sort of storytelling/ visual myth making.

The idea is that students receive a postcard. Whatever is on that postcard (mountains, trees, a lake, etc.) will help them establish the terrain of their map. That item/quality from the post card should be featured on their stylized map. 

I was also thinking of two other activities: taking a postcard and altering that image; or having students take photos and alter it through some sort of software. I’m not familiar with the type of technology to do this. This might be a lesson designed for high school age students who would have the resources to complete this type of project. I think altering a photo to the point where it is abstracted, similar to how Florian does, would be a a great exercise and opportunity to work digitally.