Primitivism itself is a belief of running aspects of life counter to development, favouring less developed or basic methods for achieving a goal. When considering Primitivism in an artistic context, we see artwork that can look childlike or very simple. This can be manifested by such things as a flattening of the viewing plane, a lack of colour variation, oddly shaped figures and an overall lack of detail.
In the days pre-ultra sensitive political correctness, the term "primitive" was used to describe a non-Western developed person, often an indigenous tribal person, who lacked the technological advancement and education of Western culture. Primitivism is the term coined to describe, in an art context, of attempting to mimic these "primitive" peoples style of artwork, which is why Primitivist art is often described as appearing childlike. The Primitivist belief held that this was closer to being a much rawer, more connected to our origins style of art that exuded more emotion than the rigid formalised art prevalent at the time of the rise of Primitivism.
Contemparary Primitivism can manifest itself in many ways. Perhaps one of the best examples of contemporary Primitivism is displayed in the Amish culture, who shun technological development and live in small self-sustaining communities.
At the NGA, I found a rather interesting example of artwork that i believed had very strong Primitivist elements. The piece is Rupert Bunny's "Prophetic Nymphs". Unfortunately the piece is not available for viewing on the NGA's website and i can't find a copy elsewhere on the Internet. The piece featured several partially clothed female figures with flat features and were mostly painted with single colours. The viewing plane is very flat and the proportions of the figures are quite unrealistic.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
More sharing
I just thought i might share a digital painting i did of my Jack Russell Luci. Completed in Photoshop using a Wacom Intuos 3 6x8 tablet
Monday, March 2, 2009
NPG + NAA Assignment
So we now draw to a close our variety of visits to the different institutions and our time with the fashion students with a visit to the National Portrait Gallery and the National Archives of Australia.
Having never visited the new Portrait gallery until our visit, I must say I was pretty impressed with what I saw, and it was actually a little difficult to pick only 2 portraits to discuss.
Oh and near as I'm aware, we don't have to post everything on our blogs for these assignments (as evidenced by my previous posts) so I'm posting one of each for the different venues
Righto then, once more into the breach...
Russell Crowe, 2001
Photograph taken by Karin Katt
Inkjet Print
We all know how difficult it can be to sum up a person's character in a single photgraph, and this photo is no exception. It's no secret that Russell has made headlines with his temper, most notably the famous New York phone incident, and this almost menacing downward gaze along with his hand being clenched in front of him lend credence to his sometimes volatile personality.
Most of us would have seen a Russell Crowe movie or two, and nine times out of ten he plays a man with a penchant for anger or violence. Ranging from a hard hitting boxer in Romper Stomper to a intestinal spilling Roman fighter in Gladiator, it becomes quite obvious that Russell sports large amounts of testosterone.
Of course I don't think that Russell is a completely out of control anger addict. The beauty of this photo is that while it can appear intimidating at first, upon further inspection it also appears to have a certain softness about it. Russell is a dedicated family man who regularly donates to charity, and he co-owns the South Sydney Rabbitohs football team, a club he has been a stalwart fan of for quite a long time, a club that would most likely now no longer exist if not for his timely intervention. While it is more of a personality trait than an element of the portrait, this to me is a very Australian characteristic, getting in there and helping our fellow man when they need it.
Good on ya Russ.
Ok, Archive time.
Here I found an interesting little document called the "Australia Act". This document, while not as historically significant as say the Constitution, it is still a very important part of our history. The "Australia Act" itself has 2 parts, an Australian part and a United Kingdom part. The Australian part is the one on display at the Archives, whereas the UK part is stored at Parliament House. The Act effectively brought to an end any legislative or judicial ties remaining between Australia and the UK.
While not itself a cultural statement, this Act in part allowed Australia to move forward into a more independant age of national management. This allowed us to continue to forge our own identity and our own culture and move away from traditional UK ways of thinking.
Having never visited the new Portrait gallery until our visit, I must say I was pretty impressed with what I saw, and it was actually a little difficult to pick only 2 portraits to discuss.
Oh and near as I'm aware, we don't have to post everything on our blogs for these assignments (as evidenced by my previous posts) so I'm posting one of each for the different venues
Righto then, once more into the breach...
Russell Crowe, 2001
Photograph taken by Karin Katt
Inkjet Print
We all know how difficult it can be to sum up a person's character in a single photgraph, and this photo is no exception. It's no secret that Russell has made headlines with his temper, most notably the famous New York phone incident, and this almost menacing downward gaze along with his hand being clenched in front of him lend credence to his sometimes volatile personality.
Most of us would have seen a Russell Crowe movie or two, and nine times out of ten he plays a man with a penchant for anger or violence. Ranging from a hard hitting boxer in Romper Stomper to a intestinal spilling Roman fighter in Gladiator, it becomes quite obvious that Russell sports large amounts of testosterone.
Of course I don't think that Russell is a completely out of control anger addict. The beauty of this photo is that while it can appear intimidating at first, upon further inspection it also appears to have a certain softness about it. Russell is a dedicated family man who regularly donates to charity, and he co-owns the South Sydney Rabbitohs football team, a club he has been a stalwart fan of for quite a long time, a club that would most likely now no longer exist if not for his timely intervention. While it is more of a personality trait than an element of the portrait, this to me is a very Australian characteristic, getting in there and helping our fellow man when they need it.
Good on ya Russ.
Ok, Archive time.
Here I found an interesting little document called the "Australia Act". This document, while not as historically significant as say the Constitution, it is still a very important part of our history. The "Australia Act" itself has 2 parts, an Australian part and a United Kingdom part. The Australian part is the one on display at the Archives, whereas the UK part is stored at Parliament House. The Act effectively brought to an end any legislative or judicial ties remaining between Australia and the UK.
While not itself a cultural statement, this Act in part allowed Australia to move forward into a more independant age of national management. This allowed us to continue to forge our own identity and our own culture and move away from traditional UK ways of thinking.
Friday, February 27, 2009
AWM Assignment
In terms of the military, fashion has always been about form following function. A soldier would rarely if ever wear or take something with him if it wasn't necessary. This statement is as true in the days of World War I and II as it is in today's military.
The evolution of the look of an Australian soldier from WWI and II days through Vietnam and Korea to today is quite dramatic.
Developments in materials have resulted in better clothing and equipment more suited to the rough nature of miltary work.
Today I have chosen to discuss one particular development that has had quite an impact on not only military clothing, but civilian clothing as well. That development is Velcro.
While not specifically developed for military use, its current widespread use in global armed forces uniforms is indicative of its overall practicality and impact
Pre-velcro, military battle dress most often relied on buttons to keep pockets closed, sewing to keep patches on, and metal clips to keep ammuntion safely secured. Modern day uniforms such as the one pictured here make extensive use of velcro for all kinds of purposes (click to enlarge, I'm sure you'll all recognise the rather dashing model :D)
The evolution of the look of an Australian soldier from WWI and II days through Vietnam and Korea to today is quite dramatic.
Developments in materials have resulted in better clothing and equipment more suited to the rough nature of miltary work.
Today I have chosen to discuss one particular development that has had quite an impact on not only military clothing, but civilian clothing as well. That development is Velcro.
While not specifically developed for military use, its current widespread use in global armed forces uniforms is indicative of its overall practicality and impact
Pre-velcro, military battle dress most often relied on buttons to keep pockets closed, sewing to keep patches on, and metal clips to keep ammuntion safely secured. Modern day uniforms such as the one pictured here make extensive use of velcro for all kinds of purposes (click to enlarge, I'm sure you'll all recognise the rather dashing model :D)
Circled in the picture are the some of the various places on modern Australian Army battle uniform and equipment where velcro is used.
1) Rank slide - this small piece of material is used to hold the rank insignia of the wearer. The tab is held in place by a small piece of velcro, allowing quick and easy removal. This has made it easier for a uniform to be adapted if the wearer recieves a promotion and is required to display new rank insignia, eliminating the need to unpick a sewn on one.
2) Australian National Flag patch/Unit badge - The ANF worn on a soldiers left shoulder is attached using a patch of velcro, allowing easy removal. A soldiers unit/deployment badge is worn on the right shoulder. The ability to change this flag and patch easily again allows for uniform adaptation to current requirements, eg camouflaged ANF patch for use in the field (The coloured one is used in the barracks environment) or upon posting to a new unit/theatre of operation.
3) Minimi Ammunition Pouch - The Minimi pouch (for the uninitiated, the Minimi is a light machine gun) allows storage of up to 200 rounds of 5.56 ammunition and is secured by a plastic outer clip. These pouches are also lined on the inside with a strip of velcro which will generally hold the pouch closed even if the clip is unsecured. Most soldiers tend to burn this velcro off however as it can make opening the pouch difficult. This same velcro is also present on the smaller Steyr pouch which is not pictured.
4) Shirt Cuff - Gone are the days where the shirt cuff was secured with buttons, the uniform now comes with a strip of velcro allowing quick and easy adjustment of cuff size.
5) Magazine dump pouch - In the heat of a contact, the last thing you want to be doing is fumbling with your empty magazine trying to stuff it back into your ammunition pouch. The magazine dump pouch was designed to be a quick and easy method for placing your empty magazines in a secure place while you were under fire. The velcro allows for the quick release of the pouch, and can be folded back up just as quickly after the fight.
Velcro has become an integral part of modern military attire, and has had an equally, if not larger, effect on civilian clothing as well, and will most likely continue to do so for quite some time yet.
1) Rank slide - this small piece of material is used to hold the rank insignia of the wearer. The tab is held in place by a small piece of velcro, allowing quick and easy removal. This has made it easier for a uniform to be adapted if the wearer recieves a promotion and is required to display new rank insignia, eliminating the need to unpick a sewn on one.
2) Australian National Flag patch/Unit badge - The ANF worn on a soldiers left shoulder is attached using a patch of velcro, allowing easy removal. A soldiers unit/deployment badge is worn on the right shoulder. The ability to change this flag and patch easily again allows for uniform adaptation to current requirements, eg camouflaged ANF patch for use in the field (The coloured one is used in the barracks environment) or upon posting to a new unit/theatre of operation.
3) Minimi Ammunition Pouch - The Minimi pouch (for the uninitiated, the Minimi is a light machine gun) allows storage of up to 200 rounds of 5.56 ammunition and is secured by a plastic outer clip. These pouches are also lined on the inside with a strip of velcro which will generally hold the pouch closed even if the clip is unsecured. Most soldiers tend to burn this velcro off however as it can make opening the pouch difficult. This same velcro is also present on the smaller Steyr pouch which is not pictured.
4) Shirt Cuff - Gone are the days where the shirt cuff was secured with buttons, the uniform now comes with a strip of velcro allowing quick and easy adjustment of cuff size.
5) Magazine dump pouch - In the heat of a contact, the last thing you want to be doing is fumbling with your empty magazine trying to stuff it back into your ammunition pouch. The magazine dump pouch was designed to be a quick and easy method for placing your empty magazines in a secure place while you were under fire. The velcro allows for the quick release of the pouch, and can be folded back up just as quickly after the fight.
Velcro has become an integral part of modern military attire, and has had an equally, if not larger, effect on civilian clothing as well, and will most likely continue to do so for quite some time yet.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
NGA Assignment
I think we all would agree that one of the main purposes of an artwork is to evoke a reaction or a feeling in the viewer. I'm also sure we all would agree that the reaction or feeling garnered by the artwork is not always a positive one. I thought I would share the experience of one not so positive reaction.
Jackson Pollock's "Blue Poles: No. 11 1952"
Here we can see the piece courtesy of the National Gallery Of Victoria website (the NGA's website appears to be down at the moment)
I personally fail to see anything in or about this piece that could be labled artistic. I have always found it hard to respect "artwork" that looks like it was created by a 5 year old who imbibed a little too much red cordial. What I find even more astonishing is the rather significant popularity of this piece, however with that said this piece has polarized art critics and the like the world over.
We all have different tastes, and this is a perfect illustration of that fact.
When I view this painting, all I see is the nonsensical drippings of a very volatile human being who spent much of his relatively short life at the bottom of a bottle.For those who don't know, it was the drink that ultimately got him killed, Jackson Pollock died when he crashed his car while under the influence at the age of 44.
Perhaps in a way this painting (and many of his others, as they are all quite similar in appearance) are a reflection of Jackson's chaotic and unstable lifestyle. Maybe I might have a different, or perhaps just a more open, view on this piece if I wasn't aware of what Jackson Pollock was like as a person, but frankly thats all I see when I look at "Blue Poles"
References
Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gordonbennett/education/images/EXHI000344_600.jpg
Jackson Pollock's "Blue Poles: No. 11 1952"
Here we can see the piece courtesy of the National Gallery Of Victoria website (the NGA's website appears to be down at the moment)
I personally fail to see anything in or about this piece that could be labled artistic. I have always found it hard to respect "artwork" that looks like it was created by a 5 year old who imbibed a little too much red cordial. What I find even more astonishing is the rather significant popularity of this piece, however with that said this piece has polarized art critics and the like the world over.
We all have different tastes, and this is a perfect illustration of that fact.
When I view this painting, all I see is the nonsensical drippings of a very volatile human being who spent much of his relatively short life at the bottom of a bottle.For those who don't know, it was the drink that ultimately got him killed, Jackson Pollock died when he crashed his car while under the influence at the age of 44.
Perhaps in a way this painting (and many of his others, as they are all quite similar in appearance) are a reflection of Jackson's chaotic and unstable lifestyle. Maybe I might have a different, or perhaps just a more open, view on this piece if I wasn't aware of what Jackson Pollock was like as a person, but frankly thats all I see when I look at "Blue Poles"
References
Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Victoria
http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/gordonbennett/education/images/EXHI000344_600.jpg
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Sharing time
A quick glimpse of a few of the photos
I submitted in my interview for CIT
I submitted in my interview for CIT
Bamboo (multiple exposures selectively combined, not HDR)
Monkey (can't recall what type, taken during WoW tour at the
National Zoo and Aquarium
wasn't actually used)
Thanks for looking
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Ken Duncan
Wanted to actually have a point to my first post, so I thought id share the link to one of my favourite photographers websites, Ken Duncan http://www.kenduncan.com/
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