You have three options for your research HW. Choose ONE and follow the directions/prompts. :)
1) Research Charles Ritchie's work and write about your initial responses to the exhibition we saw in CFAM. Reflect on how your perception of his work changed or was expanded by your research. Try to stay within 150-200 words.
2) Research Leigh-Ann Pahapill's work and write about your initial response to the installation in CFAM. Reflect on how her lecture and/or your research changed or expanded your perception of her work. Try to stay within 150-200 words.
3) Research: find three landscape-based drawings and answer these
questions in your response: (a) “How does this artist
convince me that there is an actual space represented
through this drawing?” (b) “What sort of emotional
response does this drawing illicit and why?”
1) Research Charles Ritchie's work and write about your initial responses to the exhibition we saw in CFAM. Reflect on how your perception of his work changed or was expanded by your research. Try to stay within 150-200 words.
2) Research Leigh-Ann Pahapill's work and write about your initial response to the installation in CFAM. Reflect on how her lecture and/or your research changed or expanded your perception of her work. Try to stay within 150-200 words.
3) Research: find three landscape-based drawings and answer these
questions in your response: (a) “How does this artist
convince me that there is an actual space represented
through this drawing?” (b) “What sort of emotional
response does this drawing illicit and why?”
1) Charles Ritchie's work
ReplyDeleteMy initial impression of the Dust and Shade Exhibit from Charles Ritchie is one of fascination. The intricacy and detail of his artwork really jumps off the page. The drawings of his suburban home and landscape almost make me feel like it is my home and it’s neat to see in a journal format. The extensive detail he captures is what really makes his artwork beautiful and interesting. For example, the drawing of his office includes ordinary items such as an open journal, books, desk, and the reflections of light off the window, yet, he somehow makes it so that you want to check it out for yourself.
My perception is that he is very talented in capturing peaceful, quiet, almost lonely scenes that look like a real picture. My perception was expanded by researching his work such as how he tries to capture darkness and light. He mentioned his process on how he can work from before dawn to the mid-morning to see this change. It is evident in much of his work the mastery of the use of light such as a dark bedroom with a lamp or a dark street with a single street light.
http://www.gregbetza.com/?cat=82
ReplyDeleteTitle: Santorini, Greece: The Bay of Amoudi
Artist: Greg Betzta
Media: pen, pastel and paper
Date: 2009
a.) This is a landcape view from above, looking down onto the blue domed churches and bay of Santorini, Greece. It is an excellent illustration and representation of actual space using the principles we've learned in our first two classes; composition, proportion and linear perspective.
I can feel the movement and visceral space of those steep steps and cobbled roads on crutches. Buff !! I'm slowly getting the hang of perspective too and found this to be a useful sketch to shape my space in drawings!!!
Leigh-Ann Pahapills Lecture-CFAM
ReplyDeleteCritique
1/28/2012
My initial reaction to the Leigh-Ann Pahapills exhibition provoked self-doubt, insecurity and confusion. What is this about? Who is who up there? What? Can I even understand? When finally I realized this is one of those contemporary art installations, on-site, spontaneous, pushing and stretching, defending and prophesizing arbitrary art collaboratively.
It appears to be the intention of the artist to create arbitrary art with a focus more on the spectators’ psychological reactions to the space and composition. An example of the viewer becoming the object of art in response to arbitrary, static objects in disproportions. I think there is a French term for this I can’t remember right now. More interesting, is the behavior of the spectator and their proximity with each object and time exchanged, whether or not there is some unilateral or symbiotic (dis)connections between the object and the person. Or if one creates their own contextual idea, with effortless continuity, curiously and content.
The lecture/ discussion in a different gallery space next to the exhibition was frustrating for me. I’d much rather attend the space that is being discussed. I found the lecture to be over intellectualized, verbose, nonsensical, and overly read. Confusing, much like the exhibition. It’s art absurd (2a) and hilarious. It feels a little tense too !
1. Charles Ritchie’s drawings have a rich and immersive quality that makes the otherwise mundane residential streets that are his subject, seem plush. He has an interesting way of using the see through quality as well as the reflective quality of windows to create spaces that are otherwise out of the picture. You don’t notice it at first, but a subtle reflection of the window the viewer is looking through is portrayed. This technique really makes you feel like you are in the scene the Ritchie is portraying. The richness of the drawings are particularly impressive given they contain only two to four colors.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading about Ritchie’s work, I can understand why he is able to capture the richness of ordinary streets. Ritchie is painting the suburban neighborhood where he lives. Ritchie stated his work relates to the suburban sense of landscape space that he appreciates, but also the desire to be secure in ones home. This dialectic seems to be expressed in his drawings that examine the outside landscape closely, but have a window reflection that tell us that the viewer is nonetheless, still inside the home.
Charles Ritchie's work
ReplyDeleteCharles Ritchie's use of numerous media is interesting, complicated and exquisite mastered compositions. While glancing his creations one could see a simple portrayal of humane suburban landscape or home interiors spaces with sense of place and personality. Ritchie’s drawings captivate one to see up-close his creations, appreciate drawing details, and brush control. The uses of different mediums make his painting intriguing. Dark compositions with others artistically expressions, such as words, blend well on each of his drawing.
It seems the artist wants to tell a story of his paintings, perhaps his feelings or inspirations of the configurations. One wonders what he was trying to convey in his writings. One experience a strong desire to read these writing words even thought they are small and difficult to read. Light, shadows and weather are mastered in his portrayals. One can see himself/ herself in this suburban landscape and experience light, darkest and weather making these drawings realistic expressions of life.
Research #2 Charles Ritchie
ReplyDeleteAfter struggling to draw stacked Legos in last Saturday’s class, I experienced deep appreciation and delight when viewing Charles Ritchie’s tiny yet mighty works at the Cornell Museum of Fine Arts. Ritchie creates windows of opportunity for the viewer to step into his world of miniature suburbia. As I became absorbed in observing, and drew closer and closer, it seemed like a larger vista was just beyond the edge of the paper. I forgot how actually small the drawing really was.
As I researched his work, I became aware that Ritchie’s art follows two distinct motifs. In the first, he uses pencils to draw intricate detail with sharp lines, edge, shadow and light. His use of vanishing points in these works to gain perspective of height and depth is seen in wall angles, and his interior scenes of items on office desks, seen through windows.
Ritchie second motif appears softer; using layers of black and white and color tinting that engulfs the viewer in climatic mood and season, in night or day. After reading about the artist and his technique, my sense of his work was confirmed. Charles Ritchie is truly a master of miniature worlds, with an affinity for accuracy and drama.
1) When I did last week's exercise about focusing on composition in a relatively small composition I was very challenged. The detail that I needed to provide was really very hard for me This week's exercise of examining space was also challenging, because I hadn't really put THAT much thought into how best to show the space between objects. So looking at Charles Ritchie's work with how hard the past two weeks' challenges have been for me in mind, makes his work look all the more amazing. The level of detail is mind-blowing. I'm also impressed with how he shows sources of light surrounded by darkness. This particular piece comes to mind: http://www.charlesritchie.com/drawings.php?id=406 The details of the leaves, shadows of branches, and how the composition is framed with geometric vertical motion from the pole, has a natural balance between light and dark, and complimenting horizontal movement from the cables. It's really a great demonstration of strong composition while also demonstrating a attention to detail and form that it amazing.
ReplyDeleteWalking into the Dust and Shade exhibition to see Charlie Ritchie’s work turned into a mind blowing experience after an hour of frustration working on a simple exercise with perspective. Thirty minutes earlier, I thought drawing children’s building blocks using a horizon and vanishing points was tedious; however, Ritchie’s work quickly changed my mind. His intricate and thoughtful pieces are stunning. With every piece I began at about 5 or more feet away, but as I examined it closer I found my nose almost toughing the glass protecting the work. Ritchie’s details made me feel like I needed a hand lens or microscope to really see everything he had included in his works. After doing research and discovering that one of his favorite tools is a single-haired brush, I am certain that I missed things. The darkness of his work (value, not character) and context was also explained by discovering that Ritchie does much of his work from his home office at 3:30am. He has been journaling these quiet nights/mornings for the past 20 years with some of his works taking over 10years to complete. If anything, Ritchie’s work and research into his process has taught me to be patient with my own.
ReplyDeleteDust and Shade: Drawings by Charles Ritchie is a transformative exhibition, inviting gallery visitors to view the world from the artist’s perspective. Creating a sense of intimacy, Ritchie illustrates the world just outside the window of his tiny office with extreme delicacy. I was astonished at the amount of intricate detail Ritchie included in his images. From the microscopic font to the reflecting glare in the interior windows, Ritchie’s exact precision really made me feel as if I was in the drawings. His expression of stillness in the streetlamp lit neighborhood, created simply by manipulating shadow, was calming yet somehow empty and void of feeling.
ReplyDeleteAfter researching his work, I found his attention to light and dark extremely impressive. Reading about the time of day he chose to study light helped me to understand the purpose of the exhibit. He captured the early morning hours so perfectly, moments in time where the world is almost forgotten. His artful portrayal of the relationship between light and shadow helped me in my own drawings this week. Overall, the exhibition helped me to recognize shadow as simply a shade, thus making it easier for me to recreate on paper.
"Likewise, as technical experts, but not (at all) by way of culture"
ReplyDeleteby Leigh-Ann Pahapill
I very much enjoyed hearing Leigh-Ann and the other panelists explore her work. I find that I learn the most from a work of art -- or a complete installation -- when it's explained and interpreted through different points of view. As with most modern installations, it's hard to tell at first what exactly is going on. But perhaps the goal of an art installation is to make the viewer think about it and interpret it like solving a puzzle, in which case Leigh-Ann's work succeeds. Walking around the room, different pieces of the work come together. For example, what's shown on the monitors can be found in other parts of the exhibit. During further investigation and during the panel, we find out that her inspiration was her work in Berlin's Bertolt Brecht Archives. I enjoyed the way she took still pictures and turned them into a dynamic experience. When the visitor walks into the exhibit, it's almost like walking into the photos themselves. I also liked hearing about the struggles she faced when installing the exhibit. The way she was able to change to pieces around to fit the room further animated her work in my mind, adding another layer that can't necessarily be seen in the exhibit itself.
You make a lot good points.
DeleteDepth in the Miniature World of Charles Richie:
ReplyDeleteIt felt as if I walked into the personal collection of an entomologist when I first glanced into the space housing Richie’s exhibition at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum. Like ornate and exotic bugs, Richie’s drawings line the walls hinting at shapes, lines, and color. The intentional small-scale of his work enticed me, as a viewer, to shorten the distance between my vision and his drawings to satisfy a primitive curiosity. Upon closer inspection, I was amazed at the startling detail microscopically applied to each depiction. Each drawing felt like a portal to another world, where close reflection revealed definable shapes, textures, and lighting. I felt like Richie reveals enough form in his drawing to illuminate subjects, but he also leaves the viewer with more questions about the message behind his work.
After looking through Charles Richie’s website, I finally understand Charles Richie as a miniaturist. The drawings truly pull viewers into another universe. Under the tab, “Artist’s Statement,” Richie admits that “the use of small size is important to my work.” Reminiscent of a Swiss watchmaker, Richie employs time-intensive techniques to provide lifelike detail to each of his drawings. From my evaluation of his drawings at the CFAM and his website, I now see Charles Richie as a quirky, sharp, and patient visionary with amazing hand skills developed through decades of practice.
Charles Ritchie: Dust and Shade Exhibit
ReplyDeleteThe first thing one notices about the work of Charles Ritchie is his strong attention to detail. Each of his works, from his comparatively larger, more formal works, to his miniature works in his own journals, is full of intricate detail and realism. Ritchie's works may not contain a variety of different colors, but his landscapes do evoke a strong sense of space, through texture, perspective, lighting, and shading. His works are intriguing, as some of them seem to be views of landscapes from a window, complete with the glare one would see when looking through a window in the evening or at night. Ritchie's paintings, which all contain the theme and subject matter of the suburbs, show that even the most underappreciated aspect of man's built environment, the sprawling suburbs, can contain a beauty of its own. The journal entries Ritchie includes in his works emphasize how much he tries to connect with his subject matter. Finally, the emotional quality that his work evokes is somber, quiet, empty beauty.
After researching Ritchie, I gained an even greater appreciation of his work. I find it fascinating that he has been studying the suburbs for decades and puts his heart and soul into each of his pieces, often working on them for years. Light is his focus in his drawings, and he purposefully makes his landscapes smaller in scale to emphasize intimacy with the environment, a quality I had noticed when I first saw his exhibit. He seeks to delve into the true meaning of things and the magic of what is most near us, our own homes and familiar haunts. After researching about his work, I would love to go visit his exhibition at CFAM again.
The drawings by Charles Ritchie in the CFAM instantly sent me into a wonder of space by being drawn into tiny little drawings full of detail with reflection and contrast of light. Now understanding his background through research I feel like I have caught a glimpse of his life, well at least in the early morning hours. I have always loved the stillness of the early morning before the traffic starts roaring and the electric starts buzzing at a higher frequency and he has captured that stillness in his drawings. At first I thought maybe it was late night loneness, but now the emotion seems more settled. Another great reveal through research of these drawing is that the text on the drawings is his dreams. Despite the text being illegible to the common viewer, which adds more depth since we will never understand his dreams, his dreams adds a new plane of consciousness to the drawings that relate to all the drawing of the universe on the wall. It is definitely apparent now that he was going to be an astrophysicist. It is amazing how these drawings are a glimpse at the artist as a person. The artists self has shaped the drawings.
ReplyDeleteCharles Ritchie paints solitude. At CFAM I could appreciate the work for its intricate detail and incredible skill, but all I could ask was why? Why the blighted, boring suburban electrical lines, street lamp, and skeleton of a tree? Why the cluttered desk? I was wishing he employed his skill somewhere else.
DeleteBut the more I thought about it, the more I appreciated it. I spend the majority of my own time in this place and time. As a runner, early mornings are my province. Ritchie says he draws what he knows best, as advised by Twain's "paint what you know" wisdom. I see my early mornings now as not something to be gotten out of the way, but something beautiful in its own right.
A child of suburbia, Ritchie was taken by the Suburban architecture and the dynamic between home and its history. From the prior posts in this blog and the conversation with Ritchie on his website, his goal of getting the observer close to his work (primarily because of scale and detail) is intentional and effective. He seduces observers in, and at the moment we can perceive the detail, we are thrusted inside our own solitude. It is uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable because we prefer talking of vacations and nights out rather than the rudimentary day-to-day routines. I find Ritchie addressing this to be refreshing... and informative in urban design. We must look into ourselves to better understand what drives us and what we need in a built environment.