Danielle Kuhn- Uncanny

Freud recounts a story a man who in his childhood was told a story of the Sandman. The story stuck with him so much that throughout his life he would be reminded of it and felt haunted. It is a very extreme example since the man is driven mad by his memories. I think the reason Freud brings up its relevance is to make the point that things we see and experience in our past shape the way we see and experience things presently. So many things are presented to us as half-truths and mysteries, it is our responsibility to make what we will of it.

Danielle Kuhn-Freud

I found this way of learning about Freud very entertaining. It was fun to have pictures accompanying the text. It is a style of learning usually reserved for children, so it’s nice to know that some adults still use this method for other adults. It was also really nice to learn more about Freud’s background; it provides some understanding for where some of his ideas came from. I think this is a great starting point for learning more about his theories. It is always interesting to remember that someone like him wasn’t so well received in his time. Now his teachings are just a part of our basic curriculum. Even if it wasn’t his main intention, Freud reminds us to pursue what we think is right or even just interesting. Even if no one wants to listen, we could still have something important to say.

External Sourcing- Sophia

For me, the reading on External Sourcing was interesting yet challenging. While it explains the creative process of each artist and how the inspiration originates externally, I can’t help but scrutinize each external source and wonder if it cannot also be consider internal. I suppose it is impossible to distinctively separate the two inspiration sources, for no matter what one starts off with the other ultimately joins in to help construct the final product.

In the reading, I am most drawn to Scott Grieger, William Kentridge, and Thomas Joshua Cooper. Because I’ve already learned of Kentridge’s work, I will only discuss Grieger and Cooper here. Grieger’s artistic process and trends of thoughts is the most interesting part of his work for me. How he starts out from a Nike logo and eventually creates an installation that explores the idea of social reform, corporations and military-industrial complex is fascinating. However, as his brain-storm bubble continues to expand, I find myself TOO overwhelmed by all the concepts he tried to cramp into one installation. I find that the inclusion of too much elements distract me from focusing on the relations between corporations, military and society, which is already a very strong concept. Cooper’s works draws me because of his approach to art. After the reading I realized that almost all these artists conduct quite a body of research before they go off and construct the actual artwork itself. The preparation works Cooper carry out before he takes the actual photo is astonishing.

I wonder if it is coincidence that all the artists mentioned in this reading are males. I would like to learn about some female artists that draw upon external sources as their inspiration. In the internal sourcing reading we learned of two female artists and one male artist. Is this an indication that females tend to react and respond more emotionally? Even in art? :/

Looking back to my works, I realized that I am mostly inspired internally. But I would like to challenge myself to draw inspirations externally. With that said, I am still having great trouble coming up with an external sourcing project idea…..

Freud Uncanny: Dan McCafferty

Freud’s “The Uncanny” is a very interesting topic that I have read about before. The intellectual uncertainty whether an object is living or not. I found his theories on childhood development the most interesting. He explains that as a child we see everything as living, whether it’s a doll or a real person. In the Sand Man story Freud gives a sense of uncertainty to the character and ties it into being the mother’s colleague. To me the story itself is uncanny because it is hard to tell at first if the story is fantasy or real. The story tells of demons and other fictional creatures but it was hard to tell if it was just being told through the eyes of the child which I mentioned before believed that most inanimate objects were alive.
Overall I feel that Freud is trying to say that what we believe is real is what we see as real. Such as the child realizing that the Sand Man was actually the lawyer. Earlier the child was said to have feared the lawyer and so I think that the Sand Man is still feared even though it is represented in another form This seems to relate to art in the form that pieces can feel alive to the artist because they put so much of themselves into it.

The Uncanny: Allison Senak

One of the most noteworthy topics Freud covers in “The Uncanny” is the effect of the doubt associated with life-like figures that appear as human, such as automata, dolls, and wax figures. I immediately thought of the general public’s fascination with wax figure museums filled with extremely and eerily life-like replicas of celebrities. It also made me think of how relevant this idea is in light of technological advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. Machines are such a prevalent component of modern society, and it is only a matter of time before humanoid machines will be able to replicate human behavior to the point of creating doubt.

Concerning the way the uncanny relates to works of art, I feel that the pieces I remember the most vividly resonate within me on a kind of deeper level. They can burn a certain image into my mind for years to come or recall my own life experiences, whether they be positive or negative. These works have a life of their own and often cause us to question tightly-held beliefs or ways of seeing the world around us. It also makes me look at my own work differently and think about how it can affect others in a similar manner.

Nick Biewer - The Uncanny

This essay was seemed very scattered and confusing to me. However, something I did grasp from it was the relationship between a person and art. Something Freud talks about is the availability of life in art. If a piece of art is an inanimate object, can it still have life? I think the more intimate an artiest or viewer is with the art, the more real and full of life the work becomes. Freud suggests that in his story about the “The Sand-Man.” I agree that art has life when it is created. The amount of life it has depends on the amount of feelings one takes from it. If a work can convey a feeling of sadness or happiness, or any other feeling onto a person, it has to have some sort of life to it. As an artist, the challenge is being able to find a way to put life into the work you are creating, so that others convey feelings towards it.

Freud: Uncanny; Dennis Quinn

I am not going to say much because i do not think this reading was worth my time. There were a bunch of sentences that clicked with me, that's about it. I don't mean to sound ignorant, but Freud is nuts. Replying again to to the last reading ( because i am thinking about it now) what if you have a dream or better yet a nightmare about a vicious snake that you cannot out run that means to bring harm to you? You could interpret this dream in many ways (of course. - you can also read any horoscope sign at any point of the day or year and find a piece of yourself in it). The way my brain interprets it is that, i as a human am afraid of any other species that can bring harm to me, especially if its a fast snake with a nasty bite. I mean why would i connect that very real and possible situation with sexuality or the penis? The snake, eel, crab, and cave can all be scary things to humans without any reason for the connection with sexuality. Maybe im missing something. It scares me that the herd instinct can kick in on a conscious idea or that it can become a "new" philosophy or basis for reality. Sorry to waste your time.

The Uncanny - Irene

I'm confused by Freud's point in this article. In The Uncanny, Freud seems to emphasize how "uncertainty whether an object is living or inanimate" is but only one of the ways to evoke feelings of the uncanny. He even recalls a story that disproves the "theory of intellectual uncertainty" as the source of the uncanny but he still goes into detail explaining how this uncertainty can apply to the experience. By uncanny, I think he means something that resonates with us, but disturbingly so.

Art itself is an uncanny thing because since the beginning of cave drawings, art has attempted to imitate life directly, up to photo-realism and the invention of photography. No matter how much art attempts or doesn't attempt to reflect real life, art will always more so be a representation of the artist's ideas or objectives. It is uncanny, not because we are uncertain if it is animate or not or because we fear castration, but because we see it for what it is, physically and visually, and at the same time, there is hidden dimension of meaning and intent behind it to be recognized.

Freud for Beginners - Irene

There is always more than one way to present or to understand concepts. The visual presentation of typically wordy Freudian ideas and theories is the perfect bridge between Freud and artists, such as us. The concepts are not foreign, as they were taught in high school, but including his entire story, work's process, outside influences and specific cases brought another element of interest and depth to Freud. And although you begin to understand the justification of his theories, I'm still not convinced on topics, such as how everything can be traced back to sexuality. I'm sure that your unconsciousness is affected by countless factors. Also, biologically, no one is ever perfect, so I think it is to be assumed that any thought processes, conscious or not, can be easily convoluted without yourself knowing. Therefore, how can you claim to truly know the source of the unconscious?

Crystal Kan- The Uncanny

“Uncanny” is usually used to describe something supernatural or beyond expectations. Freud uses this word aptly to title his essay because he discusses the ability to give life to something inanimate or an imaginary being through the story, The Sandman. Nathaniel, the student in the story, is warned about the Sandman, and through his curiosity, gave creation to the monstrous being that haunts him throughout the story. Later in the story, he falls madly in love with Olympia, only to find out that she was a doll that he believed was human. So how exactly is this uncanny? I presume that by giving life to something that does not, it emulates a god-like power that we humans normally do not possess.

I think everyone has the ability to give life to inanimate objects. I can't imagine how many times I have played with dolls and used my voice to give them a voice. Even with the smallest gestures, it gave them personality that not only entertained me, but many other kids. But aside from childhood memories, it also had me wondering how exactly to connect a viewer to my story emotionally. How do I get them to care about characters that I have created? We, as artists, much search for new ways to breathe life into our creations.

katie mccue the uncanny

In Freud’s essay, “The Uncanny,” he talks of the relationship between individuals who are in fact living, breathing, functioning beings and those that are inanimate objects. But, does this necessarily mean they are lifeless? The reading was definitely at times over my head, but I did feel that the closer the living being is to this inanimate or life less object, the more real it becomes to that person. The story, “The Sandman,” shows just that. This feeling we get, and I related to his reference to our childhood experiences with dolls, somewhere hoping they do come to life, is something that lingers within all of us at one time or another. This aspect of real or fake, alive or lifeless becomes distorted. I also feel that as an artist, especially in photography, a picture takes on a life of its own, not only due to the people or things within the frame, but the photographer also. I feel that way about al art work though I do not think many people realize how much life is given to art not only through the artists, but the viewers themselves.

The Uncanny - Eric Zimmermann

This weeks reading was a bit jumbled and confusing for me at first, but eventually I was able to connect this story and what Freud was trying to say to my art.  After reading it I understood it to be an analysis of the question we are first presented with, are animate beings alive or is a lifeless object alive?  I have to say that in relation to my own art, and anything that I am passionate about for that matter that because I put so much of myself into these works the fact that they are inanimate is lost.

 When you really immerse yourself in something whether it be art or a fantasy such as the “Sand Man” lines of what is animate and inanimate, real and fake can become blurred or even lost.  The story of the “Sand Man” was an interesting way to compare these two thoughts of animate and inanimate and really made me look and think about the idea that Freud was trying to convey, and how it related not just to my art but my life in general.  These thoughts can be compared to countless aspects of one’s life and perhaps in the future I will be more open to seeing this in part to this reading.

Freud for Beginners-Jess Castaldi

This was not my first time learning about Freud’s discoveries concerning the human mind as I studied them in a Psychology class a few years ago. I always found his ideas to be very interesting especially his stages of psychosexual development, and his Oedipus complex. His discoveries really help to understand the development of a person’s mind and why they become the way they are. It is helpful to learn of these processes to understand why we think the way we do. Any complex we might have may be caused by a trauma in our early child hood. This will also help us develop ideas for projects, using experiences in our child hood as the basis for ideas. The subjects of the Id, Ego, and Super Ego are also great starting points for ideas. You could take the same concept and portray it in the different forms of the conscious. Without Freud’s findings we would not be able to delve into our minds and dreams and use them as inspiration for our work.

The Uncanny by Sigmud Freud(Jeff Barnard)

This week’s reading starts off posing the question of whether or not an animate being is really alive or is a lifeless object is animate. This refers to wax figures, dolls and other such things that are lifeless but are made to look so real that they might be alive. My opinion on this matter is that for some of these wax figures, they are indeed alive in certain manner of speaking. When a devoted artist creates a work of art, they don’t just work on it, they pour some of their life into it to give their art a life of its own to withstand time. I know when I work on a project, I try to put a little of myself into it so I would have a better connection to it and to share a bit of myself with others.

The reading goes on and talks about a short story called “Sand-Man”, where a figure in a story is compared to someone real after events in the story start happening. But in this short story the sandman throws sand in the kid’s eyes not red hot coals as stated by the main character. What I think this illustrates that the more we believe in something, the more it becomes real. We all have our own beliefs in various things and that makes us feel a connection to those things thus making them special to us. The character believed the story so much that when something happened to someone he knew, he immediately compared it to the story.

In conclusion, I think the purpose of this reading was to show us that various actions and objects can be seen as real depending on our thoughts. Whether it is a lifeless wax figure or a character from a story, they are made real by our beliefs in their appearance and demeanor . When artist’s do work, they use their imagination to give a better sense realism to what they are creating thus giving the art itself, life. When a person devotes themselves to god, though they can’t see him, they feel a better connection to god and consider him a moral guide in their lives. This thus proves to what people determine as real depends on their state of mind and the subject matter they deal with.

Freud for Beginners: Dennis J. Quinn

This was really interesting to me because I was given a book way back that dealt with Freud followers and naysayers. It was a bit too in-depth for me to grasp. I think I should visit that book again with a better understanding of where Freud was coming from and the civil thought he was dealing with within his time. I do believe that sexuality is the basis of reproduction and 2nd in line to individual survival skills (food, water, and shelter). The idea that EVERYTHING is sexually based, kind of sucks if this is true. I do not know if there is any way to prove such a theory because dreams, day dreams and nightmares ect., can all have different meanings that I do not think stem only from sexual desires or fears. The logic that it takes to figure out ones problem is key and it may not be easy, but Freud is really onto some things that I didn’t really give thought to. I am curious to read more. I like the cartoon presentation of the information. This goes great with my learning style. I wish more books were made in the fashion. The expression on the cartoons faces can express just as much, if not more, meaning than the words needed to convey that emotion. This was a quick read, which I like even more. I thought this reading was going to take longer but most pages were filled with informative pictures.

Jess Adamitis Reading 5 Response

There really isn’t much that I can say about this reading. Freud recounts the story “Sand-man” as a prime example for feelings of uncanny. The story is about a child who is taught to fear a figure called the Sand-man who takes the eyes of bad children. This fear perhaps is the start of his madness and delusion. He attaches the identity of the Sand-man to one of his father’s colleagues, Coppelius and to another man Coppola. Eventually he throws himself off a tower, being tormented by his own demons.

Freud then goes to analyze this fear of losing ones eyes is related to the fear of being castrated. I do not agree with this notion. Sight is such an important sense to use. It is primarily how we learn and how we interact with our surroundings, next to touch. To have sight and then to lose that and see nothing but darkness is a frightening thing. I don’t see the connection between the fear of losing your sight and the fear of being castrated.

Whitney Museum - Leandra Bourdot

The trip to the Whitney Museum gave rise to a number of interesting questions as investigated by the artists. The tension between "performer" and audience, perception and action, and the blurring of these dichotomous roles, was investigated in Dan Graham's pieces. I was particularly struck by the installations in which the audience of viewers became the source of performance as they interacted through the spaces he constructed and with which he directed their gaze; as well as those videos in which he as performer utilized indirect methods of perception to interact with the audience (such as mirrors or cameras), and which was again redirected to a new audience to perceive through the format of video. Likewise, Sadie Benning toyed with similar dualisms in her video, depicting a sense of depressing alienation in the shuffle of daily life in a stylistically childish hand.
I was most captured by the photoconceptualism pieces, however. Mel Bochner's Transparent and Opaque photographs were beautiful in their ephemerality and existence for the sake of existence; and, especially considering some of the elements I like to play with in my own art, I appreciated the visual punnery of Bruce Nauman's work (though it's rather more literal than what I tend to work with.)
Adrian Piper's piece "Food for the Spirit" was what struck me the most, however. The photographs themselves, dimly-lit self-portraits, were beautiful in their own right; and the story behind them even moreso. I found it intriguing that, even in the midst of spiritual and meditative work, she made such an effort to remain strongly connected to her physical body and to continually reaffirm its existence to herself.

The Whitney: Dan McCafferty

At the museum there were two pieces that really stood out and that I enjoyed the most. The first one I saw was also the biggest, it was called "New Space for Showing Videos" 1995. It was a few panels of glass that made almost a star-like shape. The glass was two way glass so some of them you could see threw while others were reflections. The idea was really interesting because when I was sitting in one room watching the video I could see my friends in a different room but I knew they were not sitting in that room, it was all illusions.
The other piece I saw was the "Opposing Mirrors and Video Monitors on Time Delay". It was exactly how it sounded and was very fascinating because of the delay. The mirrors also helped by just adding a different effect. It was fun to find out how it was working and why it was backwards as well. Overall it was a good exhibit and I like the majority of the works.

uncannily...

Freud-Liz Marchuk

Freud” The Uncanny”
In the story “Sand-man” written by Hoffman, a little boy is told that if he does not go to sleep the sand-man will come and take his eyes out. Several nights he observes his father and an eerie man doing experiments. One night the visitor sees him and his father has to come to his rescue or the visitor will remove the boy’s eyes. Several evenings latter the father is found dead, killed by an explosion. When he is older he buys a spy-glass and observes a silent and motionless young woman named Olympia and falls in love with her. He one days see her eyes being removed (she is really a doll or robot) and goes insane. After he recovers he is about to marry and then see the very same man who has removed Olympia’s eyes and goes once again insane and jumps to his death.
For Freud, being robbed of your eyes or some type of a frightening event from your childhood will lead you back to what is known and familiar. Freud feels that the fear of losing one’s sign is often a substitute for the dread of being castrated

to ponder: art and honey

urban beehive (image at left)

Get your stingers out for the “Bikube;” it’s a beehive for modern city dwellers who want to help fix the decreasing bee population. The designer of this project, Adam Weaver, attacks the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) problem head-on with this stylish box. It’s a beehive. You attach it to your outside wall. Bees live in it! And you could probably paint flames on it if you wanted to! More details: The Bikube is designed with slopes on all sides to let rain and debris slide off with ease. The Bikube is a nucleus hive, and it is easily wall mounted. The Bikube utilizes an integrated handle for ease of use and transport, and there’s a glass section for humans to look and peek in on what kind of business is going on inside the hive.

Freud Reading: Dan McCafferty

The reading was very interesting and graphic at the same time. The illustrations contributed a lot to the text and helped me visualize the situations a lot better. The most interesting part of the reading was the parts where Freud argued that everyone’s dreams and related to some type of sexuality or to their past. When he was explaining it, it made sense but when I think of it and my dreams; I don’t believe it. In the beginning of the reading he says that he discovered cocaine and he began using it on patients as a therapy drug.
The reading made me think of doing my own thing and having my own ideas. Freud was judged and criticized by the church and anyone who else who heard about his theories. He also explains his ideas on ID, ego, and super-ego. I think all of his ideas about these topics make a good description on how an artist works. They can be linked to finding ones identity and producing art. Even though the majority of people disagreed with Freud he still introduced new theories and continued his work.

The Whitney-Phil Grasso

Our trip to the Whitney Museum was really a fun time. there were a few things that caught my attention the most as being really interesting works. As I traveled from space to space looking at the different works of art I changed which one was my "favorite". the glass pieces were really interesting, they had a 'fun house' quality to them which was really fun and interactive. On the same floor there was also another piece in which two doors lead to a room on either side of a pane of glass. One side had a mirror behind it while the other had just a wall. When standing and looking through to the other side,especially when other people were in there, it created a really interesting perception of what was going on. Once your eyes adjusted it became clear, but during the in-between stage it was rather trippy.
Another one was the animation video, which I basically sat through entirely. The use of the sounds in correlation to the still images was quite effective. Some scenes made me laugh which kept me interested. i couldnt get over some of the drawings, i though they were pretty hyterical.

Freud Reading-Phil Grasso

Freud has always been an interesting read to me. The style in which this reading was presented I found to be very insightful, and a little less monotonous. The variations in the pictures in relation to the text, I think enhanced this quality. He talks about our minds being a place that basically cannot be understood as one entity. that our subconscious is just as important to our reality as the one we perceive everyday. When he uses these explanations in regards to the art world it became very clear that he is not far off in this assumption. The fact that our dreams take place when we are not in a conscious state, I feel enhances the fact that our artistic nature in only increased by our subconscious. It is, in-fact, our conscious creativity which is feeding off of that.
He talks about the three levels in the human psyche which make up our being, the Id, Ego, and Super Ego. These three stages which our artistic nature is enveloped reminds me a lot of the Buddhist search for enlightenment. How each monk is required in theory (through representative diagrams) to travel through different levels of consciousness, each one bringing new forms of self understanding; until finally reaching their nirvana. Along the way each encounters different beings either from their past present or future which help guide their minds to the next level. In a way i believe that is what everybody does in some sense. Self improvement is something I try to excel at everyday, and hopefully through my continuous understanding of the purpose I hold in life, I as well, will become a better person consciously and subconsciously.

Whitney - Eric Zimmermann

Our class trip to the Whitney was actually my first out of all the times I have visited NYC and its countless museums and galleries. I do believe that aside from the MOMA it has become one of my favorites, I really liked the Dan Graham exhibit and all of the pieces presented. I found that all the pieces had me thinking about how each one was conceived and created, it really got my brain flowing more so then any other exhibit I have been to recently. I also enjoyed the video we were asked to sit in on. The combination of the images and the sounds really worked well together and effectively told many small stories, I especially liked how because there were two different screens there was a change back and forth of different images on each screen but then also combined images. It easily held my interest, and was quite possibly my favorite piece of the entire day. I also found a new artists whose work intrigued me and I have been google-ing all week (Ben Shahn). Overall I had a very good time, and believe I will be going back again, hopefully sometime soon.

Kevin Keane Response: Freud for Beginners

I have never read anything on Sigmund Freud in a comic book style before, it was a breath of fresh air. The images were enjoyable to look at, yet they were informative. The aesthetic of the images evoke a psychotic sense that is appropriate to represent the psychoanalysis that Freud was famous for. The Freudian theory that sexuality develops in the early stages of childhood is very interesting.
I found Freud’s model of Id, ego, and super-ego very relative to an artist. Id is instinctively in art, we are unconscious of our Id and thus it plays its role automatically. The ego is represented by all of the experiences that have occurred previously in the life of the artist. The super-ego then, if I understand correctly, must be ignored when developing artwork. If the super-ego is there to contradict our Id and ego to appease society, then for artwork to be pure it must not be affected by the super-ego.

Freud-Danielle Inducci

Freud’s ideas are discussed in every psychology class. His theory that sexual desire is the primary motivation of energy for human life is discussed in the book. No one seemed to agree with his ideas of psychology and the how the brain works, but he pushed through with his concepts. He also believed in an unconscious mind. These theories along with Freud’s character, many people were uncomfortable with the ideas of an unconscious mind and completely disregarded his ideas that in my opinion have some truth to them. Artists face the same problem with society. Many artists have ideas that the represents through works that many outsiders do not understand. When viewers don’t understand a piece of work, usually they pay no attention to it. Art can be related to Freud’s idea of the unconscious. It is similar to internal sourcing. What are mind creates in its subconscious through dreams is expressed through making artwork.

Keith Croshaw - Freud for Beginners

Freud has always been an interesting character to me, he felt that he completely understood the human psyche, no questions asked. Freud developed the basic theory of the Id, the ego, and the superego, each one of these representing a level of consciousness, which is always active within the human mind. Freud’s concepts of conscious still thrive today even though they have taken on more simple names such as unconsciousness for example. Freud focused on much more of man’s primitive thoughts, especially those about sexuality. After much further studying though he found out that many of his patients that he was basing his ideas upon had been fabricating early sexual abuse. Anytime a psychologist is trying to create a theory on the human psyche it must be based truly on truth, and nobody tells purely the truth.

Freud’s take on art was very interesting; I feel that he defiantly hit it right on where art comes from within our minds. He felt that it came from our unconsciousness, almost like we dream our art, and these dreams became our identity as well. Many times when I am trying to come up with some sort of work I almost meditate and try to let my subconscious emerge, either that or try to let my inner Id come out and follow wherever it takes me, as long as it’s not dangerous. The repression is another aspect in Freud’s work that was interesting, since there is always something holding back our innermost desires from doing whatever we want. Freud’s theory that the Ego always represses the Id whenever it feels appropriate, and it is amazing sometimes to even feel that internal struggle going on inside your head without even thinking about what you are about to do.

Keith Croshaw - Whitney

Our visit to the Whitney Museum was pretty stimulating. I always get my hopes up that there will be tons and tons of art, but there was only a ton of art at the Whitney. I found out for a reason why were encouraged to visit’s Dan Graham’s exhibit, since it was so stimulating. The way his pieces captivated everyone’s attention was quite amazing. Some of his pieces were simple two way mirrors which started me of thinking, ok am I in some sort of amusement park, but then things really got interesting when we walked into a constructed room with a slightly reflective window in between the room you enter and the room that someone else is in, and a mirror behind only one of the rooms. This piece created an interesting view on the other room since for some reason I didn’t even realize our room was the only one with a mirror in the back. Upon entering the second window it became clear what I had missed and then the other group entered our room and was blown away by the difference. His video piece was also very engaging; the class’s interaction with the piece was good proof of that. The “Play Pause” video by Sadie Benning was another treat. The bright colors and the simple figures attracted the kid in me but the adult subject matter towards the end instantly changed my state of mind. There was one scene where I think the narrative took us to a nightclub where the music, the art and the colors were all choreographed to the music, which was very intense.

Danielle Kuhn

I didn’t find the external sourcing article to be much different from the internal sourcing article. The main differences were that it lacked an introduction and that it discussed different artists. I don’t find it important to dissect whether inspiration is internal or external. I don’t think it is possible to have inspiration that isn’t a little bit of both. For example, if an artist were to depict a dream they had, while that would be an internal inspiration according to the article, dreams are related to external events. If another artist were to make a political statement, the article would state this is an external source. I don’t think it is solely external though since their political views are based on their morals. Whatever someone believes in is a very intimate and internal source. Any artwork could be explained just the right way to show it was born from either external sourcing or internal sourcing.
I often think that artists of all kinds can be too quick to compare something to Nazi Germany. It can become cliche in some cases. This is why I feel a little conflicted when reading about Scott Greiger. I do like his general idea of taking collected images and manipulating them to “un-brainwash the people.” His ideas of corporate America’s power over the people, and their ability to control and also stimulate is scarily true. I think he brings together some really great themes that may seem unrelated at first to make a strong statement. We have looked at William Kentridge’s artwork in other classes, I still think he has some amazingly beautiful artwork. He realized at a young age that inconceivable things happen in the world. He also makes political statements but brings the psychological and emotional aspects to the forefront. I find Chris Ofilli’s article humorous to read. He brings up some serious subjects such as sensitivity to African Americans and religion, but does it with an understated sense of humor. I feel like he is teasing the viewer in a sense to see how seriously they’ll take him. I absolutely love Hubert Duprat’s work with caddis flies. I’m very interested in natural history, so mixing that with art history is very exciting to see. Thomas Joshua Cooper doesn’t excite me as much because I feel like he is too strict in his artwork. Commemorating a historical event by photographing the location where it took place is a wonderful idea. The way he describes not caring about the sky and how he knows enough to only take one picture sounds stubborn to me. I suppose you could say I respect his artwork but not his attitude.

Brandon- Whitney Response

I thought most of the art we saw at the Whitney Museum was worthwhile. It was hard to try and cover everything, even without a time limit. I found Georga O’Keeffe’s paintings probably the most visually appealing. And they were probably most closely related to the kind of work I’m looking to produce this semester in the class. The number of paintings on display however was somewhat overwhelming, so I regret not having spent more time with a greater number of the works. I think the museum should have chosen a selection of the pieces to show rather than everything it had.
Dan Graham’s work was probably the most fun for me. His exhibition offered up a lot of very minimalist pieces playing on form, space and reflection. I thought his execution of idea was very well done, and I can appreciate the museum’s collaboration with the artist and the amount of work that goes into setting up an exhibition like his. The work was playful, and I wasn’t the only one who seemed amused by some of the work. Even one of the museum attendants was jovial in informing me that I could actually walk into one of the works.
The most thought provoking piece of the trip for me was my last stop back on the first floor – “Play Pause”. It was thought provoking for me not because of its content, but again in execution. The content itself was entertaining, but I sort of lost the artist’s track after a little past the halfway point of the movie. What really caught and kept my attention was Saide Benning’s implication of video as a medium. There was very little actual motion picture in the movie at all. It was mostly crude and simple hand drawings in slides timed to the soundtrack (whose acoustics greatly enhanced the piece overall). Even color was used sparingly. I was therefore surprised at how incredibly effective the movie was with such an elemental approach, and I’ll certainly keep this in mind in my own work in the future. It’s no secret that effective art isn’t necessarily complicated. But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen video employed this well with such simplicity before.

Jess G - External Sourcing

External sourcing is something that I typically use in conjunction with internal sourcing. I think is it hard to believe you can have one without the other. However, in my opinion, finding oneself in an external context takes something extraordinary. Like the artists in the article, a person must be extremely driven by an external source to produce a body of work from it. In some way all the artists in the article have a passion, a cause they have taken up or a truth they feel the need to reveal. It takes a lot of dedication to push those sorts of issues. I feel that in my own work, I am normally influenced externally by sights and sounds such as music, nature, landscapes and wind. I feel that I tend to be more internally driven, but after reading this article, I can see how being out and about taking in the world could be a good way to jump start my brain. In the future, I will be more aware of my surroundings. I think it would be good for me to feel a better connection to the outside world, perhaps in a way I have not felt before.

whitney katie mccue

The trip to the Whitney Museum was a visit I was looking forward to but wsa not sure what I would ultimately get out of it. Dan Graham’s work was fascinating. The audience’s interaction was so imperative to his work it made me want to delve into such inclusions in my studies. It was easy to get lost in Graham’s work throughout the exhibit. The over emphasis on the viewer interacting with his installations, especially when it came to the room where a constant video recording was going on, gave me another outlook on my own work and generated some new ideas I would like to try out.

The movie, “Play Pause” by Sadie Benning was one of my favorite parts of the day. Despite its playful nature, I really enjoyed the very basic drawings she used along with the background noise, colors, and even music. Everything was so basic in its form, but had such strong and at times, humorous messages. Despite the very child like drawings, the artist did a more then effective job relaying her video to her audience. The basic and background city noise worked wonderfully, even though there was no dialogue used throughout her film. It did not need the use of verbal communication and without it, added to the thought of how we do so easily communicate to people without words.

Freud katie mccue

The book we read about Freud’s life and work was not only informative, but really broke down his theories and ideas in a way it was easier to digest. For the most part, I knew a lot of Freud from psychology classes and just an interest in his work. It was truly fascinating to read about how he worked his ideas out and pushed further and further, despite how everyone around him seemed to disagree at one point or another. He took the accepted and conventional ways of looking at how the human brain and sexuality work and turned it upside down. His work is still used today but created such a revelation for not only other psychologists to read and work on, but I feel like any individual interested in their own mind and sexuality. It is a scary thing to be the only one supporting your own ideas and theories, especially when it is out in the open for anyone to critique and tear apart. It was not only Freud’s theories on our sexual desires and unconscious that people did not buy into, but also his character. Since Freud was challenging our ideas on our own minds and unconscious, many people jumped on board to totally disregard his theories and see him as some kind of deviant. i kind of related Freuds work to what atists face all the time, which is a constant critique of ones work and a constant push for new ideas and practices.

Freud for Beginners - Amy Lu

So, Freud lived during a period of major psychoanalysis development. From believing in mechanism to developing the Id, Ego and Superego model of the mind, he went through 70 odd years of challenges, debates, oppression, friendships and hardships. His other theories of defining sexual desire as the source of psychological diseases and mourning and melancholia have fallen out of favor, but his therapeutic techniques such as free association are still being used. In terms of art, this founder of psychology would say that art works could be another form of your unconsciousness, sort of like dreams. Dreams are your identity, expressed without any hindrances or repressions – of course this would probably mean that you love your mother if you were a male and you have penis envy if you are a female, but in modern day times, this could be analyzed differently. But how could anyone access their unconsciousness/repressed feelings as a defense mechanism while you are fully conscious?

What I was captured by was the artwork. The picture collages of sculptures, paintings and original artwork provide a feeling, understanding and, personally, a huge relief when I saw that I had to read 154 pages. The styles of work, from realistic to bizarre, smooth to graphic all combined together is, surprisingly, appropriate for one book. This engaging illustrative book simplified Freud’s life and theories but kept it comprehensive with extra drawings. Overall this was an enjoyable and educational reading with explanations for the human psyche and exaggerated and entertaining artwork.

Crystal Kan- Freud For Beginners

Freud for Beginners illustrate the life and theories of Freud in a comical and educational way. The art had exaggerated portraits of important figures in Freud's life and history, as well as edited illustrations of famous paintings to make the reading more light hearted. They also delve into the controversies of his theories and how his students' theories split from his own yet enforced it at the same time.

I was not too satisfied at the end of the book with Freud being unable to find a solution to why there is repression of the Id, but such is life. It does have me thinking, what if repression comes from an internal defense against having too much of a good thing? For example, to satisfy hunger, one must eat, but not too much because that would make us feel ill. Perhaps that is where the restraint comes from, but I have no historical context to back it up.

Personally, this book was a lot of an easier read than any article or textbook on Freud that I have previously read. I enjoyed the comic book format and that it went in depth into Freud's past and his progression of logic to reach his conclusions. I also liked the fact that he linked his theories to history, mythology, and case studies to show that they are not singular instances but rather a part of human nature that's been repeated over time.

GALLERFFITI-Phil Grasso-Eric Zimmerman-Liz Marchuk

Jess Adamitis Reading 4 Response

I have never had the opportunity to really learn about Freud except in high school where I had to do self-research his Oedipus complex and compare it to Hamlet. From the little amount that understood I did not enjoy Freud’s ideas of infantile sexual desires for their parents. This book however, has provided me with more information that I better understood, although some of it was still beyond me. The presentation is unique and not what I would expect from a book about one of the world’s more known minds. In some cases the comic style of the book helped me focus on what was being said and kept me entertained, but in other instances it greatly distracted and confused me on what was trying to be said.

It is fascinating that Freud’s entire conclusion and research for what motivates and represses us derived by studying what dreams meant. Out of the entire book the piece of information that made the most sense to me and helped me understand the rest of the book was Freud’s earlier division of the mind; the preconscious and the unconscious or the pleasure principle. Then Freud modifies this to the ID, Ego, and Super Ego. From what I understand the ID is almost the same as the unconscious except the ID will alter slightly based on interactions with the world. These changes will develop together with self-awareness and become the Ego. The Ego acts as both our preconscious and represses unconsciously. When the repressed impulses disappear their result is our Super-Ego.

The whole idea of Freud’s ideas of primal instincts has become fascinating to me. Although I may not agree with some of it the ideas and conclusions he has made are extraordinary and I respect the devotion he was made to seek answers. Being that I am more-or-less a purely representational artist I cannot wrap my head around how I could utilize this for me art. However, for those with a more open or abstract mind, I can only wonder how it could be utilized.

Freud For Beginners(Jeff Barnard)

In this reading, it focused on the life of Sigmund Freud and his career in neurophysiology and histology. There is a lot of discussion on neuropathy as well as other aspects of psychotherapy such as hypnosis and its various effects on the patients. Various methods were discussed like the pressure method which was used to bring back memories of repressed events for patients. Also, there was the free association method from which the patient could say whatever they wanted and the doctor interpreted. This book seemed to be focused on the practices that Freud was a part of during the 19th and 20th century and how he interpreted them.

My impression of the reading was that it was full of interesting stories of the beginning of psychotherapy but had little to do with art. I see the images as interesting portrayals of the events of his life and how they relate to the subject matter. Freud also points out problems in this field such as errors with therapy and how society works. If I was to guess, I’d say that this was attempt to make an internal sourcing piece based on Freud’s life and in that respect they succeeded. This week’s reading, I think, was an attempt to open our minds to another way of thinking in the hopes that it could make our art styles evolve.

In conclusion, the reading was an glimpse into the life of one of the world’s greatest minds, Sigmund Freud. In this book, they detail aspects of his life and how they effected what he did for a living and his interests as well. Though, to an artist, this seems to have little to do with art, it is interesting to read about a new method of processing what we could do to create future art. As an artist, one can never survive with using one method throughout their career, so they must learn to adopt new methods whether they work or not. In the end, this reading unlike the others seems to depend on your interpretation of the subject matter more than any other.

Whitney Museum(Jeff Barnard)

When I first got in to the museum, I went to see that art film about an airplane trip on the first floor. The animation of the piece was very basic and the sounds were typical airport noises. But I felt the narration of the piece was very well done with the animation matching the sounds we heard. This seems, though basic in nature, that it would of taken a lot of time to get it nailed down correctly. After that, we went on to the 3rd floor where there was paintings from various artists.


One such artist was O'Keefe who made a lot of flower art and had it displayed throughout the 3rd floor. In all of them, there was vibrant color ranging from reds to blues and even colors in between. But he often seemed to use a close up on the staymin of the flower as though he was saying it was the most important part to him. Was he trying to send a message through his art be it sexual or not? I'm still not sure to this day.

My next venture was the video called "Rock My Religion" where the goal of the piece was to sugguest that music, particlarly Rock and Roll, was an art form. It seemed to say that music was an experiment in conceptual art and was used for different purposes such as religion and politics. I've never really thought of music in that way because to me music was just something to listen to and enjoy. Although, I do notice that throughout history music has reflected the cultural theme of the time it was made in. In the end, the trip was a bit of a learning experience.

External Sourcing: Amy Lu

This week’s reading, about external sourcing of inspiration exposes several artists and their various inspirations through artwork. I personally found this article easier to read, to understand and even on another level, to connect. The external inspirations ranged from African history and the collective conscious, to the aesthetic of the lower class neighborhoods to finding art’s absolute starting point and following turning points. Although there are starts from external inspirations, I still believe that inspiration needs to happen on an internal level as well.

Human beings are constantly being bombarded with information in the forms of sights, sounds, smells and taste – each little detail can be a source of external inspiration. But, what pushes artists to be inspired by any one detail? This can only be from an internal perspective. For William Kentridge, the internal inspiration came from his own emotional distress over South African history. For Grieger, there was a passion (internal source of inspiration) to undermine subliminal messages using logos and icons as opinion modifiers. Even Ofili’s dung aesthetic was from an impulsive, internal reaction to his frustrations.

So although there may be a clear external source for a particular project, the artist’s own background spurs a kind of internal inspiration. It is an artist’s own unique experiences, emotions, internal thoughts (whether subconscious or conscious) that bring a focus and perception of a certain external inspiration.

The Whitney Museum Class Trip: Dennis J. Quinn

The Whitney Museum Class Trip: Dennis J. Quinn

I enjoyed Dan Graham’s main movie room about musicians and how rock and role was changing American culture. The video was a bit long for an installation. It was not only informative, but it seemed like you could walk in at any point of the video and be right where the Dan wanted you to be. Of course the movie is looped, but the idea that you can walk in, leave and come back and still have a sense of understanding and be captivated by the editing and the visuals was interesting, but more along the lines of entertainment in my mind. This is not to say that art cannot be entertainment but I tend to be attracted to the more conventional way of museums.
Georgia O’keeffes’ abstract watercolor pictures were beautiful and abundant. Sometimes I felt that she over used her motifs. But her sense of composition and form is nothing less than graceful. I do not recall every piece of work, but my overall impression was that I felt impressed but not completely moved.
Sometimes I expect too much when I walk into a museum where contemporary art is being displayed. I usually want my socks to be blown off or moved in a way the leaves me feeling inspired or that I must return (kind of like MOMA). I left feeling tired but inspired to make some ideas that stepped outside of the box similarly to Dan Graham’s reflection pieces.

External Sourcing: Dennis J. Quinn

External Sourcing: Dennis J. Quinn

This article was more of an artist profile than a direct look at external sourcing; but the artists mentioned are worth looking up. I really liked a video that William Kentridge made where he uses charcoal as his medium. When he creates his next scene or frame, he barley erases the object that moves; this leaves a “light trail,” behind that creates a sloppy but stylish way towards animation. All in all, I have come to realize that between this article and the last article discussing internal sourcing, inspiration has a Yin and Yang quality to it. You can’t have one with out the other, or when you have one the other will be present. There cannot only be internal inspiration because we are so connected to the external world around us. This answers the question, “when does external become internal,” and the answer is they are the same.

Crystal Kan- Whitney Reaction

From what I have experienced, I realized that I enjoy and appreciate witty and humorous works of art more than other types. For example, Bruce Nauman's “Eating My Words” where the artist is literally eating doughnuts that spell out “words” employs a clever use of visual puns. Another would be Mel Bochner's “Misunderstandings (A Theory on Photography)” in which he uses famous and fake quotes about photography, but does not tell the audience which ones are fake. These both cause the viewer to look and think carefully in order to understand the humor behind the piece.

I also had a lot of fun interacting with most of Dan Graham's installations as they involved the audience in larger numbers. A lot of them played with visual illusions and reflections in materials, invoking the audience's sense of curiosity. My favorite piece overall was Dan Graham's “Opposing Mirrors and Video Monitors on Time Delay”. I enjoyed how simple it was to allow interaction with the audience in large groups. I think a lot of what made the piece for me was that a decently large portion of our class were moving in front of both monitors and that the time delay allowed us to see what we did after the fact.

As for the video pieces, “Rock My Religion” and “Play Pause”, I think they both used sound, video, and timing effectively to convey their messages. “Rock My Religion” used clips from the evolution of music in the 60's and 70's to connect religious beliefs and rock together. “Play Pause” had minimal animation, drawings and colors, but they were simple enough to express a day in a person's life. I think the most that I gained from seeing these two pieces is the importance of timing with visuals and sound because if they are off by a little bit, the audience could be sent into confusion.

GLASS CASE exhibitions *important* announcement

BTW:

Mondays (and some Tuesdays) are by "Appointment Only"...the gallery isn't open, so the student workers (and the key) aren't available unless arranged in advance.
YOU must fill out a contract at least 1 WEEK IN ADVANCE of installing. Sarah has not received any contracts to date. They need Liselot or my signature, too. Please remember that you must include specific install and de-install dates/times to ensure that Sarah knows to arrange access to the exhibition case.

For INSTALL:
Tuesdays, 12pm-7pm, go to gallery assistant for access (except 10/20 & 10/27 when between exhibits and appointments must be made)

For DE-INSTALL:
Mondays, Appointments available between 9:30am-12:30pm OR 2pm-4pm....but the gallery isn't open on Mondays and the student workers will be assigned elsewhere if not needed...so I need to know 1 WEEK IN ADVANCE the specific de-install time desired.

Whitney Museum
September 17, 2009
Liz Marchuk
In Dan Graham’s ‘Triangular Solid with Circular Inserts v.e. 1989-2007’ we watched with amazement as we walked around the structure, our viewpoint changed. The glass felt as though it was moving in each panel. At one moment you were outside then you were looking in. The sculptor was beautiful in shape to look at yet felt eerie to interact with.

In one of the many Abstract paintings painted by Georga O’Keeffe, I was drawn to one which she used a wide range of blue. In the paintings upper 3rd was a series of arks that curved towards the top of the canvas. The uses of many shades of blue, blue-green, and white were blended. There was a feeling of movement almost like the sun rising. In the middle 3rd section of the painting it changed to a color pallet of deep purple-red- pink. There is a cloud like shape. In the lower 3rd the color pallet has changed back to blue. There is a large blob form that takes on a skin or flesh like fell. Now that being said, was it a life form or might it just be a landscape instead.

In Sadie Benning instillation ‘Play Pause’ she uses video projected on two simultaneous running screens. The information on the screens is wealth of years of fragmented figures and abstraction. The two screens appear to be unrelated to each other. One could be color dotes and the other childlike drawings. The experience reminds me of watching old film projected on a wall. The room is very dark and has just one bench forcing you to stand or sit on the floor making you feel as though you do not belong.

In Lucinda Childs’ instillation playing on the white museum wall, is a beautiful film of a small dancer. You are invited to watch a choreographed slice of her day. She floats across the stage with ease. The stark contrast between the large white wall and the black projected film with the little dancer is magic.

In Photo Conceptualism, I was interested in the study Adrian Piper did in a series of gelatin silver prints. ‘Food for the Spirit’ a series of self-portraits, she has photographed herself in different stages of undressing. The photos are mysterious with shades of gray, almost foggy in nature.

External Sourcing-Danielle Inducci

The external sourcing article was very similar to the internal sourcing article. They both have various artists explaining how they derive inspiration for their artwork. Each artist looks at different types of external sourcing to help them create works of art. External sourcing is not about your inner thoughts, but about drawing inspiration from the world around you. Generally external artwork is something that not only the artist can relate to but the viewer as well. With internal sourcing the artwork is symbolic to the artist only. I believe my artwork is mainly inspired by external sources. I see an image or something in nature and it sparks ideas for my work. Internal sources provide little help for my work. My external resources consist of trees, the sky, flowers, parks and things of that nature. I often look at various artists to help me push my ideas further. I feel that researching is a big part of external sourcing and it can benefit many artists work.

External Sourcing - Leandra Bourdot

The counterpart to the internal sourcing article focused on artists' works which are inspired by their individual responses to the large-scale constructions which form the framework of their respective worlds, ranging in nature from social to political to environmental. As opposed to being sparked by some deeply held belief or emotion, they instead use these structures (often man-made) as a point of departure for their artwork. From there, however, each construction dealt with moves far beyond the realm of cold external edifice as it is passed through the filter of individual internalized response.
Grieger's piece drew me in right away, just through the sheer conceptual patchwork of all the various constructions dealt with and disparate references made. The juxtaposition of the spiritual and the violent is embodied through camo meditation pillows arranged in militaristic formation under a banner emblazoned with a symbol which continues turning through a series of bastardized reworkings, from a sacred spiritual symbol of eternity as utilized in dharmic faiths, to untouchable memento of a horrific, genocidal period of Western history, and on again as a representation of the position in contemporary society which corporatism holds: a violent structure which dictates the traditional social life cycle and which despite this continues to be played into and even idolized or worshiped through blind consumerism. His piece at once serves to show the inherent emptiness of symbols (very interesting with the Buddhist-referential title and imagery), as well as the psychological and emotional potency they hold.
I also found Duprat's work fascinating. On a purely aesthetic level, both the process and end result are incredibly beautiful, even poetic. The pieces are also interesting on the level of contrast between organic and technologically-driven processes, as well as human constructions of beauty and worth - these pieces are found fascinating because of the juxtaposition we see between the perceived ugliness of the larvae and the beauty of his introduced, artificial environment.

External Sources - Nick Biewer

This article explained the use of external sources to spark inspiration for artworks. The artists in this article each use a different style of external sourcing to construct into a piece of work. Some take one idea and build upon that single source, while some take pieces from many different external sources and combine them. External sourcing helps create art that not only the maker can relate to, but also the viewer. Some straight internal works are hard for the viewer to break down because they can’t relate to the work at all. A lot of my works start off with an external source as an outlining factor. I keep an idea in my head of something I want to produce for a while until I can visualize exactly how it’s going to come out, then begin putting it together. However, sometimes I just take a photograph I have taken or one that I enjoy and sit and manipulate and try to make it into something that I find interesting. I use internal sourcing while putting the works together but they mostly start off as external.

External Sources of Inspiration: Dan McCafferty

External Inspiration is driven by the visual aspects of the world rather than what the mind thinks. The artists in these articles explain how they come up with their idea and their train of thought. Some of the artists use logos and advertising while others use nature or the government. I feel that a lot of my work that I do it very visual or inspired through external sourcing. Some of the art I produce are clearly a metaphor or an issue that I have been interested in. External inspiration is a lot easier to spark for me as an artist but I still feel that internal inspiration is a more interesting outcome and process.
Most of my art work starts out as a visual idea and then I add onto it by thinking internally or possibly in a dream. I usually have an idea in my head for days at a time before I start even producing any work. When I feel that I put enough time in the visual and the mental both completely then I begin. I think that each artist in the articles both uses internal and external inspiration. Most art begins with an idea whether it’s internal or external and then the other side is usually thought about as well. The process can go either way for me.

External Sourcing- Allison Senak

The readings showed a cross-section of the sheer variety of things that can inspire artists externally, whether its cultural symbols, art history, social strife, or locations of historical importance in the history of mankind. But the manner in which the artists reference these external sources is not always readily apparent; rather, they often use these sources as a starting point for creating work that transcends the scope of their original inspiration. I noticed that some of the artists’ work drew inspiration from a vast array of different sources, while other artists focused more on all the aspects of one particular event or category of events. Personally, I felt the work of the artists who were influenced by multiple external sources were more difficult to understand at first, while the other artists came across as more focused in their work. However, after examining all the works more closely I could understand and appreciate both approaches.
I felt that I had an easier time with this set of readings, perhaps because I tend to look outside of myself for inspiration on most occasions. I especially was interested by Grieger’s practice of looking to “commonplace experiences and normal modes of perception” and image-collecting, since I feel I often use this as inspiration as well. It has gotten me thinking of how I can transform my own external inspiration into meaningful artwork to myself and others.

Phil Grasso- External Inspiration

I read this article with a much better understanding of the authors intent.  The first article took a lot of reading and re-reading.  Not because of the concept of internal sourcing, but because every time I tried relating the passage to myself, it all went back to something external that increased a feeling or a spark of energy that possessed me to react.  I personally feel that external inspiration is much easier to relate to.  Using your surroundings to entice a certain concept is much less overwhelming and a lot less frustrating.  I, even now have a hard time separating the two.  the readings did clarify but it didn't exactly sink in; i always found a way to connect them.  

Whenever I conceive an idea for some type of art work it always seems to be related to both sides.  They work together to create something worth while.  looking back on most of the things i have done, the ones most effective were the ones I was the most excited about.  My external influence became internal and is what kept me motivated to continue on a high level.  So, I suppose my initial inspiration is on a physical level and my drive to complete such endeavors manifests internally. 

Keith Croshaw - External Sourcing

Keith Croshaw

External Sourcing

External sourcing is very interesting to think about, because we all really use it unless we are focusing on explicitly not trying to. The article starts out with relating external influences to radio frequencies, which I feel applies very well. In modern times all sorts of sources that artists can use, to our advantage, or disadvantage overwhelm us. The article also mentions how we can tune our proverbial radios into and out of things as we wish to see or hear them. Happenstance is a wonderful thing that the article mentions, which I feel very akin to, since much of my photos are shot as I stumble upon them.

Inspiration is indeed a two-way road, the article hits a great point that it is not always a pleasant thing that inspires you, but it does nonetheless. The writer then talks about Jan Harrison’s animal works, which is interesting to me because those works were also mentioned in the internal sourcing reading. It really makes me realize that pretty much all of every artist’s work combines both, but usually it leans towards external sourcing. These two articles in conjunction have really made me think about how I approach my work with my ideas, and not to rely so heavily on external sourcing.

Jess Adamitis Reading 3 Response

I found both Hubert Duprat and Thomas Joshua Cooper very interesting to read about and to view works from. I really enjoyed Duprat's sculptures and their primitive style. The caddis fly pieces I found most enjoyable. Just the idea of using the natural instincts of the insect's cocoon making, and altering it in a conceptual way it intriguing. It is like a small ballet that the caddis flies are performing. It is an idea I have never explored or have even thought of and it definitely has expanded my thoughts on the matter of performance. The fact that Duprat does not sell the final cocoon is also something that pleases me. It allows people to focus on the act of making the cocoon rather that the appealing finished piece.

Thomas Joshua Cooper captured my attention while I was looking at his photos online because unfortunately the paper print outs are not dependable for viewing a piece. I noticed that one of his pictures is one that I have for my laptop wallpaper and I have always loved it. I really like Cooper's photos because of their immense depth and detail. They are simple and soft as well as detailed and sharp. With many of his photos there is a feeling of this dreamy, lonely, and still world that is not our own. I say not our own because so much of our world is all about the fast pace and industrialization.

Brandon- External Sourcing

The article on external sourcing presented a number of artists and how they use external sources to generate their work. Some artists react to any number of things in their surroundings as I'm sure many of us do as well. Others hone in on a particular issue or subject matter that is very personally important to them. William Kentridge's work was particularly interesting to me both conceptually a visually. His art spans multiple mediums from theatre and puppetry, to film and drawing. But his subject matter primarily relates to events that he has personally experienced and has been very affected by...

So, is Kentridge's "external" inspiration truly external? Or does much of his work stem from his internalizing of these political and social events? He obviously has a deep reaction to the political events that are and have occured in South Africa, and his work is dark and tormented. I'm willing to argue that truly external sourcing of one's inspiration alone leads to superficial artwork. If art is going to make me think (which, after all, is the point of most modern art), it has to hit home. It has to be internalized, digested.

Further, without an internal component present in Kentridge's work, what would happen when his primary external source ceases to exist? Does he cease to make art? Or does the same internal drive that sparked his reactions to South African events move on to something else? Currently much of Kentridge's art investigates a similar situation that had occured in Russia.

I think these last two articles raised as many questions for me as they answered. And more importantly I think that they failed in their attempt to separate internal and external sources of inspiration.

Check out William Kentridge's video discussed at length in the article, "History of The Main Complaint". What an awesome way to make an animation - by reworking the same charcoal drawings, leaving traces from previous frames behind.