Art Vortex

  Han Bellmer, Poupée in Hayloft , 1935-1936          Surrealist photographer  Hans Bellmer, c. 1902-1975, was born in Kattowitz, Germany. His father was a proud member of the Nazi party, which created issues with his son, who was anti-Nazi and anti-Fascist.   Bellmer’s photography juxtaposes harsh and often violent scenes depicting doll forms that he made in various environments. These violent and violating displays of doll form create a connection with the oppressive Nazi Germany that Bellmer lived in and with his relationship with his father. Bellmer introduction to André Breton in Paris in 1935 solidified his inclusion in a group exhibition at the Galerie des Quatre Chemins and launched his membership in the surrealist circle. In March, he was back in Berlin (Taylor, 2000, p.70). The Nazi persecution of avant-garde artists is well known, but it is important to realize that Bellmer’s mentors and closest associates in Berlin in the 1920s were among those now targeted for public abuse

  Winifred Gill and Nina Hamnett modeling dresses at the Omega Workshops, c. 1913       Great changes occurred in art in the early 20 th century, with the modernists kicking down doors and reinventing how we create and view art. Modernists were often associated with artistic and social freedom and differed from the artists from the century before. Modernism created more inclusive spaces and opportunities for women than 19th-century academies. Modernism brought new ways of thinking about surface planes becoming the carriers for the spiritual content, which defines the “new” art and removes it from the domain of the decorative (Chadwick, 2021, p.85). It is interesting to see how this bending of color and perspective is utilized differently, often outside the ‘static’ painting medium. Modernists explore textiles and clothing as an art form and a form of social change that bent gender and cultural identities.       During this time, groups like the Omega Workshops were created, providing

  Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau The Dove Fanciers c.1883 Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau’s “ The Dove Fanciers ” is a scene that shows two women, one staring at the other while the other looks at and contemplates the white dove. This seems to be an intimate exchange with disregard for the viewer. The women are barefoot in nature. One woman holds a birdcage, while the other holds a dove. They are a triangle intertwined into each other, with the bird cage as an artifact of change. The painting represents transition. The 19 th century was a transitionary period for women. This was when women were gaining their independence and being freed, like the dove in the women's arms. The woman with the dove is dressed in white and pink and is kneeling before the woman in blue, holding the birdcage. The woman with the dove is the representation of change. She is a renewal of feminine ideologies dressed in white, and she reflects innocence. In comparison, the woman in blue holding the bird

 Artemisa Gentileschi Judith Beheading Holofernes  (1611-12) Caravaggio Judith Beheading Holofernes (1598-99) Judith Beheading Holofernes Analyzing Artemesia Gentileschi and Caravaggio                   There is something about a justified and violent revenge, where you don’t feel guilty by thinking, “Well, he deserved it.” A well-traversed revenge subject of Biblical origin from the Old Testament is the story of Judith killing Holofernes, a Babylonian general who almost took the ancient city of Bethulia until the widow Judith seduced him, got him drunk, and then cut off his head. Thus, providing victory for the Hebrews. It is a violent act depicted in many paintings by artists in the 16 th and 17 th centuries. Two such artists are Caravaggio and Artemesia Gentileschi. Caravaggio has a history with the Gentileschi family, being that Artemisia and her father, Orazio, were both followers of Caravaggio. Orazio Gentileschi was one of Caravaggio’s greatest followers (Chadwick, 2020, p 39)

  The Cremaster Cycle: Thoughts on Contemporary Masculinity         I recently researched and watched clips of the Cremaster Cycle. If you are still getting familiar with this installation art/film/transcendental experience, it was created by visionary visual artist Matthew Blarney. It is a visual experience that spans five films, four of which are an hour long, and the final installment, Cremaster Cycle 3, is a three-hour film. The film is named after the Cremaster muscle that raises and lowers the testes to help regulate heat and protect sperm production. The film isn’t in chronological order but can be viewed as a stand-alone. The movie’s order starts at four, one, five, two, and three. It is an exciting film that explores different stages of the male’s sexual maturity from conception to gestation and growing from a child to sexual maturity. It is a film that explores themes of masculinity, and Blarney (2001) strives to show through the characters that he plays that “violence is sub

 Debra Bright " Dream Girls" ( 1989)     I chuckled when I first saw Debra Bright’s (1989) “Dream Girls” film still (wk. three-course notes). While it is a piece of fine art, it reminded me of “memes,” where an image is juxtaposed into a secondary commentary into the image; it is usually funny. A little humor is a great way to engage a viewer. The photographer (Bright) imposed herself into an old film still of a couple arm in arm. You see bright from an angled view of her backside, with the woman looking at her with an expression of curiosity and the man staring in contempt.  Bright has put herself in a position where the man seems threatened by her presence. There is a connection between the two women. Not seeing Bright’s face completely creates a mystery for the viewer. It threatens the male ego. There is a mystery between these two women that the man could never understand. It creates a lesbian dialogue and representation in a heteronormative Hollywood.      The man hold

  Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window Miss Lonely Heart- Dinner for two   The dinner scene of Miss Lonely Hearts is viewed by protagonist L.B Jeffries “Jeff,” played by James Stewert in Alfred Hitchcock’s (1954) Rear Window. Miss. Lonely Hearts dinner scene is framed by the window, which creates a focus on her activities. She is being subjected to the male gaze by the voyeur Jeff. You are watching through his eyes. The establishing shot starts with her getting ready in the bathroom. I first thought she had a hot date or some social event, but as there is a “knock” on her door, you are presented with the sad reality of an imaginary person. The scene is seen from a canted angle where the viewer is viewing from slightly above the subject. This is also a long shot, with the issue being in the distance, so they are smaller. The viewer is watching from a distance, detached from the scene, unable to do anything but watch. Mrs. Lonely Hearts transitions from the bathroom and moves into the