Just a quick blog (FOR EVERYONE)

Hey guys I jus went to see the The Oscar nominated short films 2014; animation, at the Guild on Central. Jus for this weekend. And all of these films have some form of mark making, having amazing stories, and are really funny. There are bout 7-8 short films in different medias. The prices are $5 for first show time at 3:45, $8 for the next two show times at 6:00 & 8:15. If you guys aren't doing anything hit it up!

Have a good weekend other then that.

Hwk 2/27: Continued discussion on ABSTRACTION

Hwk 2/27: Continued Discussion on ABSTRACTION

1) Re-Visit and EDIT your last post on "NARRATIVE" & "NON-NARRATIVE" art. Add a definition on "FIGURATION" & "ABSTRACTION" and discuss the categorization of art as such. Can figurative art ever be non-narrative? Abstract art narrative? Think about where these things begin and end and explain with examples.

Think about how these definitions apply to your 6" x 6" images of eyes. Is the abstract image reading as narrative/ non-narrative? Why? Does the figurative eye necessarily give you overt narrative? If so why? If not why not?

2) Work on your 10 Experimental Drawings!

3) Bring in all of your black paper (18" x 24"), scratch tools (calligraphy holder, nibs, ink, brush, ball point pen)

Introduction to Abstraction - Jeffrey

ABSTRACTION & NON-NARRATIVE 

Abstract art is a breed all its own. Unlike narrative art its story is either absent or more based off of perception. The feeling of the piece is one that takes center stage. It is more of a whisper in the viewer's ear in which they may interpret it as they wish. I believe that non-narrative art can have a lot of narrative, but the viewer limits it by their perception. The artist and the viewer don't always see eye to eye and I believe that abstract art pokes at this. 

NARRATIVE ART

Narrative art gets at our soul by releasing a story that has an overwhelming urge to be told. The artist instead of whispering lays out a very precise story line for a viewer to follow. This is sometimes done consciously and sometimes unconsciously. The point of it all is that the viewer is more or less seeing this art through the eye of the artist. It can be skewed and sometimes that is the beautiful thing about it. The figure, as we have talked about, has an un-doubtable way of creating narrative. 

Intro to Abstraction (Adson)

 Edit: Figuration and Abstraction

Figuration: Figuration describes art that portrays a figure or shape from life using diffrent mediums such as charcoal, paint, or sculpture to name a few. Figurative art creates narrative with the forms creates from the illusion of space and shape. 

Abstraction: Abstract art describes art that is non-representational and relays on imagery. The image is non-figurative and is not usually observed from reality. It uses color, line, and form to create a composition that is not usually observed from reality and can be independent from references to the world.

Can figurative art ever be non-narrative? 

 I believe figurative art can be non-abstract to an extent. Some figurative art is hard to read as a story or recognizable object. 

Abstract art narrative? 

Abstract art can be narrative, but it will vary from each viewer. Each person sees the image differently because of their personal views and ideals that differ from the artist and others. Also, our mind tries to tie an image with a narration that we can relate too or relate another object too.

The figurative eye is narrative but van be twisted and distorted to be non-narrative. On its own a human/animal eye is recognizable by the shape and can tell a story by its reflection or expression. Distorting the eye can make it unrecognizable but from the shapes created we can still form a narrative. For example, I took a photo of an eye into Photoshop and messed with the overlaying, line tools, flipping the image, and making it black and white. The eye now look like another worldly sky, with a large marble like moon and black grass reaching toward the marble moon.

 Non-Narrative

Non-narrative art- It is difficult for the viewer it comprehend because of the lack of recognizable figures, objects, or symbols, it can be abstract or non-representational.

Under the Covers, watercolor/gouache, 2012, 42"x51"

Untitled (Large grey Slab), acrylic on paper, glue, 2012 18"x13.5"x4"

 Narrative

Narrative art- Tells a story through recognizable objects and symbolism.

Stress by akirakirai, mechanical pencil, Apr.25, 2011

returning star by mikeinel, digital, Mar. 27, 2012, 850x1100px

Intro into Abstract- Lupien

Abstract- art that does not attempt to represent external, recognizable reality but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures.

Narrative art- art that tells a story, or can be read.
All photos are by Markus Reugels, his site is in German you may need to translate it.

Falling Earth

Holding the Umbrella

Eye of the Beholder

Non-Narrative art- is art that has an absence of a story or anything readable. 

All photos by Markus Reugels.

Burj Khalifa

Jumping Colors

Drops of Abstraction

Intro Abstraction and Narrative (Thompson)

Narrative Art:

Obvious or implicit connection between objects in a scene. Symbols and figures find relationship, connection, and meaning in the piece. Under the keyword "gender/sexuality", this I an image with narrative.

David Rios Ferreira "The more time passes, the more I love you"


Non-Narrative Art:

Viewer struggles to clarify the connection between the symbols. The observer can draw a meaning, but meanings will likely be highly subjective. Non-Narrative art can express a greater idea in the universe rather than an identifiable circumstance with components.

Under the same keyword "gender/sexuality", this I an image which I consider non-narrative.

Cynthia Ona Innis

Toucher

Ink and acrylic on Yupo paper

2013

12 " x  10 "

Figuration in the eyes of the viewer is necessary for almost any narrative. A story needs a subject. However, both abstract and figure art can be non-narrative. Both narrative and non-narrative art include borders, space, color or shade, and shape. We don't have to draw a line because both terms were made up to help us define two opposite sides of a very grey spectrum. Some of the most successful pieces are those in which some find narrative, and others do not.

Continued:

All narrations are figuration.

You cannot tell a story without subjects. If a painting makes you feel sorry for a blob, the blob is a figure.

Figuration can also be non-narrative.

We touched on something in class that seemed mildly absurd. It was two pears. Neither of them were sad. They weren't pregnant and they weren't trying to escape. No matter what everyone came up with, I still could not see any more than a minimum narration in that drawing. It was two freakin pears. I believe the urge to seek narration in conjuction with a readable figure comes through our fear of unfinished business, and our desire to believe we understand more than we do.


By extension, No Abstractions are Narrative.
Therefore, all abstraction is Non-Narrative.

If abstraction can result in narration, than ultimately there is no such thing as non-narration. Our culture likes symbols, so even a color or lack of color can hide a "hidden meaning". But in the end, the closer a piece leans towards abstraction, the farther it drifts from a readable story because it drifts from readable figure. Abstraction is less about conveying an existing story, and more about allowing the invention of a story through feeling.

In class I probably confused some people with my numbers analogy. Sorry. Essentially what I was arguing is that you can't get more than the sum of the parts without recognition of the parts. All figuration is is a recognition of different parts. All narrative is is recognition of something other than the parts that demands to be recognized. Non-narrative art returns nothing more than what is visible.

Intro To Abstract Art - Steve Hodge

Narrative art fits into the context of some kind of story. 

Cave wall paintings at Lasceuax, France-  12-17,000 years old

Brent Stirton, Rhino Wars, photograph

Helen Stratton ~ The Lily of Life ~The Wise Woman ~ 1913

Non-narrative art doesn't tell a story; 

there is no story implied or explicated.

Rhino Horn by Lapidot - print

'

"Southwest Spirit Bison" - Theresa Paden 24"x30" acrylic on canvas

Figurative Art is a rendering apparently from real life.

Jeffrey Hein

In abstract art, the figure is removed from its context., if a figure remains at all,

Jean Besette

Nancy Smith
"Leap", acrylic on paper, 22"x30"

Oak
Untitled NO.20
30x40 inch
acrylic on canvas

Narrative/Non-Narrative Chris Marquez

Narrative art can create a story through visual image of story or by inspiring the viewer to create a story for the image.

"Blue Horses" Franz Marc

Oil on canvas 42x72in

1911

 Non-Narrative art shows no story via image nor does it make the viewer create a narrative in their head.

"Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red"

Piet Mondrian

Oil on canvas

72x69cm

1937-41

Intro. to Abstract Flores

Narrative - is art that tells a story. When looking at the image/ piece you are capable of telling a descriptive story that may or may not relate to the piece itself, but is what you read when observing a piece as a whole.

Boy in the Woods
Barbara Johnson
34" x 42"
Oil on Canvas
2002

Non-Narrative - is the opposite of narrative. It is art that doesn't not telling a story when observing a piece. When you cannot read or tell a descriptive story from looking at the image/ piece.

Untitled (Blue Divided by Blue)
Mark Rothko
33.62" x 25.71"
1966

Figurative - representing forms that are recognizably derived from life.

Catriona Lemay Doan

Gordon Mine

acrylic on masonite

62" x 48"

Abstract - art that does not represent external, recognizable reality but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures.

Focus

Clayton Kashuba

42"x 36"

Can figurative art ever be non-narrative?

In my opinion, I don't think that figurative art can ever be non-narrative, because in each piece of figurative art there is a figure that can be read by the observer which allows the observer to create a story using their imagination based upon what they see read in the piece. 

Can abstract art ever be narrative?

In my opinion, I think abstract can be narrative. Even though there is no real object created in the image, I think that a story can be told based upon the colors that were used to create the piece.

Inner Path

Clayton Kashuba

40" x 30"

In this image, I am able to gather information to write a story. The view makes it seem like you are laying on the ground looking up. The usage of blue can be describe to make up the sky and create a scene of calmness with a hint of depression and the 3-D images almost appear to be the shape of buildings. Even though this image is abstract, it is capable of being narrative. It all depends on how you read the image causing your imagination to take control.

Intro to Abstraction - (Kerri Banach)

"Narrative" and "Non-Narrative"art can be separated by a very fine line.

Narrative art, to me, is a piece that is not only identifiable, but tells some sort of story.  Now, I'm going to stop myself and say that the story does not have to necessary make sense, it just needs to have the contents for one to be able to form a logical idea towards the subject. I really enjoyed the definition in the article by Raja Mohanty because the author took a mathematical approach.  I completely agree, and think that summarizing a narrative piece of artwork as something that is added together to form a certain totality of the data is the perfect way to define the word. Below are some examples of "narrative" art. . I tried to find artists that can almost bridge the gap of non-narrative to show that it doesn't have to be a comic book strip to tell a narrative.

Stephanie Nava

from the series Habites

ink on paper

2009

16" x 22"

Leonid Afremov

Downtown Lights

Oil Painting on Canvas

24" x 36"

Non-Narrative art, to me, is a piece that is completely void of an identifiable object. It doesn't mean that the viewer cannot develop a story from the piece, but the components of the piece do not add up to make a story. As mentioned above, the article by Raja Mohanty is great because it supports how I feel about the mathematical approach.  The amount of the pieces refuse to total up to make a sum.  I thoroughly enjoy abstract art because I love to make up my own stories about the art, and no one can tell me I'm wrong! Below are some examples of what I interpret non-narrative art as…

Jackson Pollock

Mural

Mirza Zuplijanin

Mixed Media

Figuration, in relation to art, is something that is clearly derived from real object sources.  I personally think figuration and narrative artwork are synonymous, due to the fact that they both are categorized by having an identifiable object.  As mentioned before, I don't necessarily think the pieces needs to have a clear vivid story attached, but it has enough elements to add up to something that exists in "real time". I suppose I do not believe that figuration can ever be classified as non-narrative.  I say this because no matter what the piece is portraying, if it has an identifiable object, then it is narrating said object.  Below, is a piece that I think was a great example.  The work seems like it would be a non-narrative due to the lack of structure, but because of the identifiable objects (the architecture and verbiage sign) it becomes a narrative. Figuration is the beginning and end of narrative art, it makes it 'tangible'.

Kim Cadmus Owens

National

Charcoal on paper

2003

24" x 36"

Abstraction, is something that is outside the walls of concrete reality in relation to specific objects or actual instances.  I think that abstraction begins and end with with non-narrative art. The fact that the piece does not have an identifiable object or idea, makes it non-narrative. You cannot tell a story that is logical based on the elements provided.  I chose the image below as an example, because it gives a good idea of how abstraction works. There is no identifiable object in the piece, thus making the piece have no narrative. Sure, someone can say that he piece is a dragon eye, or trash, but there is no logic behind those idea because the piece is unidentifiable.

Jonathan Nicklow

Dark Matter

Oil Pant, tar, and tar on slab

2008

To summarize, the formal elements that are present in each, are the presence or lack there of an identifiable object.  The line is hard to draw between a narrative and non-narrative piece because some people feel they can form a correct story around an abstract image. However, the amount of stories that can be developed are endless, whereas in a narrative piece there is a perimeter because more information is given. Abstraction falls into the non-narrative category, and figurative falls into the narrative, for the simple fact of an identifiable object being present.

In relation to the images of the eye, I think these terms go hand in hand.  The images that do not identify as an eye read as a non-narrative.  There is nothing someone can say that could be right or wrong, because the object cannot be identified.  For the ones that are clearly an eye, someone can say they are the eyes of a princess or the window to the soul, but at the end of the day it is still an eye… which, to me, makes it narrative and figurative.

Intro To Abstract (Gilbert Hernandez)

Narrative Art can be described as a piece of artwork in which upon viewing one can come forth with a story out of imagination. Some pieces can have a universal story while others can be seen as having a different dstinction of the story among the viewers (not all people think alike).

Cristiano Siqueira – Hero

May 2nd, 2013

Harry Weisburd

Miss Lonely Hearts 3D

July 10, 2012

14x11 in

Non-Narrative art is where when one looks at artwork  and there is no flicker of imagination in the mind in creating a concept of a story. There is no recognizable images to be found, you can say everything looks random. There is only placements of line, shapes, and color.

Maria Klimek

Le Printemps

2014

100cm x 73 cm

[EDITED] Intro to Abstraction (Dixon)

EDIT:

I think you can take anything, really, and add a story. Even with just colors or blobs, you can come up with a story. With a technical drawing, you can create the idea that the viewer has gained powers that let them see things in different way. There are stories to be found everywhere.

Figuration: a representation of something that is recognizable.

Abstraction: changing something (like blurring, zooming, etc) so that it becomes UNrecognizable.

Of course, with the images of whole eyes, it is easy to recognize that particular part of the body. Although I feel like with the zoomed-in images, I can more easily weave together a story of lost worlds in space with alien landscapes than I can make a story for an image of a full eye. But, like my renewed thought on narration, you can find narrative anywhere and everywhere if you just look/think hard enough.

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Narrative art provides inspiration for stories and tales. When you look at a narrative piece, you can make up a fictitious story about what is shown.

Sakimichan (DeviantArt), Digital Painting, Spare Some Change, M'am?, Jan. 3 2014.

Non-narrative art, for me, is purely technical or abstract to the point that even trying to think of a story makes the brain hurt. It reads as flat.

Taylorweaved (DeviantArt), graphite, Anatomical Drawing, March 6 2012

It is true that you can probably make up a story about any piece of art no matter how abstract. Colors can translate into different emotions and images for each person. However, I, personally, don't think of studies or academic/technical art as narrative.

Intro to Abstraction (Martinez)

NARRATIVE IMAGES

For me personally I can describe a narrative image as art that tell a story in your imagination. A good narrative tells a complexed story and allows the audience to imagine what the story is, a great narrative is art that can communicated such a powerful story, or cause, and even a overwhelming feeling to the audience and they read it from the start.

NON-NARRATIVE IMAGES

Non-narrative images in this sense is that I can't read a story, there is no real emotion. All I get from this image is confusion and in all sense it is great art and the colors are amazing but I don't feel the story behind it. Just shapes, colors and placement in content balance. In really thinking about this image in narrative it is boring because my imagination has no concrete images that launch my thoughts to start the story.

Intro to Abstraction ( Terry Sager )

Narrative, Non-Narrative, Figurative and Abstract Art

Narrative art is the telling of a story in different art mediums.

Figurative art is taken from real object sources.

I see cartoons as true narrative. The captions tell the true story that the artist portrayed. I see most art tell a different story to each person that views the work and may not have the same meaning as the artist that had tried to portray.
Example-- I painted my Grandfathers farm house with buildings and a row of hedge trees in the background. To viewers this would be a house with several buildings and trees. As the artist I only have the true story behind the creation. I would consider this as narrative as well as figurative art. the painting has narrative as well as recognizable objects.
According to the definition of abstraction art--Abstraction indicates a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art. therefor I  do believe that abstract art is non- narrative. The viewer may enjoy looking at the artist work, but has little meaning. I have seen more non- narrative abstract art on drawing center website than narrative and figurative art.

Terry Sager

Intro to Abstraction- Emily Shirey

Narrative in artwork means that the piece has a believable story with images that are most likely obvious to the viewer while pieces that are non-narratives do not have any specific meaning. For example they might consist of a bunch of jumbled colors or shapes.

Narrative Work:
Pablo Picasso, Guernica 1937


Non-Narrative Work: 
Mark Rothko, Slow Swim to the Edge of the Sea, 1944

 

Hwk 2/24: Intro to ABSTRACTION

Hwk 2/24: Intro to ABSTRACTION

1) Define "NARRATIVE" & "NON-NARRATIVE" art. Make this clear for a broad audience. Give examples with captions.

http://www.idc.iitb.ac.in/resources/dt-jan-2009/Narrative%20and%20Non-Narrative.pdf

What formal elements are present in each? Where do we draw this line? How does abstraction v/s figuration fall into these categories? Support with examples. Post this to the blog.

2) Bring in your contè crayons and ALL grey paper for next class. Paper should measure 18"x 24". If you have already purchased different dimensions bring in what you have.

3) Read over your Scratchboard project. Bring in 4-5 black and white images of eyes (both whole eye and abstracted detail) for next class. Photoshop cropping/ manipulation for contrast acceptable. Each image should measure 6"x 6" and have a 3" border. 

Scratchboard Studies & Intro to Abstraction

Drawing II- Oliver

Assignment 4

(Due: Wednesday, 3/12)

Scratchboard Studies & Intro to Abstraction

Materials:

-­‐two 12” x 12” scratchboard squares (any dark color acceptable)

-­‐Scratch board tools & nibs

-­‐two 6” x 6” images (one full eye with pupil & one detail shot that reads as abstraction/ texture)

---pencil & ruler

(noun) - Abstract art can be a painting or sculpture (including assemblage) that does not depict a person, place or thing in the natural world -- even in an extremely distorted or exaggerated way. Therefore, the subject of the work is based on what you see: color, shapes, brushstrokes, size, scale and, in some cases, the process (see action painting). 

Abstract art began in 1911 with such works as Picture with a Circle (1911) by the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944).

We are completing our section on observational drawing, ending with portraiture and detail. You will be creating TWO separate drawings from images of eyes (species not important). The first will be used in its entirety as a study in detail and value. The second you must find a section of detail/ texture that reads as abstract imagery. Bring in several options for class on Wednesday, Feb 24.