Task 2 Research Texts

Eleanor:

The Meaning of Abstract Painting

I don't believe I am alone in bandying about the word abstract. I hope to explore various definitions of the concept in order to define and iterate my own thinking, and yet the idea of abstract inherently defies some definition - it always seeks to subvert, and to have an oblique view. In my thinking, abstract somewhat defies definition, and is, in itself, towards the wordless. Although abstract imagery may well reference versions of reality, it always points away from that, towards a nebulous space where multiple definitions and meanings form.

There are gradations of abstraction, and differences in direction, tending towards reality or an imagined reality.

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The Art of Not Making, By Michael Petry, Thames and Hudson, London 2011

Starts with interesting examination that Duchamp's Fountain, etc, did not de-deify the artist as partly intended, but actually further deified the artist, because the one artist claims complete conceptual authorship despite the arguably equal contribution by others. This is especially true in Duchamp's and Jean Arp's commissions of glass from well known artisan glassblower who had a lot of creative input and control, but who is usually omitted as the artist.

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Implied Narrative

I am looking to reintroduce and develop the implied narrative in my moving image work.

I am thinking of works/artists such as: Matthias Müller, Christian Marclay.

Such work is often made from found footage, picking themes, linking them together, and thus creating imaginary narratives and new meanings from reconstructing cinematic references and expectations. Much of the work depends upon extracting clips from their context, and finding a visual link, eg, phone calls, audience reactions, clock times. Such works also bring to them considerable provenance from their original contexts, allowing a playful mix of juxtapositioning and compounding to create new configurations and planned spontaneity of thought.

I am not particularly thinking of using found footage in my work, not much more than I have done anyway. In Titles, I sort of used appropriated imagery, but even then, it was already extracted and changed, captured blurred, or in part, or as an anonymous image almost impossible to reconnect to its original. The image I took was the original, with a shadow of its provenance, in an aspecific way, towards whole chapters of genres, styles. This makes them specifically about film, and a particular style and time, but equally, aspecific.

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Q-Art Critique

Q-Art are an artist-run group who organise art crits for graduates, artists, self-taught artists, anyone. They explore and organise many different approaches to the art critique.

This is an investigation of what the crit is, what it can be, all the different possible formats, permutations and practices. There are many ideas and fears about crits, as we all know, and Q-Art are trying to demystify them for artists, art students, others, and also to demystify the art world.

Think what is the worst possible question that you could get asked is and write your answer down. So that for others you think of. That does one of two things: one, if the question comes up you have a ready answer for it but it also picks out flaws in what you have put together. So you shouldn’t get into that situation anyway. Katie Streten.

Art Crits: 20 Questions, Q-Art, London 2013

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Reflection

I have been reading everyone else's texts and find them really interesting documents and ideas of progressing thoughts. It's especially fascinating to see what each person is picking up and developing, knowing their work. It lends a deeper understanding to their concerns and the areas they are hoping to explore.

I also realised that in my quest towards some definition or insight into the term, Abstract, I am not going to look up Wikipedia etc. I may look at some of my old dictionaries to give me some obsolete directions and thoughts, but I am inclined to research this oblique term in oblique ways.

http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/normal-0-false-false-false-en-gb-x-none.html

Even since making my choices of texts for this task, I have been increasingly drawn towards books and texts about the artist process, the decisions and reflections, and the critique. This crosses all media and practices, and is about realising ideas and manifesting creativity.

2nd December 2013
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