Examples of Tenebrism

Tenebrism: (Tenebroso - Italian - meaning dark and gloomy) referring to a style of painting that is characterized by high contrast between light and dark, as opposed to a gradual transition.  This style is usually used when depicting a night time scene.

David with Head of Goliath - Caravaggio (1609-1610)

Sacrifice of Isaac - Caravaggio (1571-1610)

Dual Nature

Inside Dual Nature
Photo: Faraon Bush

Dual Nature, by artist Kate Raudenbush, is the most recent installation art work that has been brought from Burning Man to be shared with the city of Reno.  Forming a complete circle, this sculpture is made of metal rods and planks.  Standing outside the sculpture, you can see the shape the planks make as they are slanted one a little more than the next.  Standing inside the sculpture however, is where the true magic of this work of art lies.  Inside of the sculpture the planks are a reflective red surface meant to represent blood as the entire sculpture as a whole represents human DNA.  The red planks reflect back on the viewer their world around them so as to show them their connection to the people in their surroundings.  Kate's sculpture is a beautiful influence on the environment of Downtown Reno and does a great job of reminding everyone that we are all made of the same fiber.  

Dual Nature can be located on the river in downtown just off of Virgina street right next to the Wild River Grille at 17 S. Virginia St.  The installation is made possible by The City of Reno Arts and Culture Commission and the BRAF.

Drift Project

While wandering around in down town Reno for my class "drift" project, I couldn't help noticing all the signs that tell you what NOT to do...






This sign can be seen in several of the shop windows located down town

 





Seen in the window of a deli market

 


Sign seen on the edge of Wingfield Park



Found outside a gated parking lot



Entrance into a Parking Garage



Found in a shop's window



Posted inside West Street Market



Danger sign in the back of the post office



Outside front entrance to post office



Many no parking zones can be seen in the down town area



Thinking About Visual Conventions

Both John Taylor and Howling Wolf attended the peace treaty signing at Medicine Creek Lodge in 1867 and created drawings depicting the event.  The drawings that they both created, however, contrast greatly.  For instance Taylor's depiction would definitely be considered a representational work of art, whereas Howling Wolf's is more of an abstract view.

Drawn in pencil, Taylor's drawing shows no color, but uses light and shading to create a foreground and a background in his drawing to let the viewer distinguish space.  In his drawing, the viewer can see the men who are representatives of the United States government gathered around with a group of Native Americans.  It is impossible however to distinguish one tribe from another.  It is in this observation that Taylor's drawing appears to be ethnocentric, maybe showing that he didn't feel that the tribes had their own separate identities. 

Howling Wolf's drawing, on the other hand, uses color to depict each individual tribe.  He shows them camped amongst trees along the river bank, and a grove of trees where they would meet with the men from the United States Government.

Also in Howling Wolf's drawing is shown women in their formal dress.  When looking at Taylor's drawing, no woman can be distinguished.  This difference shows the contrast in each artist's culture.  Howling Wolf drew the women at the treaty signing because they were important figures in their culture.  However, in Taylor's time, women had no place in politics. 

When looking at the two drawings at first, they appear to be telling the same story.  After analyzing and looking deeper into the meanings of their symbols it could be said that they are reporting the same event but telling different stories based upon how the artist's culture allowed them perceive it.

Jackson Pollock

Jackson Pollock painting, Summer 1950, photo: Hans Namuth

Jackson Pollock is a perfect example of an artist who used his artwork to give form to the immaterial.  Pollock created his own original style of painting called his “drip technique”.  His brushes never actually touching the canvas, he used them as a “stick” with which to drip and splatter the paint.  This style created paintings that did not show a particular image at all, but rather pure emotion.  To see Pollock at work, he appears to be having his own conversation between himself with the paint and the canvas.  Preferring to paint with his canvas on the ground, he would walk around it, moving his arms in an intricate dance that only he knew the moves to. 

Born in 1912, Pollock began studying art at the age seventeen under the direction of Thomas Benton in New York.  In his earlier work, he showed aspects of surrealism and cubism.  It was in 1947 that Pollock developed his drip style of painting, and got great recognition in the art world for it.  He continued this style on through 1950. 

Pollock was killed along with his girlfriend when he ran his car off of the road after leaving a party in August of 1956.  Although gone, he has continued to leave his mark in the world of art as a revolutionary and is still influencing artists to this day.

Information on Jackson Pollock found on wikipedia and on webmuseum.  Also, visit The Complete Jackson Pollock for a gallery view of Pollocks works, including his early artworks.    To view an interview and video of Pollock painting filmed by Hans Namuth, visit Youtube.

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Chester Arnold

Chester Arnold was born in Santa Monica, California but spent most of his developmental years living in Munich, Germany.  It was then that he found great inspiration from the artist Max Beckmann when he viewed Beckmann’s artwork in a gallery in Munich.  Later, Arnold returned to California and enrolled as an art student in the College of Marin in Kentfield, California.  From there he went on to study for his Master’s Degree at the San Francisco Art Institute.  He has now been creating his works of art for over three decades from his home in Sonoma, California.

Today, Chester Arnold’s work has a strong focus on environmental and social decay as well as the impact of industrial production, consumption and waste.  When I viewed his exhibit “On Earth as It Is in Heaven” in the Nevada Museum of Art, I could see a large influence from the high amounts of paper product and waste that is created by our society every day. 

One painting in particular captured my attention.  The work The Fate of the Written Word is an oil on canvas depiction of an old and crumbling road lined by trees and grass.  Across this old country road is mass amounts of paper litter amongst other odds and ends of discarded garbage.  As expressed by the title of the work, the paper littering the road is the main subject matter.  The paper litter consists of books, magazines, news papers, letters, notebooks and even a cardboard tube containing what appears to be a blue print.  All of these items were apparently left behind and forgotten to eventually begin their decaying process back into the earth. 

When I consider this painting I automatically think of how much technology has progressed.  Will this really be the fate of the written word?   To be tossed aside and no longer needed?  It is foreseeable in the future.  Written letters have been replaced with email.  Encyclopedias and other resources are now available and easily accessible online.  Now, also, with a newer gadget called Nook, books are soon to become obsolete as well.  When you see Chester Arnold’s paintings you can think about how this may not be such a bad thing.  If all literature becomes electronic, imagine the conservational effects on our forests.  I myself feel a touch of sadness at the thought, though.  The novelty itself of opening a book, the structured layout and the cover art among other things could never be replaced by an electronic device. 

After viewing “On Earth as It Is in Heaven” I walk away with both feelings of guilt and hope.  Guilt for the effect that mankind has on the Earth and for the knowledge that I myself play my part.  I also hope, though, that more and more people will not only create awareness as Chester Arnold has, but will also take the brave steps required to change the lives to which they have become accustomed in order to procure a beautiful and vibrant future. 

(Note: Information for this blog on Chester Arnold found at the Nevada Museum Art and on the Catherine Clark Gallery website.  For a gallery view of Chester Arnolds work, visit his home page.)