AIC's Journal and Analysis (Field trip)

(Photo taken by Songyuan Han at Art Institute of Chicago Fri Sep. 18 2015)

In the field trip of the first year designers of college of fine and applied art of UIUC, I visited the AIC and Art Expo in Chicago. Bellow are 6 artworks that interested me the most and for which I did some research on.

(Photo taken by Songyuan Han at Art Institute of Chicago Fri Sep. 18 2015)

Anklets from Boutilimit (Two on the left) and Guelmim (Two on the right)

-1: The anklets are all from Africa and was made in the early twentieth century. I thought they might be some kind of luxury due to their appearances which look like bracelets, and as I walk closer, the highly sophisticated and complex decorative patterns impressed me even more.

-2: The medium on which they is silver and copper alloy. Applying my previous knowledge of jewelry, I know that such kind of alloy is now called sterling silver which is valuable and functional. Such alloy can harden and make glossy the silver which is originally soft and lackluster. And the concept of 925 sterling silver was initiated by Tiffany & Co. I am amazed the use of silver and copper alloy in Africa appear that early.

-3: They are called anklets rather than bracelets so that something have to do with indigenous religion and belief. After research, I found that the people who made these anklets are arabic people who intermarried with indeginuous Berber people. Accompanying the knowledge learned in ARTH113, I know that the anklets are made of Islamic culture.

-4: The same style of patterns are reproduced even today as luxuries. European luxury tacoons such as Hermes use styles from islamic Africa very often.

-5: The ownerships of these anklets are interesting: "owner; sold to unnamed dealer, Essaouira, Morocco, before 2009; sold to Ivo Grammet, Essaouira, Morocco, before 2009; sold to the Art Institute, 2009." This demonstrated a very interesting fact that artworks are traded in black market to appear in front of my eyes.

(Photo taken by Songyuan Han at Art Institute of Chicago Fri Sep. 18 2015)

Portrait of Piablo Picasso (Juan Gris)

-1: Little bit about Juan Gris (since I did not know him before) : Spanish painter and sculpurer who is one of the most distinctive artists who work on inovative style of Cubism. Unlike other painters, he start his career studying mechanical drawing (which entice me a lot because i draw machines).

-2: Along with Picasso and Braque, Gris is also known as Cubist.

-3: "Hommage à Pablo Picasso": Gris depicted Picasso as a painter with his palette in hand.

-4: Gris respect Pablo picasso as the leader of the Cubism by depicting him and the painting also solidify his own place in the art history of Paris.

-5: The ownership transferred countless times and the number of times of exhibition in different place is numerious.

(Photo taken by Songyuan Han at Art Institute of Chicago Fri Sep. 18 2015)

Ritual Object (Boli)

-1: Same as the anklets, the object here is created by African artist and in a similar period of time which is mid 19th century to early 20th century. However, they are created in different part of Africa. For this one, is Mali.

-2: Up to now, I actually had seen this artwork three times: The first time is in the powerpoint in the lecture of first week of the ARTH113, second time is in the AIC in which I took this picture, and third time is in the art EXPO of Chicago; one of the booth sell a fake one in the EXPO! So I think this piece maybe very meaningful and representative.

-3: The raw materials of the ritual object are wood, cloth, mud, and sacrificail material (animal blood, grains).

-4: Bamana sculpture often functions as a mediating force between human and spirit and the sacrificial materials represent life force.

-5: For this one, the record of ownership is not that complicated, but it is still not the intention of Mali people to show the object in AIC.

(Photo taken by Songyuan Han at Art Institute of Chicago Fri Sep. 18 2015)

Waka onna (Yamaguchi Bidou)

-1: The artwork is gifted by a master Noh mask carver, Yamaguchi Bidou. And the phrase "Waka onna" means young woman.

-2: Noh is a kind of a classical musical drama in Japan; therefore, the mask is a functional artwork. People wear it to perform cultural performance. Noh 能 or Nogaku 能樂 is spelled "No" in English.

-3: The facial expression of the mask is hard to read because it should keep neutral so that performer's gesture can project the proper emotions.

-4: These kind of mask meant to depict or help depict young women about 25-30 years old.

-5: Features of the mask: large forehead, downcast elongated eyes, small mouth, blackened teeth and white complexion.

(Photo taken by Songyuan Han at Art Institute of Chicago Fri Sep. 18 2015)

Plate and cup by Vincennes Porcelain Manufactory

-1: The gold cups and plates are actually not made by gold but by Porcelain, a material even more valuable culturally than gold.

-2: Procelain is kind of material from the oriental world and once was what European nations want to get from Asian countries.

-3: Vincennes Porcelain factory was established in 1740 in France and in the abondoned Chateau de Vincennes which was the French royal fortress.

-4: Such refined and splendid little cups and plates are used as luxury goods in France and Britain in which tea culture is prevalent. Upper class people use the luxury cups to drink tea and some for exhibition. Now, luxury companies still sell such cups as luxury goods and the style are still popular in the whole world.

-5: Material and Craft: Soft-paste porcelain, polychrome enamels, and gilding.

(Photo taken by Songyuan Han at Art Institute of Chicago Fri Sep. 18 2015)

Visions of Eternity (Salvador Dalí)

-1: It is a work of Salvafor Dali, a famous Spanish painter, with a new type of painting - Surrealism.

-2: Surrealism: Staring 1920s, surrealism is a cultural movement in which artist and writers pursue illogical and unnerving scene with photographical precision.

-3: Dali is indulging in doing unusual things and behave unusually both in his work and in his real life.

-4: His eccentric manner made both him and his artwork attention-grabbing.

-5: The reason why there is so little information in this artwork is that there is not many information I can find either online or in the AIC (with just the name on the wall). However, both my Floyd (my friend) and I like this artwork so much because it gives us space to imagine what is the deeper meaning lying behind the canvass and such oil painting make things vivid and beautiful; Floyd think the little gray things escaping from the shadow man are sperms and the painting represent the people are gone all the time and their genes make human still human.....hahahaha~