Lily+Stern

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 5 removals or recontext:  

2 mediated by mask:  



2 adjustment/refine edge:  


 * Recontextualization paper:**

Renoir’s painting, //Odalisque,// is the painting I am going to recontextualize for this project. I love Renoir’s classic paintings; I used //Luncheon of the Boating Party// to recontextualize an image of Princess Yvonne and Prince Alexander for our previous project, and I’ve always found his work so smooth and flawless. When I first saw //Odalisque//, I did not think it was by Renoir. The lines are sharper than his usual paintings, and the woman depicted is unlike the usual woman and girls found in his famous works. The word Odalisqueis defined as a female slave or concubine. This alone seems uncharacteristic of Renoir’s work. Even the nude portraits he painted hold some degree of innocence, whereas his model in this painting seems to be luring the viewer into her hold. It’s fascinating that he chose to create such an animalistic piece with a model that is so beautiful. She has a flawless, pale complexion, and yet she looks gypsy-like with her printed clothing and her earrings. Her casual pose is unladylike, especially for the time period it was painted. However, the fine silk clothing she is wearing, as well as her jewelry, suggests a degree of wealth. I also find it interesting that Renoir put a white, European looking woman into a landscape that appears African. The cushion the pitcher is resting on is a Moroccan style poof pillow, and the use of red, blue and gold suggest that the room the woman is posing in exists somewhere in Africa. While her clothing suggests wealth, the woman’s facial expression and pose suggest something else. She appears to be entirely relaxed, and quite possibly under the influence of drugs. That, combined with her attempt at a “come hither” face, reminds me of a modern day drug addict who will do anything for a fix. As I mentioned previously, the title also suggests she may be a concubine, and the term itself is commonly associated with the sultan of Turkey. She is laying on what seems to be a makeshift bed, further enforcing the idea that sex may be her role in whatever society she is a part of. Once again, this makes me question why Renoir decided to put a European woman into a role that probably never existed for her. This confuses me, as well as how only paintings of white women come up when “odalisque” is searched on Google. Was Renoir trying to bring the Turkish concept into the context of his European society? His work could be an adaptation of how he viewed “odalisque,” or promiscuous women. I intend to alter the woman’s clothing and surroundings to modernize the piece and show what her role may be in society today. Instead of fine silk, I plan to alter her outfit and display her in drab garb, indicating that she does not care about her appearance, only what will provide her with her next high. The woman’s features contradict her setting and her pose, and I want to somehow combine the two in order to display her as she really is. I’m also considering altering the colors of the painting to diminish the lavishness of the scene. Overall, this painting by Renoir is a fascinating contradiction, and I want to bring the model into today’s society while keeping her pose and facial expression to tie the piece together. In the museum, this painting was separated from Renoir’s other work. I first viewed his other paintings, and the difference between his classic work and this piece is startling and surprising. Those differences are almost as interesting as //Odalisque// itself.



Original Painting: Recontextualization:

In Krauss’s piece, //The Aesthetics of Narcissism//, digital video as a medium is analyzed. Krauss believes that the artists using digital video were showing narcissistic values in order to reveal psychological problems in society. The artist would use moving images to show a relationship between the viewer and the monitor. Today, Krauss may not believe that artists only use narcissistic values to reveal problems. A lot of digital media incorporates general actions to show problems with today’s society. Although sometime narcissistic values are incorporated, the main idea of modern videos is not to explore the psychological problems of the viewer, but instead the psychological problems in society. The examples she used throughout her article represented the viewer as a singular person, and not the general population. If Krauss were writing this article in 2015, I think she would change her thesis from artists using narcissistic values to artists using real life situations to showcase psychological problems. Narcissism may still be present today, but many artists don’t use it to directly get across a message to the viewer. Instead, they indirectly portray the narcissistic person in every day society, and the problems he or she may face.

Sketches for potential counter-monuments: sunny selfie at the monuments

Response to Counter Monuments Article:

After reading this article and learning about examples of counter or anti-monuments, I find them to be more interesting than regular monuments. Monuments are supposed to serve as reminders of people and past events, yet when I look at the Washington Monument, I do not think of everything Washington did and how that effects our country today. The Anti-monument, however, is not as easy to understand as the monument, forcing the viewer to interpret its meaning and not just overlook it. The anti-monument provokes thought, and isn't necessarily meant to stand for the rest of eternity. Instead, its supposed to serve as a reminder for things populations glaze over when looking at history, and causing them to think about the subject in a new way. A monument says what is, leaving the viewer in a position where they view it but do not necessarily connect to it. On the other hand, the anti-monument provokes emotion. The example used in this article of the Aschrott Fountain is a demonstration of the depth a counter-monument provides. The Aschrott Fountain does not just list the names of Holocaust survivors, but represents something that was taken away from the Jews, and how that affects the population today. Monuments are reminders of the past; counter-monuments show the past, but relate it to the present and cause the viewer to focus on issues in society today.



Posters for Countermonument

<--- sketchup file of final countermonument