Artist+Spotlight,+Bruce+Nauman+-+Bess+Orwasher

Bess Orwasher FA1071 – Davis

**Artist Spotlight: Bruce Nauman** Bruce Nauman, American contemporary artist, is noted as one of the most inventive and provocative artists since the 1970s. His work is quite varied in that his use of mediums spans a wide spectrum and includes sculpture, film, printmaking, performance, and installations. In analyzing Newman’s pieces, it is clear that he concentrates more on his creative process and the actual act of making art as art as opposed to focusing on his particular art style and how it can be characterized. As example, early in his career as he transitioned from studying for his undergraduate and graduate degrees to application of his studies to a career, he was quoted saying “If I was an artist and I was in the studio, then whatever I was doing in the studio must be art. At this point art became more of an activity and less of a product” (PBS). Nauman’s wide variety of work is not only represented by his range of mediums, but also through the meaning of his pieced in that he does not focus on one particular output, but rather examines various social themes and challenges numerous ideas. His pieces address political, spiritual, and educational topics as well as call into question the interpretation of art in general. A stage of Nauman’s work in particular that exemplifies his analysis one specific theme is his use of neon throughout the 1980s that utilizes words represented as art to question the multi-faceted application and adaptation of language. In the above piece, //One Hundred Live and Die,// Nauman manipulates many themes through the use of light and language. He illuminates the room that the piece is showcased in overwhelming lights of different shades of color while repeated various phrases that invoke thought and emotion. Each phrase provides an interesting and peculiar observation on life through the pairing of the two words. Some are juxtaposed, like “well and die” while others are more cohesive and positive, like “play and live”.



Another way in which Nauman evokes many thoughts regarding the meaning of life is through some of his video work, again using the idea of language. As example, his piece from 1985 titled //Good Boy Bad Boy// entails two side-by-side television screens where on one screen a woman is reciting a list of 100 statements that all begin with “I was a good boy” white the other screen depicts a man reciting the same list. Furthermore, both individuals substitute every fifth stamen with a new phrase in place of “was a good boy”. Another interesting aspect of the piece is Nauman’s use of changing speeds among the two individuals on the different screens as the woman speaks about a minute after the man. This piece is particular thought provoking in that in involved the viewer as a piece of the art as the two individuals in the screens are speaking directly to the viewer however it is not a conventional conversation as the viewer cannot respond. Bruce Nauman’s pieces are quite varied in their medium as well as their message, yet all provide the viewer with stimulating, throughout provoking themes and stretch the boundaries of typical art.

**Works Cited** "Bruce Nauman | Art21 | PBS." //Art 21//. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. . Nauman, Bruce, and Laurence Sillars. //Bruce Nauman: Make Me, Think Me//. 2nd ed. Vol. 2006. Liverpool: Tate Liverpool, 2006. Print.

"One Hundred Live and Die." //Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition//. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .

"Tate Collection | Good Boy Bad Boy by Bruce Nauman." //Tate: British and International Modern and Contemporary Art//. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .