On the Janson/Gardner telling of art history, the Edenic epicenter of art since the Second World War has been America, and occasionally Western Europe. Eastern Europe, sealed off behind the iron curtain and working under the dictates of socialist realism, was not producing anything worthwhile. That version of the story is wrong. For example, any student of cinema knows that there were great films being produced in Soviet States. In the 1960s, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland produced some of the finest directors in the history of film (e.g., Chytilová, Jancso, and Wajda). There was also a thriving underground art scene. I was enlightened on this topic two years ago, when the Pompidou had a show called Promises of the Past, which profiled talented artists from the East. Among the most compelling was Alina Szapocznikow (pronounced Sha-poch-nyi-kof). Shortly after that show, I was able to see some of Szapocznikow's work in Krakow, and then at the Hammer museum in Los Angeles. The Hammer show is now at MoMA and closing at the end of January. Go.
Szapocznikow was born in Poland and spent her teen years in concentration camps (Bergen-Belsen, Theresienstadt, and Auschwitz). Shen later died, at 47, of breast cancer. In between, working in both Poland and Paris, Szapocznikow produced a remarkable body of work. The phrase "body of work" has rarely been more part, since the artist's entire output can be described and a an interrogation of the body. Bodies and body parts are cast, stretched, illuminated, engulfed, excised, and flayed.
We find piles of amputated breasts, evoking St. Agatha, a flattened casting of the artists face, evoking Michelangelo's flayed self-portaint his Last Judgment, and lips turned into lamps, which present as mod chic, while chillingly evoking Nazi lampshades made of human flesh. These pieces are all irresistibly aesthetic, but also unsettling. We rarely see a body intact here, and there is always a sense of violence behind the beauty.
One of the most moving pieces in the show is a group of human heads that have been transformed into round tumor-like forms and strewn across the floor. By this time, Szapocznikow was aware of the tumors that were killing her, and her she regains power by turning her illness into art.
Szapocznikow is a master of multiple media. She works in plaster, metal, stone, glass, and resin. We also find exceptional works on paper--tangled, organic networks of lines, which, though casual, hold up to her best sculptures. There are also mixed media works, that integrate photographic materials, including the image of a female holocaust victim, into resin encasings.
More inventively, we find a series of gum photos: chewed bits stuck to variously textured surfaces, or dripping off edges. These, too, are about the body. We see the artist's teeth marks in the gum, and each little wad looks like a body in its own right. Impermanent, agonized, and teetering, they comment on the human condition, filtered (or masticated) through Szapocznikow's existential wit. One wonders whether these gum photos influence Hannah Wilke's self portraits with gum.
The possible influence on Wilke, the use of tortured female forms, and the unflinching dedication to art-making in a male dominated world make Szapocznikow qualify as an important figure in feminist art. But this classification distracts from her resolute humanism. Szapocznikow experienced two brutal political regimes first-hand, and also bore witness to injustice in the West while living in France. In addition, she learned the fragility of the body, through both tuberculosis and the cancer that took her life. Thus, it was no just as a woman that she knew about vulnerability--it was a Jew, as a political subject, and as a living organism. The work references that vulnerability again and again, but it embodies indomitable strength.
Looks great. Will definitely visit the exhibition before it comes down.
ReplyDeleteThose are ADORABLE! Thanks so much for sharing this awesome info! I am looking forward to see more posts by you! Great thoughts and so timely.This progress is so pretty. Your drive sounds lovely.keep posting.To record your resume, i unequivocally recommend utilizing the resume developer accessible on professional resume writing service. It will point you through the resume writing process, guaranteeing that you don't forget key bits of your accommodation. It likewise permits you to store various resumes, with the goal that you can tailor every one to an alternate position. These resume writing service will likewise dispose of enriching arranging by creating a layout that has a striking resemblance for each candidate, guaranteeing a reasonable and equivalent procedure.
ReplyDeletecheap uggs
ReplyDeletemavericks jerseys
coach outlet
nike shoes
true religion jeans
adidas nmd
montblanc pen
cheap oakley sunglasses
canada goose outlet
polo outlet
2016.10.17xukaimin
It's a different art, a strange thing.
ReplyDeleteataribreakout.games
Thanks a lot for sharing it, that’s truly has added a lot to our knowledge about this topic. Have a more successful day.
ReplyDeletescarymazegames.co
Mineblocks.net
https://asphaltxtrememod.xyz/apk/
ReplyDeletehttps://jurassicsurvivalmod.xyz/apk/
https://dragonmanialegendsmod.xyz/apk/
I would recommend my profile is important to me, I invite you to discuss this topic...
ReplyDeleteFacebookvideodownloader.org
Videodownloaderfb.com
louboutin outlet
ReplyDeletesupreme clothing
nike kd 11
moncler outlet
adidas gazelle
nike sneakers for women
lebron 17 shoes
golden goose sneakers
nike cortez
michael kors outlet
آهنگ سالگرد ازدواج
ReplyDeleteدانلود آهنگ های شاد تالار عروسی
دانلود آهنگ جدید خواننده های معروف ایرانی
آهنگ های میلاد قربانی
آهنگ های مسیح و آرش ای پی
دانلود نوحه
آهنگ های پرطرفدار جدید
دانلود آهنگ جدید رادیو جوان
آهنگ های رضا مریدی
ریمیکس دی جی سونامی
Cliquez Ici répliques de sacs de créateurs bon marché voir le site Web designer répliques de bagages pourquoi ne pas en savoir plus Goyard Dolabuy
ReplyDelete경북콜걸
ReplyDelete장성콜걸
경북콜걸
전남콜걸
전남콜걸
경산콜걸
경산콜걸
목포콜걸
완도콜걸
목포콜걸
양산콜걸
ReplyDelete영천콜걸
영천콜걸
김해콜걸
영암콜걸
진주콜걸
진주콜걸
상주콜걸
무안콜걸
상주콜걸