methodology 1

The ideas of” Work” and “Text” are crucial in the interpretation and conceptualization of art, especially in the works at the Carnegie International. Specifically, Bruce Conner’s works can viewed using Barthe’s ideas in “From Work to Text” to create distinct interpretations of the art that are forever changing. The idea behind Barthe’s work was that “Text” was a reaction to work that could never be repeated or interpreted (157-58). Essentially, “Text” is something that is forever changing with the conditions it is presented with. It is not something that is meant to be interpreted, but it is meant to provide the idea of interpretation. The “Text” is not the physical aspect but the process. In Barthes’ “From Work to Text” he writes, “the work can be seen (in bookshops, in catalogues, in exam syllabuses), the text is a process of demonstration.” (157) Bruce Conner’s “works” are the physical pieces of art which he displays. In the case of the Carnegie International, his photograms featured in his series, Angel, would be his “work.” But the process of viewing and the whole display in itself would combine to form the “Text.” The idea behind “Text” for Bruce Conner’s work would be to combine the ideas of both viewing and the creation of the pieces. Instead of focusing on the interpretation of the piece, the “Text” of the work would be the overall effect created immediately upon the combination of the viewing process and the construction of the work. In simplest terms the “Text” would become the feelings the work evokes. Each “Text” is different from person to person. The overall feel of the work is never the same, due to the layout, the day, the person, the place, and several other factors. The factors are ever changing and therefore the interpretation is forever changing. The feelings can never be interpreted because they are distinct to that day, that hour, that minute, and that second. Without feelings the work becomes boring, just as without the idea of “Text” books can become boring. It is the changes that make something interesting to continuously read or look at. The “Text” brings pleasure to a work just as the feelings bring pleasure to a piece of art. The process of creating new interpretations and ideas causes the something to become more than just mundane.

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Barthes, Roland. Image Music Text. Trans. Stephen Heath. United States of America, 1977.

Andy Warhol, Dollar Sign

Dollar Sign is one of several pieces Andy Warhol made depicting a dollar sign during his career. Warhol made several of these dollar Signs each with its own unique feel. This particular Dollar Sign shows a black, gold-brown, solar sign on a white canvas. In the image, the black is taking over the gold-brown. There are several drips and splotches on the piece that make it appear unique in a series of several others. The black overtaking the gold could show the corruption of money. It could also signify how money is controlled by the wealthy, gold, and the powerful, black. The white background represents the everyday man that is being taken over by money and greed.

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Andy Warhol, Myths

The piece, Myths, by Andy Warhol is more of a self portrait then a traditional piece of Warhol’s art. The piece features ten images of iconic figures of the time. The tenth image of the work is of Warhol himself, yet unlike the other images that have clear head or body shots from straight on, Warhol’s image is on the side. The main feature of Warhol’s tile is his shadow. Each image is replicated ten times, focusing on the idea of repetition and image reproductions of idols to the masses. The image is more symbolic of a self portrait because Warhol is saying something about himself in the piece. He is grouping himself with well known idols, yet he is making the focus on his shadow and not on his real face. This tends to bring the point of view that Warhol considered that he is believes that what he leaves behind, his shadow, is actually the idol and the real man is off to the side of the spotlight.

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Keith Haring, Untitled (Elephant)

Keith Haring’s Untitled (Elephant), makes use of a childlike material to convey an adult idea. Haring’s Untitled (Elephant) is a white statue of an elephant covered with the outlines of stick figures in black. The elephant has no eyes, its tusks are red, and it is standing on a red platform. The basic color choices, black and white, could show the idea of a contrast or disagreement. The elephant itself is symbolic of the Republican Party. If the work is analyzed in a political sense, the elephant represents the Republican Party while the people inside are those under its control battling it out. The missing eyes could show either the blind following of the republican supporters or the blind leading of the party. Overall the piece has a political nature to it that is just under the surface of a simple childhood arts and craft object.

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Andy Warhol, Typewriter [2]

Andy Warhol’s, Typewriter [2], focuses upon the concept of when is a work of art finished? Typewriter [2] shows the image of a typewriter drawn on a large canvas with only the bottom half of the typewriter painted in, while the rest of the work is drawn in with pencil. The penciled area shows lines for reflections and shadings; the thought put into the authenticity of the piece is clearly obvious, yet the piece remains unfinished. It could be construed that if the piece were finished it would have been just a very good painting of a typewriter and nothing else, but the fact that it looks unfinished makes it unique and intriguing for the viewer. It poses a question to the viewer, why is this piece left unfinished, what is the meaning behind leaving it incomplete? The incomplete image provides a more riveting subject to consider and analyze. Perhaps Warhol was making the statement that art can be considered anytime the artist believes it is finished or perhaps he was considering the idea that a piece of art does not have to be finished at all.

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Andy Warhol, Frog

Andy Warhol’s Frog shows his return to a more commercialized, catalog style of art. The piece was made in 1983, yet it is reminiscent of Warhol’s early catalog work, with its use of contour lines and childlike qualities. The piece features two images of a frog superimposed over each other and off set by an inch. This idea of superimposition gives the piece a feel of movement to it. The movement is further symbolized by the colors of the piece. One of the frogs is red while the other is white, and both appear in a black void. Warhol is making use of contrasting colors, black and white, and yet adding red to create an emphasis or a focal point in the piece. The obvious subject of the piece is the frog, but why is the frog changing color and why is it in a black void. The answers to the questions can merely be construed through observation of the work and general interpretation.

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From Work to Text summary

Text is not a physical manifestation, but rather Text is a produced experience. It is a demonstrational process that is a force against old classifications. Instead of fitting into the ideas of hierarchy and genre, Text is a process all on its own. Text is only a deferred reaction to a work, and as a deferred reaction, the Text is experienced and created as a response to a work in a single moment in time. It is ongoing; disconnections, overlapping, and variations in nature cause Text to span across Marxism and Freudianism. It is a complex idea that is meant to be thought about and interpreted, yet it cannot be interpreted because of it exists beyond boundaries. It is something that is meant more for the practice of writing and the enjoyment of it more so than the interpretation. Text is simply itself; it cannot be interpreted beyond the idea of Text.

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In class writing #5/ ip#1

Umberto Eco’s Travels in Hyper Reality focuses on the idea of making the work going on in America today worthy of the history of America in the future. Bruce Conner, the American artist, portrays the idea of American art today creating its own history. In the Carnegie International, Bruce Conner’s work, the Angel series, makes use of entirely unique mediums and ideas, but is using a universally known subject. Bruce Conner is already a part of art history in America, but his work will hold greater significance in the future. Instead of being linked to a universal style or era of art, Bruce Conner’s style is uniquely his own. His style and medium is ever changing, so he can never be linked to one single movement. Instead, Conner’s work will be linked to only himself and through him his work will connect to American art history. The idea is that Bruce Conner is making American art history and in the future his work will be part of American art history, but he is also making use of universal history. His use of angels is wholly a universal subject but his techniques and styles are his own, and therefore part of American art history. Bruce Conner is looking towards the past but is also striving for the future. In a sense, Bruce Conner is using the ideas of “ever forward” and the “backward march” in Eco’s Travels in Hyper Reality (11). He is working towards further revolutionizing art and yet his subject is universally renowned and revered in the past and into the present. The idea of the angel is linked to the past and was a popular subject throughout the history of art.

Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyper Reality. Orlando: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1986.

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