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A Revolutionary Art Movement – Dadaism

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 04:14:23 +0000

War brings about a multitude of reactions in different people, to the artists of the early twentieth century it came in the form of a sense of rebellion. The forceful creative disillusionment, in especially a group of artists, led to the start of an art movement, ‘Dadaism.’

The First World War, mainly between 1916 and 1920, witnessed the rise of ‘Dadaism.’ In 1916, a German, exiled poet, Hugo Ball, set up Cabaret Voltaire, a cafe, in Zurich, Switzerland, where artists, musicians, and writers frequented. The cafe became an abode for unhindered artistic expression and the exchange of ideas, amidst the prevailing feelings of anti-war, running through a large cross section of society. Against this backdrop, ‘Dadaism’ began as an artistic protest, countering the barbaric nature of war. ‘Dada’ is a French word meaning ‘hobbyhorse.’ ‘Dadaism’ was the name chosen, as a paper-knife was found inserted in a dictionary, pointing to the word ‘Dada.’ ‘Dadaism’ thereon became a signatory of the attitudes and beliefs leading to war.

Owing to their revolutionary disposition, ‘Dadaists’ did not conform to the traditional values of art. They aimed to destroy the philosophy and the prevailing materialism & consumerism in the society, which they held morally responsible for rooting the events catalyzing the World War I. Therefore, ‘Dadaist’ works reflected chaos, randomness, and destruction to illustrate the confusion prevailing during this period, thereby attempting to shock, & aware people about this malaise. These artists used materials, such as trash from streets and ready-made items, to signify the unemployment of artisans owing to the war and to the up surging importance of machines over human resource. ‘Dadaism’ was abstract, spontaneous, and creatively absurd to quite an extent.

Marcel Duchamp, a founder of ‘Dadaism’ used humor in this serious artistry. His “Bicycle Wheel (1913),” had a bicycle placed upside down on a kitchen stool, while in “L.H.O.O.Q.,” he painted Mona Lisa with a mustache, to shock the art world. Max Ernst, another ‘Dadaist,’ employed revulsion to dig on the moral consciousness of public. His “Battle of the Fish (1917),” depicts the nerves of a fish as the vibrations of da, da. Other notable ‘Dadaists’ were Francis Picabia, Man Ray, and Beatrice Wood.

‘Dadaism’ was not restricted only to the field of visual arts, but also extended to literature, theatre, and graphic design. The ‘Dadaist’ musicians evolved ethnic chants coupled with a large drum as their style of music. The performers, with black faces, conveyed a structure less and the order less style of ‘Dadaism.’ The movement slowly declined by the late 1920s, with most of its torchbearers transitioning to ‘Surrealism,’ ‘Socialist Realism,’ and the other forms of ‘Modernism.’

By: Annette Labedzki

The Meaning of Color – Art as Therapy

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:33:06 +0000

Feeling blue. Seeing red. A silver lining. All of these phrases came about because of the meanings that can be attributed to colors. Maybe you’ve always wondered why certain colors appeal to you or often find their way into your artwork. As someone that creates mandalas for both art as well as therapy, I have found that taking the time to analyze my color choices has provided me with great insight on where I stand both mentally and spiritually.

Below is a quick reference guide you can use to gather more awareness from your own artwork or mandala designs. Each color discussed has a list of ‘meanings’ that you can pull from when trying to interpret your work along with a list of ‘uses’ that may help you choose colors for healing or as a form art therapy. While this list is far from exhaustive, it does tap into the core properties. If you want a more thorough explanation of color, I suggest you take a look at The Color Answer Book by Leatrice Eiesman.

RED Meanings:

energy, passion, power, desire, intensity, anger

Uses: combat depression, increase appetite, attract attention, increase energy, achieve goals
In terms of energy, a person with a red aura (like most teenagers) are often found to be impulsive, stimulating, freedom seeking individuals. Red is used in fast food restaurants to make patrons eat quickly and to increase their appetites.

ORANGE Meanings:

creativity, confidence, increased intuition, pleasure, adventure

Uses: increase creativity and inner dialogue, boost metabolism, elevate mood
As another warm color, orange also has some intensity and energy in its meaning. Color therapistsa use orange to open up a persons mind, allowing creative ideas to flow freely.

YELLOW Meanings:

cheerful, bright, optimism, warm, open, innovative

Uses: increase mental clarity, release of problems, promote enjoyment

Not surprisingly, individuals with yellow auras are known for their sunny dispositions. Yellow crystals are often used sharpen memory and increase decision making skills.

GREEN Meanings:

harmony, balance, growth, tradition, focus, jealousy

Uses: calm nerves, increase compassion, restore mental and emotional balance
Green falls basically in the middle of the color spectrum making balance its chief interpretation. Feng shui experts taut the healing and restorative powers of the color green, often using different shades to maximize its healing effects.

BLUE Meanings:

truth, depth, loyalty, serenity, empathy

Uses: soothe, cleanse, induce calm and peaceful feelings
Artists and poets (and other sensitive individuals) are drawn to this color. Interior designers use blue in designing bedrooms because of its peaceful qualities. Dark blue is often used in uniforms because of the qualities of truth and respect the color induces.

PURPLE Meanings:

spirituality, royalty, originality, imagination, mystery

Uses: meditation, inspiration, psychic healing, connection with higher power
Purple is associated with the crown chakra; the one that links us to the infinite consciousness, The Universe, and/or God. Not surprisingly, purple has a long history of use in a variety of religious ceremonies from the Christianity to Hinduism.

WHITE Meanings:

reverence, purity, innocence, simplicity, cleanliness

Uses: purify the body and mind
The significance of white in a dream is believed to be its representation of a hope fulfilled or the attainment of spiritual enlightenment. White is a yin or healing color used in Estern cultures to induce calm.

BLACK Meanings:

elegance, power, strength, achievement

Uses: internal strength, power in career, self control

In the fashion industry, black equates to wealth and sophistication i.e. tuxedos, limousines, the little black dress, etc. The color is also used to portray authority, i.e. judge’s robes, priest’s attire, and a black belt in martial arts, but too much black can be oppressive.

By: Michelle Normand

Christian Art Work – What it is, What It’s Not

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:13:27 +0000

Looking for Christian art work?

Before you buy your next Christian art to adorn your walls, think about what it is and is not to make sure you have a quality product as well as making sure you represent Christ to the best of your ability.

It is not necessarily mass-produced, cheesy, or made poorly. It is not necessarily outright religious, portraying a cross, Jesus, an angel, or a church.

Genuine Christian art work is work that truly inspires! This may include a religious symbol or an important Biblical figure, but it may not! What about gorgeous scenery, like a mountain or a beach scene? Well-done photographs and paintings of landscapes can inspire, too! After all, God made the mountains and beaches and more!

He gave His many different talents to everyone, especially the gift of art to some! You can see his wonder everywhere! A beautiful drawing of a rose, a sweet picture of your favorite wild animal…surrounding your home or office with this can also be Christian art work! It gives your eyes a visual feast, a place to rest, a reminder that God is in control!

But it is different in that it does not destroy but builds up. Perhaps the art makes you think, but it is never evil or self-serving! It does not glorify godless behavior. The ultimate goal of Christian art work is to bring you, and others who see your work, into a more intimate relationship with Jesus!

How can it do that? Because as the creator of all things, especially art, he can redeem, heal, touch, encourage, lift up, especially through art!

Why be careful and discerning about what Christian art work is and is not? Because if you put a piece on your walls, realize you are reflecting Christ. Just because a piece of art is stamped with the name “Christian” does not make it necessarily excellent! Poor quality reflects poorly on God, giving nonbelievers ammo to discredit us. And that discredits God!

On the other hand, high quality work, whether blatantly Christian or not, stands out in today’s world of dark art that glorifies evil. It’s not that we should be afraid to put something that smacks of religion on our wall for fear of offending. If it’s good, display it! But along with it, other subjects of art work can be just as Christian and just as inspiring!

By: Dana Susan Beasley

Principles of Art

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 02:45:51 +0000

There are five basic principles of art whosoever must consider decorating a room so that the result would be attractive. These are:
1- Proportion

2- Balance

3- Harmony

4- Rhythm

5- Emphasis

Let explain one by one to the above Art Principles.

1-Proportion:

The proportion principle is now and then called code of relations. It is an Arian principle that the length and width of any place or thing should have 2:3. For instance, if a room is 12 feet wide the length should be 18 feet. The color of room and the size of room have also profound relation with each other. If a room is small then you can create spaciousness by light paint on walls. The color on wall should match with other things color scheme. Suppose, if the color of walls is white or off-white then cove of couch, curtain, carpet and other decoration pieces must have wanton color scheme.

2- Balance:

It means to decorate the things together in such a way that their trivial sign should spellbinding. We can divide balance in further two forms i.e. Formal and Informal. Informal Balance has more nearness, freedom, the right of choice and variety while Formal Balance is reversed.

3- Harmony:

Harmony means unanimity which can be found in the following:

I. In form or line

II. In size or magnitude

III. In creation

IV. In the surface

V. In colors

To arrange the room or any thing under consider the above five elements, it can made eye-catching. Unanimity means your creation aggregately striking and impressive.

4- Rhythm:

Rhythm means the movement of scene from one thing to another. Each movement is not pleasant if you feel weariness and hindrance to watch the movement of one thing to another then its sign could not be comfortable. When take a glance from one decoration to another in continuation then it give comfort to heart and soul. On the other hand, if unable to create rhythm then the sign of creation would not be symmetrical.

5- Emphasis:

It means to give central importance to anything. Such as to keep the things on a apparent place which draw attention towards initially.

By: Leoni Bellagio

Art Defined

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:14:26 +0000

The world needs a comprehensive, working definition for the realm of the “ARTS”. This definition succinctly satisfies that need.

“Art” means different things to various people. It’s been an enigma! Since the age of twelve I wanted to be an “artist”. Over the years I had become involved with numerous “art” endeavors: drawings, sculptures, paintings in various media, architectural design, photography, writing, and ceramics. I’ve even been fortunate to have “art” jobs: art and photography teacher, freelance artist, supervisor of a graphic art department, museum exhibits designer and builder, and art director. In all those experiences and even through educational training beyond the master’s degree I could not find a comprehensive definition of…”art”. After all, I was an “artist”; but, how could I make claim to this intriguing group with out really knowing what “art” was?

In the early 1990′s, I participated in the Improving Visual Art Education Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was sponsored by the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Getty Center for the Arts. The conference basically centered around the concept of “Discipline Based Art Education”. In this realm arts education is believed to have four basic tenants that should be covered in pedagogy and help give credence to spending constrained budgets on having “arts” in the public school curriculum. These four areas are: history, theory/criticism, aesthetics, and production. It was from this conference that I came up with the design for the MIA PATCH Lesson Plan for the Arts since there was no lesson plan format that I new of that really fit the “arts” education arena. One of the speakers, and I forget her name, was an aesthetics professor from the University of Minnesota. She came the closest to a definition of art that I could agree with, except, for her, art had to have a concrete artifact, an art “object”, something tangible to be reviewed through time. But, as many “artists” know, sometimes an artistic creation is designed to be fugitive, non-tangible through time, it must disappear to fulfill its aesthetic intent.

While out jogging one afternoon at the conference it came to me, an epiphany; ” There is a simple, comprehensive definition of “art”, it’s an acronym for itself”.

The Aesthetic Rendering of Thought.

In order for Art to exist, the following three (3) criteria must be met. First of all, there must be some sensory manifestation (Rendering), fugitive or permanent, that is based upon a creative, intellectual process (Thought) with the intention of a beautiful or pleasurable (Aesthetic or Anti-aesthetic) action, or reaction, in one or more of the senses and/or psyche.

Encircled within this definition are more than the traditional concepts of “art”: painting, sculpture, ceramics, writing, architecture, drama, music, dance, and photography. It’s now easier to understand why cooking can be included as an “art” and more than just a craft. Please do not confuse “craft” with “art”. Art objects are original creations, one of a kind. Craft, on the other hand, is the fastidious copying, reproduction, of an art object.

By: Robert Bear