Head or Heart?

Whilst looking at ‘Cream 3’ I was interested in what was thought to be the main theme of the book. ‘Is there life after conceptual art?’ This is a similar question to one I just answered in my essay where I considered if the concept of avant-garde was still a valid one for artists today. I like how these questions cause us to test ideas and perhaps cause something new.  

Going for something ‘new’ and being more ‘thought provoking’ tends to lead people to think of abstract art. In my latest practical work I have looked at painting the figure and then the application of paint. The latter lead me to the more abstract works, but with less context and more of an influence from other artists. In effect my strongest work was the more figural and literal pieces that illustrate my point in a more obvious way. 

 

My work as a result of looking at the application of paint ( inspired by Ian Davenport)

Using Photoshop I created this image about the fashion industry

When I worked with my tutor group for Professional Practice we found that our group was split between the idea of works with a more literal form, and abstract pieces. To solve this problem we decided to enhance the two and have them apposing each other on either side of the room, split with a black line down the middle. In this scenario I naturally found myself having an interest in the more figural pieces of work. Hmm… 

Our final exhibition. abstract on left, portrait on right.

SO. Should I concentrate on more literal pieces of work in my exhibition, or is that too over-done? Should that matter? I could look at the symbolism in art that I enjoy so much.

OR should I challenge myself by looking at abstract works, even though this could be more than a risk as it wasn’t that successful last time and I prefer more traditional pieces with a modern twist.

PERHAPS… that could be it! Even though I was drawn to one side more than the other in the group exhibition, I still liked pieces from the ‘abstract’ part and loved the idea as a whole. Maybe I could look at literal and traditional pieces of work, but display them in an ‘abstract’ way, alongside abstract work or just in a different way that would give the work an original twist. Therefore fixing the issue of whether art can still be conceptual or avant-garde, by leaving the work but curating it in a way that makes it modern!

Now for a theme to get me focused…