Christo and Conceptual Art

Christo- Self Portrait

 

 

 Mummy

How is Christo's self portrait similar to an Egyptian mummy?

 

 

Christo was born in June 13, 1935 in Bulgaria.  His wife Jeanne Claude was also born the same day June 13, 1935 in Morocco. Their partnership began in the l960's. They met in l958 when Christo was commissioned to paint a portrait of Jeanne Claude's mother. Jeanne Claude died in November 2009 of a brain aneurysm.

 

Christo is known as a conceptual artist. His wife was quoted to say"...Our art has absolutely no purpose, except to be a work of art.   In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important part of the work.  The artist dedicates his/her time to planning out the ideas and concepts before the art is conceived.  The actual artwork is not as important as the actual idea-conception.  

 

Many artists create installations.   These artforms consist of setting up environments in gallery settings or outdoor environments.  Also performances are included in conceptual art. The art is "emphemeral"-temporary.  Most of the work is preserved through drawings, documentations, photography and videos.

 

Early work by Christo-began with small objects.

drawing plans of wrapped phone

 

Cathedral

 

Running Fence in Sonoma County, California l976

Formal elements and principles of design-the element of "Line" and lines intersecting forms in space are part of the concept of the running fence.  The land becomes a natural canvas for Christo to draw with fabric. 

 

Installation of umbrellas in Los Angeles-San Fernando Valley l99l and Japan.  The umbrellas create a decorative/pattern element to the landscape.  They also mimic plant life such as hillsides of blooming wild flowers or exotic wild mushrooms.

Umbrellas in Japan

 



 

wrapped islands of Biscayne Bay-surrounded eleven islands (near Miami)

 

wrapped trees

 

 

Christo and Jeanne Claude

 

 

 

Sandra Vista- wrapped gourd with strings of beads/gel /acrylic paint "Ivette" (2009)

 

 

 

 

1. How does an artist insure his/her "immortality" through their artwork? What are the relationships of the Egyptians search for the afterlife/immortality similar to Christo's work? 

 

2. How are "ideas" necessary for the survival of mankind?

 

3. What does it mean when we say that "Ideas are living things" ?

 

4. How does history/time expand and contract ideas?

 

5. What kind of objects have you wrapped in your lifetime?  What objects have you seen wrapped  or hope to wrap in your lifetime? (discuss small and large scale items)





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Leonardo da Vinci Anatomy Drawings

 

 

 

A new notebook, commenced in l489, concentrated on human anatomy with crude sketches of the eye, optic nerves, and the brain.  Better drawings were made of the skull and eye socket.

 

Part of  Leonardo's great interest in the eye and brain came about after his experiment showed that there was a significant difference in the actual size and shape of an object and its image as perceived by the eye.  But this was a fleeting visit into anatomy and the subject was to be dropped again for about 20 years.

 

It was in 1508 that Leonardo really started in depth studies on the human body and how it worked; he wanted to investiage more than just the mechanical workings, the emotions and feelings were import too.  To ensure accuracy he dissected about thirty corpses, averaging about two per year during his studies.  His notebooks from this time are full of exclamations of amazement; beside a figure of the heart is the notation: Marvelous instrument invented by the Supreme Master."

 

Leonardo's talent and training as a sculptor came in handy during this time.  He filled cavities like the brain and the heart with wax and made plaster casts of them; in this way he could establish their true shapes.  Leonardo can claim to be the first man to show the correct shape of the spine and the tilt of the pelvis. 

 

Arms, legs and muscles were all dissected to evalute how they worked. The biceps provided particular fascination when he discovered this muscle was responsible for both bending the elbow and for turning the palm of the hand upwards.  A number of drawings were made of this.

 

One of the most famous of Leonardo's anatomical drawings is that of an unborn baby in the womb, correctly attached by the umbilical cord.  This drawing contains one obvious mistake in that the placenta is more appropriate for a cow than a woman.

 

Leonardo did other beautiful drawings of the various organs of a woman's body and was also the first person to draw the uterine artery and the vascular system of the cervix and vagina.  At this time the uterus was still thought to comprise of several compartments and that in the case of multiple pregnancies each occured in a different part of the uterus.  Leonardo corrected this by drawing a single-chambered uterus.

 

Leonardo's studies of the heart bought interesting results.  At this time it was generally believed that the heart was the source of the "vital spirit"; it heated the blood which then flowed through the body carrying "vital spirit".  The idea of the "noble" heart as just another muscle was never considered and the above ideas, from Aristotle and Greek doctor Galen, were universally accepted.

Leonardo visited slaughterhouses where he viewed the killing of pigs; the technique used was that of thrusting a skewer into the heart.  During these visits he was able to observe that the beat of the heart coincided with movement of the blood into the main arteries.  Leonardo then made a glass model of the heart so he could examine it in more detail and he has left us with manyh excellent drawings of the things he observed.

 

Most of Leonardo's anatomical work was carried out in Milan or during occasional visits to France.

 

1. Leonardo began his sketchbook in 1489 in which he made drawings of eyes, brain and optic nerves.  What was the reason he was drawing these images? What did he say about how we perceive (see) things with our eyes?

 

2. In 1508 Leonardo started to work on drawings in depth.  How did he manage to get such details? What did he do that was unusal for attaining (getting) these drawings to be successful and accurate?

 

3. Because he was trained as a sculptor what did he do with actual brains and hearts?

 

4. Leonardo dissected muscles too.  What did he find out about the workings of the biceps?

 

5, What discovery did Leonardo find when he made drawings of a woman's uterus? What was thought about this part of the female anatomy before his discovery?

 

6. What did Leonardo observe when he saw a pig being slaughtered through the heart.  What did he observe regarding the beating of the heart?

 

7. Regarding the heart, what do you think Leonardo means when he says: "Marvelous instrument invented by the Supreme Master"?

 

8. Have you ever visited a slaughterhouse? If you have what was it like? If you haven't what would you do if you saw an animal being slaughtered?

 

9. What colors do you see more brightly than others? What is your favorite color and what is your least favorite? Why? Discuss

10. Have you had your blood pressure taken? Do you know what your blood pressure is? What about your family? Do the adults discuss their blood pressure in your family?

 

 

 

 

 

 



Lascaux CAVE PAINTINGS/STORIES

Prehistoric/Paleolithic period about 18,000 years plus.

The caveman did not inhabit the caves where the paintings were created.  These caves were mostly used for ceremonial purposes.  The paintings consist of images of large animals such as bison, and deer.  The images are rendered with detail and form because the men were consumed with the animals they portrayed.  The knew the animals from the inside out. They hunted them, killed them, skinned them and wore the animal skins.

Most of the paintings were animals paintings.  There were very few drawings of man included in the caves.  The birdman painting with the bird staff may represent a god-like figure because of the symbol of the staff.

The cave was discovered on September 12, 1940 by four teenagers, lead by Marcel Ravidat and his dog Robot. They were on a treasure hunt in which the dog  apparently fell into a hole that lead the boys to discover the cave drawings.  The boys returned with oil lamps to find their way.  They discovered herds of horses, oxen, deer and bison.   The teenagers found four rooms of paintings equaling over 1500 pictures of animals.

They decided to share their story with their science teacher who in turn contacted an expert.  The boys were the first modern people to lay eyes on this art.  The painting had been sealed for over 17,000 years.

The cave complex opened to the public in l948.  By l955 the carbon dioxide produced by 1,200 visitors per day caused damage to the paintings.  The caves were closed to the public in l963.  Today it is open to scientists and students by appointment.

ALTAMIRA CAVES IN SPAIN

Picasso Influences of Altamira Cave paintings

Pablo Picasso

Bicycle Bull Head-Picasso



Sonia Romero

Sonia Romero is a Los Angeles artist with an artistic legacy from her parents and grandparents. She is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of design and has a studio in Highland Park. Frank Romero, her father is a  highly acclaimed artist in the early Chicano movement.

Chinese Zodiac Origin Stories

The 12 Zodiac animal signs are in order, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), rooster, dog, and pig.  There are many legends to explain the beginning of the zodiac.  Most of them involve an invitation by the Jade Emperor.  And in most of the legends the cat does not make the cut.

In one story the rat was given the task of inviting the animals to report to the Jade Emperor for a banquet to be selected for the zodiac signs.  The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat tricked him into believing that the banquet was the next day.  The cat slept through the banquet, thinking that it was the next day.  When he found out the cat vowed to be the rat's natural enemy for ages to come.  Interestingly enough, the cat does make it into the Vietnamese zodiac, in place of the rabbit.

The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom.  Although bad swimmers, they were both intelliegent.  They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of the ox.  The ox, being naive and a good-natured animal, agreed to carry then across. However, overcome with fierce competitiveness, the rat decided that in order to win, it must do something and promptly pushed the cat into the river. Because of this the cat has never forgiven the rat, and hates the water as well.  After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it claimed the first place in the competition.

Following closely behind was the strong ox, and it was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac.  After the ox, came the tiger, panting, while explaining to the Emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time.  But with powerful strength it made it to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.

Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound, and the rabbit arrived.  It explained how it crossed the river; jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion.  Halfway through, it almost lost the race but the rabbit was "lucky" enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore.  For that, it became the 4th animal in the zodiac cycle. 

Coming in 5th place was the dragon, flying and belching fire into the air.  Of course the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong and flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first.  The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth and therefore he was held back a little.  Then on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging onto a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore.  The Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon and he was added into the zodiac cycle. 

 

As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard, and the horse appeared.  Hidden on the horse's hoof is the snake, whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright thus making it fall back and gave the snake the 6th spot while the horse took the 7th.

Not long after that a little distance away, the ram, monkey, and rooster came to the shore.  These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are.  The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it.  Together, the ram and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the ram the 8th creature, the monkey the 9th , and the rooster the 10th , 

The 11th  animal is the dog.  His explanation for being late-although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest-was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation.  For that, he almost didn't make it to the finish line.  Just as the Emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig.  The pig got hungry and during the race, promptly stopped for a feast and then fell asleep.  After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the 12th  and the last animal of the zodiac cycle.  The cat finished too late (13th)  to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forevermore.

 

 

1. What was the original purpose of the animals' journey?  What do you think were some of their thoughts when they started to plan the adventure?

 

2.  The Rat is considered a popular character.  Even though he can be a combination of generousity and frugality- charm and ambitious arrogance.  They are driven to achieve and seldom take a break to relax.  They are always on the go and get very easily bored.  They are very perceptive about people around them because they are shrewd and aware. Good to their families and loved ones.

 

 What kind of responsibilities did the rat have for this adventure? If you were the director /sponsor of this adventure how would you been to design the event?  Have you ever been responsible for planning an event, party, sponsorship, charity drive etc?

 

3. The Ox is considered a hard worker, stable in all things.  They don't like change, preferring to travel a familar path.  The like a traditional life and standards.  The are generally calm but deep down inside there is a serious temper that is rarely seen. If he's mad get out of the way!) The ox stands by his loved ones and is very reliable.  They like the finer things in life, food, and drink but they are willing to work for these luxuries. 

 

 Understanding these characteristics, how does he fit in to the initial part of this adventure? What number on the Chinese calendar does he represent?

 

4. "Pigs don't herd". The Boar are considered the sign of the "diamonds" of  the Chinese Zodiac.  They are very honest and open and very popular with people..They don't know how to be dishonest or underhanded they are very frank and honest.  It is not hard to fool them because that is not a concern for them, they would rather let the other animals concern themselves with ego. They are strong, dependable and loyal. They prefer a peaceful life and are great problem solvers.  The less developed Boars can sink into degenerate behavior and have a hard time climbing out, but this is not the norm. They believe in "mi casa es su casa".

 

The Boar is the last animal in the Chinese Zodiac he stopped by another banquet for a little snack.  How does his place in line explain his characteristics?

 

 

5. Tiger are held in high regard in China.  They have a wonderful personality, very charismatic.  They are magical creatures who keep away thieves, ghosts, and fire in the homes of the Chinese.  These are three major fears that the Tiger helps to keep at a distance.  They are very strong but this strength can be dangerous to others.  They can be fun and energetic but also make unwise, impulsive decisions. Failures are hard to shake off. But they give all they have to all goals and projects and people. They love children and babies because they never seem to grow up.  They are great to know but if you get involved with one be prepared for your ups and downs.

 

What characteristics allowed the Tiger to be number three?  Discuss an incident in your life when your impulsive decision became a costly one either financially or emotionally.

 

 

 



Cat and Rat-The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac

In China, a long, long time ago, there lived a cat and a rat. They were best friends.  They ate together. They played together. They slept together.
One day, the Emperor decided to hold a race among all the animals in the land. The first twelve animals to cross the finish line would have a year in the chinese calender named after them. This would be quite an honor.
"But winning the race will not be easy," warned the Emperor. "You must run through the thickest part of the forest and then swim across the river at its widest point."
Cat and Rat each wanted to be the first to cross the finish line. But they knew that they would be two of the smallest animals in the race.
"We will never make it," Rat complained to Cat.
"Oh, I think we will," replied the resourceful Cat.
"We'll ask the water buffalo to help us," said the Cat. "He could give us a head start. He always wakes up before sunrise. Maybe we could even ride on his back."
So Cat and Rat convinced Buffalo to wake them up early on the day of the race.The next morning, Buffalo was up long before dawn. "Wake up, lazybones," he said to the sleeping cat and rat. "We had better get started."
Cat and Rat climbed on the buffalo's back. But they were so sleepy that by the time they had fully awakened, they were half way across the river.
Rat woke up first. He saw the Emperor standing at the finish line far, far away. Why should I share the glory of first place with Cat and Buffalo? thought the rat selfishly.
"Wake up, my friend," he cried to Cat. "Look at all the tasty fish swimming in the water."
Cat licked her lips. She leaned over for a closer look, and Rat gave her a little push. SPLASH! She tumbled into the water
Buffalo turned his head to see what had made the splash. He didn't see the cat, though. What hw saw instead were the other animals in the race-and they were close behind him. Without giving Cat or Rat another thought, he sped toward the emperor.
Just as Buffalo neared the riverbank, the clever rat leaped from behind his ear and crossed the finish line in first place.
"How did such a small animal win the race?" asked the Emperor in surprise.
"I may be small but I am also smart," replied the rat. He scampered up onto the winner's podium. Buffalo knew he had been tricked into second place, but he could only grunt in dismay.
Back in the river, Cat tried to swim along with the other animals. She hated water. But if she had to swim in it to win the race, she would do so.
Far ahead of her, Tiger came roaring across the finish line. "Am I first?" he growled.
"No," said the rat smugly.
"You'd have to be awfully clever to beat me."
"And you'd have to get up extra early to beat me," added the buffalo.
Cat scrambled onto a log. She paused to shake herself off and to catch her breath.
By then the sky was dark and a great storm was blowing. A dragon appeared in the clouds above. He was much, much too big to run through woods or swim across a river, so the Emperor had told him he could race through the sky, braving the rains and the wind.
But no sooner had he begun his descent to the earth, than the rabbit darted across the finish line in front of him, taking fourth place. The dragon had to be content with fifth.
In the river, the cat heaved a great sigh, then plunged into the water again. "I can still make it," she told herself. But Snake slithered across the finish line next and hissed a silvery greeting to the five animals who had arrived before him. Snake was number six.
Cat swam as fast as she could. A few moments later, she heard the sound of galloping hooves in the distance. Horse thundered across the finish line in seventh place.
Goat and Monkey weren't far behind. They jumped onto the log on which Cat had rested and paddled across the finish line almost at the same time. But goat beat monkey by a hair.
While the nine winners waited patiently with the Emperor, Cat watched Rooster struggle toward the finish line. Dog could easily have swum ahead of Rooster, but she couldn't resist playing in the water for just a few minutes longer.
"Number ten!" called the Emperor as Rooster staggered in. "Number eleven!" he cried when Dog arrived.
"Who will be number twelve?" asked the Emperor. "I need just one more animal."
"Me! I will!" called Cat, and she swam even faster. Unfortunately for Cat, Pig rushed across the finish line in front of her.
"Number twelve!" cries the Emperor, but Cat was still too far away.
"Congratulations to all the winners!" said the Emperor. "One of the twelve years will be named after each of you."
Suddenly, up rushed Cat. She was tired and wet and more than a little unhappy about swimming across the river on her own. "How did I do?" she asked anxiously. "Am I one of the winners?"
"Sorry, dear Cat," replied the Emperor. All twelve places have been filled."
Upon hearing this news, Cat let out a yowl and tried to pounce on Rat. Her claws scratched the tip of his tail, but Rat squeezed under the Emperor's chair just in time.
And that is why, to this very day, Cat and Rat are enemies.