Historical and Holy Relics Revisted

RELICS- BY DEFINITION MEANS "remains or something left behind."

---relics are an important aspect of various religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism.
---the objects left behind displayed in various faiths are locks of hair, blood, and garments by saints.  True believers will travel to see these relics as part of their faith. Miracles are attributed to many relics. (Shroud of Turin)

 

The Shroud of Turin at St. John the Bapist Cathedral in Turin, Italy

 

 

Saint Monica

 

 

Mummified hand of St. Stephen

 

 

 

Blood relic

 

 

 

Madame Guillotine

 

 

Native American Ceremonial Gloves

 

 

Michael Jackson's White Glove-Modern relic

 

 

Contemporary Artists who are inspired by the idea of "relics" are abstracting the idea of what defines a relic.

 

--The art work consists of using various mediums especially "found objects"  which are appropriate for the "memories" and "personal energy" the objects may contain.  (Previously owned objects are sometimes believed to absorb some of owner's personal information/"pschometry"-the study of " reading"  people by holding one of their objects such as a wristwatch)

 

--An artist will use the idea of the "power of the object" as an essential component in creating artwork. (Conceptual art-the importance of the idea)

 

 



Lucas Samaras (box series) #1

(Shroud of Turin?)

 

 

Lucas Samaras (box series)

 

#3

 

(saint mummified hand?)

 

 

Lucas Samaras (box series)

#4

 

(memory box, photo album?)

 

 

Carol Es

Creatures with name tag/id tags/toe tags?

 

 

Organic forms/bones, organs/relics?

 

 

 

 

Sandra Vista

Close of Relic #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sandra Vista

Close up Relic #1

 

 

 

 

Lyn Beldner (Sphere)

 

Lyn Beldner "Pin Cushion"

 

 

 

1.How do you think it is possible for an object to carry the energy of the previous owner?

 

 

2.What are some of the similarities of  the "Shroud of Turin" and Lucas Samaras' #1 Box? (ie: both pieces contain "faint" images of a person)

 

3. Does Lucas Samaras' #3 Box contains a hand under a screen.  How does this hand image compare with the mummified hand of St. Stephen? Does Saint Stephen's hand appear to be a human hand or as artifical as Samaras' plastic hand.  Do these "relics" emit the same kind of spiritual energy? explain your answer...

 

4.

 Lucas Samara #4 Box houses "snippets" of photographs reminiscent of personal photo albums? What is the purpose of compiling photos in an album? What kind of photographs to you keep among your personal effects? Why are they important to you?

 

5. How are the materials used by Carol Es relate to Sandra Vista's Relic #1?  What similar emotions do you think they are displaying?  (hint: both artists use fabric in their work)



 

Mark Rothko World View

 

 

 

Mark Rothko (born in Russia l903-died in New York in l970).  His family immigrated from Russia to Portland Oregon when Rothko was a child.  Rothko is considered an "abstract expressionist", and "colored field" painter.  Generally abstract expressionists are associated with large expanses of color that is emotionally applied to the canvas.  Rothko is considered a "silent" abstract expressionist. 

 

He said he wanted the viewers to cry when they experienced his paintings.  The viewer is consumed by the expansion of color fields.  The lack of perspective allows for more self-exploration.

 



 

1. What do the set of complementary colors (orange and blue) create as an illusion and sensation?

 

2. What happens on a canvas with monochromatic colors?

 

 

3.What time of day do you think is portrayed in this painting?  What title would you give this work?

 

 

4. The glow iminating from the canvas is reminiscent of what time of day? What do you think is the message?

 

5. If this was a painting of an open window, what views are represented? What mood do this green and blue hues set?

 



6. What time of idea is displayed with these warm hues?

 

 

Chapel in Houston Texas l971



 7. How does the minimal characteristics of the chapel promote personal introspection and union with one's person beliefs?

 

8. Rothko said he wanted people to cry when they saw his paintings, how is this idea similiar to the feeling evoked by music?

 

 

 



 

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?