Contemporary Art (1982-2009 CE) Flashcards
Untitled (#288)
Judith from the Bible (saved the Israelites from the Assyrians by decapitating their general)
Judith breaks gender stereotypes because she is a woman who was able to murder a man
Part of a series of photographs
Dressed in red (the color of lust and blood)
Holding the head of the general she killed
Untitled (#288) IDs
Cindy Sherman
1990 CE
Contemporary
Photograph
Dancing at the Louvre
About breaking the rules and having fun while doing it
Combines representational painting and African-American quilting techniques with written language
Story-quilting technique (creates the central image with acrylic paint which reflects her knowledge of Western art, but then adds traditional quilting methods that sandwich the stitching)
Tells the fictional story of Willa Marie Simone (a young black girl who moved to Paris who met a bunch of famous people)
Inspired by her own struggle for recognition in a European male-centric art world
Weaves modern art, African-American culture, and personal biography
Dancing at the Louvre IDs
Faith Ringgold
1991 CE
Contemporary
Acrylic on canvas, tie-dyed, pieced fabric border
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People)
Reminiscent of a medieval altarpiece
Newspaper, photos, tobacco and gum wrappers, fruit carton labels, ads, and comic book pages with stereotypical images of Native Americans cover the canvas
Images of deer, buffalo, and Native American men in historic dress
Red (symbolizes bloodshed, warfare, anger, and sacrifice)
Brushstrokes are similar to Expressionism
Created for the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in North America
Restates the standard narratives of the US, like the desire for expansion and raises the issue of current things rooted in colonialism
Inspired by Native and non-Native sources
Calls attention to the fact that Native Americans and Europeans had different views on the ownership of land
Canoe (symbolizes trade and cultural connections, but it’s empty, stuck, and unable to move)
Trade (Gifts for Trading Land with White People) IDs
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith
1992 CE
Contemporary
Oil and mixed media on canvas
Rebellious Silence
Central figure’s portrait is bisected along a vertical seam created by the barrel of a rifle
Image is cropped so we can’t see if she’s holding it or not
Th eyes stare at the viewer from both sides of the divide
Guns and flowers juxtaposed with vulnerability and rebellion
Exposed flesh is overwritten with sensual or political texts by Iranian women in Farsi
Allows a more nuanced contemplation of stereotypes against Muslim women
Challenges the suppression of women
Battles against Western assumptions about Islam but also the extremist Islamic regime in Iran
Double meaning of “shoot” (guns and camera, both are used to violate women)
Gun references control and religious martyrdom
Poem by Tahereh Saffarzadeh on her face about martyrdom
Confronts a paradoxical reality
Rebellious Silence IDs
Shirin Neshat
1994 CE
Contemporary
Ink on photograph
Pisupo Lua Afe
Aimed to engage children’s curiosity and inspire them to care for themselves and the environment
Pisupo = pea soup (the first canned food introduced into the Pacific Islands, now describes many canned foods)
Corned beef (part of ceremonial gift economy of the Pacific Islands, contributes heavily to diabetes and heart disease on the Islands as their former diets of local fruit, vegetables, seafood, and coconut evolves into cheap, imported, unhealthy food)
Hundreds of flattened corned beef tins (there is no use for empty tin cans, or unhealthy foods that damage the people, environment, and culture)
Critiques ecological health and food sovereignty
Pisupo Lua Afe IDs
Michel Tuffery
1994 CE
Contemporary
Mixed media
Old Man’s Cloth
Constructed from flattened liquor bottle labels and caps
Heavy debate on whether it’s 2D or 3D
Presents an opportunity for discussion about the relationships between Western and African artists
Bottle caps signify a history of slave trade between Africa and Europe
Unique for uneven, jagged edges, and rough texture
The old man the piece is named after is actually God
The bottle caps also represent humanity and immorality, yet God saves humanity (reflected light at any angle)
Old Man’s Cloth IDs
El Anatsui
2003 CE
Contemporary
Aluminum and copper wire
Shibboleth
Crack in the floor
Exists in a liminal space between sculpture and installation
Shibboleth = a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important
Represents the immigrant experience in Europe
Shibboleth IDs
Doris Salcedo
2007-2008 CE
Contemporary
Installation
MAXXI National Museum of XXI Century Arts
Curved side walls
Self-consolidating concrete
Horizontal strucutres are mostly black-painted steel
Concave and convex structures
Complex geometry
Used to be a military site (incorporated into design)
Inspired by Tiber River and Roman history
Aligns with street car line
Bookends on either side
Twisting stairs (floating aspect)
Series of connected ribbons
Opened pedestrian connection
