Industrialization, Modernism and Architecture

Eiffel Tower and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao have both been described as significant
architectural constructions of their time. The Eiffel Tower has been described as;
'a symbol of technological prowess' (www.tour- eiffel.com/)
and the Guggenheim museum has been 'hailed as the most important structure of its time'
( www. guggenheim.org/bilbao )
Research both architectural structures in order to comment on;
-the importance of the design and construction
-significance of the materials
-significance of the designer
-function for which each was built
-function now-has it changed?
Compare the two architectural structures, by noting their similarities and differences.

THE EIFFEL TOWER:

The Eiffel Tower was criticised for its daring shape and design. People were unsure of whether it was safe enough to be amongst the public , covering a large area of space. The Metals Used are very important to the durability of the tower and shows how clever the designer was when trying to preserve it for as long as possible.

The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel, , nickname La dame de fer, the iron lady) is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest building in Paris[10] and the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named for its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.
The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. Upon its completion, it surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930; however, due to the addition in 1957 of the antenna, the tower is now taller than the Chrysler Building. Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France after the 2004 Millau Viaduct.
The tower has three levels for visitors. Tickets can be purchased to ascend, by stairs or lift, to the first and second levels. The walk to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. The third and highest level is accessible only by elevator. Both the first and second levels feature restaurants.
The tower has become the most prominent symbol of both Paris and France, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

The tower was much criticised by the public when it was built, with many calling it an eyesore. Newspapers of the day were filled with angry letters from the arts community of Paris. One is quoted extensively in William Watson's US Government Printing Office publication of 1892 Paris Universal Exposition: Civil Engineering, Public Works, and Architecture: "And during twenty years we shall see, stretching over the entire city, still thrilling with the genius of so many centuries, we shall see stretching out like a black blot the odious shadow of the odious column built up of riveted iron plates."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (December 15, 1832 – December 27, 1923; French pronunciation: [efɛl], English: /ˈaɪfəl/) was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures. He is acclaimed for designing the world-famous Eiffel Tower, built 1887–1889 for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, France. Notable among his other works is the armature for the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, United States. Gustave Eiffel was significant because of his knowledge with metallic structures.

http://www.atkielski.com/main/EiffelTowerFAQ.html

It is widely believed that the Eiffel Tower is made of steel, but this is incorrect. The Eiffel Tower is built of pure iron.
Steel has existed for thousands of years, but methods for producing it in large quantities didn't exist until the middle nineteenth century—only a few decades before the Eiffel Tower was built in 1889. Gustave Eiffel was an expert in the engineering use of structural iron and knew exactly what it could and could not do, whereas steel was still a bit newfangled for structural use. For a project as important and prestigious as the Eiffel Tower, he decided to take no chances, and so he built it of puddled iron, a type of traditional wrought iron, prepared in a special way in a special furnace, so that the iron is made very pure and strong. You can learn more about how puddled iron is made from this Wikipedia article. Puddled iron was common in Eiffel's day, but it has been replaced by steel in modern times.
The proof that Eiffel knew what he was doing is that the tower is still standing and in superb shape. Even in 1999, when a massive windstorm did considerable damage to a number of Paris monuments, the 100+ mph winds of the storm didn't hurt the tower at all. Additionally, the tower is designed so that individual parts can be replaced if they wear out.

The Eiffel Tower has had minor changes to it, for eg. recently steel being added to its structure, reinforcements.

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0213201/Eiffel%20tower.htm

* The Eiffel tower has been painted 6 different colors in its history. All of the different colors were shades of brown. It takes 50 tons of paint to paint the Eiffel tower.
*A total of 50 engineers made 5300 blueprints. 121 workers worked at the construction site to build it.

The Eiffel Tower was man-made.

THE GUGGEINHEIM MUSEUM

The Guggenheim Museum is known to many as the best structure built of it's time. It surpasses some of the more modern building designs in terms of its complexity and aesthetics.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, built by Ferrovial[3] and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast. The Guggenheim is one of several museums belonging to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The museum features permanent and visiting exhibits of works by Spanish and international artists.
One of the most admired works of contemporary architecture, the building has been hailed as a "single moment in the architectural culture" because it represents "one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all completely united about something."[4] The museum was the building most frequently named as one of the most important works completed since 1980 in the 2010 World Architecture Survey among architecture experts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guggenheim_Museum_Bilbao

Frank Owen Gehry, CC (born Frank[1] Owen Goldberg; February 28, 1929) is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.
His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions. His works are often cited as being among the most important works of contemporary architecture in the 2010 World Architecture Survey, which led Vanity Fair to label him as "the most important architect of our age".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Gehry

The museum is constructed of a complex steel frame with sinuous stone, glass and titanium orthogonal and organic volumes.
The titanium cladding used is half a millimeter thick, each piece is unique and has been designed with the aid of a state-of-the-art 3D design computer programme. The volumes are linked by glass curtain walls for light transparency.
In some of the more curvacious and irregular exhibition spaces within the museum the floor is constructed of cement with curved and twisted walls.
Before Gehry chose to use titanium sheathing, 29 different materials including stainless steel, copper and aluminium were considered for use.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_materials_were_used_to_build_the_Guggenheim_museum_Bilbao

The Museum hasn't changed a lot in structure from its original form built in the 1980's, but changes only occur to the content inside the museum, holding a wide variety of artwork.

BOTH STRUCTURES:

These two buildings have been considered the best structures of their time. They both uphold a great reputation, but are very different in the views of many. Although they're both visually stunning and entertaining, they both have their own unique qualities that make the difference. The Eiffel Tower represents a solid structural design, man-made through a lot of hard work, it is an iconic building itself because of its popularity around the world featured in a range of media. The public , and tourists are also attracted to the design, which also goes for the Guggenheim Musuem. Its beauty and complex design capture the wandering eyes. It is simply a work of art in large scale proportion. A more artistic feel can be found within this building, and appeals to many. One building is a more Strong,Structural design, whilst the other is more appealing to the eyes. These structures have their differences but of course, they are the best of their time!, theyre both outstanding and bring people together in some way.

Landscape and Sublime

1. What and when was the Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment (or just the Enlightenment) was also known as the Age of Reason

It had emerged in the 18th century from all across Europe. Before the set of ideas which Enlighenment was formed out of, were known amongst the people, The world was seen with fear and superstition. The Enlightment, which is more of a set of ideas rather than values, had given the idea to people to explore the world with reason. They believed that human reason could combat ignorance, superstition, and tyranny, and that they could build a better world. Their principle targets were religion and the domination of society by a hereditiary aristocracy.

People who were influenced by the Enlightenment would analyse the depth of society rules and the government law,therefore by doing so, also rejecting religion church authority and others.

2. Define the concept of the Sublime.

The concept of the Sublime is quite similar to the enlightenment and humanism. Focusing on human beings and their own thoughts.

The Sublime is the quality of greatness in many ways, that is beyond calculation, measurement or imitation. Human thoughts or beliefs that exceed human capabilities, mystical,or fantasy. It could also be ones belief of themselves as a superhuman, more to themselves than what others perceive of them. The sublime also means "uplifted" or "high in place". It emerged in the 18th century.

3. How did the concept of the Sublime come out of the Enlightenment thought?

The sublime concept was one of the set of ideas that came out of the Enlightenment. In the age of the Enlightment, people accepted the new ideas that had come forth, but before the Enlightenment was introduced, people were close minded, with limited thinking would only see the ideas of the church and government leaders. The Sublime concept was clear to people as they became openmided and accepted the new ideas that arose, such as life after death, if there was a heaven or hell, that science couldn't answer everything. So they believed it was normal to see themselves as something or someone of great capablitiy because there was no fear or superstition that was a barrier in their decision to do so.

4. Discuss the subject matter, and aesthetic (look) of Misrach's work to identify the Sublime in his work. Add some more images of his work.

Misrach is known for his beautiful photography work on lanscapes.In his work we see an isolation of a very small number of people e.g 2 or maybe 1, in a large stretch of beautiful land.It's almost like he attempts to make us feel relaxed with our focus mainly on the landscape, but also the peace that we feel when there is not a lot going on in the work. Although the people are there, it doesn't take away the beauty and serenity. He makes everything work. Misrach makes us appreciate the uniqueness of nature, and how it doesn't need to be altered for it to be beautiful, which supports the concept of the Sublime.The use of people in an almost unlimited stretch of land could possibly support the sublime concept aswell. He has managed to incorporate the sublime concept in most of his work. Emphasizing the theme of nature.

- Swimmers Pyramid Lake, Indian Reservation, Nevada 1987-1983

Richard Misrach

Pyramid Lake,(1991) Richard Misrach

5. Identify some other artists or designers that work with ideas around the Sublime, from the Enlightenment era as well as contemporary artists.

ENLIGHTENMENT ERA:

Moonrise over the sea (1822)

Caspar David Friedrich

A Bridge near mont Grimsel (n.d)

William Pars (1742-1782)

CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS

Salvador Dali - Persistance of Memory (1931)

Salvador Dali has used the Sublime concept in most of his paintings, his dream-like, fantasy, mystical style of painting supports the sublime concept, and present in this painting, he has made the clocks in there floppy, and out of place. Therefore keeping to his style of work, and also going along with the sublime.

Jimmy Hendrix (1970)

Abdul Mati klarwein

This painting emphasises on human and landscape combined. Placing the head of legendary guitarist Jimmy Hendrix amongst a bundle of long grass, also exaggerating on the length of his hair and colour. The background with what seems to be horseriders wielding swords creates a story.Klarwein has stuck to the sublime and humanism theme in most of his work, always making human beings his subjects.

6. How does Misrach's photography make you feel? Does it appeal to your imagination?

When I first took a glimpse of Misrach's work it didnt really get to me until I took my time examining it. I feel very relaxed looking at the majority of his work, because they're done in peaceful environments. His use of the landscapes and angles capture the natural beauty, creating a scene that Ill never forget.

It appeals to me that he had used people in some of his work, which could sometimes be a risk in terms of affecting how people percieve it, for e.g, Most of the damage that is inflicted upon large scales of land is from man-made machinery (cars,buildings etc) all producing Co2. Therefore negative views towards his work is a possibility, But, not the way I see it. I think his use of the sublime concept, including people to his work has made his photography work a beautiful combination.


Aurora (2000) unknown

REFERENCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment

http://www.edelmangallery.com/misrach.htm

http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/misrach_richard.php

http://www.viewgoodsimages.com/books/moonrise-over-the-sea.html

http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/William-Pars/Bridge-Near-Mount-Grimsel-1770.html

http://www.imageof.net/wallpaper/The-Persistence-of-Memory-Salvador-Dali/

http://leohartshorn.blogspot.com/2010/08/abdul-mati-klarwein-visionary.html

The Social Status of the Artist

1. Identify aspects of Durer's self portrait that show a changing view of the artist's view of himself as an individual

A change has taken place as the years progress. From the great Renaissance period where artists were commissioned to paint for others and now with the concept or movement of individualism introduced, artists would become the subjects of their own work. They would present their own style,more self-portraits painted, express their own feeling to their work. Implying the idea of individuality and uniqueness. In Durer's self-portrait, he has created a close resemblance to Jesus Christ. He has created a solid like pose, making him look as glorious as Jesus. He transfigured himself to being someone as popular and highly respected to many. Durer has also painted his right hand close to his brown fur coat, looks as if he is trying to keep it together, doesn't want to reveal what is underneath. Possibly a sign that he is a quiet, conservative person. And would show his true-self to only those he would know. The Brown fur coat he is wearing could also indicate wealth. This painting almost suggest's that he is Christ, or someone with a lot of power over others.I suppose showing egotism, and emphasizing himself as and individual a lot more.

2. Explain how the artist's social status increased during the Renaissance period. Briefly explain why this happened.


Albrecht Durer is known as one of the greatest artists or arguably th greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance. Durer's print work (woodcut e.t.c) established his reputation across the whole of Europe when he was still in his twenties.
His printings and engravings were very impressive, many admire the detail in his work and his imagination. Artists at that time such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Giovani Bellini were a big influence in his style. Although Durer had his own distinctive style, during his two visits to Italy, he had embraced the Venetian style. It was also his crucial visit to Italy that he'd become widely recognized by many as a 'great'. The style that he'd been taught , mostly by his father in Germany was sometimes incorporated into his work along with the italian influences. e.g engravings, woodcut prints with his imaginative drawing skill. He climbed the social ladder very fast as he made a switch back into painting when he visited Italy the second time. With his passion for studying human proportion and anatomy, he painted his most celebrated works which include , Adam and Eve ( 1507) and The Martydom of the Ten-Thousand (1508).
Albrecht Durer fascinated a lot of people during his era, therefore his popularity and climb up the social ladder, shot up fast, making him known to all. He had a good reputation, gained only from pure hard work and talent.

3. Comment on Gavin Turk's work in relation to individualism, status of the artist and egotism.

Gavin Turk has displayed only his full name in his work, "Knob" (1997). Which is enough to support individualism. He has simply written out his name, suggesting that his social status is high and respected, therefore he needs not to exaggerate more on what he has already produced in this work but write his name with a little variation of colour. It is related to egotism also, because he has emphasised on his own name..and only his name, whereas the when an audience view this, they would be surprised, but also impressed, because of the confidence of the artist to only produce his name in the work and nothing visually outstanding.

4. Comment on Damien Hirst's use of his work and the media for self promotion.

Damien Hirst has totally put himself into this work, and he has also included a loved one, his partner, Maia Norman, also fashion designer and band manager. He has shown his individuality by including himslef and his partner in the photo, but also showing off his design of coloured dots on white in the background through his wife's clothing. He has used the opportunity to avertise his work through his popular wife and himself as a well known artist.

5. Find 2 images of work by artists or designers that reflects some of the ideas of individualism, self promotion or egotism that have been discussed on this blog. Upload images to your blog, title and date the work, identify the artist/designer and comment on the work in relation to the question.

Damien Hirst-'X Supreme Skateboard Decks ( 2009) 30 march

In this work Damien Hirst has once again shown himself off with the use of one of his painting technique's, 'colour spinning' or splatting. He has also decided to use skateboards, which relate to a younger audience, teenangers I suppose, and has extended his variety of audiences by doing so. He shows egotism by using skateboards as the platform of his multi-coloured work , which is not relevant to him as an artist because it's something a more athletic person would use, making it look like he is a skateboarder', possibly showing that he emphasized on a dream of his.
He has shown his individualism in this work by including one of his well-known styles of painting, and has used the skateboards to advertise his work not only to older crowds but the younger generation, who would appreciate this work.

Albrecht Durer - Self Portrait 1498, age 26

In this painting, Albrecht Durer has made himself the main subject, an individual. Although the landscape in the background portrays the idea of open space or freedom, no limits to his aspirations, It doesn't take the focus of the audience away from the individual. He has given himself a light shade of clothing in the front and the dark brown fabric in the back half of his body. His clothing looks of wealthy materials, conveying the idea of wealth. The painting is all about him, he has made sure that we see it that way,his use of colours, tone, detail has portrayed his image as the only one there. He has displayed his social status through this painting, looking as if he had already built up a good reputation at the time. Durer has displayed individualism as the main concept behind his painting.

6. How do you think artists and designers are viewed in Western society today?

I believe artists are sometimes still viewed the same way as they were during the Renaissance era. Audiences are more focused on the visual side of the art, but not the meaning. The social status of an artist is crucial to others because of their high expectations. Artists are influenced by other artists, Designers are faced with the challenge of gaining a high reputation because of the many competitive industries. Therefore only a slight change of view in the modern society, which is the viewing of the artist work is more open and available to public via galleries, giving people more time to examine the work and figure out the meaning behind its visual beauty, Designers are able to advrtise their work through many sources, but most popular would be models.

I think artists and designers are viewed as the pioneers of the new trend in everything.

The trendsetters, they raise the bar.

7. Comment on the blogs of other students.

8. Reference the websites and/or books you have used, at the end of your blog

http://yearinart.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-129-self-potrait-at-26-1498.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_Hirst
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer
http://www.stompandflow.com/2009/08/12/damien-hirst-skateboardhttp

://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/farberas/arth/arth200/artist/durer_intro.html