MFA THESIS PAPER
Academy of Art University, San Francisco
MICHAEL AZGOUR
December 2005
Contents
I acknowledge all those who have generously offered their support, mentorship, and inspiration during my course of study at the Academy of Art University, without which the series Essence & Material would not have been possible. Specifically, I acknowledge the following people:
Sharon Azgour, Tammy Azgour, Uri Azgour, Matias Beltran, Gina Callos, Bao Ping Chen, Lon Clark, Jennifer Cook, Milo Francis, Kim Frohsin, Alfy Gore, Karl Jensen, William Maughan, Mark Reynolds, Bea Rusiecka, Chris Taylor, Aaron Wexlar, Ben Wexlar, and Jonathan Wolf.
I never considered myself as an artist. I sat for hours as a child cutting pieces of paper, designing them, and attaching them in different ways. I never called it art when I spent days making sculptures out of wood and miscellaneous parts from my father's garage. I was following an attraction that no one else could relate to.
To this day, I have difficulty relating to others. I often find it difficult to answer the question, “What are you trying to do?” When asked, I am often surprised, wondering why it is not as obvious to others as it is to myself. I have come to realize that the explanation comes afterwards, and the greater the purpose the longer the wait.
In grade school, I always loved and excelled in the art classes: woodworking, ceramics, and the like. Although, in high school I took extra AP science classes because academic achievement was the only reputable path I had been exposed to. Surely, I would become a doctor because it was the most respectable profession I could conceive of. Two years into my studies at the University of California, San Diego, I decided against the medical career path. This was in part because of my growing enthusiasm for the liberal arts as well as my disenchantment for the medical field. I decided to focus on psychology because of its versatility in coursework and future application. In addition to art history classes, I studied psychology of art, sensation and perception, and cognitive psychology, which further sparked my interest in the visual arts and shed light on the potential for spiritual growth within the world of art.
Throughout high school and college, I gained work experience in software engineering, investment management, scientific research, applied science, clinical psychology, and graphic design, among others. My strict idealism and inflated cynicism ruled out many of these career paths from becoming reality. Meanwhile, I drew and painted religiously, seeking solace from my studies in abstract art. I doodled in my notebook during psychology lectures, undertook involved Picasso studies during study breaks, and stayed up all night painting in the art students' communal studio. Fine Art began to overtake playing guitar and writing poetry as my main creative outlet. One year after graduation I worked as a graphic artist for two different companies and again I was left discontented. I was taking some life drawing classes that I really enjoyed and decided to move to San Francisco and attend the Academy of Art University. The decision was a spontaneous one, culminating from long-term disenchantment with other potential occupations, a prior road trip through San Francisco, and growing passion for a pure and untainted application of art.
In my first two years at the Academy of Art, I learned to draw the figure by taking figure drawing classes, attending workshops, and drawing people on the bus. Over time, my skills improved. I studied painting formally, including color theory, figure painting, and expressive painting. I also took courses in parallel interests, including metal sculpting, figure modeling, and etching. Although I took abstract classes as well, I was buried in a sea of confusion regarding concept and direction. I wanted to incorporate the figure in an abstract composition, but I did not know how I was going to do it or why it intrigued me.
In the last one and a half years I have grown tremendously as an artist and as a person. My directed study classes, mentorships, peer groups, and extensive introspection have been of tremendous value to me. As I look back, I recall so much frustration and doubt in what seemed like an endless uphill climb. But as I finalize the body of work which took so much time, energy, and resources to realize, I am confident that it was worth the investment.
Art must be spiritual. Although there are those who point out that only the formal elements are plain for the viewer to see, I insist that works by my own hand be of greater significance. Finally, after three and a half years of graduate study, including one and a half years of directed study, I have produced a series which is formally congruent, conceptually cohesive, spiritually significant, and visually stunning. I say this not out of arrogance, but out of self-recognition of the progress I have made thus far. However, I still have a long road ahead of me. Although I am satisfied with the series, Essence & Material, I am going to raise my standards and expect more from myself in the coming years. I have achieved only an entry into an occupation I will devote the rest of my life to. If I am not to become disenchanted with this path, as I have with previous ones, I must create works which are spiritually enlightening and socially important. I ask that the reader understand that I am not prescribing a way of life for another person, but merely declaring my long-term artistic objectives publicly so there is no misunderstanding. What my purpose is as an artist I do not yet know, but I have every intention of finding out.
In the years I have studied at the Academy, I have been motivated and inspired by many artists, local and international, alive and dead. There are those, however, who stand out as being exceptionally influential to my work as an artist.
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
“Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don't start measuring her limbs.”
—Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso stands alone in my eyes. In my opinion, there is no artist who contributed more to abstract art in the twentieth century. He was so connected to his brush, yet so detached from the picture, that he was able to move from one subject to the next, constantly changing his style. In this way, his struggle was not a fuss over a stubborn painting, but a search via his medium for a new way of depicting thought. He produced so much work because he was exploring imagery constantly, looking deep within for the answers that were to follow. As Matisse used pure color to abstract reality, Picasso distorted form. He contrasted flat shapes and patterned grounds, geometric lines, and rough modeling to build his own iconography, which contributed to the archetypes of his generation and beyond.
Without the works of Picasso to hold eternal as a benchmark of genius, I may never have decided to pursue painting as a lifetime occupation. With so much strength and versatility in his work, I am occasionally daunted, yet constantly inspired. By virtue of the fact that he tapped into so many different ways of abstracting form, I am certain that there lies other ways not yet discovered. Therein lies my struggle.
Joan Miró (1893-1983)
“A form is never something abstract; it is always the sign of something. It is always a man, a bird, or something else.”
—Joan Miró
Joan Miró was an abstract surrealist painter from Barcelona. His use of iconographic language and biomorphic shapes had a tremendous influence on other artists as well as modern mainstream culture. Miró painted from his own life experiences and environments in a manner that seemed to portray the sensibilities of the cultural patriotism of his Catalan homeland, the intellectual avant garde of Paris, and the exuberant youth of the West amidst a modernist revolution. “He delved into the realm of dreams and fantasy, using images that evoked subconscious recognition and universal emotions…Miró fused poetry with pictorial concerns, alluding to the literary conjugation of beauty with lyrical titles that provide keys to the symbols depicted.” (ARS, 1)
Joan Miró was a filter, whose artistic hand could represent in pictorial iconography the horrors of civil war, the impact of a corrupt government, and the eternal beauty of life. I admire his versatility of style and his pictorial originality. I relish his boldness, his vision, and his ability to simplify forms while epitomizing their essence. Most of all, I look up to his uncanny ability to reach deep inside himself and pull out something universally understood.
Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993)
Richard Diebenkorn was born in Portland, Oregon and moved to the Bay Area two years later. He attended Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, the California School of Fine Arts, and the University of New Mexico. He went on to teach throughout California, at the California College of Arts and Crafts, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the University of California at Los Angeles. Diebenkorn passed away in 1993. During the period of 1955-67, he strayed from his usual abstract compositions to attack the problem of representation. An influential artist in California, Diebenkorn embodied the Bay Area Figurative school at a time when New York was reveling in Abstract Expressionism.
Diebenkorn used expressive brush strokes and loose linework to build from the model forward, creating a living, breathing object over a snapshot of a memory. His figurative compositions are new, fresh, and different. His palette, brush strokes, and compositions are vivid and emotive, uniquely his own. Jane Livingston (23) wrote about Diebenkorn:
In a 1987 interview the artist said: ‘Reality has to be digested, it has to be transmuted by paint. It has to be given a twist of some kind.' Diebenkorn applied intellectual rigor to his art, yet these figure drawings seem unguarded glimpses into a painter's private world. Each time the artist moved the pen, charcoal or ink-soaked brush across the page he took a risk, setting out in quest of the unknown. As he wrote in his studio notes this time: ‘Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion.'
The use of history in Diebenkorn's paintings, especially in his works on paper, is a quality I find very inspiring. Like scars on flesh, these subtle deviations add movement to the composition and give the subject a sketchy, uncertain feeling which contrasts the confidently executed ground. “In one drawing he casually began a seated figure in blue ball-point pen, and then redrew it completely in bold strokes of charcoal. Mistakes were made, lines were erased, and their history remains as pentimenti, faded reminders that a struggle took place on the page.” (Livingston, 23)
Another contrast present in Diebenkorn's works is the contrast between representation and abstraction. By pairing realistically rendered forms with flat, saturated ones, the artist detached himself from the restraints of a label and was thus able to freely explore a composition, to be Richard Diebenkorn.
Edvard Munch (1863-1944)
“‘I do not paint from nature, but I take from its bountiful platter.' Munch has many ways of describing art's relationship to nature. What links them is the duality affecting all of his work-that his works are both of him, and outside and independent of him.” (Tojner, 130) Around the turn of the twentieth century, the world was starving for a new way to look at itself. In psychology, Sigmund Freud reached into the depths of our dreams and found a key: psychoanalysis. Industrialization, transportation and modernization were just around the corner and the world anticipated it with uncertainty and fear. And so, it was only natural for Munch to search deeper to find a key to the soul in art. Otto Benesch (3) said of Munch:
The rendering of a visual impression of reality gives place to an art which enhances or transcends reality and endeavors to give visible form to general human values, eternal forces or life and the world of ideas. Around 1900 ‘style' meant an art that does not copy nature but enhances it or turns aside from it if the language of expression in line, form and colour so demands.
Although over a century ago, many of Munch's philosophical derivatives still stand today. Just as existentialism pried into one's own existence, postmodernism attempts all possible angles. Munch used ordinary people as subjects and created a story out of the composition; one of mystery, intrigue and drama. What I find most appealing in his work is the way in which he integrates the subject, usually a woman, with the environment. Through distortion of form, color, and composition, he removes information and increases ambiguity. This feature, along with a distinctive unity between the subject and background, creates a story which is left for the viewer to resolve. Munch found that ideal balance between representing a scene and the expression of emotion through abstract elements, an achievement still of vital interest.
Igor Mitoraj (b. 1944)
Igor Mitoraj is a Polish sculptor who currently lives and works in Italy. He has studied in the Kraków Academy of the Fine Arts and in Paris, at the Ecole Superieure des Beaux Arts. He has shown internationally in over 160 solo exhibitions. The Piazza Mignianelli and Piazza Monte Grappa in Rome houses his sculptures. In the winter of 2003-04, he had fourteen enormous pieces exhibited in the Main Market Square of Kraków, which is where I first laid eyes upon his work. My girlfriend, Bea, who was born and raised in Kraków, walked me to the Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square) from her flat. As we neared the square, I was stopped in my tracks by what stood before me: an enormous male head, cut off above the eyes and in front of the ears, like a mask (Tindaro Screpolato). It towered above us and stared at the static buildings lining the periphery of the enormous square. Over the course of my three week stay in Kraków, I wandered around the square and studied the works, snapping photographs of the surreal sculptures against a historic background. I also visited an indoor exhibition of his works, located on the square's periphery, featuring smaller works and drawings by the artist.
Mitoraj works with the classical, ideal figure and distorts, removes, and adds parts which do not belong. “Igor Mitoraj is one of those sculptors who still show the human figure full of mystery, a poetic force, and a sophisticated beauty.” (Rydiger, 94) I am especially intrigued by the manner in which Mitoraj abstracts the human form. By altering the figure, he invents a new abstract shape, all the while retaining perfect, classical proportions. “‘Their source is feeling,' the artist explains, ‘a momentary thought, a mood, a reminiscence. An abstract nostalgia gradually taking on shape, a longing for a defined form. I am not the one looking for it, it is breaking out on its own. I'm just the instrument.'” (Rydiger, 96) The genius of Igor Mitoraj inspires me to take on the figure, not as it has been done for centuries, but in a new way—a way which is unique for our day and age.
OBJECTIVE
The objective for the series, Essence & Material, was first stated in my MFA Thesis Proposal, dated March 2, 2004. With the exception of some slight differences in material and size estimates, the original objective has been satisfied in its entirety. I have accomplished what I had set out to do both conceptually and formally. The following are excerpts from my Thesis Proposal as well as my Thesis Proposal Revision, dated May 1, 2004:
MFA Thesis Proposal (March 2, 2004)
My objective in this project is to combine my unique expressive, figurative style with an abstract, mixed media style, which I call Material. What is Material? I use the term both in the literal sense, as in media and objects (paint, charcoal, pencil, ink, pastel, paper, wood, canvas, plastic, glass, fabric, staples, rusted nails, etc.), as well as is the metaphorical sense, as in depth and substance. Just as every person has depth and history, so do materials. A piece of driftwood, for example, began as a tree in a forest, was cut into a perfect rectangle, used for some purpose and was discarded on the shore, where it was degraded by the weather. I bring this history into my studio, where I use it as an element from which to create. Therefore, the pieces that emerge are rich in life and substance from the onset. This is a crucial concept in my Material compositions.
By combining the figure with abstract elements, I hope to create a meaning in each work, analogous to the way a photographer creates meaning by relating his/her subject with the environment. The compositions will not be figurative. Although they will be inspired by the female form, a figure may or may not be recognizable in each finished work. In this way, the model is not used literally, but as a reference.
By “abstract” I mean a de-emphasis on proportion and light on a form. The emphasis is on abstract elements. For this particular series, the abstract elements which I will focus on are as follows (in decreasing order of importance):
• Rhythm. Since this body of work focuses on the female form, rhythm is crucial. In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than the female body. Using this as my inspiration and reference, I will focus on the lines and edges which make the female form so graceful and beautiful. This rhythm will be integrated into the background as well, creating an interesting contrast to constructive Material elements which make up the surface.
• Color Harmony. Color has always been a powerful tool for me as a painter. I love to use bright, vibrant colors in conjunction with dull grays. As a major component of expression and emotion in the visual arts, I plan to push the limits with color as a driving force. Although a powerful voice, harmony must exist for color to be an effective tool.
• Value Pattern. Balance is an important trait of any piece of art, especially in abstract pieces. In my first year and a half at the Academy, I have learned to construct compositions with successful value patterns and I plan to continue to use this element to emphasize and de-emphasize as necessary.
• Texture. A major component in Material paintings is texture. Composed of a plethora of mixed materials, these compositions are rich in texture and surface variation, to say the least. Hence, texture will be a major component of this particular series, and the result will be an intriguing wealth of surface quality.
• History. As mentioned above, history will be an important quality of this body of work. I plan to depict the history of the subject through visual indications of decay on the surface level. Visible brush strokes show an action, a history, a purpose. Accidents are welcome in my work and I will allow them to survive wherever possible.
The paintings in this series will be completed according to a specific process, unique for Material paintings. First, I will acquire surfaces to paint on. These can be an old, weathered piece of wood, or a newly stretched canvas, depending on my purpose with the particular piece. Second, I will prepare the surface by applying primer, paint, fabric, texture, etc. This step is divided into a number of stages, each involving an applied action (e.g., attaching paper using matte medium), followed by a period of rest. During the rest period, the piece is allowed to dry and is scrutinized for future development. It sometimes takes months to prepare a surface. The final step is to create a composition inspired by the female form. I plan to use live models, photographs, previous sketches and my imagination to develop the piece. The focus will be on the abstract qualities listed above, rather than a physical representation of the model. All works will be completely primed and prepared in an archival manner.
It is not my intention to copy, but rather to communicate. I intend to focus not on the physical attributes of the subject, but rather the metaphysical (e.g., decrease emphasis on capturing the figure's actual proportions and anatomy, and increase emphasis on the mood and emotion of the subject and environment). I plan to use symbolism throughout the series, playing with the idea of function and purpose. I want each piece to be more than just a physical representation of the subject, to become a living entity of its own, with it's own substance and history, it's own body and mass, it's own essence. I am fascinated by the natural process of life and death, and how this process is apparent everywhere: in the form of wrinkles on one's skin, in the flower that grows in the alley, as cracks in a piece of wood. By using mixed materials in my compositions, I hope to tap into this process and create a body which is not entirely man-made. When accident, randomness and circumstance are used, the final product is a combination of both man-made and natural substance, and thus integrated in the ongoing process of life and death.
I want to use the female form as an inspiration because of her rhythm, her sensuality, her essence. To me she is a mystery, undiscovered, waiting to be heard. I want to build associations and symbols based on the story I read from her eyes. I want to place her in an atypical environment so she stands out and then her story will be told.
MFA Thesis Proposal Revision (May 1, 2004)
My purpose is to take something manmade (e.g., a structure), add something from nature (e.g., a figure), and create something intrinsically spiritual. I intend to call into question the metaphysical ramifications of such juxtaposition. The structural elements of the surface are prepared with a figure as a statement: the figure is not a representation of life, but an artistic invention, clearly constructed and distinct from life.
Rather than creating representations of life, I am concerned with speaking to the viewer in a more abstract framework. I would like to evoke a spiritual discussion, whereby the viewer experiences a heightened sensitivity upon examination of the piece. Frankly, my intention is to create pieces which are emotionally moving to the point that they elicit conversation, criticism, questions, answers, reaction, inspiration, and awe.
These original objectives written over a year and a half ago clearly stated my purpose and goals for the series, Essence & Material. They have remained consistent throughout my project and are still vital as I complete my Master's study. Although I anticipate major changes in the subject matter, process, and presentation of my paintings in the future, I am confident that the spiritual driving forces that carried this body of work forward will continue to influence my work.
CONCEPTUAL CONCERNS
On Essence & Material
A pane of glass shatters and breaks the silence. A shard enters the skin and extracts a crimson droplet that rolls down the transparent fragment, staining it dark red. An exchange occurs. The material induces a laceration upon the being; the being paints its lifeblood onto the surface of the material.
The distinction between a life being and a material object is plain to see: the former is born, develops, ages, and eventually dies; the latter is fabricated by man, incorporated into society, and ultimately disintegrates into the earth. In modern society, we share our entire existence with material objects. Be it clothing to keep warm, eyeglasses to correct our vision, or automobiles to travel, we develop so closely to materials that one can hardly imagine life without them.
The term “Essence & Material” refers to a dichotomy which is at the center of my current artistic interest. It is a simple term loaded with symbolism and the potential to be expanded upon. Without clouding the concept with words, it should suffice to explain that the focus of this body of work is the impact “Essence” and “Material” make on each other; that the relationship between the two is engrained in our society and that each contributes to the other to more thoroughly define one another.
“Essence” is defined as:
1. Something that exists, especially a spiritual or incorporeal entity.
2. The inherent, unchanging nature of a thing or class of things.
3. The intrinsic or indispensable properties that serve to characterize or identify something. (Houghton Mifflin)
The woman as the subject to most of my paintings operates as a symbol which represents the essence of woman, the essence of humankind, the essence of life, and the essence of the higher entity (call it God, earth, the universe, etc.). In this way, she is not merely a depiction of something else, but also as a state of being, the ephemeral, the ethereal, the enlightened one. She represents the spark of life, the moment of insight, the premonition of a dream. This distinction offers boundless association and depth to which the subject can be ascribed.
I use women as the primary symbol of “Essence” because I find them graceful, elegant, sensual beings which offer compassion and balance to the other gender. Women nurture developing life in their womb and nourish new beings with their milk. In addition, they are physically beautiful, often with swaying, gestural curves, and long, flowing hair. Perhaps it is no coincidence that I am a man, but nevertheless, the symbol works for me. I also use the flower to portray much of the same analogy. Other symbols appear in the series, Essence & Material, such as a book to symbolize knowledge, a chair to symbolize strength and support, and others. However, most of the metaphors used are not so literal. Colors, forms, and gestures are used as subtle if not subconscious portrayals of how I see the world.
“Material” is defined as:
1. The substance or substances out of which a thing is or can be made.
2. Of, relating to, or composed of matter.
3. Of or concerned with the physical as distinct from the intellectual or spiritual. (Houghton Mifflin)
The materials which the paintings are composed of are inert. Paint, wood, canvas, burlap, paper, pigment, paint medium, and sand are all things that have no intrinsic value on their own. The term “Material” is paired with “Essence” for several important reasons. First, the pairing exemplifies the qualities in each. A flower, for instance, appears more delicate next to a steel rod. Second, the pairing implies that there is a correlation and interdependency. For example, the city was shaped by people, although people are shaped by the city. Third, the use of materials in conjunction with “Essence” conveys that a deeper meaning is present. The viewer is inclined to see that the compositions are not just about the materials used, nor is it only about the subject. The hope is that a spectator of the series, Essence & Material, will acknowledge a spiritual purpose beyond a mere descriptive portrayal. Stephen Nachmanovitch (78) explains the relationship between an intuitive artist and his materials:
When the child completes the gestalt of the wood grain, there is an encounter between the patterns given by the seemingly random swirls of wood grain residing outside the child and the patterns given by the child's inner nature. The wood grain (or tree, or rock, or cloud) educes, or draws out of the child, something related to what the child knows, but that is also more or different than what the child knows because the child is both assimilating the outside pattern to her desires and accommodating herself to the outside pattern. This is the eternal dialogue between making and sensing.
Joan Miró's forms carried such symbolic strength yet remained nonrepresentational. In this way, his paintings contained a great deal of universal association and relevancy. In the future, I am interested in taking symbolism to another level in my paintings, using figurative language that is more deeply engrained in the picture than in previous works. The operation of metaphors that represent something of the collective unconscious is a very difficult task for a painter. Perhaps my objective is optimistic. However, I believe this goal is both worthwhile and ultimately attainable. If it is not yet apparent in my paintings, I shall certainly continue to persevere with it in mind in future bodies of work. Perhaps the materials and subject matter will change, but the focus will certainly remain.
On the Spirituality of Abstract Art
“An inner sensation can find external expression only through a spiritual realization”
—Hans Hofman
An abstract artist can reveal his inner emotions through the process of painting a picture. By creating forms and colors which are not derived directly from nature, he conjures deep from the unconscious, inner hopes and fears which are not externally apparent. In the second half of the twentieth century, abstract art has flourished for this exact reason—to look at a picture was to look into the artist's soul.
However, in its early years of development, several artist philosophers expressed in revered texts a different objective for abstract art. Artists such as Kandinsky, Klee, and Mondrian saw the use of arbitrary forms and colors in the development of a composition as a genuine opportunity to not only express the spirit of the artist's own soul, but to touch by means of the medium something in the soul of the viewer as well.
In the last fifty years, abstract artists often became overly concerned with expressing their own internal psychology, the materials they used, and creating an image never before seen. Although each of these criteria is important, the original philosophic visions of early abstract artist-thinkers have been clouded by more tangible concerns. “Its original aspiration to transcend personal psychology and explore a transpersonal world of meaning and energies—to make images that can be shared by us all from the stuff of such a world—was largely forgotten, even denied.” (Lipsey, 22) There is a lot that separates us today from the era of the founding fathers of abstract art, including several wars, the growth of industrialization and modernism, and an inconceivable array of new technologies. However, the need for the realization of universal truths has never been greater. There will with no doubt be a generation of artists who address this need. In The Spiritual in Twentieth-Century Art, Roger Lipsey speaks of a “third level” of being:
It is the level of intuition, perception, sheer inspired guesses, blessed certainties regarding essential things: how the world is put together, the laws around us and within us, the relationships that connect us to others and to the world and the pressures that tear us away. For the deeper spirits that practice abstract art, this is their field of predilection. Whether sensual or austere, playful or refined, their work is also an image of underlying realities—personal realities in the sense that they are matters of experience, but also transpersonal realities in the sense that they are felt to be greater than one's own life and to characterize some sizeable portion of the world at large.
Pure expression of paint or line on a surface is intoxicating. The visceral feeling of a direct connection between my mind and my hand is unlike any other. I react instinctively without thinking, without doubting. I am not pondering or planning, but improvising to the music of shapes and colors that push and pull as my eye moves. I can take the entire painting in without getting caught up in details. The resulting imagery is the influence of my unconscious, recorded in layers upon the canvas. In this process, there is something significant to be explored.
On the Forces within a Composition
“A human being is more than his own body; he implies those actions which reach out and transform his environment.”
—Gyorgy Kepes
In life, people form relationships to realize a greater potential together than they could have alone. The elements in a picture have an analogous impact. Each element carries its own unique energy signature, depending on its shape, color, value, texture, etc. When positioned together in a picture plane, multiple elements react to one another in our perceptual experience.
As humans, we are intolerant of chaos, and so we organize the elements into equilibrium in our minds. “One organizes that field at once into two opposing elements; into a figure against a background.” (Kepes, 31) We cannot speak of white, without comparing it to black, nor can we decide upon the notion of “sharp-edged” without “soft-edged”. Every visual experience is broken down into this dynamic dualism, which in turn brings unity to the piece. We organize the picture into figure-ground relationships until a stable plastic image is realized.
Although the human eye seeks equilibrium with each new encounter, it can become fatigued with excessively unorganized information. For example, if a picture contains as much pure red as it does pure green, the disharmony will exhaust the eye. Thus, it is necessary for the painter to organize the composition so extreme opposites are not equally paired. In the series, Essence & Material, I have utilized gray color fields and large neutral spaces wherever beneficial in order to compensate for the high intensity of color and detail in the focal areas. By keeping color and other formal elements varied but not excessively so, I have endeavored to create a maximum emotional impact amidst harmony in the paintings.
The term “gestalt” refers to a “configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.” (Houghton Mifflin) Five accepted gestalts are: proximity, similarity, continuation, closure, and repetition. Ample theoretical and experimental research has been conducted on the impact of gestalts in art within the field of Psychology of Aesthetics. It will suffice to state simply that the use and manipulation of gestalts in a piece leads to a more sophisticated artwork in which the viewer uses his own brainwork to build connections and to extrapolate from what is given in the picture. Aware of these configurations, I have utilized them in Essence & Material with the intention of heightening visual interest relationships in my paintings.
On the Abstraction of the Figure
“At times, there exists an unspoken ‘flow', a sort of inspired ‘magic', during the collaboration (artist and model); this element makes for sessions that are so rewarding, almost spiritual in intensity...most often results from such moments attest as much on the paper!”
—Kim Frohsin
There is a space between something we see and something we understand instinctively without seeing. This distinction is found in a common object which lies at a distance but remains discernable to the eye, even as most of its defining characteristics are not apparent. One example is the human body. The anatomy and gesture is remarkably coherent in describing mood and action. The human face is recognizable to infants even when it is abstracted into a cartoon. The simplicity of the features allow for a remarkable level of recognition, even though traits vary considerably from one person to the next. Thus, through the miracle of art, a complex statement can be formed out of a relatively simple design. A poem, for instance, can achieve a limitless scope in only a few lines.
By integrating mixed materials with partially figurative painting, I am calling into attention the distinction between objective and non-objective art. The painting surface is both a representation and an object in and of its own. Thus, the elements in the composition play a binary role by: (1) functionally expressing a subject in situ; and (2) standing on their own.
So here begins the struggle: to capture the essence of the figure without describing too much of her physical form. If her form is described in depth, the picture will lose its metaphysical value which is created by the ambiguity and mystery of a discreet depiction. Rather than imitating the model in her environment, the objective is to use the model symbolically for the emotions, thoughts, and spiritual energy she portrays; to express the essence that radiates from her spirit. In addition, an artist can tap into his own raw emotions and convert them into physical manifestations, thus using his inner self as a source of nature to draw upon. If the artist uses the chemistry that exists between himself and the model in his composition, then he draws upon a great deal of potential energy. “The creative process lies not in imitating, but in paralleling nature—translating the impulse receive from nature into the medium of expression, thus vitalizing the medium. The picture should be alive, the statue should be alive and every work of art should be alive.” (Hoffman, 55)
I have no interest in capturing a scene or narrating a story. I want the associations created to be unique, and thus to contain a more universal utility. I require an ambiguity about my paintings, a concealed meaning that is buried beneath the surface, reappearing at times. Therefore, the ground, which services many representational paintings or illustrations with a plot, cannot be objective in my work. In Essence & Material, the ground is used primarily for compositional purposes, although symbols sometimes develop. They anchor the subject and integrate her into the canvas. In this way, the piece is free to breathe and free to relate a visceral emotion, a complex feeling…a dream.
On the Figure-Ground Relationship
The figure-ground relationships used by painters in the twentieth century can be classified into at least three distinct categories. In the first, the figure exists within the ground in a representational depiction, where both interact but are seen as distinct elements. Henri Matisse used this type of relationship, such as in his Nude Study in Blue (1900). Richard Diebenkorn, David Park, and other Bay Area Figurative painters relied on this type of figure-ground relationship as well in the second half of the century.
In the second, the figure is juxtaposed within the ground in an often arbitrary if not symbolic manner, but without any interaction or mingling between the two. Joan Miró often used this type of figure-ground dynamic, such as in his Three Women (1925), as did Robert Rauschenberg later in the century.
The third classification lies in between the first two. In this relationship, the figure and ground are depicted in a dynamic interchange, where they are intermingled. In this type of composition, it is often unclear where one element ends and another begins. Pablo Picasso often used this type of relationship, such as in his Les Demoiselles D' Avignon (1907). Georges Braque, Arshile Gorky, and Willem de Kooning used it as well.
In the series, Essence & Material, most compositions can be classified within the latter relationship. That is to say, I have intentionally inverted the figure-ground relationship in some areas in order to distort any natural depth that would allude to a representational depiction. Instead, I have chosen to concentrate on a “push and pull” depth system, whereby elements from both the figure and ground complexes are actively pushed and pulled back and forth depending on where the eye rests. Color, value, and perspective play integral roles in this system. As the ambiguous colors and forms of the ground enter the figure's space, a remarkable phenomenon occurs: the painting releases itself. In his Search for the Real, Hans Hoffman (43) discusses this type of depth system:
Depth, in a pictorial, plastic sense, is not created by the arrangement on objects one after another toward a vanishing point, in the sense of the Renaissance perspective, but on the contrary (and in absolute denial of this doctrine) by the creation of forces in the sense of push and pull. Nor is depth created by tonal gradation—(another doctrine of the academician which, at its culmination, degraded the use of color to a mere function of expressing dark and light).
The objective is to extend the emotional impact beyond the figure itself through the ground, to which there are ample associations. If these associations are clear and consistent, the viewer's psychological comprehension of the subject will be derived from the entire piece. Ideally, the result is a picture in which the viewer creates his own story by assembling pieces of the puzzle according to his own emotional state.
On the Formal Elements of a Painting
“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”
—Carl Jung
Much of the strength of an abstract painting is due to the relationship of elements within the composition. Whichever attribute is of particular focus, it is the extent to which this attribute is varied that gives a painting its inexplicable essence. The true joy of painting in the abstract is the freedom that comes with the lack of dependency an artist has on a given subject. He can create intuitively, make structural alterations as necessary, and dive head first into the fantastic realm of improvisation. This lack of subject is certainly not a lack of purpose. The purpose is mysteriously hidden from plain view, and only through the lengthy evolution of a devoted thinker, can true purpose rise to the surface. This fact can be a frustrating realization for some, but for the long-distance traveler it is not the landmarks, but the journey which is the real appeal.
Two triangles drawn on a piece of paper can be explained by mathematical formulas. Their relative sizes, their positions to each other and to the edges of the page, their angles of rotation, etc. Add grey tones and the code becomes more elaborate. Add a grid, an ink sketch, and expressive brush marks in turquoise and ochre and the formula becomes unreasonably complex. However, as the formula grows intangible for the mathematician, it remains in reach for the artist.
Embedded within us all is the ability to recognize balance, harmony, and aesthetic appeal in a composition. When an artist relies completely on his creative eye, he is able to reach unprecedented levels of understanding, which cannot justly be explained by language, logic, or reason. When we speak of formal elements in exceedingly dry rhetoric, it is not due to a limitation in our artistic vision, but rather a limitation in semantics. Our language lacks the versatility to describe visual phenomena that we see and feel when looking at a stunning painting. These descriptors we use to navigate a composition fail to describe the heightened spiritual realm that is reached when its attributes are in harmony. To a large extent, a beautiful, harmonious abstract piece impacts the sensitive viewer on a spiritual level. Although enlightenment through discourse with a painting is rare, it is possible.
Specific Attributes
Variation is the key to energizing a composition. Variation in detail yields a focal point or focal movement between several points. Variation in value creates a value pattern, which along with color is the heart of a composition. Certain combinations of colors produce harmonic relationships. Grays offset the intensity of their relative color while activating purer colors in the painting.
As the elements in a composition begin to diverge in size and scale, the viewer is pulled into the relationship on hand. Like a perspective drawing which converges in the distant horizon, pushing the sense of scale in an abstract piece gives more to be seen. In such a case, where small shapes are juxtaposed among larger ones, the mind absorbs detail out of necessity. In a subtle harmony, the eye is activated when it falls upon intricacy and rests in the vacant spaces in between.
A wealth of literature has been published which discuss in detail the formal aspects of abstract painting. They will only be addressed briefly here. In Essence & Material, the following formal elements have been considered in order to realize the objective of the series and to make each painting work on its own:
- Line Quality – variation of thickness, medium, and intensity
- Planes – used to create and distort depth via “push and pull” relationships
- Edge Control – varies from sharp collage edges and painted areas masked with tape to rough edges created by loose brushwork, oil stick, or other media
- Outline – varied to contain some forms while allowing others to breaths
- Texture – varies from flat planes to highly textural regions; using collaged paper, burlap, and other media; building texture and body with medium, sand, pigment, and paint; variation of paint application
- Transparency – varies from light translucent washes and scumbling to thick, opaque paint application
- Temperature – varies from warm to cool
- Color – varies from pure color to warm and cool grays to non-chromatic grays; used mainly for expressive and emotive qualities, rather than to describe form
- Value – varies from pure white to pure black, with every value in between
- Perspective – introduced at times to create depth in a classical manner, in contrast to “push and pull” system
On the Impact of Collage
Collage has always intrigued me. Conceptually, I am attracted to the notion that I can draw upon a plethora of sources; I can collect pieces from my life and integrate them into my paintings. In this way, it is possible to draw upon artifacts of the external world and integrate them into my work. Formally, I am attracted to the variation of edges I can achieve, the alteration of texture, and the resulting color and form of the cutout. In the series, Essence & Material, I have utilized paper cutouts in all and archival pigment prints (photographs) in some of the works. In one piece, I attached burlap and canvas as well. With paper, the impact is a flat field with slight tooth. With photographs, I have focused on arbitrary representations which do not read as something from nature, but incorporate a natural form to the composition. In this way, I have created a greater degree of variation in the series along with the occasional hint of representation from nature.
In the future, I would like to use more photographs in my paintings. In addition, I will select subjects which are more explicative of form, with the foresight that they will be cut up and the form will be further distorted. In addition, I am interested in using external graphic images and text, such as magazine and newspaper cutouts. However, I want to be careful that they do not explain too much. Perhaps I can manipulate the images digitally before implementing them. This will improve the archivability of such products, as long as a pigment print is produced.
Photographs and external graphic artifacts offer a presentation of reality without the reliance of using paint to mimic the source. They re-present the object in a novel context, which allows them to carry part of the meaning symbolically without excessive explanation. In an article presented by Jack Flam (13), “Robert Motherwell's Collage Prints,” Robert Motherwell wrote on representation through collage:
The notion of representation, on several levels, is integral to collage. A collage represents, in the sense of depicting, because the collage elements that it contains are also in a sense depicted within the composition. A collage also involves, by definition, the re-presenting of things (in a sense of presenting again, or presenting in a new way). This in turn is related to the notion of re-presenting, in the sense of presenting once again or in a different context. And in re-presenting things, a collage is also involved in the represent-ing of things, in the sense that the pieces that are glued into the composition stand for certain other things, such as kinds of experiences or products. A page of a musical score, for example, is understood as representing music.
With the objective of making my paintings more universally significant, I will use more symbolically rich collage in my next series. This, along with the proliferation of repetition and patterning as part of my visual language will hopefully achieve a greater degree of universality and historical significance.
On Repetition & Patterning
Repetition of an element, such as a line, in a painting has the effect of creating structure. It produces detail without demanding excessive attention. Repetition of a motif produces a pattern, which adds a function of symbolism to the gestalt.
In general, a repeated shape, line, or form gives the viewer an area of familiarity in an otherwise ominous scene. It serves as a connection between otherwise detached complexes, and thus produces a feeling of completion and circularity. A pattern can fill a shape within its boundaries with a novel element which at the same time invigorates the senses and stabilizes the impact. It also has the effect of varying texture and surface quality in a different way than that of complacent flat planes, modeled forms, and expressive brush strokes. Picasso masterfully used patterns in conjunction with these other surface effects to produce provoking and radiant pictures each unique in their presentation.
It was my goal upon the inception of Essence & Material to explore repetition in drawings and paintings in order to push my paintings further visually and symbolically. I find that my previous paintings seemed to exercise a limited range of surface effects, focusing heavily on brushwork to create texture. Still, at the completion of this series, I have an unfulfilled interest in this visual tool. Although I utilized the repetition gestalt in several of my paintings and have begun to introduce patterning into my repertoire, I am still at a birth stage. In the future, I will experiment with repetition and patterning in drawing and paining with the hope of eventually creating images of greater symbolic relevancy.
On Layers
The pieces in the series, Essence & Material, are physically created in layers. Each painting consists of many layers placed on top of one another. Each successive layer may or may not relate to the previous one. Generally, each layer can be classified under one of three groups, depending on its purpose:
• Non-Objective Abstraction – including initial masked color fields, collage, and textural build-up (constructive)
• Figure Insertion – either inspired by non-objective under layers or independent of them (constructive)
• Unification of Piece – integrating the formal elements, structuring a unique composition, and developing the concept (constructive and deconstructive)
Although the visual framework of thinking in layers is not a new one, its place in history is. With the proliferation of computers, modern man has a different way of seeing the world than he did one hundred years ago. We are exposed to so many images that are altered or created entirely on computers that the digital aesthetic impacts the way we see space in a painting. The advent of the lens camera in the late 19th century changed the way people perceived a scene. The fusion of collage elements into painting in the early 20th century changed visual perception of depth. Similarly, computer-generated images alter our perception of the picture plane today. Therefore, artists and spectators alike perceive differently, relying on a rapidly expanding vocabulary of visual imagery.
Classes & Directed Studies Taken
The following is a short synopsis of some of the most essential things I have learned in each of the classes I took in the past year and a half:
Summer, 2004: Quick Studies with Craig Nelson
I became more fluent with the expression of nature with oil paint. Along with figure drawing workshops, I developed a strong sense of the figure and became strongly influenced by the female form in motion. I have since used the female gesture often in a la prima oil studies and in drawings.
Fall, 2004: One-On-One Directed Study with Bao Ping Chen
I learned to detach myself from the materials that I was so influenced by. I strengthened my compositions, and began implementing stronger value patterns. I learned to sacrifice certain areas that may have worked on their own but did not contribute to the overall composition.
Fall, 2004: Sacred Geometry with Mark Reynolds
I developed a deep respect for sacred geometry, through exposure to its prevalence in nature and history. I learned a great deal through extensive geometric explorations, master painting analyses, and the professor's wealth of knowledge and experience. I learned to use the compass and began using the golden section in my designs and compositions.
Fall, 2004: Abstract and Interpretation with Karl Jensen
I learned to use tape for masking off areas to make sharp edges with paint. I was exposed to the works of the Abstract Expressionists and their aesthetic philosophies. I gained a greater awareness of different compositions and their impact on the viewer. I developed a greater appreciation for texture.
Spring, 2005: One-On-One Directed Study with William Maughan
I learned to refine my painting style by simplifying ineffective or counter-effective techniques. I developed a greater awareness of the formal elements of my works, especially focal point, value pattern, and warm versus cool color. I gained insight on how to abstract the figure by breaking it up into arbitrary shapes, as opposed to shapes created by anatomy, form, or cast shadows. In the same way, I began to break up the ground arbitrarily and to unify it with the figure, which ultimately resulted in new, exciting compositions.
Spring, 2005: Photography as Mixed Media with Lon Clark
I learned to see the picture plane through the eyes of a photographer. I developed a greater appreciation for conscious manipulation of the composition and began to release myself further from the desire to accurately depict the subject. I learned to analyze my paintings more in between paint sessions, which yielded more refined works and less frequent mistakes. I learned to use high quality Epson ink jet printers and began to create elements with the camera that I used in my paintings. I gained a greater technical knowledge of adhesives and mediums.
Fall, 2005: One-On-One Directed Study with Kim Frohsin
I developed a greater awareness of the colors I used in my paintings, including their emotional impact on the viewer. I gained exposure to other artists, both past and present. I began to attend opening more frequently and gained a greater knowledge of galleries, contests and the business of art. I gained a different perspective from where to view my art, which was different from any I had previously been exposed to. I learned new research techniques, which allowed me to feel more integrated into a society of artists. I felt deeply the valuable lesson, “less is more”. I learned the value of a balanced lifestyle and its beneficial impact on one's artwork.
Process of Essence & Material
Adherence to a consistent process insures that a body of work is internally congruent, even as the formal elements in each piece begin to diverge. The series, Essence & Material, was created according to the following process:
• Build Surfaces. Dimensions of surfaces were taken from Georges Braque. Stretchers were built from mounding and supports, canvas was stretched. Panel was used for three of the surfaces.
• Prime. Introduce variation through integration of unique geometry and color variation.
• Collage. Attach colored archival paper, photographs (archival pigment prints), and burlap (only in Reaching Woman) with acrylic medium.
• Texture. Create texture using molding paste and sand.
• Abstraction. Create expressions using molding paste, matte medium, sand, and pure pigment (in four larger paintings only).
• Incorporation of the Figure. Figurative elements are carefully planned from photographs, gestural model sketches, studies, and the existing compositions. These are laid down on top, often without relating to the existing compositions.
• Masking With Oil. Masking technique is used on top to bring collage feeling (hard edges, flat surfaces) back to the top of the composition.
Solidification of Concept and Composition. Steps 6 and 7 are repeated until the piece is formally resolved and the concept is adequately developed.
CONCLUSION
On My Future as an Artist
“To modify one's art is to modify one's character. An artist whose work develops represents character growth, either slow and steady, like a garden, or in leaps, like Columbus' discovery of America.”
—Robert Motherwell
As I look back at my directed study, and the resulting series, Essence & Material, I truthfully wouldn't change a thing. Although it has been a difficult journey, it is one that has given me so much in return. I have learned a great deal about what works for me as an artist. For instance, in the future, when working with the figure in oils, I will stay larger than 20 inches in either dimension. The only two paintings that did not turn out successfully were below this size. In addition, I liked the results better when the paintings had more collage on the initial layers. Though, as the scale of the surface increases, the size of the collage elements needs to increase as well. Small detail on a large surface is not the best starting point. I shall carry with me the knowledge I have gained from my mentors, my peers, and my own experiences to wherever my next destination may be.
I enjoy, more than anything, the pursuit of an eternal truth; a symbolic beauty that ascends consciousness. With each step—in life and in art—I get one step closer. I may never reach the goal I have set for myself, but I am completely committed to make the journey worthwhile. It is my intention as an artist to produce work that is socially and spiritually important. I want to express emotions of the collective unconscious that can be understood by people of all ages and nationalities. Although this goal is ambitious, it will supply me with a sense of purpose in my early years as a professional artist. I believe in art as philosophy and the more connected an artist is to his body, the earth, and society, the stronger his brush will be in expressing the divine rhythm of the world. In my twenty-six years on this planet, I have had brief glimpses of this connection, and that is proof enough to me that it exists.
My education at the Academy of Art University has been an enormous asset to my developing self. I have learned the skills, techniques, and mindsets of formulating conceptual ideas into physical works of art. I have gained much more than I ever imagined was possible. Now, it is time for me to move on, to focus on different fields of study, such as history, philosophy, and literature. I will strive to once again excel in physical fitness and to match and even surpass my previous benchmarks of mind-body connectedness. Becoming the artist I want to be will mean evolving into a more balanced person. With the development of spiritual integrity will come an understanding of the collective unconscious and momentous artistic development.
On Pure, Vivid Light
“The only road to strength is vulnerability”
—Stephen Nachmanovitch
For the vision that has been instilled in me, I am both blessed and cursed—blessed because I have been given a chance to change the world, cursed because I have been burdened with the responsibility to do so.
The value of life today is blurred. One man lives to ninety and in the matter of minutes, 20,000 die. As I recede into slumber each night, I wonder if I will wake again to one more day. In both an instant and an eternity, I awake to see the sun shining on a brand new day. I have been given one more chance to explore, discover, create, refine, or to slip down into the void of destruction. The dichotomy of life and death is not a simple one. Why do we feel most alive when we place ourselves close to death? How are we so able to overlook the profound beauty that lies beyond us, among us, and within us? There is no doubt in my mind that there is a road to enlightenment, though I know it is difficult to find. So covered it is with the tangles of everyday that we often overlook it. We question it. Am I on the right path?
Truly, the most spiritual states of being exist in the reform of our states of mind. How we see, to a large part determines what we see. Though the vision is not overtly intentional, the decision to embark upon the journey which will yield the vision is. We have an opportunity every morning to open our eyes to a new born sun, step out into a virgin day, and allow the warmth of the world to pour in unimpeded. One day we will be needed; until that day, every day is preparation. What better way to prepare than to open up our eyes.
Art on Paper. “Letters to a Young Artist.” New York: Art on Paper, July, 2005.
Artist Rights Society (ARS). Joan Miró. New York: ARS, 1999.
Artystyyczne and Filmowe. Teresa Pagowska. Warsaw, Poland: Artystyyczne and Filmowe, 2001.
Blane, Robin. Essential Modern Art. Bath, England: Parragon, 2001.
Bayles, David & Ted Orland. Art and Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking. Santa Cruz, California: The Image Continuum Press, 1993.
Benesch, Otto. Munch. London: Phaidon Press Ltd., 1960.
Flam, Jack. “Robert Motherwell's Collaged Image.” Robert Motherwell: The Collaged Image. Walker Art Center, 1985.
Hofman, Hans. Search For the Real. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1967.
Hopkins, Henry T. & Jim McHugh. California Painters: New Work. San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books, 1989.
Houghton Mifflin. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
Howard, Richard. Bonnard/Matisse: Letters Between Friends. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1992.
International Cultural Center. Igor Mitoraj. Kraków, Poland: International Cultural Center, 2003.
Kandinsky, Wassily. Concerning the Spiritual in Art. Toronto: General Publishing Company, Ltd., 1977.
Kemp, Martin. Leonardo on Painting. New Haven: Yale University, 1989.
Kepes, Gyorgy. Language of Vision. Chicago: Poole Bros. Inc., 1944.
Koren Leonard. Wabi-Sabi: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers. Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press, 1994.
Landauer, Susan. Elmer Bischoff: The Ethics of Paint. Berkeley: The Regents of the University of California, 2001.
Lipsey, Roger. The Spiritual in Twentieth-Century Art. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1988.
Livingston, Jane. “Richard Diebenkorn: Modern Humanist.” Richard Diebenkorn: Figurative Works on Paper. San Francisco: John Berggruen Gallery, 2003.
Miller, D.C.. “Robert Motherwell.” Fourteen Americans, 1946.
Miró, Joan. Joan Miró, Catalan Notebooks. 1977.
McNiff, Shaun. An Artist's Guide to Letting Go. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1998.
Nachmanovitch, Stephen. Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art. New York City: Tarcher/Putnam, 1990.
O'Hara, Frank. Robert Motherwell. Letter from R.M. to Frank O'Hara, August 18, 1965
Papadakis, et al. Deconstruction. Rizzoli Inter. Pub, 1989.
Paolucci, Henry. Hegel: On the Arts. Smyrna, Deleware: The Bagehot Council, 2001.
Penrose, Roland. Picasso. London: Phaidon Press Ltd., 1991.
Rizzoli. Arshile Gorky, the Breakthrough Years. Rizzoli, 1995.
Rydiger, Monika. “The Shape of the Figure, the Space of the Myth.” Igor Mitoraj. Kraków: International Cultural Centre, 2003.
Tojner, Poul Erik. Munch In His Own Words. Munich: Prestel Verlag, 2003.
Wittenborn, George. The Miró Atmosphere. 1959.
© 2005 MICHAEL AZGOUR. All rights reserved.
All text contained herein, except where otherwise noted, is the property of the artist. Any reproduction, duplication, or distribution in any form is expressly prohibited.