February 14, 2017

I love the Portland Art Museum and I try to take a visit for each new exhibition. I’d like to apologize in advance for any crooked or blurry photographs. I always feel uncomfortable taking photographs in museums so I try to do it as fast and inconspicuously as possible.

https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeUry86kGoPnpRDaEB0-Ml-sJAuvNwZ9eHz7peAPaj38YJ61JjRXqwExtMLEgyWeO2Z_uzcPP3tVO0ZYHrdjc6GyJYffeJoz-QiWpx6XjKvCp1Z7cgi-hlmleouEJgJbCV_gAsDsmRbN6fZJoq5DbFOviFUY8kaCXoLRAONkWezOzyxEND7?key=EVFxZO8QnQ_Ocpf3mpn4KA

I really loved the ideas behind Benjamin Buswell’s 2015 Horizon Mother. It is a chromogenic print, sometimes referred to as a “C-Print.” This means that it has multiple layers of silver halide emulsion and are sensitised to different dye. Once submerged into a chemical bath, the colors react into the final product. With this technique, it is possible to create a full-color image. However, they are extremely sensitive to the elements, which result in a likely short life span. Horizon Mother depicts an abstract horizon made up of connecting triangles. What is most intriguing about this piece is that it has strips of the top emulsion layer peeled away, revealing the supporting base. Buswell wanted to give credit not only to the image, but also the underlying structure. All the small details help create one big picture and must be considered when seeing a final product; without them, this lasting image would never be possible.

https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcB6zxFf-uR_LngERgvYNRu4hxE6dngnGwGnDE7T-2hEjMAEYHvj9YXiRG0jVtDG5ncWNGs8t5DXZQXzvL0LXU-dmS4Y5hbF4LZgrC8h3rx92PpKXfFYETGzZKJuVpRZzGCV8wJji9y1AXmCyOum1v2ypCAEMfYF5OHRtfK5gJB45Kpa8C3?key=EVFxZO8QnQ_Ocpf3mpn4KA

Curlee Raven Holton 1951 Bred for Pleasure grabbed my attention in the Constructing Identity exhibition room. It is a monoprint created by an etching. It is the 10th and final piece in an edition. A crucial difference between monoprints and other printmaking methods is that monoprints can only be produced one time. Hence, the prefix “mono,” which means “one.” Although this particular edition of prints is created through the etching process on a copper metal plate, the technique is modified each time to create a unique piece. This could be done through etching the plate again after a print, using different inks, collaging or painting directly on top of the print, and/or other methods. Bred for Pleasure depicts a color gradient in figures. The darkest figure is to the far left while the whitest is to the far right. Another important aspect to note is that the darker figure is always facing the lighter one; the lightest is facing nobody. I found this to be very powerful in its message, especially when combined with the title. I believe it shows the struggles of dark skinned individuals because of the way they’re treated by paler individuals. It was created in 1951, which was a rough time period for African Americans.

https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdl6XbC8UCwWppPElkQJ05kHVPg_XImBIpQcXVexFOV3Dg16L7Kn7b9DxY2kyDJLETko-YficHHMemMJmk8EwsoxCiZ8GUsGLEUay2tg962sqO9WxEgM_InUT8huRaqvAW7oGd7ArnGDAaTiqBNYOTvjoCUA4NfmdYRCe73Fq4DRm-rTt1B?key=EVFxZO8QnQ_Ocpf3mpn4KA

I was completely mesmerized by this next piece. Salvatore Scarpitta’s 1959 Forager for Plankton is created with bandages and “mixed media” on canvas. Something that I’d like to quickly mention is the use of “mixed media” on the description plates to describe what materials are used. I don’t understand why some pieces list all the materials used while others simply list it as a mixed media. If you have any information on this, please let me know because it’s been perplexing me for years. Forager for Plankton is a bit of a disturbing piece, as the bandages used to wrap around the frame are saturated with a deep red. Between the bandages are gaping holes that illustrate what appears to be wounds. Although I disagree with the idea of the description plate not listing all the used materials, I think that by only mentioning bandages, it served as a clue for the deeper meaning. Before I discovered that actual bandages were a material in this art piece, I thought it was depicting several mouths as though the art was “speaking” to you. By using materials relevant to the concept and publicly notifying viewers, it adds a lot of clarity to what the art is about.

https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXf4_c71HsvWNK_6ltC49v9iZKXD3ex30qJ-lTUgn70zXjr7gfinCCYwi0o6Rdso5J73PhO7xJyG2leuMZMIvjzjJREIIflujbCH_wLX-RmBysiPs7LGfXpRBZB-LJ35fW0aou2GDbPjX4G2-tpUbRAOEMH-Wv6Rz3xXxHOrXRu6XENHiKmM?key=EVFxZO8QnQ_Ocpf3mpn4KA

I found Sol Hashemi’s 2012 Untitled (Lemonade) from the series Industry Standard to be extremely humorous and sarcastic. It depicts a lemonade can with the yellow coloring scraped off to reveal the metal container. The canned drink is surrounded by bright color swatches and color hexes. It gives me the feeling that behind all these bright colors and fun labeling, it is still a metal can holding a drink with artificial flavoring. The black gradient on the right side of the piece shows the true colors of the product, while the left side demonstrates what the advertising teams and graphic designers want to show. When I read that this piece was made from an ink jet printer I couldn’t hold back laughter. This piece perfectly demonstrates how to tie in the material to the concept for added clarity and relevance. As a loathing Graphic Designer myself, I could really relate and connect to this piece on a personal level.

Work cited

"C-print." C-print | Tate. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017.

http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/c-print.