Writing Assignment

homework due Monday, to be read and handed in: 
Choose an artist that we have seen in slides, to write about. Adopt a form and voice to do so. See blog post which compiles all the writings we have done. Your critical review should address a single work, exhibition, or oeuvre. It should not be about your opinion unless you position it that way, as an argument with substantiation. 
1-2 pages, 1 1/2 spaced, 11 or 12 pt font
Don't forget to also re-read all readings on consolidated list.

consolidated readings

(in magenta: those we have yet to discuss)

handout: “Provisional Painting,” by Raphael Rubinstein

handout: "A Case of Cultural Criticism" and "The Contest between Chanel and Courreges. Referred by a Philosopher" by Roland Barthes' The Language of Fashion,

handout: "Why Write Novels at All?" by Garth Risk Hallberg

Jerry Saltz on Morley Safer's Facile 60 Minutes Art-World Screed
http://www.vulture.com/2012/04/jerry-saltz-on-morley-safer-60-minutes-art-world.html?imw=Y

Education's Hungry Hearts, Mark Edmundson
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=933320

Daniel Birnbaum, review: Painting in the Expanded Field, 1997
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_n6_v35/ai_19353260/

Michelle Grabner, review of Painting at the Edge of the World, 2001
http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/painting_at_the_edge_of_the_world/

handout: Hal Foster, "The Expressive Fallacy"

• Mira Schor's "Should We Trust Anyone Under 30 (x)"; from her blog A Year of Positive Thinking
http://ayearofpositivethinking.com/2011/06/20/should-we-trust-anyone-under-30-with-some-excerpts-from-recipe-art-and-other-essays/

• Bob Nickas' "Komplaint Dept. Richard Prince Vibration Yeah!"; from this month's Vice Magazine
www.vice.com/read/komp-laint-dept-richard-prince-vibration-yeah

first draft of my own writing (started Saturday upon reading Nickas's writing)
"Some Complaints: On Komplaint Dept Richard Prince Vibration Yeah!"

Apropos Appropriation
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/arts/design/richard-prince-lawsuit-focuses-on-limits-of-appropriation.html?pagewanted=all

Appropriation in Context
http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/546/appropriation-in-contemporary-art

handout: TJ Clark, section of The Sight of Death

Cage on Cage

Nicolas Cage performs 4'33".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JKdeNv3Rlv0#!

Rebecca Morris: Abstract MANIFESTO

Rebecca Morris: Abstract MANIFESTO

MANIFESTO
For Abstractionists and friends of the non-objective

BE A FORCE

Don't shoot blanks

Black and Brown: that shit is the future

Triangles are your friend

Don't pretend you don't work hard

When in doubt, spray paint it gold

Perverse formalism is your god

You are greased lightening

Bring your camera everywhere

Never stop looking at macrame`, ceramics, supergraphics and suprematism

Make work that is so secret, so fantastic, so dramatically old school/new school that it looks like it was found in a shed, locked up since the 1940's

Wake up early, fear death

Whip out the masterpieces

Be out for blood

You are the master of your own universe

Abstraction never left, motherfuckers

If you can't stop, don't stop

Strive for deeper structure

Fight monomania

Campaign against the literal

ABSTRACTION FOREVER!


http://joshuaabelow.blogspot.com/2011/02/rebecca-morris-abstract-manifesto.html

schedule

Schedule

W1 January 18 Introduction to the class

homework: begin reading 1: TJ Clark, section of The Sight of Death

W2 January 23 Woodshop demo (must wear closed toe shoes)

complete building three stretchers by next week, January 30.
homework: finish reading 1: TJ Clark

January 25 discussion of reading
assignment go to Fleming and pick a painting to write and paint about. Begin a diary about it, and write two pages, and do 2 hours of drawing of it. You will present these to class on Monday, reading and sharing notebook drawings.

W3 January 30 last day to drop/add

Presentations: Share drawings and writings
canvas stretching demo
homework: complete three canvas preps, have photo of self ready

February 1 work day (have canvasses ready to work on, you will be penalized if you are still gesso-ing in class. Begin 3 Portrait project.
homework: continue project (4-5 hours)

Portrait Project: you will be painting three self-portraits, each one in a different mode. For one you will be painting yourself from observation using a mirror, for another you will paint yourself from memory, for another you will paint yourself from a photograph.

W4

February 6 work day

February 8 work day

W5
February 13 work day+lecture: Appropriation, etc

February 15 work day

W6

February 20 no school, Presidents Day

February 22 Critique

Homework: Read Hal Foster, "The Expressive Fallacy" (handout)

W7

February 27 Discussion and new painting assignment: Appropriation and Expressivity

(parameters to be discussed in class, on materials, scale, and site of your choice) also read three short essays posted on blog ("appropriation 3" post). Reading discussion will be held March 12. Paintings will be critiqued March 28.

February 29 work day

W8

no school: spring break

W9

March 12 group discussion on individual proposals for Appropriation and Expressivity project, work day

March 14 work day

W10

March 19 work day

March 21 work day
read "A Case of Cultural Criticism" and "The Contest between Chanel and Courreges. Refered by a Philosopher" by Roland Barthes' The Language of Fashion, and "Why Write Novels at All?" by Garth Risk Hallberg

W11

March 26 work day

March 28 work day (no formal class)
read Birnbaum and Grabner reviews, and look up all artists you are not familiar with (see post).

W12

April 2 Critique Appropriation and Expressivity

April 4 complete critique if necessary
reading assignment posted on blog (Saltz and Edmundson)
begin final project: independently-conceived painting project
discuss with me in person, or via e-mail by Friday, April 6.
your description should include materials, subject, and purpose/reason for investigation.

W13

April 9 discuss readings / see slides
April 11 work day
homework: choose an artist (that we have seen in slides) to write about, and adopt a form and voice to do so. See blog post which compiles all the writings we have done.

W14

April 16 work day

April 18 Final project in-progress critique

W15

April 23 Criticism writing project due and to be read writings to class (and hand in).

April 25 work day

W16

April 30 Final Critique 1 (all work due)

May 2 Final Critique 2

readings this weekend 4/5-4/8

Jerry Saltz on Morley Safer's Facile 60 Minutes Art-World Screed
http://www.vulture.com/2012/04/jerry-saltz-on-morley-safer-60-minutes-art-world.html?imw=Y

Education's Hungry Hearts, Mark Edmundson
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=933320

readings this weekend 3/27-4/1

please read the following short writings, and look up (quick google searches) all artists you do not know. I am only giving two readings in order to allow more time for looking up people.

Daniel Birnbaum, review: Painting in the Expanded Field, 1997
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_n6_v35/ai_19353260/

Michelle Grabner, review of Painting at the Edge of the World, 2001
http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/painting_at_the_edge_of_the_world/

seemed relevant to discussions of the self

“It’s not that students don’t ‘get’ Kafka’s humor but that we’ve taught them to see humor as something you get – the same way we’ve taught them that a self is something you just have. No wonder they cannot appreciate the really central Kafka joke: that the horrific struggle to establish a human self results in a self whose humanity is inseparable from that horrific struggle. That our endless and impossible journey toward home is in fact our home.” - David Foster Wallace

February 13 lecture notes

Bas Jan Ader

List of artist names from February 13 lecture:

Giotto

Leonardo Da Vinci

Caravaggio

Vermeer

Michaelangelo

Raphael

El Greco

Lippi

Poussin

Manet

Reynolds

Courbet

Millet

Thomas Cole

Lucio Fontana

Henri Matisse

Milton Avery

Jessica Stockholder

Daniel Buren

Andy Warhol

Martin Kippenberger

Jaspar Johns

Jim Shaw

Mike Kelley

Andreas Gursky

Rachael Harrison

Thomas Kinkaid

George Innis

Norman Rockwell

Turner

Richard Mosse

Carleton Watkins

Gustave Le Gray

Talbot Fox

Lumiere factory

Peter Davies

Stuart Davis

Giorgio Morandi

Amanda Ross-Ho

John Baldessari

Kevin Appel

Lynda Benglis

Bas Jan Ader

Alex Katz

John Currin

Tizan Haug

Bill Traylor

Alice Neel

Max Beckmann

Jenny Saville

Judith Linhares

Luc Tuymans

Dana Schutz

Selena Trepp

Jutta Koether

Josua Abelow

Polly Apfelbaum

Richard Wright

appropriation post 3: next painting assmt

Jean-Michel Basquiet

Georg Baselitz

Francesco Clemente

Francesco Clemente

Julian Schnabel

Sandro Chia

******************************************************************************************

Chapman Brothers

Ken Price

On February 27, we will discuss Hal Foster's "The Expressive Fallacy", and I will introduce a few other writings:

• Mira Schor's "Should We Trust Anyone Under 30 (x)"; from her blog A Year of Positive Thinking
http://ayearofpositivethinking.com/2011/06/20/should-we-trust-anyone-under-30-with-some-excerpts-from-recipe-art-and-other-essays/

• Bob Nickas' "Komplaint Dept. Richard Prince Vibration Yeah!"; from this month's Vice Magazine
www.vice.com/read/komp-laint-dept-richard-prince-vibration-yeah

and a first draft of my own writing (started Saturday upon reading Nickas's writing)
• "Some Complaints: On Komplaint Dept Richard Prince Vibration Yeah!"
to be posted after this post

I will also contextualize the Foster essay a bit by showing images of some of the neo-expressionist artists of the eighties he refers to throughout the essay, and we can re-visit some of the appropriation artists we discussed last week.

Through reading Foster's essay, we should be considering the conundrum he proposes about the possibility of "pure" expression given it's very status as a form, or even formula. In her essay, Mira Schor describes an assignment she devised around Foster's essay, which explores expression and appropriation as polar opposites. Students would make two works around the same subject, one expressive, and the other using appropriation strategies. Though she recounts the results as disappointing, we may attempt this same project, seeing if we can avoid that which was disappointing. Schor's assignment is ours (I am appropriating it! but with her permission), and is in blue type below.

Recently, in an effort to reinforce the link between seminar readings and studio practice, after my students read various standard texts on appropriation and simulation, including Hal Foster’s “The Expressive Fallacy,” I asked them to make two art works on the same subject, the first using appropriational techniques and strategies, the second working expressively. The results were disappointing. At first I felt that their use of appropriation was timid and inept, which seemed strange considering the pervasiveness of appropriation in the culture at large. Next it occurred to me that the real difficulty might lie in doing something expressively, with any authenticity or necessity at the level of the image, the story, the stroke, the line, the object. It is a strangely complex paradox: self-expression and authenticity form the bedrock of the rhetoric of art practice, yet the critique of authenticity and originality have been so effective (even when the artist is uneducated to theory), and also simulation, conventionalized commodification, and sampling are so present in every day existence, that the hardest challenge for an artist today is to make an authentic mark that represents personal or formal investigation. My students’ predicament suggests that current cultural conditions are such that Recipe Art may be the only solution for a majority of artists who are trapped between a surplus of cultural quotation and the present loss of access to anything passing for an “authentic” artistic gesture.

appropriation 2/ weekend assignment

Yinka Shonibare

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still, 1978

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still, 1978

Cindy Sherman

Mike Kelley, Pasolini and Black Eyed Susan

Oliver Wasow and John D. Monteith, Artist Unknown project

Jim Shaw, Thrift Store Paintings

Homework due February 27th
read handout: Hal Foster, "The Expressive Fallacy"

appropriation 1

Apropos Appropriation
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/arts/design/richard-prince-lawsuit-focuses-on-limits-of-appropriation.html?pagewanted=all

Appropriation in Context
http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/546/appropriation-in-contemporary-art

lecture on Monday, February 13

Guy Debord

on appropriation and related issues.

poussin landscapes

Nicolas Poussin, Landscape with a Man Killed by a Snake, oil on canvas, circa1648

Nicolas Poussin, Landscape with a Calm, oil on canvas, 1651

syllabus

ARTS221
Spring 2012

M/W 11:45-1:35

The University of Vermont

Williams Hall 213

Professor Pamela Fraser

Office address: first floor Williams Hall

Email address: pfraser@uvm.edu

Office hours: by appointment

Dear students,

I propose that this painting class is a session on meaning and significance. This class is not about making images/objects without consequence, it is not to ‘relax’, or to have ‘fun’ (though you may enjoy it). Taking the class seriously does not necessitate that the meaning you discover and develop will be elevated, serious, weighty, profound, political, emotive, or immediately impressive (novice efforts that attempt such grandness often turn out a bit ham-fisted anyway). Instead your task is to locate and develop specific meaning, and for each of you to define what meaning actually is, on individual terms. Consider the work you do here propositions toward those ends.

Imperatives for the duration of the course: move beyond the broad-brush ways historical and contemporary art is customarily talked about. Forget self-expression; consider art a realm of sharing and communication. Forget about notions of art as utterly solitary, art that cannot be discussed or cannot be understood. We are in a group setting and our task is to connect with and challenge each other. Forget vague, indistinct notions of creativity, of ‘being creative’, and of “expressing yourself”. Forget the idea that every mark put down on a canvas is automatically of interest. To succeed in the class, you must develop work; the first ‘draft’ is rarely cogent. You must also be interested in learning more about what art has been and what it might become, for yourself and others.

Engagement with the subject of painting in philosophical, historical, and global contexts is a pre-requisite for the class. This class is actually about wondering, growing, learning, thinking, thought-provoking, taking part, being open, and being committed. A class for those interested in being mindful and inquisitive as they learn about and get absorbed with these specific materials, histories, and dialogues. Of course, these are all simply the values and attitudes one would hope for around any subject in any learning environment or institution.

Art is a tricky field of study; it’s one of few subjects I can think of where students of all levels come to courses feeling they already know the field. I have experienced countless students disparaging art and artists whose work they have just been introduced to. I suggest trying to understand context and intent before such dismissals. Not that art can’t be disdained, but rejection isn’t meaningful or interesting coming from an uninformed point of view. I have also experienced many students who expect that a painting class will be a place where they do what they already know how to do. That’s like taking a foreign language class at a lower level than you are capable of (not unheard of, I suppose).

The class is not for you if you think nothing carries meaning. Also, the class is not for you if you think all meanings are pre-determined. As you develop your own work and look at the work of others, be cognizant of conventions and tropes that may be weak, bland, or superficial. Be aware of the historical and categorical dimensions of traditions you are operating within. You may do any kind of work that you like in the class, if you can articulate the value of it. This value must be valuable to a larger circle than just you. You must be able to use words, and to use them well to argue for what you believe is significant, meaningful and/or important. You decide, of course, what is meaningful. It doesn’t have to be with a capital M. You may want to argue the value of fun and relaxing art, and that would be just fine, if you argued it well. There is no absolute meaning, but myself and your peers will decide is your ideas are lucid and convincing. Argumentation exercises your reasoning abilities, working toward your artworks containing their own/your logic.

Sincerely,

Professor Fraser

Lastly, a postscript: much of my artwork celebrates the realm of the lighthearted; so I reiterate that you need not collapse serious intent with necessarily heavy work. Great works can and are made around any and all subjects, part of what makes contemporary are so exciting (more on that later).

And a note on working habits: a successful practice rests on regular PRACTICE. Therefore, a portion of your grade rests on the consistency off your work habits. If you come to

class on a Monday with little or no work done on an ongoing project, this will affect your grade. Many students seem to believe they can just pull something off at the last minute. Good work pretty much always depends on a consistency of effort, developing something over time, with edits and augments along the way.

Modes of working will include Observation, Memory, Mediation, Anti-Aesthetics including discussion of Modernism and Postmodernism, Appropriation and Culture. After initial two assignments, subject and material choices will be independent within specific guidelines.

Class time will be used for work time, as well as for lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. Students will be expected to work a minimum of five hours a week outside of class time. This time is to be used procuring materials, researching art, artists and/or materials, drawing, and working on painting assignments. Development in the course will be based on consistent practice and discipline.

Grading

A=outstanding accomplishment, innovative thinking,
strong participation, full attendance, excellent progress
B-above-average accomplishment, solid participation,
full attendance, good progress
C=accomplished all assignments, average participation,
full attendance, little progress
D= lack of completion or accomplishment in assignments,
disinterested participation
F=failure to complete basic course requirements and/or attendance

Projects 50%/ Your painting and writing projects should represent growth in technique, imagination, and intellectual rigor.
Participation and Practice 50%/ You are expected to contribute to dialogue in critiques and discussions. Participation is also represented by commitment to regular and habitual practice. This means working consistently, not sporadically.

Attendance

Good attendance is presumed and not reward in the final grade calculation. Poor attendance will affect the grade adversely. After two unexcused absences, one's grade will drop one letter from the level that has been earned. Arriving late, or unprepared, or leaving class early is also unacceptable and will result in a lowered grade if routine behavior. Three times late, leaving early or being unprepared will equal one absence. After five unexcused absences, one may fail the course.

Absence from class is not an excuse for not handing in a due assignment, or for not knowing about a new assignment. If you miss class, check the blog, and/or e-mail me to find out what you missed. Late work is not accepted and one will receive an “F” for a project if not handed in on due date and time.

Critiques are MANDATORY. Missing one of these class sessions equals two unexcused absences.

Materials

Your lab fee of $65.00 covers wood for stretcher building, canvas, gesso, sandpaper and staples. You must purchase a notebook/sketchbook of any type. Other materials are at your discretion.

Miscellaneous

• Heed woodshop rules

* Music with headphones is acceptable but be attentive to announcements.

* No phones, no laptops, no texting, no use of handheld devices except for emergencies. Please put on silent mode.

* When a student is unable to attend class for a health reason, the student may give permission for the instructor to discuss the situation with a representative from the Center for Health and Wellbeing. As with all absences, the faculty member has final authority to excuse students from classes.

*Religious Holidays: Students have the right to practice the religion of their choice. Each semester students should submit in writing to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes their documented religious holiday schedule for the semester. Faculty must permit students who miss work for the purpose of religious observance to make up this work.

*Athletic-Academic Conflicts: Students participating in inter-collegiate athletics should plan their schedules with special care, recognizing the primary importance of all of their University academic responsibilities. Each semester, members of UVM varsity and junior varsity teams are responsible for documenting in writing any conflicts between their planned athletic schedule and the class schedule to their instructors by the end of the second full week of classes. Students and instructors should then discuss potential conflicts between course requirements and intercollegiate competitions. When an unavoidable conflict exists, the student and instructor should seek a resolution that permits the student to address the course requirement and participate in the athletic competition. The instructor has final authority on this matter.

*Quoted from the Undergraduate and Graduate catalogue: www.uvm.edu/academics/catalogue2002-03/?Page=policies/acgisturespon.html

AN IMPORTANT NOTE - If you have (or suspect that you may have) a disability forwhich you are or may be requesting an accommodation, I encourage you to contact both myself and UVM’s Office of Accommodation, Consultation, Collaboration & Educational Support Services (ACCESS), A-170 Living & Learning Center, 656-7753 (http://www.uvm.edu/~access) as early as possible in the term. The ACCESS Office will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodation for this course.