COMMUNICATIVE PURPOSE: to theorize/speculate about:
-causes + /- effects
-particular meanings
-artist's choices
-possible developments, etc
Theorizing = performing an inferential type of mental activity (moving from particular items to general ideas), whose result is a thesis that must be supported by several points of proof
DISCOURSE STRATEGIES (that can be used when developing points of proof):
- explaining viewer's reactions
- formal analysis
- comparing works/artists/features
- historical/anecdotal narratives
- exemplification
- quoting/paraphrasing
- paradox, etc
STANDARD MOVE-STRUCTURE:
MOVE I: introducing the subject, thesis, list of points of proof
Step 1: Introducing the subject (title of work, artist, context of creation)
Step 2: stating the thesis: one complete, unified statement, limited to one aspect only, general enough to ask for support, defensible, not too obvious
Step 3: stating the points of proof (2-3) intended to be used in order to support the thesis
MOVE II: developing the points of proof
Step 1: developing the first point of proof
Step 2: developing the 2nd point of proof
Step 3: developing the 3rd point of proof
MOVE III: concluding by evaluating the measure in which the points of proof have demonstrated the thesis
MOVE IV: Works cited (whenever one uses bibliography)
Task 1. Comment on the way the theses and the points of proof were formulated and developed in the two texts we have read in class (1. The African Influences in Brancusi's Work by Paul Stoie and 2. Idea for Sale by Oana Boca). Which of them appears to you more convincing and why?
Task 2. Try to formulate a thesis and a list of points of proof on a subject of your choice.
Deadline: December 10
BRANCUSI
Newborn
The First Cry
The First Step
Dracea Luca-Vlad
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Task 1
African influences in Brâncuși’s work.
Thesis: A clear, focused, and justifiable thesis stating that certain characteristics of Brâncuși sculpture result from a subtle dialogue with African sculpture, especially regarding the stylization of form and the spiritualization of volume.
The thesis is unified and does not attempt to cover all of Brâncuși, but concentrates on a single aspect: African influence. Development of demonstration points: The text uses three main strategies:
Formal analysis comparing Brâncuși’s forms with elements of African sculpture: simplification of features, vertical axis, massiveness. Historical context mentioning the contact that Parisian avant-garde artists had with African art and how this encounter produced an aesthetic revolution. Concrete examples works such as The Kiss, The Wisdom of the Earth, and The Maiastra are discussed individually.
Strength of the demonstration:
The argumentation is coherent and well-structured, progressing logically from particular to general. The formal analyses are convincing because they rely on clear visual examples. Art as a Marketable Idea Thesis:
A more essayistic thesis, suggesting that the value of a work of art depends on the mechanisms of the market and of promotion, not solely on the intrinsic qualities of the artwork.
The thesis is interesting but broader and sometimes diffuse, as it mixes social observations, irony, cultural marketing, and speculations about the status of the artist.
Elements used:
Anecdotes from the art world—often employed to illustrate the arbitrary nature of success.
Examples of artists turned into brands, implying that their value is the product of commercial discourse.
Sociological analysis of the relationship among the public, galleries, and institutions.
Strength of the demonstration:
The text is more persuasive than demonstrative, relying on an ironic tone rather than formal analysis. The arguments are not always systematically developed.
Task 2
The role of light in Caravaggio's painting.
Thesis: Light as a dramatic tool:
Caravaggio uses chiaroscuro to build narrative tension and lead the eye to essential moments of the action.
Light as a means of psychological characterization:
Selective lighting reveals the inner feelings of the characters, suggesting vulnerability, revelation or moral conflict.
Light as a strategy of resacralization:
The violent contrast between shadow and light transforms biblical scenes into immediate sensory experiences, bringing the sacred into the everyday life of the Baroque viewer.
"La Clairvoyance" is one of the most revealing and conceptual works by *René Magritte* (1898-1967), a master of surrealism.which was painted in 1936 as self-portrait. The title itself, "La Clairvoyance", suggests the key to interpretation, inviting the viewer to look beyond mere representation.
ReplyDeleteThesiss:"La Clairvoyance" by René Magritte illustrates the surrealist artist's vision that transcends the simple imitation of reality, affirming that true creation consists in revealing and materializing the hidden potential of the subject ,the transformation of the egg into a bird, thus defining the artist as a visionary.
The work depicts Magritte, dressed in a sober suit, seated at an easel. In front of him, on a table covered with a red cloth, stands an isolated egg – a traditional subject for still life and a symbol of unfulfilled potential. The artist’s gaze is fixed on this egg, but his brush, in the midst of the creative process on the canvas, does not sketch the image of the egg. Instead, Magritte paints a bird in flight, already formed, as if it had emerged from the egg and acquired life. This juxtaposition creates a visual paradox that is central to Magritte’s work: the discrepancy between the visible model (the egg) and the artistic result (the bird) nullifies the artist’s role as a simple imitator of reality.
1. The Artist as Visionary
"La Clairvoyance" can be interpreted as a statement of Magritte's artistic philosophy. By painting the future of the egg, he defines himself not as a portrait or landscape painter, but as a visionary or a clairvoyant. The artist is not limited to tangible reality and he has the ability to see into the future or potential of his subject.
2. The Relationship Between Perception and Creation
Magritte explores the question: What does the artist's eye really see? It is not a simple photographic record, but a process of mental transformation. The final image is not a replica of the object (the egg), but a manifestation of its idea, its essence, its dynamic potential. This aligns with the spirit of “Surrealism”, which emphasized the subconscious, dreams, and non-conformist logic to reveal a deeper reality, the "super-reality."
3. Transformation and Potential
The egg represents the beginning, the raw material, the potential. The bird symbolizes fulfillment, freedom, the final creation. The transfer from egg to bird on the canvas is a metaphor for the creative process.
Despite its paradoxical subject matter, "La Clairvoyance" is painted in Magritte's characteristic academic, hyperrealistic style. The details are precise, the shadows are sharp, creating a sense of realism that, ironically, makes the surreal situation all the more disturbing.
"La Clairvoyance" is not just a self-portrait, but an ode to the power of the creative mind. Through the simple juxtaposition of an egg and a bird, René Magritte manages to synthesize an entire philosophy: that *the true vision of the artist transcends what is seen* and reveals the mystery and magic of the hidden potential of things.