This post will talk about Joseph Beuys
Joseph Beuys German artist
For sure it’s in Beuys i had a stronger influence even in the way and size , shape of my work i will start to talk a bit about Beuys and his works, but specifically i will be focus in the work of him ‘7000 oaks’ 1982/1987, this work from Beuys it’s a remarkable work and it will be always growing, this because the trees will be still growing, there are a few quotes from Beuys also very important for the analysis of his work, as cited in his book “7000 eichen” published in March 1985 (first edition)
with this work Beuys become much more famous then before, it was a very interesting work from him, following his words
” 7000 oaks are a sculpture which has human life as its proper focus and the human everyday work as its scope of relevance. This is my concept of art, which i call the expanded art concept or the social
sculpture”
cited by him in ‘7000 oaks’ published, 1985 by Benteli Verlag.
With the planting Beuys create, 7000 new lives, while the trees represent live, and the stones a reference to the death.
It was Joseph Beuys for sure give me more influences, more ideas after making my dissertation about Beuys, i feel him as a good influence for doing my artwork, not only because of his work the 7000 oaks but from all of his work such a great creation. Beuys it was the creator of social sculpture and his from him also the famous words. ‘every man an artist’, this it was the subject topic for my dissertation, and for sure it was the bigger challenge in my live, but my dissertation it was not only about Beuys also David Nash and Andy Goldsworthy.
But about them i will talk later , only a few more words about Beuys. As i said Beuys it was the creator of social sculpture and the concept of him about his creation, it could change all the art conception.
-SOCIAL SCULPTURE
“Thinking forms- how we mould our thoughts or Spoken forms- how we shape our thoughts into words or SOCIAL SCULPTURE- how we mould and shape the world in which we live: Sculpture as an evolutionary process: everyone is an artist.” (Volker, 2004 p9)
About his famous quote “everyone an artist” it could be regarding his words as cited in Harlan 2004.
“Sculpture as an evolutionary process; everyone an artist. That is why the nature of my sculpture is not fixed and finished. Processes continue in most of them: chemical reactions, fermentations, colour changes, decay, drying up. Everything is in a state of change” (Harlan, Volker 2004 p.9).
In this quote is evident the importance Beuys give to the live of materials used for the conception of his art, as knowing the materials undergo different reactions and transformations in various situations and conditions or natural by the weather or other factors can destroy the materials, objects used by him in his artworks
Cited in:
Harlan, Volker. (2004) ‘What is art?’ Edited by Verlag Freies Geisteleben & Urachhaus Gmbh, Stuttgart. English Edition published by Clairview, (2004)
How Beuys used the materials to do his artwork, it fill my mind with many ideas for do artworks.
As well it’s impossible and it will be a massive mistake if i didn’t mention one of the strongest statements from Joseph Beuys:
‘Every man is an artist’.
His famous slogan “Everyone is an artist” proposed that this could be achieved, if only human beings would apply their innate ingenious energies toward positive change; he christened this kind of activity “social sculpture.” These were highly utopian aspirations, no doubt, but Beuys dedicated all his energy to them, hoping to stimulate the vicissitude he believed was obligatory to reinvigorate society. Along the way he developed a range of wildly inventive art forms and accommodated as a model for a whole generation of adolescent artists. (Walker Art Center, 2005)
-DAVID NASH
From now i will talk about Nash and his land art, also a important artist to my dissertation and, how he influence my work also, when must of his works are done with organic elements, as i want for my artworks to.
In this works it starts to be visible the concept or art from Nash and his passion for organic elements in particularly ‘Wood’ in the work ‘standing frame’
This work was made by the process of charring him also used abstract figures, geometric forms. The frame gives the viewer the sense of motion and vigour. Nash states “The sculpture is a witty cross between man-made forms: three crocked limbs support a perfect, open square, a ‘nothing’ described by the material ‘something’ (WAC, 2004) this work was completely made at the site, something he likes to do for better interaction and relationship with the place. Nash also points out” By charring, one changes the experience of wood- it’s no longer wood, a vegetable, it’s a mineral experience and you see the form again… it changes the sense of scale and time”. (Walker art centre, 1994).
As fair i know in the statements of the artist we reach to the understanding of the art concept of the artist and all the artists had a particular statement about his work and Nash it have one to as i start to cite:
Damp and dry Burnt and buried
Wood is given in air it cracks
In water floats in earth returns
(David Nash, 1987)
Nash, David. (1987)’ Wood Primer’, first published by Bedford press, California, USA
These words are statements from the Bible, also used by Nash as inspiration and concept, for his artwork.
As we can see there are always important key words from the artists to reach the understanding of their art concept.
There are much more to say about David Nash, but for the moment, will start to talk about.
– ANDY GOLDSWORTHY
The last artist choose for my dissertation, and also a spectacular artworks from him to fill my mind with plenty of ideas about what really is possible to do with our hands and the Earth materials and elements.
This work made in leaves from different colours in Yorkshire Park in West Breton, England. It’s one of the most intriguing pieces of work from him, this could extremely eye catching because of the intense brightly colours of the leaves he had used as medium, deep red, hot ginger, and golden yellow foliage from a spinning circle, in this work the colour is well blended and adds to all the aesthetics attractiveness of the photo, because must of the work from Goldsworthy consists on the photography. As know some of his works don’t live to long, because all the processes of changing from the weather.
25- Japanese maple leaves, 1987
Again in this work all the beauty of nature and the elements are visible in the work from Goldsworthy, all the care he had while doing this or another work in leaves.
It is clear that there is a big relationship between all the three artists , because they are all focus with the environment in a high level.
