essay tradition and originality

Oxfordshire School of Creative Arts, Assignment Brief Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (QCF)

UNIT NO & NAME Unit 4: Information & Interpretation in Art and Design

TITLE ESSAY: TRADITION & ORIGINALITY

STAFF Martin Carrolchick and Chris Muir

DEADLINE/HAND-IN Monday 6th January 2014

ASSESSORS Martin Carrolchick et al

TRADITION & ORIGINALITY

No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You cannot value him alone; you must set him, for contrast and comparison, among the dead.

(T.S. Eliot)

In light of the lecture Tradition & Originality you will be aware of a brand of originality, endorsed by T.S. Eliot,

that fuses the old and the new in pursuit of a more sophisticated, nuanced meaning.

Eliots conception of originality is more interested in refreshing reinterpretation than novelty. Ultimately, this

type of originality, reliant on the poets awareness of tradition, is superior to the more conventional idea of

originality, not only because of its comprehensiveness, but also because its assumption that artistic meaning

only emerges from contextualization affords us a reliable way to measure aesthetic value.


The Importance of Tradition

Originality as Eliot envisions it is more persuasive than the OEDs definition partially because it is more

comprehensive. Instances of true innovation free from tradition are far and few between. The invention of

fire might be such an innovation, but little else matches that level of newness. Photography, for example, may

seem like a groundbreaking innovation, but it actually takes root in pre-existing bodies of technical knowledge

and, moreover, is aesthetically judged on principles established by other visual forms like painting. For all its

newness, it could only have been invented with the help of the past, and it can only be valued relative to the

past. Innovation is largely derivative of past progress. Even reactionary movements, like Dada and punk

subculture, rely on tradition to give purpose to their rebellion. Very little, it seems, arises beyond the context

of history and developing precedents.

Eliots version of originality is also striking for its emphasis on the importance of contextualization. Tradition

provides a context by which we can judge aesthetics separate from the immediate real-world contexts in

which works are created. The implication of this reliance of works upon one another is salient: no art exists in

a vacuum. The meaning and merit of an artwork only arise through its relationships to other artworks. Were

we to disregard tradition, we would have no clear, objective way to deem one work more valuable than

another. Nor would we be able to produce completely meaningful art in the first place, for as Eliot posits: No

poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the

appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You cannot value him alone; you must set him, for

contrast and comparison, among the dead.

These two diagrams describe different versions of the Museum of Modern Arts view of 20th Century Art. The first is based around the tradition that Cezanne influenced Matisse and Picasso and they, in turn, influenced post-war American Abstract expressionism (Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning). The second offers Marcel Duchamp as the central figure of influence leading to Andy Warhol and the contemporary artists of today


AIM

Your aim is to write an illustrated essay that identifies a contemporary practitioner within your preferred field of the Creative Arts (Pathway) and present an argument for their work to be part of a tradition Your Objectives include

To research examples of historical and contemporary practice that relate to your work

To review the effect of significant contextual factors on the production of specific works in relation to your work

To analyse and evaluate other artists and designers intentions

To identify and develop your understanding of the critical context of your own interests and ideas within the subject.

To identify books journal and magazine articles, exhibition catalogues, primary sources and internet sites etc that will be relevant to your subject.

To look beyond simple, popular assumptions about art

To present your report in a professional word-processed document

To reference all secondary sources accurately within your final Report (blog or word-processed document)

Materials Required

Internet Access; OCVC Library; Visits to Museums and Galleries; Sketchbook/Notebook

Recommended Research

Author Title Unit

Arnheim R Visual Thinking

(University of California Press, 2004) ISBN 978-0520018716

4

Barnard M Fashion as Communication

(Routledge 2002) ISBN 978-0415260183

4

Chipp H B Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics

(University of California Press, 1992) ISBN 978-0520052567

4

Dormer P Design Since 1945

(Thames & Hudson, 1993) ISBN 978-0500202613

4

Duby G and Daval J Sculpture: From Antiquity to the Present Day

(Taschen, 2006) ISBN 978-3822850787

4

Fiell C and F Graphic Design Now

(Taschen, 2005) ISBN 978-3822847787

4

Gauntlett D Media, Gender and Identity

(Routledge, 2008) ISBN 978-0415396608

4

Harrison H and Wood

P (editors)

Art in Theory 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas

(Wiley-Blackwell, 2002) ISBN 978-0631227083

4

Hebdige D Hiding In The Light: On Images and Things

(Routledge, 1989) ISBN 978-0415007375

4


Howells R Visual Culture

(Polity Press, 2003) ISBN 978-0745624129

4

Jodidio P Architecture Now

(Taschen, 2009) ISBN 978-3836501934

4

Leighton T (editor) Art and the Moving Image: A Critical Reader

(Tate, 2008) ISBN 978-1854376251

4

Monem N (editor) Contemporary Textiles: The Fabric of Fine Art (Black Dog Publishing, 2008) ISBN

978-1906155292

4

Papanek V Design for the Real World (Thames & Hudson, 1985) ISBN 978-0897331531 4

Raizman D A History of Modern Design: Graphics and Products Since the Industrial Revolution

(Laurence King, 2004) ISBN 978-1856693486

4

Riemschneider B and

Grosenick U

Art at the Turn of the Millennium (Taschen, 2000) ISBN 978-3822868096 4

Strinati, D An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture (Routledge, 2004) ISBN 978-

0415235006

4

Sturken, M and

Cartwright L

Practices of Looking (Oxford University Press, 2009) ISBN 978-0195314403 4

Taylor L The Study of Dress History (Manchester University Press, 2002) ISBN 978-

0719040658

4

Walker S Sustainable by Design (Earthscan, 2006) ISBN 978-1844073535 4

Walter S and Hanson

M

Motion Blur: Onedotzero (Laurence King, 2006) ISBN 978-1856694650 4

Weintraub L Making Contemporary Art: How Todays Artists Think and Work (Thames and

Hudson, 2003) ISBN 978-0500284230

4

Wells L Photography: A Critical Introduction (Routledge, 2009) ISBN 978-0415460279 4

Work to be submitted for assessment

ESSAY at least 2000 words in length with illustrations

Your essay should be word-processed; preferably using In Design template for Exhibition Review (Unit 1) or similar on A4 paper

Each page should be numbered

Make sure your name appears on each page

Give the full title/question of your extended essay on page 1

Leave good margins

The essay should be 1.5 or double spaced (this allows your tutor to write comments at the relevant point in the essay)

Use a 12 point font size a basic sans serif font (eg. Arial) is recommended

Make sure you cite all your references using the Harvard referencing system

Good quality illustrations should be included, these can be interspersed throughout the essay or collected at the end, they should also be referenced i.e. Location of the work, medium, date, materials, size.

Your essay should be securely bound


Assessment Criteria

In order to pass this unit, you need to demonstrate that you can meet all the learning outcomes for the unit. The

assessment criteria for a pass grade (below) describe the level of achievement required to pass this unit.

To achieve a pass grade you must show that you are able to:

p1 Explore techniques and processes using appropriate media safely (IE, CT)

P2 Manipulate media in relation to creative potential (IE, CT, EP)

P3 Record experimentation and information in an appropriate format (SM)

P4 Experiment and combine different media (IE, SM, RL)

P5 Evaluate the effectiveness of different media (EP, TW)

P6 Reflect on success and failure (RL)

P7 Identify new or existing possibilities (CT, EP)

PLTS (Personal Learning and Thinking Skills): This summary references in the brackets the elements of the

personal, learning and thinking skills applicable in the pass criteria. It identifies opportunities for learners to

demonstrate effective application of the referenced elements of the skills.

Key IE independent enquirers

RL reflective learners SM self-managers

CT creative thinkers TW team workers EP effective participators

essay tradition and originality

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