formal art analysis

8/10/2019 Formal Art Analysis

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Lee

Formal Art Analysis

Andrew Lee

Art 1

Simon Pennington

11/27/13

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Andrew Lee

Simon Pennington

Art 1

24 November 2013

Analysis of Slab an and !o"rtesan wit# $at

%#e !antor Arts !enter at Stanford &niversity #as a trove of ama'ing wor(s) and ea*#

done by +#enomenal artists) some even #eading t#eir own movements in t#e #istory of art, -it#

t#e addition of t#e fles# and metal e.#ibitions) w#i*# #ave "st been added in early November of

t#is year) it made it very *#allenging to +i*( two +ie*es to analy'e, After m"*# internal debate)

o+ted wit# "ane $ansons Slab Manand Pablo Pi*assos Courtesan with Hatbe*a"se of t#e

meaning t#at is derived from t#e wor(s, %#e two +ie*es are bot# different medi"ms of wor( and

are also from very different +eriods in art #istory, Slab Manis a s*"l+t"re *om+osed of vinyl)

resin) and fiberglass t#en +oly*#romed in oil and was *reated in 174175 in &SA, -#ere as

Courtesan with Hatis an oil +ainting done on +a+erboard and was *reated in Fran*e in t#e s+ring

of 101, %#ey are lo*ated in different lo*ations in t#e !antor Arts !enter and for very good

reasons as well,

For t#ose w#o #ave not #eard of "ane $anson) yo" may #ave been fooled by one of #is

s*"l+t"res in an art m"se"m, $is lifeli(e s*"l+t"res all s#aring a *ommon t#eme) of modeling t#e

average Ameri*an) and yet adds a "ni6"e to"*# to ea*#, Slab Manis no e.*e+tion, %#e lifesi'ed

s*"l+t"re is an a**"rate re+resentation of t#e stereoty+i*al bl"e*ollar wor(er t#at was t#e

average Ameri*an in t#e 170s) b"t wit# a twist, Slab Man) also referred to as avid8 or ave8

as a referen*e to t#e name +at*# on #is s#irt) is wearing a w#ite*ollared s#irt, As a de+i*tion of a

*ementer wor(er) ave8 is a !a"*asian male) brown #aired) and loo(ing to be in late 20s to 30s

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in age, From my meas"rements) #e a++ears to be 58 to 5108 in #eig#t alt#o"g# not f"lly ere*t

in +ose, $e also is wearing w#at believed to be t#e standard o"tfit for laborers of #is *lass, $e

wears a stained and dirty s#ortsleeved *ollared s#irt) stained eit#er from t#e nat"re of #is wor(

or +ossibly +oor #ygiene) and t#at in no way attem+ts to #ide t#e fa*t t#at #e is overweig#t) a

+air of grey +ants) w#i*# #as #eavy signs of wear) and wor( boots t#at loo( to not fit +ro+erly, n

addition) #e #as wit# #im a +air of 9oss8 wor(ing gloves and a re*tang"lar *ement trowel, $e

also #as a gold band on #is left #and ring and a leat#er stra++ed wat*#, All of t#ese items are

re+resentational and resemble real life re+li*as, S"r+risingly) #e is *leans#aven on t#e fa*e)

alt#o"g# #e #as noti*eable amo"nts of forearm and *#est #air, %#e details of t#e +ie*e are

meti*"lo"s and t#o"g#tf"lly *onstr"*ted, %#e +ro+ortions of t#e limbs are ty+i*al of t#at of a

#"man, :ven t#e wrin(les and *om+le.ion of #is s(in mat*# w#at is e.+e*ted in t#e mind of t#e

observer,

Aside from t#e +#ysi*al details) t#ere are 6"alities to Slab Mant#at are dete*ted almost

instantly; w#ere as ot#ers are noti*ed more grad"ally, %#e ta*tile te.t"res of #is s#irt) +ants) and

boots so *losely mimi* t#at seen in everyday life t#at it does not bring any s+e*ial attention to

t#em) allowing t#e viewer to immediately feel a sense of familiarity and *omfort, %#e *#oi*e of

*olors also a++ear to be very basi*) yet are "sed in s"*# a way to #ig#lig#t "ane $ansons

*raftsmans#i+ w#en it *omes to s*"l+t"res, Slab Manis +osed in a +e*"liar way for t#e observer)

not inviting) b"t not dis*o"raging eit#er, $is fa*ial e.+ression is blan( and ne"tral) as if #is

t#o"g#ts are at t#e *ross se*tion of t#e wor( #e #as a**om+lis#ed and t#e wor( #e #as yet to do,

%#e im+lied lines of t#e +ie*e are far from s#ar+) almost soft as t#e lines ma(e a*"te angles wit#

anot#er) allowing *omfortable viewing from all sides, -it# its #ead *o*(ed at an angle and

staring downward at t#e floor in front of it) "ane $anson allows t#e observer to oin t#e +ie*e

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in t#at +arti*"lar moment wit#o"t feeling as if intr"ding, t is also im+ortant to note t#at t#ere are

over#ead lig#ts t#at give de+t# to ave8) #ig#lig#ting +arts of #is "++er body and bringing

attention t#e +rotr"ding stoma*#, t may #ave been "ni6"e to my own viewing) b"t t#e longer

s+ent analy'ing Slab an t#e more "n*omfortable began to feel of t#e +ie*e be*a"se it felt so

real) and it was definitely a "ni6"e e.+erien*e, -#ile t#e formal analysis of t#e +ie*e is

im+ortant) w#at is more is its *onne*tion ba*( to art,

%#e nametag of avid intentionally allows for t#is +ie*e to be *om+ared and *ontrasted

wit# i*#elangelos stat"e ofDavid,and to send a message, n many ways t#e two +ie*es)

"ane $ansons Slab Manand i*#elangelosDavid) are t#e two +olar ends of bea"ty in man,

Slab Man) in one end) invo(es t#e attrib"tes of +rimitive man dressed in modern laborer *lot#ing,

%#e #airy *#est) t#e lig#tly defined b"s#y "nibrow) and t#e sagging stoma*# #its #ome w#en yo"

t#in( of *aveman, %#is #ig#ly *ontrasts wit#David,w#i*# re+resents t#e ideali'ed version of

man wit# welldefined m"s*"lat"re) in*redible +#ysi6"e) and fearless ga'e, 9y *om+aring t#e

two yo" are able to see #ow m"*# we as man(ind #as allowed o"rselves to fall from t#e


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melan*#oly as s#e stares to t#e rig#t and yet radiated by t#e s"n) w#i*# adds a sense of mystery

to t#e *a"se of #er sadness, 9esides t#e fa*ial feat"res and +art of #er *#est) t#e foregro"nd of t#e

+ainting is done in s#ort stro(es) *reating t#is r#yt#m and fl"idness aro"nd t#e lady fig"re) as if

to symboli'e t#e going on of life wit#o"t #er, Also) t#e s#ort stro(es add vis"al te.t"re to t#e

+ie*e all t#e w#ile *reating a sense of motion away from #er, And w#ile t#e #at is +ainted wit#

only two different *olors) Pi*asso a*#ieves t#is ill"sionary te.t"re to it) t#at feels aest#eti*ally

+leasing) and it is im+ortant to note t#at it is t#e only obe*t in t#e +ainting t#at is done in t#is

fas#ion) +ossibly to symboli'e a veil or #alo, %#e flowers on t#e bottom left #and *orner loo( as

if t#rown to t#e side) w#i*# adds to t#e mood of t#e +ainting, n terms of *olor) t#e +alette "sed

seems dar(er t#an t#at of ot#er im+ressionist +ie*es) and seems to be a +ossible start of #is 9l"e

Period) alt#o"g# t#e dar(er *ooler *olors are met wit# more warm *olors t#at *ome from t#e

rig#t to *reate t#is asymmetri*al balan*e t#ro"g#o"t t#e wor(, Not to mention t#e *olor w#ite

t#at dominates t#e entire +ainting, A *olor t#at "s"ally is asso*iated wit# inno*en*e and +"rity is

"sed for t#e *o"rtesan, $er fa*e) #er #at) #er dress) and even #er gloves are b"rsting wit# w#ite

as if to ma(e #er almost angeli*, %#ere also is t#is *ontrast of *olors t#at adds atmos+#ere

+ers+e*tive) adding a sense of de+t# and anot#er dimension to t#e two dimensional wor(, =o"

*an almost feel #ow s#e is *loser to yo" t#en t#e ba*(gro"nd and t#e s"n stri(es #er #at at an

angle #el+s by ma(ing #er +rotr"de o"t of t#e +ainting towards t#e viewer,

Aside from t#e ot#er brilliant wor(s done by Pi*asso) li(ed Courtesan with Hatfor its

sim+li*ity, As #e is well (nown for !"bism) it was a big refres#er to see a +ie*e of wor( signed

by t#e name t#at is not a mess of s#a+es and obe*ts t#at blend *losely resemble a sense of

s"rrealism, Alt#o"g# t#is +ie*e s#ares t#e t#eme of se."ality wit# Pi*assos ot#er wor(s) s"*# as

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Two Friends, yo" *an sense t#at t#e affe*tion #e #ad for t#e

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*o"rtesan, %#e +ie*e was also a great for its sense of balan*e between emotions and *olor,

!om+aring it wit# Pi*assos 9l"e Period wor() Courtesan with Hatis only momentarily sad in a

romanti* and adoring way, -#en see t#e +ie*e) t#e mystery be#ind #er melan*#oly is not

a++arent and so it is +rovo*ative, %#e mystery lets t#e mind wonder, aybe s#e is engaged in

m>nage a trois and yet #er #eart longs for one s+e*ifi* being, ?r even +ossibly t#e so*ial

*onditions in w#i*# s#e lives in are too m"*# for #er to bear, o t#e blossomed flowers by #er

side #ave meaning beyond its f"n*tion@ And lastly w#y #er@ %#e blend of *olors leave mystery

be#ind t#e emotion Pi*asso wants to *onveyit is not s+elled o"t for t#e observer, All t#ese

t#ings let yo" *on*entrate on t#e +ainting and tem+orarily forget t#e goings on of yo"r own life)

and t#at is w#y enoy t#e +ie*e,

%#e two +ie*es do differ greatly and so it is #ard to *om+are t#e two side by side, For

starters) by being in different medi"ms t#ere are different senses t#at are evo(ed, -#ere s#ort

and +ress"red br"s# stro(es ma(e sense to add te.t"re to a dress) it wo"ld not a++eal t#e same

way to t#e vis"al sense if it were done on a s*"l+t"re, Similarly) it is very #ard) if at all +ossible)

to add mass and vol"me to t#e Courtesan with Hat li(e $ansons Slab Mandoes) and t#e effe*t it

wo"ld #ave on t#e viewer wo"ld be drasti*ally different, Alt#o"g# did enoy t#e two +ie*es t#e

reasons +i*(ed t#em were "ni6"e, F"n*tionally) "ane $anson allows "s Ameri*ans to observe)

analy'e) and even be*ome intimate wit# a member of o"r so*iety wit#o"t t#e taboo1, %o a*#ieve

a similar effe*t in a +ainting wo"ld ta(e tremendo"s effort, wo"ld say t#at it wo"ld be #ard for

a s*"l+t"re to re+li*ate t#e mood refle*ted in Pi*assos wor() and to an e.tent t#at is tr"e) b"t


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to a++eal to t#e observers senses in different ways) and t#at bot# Pablo Pi*asso and "ane

$anson did +#enomenal obs in a**om+lis#ing w#at t#ey set o"t to do) w#i*# is ma(e "s t#in(,

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-or(s !ited

$anson) "ane, Slab Man, 174175, Cinyl) resin) and fiber glass) +oly*#romed in oil, !antor

Arts !enter) Stanford) !alifornia,

Pi*asso) Pablo, Courtesan with Hat, S+ring 101, ?il on +a+erboard, !antor Arts !enter)

Stanford) !alifornia,

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formal art analysis

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