Nathan Sawaya

Nathan is another one of those artists who takes something that we all know and love and makes it extraordinary. His material however was actually designed for being creative. Legos allow for him to create a sturdy structure while creating a style specific to him. The variety of colors also allow for each of his pieces to have different personalities even when some of them incorporate the same facial or bodily structure. The majority of his works incorporate the human body in one way or another. This leads me to a criticism of him which is that it seems like once you've created a figure, you now have the blueprints to creating another. One of the ways that Nathan overcomes this criticism is by creating figures in different poses, and in the process changing the blueprint of where the individual blocks go.Another criticism that I have personally is that he isn't very creative in naming his pieces. Generally, they are simply named the color of block he uses. Though this was probably an artistic choice on his part to allow people to analyze the piece without outside preconceptions, I feel that, rather than being artistic, it communicates that he didn't take the time to assign a purpose to each of his pieces.

"Yellow". 2006 Nathan Sawaya

This piece is very interesting in that it uses two different techniques in placement for the legos. Not only that, but the form itself is very well-executed. The overall concept of the piece is also very intriguing. There both is an attempt at realism and there isn't. It is realism in that the form is as exact as the medium allows. However it is pretty obviously fictional in that the chest cavity of the figure is being ripped open. In this way, I really think that Nathan enjoys playing with reality. The medium is actually really fitting for this purpose as well. It gives the piece a sort of childish feel as if a child has created the piece. Thats not to say that it is poorly done, but that the medium is most commonly used in the context of children. 

"Green". 2008 Nathan Sawaya

This is yet another example of Nathan playing with reality through the use of legos. Again, the preciseness of the figure is remarkable, especially within the context of the rigid blocks. One thing that he did differently with this piece was create a much more surprised expression on the face of the figure. All of the different elements of the piece, meaning the color, the stance that the figure is in, and the face point to this emotion of being surprised or almost disgusted. 

"Grey". 2006 Nathan Sawaya

I hope you have noticed a trend here with his pieces. The major difference here is that the full figure isn't incorporated into the piece. Not only that, but he also plays with scale in the piece making the face much bigger than an actual one. One thing I really appreciate about this sculpture is that it gives the impression of the box being hollow. I also really like the shine that the darker blocks give to the flat exterior of the box. The scale that he used also allows for him to add a significantly larger amount of detail. 

Janine Antoni

Janine Antoni is a very unique artist. During a few of the interviews we've seen during class, she has described her creative process as her seeing something that interests her, learning and mastering the technique, and finally making a sculpture or performance in response to that. What i really appreciate about her as an artist is how she doesn't seem to recognize that she has limits. If she sees something that she likes, she goes out and does it without question of her capabilities. The cool thing about the few pieces seen in class is how related they are to each other. She was almost telling a story of how she learned to do this through her end product. I also really like how she incorporates pieces of her life into her works. It makes the work that much more personal.

"Moor". 2001 Janine Antoni

This piece was a response to her wanting to learn how to make rope. Therefore, she went out and learned how. The piece is a long rope made out of a variety of different patterned and textured cloth, as well as many other random materials specific to her. She also made the piece really personal and specific to her by adding in materials from her life such as her old clothes or donations from people she knew. Not only is the piece very special in that no one could make one exactly like her's, but it is also remarkably well done considering that this is one of her first attempts to make a rope out of anything. 

"Touch". 2002 Janine Antoni

This is a theatrical piece that was performed in response to her learning to walk a tightrope which was in response to her learning to make a rope. The purpose of the piece was to illustrate a desire she had to walk on the horizon. The piece was performed by stringing a tightrope across two tractors. She made the piece all the more specific to Janine by having this piece take place in front of her old house in the Bahamas. 

"Saddle". 2000 Janine Antoni

This piece was about her connecting with something that people take advantage of almost every day. The material was rawhide from a cow and was draped over her and hardened to form what she calls a "ghost" of herself. All of the folds and creases are placed specifically by her. The structure created by the hide  and isn't held up[ by anything but the stiffness of the hide itself. What I find interesting is how she almost puts herself in the same posture as a cow would be.

Pawel Kuczynski

Pawel Kuczynski is a polish artist whose work mainly revolves around satirical two-dimensional pieces often commenting in some way on modern culture. His pieces make you think about why we do things as a culture as well as other hot topic issues. Though his pieces aren't meant to be seen as realistic in the slightest, they are meant to be seen as his imagination placed in everyday issues that our society has. 

"Cleaner". Pawel Kuczynski

The piece above is very typical of most of his designs. Not too much of an attempt towards realism. In a way, the piece is very cartoon-like in that the figures aren't given too much detail as well as the clouds aren't convincing enough to be seen as real but nevertheless, his work is more about what the piece is trying to communicate. The concepts themselves are a little bit naive as well. The point of the piece isn't about reality but is more like a "what if we could" statement. What this piece communicates to me is centered around the green movement and how we as a culture are growing more and more conscious about how we affect the world around us. As a result, people make an effort to reduce  pollution which I believe is what is being depicted. 

"Cell Phone" Pawel Kuczynski

This piece is rare in that it shows a more positive situation depending on the way you think of it. In the foreground you have this very realistic cell phone filled with an almost pixel-like texture. The entire piece has this almost computer screen texture to it. the cell phone represents modern technology and how it is always moving forward and becoming more and more advanced. In the background you have the decaying, old technology that is no longer useful. The rest of the piece is purely purposed for the more somber side of the piece in that the silhouetted birds are now without telephone lines to perch upon. This is more of the theme of satire that we see in all of his works. 

"Wedding". Pawel Kuczynski

The same theme applies to this piece as well although in a much less surreal manner. This work has a slightly more realistic feel to it than the others in that something that is impossible isn't being represented here. Again, the underlying meaning behind the piece is what matters more here than the realism. On the left is a very idealized wedding scene that shows the happy couple but on the right, it shows a more serious take on the situation. The piece's title is deceiving in the the term "wedding" has a happy connotation but at the same time, there is this concept of starvation and poverty that is thrown into the mix. 

Reuben Margolin

Artists take many different approaches to coming up with different designs. Some artists use the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary. Reuben Margolin is no exception to that concept. Reuben is a Kinetic sculpture meaning that his works move. What is interesting about how he comes up with designs is that he simply recognizes the amount of math that we constantly interact with. Almost all of his work is based off of mathematical equations and are designed to make you think of something you interact with or see on a daily basis. Most of his work is made by timing pulleys connected to wire in order to have the pieces move in a perfect, mathematically-sound motion. The way that his pieces hang from the ceiling and also move is very surreal. 

"Round Wave". 2005 Reuben Margolin

This work was inspired by the concept of a drop of water and the math that is behind all of the ripples that the impact creates. Though this sculpture doesn't look like the impact of a drop of water, the motion that it was adds a sort of realism that couldn't be instilled into the work without motion. the use of simple materials also allows for the viewer to use his imagination in the work. I also appreciate how he decided not to use planes to connect the circles but rather left them to be independent of one another. Though this decision was probably made for the sake of function, it also sets it apart from directly representing a drop of water but rather representing the math that is behind the drop of water. 

"Square Wave". 2005 Reuben Margolin

The work above is another by Reuben. Rather than a single drop of water however, this is a more mathematical design. The fluidity created by this square wave is seen in real life in any number of areas, from water to an open field with a strong breeze. The wind was his inspiration for this particular piece. This kinetic sculpture illustrates an excellent use of line without plane. The material he used for this was wooden dowels and joints. The motion for this sculpture is created by a system of pulleys that are timed to give it a sort of flowing design. I really like how he took something so solid as wood is and created a fluid curvilinear feel to the piece. 

"Hexagonal Wave". 2008 Reuben Margolin

The picture above is a closeup of a section of the hexagonal wave sculpture. This is almost a fusion of the previous two having been made by wooden dowels and joints but at the same time exhibiting a circular wave that would be seen in the round wave sculpture. While this sculpture exhibits characteristics of the previous two, it creates its own identity by how it moves and the emotion that is given off by the piece. It has a very calming and serene aura about it mostly because of the speed at which it moves but also how the shape resolves itself over and over.