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| Miniature #30 - February 20 - 26, 2012, 4 x 4 in, mixed media on wood |
I worked hard on the muldenfaltenstil drapery in mini 30. (Muldenfaltenstil is a fantastic word that means "a style with hairpin folds." I think it's pretty funny that there's a word for that. I learned it from one of my favorite professors, but don't get a chance to use very often; so, I thought I'd take advantage of this opportunity and spread the word.) I can see the influence of a few of my favorites in this one (a pinch of DeChirico, a sprinkle of Delvaux, a smattering of Mantenga), but like minis 10, 11, 12, and 13, the overall flavor is Gothic. Part of my interest in Gothic art has to do with the level of intricacy in Gothic forms like ivories, illuminated manuscripts, and stained glass, but I think it's more than just the form of Gothic art that intrigues me. I got so involved working on this, that I put teeny, tiny sheep in the background. I think that sense of being totally committed to the world of the artwork relates to the reason why I love Gothic art. I'm not sure how best to explain it, but I feel like Gothic art is dogmatically consistent in following through on of its own internal logic - as if it taps into an alternate universe and fully commits to following the laws of that universe (regardless of whether they're intelligible to the viewer). For example, I think a Gothic aesthetic view would be that the sheep are there because they belong there from within the work, and it doesn't matter that they can't really be seen from the outside looking in. I think a more contemporary viewpoint might be to ask if they mean anything if they can't be seen, and maybe even to assert that "conceptual sheep," the identification of the sheep in the accompanying text, would be sufficient to honoring the idea of sheep within the artwork, without drawing actual micro-sheep. It leaves me with a question - do artists dream of conceptual sheep?
As promised - the flyer for the March Exhibition (click on it to enlarge)
