Page Layouts to Consider

The Swing

In the early years of the 1700s, at the end of the reign of Louis XIV (who dies in 1715), there was a shift away from the classicism and "Grand Manner" (based on the art of Poussin) that had governed the art of the preceding 50 years, toward a new style that we call Rococo. Versailles was abandoned by the aristocracy, who once again took up residence in Paris. A shift away from the monarchy, toward the aristocracy characterizes this period.What kind of lifestyle did the aristocracy lead during this period? Remember that the aristocracy had enormous political power as well as enormous wealth. Many chose leisure as a pursuit and became involved themselves in romantic intrigues. Indeed, they created a culture of luxury and excess that formed a stark contrast to the lives of most people in France. The aristocracy, only a small percentage of the population of France, owned over 90% of its wealth. A small, but growing middle class does not sit still with this for long (remember the French Revolution of 1789).

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, oil on canvas, 1767 (Wallace Collection, London)

Lets take a close look at a typical Rococo painting, Fragonard's The Swing also known as The Happy Accidents of the Swing. As with most Rococo paintings, the subject is not very complicated! Two lovers have conspired to get this older fellow to push the youg lady in the swing while her lover hides in the bushes. Their idea is that as she goes up in the swing, she can part her legs, and he can get a perfect view up her skirt. They are surrounded by a lush, over grown garden. A sculptured figure to the left puts his fingers to his mouth, as though saying "hush," while another sculpture in the background has two cupid figures cuddled together. The colors are pastel -- pale pinks and greens, and although we have a sense of movement and a prominent diagonal line -- the painting lacks all of the seriousness of a baroque painting.

If you look really closely you can see the loose brushstrokes in the pink silk dress, and as she opens her legs, we get a glimpse of her garter belt. It was precisely this kind of painting that the philosophers of the Enlightenment were soon to condemn. They demanded a new style of art, one that showed an example of moral behavior, of human beings at their most noble.

I really like how much meaning this has behind it . to me iw ould look at it and brand it another painting. what i though another meaningless painting. but after looking into it i found there was more to it. there is alot of meaning to this painting. all of which is relevant to the past. what looks to be somthing innocent is not.its very sly and deveous. there are so many meaning. so much happening. that when you look at it more, you pick out all the bits that link to that very story. and for that reason I really love this painting.

Margarita Cabrera

Magarita Cabrera is an amazing soft sculpture artist who recreates everyday household appliances using vinyl fabric which she stitches together. The threads that hold the sculpture together left uncut and untied.There is a political message hidden within Cabrera’s work, originally from mexico she emigrated to the United States with her family as a child, Caberera’s sculptures take every day objects that are manufactured or have parts manufactured in Mexico and she replaces them with vinyl fabric she leaves any components that are manufactured elsewhere on the object. Mexican factory workers manufacture the most toxic parts of these appliances the parts that hold the item together, become fabric held together by a thread.The metal components that Cabrera leaves in the sculptures are a shiny contrast with the vinyl reflecting the contrast between manufacturing and production in Mexico and the U.S, between her home land and her home.

I love how she stitches the fabric but doesnt turn it inside out to make edges neat.by the looks of it she likes to have this unfinished look about her work, this is also aparant in the way she leaves all of the threads hanging , she also leaves them untied. giving the sense that it can be undone easily. and isnt well made. but simulary it is well made. she creates her sculptures out of fabric yet they are still free standing in a way that looks like they shouldnt be stood.i dont quite understand it.

i don like her work though. I love how she keeps the parts that are not made in mexico and recreates the things that were.meaning more concept behind it all.

Craig Fisher

http://www.craig-fisher.com/page2.htm

I like how craig fisher takes violence and normalises it as much as he possibly can, he does this by using fabric which is seen to be a very feminine thing and making violent set ups . some of his work, needs you to look close. because its only when you look do you see that sometimes it is not what it seems.

he hand stitches all of his work, he likes the idea of graft and hard work. this is one of the reasons why I can link this work to my fourth plinth, simply because my work is about how lazy people have become and how much people used to work before appliences and machinery came in to do it for us.  i think the concept of my artwork will be more about the work gone into it , and the though process behind it rather than the sculpture itself, although it will still have meaning and still have visuals ,

one particular piece that craig fisher has done is vomit , which was made entirly out of sequins, but again its not only until you look up close do you realise. all of them individually hand stitched. to create the desired effect. and as for the vomit. its taking something seen to be grose and discusting and making it look nice and pretty.something you would never look at and relate those words to .

the blood stains above do not look like blood stains. but the splatter of them replicates how it would look visually. maybe not the embossed site to it . but the shapes are spot on. im not sure if he had a violent background but it seems that way, seen as he has everything precise and corect. or maybe he has seen alot of violence.why would he want to make it normal, when violence isnt meant to be normal ,

Finally !!

Getting really into the forth plinth and manifesto project. its something im really intrested in, and something i will take the time to go find out more about. its so intresting

FUCK OFF THOUGHTS!!!!!!

A month ago I knew what I wanted to do . now I don't know what to do. tomorrow I could know exactly my intentions. who knows. because I'm afraid to say I don't !!!!!

Personal Statment

Getting all Het up about my personal statement. I cant Bloody do it . AHHHHHHHHHH.. I Don't know what to put and quite frankly starting to give less of a shit the more I Fucking think about it  !!!!!!

Do I want this any more ? Is god real ? is there such things as ghost? 

What the actual Fuck !!!!!