I think one of the first differences I noticed between Lorna Simpson and some of the other artists we have studied is how her pieces are not only culturally aware and profound, but also extremely aesthetically pleasing. Before absorbing any of her political assertions, I was struck by some of the beauty and elegance in each photo. Many of the artists we have studied depict their political views through gritty, sad, sometimes even violent images to impact their audience. On the contrary, many of Lorna's images seem to be an embrace of culture and even a hopefulness, highlighting the elegance of the female body or even a city scape for empowerment, not a concentration on the negative of political movements.
I also think that Lorna's pieces are interesting because she experiments with her style in each one. In her "Public Sex" series, she showcases urban settings with parks, skylines, and cityscapes. In some of her other images, some had a direct political context while others had a more elegant, aesthetic composition. Lorna has refined, purposeful techniques for each choice she makes with her artwork. As she subject or style changes, she is still able to deliver strong, meaningful messages to her audience.
The image I posted is by Tim Taylor, a conceptual artist who uses his installations to humor his audience. His purpose is to make his audience step back and analyze their day to day routines.
I agree with your remark on Simpson's experiementation. Though it's always nice to have a certain one style that defines one's work, mixing it up makes it so that your work doesnt becaome monotonous or redundant, I think.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your observation in that Simpson's work is very aesthetically pleasing. The pieces do have a type of beauty that really initially strikes the viewer. That being said, I don't necessarily think that a lot of the other work we have seen in the class in not aesthetically pleasing, it's just that Simpson's work is a different type of emotion/though-provoking work.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with both you and Casey that her work is truly beautiful. I really like this and find it to be important, because, for me, when something is beautiful, I am more likely to look at it for longer. This is a huge contrast from Barbara Kruger who would purposely ruin an image to create tension.
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