Patchwork Assignment Critical & Contextual Studies December 2020
Simon Fouracre Student No. 20029449
Compare & Contrast
Artist Title Medium Dimensions Location
Artist Title Medium Dimensions Location
Pierre Bonnard 1867–1947 Le Bol de lait Oil paint on canvas Support: 1162 × 1210 mm Frame: 1380×1435×140mm Tate
Juan Gris 1887–1927 Le Pierrot au livre Oil paint on canvas Support: 655 × 508 mm Frame: 836 × 691 × 70 mm Tate
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Compare & Contrast The painting ‘Bowl of Milk’1 , impresses one by the use of light as it floods through a wide window. Similarly ‘Pierrot WIth Book’2, has a figure situated in front of a window but the light effects are very different. In Bonnard’s picture the two tables with objects on give a basic structure. The woman to the right of the central table is about to give a bowl of milk to the cat at her feet. The figure is natural, but Bonnard’s use of white paint suffuses the entire scene in an eerie light. Pierrot by contrast has a more angular style, the artist having been influenced by Cubism. HIs image takes up almost the entire picture and with this single eye above the mouth, and overly large arms and hands,he is an impossible figure. In “Bowl of Milk” the jug and bowl cast a strong shadow, the corner table with the vase of flowers is more shadowed and the woman’s face is highlighted by the light, giving the effect that she is in a trance-like state or asleep. Wessie De Toit3 has said ‘there is something nauseating almost nightmarish about this image’. In Gris’s painting, there are no deep shadow areas, light strikes the central area of Pierrot's jacket as if from a source in front of him, highlighting his buttons and drawing the eye upward to the mouth. The facial features remain distinct even if somewhat more shadowed and the figure is strongly outlined. The window behind Pierrot does not seem to be the light source, adding to the general mystery of the image4. Overall the light is of a softer hue making the image more subdued than the other picture. So we have two works, in which the respective artists have used light in their own ways. The first, Bonnard, captures a scene and transmutes it, giving it an aura of unreality. The second artist, Gris, defines his larger than life figure in paint then casts light on aspects of him, sparking the viewer's curiosity.
Bonnard, Pierre. 1919. Le Bol de Lait (London: Tate Modern) <https://www.tate.org.uk/> [accessed 31 October 2020] 2 Gris, Juan. 1924. Pierrot with Book (London: Tate Modern) <https://www.tate.org.uk/> [accessed 31 October 2020] 3 De Toit, Wessie. 2020. "Notes on “The Bowl of Milk”", Medium <https://medium.com/@wessiedutoit/notes-on-the-bowl-of-milk-b6b93042d54> [accessed 31 October 2020] 4 Mai, James. 2012. Juan Gris’ Compositional Symmetry Transformations (Illinois: Illinois State University) [accessed 31 October 2020] 1
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Timeline
Item one on the timeline is the mustard pot5 from Southern China. The process of making porcelain by heating minerals to a high temperature evolved over 2000 years. Decorative items were being sought after by Europeans at this time roughly corresponding to the fall of the Ming Dynasty. This pot, imported by the Dutch East India Company, contributed to the sum of European art. It is decorated with traditional Chinese scenes. The casket on stand6 from 1745 is a piece of furniture from the workshop of Pietro Piffetti. It is veneered with mother of pearl and gilded copper figures. The stand is made of rosewood inlaid with ivory. Decorated characteristics include the coral conch shell of the casket inlaid with mother of pearl in the form of fish scales, and a statue of Minerva in gilded bronze at the top. A gradual transition to machine production characterised the Industrial Revolution7 broadly beginning in 1760. The last item, made by the Coalbrookdale Ironworks in England, is a garden bench8. This has a medallion and sweeping leaf pattern, also very decorative. The development of the Cornish Engine9 by Trevithick in 1810 was a milestone for industrial progress, as it enabled steam to be pumped at high pressure. This greatly assisted heavy mining machinery and the miners going to and from the coal face.
"Mustard Pot | V&A Search The Collections", Collections.Vam.Ac.Uk, 2020 <http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O168412/mustard-pot-unknown/> [Accessed 30 November 2020] 6 "Casket On Stand | Piffetti, Pietro | V&A Search The Collections", Collections.Vam.Ac.Uk, 2020 <http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O55013/casket-on-stand-piffetti-pietro/> [Accessed 30 November 2020] 7 Trevithick, Francis, Life Of Richard Trevithick (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011) 8 "Bench | Coalbrookdale Company | V&A Search The Collections", Collections.Vam.Ac.Uk, 2020 <http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O380051/bench-coalbrookdale-company/> [Accessed 30 November 2020] 9 Trevithick, Francis, Life Of Richard Trevithick (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011) 5
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Learning Reflection In CCS we firstly learnt to look at other art works; to ask questions to generate interest. The visit to the Tate Modern enabled this, as I was able to select two items which I wanted to know more about. The V&A exercise in the next module caused me to reflect on the impact of historical events in art in general and how it developed. The timeline exercise enabled me to put selected items in an historical context. Discussion with other students in small groups was beneficial as I was able to reflect on their choices and the reasons for them. I believe the exercises have enabled me to increase my critical perception, and this should improve as I progress on the course. In the Formats module, I was involved in the project “This Is Me”, I was able to draw on material from my own life and use it. I learnt about other student’s work and influences in the session in which our work was presented. I found it quite difficult to talk about my work, as I believe others did too, as perhaps family and emotional influences were behind much of it. In the Projects & Techniques module, I enjoyed the drawing exercises the most, as this is what I enjoy. In the 5 minutes and 10 minutes sketches we were guided to create an outline, concentrating on proportion above detail. This was a novel way of working for me, although I see the rationale. Generally a starting point for the other modules was to get a “feeling” for the materials, which I appreciated. Feedback was generally encouraging. An area I would like to improve is to finish a piece well, as I am not very good at knowing how to do this. Looking at other people’s work, taking further advice from tutors or perhaps attending workshops would be beneficial in developing this aspect.
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