Patchwork by Vasilena Todorova

PATCHWORK ASSIGNMENT CP3010 Critical & Contextual Studies: Foundation- Year 2020-21 Vasilena Todorova Student Number: 20023745 Tutor: Dr Jeremy Collins Group Tutor: James Steventon Date of submission: 3 December 2020

CONTENTS 1. Exercise (A) Compare and Contrast, Tate Modern 2. Exercise (B) V&A Timeline 3. Exercise (C) Learning Reflection 4. Bibliography

Exercise (A) Compare and Contrast, Tate Modern

“Head No. 2” - Naum Gabo (1916, enlarged version 1964)

“Head of a Woman” – Pablo Picasso (1924)

The first piece pictured here was produced by Naum Gabo in 1916, during World War I while he lived in Oslo, Norway. The sculpture was made from stainless steel and it is a part of a series of explorations of the human shape, emphasizing space, volume and mass. Head No.2 was Gabo's first masterpiece approved by critics. To create the sculpture the artist was inspired by the cubist paintings of Picasso and the work of Braque and for that reason, his sculpture combines constructivism and cubism.

The second piece is made by Pablo Picasso in 1924. This work is untitled and is one of the few portraits painted by him which do not have known sitter. In his work, we can see how Picasso began to move from Cubism to another direction. “Alfred Barr (1902-81), the founding director in 1929 of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, named Picasso's art of 1923-4 ‘curvilinear' Cubism, due to its exclusion of “rectilinear geometry”. This style was distinguished by a flattening of volume and space, the overlapping and transparency of planes and simultaneity of points of view, disintegration and recombination and generally the independence of colour, form, space and texture without abandoning all reference to nature.’’1 In this style, we can see an equalization of volume and space.

The artists have recreated two images of a woman. In both works, it is used different angles and sides of the head to represent the meaning of the work. Gabo’s sculpture depending on which side and angle the viewer observed it, seems different. When the viewer looks the bust from the side, she appears to be slightly sloping and looking down like she is praying or thinking. If we look at the figure from the front, we will see that she watches the viewer directly and have a completely different look, like she is asking a question or waiting for an answer from the viewer. In the second piece, we can see that Picasso depict the face like it is viewed from different angles, also he combines male and female head to show two sides of the face.

In comparison, in the first piece, the artist used flat metal pieces, leaving space between them.

In this way, the artist achieves volume. If we compare the sculpture with Picasso’s painting, we can see that Picasso creates the opposite effect. By avoiding contrasting colours and using lines, he adds flatness to the head.

1

Kathleen Brunner, revised Matthew Gale (March 2001), ‘Pablo Picasso Head of a Woman 1924’, Tate, (March 2000) <https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/picasso-head-of-a-woman-t06928> [accessed 4 November 2020]

Exercise (B) V&A Timeline

Victoria and Albert Museum - Timeline

Watch Year: 1810-20 Place of origin: Switzerland Artist/ Maker: Unknown

Watch Year: 1615 Place of origin: Blois Maker: Perras, Charles (watchmaker)

1700

1600

1800

1600-1611

1759

The invention of the spring.

Thomas Mudge invents the level escapement

Watch - Hopalong Cassidy Year: 1955 Place of origin: Dundee Maker: Timex (manufacturer)

Pebble Classic, Pebble smartwatch Year: 2014 Place of origin: California (designed) Artist/ Maker: Pebble Technology Corp (designer)

1900 1876 Watches are made from cheaper materials, which allow ordinary people to own them. Pocket watches are still the most popular.

2000 Watch Year: 1982 Place of origin: Taiwan (possibly) Artist/Maker: Rolex (manufacturer)

The first pocket watch was invented in 1505 by Peter Henlein. A similar watch is shown on the timeline in the year 1615. In the following years, the technology continued to develop and watchmakers started to use roman numerals and second arrow.

In 1880 Girard-Perregaux developed the concept of a wristwatch for German naval officers, but by the 1914 wristwatches were worn mainly by women as an accessory. The soldiers continued to wear their pocket watches on their wrists, several companies noticed that and at the end of the 19th century, they began to produce wristwatches. Girard-Perregaux was the first company which started the mass production of this type of watches. After Cartier produced a wristwatch for the pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont to use during flights in 1904, wristwatches became more popular among the men and gradually they replaced pocket watches.

When watches became a growing industry, it was much easier for them to find sponsors for research and improvement. The results were the development and variety of new functions that watches can perform, which further expands the market for them.

In the following years companies start to develop more the functions of the watches and they are focused mainly on the microtechnology. The result of that is the first smartwatch which is shown on the timeline in the year 2014.

Exercise (C) Learning Reflection As a result of my education so far, I have learned a lot. Techniques lectures helped me to learn new ways of drawing and working with different materials. Thanks to the lectures of Formats, I have learned how to be more self-disciplined, but at the same time to think creatively and get out of my comfort zone. From my CCS module, I have learned how to analyze objects, to find the connection between them and their meaning. As a result of CCS exercises, I was able to learn how to research and gather information, as well as how to present my analysis properly formatted.

The feedback I received from my assignments for every module so far has been positive, which motivates me to keep learning. The constructive feedback, helped me to see my mistakes, and work more to improve them.

What I've learned so far has helped me to understand what I'm good at and what are my interests. From Formats and Techniques, I have discovered that I can work very well with colours, materials and lights, also that I pay attention to the details. Thanks to Compare and Contrast exercise for CCS, I realized that I enjoy analyzing historically important objects or events. I have not yet fully perfected my writing skills, but with time and with a lot of practice, I am optimistic that I will be able to develop my writing skills to a better level.

I need to improve my drawing technique, as well as to learn more programs which will help me to do my tasks and also with my work in my professional future. As a result of the Formats task, in which we were divided into teams, I realized that I have to work on how to express and defend my ideas and opinion. I believe that with more practice and more self-confidence, these problems can be resolve.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Exercise (A) Tate, Naum Gabo, Head No.2 1916, enlarged version 1964, Gallery label (August 2004) <https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/gabo-head-no-2-t01520> [accessed 4 November 2020] David Trigg, ‘Naum Gabo: Constructions for Real Life’, Studio international (28 February 2020)<https://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/naum-gabo-constructions-for-real-lifereview-state-st-ives> [accessed 4 November 2020] Kathleen Brunner, revised Matthew Gale (March 2001), ‘Pablo Picasso Head of a Woman 1924’, Tate, (March 2000) <https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/picasso-head-of-a-womant06928> [accessed 4 November 2020] Biography.com Editors, ‘Pablo Picasso Biography’, A&E Television Networks (published date: 2 April 2014, last updated: 28 August 2019) <https://www.biography.com/artist/pablopicasso> [accessed 4 November 2020] Exercise (B) Ariel Adams, ‘The History of Wrist Watches’, A blog to watch (22 November 2011) <https://www.ablogtowatch.com/a-brief-history-of-watches/> [accessed 16 November 2020] Emily Smith, ‘History of horology’, History of Timepieces, Govberg Ontime (date: none) <https://www.govbergwatches.com/blog/history-of-horology/> [accessed 16 November 2020] David Boettcher, ‘The Evolution of the Wristwatch’, History of Watches (date: none) <https://web.archive.org/web/20131208200615/http://vintagewatchstraps.com/wristwatches.h tml> [accessed 16 November 2020]