The Material Language of Beuys and Antoni Emily Starr
aegis 2007 84
In the decades following Abstract Expressionism and Clement Greenberg’s formalist standards on art, contemporary artists have been abolishing the boundaries of convention in an effort to challenge the gallery system as well as generate awareness of social issues. In addressing the dilemmas of society, the artist is no longer preoccupied with stimulating visual pleasure but rather in questioning the intelligence of the viewer and contemplating philosophical subject matter. To escape the confinement of formal design and the expectation to define the next avant garde movement, they have sought a non-objective approach to their work through performance pieces and the use of unconventional materials (Weintraub 15). The critic, Lucy Lippard declares, “conventional art media are no longer adequate as media to be messages in themselves,” and so the artist must devise a new medium in which to convey their message (Morgan 16). Some such artists have come to rely on the linguistic power of art. Joseph Beuys and Janine Antoni are prominent examples in that they have developed a language of their own through their choice of materials. In today’s fast paced society, it is no longer possible to fully engage the audience with aesthetics alone and it becomes necessary to include a system of encoded meaning that provides a platform on which the artist can communicate with the audience. This task becomes more difficult when confronting a public that “tends to be disinterested, complacent, or already overloaded” (Weintraub 11). By utilizing society’s conventional cognitive association with a particular material as well as incorporating their own personal reference, Beuys and Antoni effectively maintain the viewer’s attention while engaging them in a critique of society. Although Beuys and Antoni are each products of a different generation, their artistic missions cross paths on many levels. Beuys lived amongst the turmoil of World War II and experienced the ravaging effect it had on the psychological and economical atmosphere of Western Germany. He himself was involved with the Nazi regime and served as a radio operator and pilot until his plane crashed in Crimea. He claimed he would have died from wounds received in the accident and the freezing climate if it had not been for the care provided by a native nomadic tribe of Tartars. The tribesmen covered his body in fat to generate heat and wrapped him in felt to insulate the warmth. This was a pivotal experience for Beuys; a rebirth which remained a primary influence in his work throughout the remainder of his life. His objective became reconnecting the public to their spiritual being. As a teacher, he would provide them with the information necessary for a rebirth of their own. According to Beuys, within everyone there lay a dormant “self-determination” which needed to be revitalized (Hopkins 92). The terror of war had paralyzed everyone’s will to tap into their innate ability to control their own destiny. Borer describes the social climate following the war and states, “[the citizens of Europe] were no longer heroic protagonists but deconstructed victims” (14). Under Hitler’s regime, independent and innovative thought was condemned as a threat to what he considered traditional and stable standards. For example, modern art work was banned and destroyed for its departure from classical aesthetics. His
