ART

A Blueprint for an Artist in The Idea of the Temple of Painting

Presenter: Mia Thomas

Faculty Advisor: Haelim Allen

Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo was an Italian painter, writer, and art critic of the 16th century who, in the writing of his treatise, The Idea of the Temple of Painting, communicated complex ideas about art and the individualistic nature of artists. He presents the reader with a blueprint of a metaphorical temple with a layered foundation with the elements of art supported by the columns of old masters such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, and four others. Along with his Idea, he provides an interpretation of these features as a guide to understanding an artist’s character and use of the elements. Lomazzo shares the fundamental need for discernment, diligence, and practice since they are the keys to become a thriving artist and producing good art. Lomazzo had a crucial contribution to the foundation of the study of art philosophy because of his specific ideas about the formation of the artist, art criticism, and the components that produce successful art. While his ideas in their entirety are not wholly original, his Idea challenged his contemporary’s thoughts because of its unique perspective, writing style, and character.

Between Two Practices

Presenter: Kendra Duffey

Faculty Advisor: Haelim Allen

Illustration and fine art are not entirely thought of as the same type of practice. Though both could use similar techniques and skills, the recognition of the work and artist is based on how the work is used and the perception of others. At times, an artist may find themselves between two different practices. This divide between practices may seem confusing and unsettling to the artist if they do not gain their desired recognition. Norman Rockwell lived in the middle of a divide between being an illustrator and wanting to be recognized as a fine artist. Even at an early age, Rockwell aspired to be a fine artist. He soon, however, found himself painting commercially out of his great success in illustration and the financial stability it provided. His early pieces consisted of illustrations for magazine covers such as the Post, and for advertisements. He made a name for himself as an illustrator but could not easily make a name as a fine artist. The art world recognized his work solely as commercial and not taken seriously, at least not to the status of what they considered as fine art. The art world, however, was and is a changing organization whose ideas eventually shifted towards reconsidering Rockwell’s work for fine art status. Norman Rockwell’s conflict of wanting the association of a fine artist, while having a name as a commercial illustrator will be examined, along with showing both when he lacked the association with fine arts and when he gained the association for having fine art qualities.

Mingei: An Invitation to Beauty

Presenter: Noah Paisley

Faculty Advisor: Haelim Allen

Following the westernization and industrialism of Japan as a result of the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the country began to see a shift away from traditional Buddhist philosophy in favor of the consumer nature brought by an industrialized society. Soetsu Yanagi, a Japanese aesthetician, proposed the idea that the country was losing its heart as it began to shed its more spiritual values in the wake of westernization, and that the remedy was to embrace the beautiful aspects of everyday life. Yanagi, along with other craftsmen like Shoji Hamada and Kawai Kanjiro, founded what came to be known as the Mingei. Important to the Mingei philosophy was the belief that everyone deserved to be in close contact with well made, beautiful objects. With the nature of our society being a result of the industrialization of Yanagi’s time, the philosophy that he and others in the movement held can be just as helpful and profound now as it was back then. As Yanagi put it, “Without our realizing it, these unattractive objects have had an enormous impact on our sensitivity to beauty” (Yanagi 2017). And so, with the appreciation of beauty in our everyday lives, the capacity of our understanding and emotion can be increased as we go forward in an age of desensitization to beauty and the natural world.