3/14/2018 0 Comments Art Critique Paper- Kate MacDowell"We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words--to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it." – C.S. Lewis.
This piece is by Kate MacDowell, titled "Canary". MacDowell's work explores how our ideal union with the natural world conflicts with our contemporary impact on the environment. She expresses the impact of environmental stressors including climate change, toxic pollution, and gm crops on the natural world while incorporating ideas from myths, art history, and figures of speech. In many pieces, she explores one aspect of the human figure and unites it with nature. Other times, she creates figures of creatures from nature and gives them safety equipment as if they are trying to protect themselves from man-made environmental threats. In each case, the union between man and nature is shown to be one of friction and discomfort, showing that "we too are vulnerable to being victimized by our destructive practices." Kate uses porcelain for her pieces, generally creating a solid form and then hollowing it out. Smaller forms are created petal by petal, branch by branch, allowing her to become familiar with the individual figures and aspects of nature. As said by Kate, "I see each piece as a captured and preserved specimen, a painstaking record of endangered natural forms and a commentary on our own culpability." This particular piece, "Canary" is a clear display of Kate's incredible craftsmanship. This piece is a carefully shaped pair of lungs made out of porcelain. Kate hollowed out the inner chamber of the lungs and created figures of canaries within the lungs, as well as on top of and below them. When it is dark, there is a light glowing within the lungs to illuminate the figures of the birds within, creating shadows. Because of the light, the viewer is able to see intricate veins and what appear to be branches and leaves within the lungs. The light also emphasizes the outer texture of the lobes, which seems to be a circular, patterned texture. There are also creases on the outside of the lungs, including two creases on the right lung (the viewer's left) and one crease on the left lung (the viewer's right). In the middle of the two lobes is the trachea, which Kate created with incredibly accurate ridge-like texture. The size of both lungs seems accurate to real human lungs, with the left lung seeming slightly larger and of a different shape than the right lung. The porcelain remains its natural off-white shade without color, but when it is dark the illumination within the lungs creates a pleasing mixture of gold with gray and black. The piece as a whole creates an intriguing, but aesthetically pleasing effect. The viewer almost feels uncomfortable looking at an organ that is within their body, united with nature through the presence of canaries within the lungs. Kate's use of light to create dimension and color in her piece is stunning to me. Although she did not add any color to the set of lungs themselves, she skillfully manipulated light and shadow to create dimension in the piece. This gives the piece an almost eerie feeling, yet causes the viewer to see the human lungs through an eye of beauty. Without the light to illuminate the inside of the lungs, the birds within would not be visible. While the figures of the birds are clearly recognizable, the veins and structures within the lungs seem to take the form of branches and leaves in the light. Kate also uses shape within the piece through the precise design of the lungs to accurately replicate a real human organ. Shape and lines have also been utilized in the exterior texture of the lungs through the circular pattern and the creases in the lobes. This use of three-dimensional texture adds an element of realism to the piece, capturing the viewer with incredible detail. It's almost as if the piece had been created from a mold of real human lungs, achieving impressive depth within the piece. Kate's design for this piece, as with many of her other pieces, effectively draws the attention of viewers and conveys a visual mood that some would define as strange, uncomfortable, or carnal. Her ability to create the figures of the human lungs and of the birds effectively conveys this almost dark, eerie feel to the piece. Kate's artist statement encompasses her beliefs surrounding all of her pieces. Concerning her cohesive body of artwork, Kate has stated the following: "In my work this romantic ideal of union with the natural world conflicts with our contemporary impact on the environment. These pieces are in part responses to environmental stressors including climate change, toxic pollution, and gm crops. They also borrow from myth, art history, figures of speech and other cultural touchstones. In some pieces aspects of the human figure stand-in for ourselves and act out sometimes harrowing, sometimes humorous transformations which illustrate our current relationship with the natural world. In others, animals take on anthropomorphic qualities when they are given safety equipment to attempt to protect them from man-made environmental threats. In each case the union between man and nature is shown to be one of friction and discomfort with the disturbing implication that we too are vulnerable to being victimized by our destructive practices. I hand sculpt each piece out of porcelain, often building a solid form and then hollowing it out. Smaller forms are built petal by petal, branch by branch and allow me the chance to get immersed in close study of the structure of a blossom or a bee. I chose porcelain for its luminous and ghostly qualities as well as its strength and ability to show fine texture. It highlights both the impermanence and fragility of natural forms in a dying ecosystem, while paradoxically, being a material that can last for thousands of years and is historically associated with high status and value. I see each piece as a captured and preserved specimen, a painstaking record of endangered natural forms and a commentary on our own culpability." In relation to this statement, Kate's piece "Canary" could express various meanings as interpreted by the viewer. I believe that Kate purposely placed birds within the human lungs as an expression about air quality and how the pollution we are creating not only damages our lungs, but also infringes upon nature's right to breathe free. Just as in the piece the birds are living within the human lungs, intruding on the natural respiratory process, so we are intruding on the health and freedom of the natural world with our destructive behavior. But what we do not realize is that we are not immune to our own damage. I was initially drawn to this piece because while considering a topic for my sculpture piece, I have been considering both birds and lungs. Birds, because to me they symolize freedom, and lungs because my uncle died at age 15 from lung disease and I have been wanting to create some sort of tribute to him. The two seem to go strangely well together, and when I found this piece incorporating the both of them in a 3D design, I was intrigued. This piece reminds me of the quote by Emma Lazarus that says, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." because to me the birds within the lungs represent the ability to breathe freely and express yourself with your own breath. But not everyone has this freedom. So many even in our country are powerless to stand up for themselves, including refugees, those suffering in abusive households, children aborted in the womb, and orphans who do not have a home. It is our job to be their voice, and to use our lungs and our breath to lift our voices for their sakes. There are also those who can no longer breathe free because of the physical ailments on their bodies. For example, because of my Uncle's disease, he could not breathe freely or live life without the restraints of his body. Another example of this that I saw this week was when a man living with the ALS disease came to Beta Club to talk with us about ALS. His muscle function was failing and no longer was he able to speak or even breathe for himself. Instead, a machine was literally keeping him alive there in front of us. Seeing him really moved me and challenged me to be the voice for people like him, who cannot breathe free. Looking at this artwork brings to mind all of these thoughts, even though MacDowell's purpose for creating the art is very different than my own interpretation. While her methods for creating a porcelain set of lungs to express the fragility of human life and life within the natural world, emphasizing the idea of our destruction of air quality, my interpretation of the piece is different. And that is what makes art so incredible- because every person sees the piece with a different perspective based on their own character and beliefs. To me, this piece does hold intrinsic value- firstly, because of the aesthetically pleasing element of the work. The craftsmanship of the piece is intriguingly excellent, and the overall design of the sculpture, along with the detail and realism of it as a whole, automatically gives it value in my eyes. Secondly, because of how strongly and effectively the message of the piece is conveyed. While it is generally clear or can be determined what Kate's meaning is behind this piece, it also leaves room for the viewer to develop his or her own ideas and interpretations. The piece is imaginative and also, in some ways, unnatural or disturbing. Some viewers may feel uncomfortable with the image of a human organ displayed so realistically, and then paired with the figures of birds. However, that unusual element to the piece is a defining characteristic of Kate's piece and is vital to her message. I think the uniqueness of this piece in particular will capture the attention of the viewer and begin discussion about the union between humankind and the natural world, as well as the impact we have had on life in our environment. Overall, Kate's piece "Canary" is a work of incredible craftsmanship. Through her use of shape, line, color, light, and shadow, she created a piece with incredible three-dimensional depth and realism. The elements of art are working in her favor, and her manipulation of her resources and design tools show great skill. She successfully expresses the values and purposes she discusses in her artist statement, drawing the attention of the viewer and making them aware of the relationship between humans and nature. That relationship can be beautiful and seamlessly beneficial to both the human and the natural world, but it can also be uncomfortable and damaging. We have come upon a time when our presence on the earth is, in many ways, infringing upon nature's ability to breathe free, enslaving animals through pollution and captivity. But what we don't seem to understand is that our destructive activity is taking a toll on our lungs and our bodies as well. Other meanings of this work are often up to the interpretation of the viewer, as it was for me when I first saw it. It reminded me that not every human being has the ability to breathe freely, either because of physical enslavement, persecution, or abuse, or because of a disease slowly killing their body. Whatever the case, it is vital that we speak out for those who are not free, acting as the voice, or as the "breath" of those who have none. You give life, You are love You bring light to the darkness You give hope, You restore Every heart that is broken Great are You, Lord It's Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise We pour out our praise It's Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise To You only All the earth will shout Your praise Our hearts will cry These bones will sing Great are You, Lord Works Cited
http://www.katemacdowell.com/index.html
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