I decided to read about Gillian Wearing for this blog. She works as a photographer documenting a world not many people get to see. Wearing works to discover the secrets ordinary people carry with them and hide from others. Her photo series Signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say allowed average people to say what they really felt, no judgments made, just a way to confess their troubles. I loved this idea, and have had friends do similar things.
The questions I'm responding to are from the user's manual and relate to documenting past events and the truth that lies within the piece of art.
A) Art as a repository for collective memory essentially documents works that have been deemed important to a global society. Whatever message the art conveys, reflects the beliefs and conceptions of a society. Prior to the invention of photography any work of art could be seen as subjective, especially if one's opinion might lean towards realism and facts. It was the artist's decisions as well as abilities that influenced their work and until photography came about, what they felt should be included in their work became the only source of visual information. When photography came on the scene, this new technology allowed a moment to be captured permanently, therefore any question raised could be answered factually with a photograph. Photography in the common era can obviously be reproduced as well. So as opposed to having only one painting to show the world, you can reproduce the image and anyone who wants to could hold the work in their hands. Photography allows the collective memory of art to represent actual moments in time and the truth will be evident to anyone who sees the photograph.
B) To say that the Third of May, 1808 by Francisco Goya is a memorial is fairly obvious. It is a memory/story of the French retaliation against the Spanish who ambushed Napoleon's soldiers the day before. The French fought back by executing Spanish citizens, and the execution is illustrated in this painting. However I would not go so far as to call it an official memorial because it is Goya's interpretation of the story. There is no doubt that this incident took place, but the facts and details of what happened shouldn't be taken from this painting. The way the men are arranged, the expressions on their faces were Goya's influence, and he meant to encourage empathy for the Spanish peasants through this painting. It seems as though this painting could be seen as propoganda to enrage and empower the Spanish people. This would be a case where photographic evidence would show the truth and the reality of the scene might be more powerful than a painted memorial. An example of photographic evidence might be the famous vietnam headshot photograph...
Sometimes a photograph is just more powerful, and I am reminded why I have a passion for photography.
So on to happier things! :-) I think my practice of searching for new inspiration and things that pique my interest will help me give my students ideas on how to find their own intrests and passions that will help guide them as artists. I think that is what is most essential to being an artist, the ability to find inspiration if you know how to go looking for it. Artists spend a great deal of time working and re-working and this helps create patience which is very important when it comes to teaching others how to create on their own. I will use my artwork to show my background and abilities, but I want my students to see a wider range of artwork, including working artists in the community and around the world. I plan on continuing my art education throughout my life. I want to travel and see how different artists work and their ideas so I can bring that back to my own artwork as well as influencing my student's work. I think it is incredibly important to continue learning about art especially if you are a teacher. The concept of art changes over time and with the rapid pace of technology the methods of art could change drastically in the time I will be teaching in.
I think the realtionship between teaching and art making is that they both go hand in hand. To make any kind of art a skill must be taught and new ideas introduced by others could be considered teaching. Growing up, I taught myself how to draw, making and learning about the art are very similar if not the same.
I will most likely be working with technology most of the time when I am a teacher. Hopefully I will be able to teach photography classes at some point so I will need to constantly be learning new technologies to keep up with the fast pace of photography. There is a way to maintain creativity even if students are working mostly with technology. If you give a student enough training on a certain program they will find a way to make it their own. Technology doesn't mean lumping students all in the same barrel, it is allowing them to take control and make decisions for themselves.
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