genre study

Genre study

veins run like traces on a circuit board, and electricity flows like blood. This is the focus of how technology mimics nature but also how different they are being the product of extensive trials and branching into the technology and nature that makes up such a large part of all of our lives. By using specific genres, my aim is to base my art within the expressionism genre so that an emotion can be connoted to each piece or an underlying connotation can be identified from them. Despite aiming for the primary genre of expressionism my art may also for somewhat into realism as a result of may pieces being manipulated from observational drawing during the research phase of my year. Another genre that may be present would be abstract during most of the experiment phases using colour and elements of sculpture to evaluate the effectiveness of particular materials, colours and textures.

Expressionism does not represent how the world is but how it is viewed by an individual, using any mediums to distort reality to the mind’s eye showing others a glimmer of another person’s world and ideas, this the reason I have chosen expressionism as my genre as I will be displaying how I view technology and nature as a single entity and as different as night and day. Traced back to the late 19^th and early 20^th century expressionism is still considered a modernist movement as it places within the time of many other art movements such as cubism, by having such a rich and long lived history expressionism seems an appropriate chose of genre for joining two subjects that otherwise would have little association with each other.

The artists that I have chosen have been the result of personal investigations and outward suggestions as each represent completely different things but all can be connected to the physical and physiological link to the theme of technology and nature within the genre of expressionism. mads Petersen represents both technology in a very literal union showing various organs functioning within a technological shell to represent both the similarities and differences within a single piece. Andy Goldsworthy uses abstract natural sculpture to create emotive visuals many of these pieces taking great patience and delicacy as many of the materials used are very delicate. Christopher Gasparian is the final artist and the one suggested by a teacher, this artist uses wire to from busts and full bodies of people, focusing on the more emotional side of my theme and genre using the wire creatively to create connotations as emotions that question the equilibrium of various norms. Personally my favourite is Mads because his art style is the closest to my own using digital mediums such as Photoshop to create fusions of completely different subjects to create a final piece, my interests within art are similar in such as I do enjoy drawing and painting wildlife but with an unnatural or cybernetic twist.

I was inspired to use this theme and genre as few people seem to focus on the similarities of technology and nature and how despite being different in many ways they are also incredibly similar when taking a biological perspective, such as the DNA within the cell’s nucleus codes functions within the body while programs contain code that acts in a sense, a similar way. Other inspiration came from various museums such as the natural history museum in London and the Birmingham NEC science fair which shown pioneers and historians that make and document the history and future, both as fascinating as each other as fossils seem like outdated models and old products seem like fossils, while revolutionary technology excites like the discovery of a new species. To aid in my research I have also taken biology and IT to give me a deeper understanding of each aspect of my theme. Artists that have provided additional inspiration toward the natural theme are Pollyanna Pickering and Paul Dyson which I met during an art festival and had the chance to talk to about their art. Both of these artists painted animals in a photorealistic genre with many of the subjects being of photos they had taken themselves, these artists had also made considerable amounts of money for charity from their art which is an honourable cause and source of inspiration which I discussed with them.   

The purpose of my theme is to challenge the way technology and nature are representing by focusing how the differences can be combined and juxtaposed, and also how they are also harmonious, as typically within modern art they are shown as challengers to each other, often showing the destruction of either side. People also view technology and nature as completely separate themes therefore I intend to use my theme to change this perspective into a more corresponding one. in short the study of technology and nature.