Subversion as a device/concept - AS 90913 || Art (BLOG POST 4)

Surrealist Subversion - read or listen or watch.

Locate one artwork - thumbnail and label everything.

ORIGINAL - "The Disquieting Muses" Giorgio De Chirico

THUMBNAIL

Describe the Artwork.

The artwork is partly busy and is quite interesting to look at. We can see red buildings in the background, which are strongly shaded. The perspective on the wood plank ground goes further in as it gets further away, creating depth. Three figures appear to have human qualities and a few other miscellaneous items. The focal point appears to be the orange thing on the statues head, then it goes down the statue, passing over to the statue in the middle. The lines then take you back to the red buildings behind. The next thing that would be seen would likely be the shadows, then the third statue. 

Explain how subversion is demonstrated in this artworks subject matter.

The red mask and the staff in the front are both allusions to muses- tragedy and comedy. The statue in the back is Apollo, leader of the muses. As this painting was made during World War I, I think it gives the impression that it seems like a joke, but still viewing the morbid qualities of the war itself. I got most of this information from Wikipedia. 

This artwork inspired a poem by Sylvia Plath, also titled "The Disquieting Muses". 

De Chirico painted this in the city of Ferrara during World War I, and he considered Ferrara to be a perfect "metaphysical city" and used much of the cityscape of it within the painting. The three muses in the foreground are disquieting due to the fact that they were a pathway to overcome appearances and enabled the viewer to join in with a discourse of the unknown. From here.

Explain how subversion is demonstrated in the space and paint application used by De Chirico.

Subversion is demonstrated by the spacing out of objects within the piece, and the depth narrowing down in the centre. The shading on the piece is harsh and bold, possibly outlining the seriousness of the topic he is trying to highlight within the work.

What similarities can you list between Tawhiao and De Chirico's work?

They both use bold colours to emphasise their ideas. 

They both focus on certain objects or figures in their artwork-- as De Chirico uses a lot of figures or ancient statues with human-like properties whereas Tawhiao seems to use a lot of Maori patterns and fish within her work.

Tawhiao and De Chirico both seem to make use of a grid-- though De Chirico's is less noticeable compared.