Robin L.

Zelenka Artist comparison Group 1 Bourgeois and Saar Monthly visits to my mentor in Cincinnati have provided an excellent opportunity for discussions relating my current work with other artists who have either presented, created, or have had concepts similar to my own. Arising out of these conversations, I have researched several artists that upon first sight their work absolutely spoke to me in one way or another. Installations are a new venue that is slowly becoming a part of my personal inventory that is still in its early stage of development, and these women are exceptional in their field which will help me to aspire to new goals within my own work. First and foremost, the sublime has always been a curiosity to me and this was struck within me when I first saw the images of Louise Bourgeois Spider. Spider is a very imposing structure that has confrontational elements within its composition which present a challenge to the viewer. Another type of challenge is presented in the work of Alison Saar entitled Coup, in were the sculpture itself has the decision of challenging itself to break free. Louise Bourgeois Spider was created in 1997 out of steel and mixed media, with dimensions of 175 x 262 x 204 inches. (Bal) Spider was originally created as a part of the Cell series as more of a theoretical piece. At first glance you see a dominating giant spider in bronze resting on top of the round woven steel cage with its legs curved down and over the sides as if to guard its prey, which sets an initial tone of confrontation to the viewer. This first impression is in complete opposition to what is felt when you approach Alison Saar s piece titled Coup. Coup originated in 2006 and is comprised of wood, wire, tin and found objects with an overall dimension of 52 x 168 x 52 inches. (Peterson) The first impression that I had received was not one of confrontation or that there was an imposing threat, but rather the feeling of a relationship to the objects that comprised the installation. Saar s subtle approach uses familiarity so that one can easily

Robin L. Zelenka Artist comparison Group 1 began to relate to the objects, and feel invited to move in for a closer inspection. Coup is just as confrontational, but not until you have observed the complete installation and absorbed all of the information that is available. To fully understand we must look at the entire composition of the piece. Coup is comprised of a life-sized statue of a seemingly African American female carved out of wood and encased in tin seated on a bare average looking wooden chair. The woman is portrayed unclothed looking ahead while attached behind by her long braided hair to a large grouping of baggage. My first impression of this installation was one of simple understanding that we as humans carry or are tied to our past experiences which are quite literally portrayed by the various sizes of suitcases, but as I looked closer I came to the realization that a much more powerful moment was about to take place or was it? Grasped between her two hands resides a pair of scissors, still closed pointing upwards persuading an audience to think about the decision that needs to be made. The confrontation or challenge that resides in this decision compels the audience to look into their own decision making processes and form a relationship with the piece. Spider, by its immediate onset of confrontation, makes it difficult for any viewer to form a similar immediate relationship to. As you progress within Bourgeois Spider, many combinations of fragmented images made out of tapestries are positioned both visible from the exterior and the interior of the cell. Along with these tapestries, there are numerous other found objects used, such as small pieces of bones that are placed in a variety of locations. The most striking placement of the bones is the ones that are lodged within the walls of the cell, about knee height to the spider, that give the viewer a sense of being watched. Within the cell is a single chair that in some ways almost looks as though it was prepared for someone special since it is also adorned with a carefully placed tapestry on the back and seat. An audience of this piece might get the sense that this cell was built for a woman due to a number

Robin L. Zelenka Artist comparison Group 1 of old empty perfume bottles hanging throughout the cell, and that freedom is a possibility with a key dangling nearby. Intriguing placement of images throughout Spider add to the compelling and complex nature of the narrative quality of the piece. Narrative qualities within the composition are an active ingredient common to the work by both Saar and Bourgeois. Bourgeois uses her narrative qualities in a psychodynamic fashion by interplaying elements of atypical visions of childhood trauma intertwined with formal composition. According to Potts, The structure of the story really matters, rather than its manifest content. (Potts) Bourgeois brings her manifest of items together in a sophisticated way to create her stories, and by doing it in this way she infuses it with a touch of the sublime. Multilayered meanings, irony and sublimity are the basis behind the conception of my own work, and Bourgeois has mastered the control within the composition to make all of these formulas fit together. Saar s approach to narration appears much simpler by her predisposition to use multiple objects and real space within the orchestrations of her concepts. (Wilson) My own work has started to develop in a similar fashion by the inclusion of what would be considered to be real space by using life-sized objects within my work. Notably dubbed the Spiderwoman , Bourgeois had held a long and at times controversial career, was born December 31st 1911 in Paris, France. Her family ran a gallery which dealt primarily with tapestries and had a workshop where she helped to repair them, and this is evident because many examples of tapestries hold a prominent position within her pieces. The central core to her work focuses on her recollections of her life dealing with childhood experiences from a domineering, unfaithful father and a calculating, forgiving mother. (Cotter) Comparably Saar also pulls from her own life experiences, but not in the same manner as Bourgeois.

Robin L. Zelenka Artist comparison Group 1 Raised by a set of artistic parents, Saar was born February 5, 1956 in Los Angeles, California. (Manheim) A refined savagery along with a formally trained eye for composition is readily apparent within her work. Saar s work echoes her experiences she encountered by her classical restoration training provided by her father. This training mixed along with a heightened sense of physical awareness that emanated from an actively feminist mother seems to blend amounts of a worldly spirituality into confidently powerful compositions. Her technical experiences gained from childhood played a great deal in the shaping and technical expertise within her own work. Both artists share common threads that relate to my work, because as it matures, I have begun to establish much more of a relationship to chronicled events from my childhood. By using these incidents to create work that draws upon my own personal narrative rather than using one that is ambiguous or overly generalized assists me in my endeavors to create a more confident wellorchestrated body of work. These efforts also relate to my personal experience with a large variety of materials and the willingness to continue my exploration into less familiar items by experimentation.

Robin L. Zelenka Artist comparison Group 1

Bibliography
Bal, Mieke. "Narrative inside out: Louise Bourgeois' Spider as Theoretical Object." Oxford Art Journal (1999): 103-126. Cotter, Holland. "Art & Design." 31 May 2010. NY Times. 29 September 2011 <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/arts/design/01bourgeois.html?pagewanted=all>. Manheim, James M. Alison Saar. September 2006. 29 September 2011 <http://www.answers.com/topic/alison-saar>. Peterson, Chantel. "Santa Barbara Arts and Entertainment." 20 November 2009. Examiner. 18 September 2011 <http://www.examiner.com/art-in-santa-barbara/alison-saar-at-the-atkinsongallery-sculptures-of-african-artifact-and-memory>. Potts, Alex. "Louise Boourgeois: Sculptural Confrontations." Oxford Journals (1999): 39-53. Wilson, Judith. "Down to the Crossroads: The Art of Alison Saar." Callaloo (1991): 107-123.