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Starry Night, The Scream ... What's in a Name?

6/28/2015

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    What's in a name? When you view a work of art, do you see it differently after you learn the title of the piece? Does the title influence the way you interpret the work - should it? Does the title simply serve to identify a specific piece, to allow the viewer to draw his or her own inferences, or is it a shared clue to the artists personal interpretation? There is no one answer. There are probably as many answers as artists!
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Starry Night
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The Scream
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The Umbrellas
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The Son of Man
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The Persistence of Memory
   Some titles seem to be very obvious and straightforward... Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, The Scream by Rene Magritte, The Umbrellas by Auguste Renoir... yet, if one is aware of some of the background of the work, a simple title can an interesting foil to a deeper and more complex meaning. Van Gogh's Starry Night was actually painted from memory during the day, while he was in the St. Paul Asylum after mutilating his ear. Magritte's Scream series evolved from his reaction to the intensity of a blood red sunset. Renoir added the umbrellas five years after painting the original piece was painted as he moved away from impressionism.  Other titles are more complex... The Son of Man by Rene Magritte, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali... suggesting a depth of meaning that invites further exploration and interpretation by the viewer... the meaning of life, religion, eternity... or "Camembert melting in the sun" (according to Dali). In the end, the title is a tool that can be used by the artist to identify or enlighten, manipulate or mystify, or simply to amuse.
    When it comes time to give a "name" or title to a piece of work, I find that, for me, the process can change from piece to piece. I rarely have a title in mind before the piece has been completed. Sometimes I get an idea for a title during the construction process, but more often than not, it happens after I have had time to reflect on the finished sculpture. I enjoy wordplay, and that often factors into the process of naming my sculptures... utilizing homonyms, alliteration, double entendres, or even the occasional pun. I have also "re-cycled" and reinterpreted common phrases. My sense of humor has been known to be an influential factor on more than one occasion. Quite a few of my sculptures have a quirky or humorous twist, so it is only fitting that their titles follow suit, while others present unspoken questions that ask for answers. 
    The title Door Man (top right) seems simple and somewhat obvious, but I purposely did not call it Doorman, so that the title would give the man and the door equal importance. I leave it to the viewer to decide who (or what) it represents and whether he is coming or going. Upon Reflection (middle right) was done for a juried show with the theme of "Reflections" at River Arts Gallery in Damariscotta. I allowed myself to  interpret reflection as deep thought and mirroring images, as opposed to shimmering water or shiny objects. The two mirror image figures consider each other while perched "upon" the twin jaws of the wooden clamp that are also essentially a mirrored "reflections". It is up to the viewer to decide what they are considering. The gestures and attitudes of the two figures in the angled wooden clamp sculpture (bottom right), Ascension To Cloud Nine, led me to the title of the piece. The top figure appears to be relaxed and blissfully unaware, which immediately brought to mind the phrase "cloud nine", while the lower figure seems to be climbing in search of something (...aren't we all?) - ascending to find it. I leave it to the viewer to determine what their own "cloud nine" would be, and what they would do to get to it. As for me, I will continue to create art and play with words.
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Door Man
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Upon Reflection
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Ascension to Cloud Nine
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Bronze Figures and a Wooden Clamp ... Back in the Studio

6/9/2015

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      After a very long, cold, and snowy winter in Maine, I took  a much needed break on a warm tropical island with a white sandy beach. Returned to the studio renewed, refreshed and ready to continue work on my unfinished bronzes. 
                                        * * *
       The first piece that I resumed work on was the one that included the two small figures and the wooden screw clamp. I needed to drill a number of holes so that the figures could be attached to the clamp and so that the clamp could be attached to the piece of yellowheart wood I had set aside to use for the base. After sealing both of the bronze figures with satin finish spray lacquer, I began the assembly process. I started by drilling the holes for the seated figure that was to sit on the end of the top jaw of the clamp. Determining the location of the holes was fairly easy because the attachment pegs extend straight down from the seat of the figure. I was also able to drill a hole in the bottom jaw for the front raised foot of the second figure.
     Before I could drill the holes needed to attach the back foot of the second figure to the base board, I needed to prepare the board. This involved drilling a 1/4" hole in the board that would line up with the hole that I had previously drilled in the bottom slanted side of the lower jaw. I widened and recessed the underside of the hole to accommodate the threaded rod, washer and nut that would eventually hold the clamp to the base. Next I made four small blocks of yellowheart to serve as feet under the base. I drilled a hole and glued a short length of dowel in each block, and then drilled four holes in the bottom of the base board. I sanded the board and the blocks, gave them three coats of satin finish polyurethane, and then glued the blocks into place.
     The next step was to epoxy the seated figure onto the end of the top clamp jaw. I then had to assemble and secure the whole clamp, so that I could determine the placement of the holes for the back foot of the second figure. I put epoxy into the hole in the bottom jaw that the top threaded rod screwed into, and then put epoxy on about an inch of the threads of the bottom threaded rod (just below where it entered the top jaw), and then screwed it the rest of the way in. I also put two small finish nails in near the base of the bottom handle to insure that the rod could not be turned.    
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 Holes drilled for seated figure

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 Holes drilled for attachment

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Pegged wooden blocks for base

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    Running figure set into holes

     I  practiced setting up the second figure using some scrap wood. After I was sure of what I had to do to get the correct placement of the holes for the foot that would attach to the base, I temporarily attached the clamp to the base board and marked the spots where I needed to drill the final two holes. I reattached the clamp to the base board after drilling the holes and then tightened the nut securely. The last step for this project was to epoxy the second figure into place. One project done...on to the next!
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  * For background information on this sculpture see my blog entries for 1/30, 2/24, 3/11, 3/29, 4/11, & 4/29.
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    Author

    Cynthia Smith, Maine artist, originally from Connecticut. Taught art at secondary level for 35 years, retired in 2004. Sculpts in bronze, wood, stone, clay & plaster. Her work can be seen at several mid-coast Maine galleries and shows.

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