The theme that I chose to focus on for this blog is Environmental Arts during the Post-Modern Era. Environmental artists create pieces that are often in nature and focus on nature. This art also is created in a way that it will not last. This style of art breaks many of ideals set for the arts in the past. This type of art is focused on nature and the environmental problems that are happening. For this exhibit I choose to focus on three different artists and two works from each artist.
The first artist I focused on is Andy Goldsworthy. Andy Goldsworthy is a British Environmental Artist who has done works all around the world. His goal is to understand nature in the best way that he can. By working with nature and its natural processes this is how he accomplishes understanding it.
The first work I looked at by Goldsworthy was Sycamore leaves edging the roots of a sycamore tree created in Hampshire in 2013. By placing the sycamore leaves around the roots of the sycamore tree the tree trunk appears to be glowing. This work really emphasizes the beauty of nature, as it is subtle but brings out more of the beauty that nature has to offer.
The second work I looked at is known as Icicles Frozen to Icicles, created in Dumfriesshire, Scotland in 2010. The piece was created and fell apart a few days later which is a great example to what Environmental Art is all about. Yet again, this is something so simple but something so beautiful that truly compliments natures beauty. One thing that I really enjoy about Andy Goldsworthy’s work is all of his art mixes well with nature, nothing is ever really popping out. He cooperates with nature to complement its beauty.
The second artist that I chose to focus on is Michael Grab. Michael Grab is an Environmental Artist whose work is focused on rock balancing, also known as Gravity Glue. Michael Grab first began this in Boulder, Colorado in 2008. He uses rock balancing as a way to meditate and relax.
The first piece I looked at by Grab was THE Leaf, created in Boulder, Colorado in Autumn of 2015. This rock balance, to me, depicts the balance between life and nature. The yellow colored leaf really stands out against the brown rocks and dark water. These rocks could be knocked down by any wrong move, proving that they too are not permanent.
http://gravityglue.com/the-leaf/#jp-carousel-146484
Grab’s second piece I looked at is titled, Asymmetry and was created in California in 2015. This arch hovering over the creek certainly has more stability than Grab’s other creation, THE Leaf but the amount of patience and time it took to create this must be unfathomable. Though this structure appears to be more stable, it too is not permeant.
http://gravityglue.com/asymmetry/#jp-carousel-146303
The third artist that I focused on for this exhibit is Christ Jordan. Chris Jordan is an American artist who focuses on the waste created by America’s mass production. Christ Jordan accomplishes showing this through photography.
The first photograph that I chose to focus on was Plastic Bottles, captured in 2007. This photograph captures the two million bottles used by people in the United States every five minutes. This photograph brings a lot of emotion; it is difficult to fathom that this is the amount of waste (for one product) that is produced every five minutes. At first I had a difficult time telling what was in this photograph but as soon as I figured it out I was in shock.
http://arcadenw.org/blog/the-art-of-waste-the-photography-of-chris-jordan
Another emotionally-charged photograph created by Jordan is titled Recycling Yard #6, taken in Seattle in 2004. Jordan once again photographs waste created by the human population to allow the viewer to realize how wasteful we are. He truly brings reality into perspective with his photographs. Once again, this photo shocked me.
http://arcadenw.org/blog/the-art-of-waste-the-photography-of-chris-jordan
Works Cited
Grab, Michael. Gravity Glue, 2016, gravityglue.com/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.
Grab, Michael. “Asymmetry – Gravity Glue.” Gravity Glue, 15 Oct. 2015, gravityglue.com/asymmetry/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.
Grab, Michael. “THE Leaf – Gravity Glue.” Gravity Glue, 15 Nov. 2015, gravityglue.com/the-leaf/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.
Grab, Michael. “The Art of Rock Balancing by Michael Grab «TwistedSifter.” TwistedSifter, 2 Jan. 2013, twistedsifter.com/2013/01/rock-balancing-art-by-michael-grab/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016.
Green Museum. “WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL ART?” Environmental Art Museum, 2010, greenmuseum.org/what_is_ea.php. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016.
Guay, Abigail. “The Art of Waste: The Photography of Chris Jordan.” ARCADE | Dialogue on Design, 14 July 2014, arcadenw.org/blog/the-art-of-waste-the-photography-of-chris-jordan. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016.
Mok, Kimberley. “Top 5 Environmental Artists Shaking Up the Art World : TreeHugger.” TreeHugger, 18 Feb. 2009, www.treehugger.com/culture/top-5-environmental-artists-shaking-up-the-art-world/page2.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016.
Morning Earth. “Artist/Naturalist Andy Goldsworthy.” Morning Earth Connects & Celebrates Arts & Ecology, www.morning-earth.org/ARTISTNATURALISTS/AN_Goldsworthy.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.
NPR. “Sculptor Turns Rain, Ice And Trees Into ‘Ephemeral Works’ : NPR.” NPR.org, 8 Oct. 2015, www.npr.org/2015/10/08/446731282/sculptor-turns-rain-ice-and-trees-into-ephemeral-works. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.
Orr, Gillian. “Andy Goldsworthy’s Ephemeral Works: Artwork That is a Testament to Passing Time.” The Independent, 17 Oct. 2015, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/andy-goldsworthys-ephemeral-works-artwork-that-is-a-testament-to-passing-time-a6694826.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016.
Cassidymkelly Blog 
Cassidy I thought that your Post Modern Blog was well-done. When reading through the material on the Post Modern Era I was really interested in learning more about environmental art. Growing up in Colorado and then living in Alaska I really appreciate the beauty of the outdoors and the pieces you selected to feature were amazing. I had to read through the description for Goldsworthy’s Sycamore leaves edging the roots of a sycamore tree several times because the gold and yellow colors around the roots are so bright I wondered if they used paint or altered the picture but it looks like with lots of time and effort they just arranged the leaves they found in nature so carefully. Fall is my favorite time of year because of the beauty of the colors in the trees. The pieces you featured by Michael Grab were beautiful as well and seem to defy gravity. I would love to have a photo book with pictures of his creations because they are so beautiful and enjoyable to look at because they don’t seem possible to the human eye. I went to his website and looked at artwork he created in Aspen because I grew up in that area. I found a piece he crated in 2012 that was really beautiful because and they did a time lapse video so you could see the progress of it coming together.
LikeLike
Wow, all of the pieces you chose are incredible! The Icicles Frozen to Icicles is my favorite (I claim I hate winter… maybe I should reevaluate). I did some digging on Goldsworthy and found a few more cool pieces. I am in love with the second one. His work is definitely unique!
http://visualmelt.com/Andy-Goldsworthy
LikeLike
I got pretty intrigued by Goldsworthy’s work after seeing your blog. I noticed you wrote, “He cooperates with nature to complement its beauty.” That’s a perceptive observation that I started agreeing with after looking carefully at those works you wrote about.
I got curious about Goldsworthy and learned he does permanent installations too, often times out of stone. There are some good examples of this at the wikipedia entry on him . Yet, it his temporary pieces, like you wrote about, that grab my initial interest. Like the natural materials he works with; they are bound to grow then decay.
LikeLike
I got pretty intrigued by Goldsworthy’s work after seeing your blog. I noticed you wrote, “He cooperates with nature to complement its beauty.” That’s a perceptive observation that I started agreeing with after looking carefully at those works you wrote about.
I got curious about Goldsworthy and learned he does permanent installations too, often times out of stone. There are some good examples of this at the wikipedia entry on him . Yet, it his temporary pieces, like you wrote about, that grab my initial interest. Like the natural materials he works with; they are bound to grow then decay.
LikeLike
I really liked your post and your subject matter. The way you structured your post was extremely good, I really liked how you started with the really pretty picturesque rock balancing of Andy Goldsworthy and you then sharply contrasted it with the works of Christ Jordan and his art based upon human consumption and waste. I really enjoy this art form due to its variedness, I have seen rocks balanced like that in real life, it is an incredibly complex process and quite a bit of math and geometry to get it to work and balance correctly. Not only does Goldsworthy have a real talent for balancing rocks but he also is a fantastic photographer. Jordan’s photos contrast very well and they really do show an important aspect about waste though I do no care for his particular style I do understand his message.
LikeLike
I had the most fun reading peoples postmodern art blogs as the relevance and creation of works not fundamentally or traditionally explained as art excites me. I enjoyed the focus on nature in your blog and how recreating art in a natural setting allowed the artist to tease us with the nature of natural art while using minimalist tools in an effort to not spoil the existing environment.
LikeLike