Food Fair & Club Rush

Hey all,

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped support the Chaffey Art History Association last Wednesday at the Food Fair / Club Rush. We made about $55 to put towards upcoming events. We'll keep you all posted with those upcoming events and 'outings'.

We also hope to see some new faces at the next CAHA meeting on March 2nd!! :D

Thanks again; your support is appreciated!

-Julie Mason
CAHA President

P.S:
For those of you who are taking or have taken Art 3, you might recognize this!

Only, this is at Disney's California Adventure!

CAHA

The next meeting of the

Chaffey Art History Association

Thursday, March 2
2:00 @ Student Activities office
in Campus Center East (CCE)

Hope to see you there!

Questions: ChaffeyAHA@mac.com

Go to Europe this summer!

Information Meetings for
Chaffey Study Abroad Program
ART OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
May 30 – June 16, 2006

Get the info about this great trip.
Bring your friends or family.
Everyone Welcome!

Meeting Times and Location:

• Feb. 22 @ 12:30-1:30 PM in VSS-108
• March 1 @ 7:00-8:00 PM in VSS-108
• March 6 @ 12:30-1:30 PM in VSS-108
• March 15 @ 7:00-8:00 PM in VSS-108


New itinerary and application.

questions: john.machado@chaffey.edu

Animation celebrates its 100th birthday.

The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Project Blog is honoring James Stewart Blackton, the father of sketch animation, on the 100th birthday of the artform.

James Stewart Blackton was a "Lightning Sketch Artist" in Vaudeville billed as "The Komikal Kartoonist". Inspired by Thomas Edison's recent invention of moving pictures, Blackton teamed with Albert E. Smith to form the first movie studio, Biograph Films.

Smith and Blackton created what were then called "Trick Films"... the camera was stopped for a moment while the scene was changed, making things magically appear and disappear; images dissolved from one to another; and shots were double exposed to create ghostly images. In 1900, Blackton experimented with putting his lightning sketch act on film in a movie called "The Enchanted Drawing", but it was in March of 1906 when he made his most important breakthrough. In a trick film titled "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" Blackton created what is regarded as the first American animated film.

Catholic Saints

Today during a discussion of the Baroque sculpture of Saint Teresa of Avila in Ecstasy (1645-52) by Bernini, a series of questions were posed regarding sainthood. How is one named a saint? Who can be named a saint? Are there many female saints? And, there was a question about St. Mary.

I am an art historian, not a theologian, but along with studying art from this period you do learn a bit about the practices of the Catholic Church. Now that I am back in my office I am wondering if I might have left out some information or possibly not been clear enough on some key points. Therefore, I am going to provide some more information here with some links for further reading.

First, I want to add to a statement that I made about Saint Teresa of Avila being beatified so quickly after her death, within 50 years. She was beatified in 1614, and canonized in 1622 by Gregory XV. I mentioned that traditionally this would be a very short amount of time. But I failed to mention that Mother Teresa of Calcutta was beatified on October 19, 2003, only six years after her death.

Canonization is the process the Church uses to name a saint. The word canonized comes from the readings of the martyr’s names. Pope John XV developed an official canonization procedure, which has gone through subsequent revisions. The first canonization took place in 1089.

The difference between beatification and canonization can be confusing:

Canonization, generally speaking, is a decree regarding the public ecclesiastical veneration of an individual. Such veneration, however, may be permissive or preceptive, may be universal or local. If the decree contains a precept, and is universal in the sense that it binds the whole Church, it is a decree of canonization; if it only permits such worship, or if it binds under precept, but not with regard to the whole Church, it is a decree of beatification.

Here is a statement on who may become a saint, again from the Catholic Encyclopedia, "The Catholic Church canonizes or beatifies only those whose lives have been marked by the exercise of heroic virtue, and only after this has been proved by common repute for sanctity and by conclusive arguments."

The process of canonization is summarized by Ryan Piech:

The process begins after the death of a Catholic whom people regard as holy. Often, the process starts many years after death in order give perspective on the candidate. The local bishop investigates the candidate’s life and writings for heroic virtue (or martyrdom) and orthodoxy of doctrine. Then a panel of theologians at the Vatican evaluates the candidate. Upon the recommendation of the panel and cardinals of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the pope proclaims the candidate "venerable."

The next step, beatification, requires evidence of one miracle (except in the case of martyrs). Since miracles are considered proof that the person is in heaven and can intercede for us, the miracle must take place after the candidate’s death and as a result of a specific petition to the candidate. When the pope proclaims the candidate beatified or "blessed," the person can be venerated by a particular region or group of people for whom the person holds special importance.

After one more miracle the pope will canonize the saint (this includes martyrs as well). The title of saint tells us that the person lived a holy life, is in heaven, and is to be honored by the universal Church. Canonization does not "make" a person a saint; it recognizes what God has already done.

As far as the question of female saints, yes, there are many female saints. Here are three saints with the name Mary: St. Mary Magdalen, St. Mary of Egypt, and St. Mary Frances of the Five Wounds of Jesus.

I hope this has answered some of your questions.

Defeated Hands

In 2003 I was in Iraq fighting the war. During that time I felt like that country had nothng interesting in it. There was sand in every direction. Until I saw these two huge hands that that had two swords as well. I thought to myself wow. This country really did have some interestin art or some type of creativity. These hands that held these swords were really huge. They also represented the supposed defeat of Iran. Although Iraq did not accomplish defeating Iran this symbole represented strength.
I realized how monuments of art can motivate people believing that they are really powerfull when they are not, because of their leader. Saddam put this art monument up to istal fear in his people, in order for him to be Iraq's leader. As I drove under those hands and swords it made me feel good about my country and also how powerfull our country is. In the end those hands that represented Saddam were defeated.

Finger Bang! by Tofer

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Geffen will be hosting a book release and signing event for Finger Bang!, a compilation of photographs by artist Tofer, Thursday, February 16, 6-8pm.

From the Anthem Magazine book review:

Finger Bang! is more than a hardcover blog, though. In fact, it's also more than its seemingly stylistic peers. Even with its crass and bodily-fluid laced moments, there's meaning here. Editorial juxtapositions are not taken for granted; shapes, colors and themes directly influence placement and representation. But not only does Finger Bang! achieve academic/aesthetic success, it also differentiates itself by dictating a resonse from you. Instead of envy and disdain, these pictures ignite your own reminiscing. Tofer's photos remind you of your worst days, that fateful night, your best yet forgotten friends, that painful break-up, and the moment you realized she was out of your league, but was going home with you anyway. These may be Tofer's photos, but they are just as much your memories.

Here's a sample of photographs from the book for your reaction.

Jim Dine's Heart Work

When I was thumbing through the Smithsonian magazine, I stumbled across this article. At first glance at the picture of the 4,500-pound heart (by unnamed photographer), I couldn't figure out why so much emphasis was being placed in such a common symbol...I thought it was just too simple to be considered art work. Then, I started thinking about the symbolism of the heart and how the mere sight of it can trigger a happy thought, such as love. Even though it seems so easy to display a heart, I can appreciate the artist's intentions of the message behind his work.

Happy Valentine's/Single Awareness Day!

King of Hearts
By Beth Py-Lieberman

No other artist has provided more target practice for cupid's Valentine's Day arrow than Jim Dine. Since the mid-1960s, he has painted and drawn hearts, sculpted hearts in plaster, bronze and steel, and constructed hearts out of chicken wire and straw. Also known for his paintings of bathrobes, Dine, who is 70 and lives in New York City, was one of the founders of the American Pop Art movement in the 1960s. His hallmark is the playful yet painterly rendering of everyday images into emotionally charged symbols. He was on hand in 1985 at the Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden for a Valentine's Day installation that included more than a dozen of his heart works (above, a crane lowers a 4,500-pound bronze heart, half of DineÂ’s Two Big Black Hearts). "Oh, that Jim Dine," a Washington Post art critic wrote at the time, "he's got heart."

Discovery channel explores ancient Greek Myths

Thought this might be interesting to watch, might hit some topics we covered in class.

Tune In:Friday, February 17 @ 12pm ET/PT
Female warriors; the one-eyed, man-eating Cyclops; the ferocious griffin, part bird, part lion. Were these creatures, celebrated by the ancient Greeks and immortalized by Homer, something more than myth? Join the hunt with some of today's leading paleontologists as we explore newly-translated evidence and examine remains that may link the Greek classical age with Earth's prehistoric past. New data suggests that the ancients searched for, excavated, measured, and displayed massive fossils. TVPG cc

technocraft review

This review will be in the next (2/13) issue of The Breeze.

By Julie Mason
President, Chaffey Art History Association

Monday, January 30th, the Wignall Museum exhibit, technocraft, opened to the public. The work of the seven artists featured in this exhibition transform mundane items such as polystyrene, Plexiglas, paper, ink and wood into meticulous works of art. By using these unfinished materials, new creations of art manifest from the crude, mass-produced mediums, taking the emphasis off of the materials and onto the narrative that is trying to be portrayed. Linda Theung, a guest-curator of the show said, “The complex art of devalued items create an ironic transition between trashed aesthetics and art that is made purely from an interest in mass-produced items.”

“Postmodernism began in the mid 1980s,” said guest-curator, Karen Rapp, “and when Linda Theung and I were trying to create a theme for the show and we noticed reoccurring themes of this postmodern movement developing in the ‘art world’.” The works on display at the exhibit appeal to an array of different people because of this “postmodern” theme.

For example, the picture featured by Amy Meyers, is composed of graphite, ink, and gouache (a heavy opaque water colored paint) on paper. Artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci during the 1450s and Vincent Van Gogh during the 1850s used these mediums. Materials that were used hundreds of years ago are now being transformed into something futuristic and not of this world in Meyers’ drawing entitled, Heterotic String Series-From the 10th Dimension.

The roots of Postmodernism can be seen in the 1960s and 1970s as it contradicted the linear history of Modernism. Postmodern art attempts to create a tension between the past and the present, tradition and innovation, mass culture and high art. This tension is seen in the ironic works of Pop art and innovations in architecture that blurred the traditional division between the arts, such as Phillip Johnson’s incorporation of a furniture design element into the broken pediment of the AT&T Headquarters building. Examples of this can be seen in Jason Rogenes’ monumental construction, Transpondor, built from pieces of found polystyrene packaging material now on display at the Wignall.

The February 1st opening reception attracted a large and diverse group of people. Students came from different colleges; including Chaffey, Riverside Community and Mount Sac because of assignments, projects and just out of pure curiosity. Chaffey student, Diana Gutierrez, said that overall, she was impressed with the show; and that it was something she didn’t expect from overhearing about the new exhibit. The overall feeling of the show was one of interest in the interpretation of the different installation pieces, sculptures, and drawings.

The meticulous art works include pieces by Eduardo Abaroa, Stephen Hendee, Won Ju Lim, Amy Meyers, Jason Rogenes, Jane South, and Shirley Tse. There will be a curators’ walkthrough on Saturday, March 4th at 2:00 PM for those interested in a more ‘inside’ look into the exhibition and the inspiration behind its inception. Also, artist Won Ju Lim will be talking about her works during that time. The show continues through March 18th, 2006. The Wignall Museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM, and Saturdays from 12 to 4 PM. Admission is free.

AMY MYERS, Heterotic String Series-From the 10th Dimension, 2002


JASON ROGENES, Transpondor, 2005


EDUARDO ABAROA, Untitled, 2005


WON JU LIM, Iodine, 2005
Photos by John M.

Gerrit Rietveld

Zig Zag Chair- designed in 1934


Schröder house - disigned for Truus Schröder-Schräder in 1924


Red Blue Chair - designed in 1917

One of my favorite designer- Gerrit Rietveld (Utrecht June 24, 1888 A Utrecht June 26, 1964)
He was a Dutch designer, architect and cabinet maker. He became best known for his designs based on the principles of De Stijl, such as the Rietveld-Schroder House and the ‘red blue chair’. Both are composed of black lines and geometrical shapes in primary colors or in grey, black and white.
Gerrit Rietveld designed experimental fiberboard and plywood furniture. During the economic recession, Rietveld designed low cost furniture constructed from packing-crated components In 1927 he was already experimenting with prefabricated concrete slabs, a very unusual material at that time.

Visit to Wignall Museum

I visited the Technocraft exhibit at the Wignall Museum today. Each piece was made with simple materials, but put together in ways they were not intended. This made me look at it in a whole different way. At first I did not even notice. I sall the piece the way the artist had presented it, but when I got to a purticular one, I saw the materials he used and that amazed me even more. The piece I was talking about and stood out from me the most was Jason Rogenes, Transpondor. He found a way to make styrofoam (which has so much controversy on the environment), with the use of floresent lights, he arranged to look like something from space. After seeing this, I had to turn around and start my whole visit again.

Italian Designer- Ettore's Sottsass's First Retrospective in America

Ettore Sottsass will have an entire retrospective of his achievements here in the United States. From the 1950's through the 80's Post-Modernism movement to the 90's, his work has included architecture, interiors, furniture, ceramics, glass, and jewlery. The major elements in his creations are reminescent of ancient architecture as well as modern design and technology.

He was also apart of a group called the Memphis Group (1981) whose sole purpose was to hybrid the higher and lower classes by means of creating functional but unique objects.

If anyone is interested, his work will be on display at LACMA for $15 adult admission or $13 for students starting March 12 thru June 11, 2006. Museum info (323) 857-6000.