Play with clay . . . the Itsue way
Discussing Scenes with Sabatos
A white stage with white props
Midnight, Forecastle. Not Moby, but Yo La.
Mike Stauss
Cento Writer
As the warm weather gives way to damp, drizzly November, clouds pile upon the brows of Centre art students in rumination of that task at hand, the matting and framing of art work fashioned this term. I’ve done it numerous times myself, and can illuminate the finer points of matting in hopes of alleviating some of the pressure here.
One: It is ok, even preferred, that a serious mat-cutter devote a certain portion of your character to that quality known as "anal retentiveness," a quality I myself indulge in, fancying the ramshackle style of life inherent in those given to picaroon pleasures. Matting is a delicate art unto itself, not unlike Perta Gardner, carving her egg-shells into intricately spiraling designs where one wrong move can bring the whole structure crashing down.
Two: A total of eight cuts must be made to properly create a "window" for your work. The four defining the outer edge of the mat, and the four interior cuts which create the window and are made using a mat cutter. If one uses the corner of a fresh piece of mat-board instead of taking from the middle, the number may be cut to six; however, be wary of damaged edges, for they are said to represent original sin.
Indeed, using proper precaution a student may have a near-perfect mat in no time at all, but ignoring discretion can be a veritable rake’s progress of mistake upon mistake, starting with a simple smudge of charcoal and ending with a Faustian flourish (as Mephisto promises a clean mat in exchange for artistically-declined souls).
Cuts are made using a fresh razor blade; those who use dull blades only expose some aspect of their own person. A straight edge is even more necessary than a fresh blade, for even the sharpest will not be able to achieve, merely by sight, the accuracy that a sound ruler provides. Stay on this straight path, cut your own destiny; swerve not or you must begin again. Some melodramaticists speak of a path less taken, but I say here that they shall never find frames to fit.
Now, is that thing done? Have ye cut it, your window? Better hope that you have followed my advice and done right by it, for it is the window to your soul. What is that image which you will now fix to this display but the very essence of your being, toiled over in a night of sleeplessness? Best present it well, if it be presented at all. It shall be nailed to the wall like some doubloon for all to leer at, but deep down inside there is your self, the exterior only a thing for looking at.Back to top...
Play with clay . . . the Itsue way
Miriam Kienle
Arts Editor
The bustling port cities and mountainous landscapes of Japan marked the opening of Itsue Ito’s informative slide lecture. Ito, an internationally renowned ceramic artist, not only spoke about her life and work, but also gave two interactive demonstrations where she challenged Centre students to create ceramic art using her unique method. Ito’s most current work, the House Series, is comprised of colorful, asymmetrical sculptures that resemble houses and take visual cues from her native Japan. The demonstrations allowed students to use her process to build clay "houses" that reflected their own natural habitats.
The workshop began with Ito’s instruction to make a quick sketch of the house that each person wanted to construct. She then gave a brief description of the steps involved in the creation of her sculptures, and after doing so, she unleashed the group on blocks of gritty, white clay. As the students worked, she came around and talked to each person about the image they were trying to achieve with the work. She also gave a lot of pointers about use of texture and color.
Ito’s process is a complex layering of red and white clay that thickly covers and reveals prominently placed patches of yellow, teal, lavender and deep blue. When asked if she grappled with the strain of how exactly to brush on the bright color, Ito responded, "I don’t think about it too much. My parents persuaded me to take many years of calligraphy, so I’m fairly confident in my brushstrokes."
A wide variety of houses were created during the two workshops, and Ito’s method provided students with a new way to conceive clay sculpture. The Japanese Broadcasting Corp. recorded the lecture and the workshops to create a documentary. Hopefully Centre will get a translated copy, so everyone can experience Ito’s imagination.Back to top...
Discussing Scenes with Sabatos
Miriam Kienle
Arts Editor
Before opening night of Scene from an Execution, visiting professor, Terri Sabatos, gave a slide lecture about the numerous artistic issues the play addresses. She graciously allowed the Cento an interview regarding some of the questions that arise from the production.
Kienle: In Scenes, the main conflict is the difference in the aim of the patron and the goal of the artist. Do you feel that in contemporary society artists are suppressed by the government, and/or their work is manipulated to soot the needs of political authority? If so could you give some examples?
Sabatos: Yes, I do think that art is still censored, for example in the controversy over the Mapplethorpe Exhibit. This exhibition that incorporated erotic and homoerotic art was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, and therefore caused heated debates as to weather this type of work was something that the government should support. Each politician stands in a different place when it comes to the First Amendment. The type of art promoted or discouraged depends on to whom the government officials are trying to appeal.
K: Galactia, the artist and main character of the play, forced the audience to analyze gender issues in art. Do you feel the gender of the artist still delineates whether she/he is respected in the art world?
S: The answer is debatable, some want to see gender issues and others don’t. I do think that there is more opportunity for female artists now than ever before, but I feel that we still have a ways to go before there is real equality.
K: As a result of the inability to attain a proper arts education, have there been any great female artists before the dawn of modern art? (Modernism, in this context, being defined as beginning with the impressionists.)
S: Yes, I believe that there were influential, female artists before modernism. For example, Artemisia Gentileschi, the artist on which Galactia is loosely based, was an extremely accomplished figural and historical painter. Her work had an impact because it helped spread the style of Caravaggio. Another good example would be Angelica Kauffmann; she was a very important 18th century painter.
K: But was she "great" like Michelangelo or Picasso?
S: Actually, I don’t believe in the myth of the "Great Artist", because opinions change depending on who is doing the quantifying.
K: There is a quote from Scenes that states, "In art nothing is what it seems to be, and everything can be claimed." In your opinion, what has more impact, the artwork, or the meaning that the historian or critic ascribes to it?
S: The artwork is more important because the opinions of critics are transient. Although artwork may come in and out of fashion depending on the tastes of critics and historians, the work stands firm.
K: My final question is the same one that, at the end of your lecture, you posed to the artists who were present— "Is it the role of the artist to push society to view their world in a new way? "
S: This is a question that I think an artist is better suited to answer, but I’ll give it a try. Pushing the envelope may be one of the functions of the artist. Art can do so many things; it can fulfill that role, but it isn’t confined by it. Art even be something that is nothing more than aesthetically pleasing.Back to top...
A white stage with white props
Miriam Kienle
Arts EditorA white stage with white props. White costumes. White paper on a sketch board. Now I am looking at this blank sheet of white paper wondering which words I should use to describe and critique Centre College’s annual fall production, Scenes from an Execution by Howard Baker. Scenes, a play about a female artist in Venice during the 17th century, poses many questions about the societal role of art and artists. From an artist’s perspective the piece was excellently produced, and the play asked many questions pertinent to the contemporary art world. My only criticism of the work would be that, Baker’s portrait of the artist as a great "Truth Teller" helps promote the false myth of the artist as one that creates with undeniable intent.
The all white set design was a smashing success. Not only did it allow for the viewer to better focus on the importance of the actions and words, but it also was a clear metaphor for both the anxiety and anticipation of an artist’s empty canvas. The final function of the deferential set was that it forced the viewer into the position of the artist. Once engaged in the play, the audience had to use their imagination and impose an image on to the stage.
The acting was also quite successful. I especially enjoyed the role of the Sketchbook that was played by Katie Adams. Her role if done improperly could have been distracting, but it was done in such a way that she truly served her function as the illuminator of poignancy. I also enjoyed the vigor, which Ian Frank employed in his sinister portrayal of the Doge, and monomaniacal, lead Galactia, played by Laura Beth Adams, was done zealously.
Moving on to the content of the play, I want to start off by saying that I think that the work did a great job of juxtaposing modern and post-modern elements. In addition, it begged answers to question like- what is the role of the artist? the patron? Does the gender of the artist affect the work? the list could go on. Unfortunately the play left me somewhat cold. I felt neither pity nor fear, because I could not relate to the main character. This state was in no part due to a lack of effort by the cast, but merely that fact that Galactia was too sure of her "Truth." Don’t get me wrong I believe in truth, but I can’t support the view that the artist of clear intent manipulates their medium to convey some ultimate truth. When a painter is laying down brushstrokes, he/she releases control to the process and, in many ways is, unaware of what being done. It’s only later that they come to somewhat of an understanding.
Salvador Dali once said, "One would have to be far more foolish than I to try to analyze the complexity of my intentions and motivations. I who live them am far from understanding all about them."Back to top...
Midnight, Forecastle. Not Moby, but Yo La.
Mike Stauss
Cento Writer
(Author’s note: This article is actually a review of one of my favorite bands, Yo La Tengo, but was stylistically borne of an unhealthy obsession with Moby-Dick. Album titles contained within are italicized.)
Midnight, Forecastle.
HARPOONEERS AND SAILORS
(Foresail rises and discovers the watch standing, lounging, leaning, and lying in various attitudes, all singing in chorus.)
We could slip away,
wouldn’t that be better?
Me with nothing to say,
you in your autumn sweater.
1st NANTUCKET SAILOR
Oh, boys, don’t be sentimental; it’s bad for the digestion! Take a tonic, follow me!
(Sings, and all follow.)
As he fired up the drum machine,
He stole a glance
at the empty seats,
He took a minute
to re-tune his guitar,
(all) ba-da-bop-bop
ba-da-bop-bop-ba-da
As the hour grew late.
2nd NANTUCKET SAILOR
Avast the chorus! Pip! Eight bells there! D’ye hear, bell-boy? Strike the bell eight, thou Pip!
PIP
(Sulky and sleepy.)
Don’t know where it is. FRENCH SAILOR
Beat thy belly, then, merry’s the word! Beat thy tambourine, Pip!
1st NANTUCKET SAILOR
Avast there! Why needs we be interrupted by Pip’s tambourine? Us Nantucketeers were quite happy to be singing Yo La Tengo songs.
DUTCH SAILOR
Aye! And what d’ye think perfectly fits those songs but a tambourine? Does not Georgia Hubley play tambourine quite well?
2nd NANTUCKET SAILOR
I suppose you’re right, after all Georgia is quite possibly one of the best drummers around today. At least as good as ever one was in a New Jersey band. Have ye heard Electr-O-Pura?
OLD MANX SAILOR
Why, Electr-O-Pura is the perfect thing on a wintry, urban night, though False Alarm keeps the missus up late.
SICILIAN SAILOR
Aye, it be those incredible guitar solos of Ira Kaplan’s. It were as if he plumbed the depths for just a few scratched-out notes. I particularly like the Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo two-disc set, a worthy collection of B-sides and unreleased material. What’s your favorite album?
PIP
Painful.
AZORE SAILOR
What’s that Pip? Painful? He’s rheumatic, no doubt. Poor boy weren’t cut out for a sailor’s life. Say there, Manxman, what label are Yo La on?
OLD MANX SAILOR
They be mainly on Matador Records, excepting for some older albums like…
PIP
May I Sing With Me?
AZORE SAILOR
Sing with yourself, Pip? Not hard, I suspect, unless there be two Pips, quarreling internally. (aside) Keep eyes on that little one, I suspect him to be maddened.
(a steady thump is heard…)
LASCAR SAILOR
What be that? Footsteps from below? No, ‘tis Ahab on the quarter-deck! And look there, little Pip beating his tambourine in time! Pip and Ahab, both in time! By Jonah, I can hear it! I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One!
PIP
(peering over the edge)
And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out…