hfshields

Shields 1
Henry Shields
English 101
Adam Weinstein
September 23, 2007
Compare and Contrast of Art

The two pieces I chose from the student art gallery are “Ray Gun” by Brandon McCullar and an untitled oil painting by Chris Davenport. The oil painting was an obvious choice for me because it is roughly six feet tall, towering above all other works in the gallery. The “Ray Gun” was not an obvious choice, but rather a piece that I would like to think chose me. At a distance, it is a jumble of scrap metal lying on a table. At closer glance, it is a remarkably well hand crafted piece of work. It is constructed of copper and led pipe, welded and bent into various shapes and sizes. The old rustic color gives it the look of an antique, but the design and futuristic details give it the look of a modern day “Ghostbusters” gun. It consists of everything that comes standard on a gun; handle, trigger, sights, and a barrel. But then again every painting consists of paint, canvas, and a theme; it is how the artists arrange them that make it “art”. If McCullar wanted to make a gun he could have just welded two pieces of pipe together to make a handle and a barrel. He could have spent ten minutes on his piece, placed it in the gallery and would have most likely gotten away with calling it “art”. But instead he spent hours, most likely days or even weeks on his piece of art. He sculpted every little detail, adding anything and everything he wanted to his gun to make it his own unique “Ray” gun. He sculpted a piece that can only be appreciated for its craftsmanship and beauty when seen with your own eyes. Hand craftsmanship is very appealing to me and that is why I feel this piece stood out to me. I could ponder all day and speak of its beauty and design. But what strikes me is why Brandon McCullar, with his supply of metal and ability to make these amazing sculptures, wanted to make a gun? Was it his background, his childhood, his mood, or did he just simply think that a “ray” gun would be an interesting piece of art? I think it is a because of our generation. We (current students at the University of Alabama) are a generation who I feel have been raised to live in fear. The media, news, advertising, political controversies are all subjects that we encounter every day and they are all sold and based around the fear that if you do not buy or believe it something bad will happen to you. This idea of fear being the motive for McCullar’s art became more evident when I studied Chris Davenport’s oil painting. It was a magnificent painting whose beauty can only be appreciated when seen, and I feel my words would not give it the credit that it is due. The painting was untitled but I feel that the theme of Davenport’s painting was also fear. McCullar’s art was an obvious theme of fear because it was a gun; Davenport depicted a deeper insight into a generation raised in fear. His main focus was a short, wrinkly, intimidating looking man who appeared to be an investigator. He was next to a stereotypical cop; big broad shoulders, square jaw, and a straight face. In the background was a gloomy scene that consisted of unidentifiable objects and three children jumping into what seemed to be a big pit of fire. The rest of the painting was just a big gloomy setting with no real concrete objects. I think it depicted the world; a world full of corruption and fear.
Both artists compare in their theme of fear. The idea that they are raised in what I believe is a generation raised in fear is very apparent. With their supplies and ability they could have painted or sculpted almost anything they wanted. What gave them the mindset to display these certain pieces of art? Like I said before, I believe fear has been engraved in our minds through media, news, and politics. The artists also get the point across easier because their main audience is the people of their generation. The strong comparison of these art works in a figurative sense outweighs the contrasts they have in a literal sense. Just because of the fact that one is a painting and one is a sculpture does not take away from their similar inner meanings.
The art work was a reality check to me. After studying and comprehending their main idea of fear, it hit me that I was part of that generation raised in fear. Maybe that’s why I interpreted it that way, maybe the artists had completely different intentions is their work. I may never know. There are thousands of ways to interpret thousands of things. Overall, the art work was amazing and something you must see for yourself to get a true understanding or personal comprehension of the art.