Paper # 2, "Untitled"

What is it about art that evokes so many thoughts and questions? Is there a hidden message? What is the artist’s inspiration? Many of these questions race through my mind as I stand around in front of a piece of artwork. Sometimes the message is so deep you may need another person to collaborate thoughts with. Most people stand in front of a piece of artwork for hours trying to figure out what an artist is trying to convey through their piece. Some artists go to rigorous lengths in order to portray a certain message when designing a piece of artwork. After visiting many famous art exhibits throughout my lifetime, I have viewed many pieces, but have never fully understood the intentions behind the artwork. That is until I had an in depth conversation with my English class about a certain piece of artwork, one most people might not even consider art. We sat around the piece and analyzed every detail about the artwork. Finally, after some intense brainstorming, our English teacher gave us an assignment. The mission was to pick out two pieces from the SynArts exhibit and write about our understanding of these pieces. After viewing the pieces of artwork, I have come up with some observations and analyzed the pieces I picked out from the gallery.

Untitled by Kevin Wilson, the name of the piece I chose, caught my eye when I first began to look around the exhibit. With a solemn appearance, it sat on the wall with a grey scale and a few colored accents. After viewing the piece for awhile, I felt drab and found myself contemplating the reason for this piece. The painting is divided into rows of squares complimented by an unknown face in the center of each square. On each upper right hand corner there lies a design that could represent a flag. Each flag is different and each person in the picture appears of a different race. The most amazing detail of it has to be the fact that none of the faces contain eyes. According to my depiction, the artist seems to be hinting at the fact that people of different races are not given enough attention. White Americans are the dominant race in the world and people refuse to accept anything outside the norm. Through this piece, the artist exemplifies the pain behind each discriminated face.

Another piece, named Untitled by Chris Davenport, is very colorful with many things occurring in the piece. The eye is first drawn to a man in a brown coat and hat who seems to be pointing at something. Next, you notice a man in a police uniform that looks as though he is going after the man in the brown suit. Behind the detective and the policeman a person is jumping down a hill and there is a flying saucer with roaring flames protruding from the side. The artist incorporates many activities in the picture, but manages to include a focal point. By including the man in the brown suit, the artist brings attention to his finger pointing at something. I believe it is for the observer to let their minds wonder what it is the man is actually pointing to. Some art may have no real intentions behind it; it simply may have just come out in a way the artist never intended.
In comparison of the two pieces, each Untitled artwork is unique in its own way. Both the pieces contain very inept details, which enable you to stare at it for hours. However, the pieces are also very different in their layout and overall tone. The piece by Kevin Wilson evoked the feeling of depression and horror in my mind. Then when I viewed the piece by Chris Davenport I felt curious about what was going on and what the message was. Also, I felt as though Wilson had a purpose to his artwork and Davenport did not. Wilson’s piece portrayed discrimination and peoples reaction to other people outside their race. Davenport uses vivid color, but does not make a clear message that an observer can grasp by viewing this piece. Another difference between the pieces is the fact that one piece has a bit of a consistency to it, whereas the other is a disarray of colors and a disarray of things going on in the artwork. For some reason, I can connect with the dreary piece by Wilson, but am totally lost when I viewed Davenports’ piece. The artwork appeals to me because I think the artist makes his message clear through the picture. Clarity and consistency are key for me to understand the knowledge behind a piece of artwork.

Finally, the goal of an artist is to provide thought provoking artwork for the public. There is not necessarily always an inspiration or motif behind each production of artwork. Some artist just create and then the people come up with explanations for the pieces. Art can open peoples minds and encourages people to think outside the box. It is a way to get people to think critically without even knowing they are doing it. After meeting Scott Jarret, one of the artists, I discovered that some artists come up with a concept and play around with it. After experimenting with that concept, their artwork starts to form. Other artists may find something that sparks their interest and work with it to produce their piece. In conclusion, art is not a structured activity. It is a very free process in which a person can let their mind wander.