HOPE THIS HELPS!

Art History: Minimalism: (1960 - 1975)
Minimalism rejects the need for social comment, self-expression, narrative, or any other allusion to history, politics, or religion. It is based on creating objects of interest and beauty. Minimalists reduced their work to the smallest number of colors, values, shapes, lines, and textures. David Burlyuk first used the term in an exhibition catalogue for John Graham’s paintings at the Dudensing Gallery in New York in 1929. The term was later applied to the movement in the 1960’s. Other names for the movement include ABC art, minimal art, reductivism, and rejective art. Minimalism was a reaction against the formal overkill and pretentiousness of Abstract Expressionism. It had roots in Pop art, Cubism, and Conceptual art and was also inspired by Russian Suprematists such as Kasimir Malevich.
An American-born movement, Minimalism stemmed mostly from the work of Frank Stella, whose Black Paintings were first exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1959, inspiring many artists to turn away from the expressive art of the past. Although it was never an organized, self-proclaimed movement, Minimalist art became dominant in sculpture and installation work, although there are multiple Minimalist painters. The 1966 exhibition in New York entitled "Primary Structures" was a key event in the history of the movement.
Minimalist art was normally precise and hard-edged. It incorporated geometric forms often in repetitive patterns and solid planes of color, normally cool hues or unmixed colors straight from the tube. Often based on a grid and mathematically composed, the use of industrial materials was common in order to eliminate the evidence of the artist’s hand. Minimalist art strived to create an object with presence, something that can be seen at its basic physical appearance and appreciated at face value.
Minimalists wanted their viewer to experience their work without the distractions of composition, theme, and other elements of traditional work. The medium and materials of the work was its reality, and was what Minimalist artists wanted to portray. The basis being on a work’s literal presence, the materials used were not intended to symbolize anything else. Color was not used to express feeling or mood, but it simply to delineate space. The work strived to evoke a response from the viewer in terms of the relationship between the various elements of the work. Minimalist artists rejected the idea that art should reflect the personal expression of its creator. There was a lack of emotion and subconscious decision-making in minimalist art, hiding the presence and feelings of the artists. Rather, the artists believed that the viewer’s personal reaction to the object was of higher importance, and thus strove to eliminate the presence of the creator in their work.
Minimalism questioned the nature of art and its place in society. Although some deemed Minimalist art to be unapproachable and barren, others saw the revolutionary concept of pure aestheticism and the strong affect that Minimalist theory had on post-modern art.

MINIMALISM

Good morning darlings. I'm in such a good mood this morn with gloomy sky outside, wet road, songs of 'Plain White T's' and, of course, my cup of coffee. Wish I could attach a music file to the blog so that I can share with you how nice the song is :-)

Minimalism
Minimalism or Minimal art is an extreme form of abstract art that developed in the USA in the second half of the 1960s. It can be seen as extending the abstract idea that art should have its own reality and not be an imitation of some other thing. It picked up too on the Constructivist idea that art should be made of modern, industrial materials. Minimal artists typically made works in very simple geometric shapes based on the square and the rectangle. Many Minimal works explore the properties of their materials. Minimal art was mostly three-dimensional but the painter Frank Stella was an important Minimalist. The other principal artists were Andre, Flavin, Judd, Lewitt, Morris, and Serra. There are strong links between Minimal and Conceptual art. Aesthetically, Minimal art offers a highly purified form of beauty. It can also be seen as representing such qualities as truth (because it does not pretend to be anything other than what it is), order, simplicity, harmony.

PHEWWWW

The team was keyed up with our first seminar. I don't know they were nervous because it was the first or because it was the seminar where scores were given or what. All in all, I'm satisfied with the seminar, either what the team members had to share and their natural-ness or perspectives Aj. Por provided.

WELL DONE MY DEARS. I'M PROUD OF YOU.

NIGHT OF MANY DREAMS

Some people like to dream a forever dream, many like to dream in order to set a start for a journey to reach what they want (a goal). I don't know what it is called when I want something but cannot do anything but restrain myself. What I want is real in the sense that I know what I want; I know what my heart desires; I even know that inside me is struggling to...be free to follow whatever it takes to get what I want.

Yet, with all the concession I can't set out for there's no path ahead for me. I'm trapped within my desire . I'm imprisoned by my gender and social status. And so I'm not convinced that what I want is just a dream. Instead, it's the truth that there are things I can't have and will never have because I'm a woman.

I'll think of you in my sleep tonight and remember it's not a dream...

PROPERTY

May is right--Friday discussion was great. I've learned more about EerieWe's members. We started with Ball told us the first part of Property. The start was confusing in some small points which I consider important for the start is the reasons/motivations for the actions of the main characters. However, I could see that Ball has tried. I've seen something in him since we've spent time together in Writing II course, but I till now can't tell what it is. It's something that tells me he's not careless yet something in him needs to be improved. I guess it's how he arranges information in his head.

Bank, as well as Krit, has shown he's studied his part. It was me who got carried away with more/deeper detail as we moved on with our discussion while the members appeared not to be prepared for that. I'd like you the members to learn that aything can just happen during the discussion, so you should prepare yourself well.

While three friends shared the story they've read, Pae and Jaa-ae were good listeners in the way that they apparently showed they didn't get the points/how the story goes by asking questions right away. This way I could see these two were trying to follow the story. From this point, I hope the three learned their weak points in performing the role of a 'story teller.

What Ball and Bank did was telling what they've read. No background/more information showing they research while reading. Krit did pretty well in showing he looked up for information concerning some points like, Quakers or general condition of black people in the South of America and whites in the North. It would be great if he read more than once in order to internalise the information/story. Yet I love the way he's frank enough to admit he read only once, otherwise I wouldn't have known how my team works.

A good story teller should lead the journey to the story with interesting and sufficient (background) information. This can be done at the very beginning or later when the story moves on. It depends on style of each person. We do this because we need to equip our audience with repertoire in order to be able to follow the story or know the direction where the story is moving to. This is what three of you missed (but it can be learned and filled as time goes by na kah).

May appeared to be quiet but pay good attention. I guess she needs time to open herself more in order to feed in things around. Tang-mo seemed to rally with May on this point and it's hard for me to judge (kidding girls!). What different in the two is that Tang-mo quietly connecting things/stories she heard to soap opera she'd watched on TV.

For me, I feel a bit uneasy talking to my team about some points as some of them are male. I have to break through it though and I did it by reminding myself--you are a team coach. It helps!

WHEN WE MUSTERED

Quite gloomy is the weather outside, sunny inside is my mind. Eight of us, Ball; Bank; Ja-ae; Krit; May; Pae; Tang-mo; and SP, got together in our own private compartment in the library. I like the atmosphere. It's like we were getting to know each other bit by bit. They are brilliant, full of life and energy. It's with this kind of people that I know I will improve myself by learning from them and with them.

We talked about the duty each will take. I wonder if the crew know that each duty, in a way, tells me who/how they are. Ja-ea, the first volunteer, said costume and make-up is something she's capable of the most. After getting the pictures of each duty, May showed interest in acting part, Krit in directing, and Bank in stage & props.

The rest of the crew appeared to be preserved and I'm not sure if they got what they like, especially Tang-mo who seemed to doesn't really know what she wanted. I wonder if she's shy or kraeng-jai her friends. It's amazing though for my colleague could make the right guess when I asked him to and, of course, he guessed Ball would be the one responsible for light and sound.

We all agreed on getting together every Tuesday at 10.00 am and Friday at 13.00 pm. I wish we could bring in coffee. Never mind. We will opt for other places on the day that we all feel like a cup of coffee during our discussion.

By the way, what I like in the compartment we have is that we can be ourselves and we have our own air-conditioner!

11 June, 2009

Met students under my supervision for 'Senior Project'. They brought me surprise for, in my view, none of them have shown any interest in drama which is the theme I've proposed. Some might say they like literature and although I did, without delay, ask them why they chose the theme--Pictures of Women As Protrayed through Literary Works--and the answers were-- with closed eyes and my magic index; the topic concerning women; and new idea (something), I was still left pondering why.

Ja-ae, Usa, Pae, Ball, Pitchphimol (bread selling girl), and two more that I forgot to ask their names; all, in my eyes, are not what I call 'Khon La-korn' (drama people). I had one good semester or two with them before but it was writing, English for secretary or in mass communication and those courses didn't allow me to divine the taste of/interest in drama in them. With this and the course arrangement that did not allow us, course advisers, to reveal ourselves until students picked the theme they're interested in, I'd like to call this group of ours 'EerieWe'.

After all, I think we've taken off well alright with two stories to read: Gail Tsukiyama's Night of Many Dreams and Valerie Martin's Property.

Until next meeting on Tuesday.