Shirin Neshat

Shirin Neshat
I find Neshat's photograph very enjoyable for a number of reasons. First, I really enjoy the concept. There's obviously a high emphasis on the hands embracing. I like Neshat's idea to portray human contact in a manner that evokes feelings of intimacy and commitment--or, better yet, it seems to represent an "intimate commitment". It reminds me of the phrase "to take someone's hand in marriage".
I really enjoy the thickness and darkness of the patterns on the hands. The geometirc, curvilinear repetition employed in this pattern really makes the piece successful. I like the fact that in this piece, unity really can be defined and observed in two ways. One could observe unity in the patterns created on the hands and one could also observe the concept of unity that is being portrayed by the overall work itself.

Pattern and Texture

This Jane masters piece is a great example of a piece that utilizes both pattern and texture to entice the audience. The metallic material she used drew my attention because of its shininess as well as its strength. The contrast between the hardness of the material and the delicateness of the intricate pattern and the draping shape is striking. The pattern also creates a nice shadow on the wall.

"On a clear day I can usually see all the way to Watts" by Mark Bradford

Watts is a neighborhood in Southern LA, and the color scheme of the mixed media canvas is similar to the Watts towers sculpture:



To get back to the original piece of art, I think sky blue is almost universally considered gorgeous. The horizontal black lines, like the lines of the towers, seem man-made and imperfect. The form is not steady. It can be seen as playful, or slightly disorienting. The blue sky and lighter blotches are like clouds. It is a pretty day, with an intersection of human and natural--the sort of intersection that does not exist in LA. The title of the work is what really draws one's focus to the smog problem. On a clear day. LA is never clear. I can usually see all the way to Watts. Wouldn't that be nice? It's an environmental criticism that works through a Utopian image and a strong title.

Pattern/Texture artist: Helen Mirra

In Wolkendecke (Cloud Cover), Helen Mirra creates texture in what might otherwise be a more or less two-dimensional piece through layering. The edges of the piece have a jagged texture, while the centre of the top layer seems much smoother (much like clouds.) I can't say I'm a huge fan of this piece--it doesn't really seem to have any huge meaning, and is not really that aesthetically pleasing--but it is an excellent example of texture.

Maya Lin

This is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Maya Lin. She used black stones and carved the names of the soldiers onto the surface. The carved names makes the people who went to see the memorial want to touch the surface of the stone. The smooth cold stone gives a feeling of lost, confusion, acceptance, and removal. The surface of the project brings out memories of the people. The black stones also reflects back the image of the viewer.

Maya Lin

I find this piece by Maya Lin to be brilliant- it evokes not only sight, but also the feelings of touch. One can know what it feels like to touch the grass, just from the texture that we assume it has as we look at this picture. It is compounded by the repeated pattern of the little grass hills, the shadows- the contrast with the brick building in the background and the lighter tree makes the grass stand out and make me want to touch it.

Pattern and Texture Artists

"Rapunzel 3" by Jennifer Steinkamp
I like this piece a lot. There are 3 separate patterns at work here, those of the pink, blue, and yellow flowers, respectively. They combine to form a larger conglomerate patterns. Although the patterns are not strictly repeating, for example the pink flowers get less dense toward the bottom of the piece, there is a clear evidence that there was planning involved with the location of each flower and there is a pattern present.

Maya Lin: Avalanche

In Maya Lin’s 1998 sculptural installation “Avalanche,” the artist creates both pattern and texture by playing with the viewer’s perception and the materials. She utilizes abstract forms to make a connection between the man-made materials and patterns seen in nature. What makes this work particularly interesting is the ability of the viewer to approach it from afar. In this particular image, the blue shape in the corner appears to be one smooth, shiny piece. Yet this shape is in fact a pile of blue-green sea glass, which acquires an entirely new texture as one comes in closer proximity to it. The pile of glass shards is so colorful, glittery and alluring that one might want to touch it. The smooth, gentle texture of the waves in the center of the room contrasts starkly to that of the pile of sea glass. I find it very exciting how drastically the work changes depending on the viewer’s perspective and how the artist plays with pattern and texture to make the work visually interesting .

Maya Lin

I really enjoyed this piece by Maya Lin titled Systematic Landscapes. I thought that the texture of the artwork gives the viewer a very strong visceral feeling. The material that she uses to create this piece gives a feeling of dryness and roughness. Both the texture and the shape of the piece reminds me of a desert with a massive sand dune.

Maya Lin - Avalanche

I think this piece's extremely creative use of pattern and texture provides a very interesting contrast both between the elements of the piece itself and the piece within the gallery space. While it's hard to tell from this photograph, it seems as if in front of the glass pyramid the floorboards have either been modified or wood has been laid on top of them to create the illusion of wavy bands swirling around it. This provides a nice counterpoint to the angular form of the pyramid, but the soft and delicate texture of the glass as well as its luminosity lends a quiet and stillness to the whole piece.

mark bradford

This is Mark Bradford’s painting “Kryptonite,” composed in 2006. The picture uses a loose grid structure and rectilinear, non-objective shapes to create what appears to be a map of a city as viewed from above. Bradford overlaps these shapes to create a larger, more organic pattern. The focus of the painting is from the black center, then the red square pattern to the left, and then looping clockwise back around. The scratches across the page accentuate the central focus. I really enjoy looking at this painting; it feels like organized chaos, with all the pieces coming together to create a logical whole, similar to the structure of a metropolis in reality.

Jennifer Steinkamp

This piece, entitled "Rapunzel 3" by Jennifer Steinkamp is a prime example of using pattern in art. Her use of repeating colors, lines, and shape creates a sense of unity in the piece and a tranquil feeling. This is emphasized by the organic and natural subject matter of the work. In addition, her use of pattern in the direction of the piece, bringing the eye gradually and gently towards the bottom left of the work, adds to its calming nature.

Maya Lin

Maya Lin's "2 x 4 Landscape" takes regular 2 x 4s at different lengths to create a rising, topographical form. I like the way she takes something so geometric and processed and turns it into something organic. The texture of the piece is especially interesting, because there is no variation in other aspects like color or material. There is considerable tactile and visual texture in this piece.

Jennifer Steinkamp "Loom"

It was installed in the art gallery of Ontario. It is a video projection. I like the patterns that the projector makes on the wall. Also I like the interaction that the veiw seems to beable to have with the peice.

This work is called "Formation" by Jennifer Stienkamp. I was intrigued by it due to her realistic rendering of texture in the pieces of cloth through a projection. She displays her works on a white wall using a dell projector. In this way you must truly approach the wall and inspect the dimensionality of the piece to see that the texture is simply a visual illusion.

Shirin Neshat

This photograph by Shirin Neshat provides very interesting imagery. To people who can't read Arabic, the script written on the bottoms of the person's feet looks like patterns, and the flowing artistic quality of the written language just adds to the texture. This very patterned, linear texture is put in contrast with the smoothness of the rest of the picture, like the light skin and the dark clothes and the shining gun barrel. The blurred background also juxtaposes with the sharp lines of the foreground, and altogether, the result is captivating.

Mark Bradford

Shrin Neshat, Speechless

I find it ironic how the title of this piece is "Speechless," yet there are words written all over her face, suggesting that even though she might not be saying anything, her facial expressions give away her emotions

I also like how the proximity of the cursive letters gives her face a grainy look.

Mark Bradford

This is a painting by Mark Bradford called Kryptonite. When I first glanced at it I first thought it looked like a cool design for a t-shirt. After taking a closer look I noticed that it looks like a bird's eye view of a city grid. He uses gesture and topographic principles to create texture. The colors are attractive, too; I really like this.

Mark Bradford

This work explores patterns by creating an image made up of overlapping squares.  Also the difference of shades created by the overlapping squares imply texture.  I especially like how Bradford used primary colors minimally and then a lot of neutral colors- browns, greys, and blacks.  The image seems to pull the viewer's eye down the page because the bottom is darker, so it is weighted heavier.  My eye is also drawn to the "new" towards the top because it is one of the few places we see a bright red and also it is the only word printed on the piece.  I wonder if the word is meant to convey something, or if it were added into the collage for the effect it creates.  It looks like each square is actually the same size, but the pattern varies because of the way they are overlapped- the edges create different sized squares.  The many layers of this piece create an interesting depth.