This
past week, I went to visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for the
first time. I was expecting to see mostly traditional art. However, LACMA
surpassed my expectations by intertwining art and science together into one
cohesive medium. This museum seemed to be the epitome of the third culture recognized
by Snow in his essay The Two Cultures: A Second Look (1963)1.
While
there were many impressive pieces, the first one that stood out to me was The Egg (1963) in the featured gallery
by Agnes Martin. The piece is pretty self-explanatory since it is just a
drawing of an egg with lines cutting it horizontally. However, when looking at
the sketch she made beforehand, there seemed to have golden ratio within the
egg’s design. Possibly, it was my brain overreacting to what I have seen during
lecture. Nevertheless, my friend and I did try to guess and calculate to see if
my suspicions were true. Although it was
almost impossible to verify without a ruler, this work beautifully illustrated the
ideas of math and geometry behind art that are usually overlooked.
Images of the sketch (left) and the final draft (right) for The Egg by Agnes Martin1.
Another
remarkable work that I came across was Metropolis
II (2011) by Chris Burden. The huge display of toy cars and buses swirling
around this model city brought me back to my own childhood when I used to play
with Hot Wheels. Moreover, though, it
was reminiscent to Flippo Marinetti’s Futurist
Manifesto, which talked about speed and acceleration being products of
beauty2. The motion of the cars and buses mixed with the motorized sounds was
chaotic, yet at the same time, it was mesmerizing to watch. Every angle and glance
brought something different and new. By implementing technology such as DC
motors and magnets, this work really captured the essence of a city lifestyle.
A video of Chris Burden's Metropolis II is on the left, while a picture of me next to the exhibit is on the right2.
The
final artwork to be discussed was Michael Eden’s Innovo Vase (2016). This one was interesting in the fact that it
not only blended art and science together, but it also combined traditional and
contemporary art as well. Basically, Eden’s design was based on the Stowe Vase that had been reconstructed
in 1774. However, instead of copying the vase completely, Eden used 3D
printing to etch the illustrations from the older version. Thus, he reinvented
how the vase looked using modern technology. It reminded me of the lectures on
robotics and industrialism in art. Unlike Walter Benjamin’s views of technology
destroying the art’s “aura”3, though, this work has its own unique personality
by being a culmination of traditional art forms and recent technological
innovations.
These are photographs showing the Innovo Vase (top left)3 and the Stowe Vase (top right)4. The bottom images showcase some of the process for creating the Innovo Vase.
Looking
back, this course seemed to enhance my experience at LACMA. It was really neat
to physically see how science and math is being used to break new ground for
art. It also allowed me to notice how the gap between art and science is diminishing
drastically as the years go by. Overall, I was able to make connections to the art that I
would have never made prior to taking this class.
Sources:
1. Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third
Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo
34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web. 11 July 2016.
2. Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Part 1." YouTube. uconlineprogram,
15 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 July 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew>.
3. Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical
Reproduction. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Artwork:
1. Martin, Agnes. The Egg. 1963. The Elkon Gallery, LACMA, Los Angeles.
2. Burden, Chris. Metropolis II. 2011. The Nicolas Berggruen Charitable Foundation, LACMA, Los Angeles.
3. Eden, Michael. Innovo Vase. 2016. LACMA, Los Angeles.
4. Stowe Vase. 1774. William Randolph Hearst Collection, LACMA, Los Angeles.
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