John Petrenko Grad Research Assignment: Discussion Questions on Essay

Is the imagery in our contemporary time, too machine, whereas we cannot communicate the feelings, the sentiments and the meanings that they did in the pastoral times, to create mythology?

I feel that it may be incredibly hard to start depicting mythological metaphors in our day and age. Back in the olden times imagination was more rampent in a way, although I am not saying we as a culture don't have an imagination, we probably have more of an imagination than they did, we just have too much science to disprove most mythology. In those older days, people didn't know anywhere near as much as we do as a collective, I'm not saying they weren't smart, I'm just saying that in our day and age we know so much more and there are so many more skeptics and scientists. Our photography also disproves our imagination and idea of mythology as well. We document so much of our lives these days through photographs that it's hard for us to believe in something that isn't right there in front of us, our culture is so incredibly visual that if we don't see it in person or if it isn't documented correctly, that it's hard to believe.

Is it true that symbols change, but people stay the same?

This question seems to have many answers. Is it true that symbols change throughout time? Of course, but they also stay the same too. Do people change throughout time? Well, again, that's another question that is a yes and a no. We all change at some point, we mature and learn and become wiser with our age. But so did people back then. With the symbols part of the question, it's true that things mean different things throughout changes in culture, but such images such as the Virgin Mary, the Crucifix, and mostly religious iconography haven't changed. But, symbols throughout our times have changed tremendously, with so many new things being invented symbols and icons are changing so rapidly, so it's really hard to make a long lasting symbol these days. Men and women have changed just because of our culture and its advances with civil rights, technology, TV, internet, etc. People's identity's are and personalities are kind of the same, we have the same assholes, really smart people, rebels, and religious people that have been with us forever. So, I am sorry I haven't really answered the question, but the question is ever changing.

Robert and Shana Parkeharrison

Robert Parkeharrison was born in Fort Leonard Wood, MO in 1968 and Shana Parkeharrison was born in Tulsa, OK in 1964.  Robert went to the Art Institute of Kansas City for undergrand and eventually went to the University of New Mexico for a masters, while Shana got here BFA from Williams Wood College.  I haven't found much more information about their biography at all, just information about their past shows and their education information.  In their work, which is collaborations, they use traditional darkroom techniques and create and image to make a comment on mans effect on the environment and how we use land for materialistic purposes.  

In their work, "The Architect's Brother", released in 2000, Robert is the everyday man, who is portrayed in the work.  He is the person that is effecting the environment because of his nature.  There is very little revealed about this man, at times you can see his face, but usually he's in more of a metaphor for everyone.  In their photography the issues that they address are everything from beauty, to grieve, to confusion, to joy and more.  Their created environments make us think about our interacting with the world around us and how we are the biggest influence on the world.  

The Currently reside in Massachusetts, where Robert teaches at Holy Cross.

Website:  www.parkeharrison.com

Gallery:  www.edelmangallery.com

Interview:  unable to find, but if I do I'll post it

Finally, This means something.

Finally, some people critiqued my work here, and it wasn't pretty.  A lot of my work stood up to their critiques visually, but when it came to theory it got attacked and hit pretty hard, hypothetically.   About my abstract ambience work, i guess i may not have used the right words, for what I thought i was doing at the time, color theory, spontaneity, and gesturalism.  Well, it seems like most people gravitated to my word of spontaneity, saying that this isn't spontaneous that it's very well thought out and that i should make it completely spontaneous by letting the reigns go and really go for it.  Well, i dunno about that, but I will definitely put it into consideration.  As for my Violent work, that's really what got hit hard.  But, I in a sense let it, because I did not defend it properly at all.  Which was my mistake, but t got attacked.  Everyone agreed that I can take a very good photograph, that wasn't up for debate, my theory on the other hand was, and I just didn't have my defending "cap" on that day and got critiqued hard.  But, it's all good, because I'll figure all that out eventually.

The most motivational moment of the week came was at our research yesterday, I realized that my mythologies were taking me to a very literal place, and I don't know if that's really where I wanted to go.  I liked how you said to give my research equal weight and make something, I'm going to try and do that, instead of relying heavily on that Angels and Demons book.

I want to achieve work in next week studio practice.  That's it.

In studio I achieved my presentation of my work and it got critiqued, hard.  Which is cool, and I needed that wake up call.  I also got to see Alma's and Cindy's work too.  I was wondering when I would be able to see where they're coming from.

My artistic failure, was thinking too Literal about my ethereal work, i need to abstract it and make it completely something different and then put ties to it.  It needs to be really far out there, almost surreal.

That basically was my profound thought as well, to take a step back and completely abstract what I want to do, take it in a very bizarre direction.  That's what i need to do, or something along those lines.

No visiting artist.

Jeffery Scott, who?

Now, I don't know how much of a "Fine Artist" this man is, although his work is pretty interesting and is weird.  Now, I haven't been able to find that much information on him, because I just don't think there's that much information on him.  He's a photographer and digital artist based out of California.  His work mostly depicts females nudes in a surreal industrial/post apocalyptic environment.  He began his art career as a painter and sculptor but eventually made a transition from those to photography and doesn't seem like he'll be switching anytime soon.  Although, this photographer doesn't seem too well known, he does do fine art, as well as commercial photography.  Now, I don't feel like debating if one has to stay in either of the categories but his work is very interesting.  I'm not entirely convinced I enjoy it or don't just because there's such a fine line between this post industrial surreal photography and just fantasy photography, like it would be made for some odd nerd card game or a video game.  Although it seems apparent that the his work is strong, yet a bit repetitive, but doesn't lack creativity or talent.  Now, I feel that he may have too many nudes of well endowed women (I don't have that much of a problem with this, rather i conceptually have a problem with it) it just gets distracting at times, and may categorize this work into a sub category of soft core fantasy porn.  The things that I do enjoy about this work is his digital manipulations and how he puts these icons of purity and innocence (women) and brings them into a world of apocalyptic nature and adds many oddities to the photographs continuing to ask questions of reality and their existence.

Interview:

http://www.darkmattermag.com/august03/dark_art.htm

Website:

http://www.factory1019art.com

Gallery:

I wasn't able to find if he was represented by one, too little information.

and now, after doing this blog, i'm not even sure i like him that much anymore.  it may be too fantasy now after looking at his photographs for a while.  they were interesting when i first saw them, but now not so much.  you be the judge.

The week in review 2

Sonali did critique some of my older Violent work from my senior thesis show. She felt that it was very good and strong work, but mentioned said that it may be played out and over. Now, I don't feel the exact same about that my work being completely done, I would like to eventually pick it back up, because I feel that it still can go further, but for now I'll start something new.

My most motivational and creative moment came last night, when I was figuring out what I wanted to write my artists statement on. I was pondering and looking at all of my art books trying to figure out what I really wanted to do and would have a strong passion for. I Picked up my Angels and Demons in Art book and realized that I had wanted to do this since the summer as a new project to start up. I was skeptic about it at first, just because it would be a lot of work, but then was like, ya know what...I want to do this and I really have a passion for this topic. So in that moment, I realized what I want to do as a student here at VCU.

I want to just get some work shot. I have my topic and now i need to study Joseph Cambell and figure out how he views mythology in religion and apply it to my work. I feel that this can be a very powerful portfolio of work.

I achieved critiques of Lauren, Stephanie, and Nia's work. And figured out their photographic/film backgrounds.

My artistic failure is...i'm not sure. Probably all of my other ideas I had going on in my head until I settled on my mythology of religion in the modern times topic. I guess...

My most profound thought this week had to still have been realizing what I really want to do while I am here at VCU. And, I know that this may sound like a cop-out, but honestly, I was really struggling about what topic i wanted to pursue while I was here. I had so many ideas going through my head but i really feel that this will be a challenge for me and I know that i can succeed at this too. I just know I can.

No visiting artist. Sorry.

Questions and Answers

Am I just going to reference Christianity?

No, I do plan on referencing a majority of Christianity, just because I was raised Catholic so I am more familiar with its forms of good and evil like the Devil, Jesus, God, and Fallen Angels, but i do plan on referencing other religions as well.  Other Religions depict a Satan or a rebel against God.  In Greek Mythology, Hades was the Ruler of the Underworld and similarly in Roman Mythology, Pluto was the Ruler of the Underworld.  I would also like to reference Ifrit (Islamic), Beelzebub (Christian), Chernobog (Slavic), and Mammon (Christian).  I want to reference more as well, possibly Norse Gods and more Polytheistic religions too.  But, since I was raised as a Catholic, I feel that I will be able to talk about and depict these evil and good forces much better than I could of other religions I am less familiar with.

How will I depict Satan and God?

Well, I don't think that will be too hard.  Since I want to put some of these paintings in a more recent Light, I feel that I could personify these figures with props such as a halo for the religious and righteous icons, while I make the Devil more like a human in some pictures and possibly like a goat in others.  I am always reminded of a Twilight Zone's episode that depicts Mephistopheles, an old man with a crooked cigar in his mouth trying to wrong the rights of man and tempting them into unforeseen acts of blasphemy.  I do want to use some sort of goat like props as well to reference "Baphomet", which became associated  with a "Sabbatic Goat" image drawn by Eliphas Levi.  As for Jesus and God, I would like to depict them as more human than they are, I want them to be flawed just like the rest of us.  I mean we are supposedly created in the image of God.

Artist Statement...Go Satan! I mean...Jesus?

So...  What I really truly want to do as an artist attending this institution to further my development in the arts is to reference art historical paintings, etchings, and various other forms of art that show Angels, Demons, Ghosts, Jesus, Satan, Heaven, Hell and other forms of evil and good in old art.  So my artist statement is as follows:

The Modern World is going to Hell and so am I.

So, I am going to bring to light the work of the olden times.  Now, I am not a religious man, in fact, I renounced my Catholic faith after I became a man in the eyes of the Church i.e. Confirmation.  Ever since I was young I've had a obsession with such ethereal creatures and motifs, such as Angels, Demons, Heaven, Hell, Satan, and Jesus to name a few.  In my mind these are fantasies created by man to personify good and evil in real life.  My aim in this art is to depict some of the images as how they were painted many years ago, while in others I make a role reversal and show the "Evil" as the victor.  I will depict the path of the righteous, the path of the damned, purgatory, heaven, hell, battles with the Devil, Lucifer/Satan/Beelzebub, Jesus/God, Death, and the metaphor of Man is a Bubble.  With this work, I will show the contrast of heaven and hell and relate it to our modern world, to show how we, asa culture, relate to damnation and salvation.

This is what I want to do, and I was unsure of it at first, but I realized that this is why I've come here.  So, this is what I want to do.  Regardless of price, time, and pissing those religious people off.  (I like to do that anyways).