Whitney Museum

Visiting the Whitney museum for the first time was a great experience for me. Going with the art majors of TCNJ, I had a great time going with people who have a similar interest for art. Filled with different artworks, I noticed that I was appealed to pieces that were symbolic and powerful. Lee Bontecou, Larry Clark, George Tooker, and Stephanie Sinclair are a few artists that made quite an impression on me. All of these three pieces deal with problems that people in the world were facing, some which still apply today. Though all artists use very different techniques to portray their intention, they are all very powerful and strong pieces that drew my attention in the various styles that were presented.

The first piece that I saw was Lee Bontecou’s Untitled, 1961. Made of welded steel, wire, and other man-made materials gave this piece a very cold look to it. The visual elements that Bontecou used makes as though she intended to speak of the disasters of war. For example, the barbed wire and ropes are mounted to a canvas, along with other man-made machines. Before reading more about the artwork, I noticed how raw and cold this piece is; the materials that are used in the piece create a mentality of destruction. With the rigid details and the rawness of the material, Bontecou’s piece gives the viewer an understanding of human nature and the disasters of war.

Just as Bontecou dealt with a current situation during her time, Larry Clark also dealt with a current situation he dealt with growing up. His Untitled Photographs show a series of events that occurred in his life when he was living his friends in Tulsa. Surrounded by drugs and sex, Clark decided to document the events that he experienced. The images represent the destructiveness in drug use, abuse, violence, and the development of adolescent life. I found each image to be very powerful, especially when it noted that he experienced these events first hand. Though many may find these images very graphic and disturbing, I found it very raw and “real”. The issues that he presents were never publicized as works of art, but it presents to be influential in the way the photographs are taken.

Along with artworks that suggest social and current events, George Tooker focuses on the problem with the modern world in his piece called Subway (1950). The focus is directed to a distraught-looking woman, surrounded by similar, indifferent looking men. Located in a subway with monotone walls and surrounded by unfamiliar faces, the painting gives an eerie feeling. This isolated mood reflects the social injustices in the urban society. Tooker believed that the subway was a good placed to represent denial and negation of life. Being underground represents the weight that is put fourth on an individual. I found it really interesting that this painting is used for psychology and sociology texts “as a rendering of the anxieties and soullessness of our cities."

Another series of photographs that I also found to be powerful was the Self-Immolation in Afghan: A cry for help, by Stephanie Sinclair. These series of images show the tragic burns of the women of Afghanistan, who attempted to commit suicide by burning themselves. The images are very graphic and are very painful to look at; their whole bodies were practically burned off, leaving traces of flesh that was remained on the skin. It was hard to see how badly the women were suffering. As I read the description, I found it very appalling that these women tried to commit suicide by lighting themselves on fire because of their lifestyles. The women in Afghanistan are known to have no freedom, especially when they get married. The husband makes their decisions, leaving the women feel worthless. Looking at these series of images made me really think about how hard the lives are for the women who life in Afghanistan. They live such hard lives and it is important that people become aware of what is going on in the country. Such events may not necessarily be common in America, but this documentation shows that such events do occur more often than one thinks. Sinclair’s documentation of these women gave a very powerful feeling.

Lee Bontecou, Larry Clark, George Tooker, and Stephanie Sinclair chose to use art to express a certain situation that occurred during their lifetime. Each used their own style with the materials they used, all of which were suitable for their works of art. As I took notes on the pieces that were appealing to me, I found that I was drawn to pieces that represented a social situation; those pieces are very powerful and appealing to me because they have a deep meaning behind the artworks. I realized that as I visit more museums and gain more exposure, I learn to appreciate artwork more. I will defiantly visit the Whitey Museum again.