tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87738848611437393382024-03-05T18:58:03.961-08:00Learning How to SeeThis is a place where I document work of my own which is influenced by what I have learned from Prof. Reinhold Marxhausen. Marxhausen taught his students to look for beauty in unlikely places. He believed that seeing is an aggressive act, a skill that must be learned. This blog is about learning how to see the strange, beautiful things in the world around me.Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-87453655714644449552013-08-28T15:24:00.001-07:002013-08-28T15:24:27.269-07:00Notes on "What Art Is" IntroductionSummary of <i>What Art Is: The Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand</i> by Louis Torres & Michelle Marder Kamhi<br />
<br />
p.1<br />
20th century: first time works "purporting to be art" which were not art were created. "Bearing little or no resemblance to the painting, sculpture, literature, music, or dance that had come before."<br />
<br />
Art "[makes] sense of human experience."<br />
<br />
They believe 20th century art was more like madness or fraud. It gained acceptance by the establishment, and traditional styles were pushed aside. They say this art is bizarre and the scholarly work defending it "impenetrable." "A substantial segment of the public" doesn't embrace it.<br />
<br />
Three responses: some have mere confusion or frustration,<br />
"others skeptical that there is anything in it to be understood or appreciated,"<br />
"still others reject it outright, considering it beyond the pale of art"<br />
<br />
"We maintain that the ordinary person's view, based as it is largely on common sense, is the correct one." They want to give theoretical justification to this view.<br />
<br />
p.2<br />
History and concept of the term "art"<br />
A term does not equal a concept.<br />
Term refers to different but related concepts.<br />
Latin: arts, artis<br />
Greek term, techne<br />
skill, discipline, technique<br />
"art of warfare" "art of medicine" "mechanical arts" "liberal arts"<br />
"an ability acquired by careful study and applied to a particular undertaking."<br />
They skill is so fundamental to the concept of art, it is part of any "legitimate uses of the term"<br />
<br />
narrower definition dates to late 1800s, referring to collective or individual fine arts. "fine arts" dates to mid 1700s, painting, sculpture, literature, music, dance, drama<br />
<br />
Avant-garde "attempts to appropriate...while simultaneously undermining it."<br />
<br />
Traditional concept of art did not develop in a vacuum, was not divorced from real experience, similarities between existing art forms, and differences between art forms and things which weren't art.<br />
<br />
Dates back to Greek concept of "mimetic arts," proven by comparisons between poetry and painting, song and dance, painting and sculpture, in ancient writings, and are found in other cultures.<br />
<br />
p.3<br />
Ostensive meaning is what a word refers to.<br />
Claim Western theories of art since 1700s have obscured the referents of art by focusing on nature of art.<br />
"In attempting to identify the essential qualities distinctive to art, theorists lost sight of the original referents of the term, and of their complex totality, and focused instead on certain attributes abstracted from the whole, such as 'beauty' or 'expression.' In so doing, they ignored the attribute of <i>mimesis</i>, whose relationship to art they did not fully appreciate, though it was fundamental to the original concept." [see notes for response]<br />
<br />
Architecture was one of the first things referred to as art which was not art.<br />
Since then, this line of thinking, which they believe flawed, was been "exploited by an art world seeking to further a variety of extra-artistic ends, from spurious political agendas to a desire for prestige and financial gain, however unearned."<br />
<br />
p. 3-7<br />
"What the Ordinary Person Thinks"<br />
The authors present letters to the editor, cartoons, and parodies from tv shows to give a sense of the divide between the ordinary person and the artworld.<br />
"banalities of Andy Warhol"<br />
A unnamed work in the Whitney Museum of Art's biennial exhibition consisting of newspapers<br />
Truisms by Jenny Holzer "gibberish"<br />
Brice Marden's "Untitled" "A rectangle of two shades of mud divided by a straight line"<br />
<br />
Summarize mainstream journalists and news talking heads:<br />
Irving Krystol WSJ op-ed<br />
George Will, membership in art community "involves no exacting entrance requirements"<br />
William Rushner "simply doesn't speak to me"<br />
Thomas Sowell "grace, beauty, or exaltation...[vs] puzzlement, boredom, or disgust"<br />
R. Emmett Tyrell, Jr. on Serrano and Mapplethorpe "mere naughtiness in our age sells, but it is not art."<br />
John Leo on victim art "a large puddle of plastic vomit" at the whitney museum biennial<br />
Jeff Jacoby on the NEA, the public would never willingly support it<br />
Morley Safer on Cy Twombly "scrawls," Jeff Koons basketballs, quotes Koons and calls it "artspeak"<br />
Murphy Brown sit-com, and fictitious work based on Duchamp's fountain, and Robert Gober's fixtures<br />
The story of the 18month old painting passed off as an abstract expressionist work<br />
<br />
p. 8<br />
"But is it art?" is the ubiquitous question<br />
Book "But is it art: Art as activism" defines art as furthering progressive goals<br />
"Is it art, or Just Dead Meat?"<br />
They are upset by the use of the term in this context, unless it is something like "Art--Or Just a Hollow Sham?" which referred to Mneme.<br />
<br />
p. 9<br />
"The Experts Speak"<br />
Argue that art experts obfuscate:<br />
H.W. Janson envisions an ordinary man asking "Why is this supposed to be art?" Didn't think "there are, or ought to be, exact rules by which we can tell art from what is not art."<br />
Call Frederick Hartt patronizing for arguing that he was hostile to contemporary art as a young man, and recommending the young student engage in constant exposure, study, and analysis.<br />
<br />
In the authors' view contemporary should not be used to describe avant-gardism.<br />
"Personal language" means it is inscrutable<br />
"...he virtually ignored the requirement of objective content and meaning with respect to contemporary work..."<br />
<br />
p.10<br />
Erbst Gombrish "There is really no such thing as Art. There are only artists."<br />
<br />
John Canaday "inexhaustible enrichment of life"<br />
<br />
They accuse these authors of giving short-shrift to traditional works.<br />
They demand an objective definition.<br />
<br />
p. 11<br />
Transition to revision of art history texts: "gender, race, sexual preference" substitution of study of art for study of images, "aesthetic relativism and cultural pluralism"<br />
Postmodern art history: suspicious of the idea that some works are more deserving of attention than others, suspicious of "common culture," chronology is male-dominated, masterpieces are suspect, and used to reveal "biases," "contemporary politics"<br />
<br />
Quote James Elkins with alarm because he wants to study "images which are not art" like maps, graphs, astronomical charts, etc. "writing the history of images rather than art."<br />
<br />
Quote critics<br />
Roberta Smith "If an artist says it's art, it's art."<br />
Rita Reif citing Rosenblum "If an artist makes it, it's art, regardless of the artist's intentions."<br />
Grace Glueck "intended as art, presented as such, and...judged to be art by those qualified in such matters."<br />
<br />
p. 12<br />
They cite Jacques Barzun and Eliseo Bibas to state that modern art instiutions have so consistent philosophy or aim.<br />
<br />
"Since they [modern critics] cannot discriminate between 'art' and 'non-art,' they cannot be relied on properly to discriminate between 'good' art and 'bad.'...forfeits claim to respect or consideration." all subjective opinion<br />
<br />
p. 13<br />
Grant that one could reject contemporary trends while not accepting the need for a theory, like John Simon. Argue that Simon still operates under a theory when he critiques film.<br />
<br />
Argue that classifying what art is does not fall to artists, critics, or historians, but to philosophers.<br />
Cite Steven Davis' argument to illustrate their idea that chaos and disintegration in art traces to philosophy: Davis argues that <i>Fountain </i>is in textbooks, taught about in art courses, has influenced artists in their manifestos and other works...that it has had undeniable impact.<br />
<br />
p. 14<br />
According to American Society for Aesthetics, two threats to art as an idea:<br />
First, central question of aesthetics, what is art? becomes frustrating<br />
Second, whether an account of art must generalize or always be art-specific<br />
<br />
Turn to Ayn Rand as the provider of their philosophical basis<br />
Traditional: "painting, sculpture, music, and literature (fiction, poetry, and drama)"<br />
Mimetic, "albeit in a highly selective and often stylized manner."<br />
They call this the position of the "ordinary person" and of 19th century philosophers like Tolstoy.<br />
<br />
They claim that Rand does not rely on the authority of the past. (They use James W. Tuttleson as an example of a cultural conservative who criticized modern art but relied on an appeal to authority)<br />
Rand said a civilized society should accept ideas because they are true, not because they are old or their ancestors believed them.<br />
<br />
p. 15<br />
These art forms are "the only forms consonant with essential features of human nature."<br />
She rejected the idea that traditional arts are meant to convey pleasure or value through beauty.<br />
Purpose of art is "the meaningful objectification of whatever is metaphysically important to man."<br />
quoting Rand, "selective re-creation of reality"<br />
Psychological need for art, cognitive and emotional.<br />
p.16<br />
Esthetics is the study of art, not the study of beauty and related concepts.<br />
Objecticism is an integrated, neo-aritotelian philosophy, which means Rand's answers to art questions relate to her whole philosophy<br />
<br />
General observations:<br />
Tone: the authors write in a polemic tone. They frequently put terms in quotations when they are dismissive of their opponents' views. Though they are self-described generalists, they make broad historical claims that need more historical investigation. In effect, they claim a better understanding of art than any art theorist or historian since the 1700s.<br />
<br />
They refer to "the public" and "the ordinary person." This, in my view, is an everyman fallacy of logic. They would defend themselves by saying that by "the ordinary person's view" they mean "common sense" or the logical view. Yet, they spend a great deal of time trying to give their audience a sense of what this "ordinary person's" view is. I do not think they would spend all this time if they did not understand their audience and the rhetorical power of an everyman fallacy. What should be important is their truth claim, not their popularity. Certainly, one who has studied Ayn Rand should understand the danger of populism or tyranny by majority rule.<br />
<br />
It's hard to argue with someone who defines their position as the common sense position and other positions as contrary to common sense, but since they put so much emphasis on Socratic logic and objective reasoning, perhaps they would respect an attempt to critique their thesis through these methods.<br />
<br />
They offer 3 distinct attitudes without specifying which view represents their own. It is different to be skeptical of a work's value and to reject that work as not being art to begin with.<br />
<br />
One odd question that is hanging in the air: why do they slam philosophers of the 1700s for muddling the definition of art with their theories while simultaneously using the "traditional definition of art" which they admit originated in that time?<br />
<br />
Second, is it enough to define art in a way which matches up with the "traditional definition"? Isn't that the fallacy of an appeal to tradition? Shouldn't the question be whether the definition is correct or incorrect? They would likely agree. What that means is, once they get to Ayn Rand's definition, that definition will be open to scrutiny.<br />
<br />
Third, I think it odd they don't mention Plato's critique of the mimetic arts. Were they really unaware of it, or did they fear that presenting their readers with an opposing view which dates to the ancients would undermine their own argument? I find that a bit of a glaring error. It was hardly universal for the ancient world to define art as mimetic, which is a large pillar they rest upon.<br />
<br />
Importantly, they identify beauty and expression as things which are characteristics of art, but not the fundamental definition of art. Therefore, if I could prove logically that a work is both beautiful and expressive, that would not be enough to define it as art, in their view, if it were not also mimetic. I think in this, they depart significantly from their nebulous "ordinary person" since many ordinary people might appreciate certain works or art which are beautiful and technical, but not mimetic (Van Gogh perhaps, Bill Viola, Makoto Fujimura).Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-56540707983090932162012-02-21T23:11:00.003-08:002012-02-26T08:42:29.542-08:00Mind Map on the Art of the Meme<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">“Internet meme” definition:<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">An internet meme is any idea that is spread over the internet. It can include images, phrases, jokes, websites, actions, etc. The root word comes from the Greek word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">mimeme</i>, meaning something imitated. An internet meme is not necessarily something viral.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Viral definition: </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">A work such as a video, comic, work of art, song, etc. which spreads rapidly through culture. A video of a cat may garnish millions of views, but it does not become an internet meme until an idea from that video is absorbed into the language of internet culture.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Standing Cat is an example of a viral video which was accepted as a meme by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Know your Meme</i>:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MVV_HXtEbLo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVV_HXtEbLo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVV_HXtEbLo</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Ask a Ninja</i> is an example of a popular web series which has not been accepted as a meme by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Know Your Meme</i> for one or more reasons: <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ask-a-ninja">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ask-a-ninja</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">In contrast, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Yugioh the Abridged</i><i> Series</i> by littlekuriboh is mentioned heavily in one article because it was influential in the creation of a new genre of memes, but the show itself is not a meme: <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/abridged-series">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/abridged-series</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">The broad topic of memes is related to the study of anthropology and culture. Internet memes are narrowly focused on ideas generated and spread through sub-cultures via the internet. For example, the sexual innuendo, “That’s what she said,” from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Office</i>, has become a cultural meme, but it did not have its origin in the internet (though it has, of course, been subsumed into the internet culture). Through memes, different sub-cultures which may not share a common interest do begin to share a similar language to express their ideas. Memes are generally meant to be humorous, are</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">often simplistic, but are not at all just random silliness.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"> </span></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Exploitable image definition:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">An exploitable image is any image that becomes popular for creating memes. Often, the original creator did not intend for his work to be used as an exploitable. On other occasions, a creator may deliberately release his work for use.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">A sub-genre of exploitables is advice animals. These place a picture of something, often an animal, over a colorful background, and ascribe a specific trait to the figure depicted. The jokes all relate to that trait.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/Art%20student%20owl:%20http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/art-student-owl"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Art student owl</i>: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/art-student-owl</a></span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD951vYKgulzLE-2xEMvcVB3QsXmQlwb_EC9eIfTtmvzGQHIP4HBj3r5qIY8soLlBdiCwvK_AuV6KskT6dKa3pOyHgqPno76_s_OZr4DRVieucsOVQqwGLx-z26EJwdildAObw_M7wk88/s320/tumblr_lvx6wjQkLf1qhtl9zo1_400.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711860151311173250" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Foul Bachelor Frog</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">: <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/foul-bachelor-frog">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/foul-bachelor-frog</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:100%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Why Not Zoidberg?</i>: <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/futurama-zoidberg-why-not-zoidberg">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/futurama-zoidberg-why-not-zoidberg</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">For an example of exploitables which have been made freely available by their creators, see <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Rage Comics</i>. Using a series of crude drawings of faces, anyone can make their own rage comic. The faces all have a meaning, and sometimes the differences between to faces is nuanced: <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rage-comics">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rage-comics</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">For examples of images which were exploited without the consent or knowledge of the artist, see these:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Chris Torres’ animation of a pop tart cart was taken to create <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Nyan Cat:</i> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QH2-TGUlwu4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/nyan-cat-pop-tart-cat">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/nyan-cat-pop-tart-cat</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Give Pikachu a Face</i>: <a href="htttp://knowyourmeme.com/memes/give-pikachu-a-face">htttp://knowyourmeme.com/memes/give-pikachu-a-face</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Dlxg6itgpCWkaPci3gTAjM9JnSLeaWMpzLrR-CG5w95P8GllkGkCHMWoPGe_7BKBEgs35u6hKPRkIUYxLtUQW-BD3B7wLoXNouEjyUPcS7Yu6_cWPWUFNaHDJ3YhnNWhJ6KIrZax-MY/s320/Pikachu_exploitable.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711860520625929362" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">The use of L<span style="font-family:Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#161516;">arry Van Pelt’s kitch drawings </span>for the meme <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Jesus is a Jerk</i>: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OO1_S5fcLu0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jesus-is-a-jerk">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/jesus-is-a-jerk</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#161516;">A panel from a comic by K</span><span style="font-family:Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica;color:#161516;">C Green became </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Staredad</i>:</span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQK5EN1oiGv7vtk5DbgzyFSJWwban9G7NuQy0lmMj4prYRvcqW4mtusFgVV0qFmZyAp5tVZ6i7ce-PsizYk920slOEJdQ0x8CX5PRjaWB4kazNXWMF_k_9PeSiB44zwBXpx5XbF-VnLk/s320/1243540007529.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711861851432488322" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/staredad">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/staredad</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Some artists react negatively when they discover their work has been turned into an exploitable. Others, like Chris Torres, are pleasantly surprised and don’t attempt any legal action.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Institutional theory:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">There are institutions that are heavily influential in meme culture.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Certain websites are at the forefront of creating new memes and documenting existing ones.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">4Chan</i> (also referred to as /b/): a mature forum, blocked by Concordia, which allows any type of discussion. Many memes are traced back to their origin in <i>4Chan</i>.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">I Can Has Cheezburger?</i> and its sister sites (<i>Know your Meme</i>, <i>Memebase</i>, etc.): a site which features several genres of memes voted on by a community. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Know </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">your Meme</i> attempts to function as a Wikipedia for internet memes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">An example of a meme originated on <i>4Chan</i> is “i herd you liek mudkips,” based on a Pokemon which has become a mascot for the site. The authors of<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"> Know Your Meme</i> admit they do not know the original origin of this meme, but it is wide-spread enough that it must be acknowledged as one: <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-herd-u-liek-mudkips">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-herd-u-liek-mudkips</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Reddit/Tumblr: Popular blog sites which make the spread of memes simple. Individuals will often create a page devoted to one meme. If a tumblr has the words "F*** Yeah" in its title, that is an indication that it is devoted to a single meme.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">[<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Art Student Owl</i> on Tumblr: <a href="http://fyeahartstudentowl.tumblr.com/">http://fyeahartstudentowl.tumblr.com/</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There are at least two separate sites on which you can create your own <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Why not Zoidberg?m</i>eme: <a href="http://www.quickmeme.com/Why-not-zoidberg/?upcoming">http://www.quickmeme.com/Why-not-zoidberg/?upcoming</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://zipmeme.com/meme/Why-Not-Zoidberg/363/]">http://zipmeme.com/meme/Why-Not-Zoidberg/363/]</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">YouTube: Popular video site where most memes in video form can be found. YouTube has it’s own sub-culture of modern-day dada film makers. Non-sensical videos derived from internet memes are referred to as “YouTube Poop.”<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2eAUZBHYsRo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal">Professor David Baily of Georgia Southern University created a video addressing YouTube Poopers because he believed it had potential to become an avant-garde art movement:</p><p class="MsoNormal"> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai25963a99g"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ai25963a99g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai25963a99g">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai25963a99g</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">With that introduction out of the way, one must ask, “Why study internet memes?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">First, I would say they reveal something true about culture, for good or ill. Second, within the realm of politics, this sub-culture is gaining a voice. The SOPA/PIPA debate was fiercely opposed by this community, because much of what they do is an amalgam of pop culture references, and meme creators are not afraid to use copyrighted material. As Baily pointed out, these people are at the forefront of copyright law.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The 300 This is Sparta Remix relies heavily on copyrighted footage, but combines it with an original song:</p><p class="MsoNormal"> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ETgk56xT4Mk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDRAhiBtOrQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDRAhiBtOrQ</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Is this fair use? The answer to that question could criminalize or legalize a lot of internet activity.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Second, I would say that the phenomenon of internet memes can reveal information about human nature which is timeless, rather than just an immediate fashion. I find many similarities between the spread of some internet memes, and classical religions such as the Greek Parthenon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After I pointed out that both Greek Myth and internet memes share crude humor and slapstick, Tony Fuget responded by comparing the trickster God Loki with the Troll face: </p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dT-DsnWbp4n2Tdxc1TJvZDgG4Q_fF0VUQTABosPtEpA0UjjiXOi-gNzjuwLMvay1fa8fPmp_0X6TU05zyxviRCGgzMkELKv8TdyFVXJhhlTaRyeiLJCkREpPz_VWlnWyOsemhWhl81Q/s320/trollface.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711865764117737138" /><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/trollface-coolface-problem"> http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/trollface-coolface-problem</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If a Norse story teller, sharing a myth about Thor and Loki, were to describe Loki as anything but a trickster, his audience would catch his mistake. The same is true for the meme community, which will notice when one misuses their language. As storytellers ascribed specific traits to their gods, an advice animal ascribes a trait to an image, such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Foul Bachelor Frog</i>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ll conclude with some samples of internet memes that I have found particularly revealing, especially with regards to issues within Christianity:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Derpy Hooves</p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-u1ule9cvlQZ-hHhXMRVFqyK30Twytl35QY0NART79oFba8ssqdr2GXRosOW0fRO7j8HVQlPhGrgmIXrYCJl5hfqYJ2OaO-jSl-rm9d39Cl-i0V5gCwc9bJHxM_BY8CZzo9ix_XK-1bE/s320/derpeyes.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711866656737697570" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/derpy-hooves">http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/derpy-hooves</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The passionate adoration that an internet subculture has shown for this character cannot be understated. It began with someone noticing an apparent mistake in the show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” The show itself has gained prominence on the internet due to it’s surprising popularity amongst adults including adult men. If one paused the first episode at the right moment, 17:18, they would see a character in the background with crossed eyes. This was either a mistake on the part of the animators, or a subtle inside joke. The image of this character spread and fans of the show gave her a name. Artwork was made of her, stories were written about her, aspects of her personality and life were determined and agreed upon by her fans over the internet. The creators of the show, noticing this popularity, gave the character more “easter egg” appearances, and eventually gave her a spoken line and accepted the name “Derpy Hooves” as the character’s name. An internet sub-culture influenced Hasbro and the creators of the show to reinterpret their own work. This demonstrates the power of this group and also relates to questions of whether authors determine meaning in their stories or their audience.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Derpy Hooves is not a good metaphor for God, but her followers’ passion draws parallels with the early Christian church. I have told some of my friends that an adult man has no buisness watching <i>My Little Pony</i>. These “Bronies” defend the show’s merits with logical arguments and evangelize it to others with a religious fervor.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I discovered the character of Derpy as one might have first heard about Jesus 2000 years ago. The followers are outspoken about their love for this figure. Sending someone to check 17:18 is like sending someone to check a Bible reference. I was reminded of the Ethiopian in Acts 8, an intelligent man who read the scriptures but couldn’t comprehend them because they seemed so foreign to him. <a href="http://bible.org/seriespage/ethiopian-eunuch-acts-826-40">http://bible.org/seriespage/ethiopian-eunuch-acts-826-40</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Like Derpy, “i herd you liek mudkips” is a meme which parallels faith. It probably began as some in-joke. The joke, though, has been taken up by the broader culture, and many who presumably have no idea what the in-joke is spread the meme as if they did. One must have faith that, despite it’s mysterious origin, this meme is funny. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Finally, Google “Why Not Zoidberg?” or even just “Zoidberg” and two kinds of images should come up. One is a picture of Zoidberg as Jesus, another is the Zoidberg “advice animal” macro: http://memebase.com/2011/10/17/internet-memes-why-not-repent/</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The trait ascribed to Ziodberg is that he offers himself to you for whatever purpose you may have. The punchline of every joke is “Why Not Zoidberg?” because he is the solution. Most of the people who make and spread these memes may never make the blatant connection between Zoidberg and Christ.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Quit Procrastinating, Work on Your Art</i> directly addresses a specific target audience. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The artist is Ralph Schwartz, and he appears to have added the text himself: <a href="http://ralfschwartz.typepad.com/lm/2010/12/quit-procrastinating-work-on-your-art.html">http://ralfschwartz.typepad.com/lm/2010/12/quit-procrastinating-work-on-your-art.html</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The image has been featured on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Memebase</i> in the past, but it is arguably not a significant meme, because it has not gained much presence online or been used as an exploitable. Why is this? Could it be that the image is so closely associated with this original message, that the audience couldn’t separate the image from its clear message and use it for other purposes? Many other memes have a clear, direct statement, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Why Not Zoidberg?</i>, but Zoidberg is used by many different sub-groups, whereas I have only seen this particular image of Batman within groups that are fans of superheroes and on artists’ walls. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Apart from its non-starter status as a meme, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Quit Procrastinating, Work on Your Art </i>is also interesting because it is used by multiple art students as a form of self-imposed propaganda. Like the image of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Staredad</i> when hung on the wall, it has commanding authority, disapproval, and a direct gaze. Unlike Schwartz's Batman, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Staredad</i> has become more universal. When I hung a drawing of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Staredad</i> on my wall, it elicited a stronger response from my roommates without having a message attached to it. They were viscerally creeped out by his gaze and felt he was disapproving of their behavior, more so than the Batman I had taped to the wall long before. To some extent, both Batman and Stare Dad are symbols for a judgmental, paternalistic figure, akin to God as described in Exodus, who command obedience.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">These memes function as “metaphors” for Christian themes in one capacity or another. If they are religious at all, they are “accidentally religious.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There are three broad patterns I have noticed in memes which are not accidentally religious, but deal directly with religious issues. One could debate about whether a meme belongs in one category or another, of if a particular meme blurs the line, but these patterns generally hold true: </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">An observational meme: A meme which observes something which is objectively present within the image or religious narrative.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A shrewd observer spots something within a photo that alludes to one of Christ’s miracles: <a href="http://memebase.com/2011/12/30/internet-memes-why-do-you-think-hes-so-sad/">http://memebase.com/2011/12/30/internet-memes-why-do-you-think-hes-so-sad/</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Examples of an individual pointing out something ironic within the Biblical narrative, the image is less important: </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://memebase.com/2012/02/09/internet-memes-come-at-me-jesus/">http://memebase.com/2012/02/09/internet-memes-come-at-me-jesus/</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">An irreverent meme: One which simply tries to make humor at Christ’s expense. Kitch art is especially susceptible.</p><p class="MsoNormal">An example of a meme which combines the graphic of imagery of Mel Gibson's <i>Passion of the Christ</i> with the Benny Hill theme. Another infamous version of this meme juxtaposed this music with 9/11 footage.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-gTy2UlHWII" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Raptor Jesus</i>, definition and example:<a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/raptor-jesus%20http://memebase.com/2011/09/20/memes-philosoraptor-jesus/"> http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/raptor-jesus http://memebase.com/2011/09/20/memes-philosoraptor-jesus/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Fart sound image<i> </i>(this one is both irreverent and observational): <a href="http://memebase.com/2011/11/09/internet-memes-oh-that-jesus/">http://memebase.com/2011/11/09/internet-memes-oh-that-jesus/</a></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">An antagonistic meme: one that is somehow political, or anti-religious. This could be directly antagonistic towards Christ, or it could use Christ to make a negative message about Christians whom the maker of the meme disagrees with.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A visual pun putting forth an atheist’s point of view: <a href="http://memebase.com/2011/03/31/memes-faith/">http://memebase.com/2011/03/31/memes-faith/</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">An image used to show disapproval, usually of Christians: <a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/fu%20jesus/quicktusa/fuJesusFU.jpg">http://media.photobucket.com/image/fu%20jesus/quicktusa/fuJesusFU.jpg</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">An image claiming solidarity with Jesus over issues such as war and healthcare: <a href="http://jewmanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/jesus.jpg">http://jewmanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/jesus.jpg</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">The general patterns I observed from searching for internet memes showing Jesus are as follows:</p><p class="MsoNormal">Sincere, devotional art depicting Christ is heavily liable to receive ridicule itself, or be made into a backdrop for a new meme.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Most of the confrontational images of Christ I found leaned left. Either they used an image of Christ to claim that Jesus would support my political position, not yours, or they accused the religious right of abusing the image of Jesus for political purposes. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Most of the tame or tepid images leaned right. Jon McNaughton painted an allegorical painting which clearly expresses a Conservative idea about the Founding Fathers. The use of Jesus is always straight-forward and respectful, meaning it would have limited appeal in fine art circles. <a href="http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_zoom/?artpiece_id=353#">http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_zoom/?artpiece_id=353#</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Here is a video of McNaughton discussing his painting. There is little work left for the viewer to do to interpret this painting's meaning.</p><p class="MsoNormal">McNaughton's painting became a meme only when it was spoofed. Some internet user copied the site closely, but changed a few key descriptions: <a href="http://420.thrashbarg.net/one-nation-under-god-usa-mcnaughton-fine-art-shortpacked-parody.html">http://420.thrashbarg.net/one-nation-under-god-usa-mcnaughton-fine-art-shortpacked-parody.html</a></p><p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6VUo8OuFaiI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-81392482211784995752011-01-01T15:14:00.000-08:002011-01-01T15:17:04.251-08:00Magical Light from a Tostidos Bag<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HKoFJKUgkkQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HKoFJKUgkkQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BGSB98qUPmY?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BGSB98qUPmY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-29884368659801682902010-05-29T09:35:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:01.724-07:00Mysterious Chapel Art<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiv5ZJAv80q9LDAh1R5hJKex_oE6wGYm4HHZm6XTTQ_V1TejOPwb4nvg7hE29gjdM9a2eF8a7cugYUvuGWXBu6ApTDx2XrBXlhcx3zgQ7UaqO4-Jm8C-fRkQs1uivVTixj8W16JfYIbg/s1600/100_0905.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiv5ZJAv80q9LDAh1R5hJKex_oE6wGYm4HHZm6XTTQ_V1TejOPwb4nvg7hE29gjdM9a2eF8a7cugYUvuGWXBu6ApTDx2XrBXlhcx3zgQ7UaqO4-Jm8C-fRkQs1uivVTixj8W16JfYIbg/s400/100_0905.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476732913557706930" /></a>This mysterious cross, discovered by Prof. Serk in the dorm building Streiter, depicts Christ forged from scraps of metal with a crown of thorns made of nails. Serk was teaching a class in Streiter, and when she saw this cross in a storage room in the basement, she realized the room most likely had been used as a chapel space by students years ago. She was also confidant that this was a Marxhausen.<div><br /></div><div>The materials are certainly similar to those Marxhausen used in many of his works, and the time would be right. This would have been used in chapels during the years when Marxhausen was teaching at Concordia. When Serk was a student, Marxhausen was still the only art prof. </div><div><br /></div><div>I would wager that this was by Marxhausen. At the very least, it must have been done by one of his students, using the techniques he taught in his classes.</div>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-54456370253797419522010-05-16T08:41:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:01.726-07:00Other Blogs with Informaiton on Marxhausen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVytkNK_oJ09K_a2bLSZgtzaWMbJshim7LHVxhOyx1vxLtdBTn76b7nGJkvnGWf1Sy33vUgK9MCVE_s9iTUD0268HOWnppkg5oJK6RZ3Py_pgRzURZKw7lgZ6czanLsLq_eX_i2JY-eHw/s1600/Marxhausen+Instrument+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVytkNK_oJ09K_a2bLSZgtzaWMbJshim7LHVxhOyx1vxLtdBTn76b7nGJkvnGWf1Sy33vUgK9MCVE_s9iTUD0268HOWnppkg5oJK6RZ3Py_pgRzURZKw7lgZ6czanLsLq_eX_i2JY-eHw/s400/Marxhausen+Instrument+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471153735200565282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqa3nEz-9uqEsfLY4k_QV6aDMgXBoXJbeGIN7x2Vn5FblLHEv_gLIPchzLbMrX2wyAlbtdG46RxzJldf2Ze3a9DtmTmTHkGcD7a540Rc2IpM2n3hz9K_DPAfeelCFqCUyGxuO9pNq0zaE/s1600/Marxhausen+Instrument+3.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqa3nEz-9uqEsfLY4k_QV6aDMgXBoXJbeGIN7x2Vn5FblLHEv_gLIPchzLbMrX2wyAlbtdG46RxzJldf2Ze3a9DtmTmTHkGcD7a540Rc2IpM2n3hz9K_DPAfeelCFqCUyGxuO9pNq0zaE/s400/Marxhausen+Instrument+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471153731177881570" border="0" /></a>While browsing the internet, I discovered two other blogs with posts about Marxhausen. One seems to be a blog analyzing sound, and contained a quote and photos of Marxy I had not seen before.<br /><blockquote>Once I found a stone that was brown, irregular and very smooth. It was heavy, and looked a bit melted. I remember showing it to a wise, old, bearded rock-hound pastor from Morristown, Minnesota. Reverend Zimmerman's house and life were filled to overflowing with interesting stuff he had collected in his lifetime. When he saw my brown stone, his bushy eyebrows twitched, He looked at me and said 'Son, this is a meteorite - a star' That stone became special to me and I carried it around to surprise all my friends. I was the boy with stardust in his pockets.</blockquote>You can read <a href="http://outertumbolia.blogspot.com/2009/10/then-and-now.html">the full blog post</a> here.<br /><br />The other blog I stumbled across is about Seward Nebraska. Marxhausen left such an imprint on the community, it's not surprising to see his work discussed here.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO-oLF7ANzS3OiF1_fFTeW4314lUGux1LEm6O56MtpG40ullUiDePtfU-tR79NLCZAIqJVtUV-RUDm7wKxV9tKpnDkuMXCSmIqEakRkRE6GSMmKHtPDoYMsmCt2kN9D_ibpoRS7nR6wE/s1600/Parade+Float+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMO-oLF7ANzS3OiF1_fFTeW4314lUGux1LEm6O56MtpG40ullUiDePtfU-tR79NLCZAIqJVtUV-RUDm7wKxV9tKpnDkuMXCSmIqEakRkRE6GSMmKHtPDoYMsmCt2kN9D_ibpoRS7nR6wE/s400/Parade+Float+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471155399855025682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqiM_phUHlrOTotT9T_xqhP3UqPm5ctjnT8T8kXRrqyRy8zLm1vuunwKhkkBd_oeQtbK3LpPaDkC5yL_IWJ2-4P1_A06JcoOsbVHKc0Ida1nKQTeWpkj4UadzrKInklLTf9qE5jxbuX4/s1600/Parade+Float+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqiM_phUHlrOTotT9T_xqhP3UqPm5ctjnT8T8kXRrqyRy8zLm1vuunwKhkkBd_oeQtbK3LpPaDkC5yL_IWJ2-4P1_A06JcoOsbVHKc0Ida1nKQTeWpkj4UadzrKInklLTf9qE5jxbuX4/s400/Parade+Float+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471155406484301842" border="0" /></a>According to the author, Mike Sylwester, these photos were taken on July 4, 1975, and originally had a caption: "Marxhausen Seward Fourth of July Parade float. Old St. John Lutheran Church in the background." Sylwester explains that the second picture "shows the front of the float being held by Karl Marxhausen (in the foreground) and Reinhold Marxhausen (in the background). The back of the float was held by Paul and Dorris Marxhausen (son and mother) and some friends, but they are not seen in these pictures."<br /><br />He also quoted Reinhold Marxhausen's son, Karl, who discussed how the float was constructed:<br /><blockquote> Dad used hula hoops for the four corners. With a walker in each hoop. He created a fish line grid, to which inflated ballons were secured. The rectangular float could be elevated by the front and back walkers moving to the middle, creating a 20 high arch. </blockquote>The full post can be read <a href="http://seward-concordia-neighborhood.blogspot.com/2009/04/marxhausen-balloon-float-at-seward.html">here</a>.Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-61283685185084919722010-05-14T09:25:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:09.658-07:00<h1><font size="3">This is an article from the Library of Congress written by Donna Urschel. In it, Ted Kooser talks about Marxhausen's way of finding beauty in everyday things. Kooser has contributed to this blog by writing about his memories of Marxhausen. The Full article can be read <a href="http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0505/raindrop.html">here</a>.<br /></font></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><font size="3">'Nothing Ordinary About a Raindrop'</font><br /><font size="3"><span>Ted Kooser on Appreciating Everyday Things</span></font></div><h1> </h1><blockquote><font size="3">...at the suggestion of a Bankers Life management consultant, the insurance company brought in Reinhold Marxhausen, a photographer, to cheer up the employees. "Marxhausen was a delightful man, playful yet serious about art and its happy effects," Kooser said. The photographer spent several weeks taking pictures, 35mm color slides, of the workplace, capturing "the way light refracted from the chrome of a doorknob, the flowing shadows in curtained windows, and so on."</font> <p><font size="3">When he was finished, Marxhausen appeared before an assembly of employees in the cafeteria and showed the slides. "He showed us what was all around us, but what we had never stopped to notice," Kooser said.</font></p> <p><font size="3">"His slides were beautiful, rich with color and mass and texture. Who would have thought, for example, that the arc of water in a common drinking fountain could be so beautiful? We left our gray metal folding chairs feeling altogether happy and refreshed, as if sprinkled by a hose on a summer day. And we were a little in awe, looking about us to see what kinds of beauty we, too, might find right under our noses. What had we been missing every day?"</font></p> <p><font size="3">The slide show was a life-changing event for Kooser. He, too, started to pay attention to the details, "to the beauties and pleasures of the ordinary."<br /></font></p><p><font size="3">...</font></p><p><font size="3">About 10 years ago, Kooser was asked to write a poem to accompany a painting for an art book, which was never published. (Kooser later used a picture of that George Ault painting on the cover of "Delights & Shadows.") The poem that Kooser proposed was:</font></p> <p><font size="3"> "If you can awaken<br /> inside the familiar<br /> and discover it strange,<br /> you need never leave home."</font></p> <p><font size="3">"This four-line poem is a kind of credo for me," Kooser told the audience. "In short, we have beauty all about us, if we take the time to pay attention to it. Reinhold Marxhausen knew about paying attention; George Ault knew it. Pablo Neruda wrote dozens of remarkable poems about common things. Thousands of poets and painters have learned to pay attention like this. We honor the ordinary by giving it our attention. We enshrine the ordinary in our art. Is there anything really ordinary, I wonder."</font></p></blockquote><p></p> Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-1802190621864759582010-05-11T21:17:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:01.730-07:00Mysterious Mural in the Music Building<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPmDWuZi_GcE_pZWKfmq4ddHTGqMspOHM1Cbe6YjMNojvSUHFG88nnqBVwR8MwmPG7tNw8-zy2_TKjuhqJCCNirM9OTN1k_L9mltZmAovrRWOdcKSWXJf3rmnT9svwtVznUCDjCWsYps/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPmDWuZi_GcE_pZWKfmq4ddHTGqMspOHM1Cbe6YjMNojvSUHFG88nnqBVwR8MwmPG7tNw8-zy2_TKjuhqJCCNirM9OTN1k_L9mltZmAovrRWOdcKSWXJf3rmnT9svwtVznUCDjCWsYps/s400/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470054646255409298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VXxJ04IR5vMlobdULC6NVt3eo12_PzrEFF25Jr9ZZChdwMOE3zlFUo_MlsV8cbF-rZMNKjZeF0t3C9S_0d9UPQXezFytxYjE1R0DVf5blF9V39MX-NjY3HBS33d7gwHrYksGBr2K_xo/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VXxJ04IR5vMlobdULC6NVt3eo12_PzrEFF25Jr9ZZChdwMOE3zlFUo_MlsV8cbF-rZMNKjZeF0t3C9S_0d9UPQXezFytxYjE1R0DVf5blF9V39MX-NjY3HBS33d7gwHrYksGBr2K_xo/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470054637074744258" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7hObxns8FNJo0Mdf2GWVKTDVjZBv5UPgU6GIhbF483rheYTaP4g613YPixOs76nCTD7Mp8OXXJBMEE9bYDGIM67VUuKkCQxDpuzrRtsSxfT4T11bq21yiMHWA3hzg5KUNsHK5EGa-zg/s1600/Picture+3.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7hObxns8FNJo0Mdf2GWVKTDVjZBv5UPgU6GIhbF483rheYTaP4g613YPixOs76nCTD7Mp8OXXJBMEE9bYDGIM67VUuKkCQxDpuzrRtsSxfT4T11bq21yiMHWA3hzg5KUNsHK5EGa-zg/s400/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470054622178524434" /></a><br /><div><br /></div>Around the 1970s in the music building, there was a mural painted on the wall which is now gone. It depicted dozens of black and white faces over a blue background. One would have seen it clearly while ascending the stairs to the second floor. Any alumni recall this mural or who might have painted it? Was it by Marxhausen, or did he do it with one of his art classes?<div><br /></div><div>It was shown briefly in a clip of <i>The Koenig Connection</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was also a mural in the old game room which showed large white stars over a red and blue background with the word "Silverball" in the background.</div><div><br /></div><div>Leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail if you recall these murals.</div>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-52122434619071628302010-05-10T18:41:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:01.732-07:00Detail Shots<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dlRuQwPGJdGQHogEFG5kYyo3pW97QNiGFbrbQYz1wgK7GKgJmZ_EM13GcWz4Bs5k_H18HWB2ehbWRLg6qUGe6_IeUg8V5X0DZ-7_6Wsh-rpzxNal8VCanuwXqGyqmYmU_dGH9V0CECk/s400/Reduced_by_raychleadele.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469824958659860754" />This first image was photographed by another Concordia student. This is her <a href="http://raychleadele.deviantart.com/art/Reduced-117117771">site</a>. Last year, another student moved a for sale sign from someone's yard and placed it here. The artist saw this and found it humorous. <div><br /></div><div>In these photos I took of The Son of Man be Free at 8:30 one February morning, you'll notice someone has put a snowball in his hand.</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't photograph it, but another student this year informed me that he saw a cigar placed in between the statue's fingers.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wouldn't call these pranks graffiti, but some of them have resulted in lasting damage to the sculpture. Most likely, pranks were as common during Marxhausen's years with Concordia's art department. I wonder what Marxhausen would have thought of these pranks? Considering his comments praising the Christian-symbolism and technique of the sculpture, would he have been annoyed by this disrespect shown to an image of Christ?</div><div><br /></div><div>On the other hand, here is something he wrote about graffiti on a wall:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>The graffiti wall was the result on an uncontrolled activity. It was not planned, it broke rules...The wall is important. The wall is ugly when it shows neglect and indifference. <b>The graffiti is really beautiful when you think of the function they performed for the people who created them</b>. -- Written in <i>Bless Kids</i> [Emphasis added]</blockquote><br /><div>I've written earlier that I find a poetic irony in the fact that a sculpture of Christ is poked fun of and disrespected. Christ himself was treated with even less respect during his passion.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL86NPnVsL4gpXVUaJd-KCcZ6VPdqGch-U2Ozjhn6vfTmBN66YKPIVtMhnvypWE36UP_tMPEwvBmGwvOLtXy7y78b1qhqjWrhyphenhyphenv0aG3xnglBXHT9loK_rFYFXdjD45nWVVGANaiVVSRro/s1600/100_0866.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL86NPnVsL4gpXVUaJd-KCcZ6VPdqGch-U2Ozjhn6vfTmBN66YKPIVtMhnvypWE36UP_tMPEwvBmGwvOLtXy7y78b1qhqjWrhyphenhyphenv0aG3xnglBXHT9loK_rFYFXdjD45nWVVGANaiVVSRro/s400/100_0866.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469823492725208530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSI54jFy-LtSGjOsh7pQ3TmBB2eAT3VgY0wpzJy6qkogyQhJLdqtbjZLALyDw6TjrcxYSX2GtS7r2D2ZBjOfktl4qKXnSZQhsmmPZ0eooqPtN6jQo25PotwszhW36F5xITJGhqDiIIqEw/s1600/100_0864.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSI54jFy-LtSGjOsh7pQ3TmBB2eAT3VgY0wpzJy6qkogyQhJLdqtbjZLALyDw6TjrcxYSX2GtS7r2D2ZBjOfktl4qKXnSZQhsmmPZ0eooqPtN6jQo25PotwszhW36F5xITJGhqDiIIqEw/s400/100_0864.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469823490346315170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWg6xnCiAJYd2_Jy_4fVFRWJ7o0J2bw-xlgtVydo1iKn8oduxH05QGdxTjrzDeJtAhZ82kNAqSZGzghPyMKn0mjYY1MkK5K2DIhK_IcrGmsXaJJivoEGsg13teWGFn35YdqnVSo1vBu8/s1600/100_0861.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWg6xnCiAJYd2_Jy_4fVFRWJ7o0J2bw-xlgtVydo1iKn8oduxH05QGdxTjrzDeJtAhZ82kNAqSZGzghPyMKn0mjYY1MkK5K2DIhK_IcrGmsXaJJivoEGsg13teWGFn35YdqnVSo1vBu8/s400/100_0861.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469823481328696994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYGHqr5S9Qp02FIg2DOWX_1gsqK1eWkY8w2D4CSPmt8d4ePNsCyDLJySFJifxiQaqNgnb61FOeRQLnF84WoxCEBxcR0BJBPAHxG4oKEyKyAYv0Av87QKag81KpZhPLezArvrS_nAZ3Ds/s1600/100_0856.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYGHqr5S9Qp02FIg2DOWX_1gsqK1eWkY8w2D4CSPmt8d4ePNsCyDLJySFJifxiQaqNgnb61FOeRQLnF84WoxCEBxcR0BJBPAHxG4oKEyKyAYv0Av87QKag81KpZhPLezArvrS_nAZ3Ds/s400/100_0856.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469823476503222834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwj34uV5kfHWCsYSilqxsIn11uaOoCcdMfuk4EnXmkkkAor6YIzDj9X6mZ4CQ4Igy4z1Nt0nkctzwoTyrbHo9zH9Q6EAMYjM5HDNMfDBFPBxfVx9104WMd26PH1Go8pn0yrb29j8KTaGc/s1600/100_0855.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwj34uV5kfHWCsYSilqxsIn11uaOoCcdMfuk4EnXmkkkAor6YIzDj9X6mZ4CQ4Igy4z1Nt0nkctzwoTyrbHo9zH9Q6EAMYjM5HDNMfDBFPBxfVx9104WMd26PH1Go8pn0yrb29j8KTaGc/s400/100_0855.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469823466373897682" /><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://marxhausen.blogspot.com/2010/04/son-of-man-be-free-detail-shots.html">Notice the different effects of light at this time of day as compared to this first batch of photographs.</a><br /></span></span><br /></div>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-23658216426767052332010-05-10T12:12:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:01.735-07:00Marxhausen on the Trinity Sculptures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4BjBy10MHoMJCAxlLJDJjeeGMvfK9S89PPcDPmj0pSR_vvHEoNT0vzWnOG2xWClRwaGbyQvIDWr2B9SRmKM7rZX-QcT56WVuya6DB3i96UVtI2raCqGDE1CnFLYRqtyZA5v4l8RFxLg/s1600/100_0860.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4BjBy10MHoMJCAxlLJDJjeeGMvfK9S89PPcDPmj0pSR_vvHEoNT0vzWnOG2xWClRwaGbyQvIDWr2B9SRmKM7rZX-QcT56WVuya6DB3i96UVtI2raCqGDE1CnFLYRqtyZA5v4l8RFxLg/s400/100_0860.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469820768790829090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuocbvTIENzNysnCF-w9sCIF6ibzXUegdqiHvqQ-Tp2FpJzzuQa-XuWsomcRBELWjbWnoYMwVvlvd6dGEFKOUnv2aRFQVGU2unGTjWufQR1UhmfsrKpRq8tHc08MbbJv2Ct5bXWuNaFiU/s1600/100_0859.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuocbvTIENzNysnCF-w9sCIF6ibzXUegdqiHvqQ-Tp2FpJzzuQa-XuWsomcRBELWjbWnoYMwVvlvd6dGEFKOUnv2aRFQVGU2unGTjWufQR1UhmfsrKpRq8tHc08MbbJv2Ct5bXWuNaFiU/s400/100_0859.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469820763292880930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbnHeksB1C3M7OZhyphenhyphenxibXtWs1Lut0d8foWM5blt8i9MXkN8F-DX0UVw49WGDpztKAUnvZHYPIp-QWft3Kq-Pq48uT59yxigah7lhGtlvIXNFaAIPzylfpNi_eJzQ4nR0Jy8PHY2o4LO0/s1600/100_0857.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNbnHeksB1C3M7OZhyphenhyphenxibXtWs1Lut0d8foWM5blt8i9MXkN8F-DX0UVw49WGDpztKAUnvZHYPIp-QWft3Kq-Pq48uT59yxigah7lhGtlvIXNFaAIPzylfpNi_eJzQ4nR0Jy8PHY2o4LO0/s400/100_0857.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469820756646406306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkkC0510AjEBlgA6aLTpEtWa-R0h2b25d6EXG0pc0t9JCA-BRvdf3aD0DSv9rWNlsE5NDwT4gGuVGa5FsXhfdAw-mkYg5q1dQoC4nzd3A66WRz6psxOJMddkPQ4KuvINAEeoYcElATyA/s1600/100_0854.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkkC0510AjEBlgA6aLTpEtWa-R0h2b25d6EXG0pc0t9JCA-BRvdf3aD0DSv9rWNlsE5NDwT4gGuVGa5FsXhfdAw-mkYg5q1dQoC4nzd3A66WRz6psxOJMddkPQ4KuvINAEeoYcElATyA/s400/100_0854.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469820750397440226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeR7pxxhYtPkbS7kszw5cKJSSvYn5J-28Gdbo3SAIz4prfNda5LapVXgx8aALm3dF7nY3ZhtVhOpBzyD68-rxae_UfKjnUNUENZzkct1c8gj9ZVBa3W8dmiY1LZu0MRac6yydS-NleHE/s1600/100_0853.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeR7pxxhYtPkbS7kszw5cKJSSvYn5J-28Gdbo3SAIz4prfNda5LapVXgx8aALm3dF7nY3ZhtVhOpBzyD68-rxae_UfKjnUNUENZzkct1c8gj9ZVBa3W8dmiY1LZu0MRac6yydS-NleHE/s400/100_0853.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469817490226202418" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_e3EoIAhWwVCuMnLoOpXksHMzZ2SQBSpgUqjGX0w9WESrXyk8fuAX733Sq5jwAmmZJ71uhtLlgIUopQ4KW7oURWHSbUM2zFKLYFaweJkrV7a85mK9QS41WI71Ms5dGQLJT3gNr8EmPBI/s1600/100_0851.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_e3EoIAhWwVCuMnLoOpXksHMzZ2SQBSpgUqjGX0w9WESrXyk8fuAX733Sq5jwAmmZJ71uhtLlgIUopQ4KW7oURWHSbUM2zFKLYFaweJkrV7a85mK9QS41WI71Ms5dGQLJT3gNr8EmPBI/s400/100_0851.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469816133200740130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj745O4Pa_yoDigcRdVglhm1UhptDNxNYuriEWwPJAlOWSkdoI9qBukz0YkxD3UhRyqNVagcOrfgY3CKiKZo_JznHMMVb8IHL8wcMveiKjmbnNjqKbMhry2P5wFTfIFHjuac9KY5fZ2GQQ/s1600/100_0850.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj745O4Pa_yoDigcRdVglhm1UhptDNxNYuriEWwPJAlOWSkdoI9qBukz0YkxD3UhRyqNVagcOrfgY3CKiKZo_JznHMMVb8IHL8wcMveiKjmbnNjqKbMhry2P5wFTfIFHjuac9KY5fZ2GQQ/s400/100_0850.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469816127133282018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdqDYfPIleeXv7Y3aXvKbZDUKs0igqrGEvRo3I2nv0cS3NCN8PX-zvtrdKY3Wq0XlZN0BkJrUyE784dZI8r0HVjo9wGOZ6dKRQxuAE2PbFxVGgiqGMLjOOo1CUpuuNUC3Hu5AfeeBEgE/s1600/100_0849.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdqDYfPIleeXv7Y3aXvKbZDUKs0igqrGEvRo3I2nv0cS3NCN8PX-zvtrdKY3Wq0XlZN0BkJrUyE784dZI8r0HVjo9wGOZ6dKRQxuAE2PbFxVGgiqGMLjOOo1CUpuuNUC3Hu5AfeeBEgE/s400/100_0849.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469816116242572338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3eyZLjK2muARaekFtMDuljLIQ6gUDCoVGzNVCoq6Cporg9j1sxwnAjr0Qx6l7zNh4YFqxf2dWxRZTTMkyGPKS18RJ8hkIDK6PjLKAQj93oTTjuDnXWLxUB6YRU1OLAJVPoH2j-qWWqY/s1600/100_0848.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP3eyZLjK2muARaekFtMDuljLIQ6gUDCoVGzNVCoq6Cporg9j1sxwnAjr0Qx6l7zNh4YFqxf2dWxRZTTMkyGPKS18RJ8hkIDK6PjLKAQj93oTTjuDnXWLxUB6YRU1OLAJVPoH2j-qWWqY/s400/100_0848.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469816111569913746" /></a><div><br /><blockquote>Don't try to understand the art. Just enjoy and marvel at it.<div>- Marxhausen in <i>The Koenig Connection</i></div></blockquote></div><div>I visited Seward's Memorial Library to see what kinds of books and videos they had on the subject of art. Sure enough, I found tape copies of the three Marxhausen films I had seen, and was surprised to discover a fourth.</div><div><br /></div><div>I gleaned a great deal of information from this find. For example, Marxhausen's <i>Open Book s</i>culpture, which I have written about repeatedly on the Marxhausen blog, was referred to as <i>The Holy Spirit</i>, and the <i>Son of Man be Free</i> was called <i>Christ Frees Us</i>. The narrator described it as a "soaring, cement Bible." It appears the title of the sculpture was not always the same. I'm curious as to why and when it began to be known by the name of <i>The Open Book </i>because the fact that the piece was inspired by the Holy Spirit speaks volumes. For example, the other two main sculptures depict Christ, and God the Father, so all three together represent the Trinity. Second, though I had made an educated guess that <i>The Open Book</i> represents the Holy Bible, it's only now that I've confirmed that hypothesis.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some may view this sculpture and think of it only as a generic book. However, Marxhausen clearly wanted this sculpture to represent Scripture.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the interview, Marxhausen told the story about how the school originally wanted a two-dimensional piece for the wall, but he suggested something three-dimensional which was away from the wall so that light could play across it. I had heard this story in other videos featuring Marxhausen's work, but what I learned from <i>The Koenig Connection </i>is the process Marxy used to build this piece. Here is Marxy's analysis:</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>It's important that we use the symbol of the Christian's most important book, the Bible, as a symbol for this art form. This piece of sculpture is very strong and powerful-looking, yet it's very graceful. It's a symbol of strength and peace for those who read the Bible. This book was made in a very interesting way. It was cast in cement in the earth itself. We shaped a book form in the earth and the cement was poured into the form. And after it set, we lifted it out of the ground and put it on this pedestal. I spent the whole summer just making this thing. It was really a very ambitious project, but it was very rewarding to be able to do something this big and it worked.</blockquote></div><div>I finally learned the name of the artist who did <i>The Son of Man be Free</i>, <a href="http://gustavus.edu/granlund/">Paul Granlund of Gustavus Adolphus College</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Earlier, I used this sculpture as an example to demonstrate how something in nature can be constantly changing because of light. Marxhausen would have walked by this sculpture every day, but every day it looked different.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div>It really feels good to take the cast off of a broken arm or leg and experience a feeling of wholeness once again, and that's what this piece of sculpture talks about. The base of the sculpture is a circle, perfectly round, and represents eternity. And over here are these wonderful footprints, which represent God stepping into time and space in the form of Jesus Christ to live and to suffer and to die and to rise again for mankind. And over here you can kind of see a symbol of a cross. The depressed sections represent death, and they look like casts, body casts. And this whole three-dimensional form represents resurrection and new life. And I think the whole sculpture is made of blocky fragments that emphasize this breaking out like spring when little plants grow out of the ground.</div><div><br /></div><div>The play of light on these blocky forms changes every day. So here's this object in the middle of the campus, it's always there, but it's never the same.</div></blockquote><div></div><div>The Creation sculpture was built by Arthur Geisert.</div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote>This piece called The Creation is made out of hammered lead and over here you see the words of the narration of the creation from the book of Genesis. It's interesting that a piece of sculpture which represents God the Father is tucked away here by the music building on the edge of campus. God is not hidden, it is we who hide Him. And when we do that to creation, we rarely notice it and we take it for granted. And we need to be more and more aware of the wonders of these wonderful insects, plus all the magnificent things like galaxies and stars and mountains too.</blockquote></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-42402369866207394792010-05-04T19:52:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:01.738-07:00Light's effect on an ominous tree<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8X0LFOvEnH-RQr9sT4I7DdvX4UVeB__xqoBCtaUPXnSGjBITmUH7B-UbCJyaLEj6rCeQMps7mNlwN0uaiRKlUEX2HNnQ2PcdwES8dfpK8GOb1hzPkTJg-ElAJd1xbRSBLrLCQZYzcLU/s400/100_0592.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467613514213167442" />As part of this blog, I make an effort to see things in nature which light is affecting in an unusual way. This intriguing tree outside Weller first captured my interest months ago because it looks like it has an eye and evil grin. I snapped a photo thinking I'd wait and see if light changed this tree very much.<div><br /></div><div>Marxhausen called <a href="http://marxhausen.blogspot.com/2010/01/before-i-knew-marxy-i-knew-his-work.html">seeing an aggressive act</a>, and taught his students about how <a href="http://marxhausen.blogspot.com/2010/04/theory-on-open-book.html">light can change things dramatically</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Two weeks ago, I saw an optical illusion created by light which dramatically changed this tree. There were storms east of Seward, so while the ca</div><div>mpus was full of sunlight that day, the sky to the east was dark blue and gloomy.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1mMFnj17-a2_z5uSNot0E5pvZV_5lCUnvB7_n-MHAoxUUhSo6A9r9-azrwm0JTXJ6vxN6J4rmss6KgV8YoVxk30O2dl2UkCM4ZpQc8v_YZ2qcm2ocm3E7ZQnV69rVq4Z6r2qggueDyQ/s320/100_1167.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467617639818534290" /><div>During the Spring Weekend celebration, as I walked home from Weller, I glanced the tree and it appeared someone had spray painted the back of it fluorescent orange. Could it be a prank, or some event? As I turned the corner however, I discovered the illusion was being created by a secondary light source, orange artificial light.</div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi41r_8MK4p116wcRrEhGcB7vKm8FD-1DVWuHmSbKw8_7EXBC5nm6ooXzrI9Y_90jhsQ4bjLQAawOsaaSdGQu34nFa1zqDmX-15o5z49SiAHhwukZ3aqqNrkHxWWDGqBoA8aRE6YdPCX0/s400/100_1168.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467619835433169698" /><div>I had walked by this tree often, but this was the only night where the illusion was created. My theory is that because it was a stormy day, and the sky was dark blue, the orange looked more intense compared to everything else, which was lit by natural light with a blue hue.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZRCe0Psq3UUH_cJx3YYla1nUUfdhOQeFN3XcaI700iCTSgGmgZAQB2uJotTkKwrXKVa0DGe5t3HErTs0yPeg-TKmoaq_JZhtC0InA4ZcLSZDMdvCJo0BR9eisuhs1KUXdTIOS7nBH1Y/s1600/100_1178.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZRCe0Psq3UUH_cJx3YYla1nUUfdhOQeFN3XcaI700iCTSgGmgZAQB2uJotTkKwrXKVa0DGe5t3HErTs0yPeg-TKmoaq_JZhtC0InA4ZcLSZDMdvCJo0BR9eisuhs1KUXdTIOS7nBH1Y/s400/100_1178.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467621603938521378" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHN8YTmUA6_2rq2Qcxy710tFUORQ5aMxF0Q_TELEse57el3XKE8E1F9EuQ6WEKTPNn8Nwfd9gJB7R88w2UDYwLQ9XZMYBSnHXqROAUUq4i7pMfo1GIsd0TkDIkQNKpLKNs2fIbN-bazQ/s1600/100_1177.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHN8YTmUA6_2rq2Qcxy710tFUORQ5aMxF0Q_TELEse57el3XKE8E1F9EuQ6WEKTPNn8Nwfd9gJB7R88w2UDYwLQ9XZMYBSnHXqROAUUq4i7pMfo1GIsd0TkDIkQNKpLKNs2fIbN-bazQ/s400/100_1177.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467621593592472578" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1z8b1igtkCwh1_uEuJphXCi1EQKH4dKN1Lu6lkcYHbKRB0B5JyDvSOaQue-0YKV0Ae174l5n5LnqJy96hg3jGlhYyrSloie11mbPhzOZ2nl0S32QJ-MqagEgO8MDh5enJWLggjq5EH6o/s1600/100_1174.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1z8b1igtkCwh1_uEuJphXCi1EQKH4dKN1Lu6lkcYHbKRB0B5JyDvSOaQue-0YKV0Ae174l5n5LnqJy96hg3jGlhYyrSloie11mbPhzOZ2nl0S32QJ-MqagEgO8MDh5enJWLggjq5EH6o/s400/100_1174.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467621584982252802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></a></div></div>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-36633566996308705512010-03-15T17:35:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:01.742-07:00"Son of Man Be Free" Detail Shots<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9klGCfLMIpB7y2jkswCI-H1CG98H0N8IDsAkQctIRPy7KaOLxVi-NSUYIcW7Zx768HFmXX1IZcj9XY5-UVfqvFQGclLpgz0a6L8v10FaqbrS8x3Tns1qhgGRxXOLoXe644cRlSNbfVg/s1600/100_0698.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mDPRNYuTvur1lz_EvOF8yKxI_kHbYkcWrL9czh7NclmOzTLoEZpUDmuDSlaAEqXc6ENhyphenhyphenyN5lKJPmu1S498qLSNY_757dOhINkh-wKG7bC-XxjeKsWejDOAj9WT9I8DM7zOa7ZNz9x8/s400/100_0687.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465723674984082466" /></a><br /><br /></div>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-6769818151556760332010-03-15T17:27:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:30:01.744-07:00"Son of Man Be Free" at 11:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdfE-CPvoGhRbssiXp1MGntKf2ekT0cL5YNEmkrfjj69QqgddQG22-wSCTEC_je4ZPeyE5g0BnxE9XdmgqrBUT_lciWI0H4Xj8-Uz1J4C2UIXJ3pBaNMzKC8ICiWvmKIgdu6_qcpjvkB4/s1600/100_0694.JPG"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDRhoakCcILrXcBHBPzBrH0lgUZrkJ-mmADEOV7Yya2D9OLJJ2GyYK0QJSRgyLSAnBHMwi95C7eH1OEWJABlkbl5JRkIVw8UBS3QAc2Qck7pKVDHPlw2LhTLmJw5eP8HDRYzt1YJxCs4/s400/100_0678.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465721365724611458" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Marxhausen would have passed by this sculpture every day on the way to work. Since every student of Concordia is familiar with this prominent sculpture, it's easy to make jokes about it.</p><blockquote style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 40px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: url(http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/layout/images/blockquote.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">The 'Son of Man Be Free' sculpture has been adorned with many costumes over the years, most of which were easily removed. However, a few students had to pay to have the sculpture restored a few years ago when their coating of clay and leaves damaged the finish. (From an article in <em>The Sower</em>, http://www.cune.edu/about/4/)</p></blockquote><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">I've also observed a "For Sale" sign placed in front of it, fake police tape surrounding it, a Jack o' Lantern placed on it's head around Haloween, and a snow ball placed in it's hand after the first snow of the year. It is colloquially known as the "Naked Man Statue."</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">As a freshman, I wrote a haiku about the sculpture for a writing class. Haikus have three lines, the first with five syllables, the second with seven, the third with five again:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: center; ">All ridicule it.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: center; ">But was not Christ stripped naked?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: center; ">For us ridiculed?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: left; ">My idea was that it's very fitting that the sculpture is constantly ridiculed since it depicts Christ, who was ridiculed on our account.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: left; ">I'll bet this statue appealed to Marxhausen because light can dramatically change it. Here is something he said about the statue outside of New Cassel Retirement Center in Omaha, NE:</p><blockquote style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 40px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: url(http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/layout/images/blockquote.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">This statue is not the same all the time. Here this hand is light and this hand is dark, and it changes. Sometimes both hands are dark, sometimes both hands are light…It changes. It doesn’t always look the same.</p></blockquote><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">This observation can easily be applied to the "Son of Man be Free." All of these are photos taken around 11:00 a.m. In future, you can compare these to other sets of photographs taken at different times of day to see the dramatic effect of sun light for yourself.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-70100795441335731492010-03-13T16:45:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:30:01.746-07:00Theory on the Open Book<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EQqXNaISwQLcmf4Ad3HYDTQkpeHc23Pv3w6T0LibXcR0iJqla1XdjIpOTudU5HjaDqS44Ey6rt1tyDcSAav_BYx_ftqVukRXeQDuSupY02MfQ68-UEMfcjsyr8w4vYQgcumOQ03MUQI/s1600/100_0883.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7EQqXNaISwQLcmf4Ad3HYDTQkpeHc23Pv3w6T0LibXcR0iJqla1XdjIpOTudU5HjaDqS44Ey6rt1tyDcSAav_BYx_ftqVukRXeQDuSupY02MfQ68-UEMfcjsyr8w4vYQgcumOQ03MUQI/s400/100_0883.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465720161627359826" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Shot at 12:10</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Why would Marxhausen want his Open Book sculpture tucked away behind Link library? Contrast this with the Son of Man be Free: that sculpture resides in the heart of the campus, with no trees obstructing student's view of it, and no buildings close enough to cast their shadow on it. Most students will pass by it on their way to different classes throughout the day, which means almost every student not only sees it daily, but can appreciate how it changes as the day goes by and the sun travels further west. This is probably why students poke fun at the Son of Man be Free so often: it's something most Concordia students are very familiar with.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Conversely, during the school day, a student would have to go out of his way to see the Open Book. From morning til noon, the sun is blocked by the building, so the afternoon is the only time you can appreciate strong sunlight's effect on it. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">However, when Marxhausen discussed his sculpture in an interview, he explained that its placement was deliberate:</p><blockquote style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 40px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: url(http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/layout/images/blockquote.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">I decided to design something which was away from the wall so that it uses the space out here a little bit more rather than glue it up against a wall; then having it three dimensional like this so that the sun can play on its surfaces.</p></blockquote><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Based on this information, I've theorized that Marxhausen was not only well aware that his sculpture would be in shadow for part of the day, he wanted that variety between strong, dramatic light, and subtler light.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">In <em>A Time to See </em>Marxy talked about some bottles that by a window in his house:</p><blockquote style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 40px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: url(http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/layout/images/blockquote.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">I've taken about twenty slides of these bottles sitting in the window and no two slides are alike. They're different because the light changes and the atmosphere changes and the sun changes. And sometimes they look very dramatic and sometimes they look very undramatic...as I get up in the morning and come to this little space I can see things differently as it's reflected in the obejcts.</p></blockquote><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Marxhausen aprreciated these bottles because of the variety. Similarly, the Open Book is sometimes dramatic and sometimes less dramatic because of the sun's lighting. As I've written in the past, Marxhausen loved the changes he saw in nature and he taught his students that seeing beauty is a deliberate, agressive action.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Since students have to go out of their way to appreciate the Open Book, seeing it at a moment when the sunlight is dramatic is all the more special. I'm positive that Marxhausen planned it that way.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">One can't passively enjoy the Open Book; one has to actively make time to come appreciate it in its best light.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-31926390056858790902010-02-22T15:43:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:30:01.749-07:00Geisert's Creation Sculpture 12:10 pm<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><div id="pageBodyWrapper" style="clear: both; "><div id="pageBody"><div id="contentWrapper" style="float: left; width: 450px; "><div id="content" style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><div class="list-journal-entry-wrapper"><div class="journal-entry-wrapper post-text authored-by-marxhausen "><div id="item7011580" class="journal-entry" style="margin-bottom: 44px; "><div class="journal-entry-text"><div class="body" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0870.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1268586305809" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 500px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">At 12:10, the Elephant's head, the pod-like shapes, the goat, turtle, and fly were in high contrast.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0876.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1268586617188" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 500px; " /></span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-17394138927953231582010-02-22T15:41:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:30:01.750-07:00Geisert's Creation Sculpture 10:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0870.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266886552440" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 400px; " /> </span></span><br /><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0876.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266886681053" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 400px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">These were photographed immediately after chapel around 10:05. The elephant, snake, grasshopper, and fish were set off by the strongest lights and shadows. Here are a few detail shots:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><br /><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0878.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266886409213" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 400px; " /> </span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0877.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266886469019" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 400px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-69538575110696681372010-02-22T15:39:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:30:01.752-07:00Geisert's Creation Sculpture 11:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0700.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266809029074" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0701.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266809081339" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">11:10</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">These were taken the following day at an earlier time. The sun was out, but the shadows were not quite as stark. This time, the dinosaur and camel were more distinct due to the light source.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-67515737390258355322010-02-20T15:48:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:30:01.753-07:00Geisert's Creation Sculpture 1:00 pm<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0618.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266718401239" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0619.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266718192449" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0620.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266718269022" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Photographed around 1:15</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Arthur Geisert's Creation sculpture sits in front of the music building. Since it's cylindrical, you could easily see how light changes it as the day goes by. Around 1:00 p.m. a tree cast its wild shadow across the sculpture. The strongest divisions between light and shadow I found at this time of day rested on the owl.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-51531384104153287712010-02-17T15:41:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:30:01.755-07:00Risen!<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0587.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266440073003" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 300px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">1:10</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">I usually think of Ash Wednesday and lent as more somber occasions, remembering Christ's sacrifice, but some anonymous person came from chapel and wrote this very joyous message in the snow. Even in the time period we remember Christ's last days on earth before the crucifixion, don't forget about the joy of the resurrection.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Also, the sun is out, which means it'll be easier for me to find objects that change dramatically during the day. Look at the shadows created by the snow drift and the trees, contrasting starkly with the glaring snow!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0639.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266452546012" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; " /></span></span>4:00</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-23202821111809306392010-02-13T16:54:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:30:01.756-07:00Light on a Bible Notebook - 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0572.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266105334697" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 500px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">By 5:00, the sun had moved and created new shadows on the basket.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">-Duncan</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">This comment was posted on the original site for the blog:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "></span></p><div id="item7622671" class="body" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 1em; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">I do think this is a most incredible website for proclaiming great wonders of Our God!</p></div><div class="signature" style="margin-top: 0.5em; text-align: right; font-size: 10px; padding-top: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; ">March 1, 2010 | <a href="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/contributor/8599684" title="Unregistered Commenter" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(160, 191, 119); "><img title="Unregistered Commenter" alt="Unregistered Commenter" class="inline-icon" src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/universal/images/core-resources/icons/dark/user-unregistered.png" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; margin-right: 6px; vertical-align: middle; height: 16px; width: 16px; " />sosemeeta</a></div><p></p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-80008505821509851172010-02-13T15:56:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:30:01.758-07:00Light on a Bible Notebook<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><blockquote style="font-style: italic; padding-left: 40px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: url(http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/layout/images/blockquote.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">I try not to arrange the things. I try not to touch them and make some compositions. I have to find the things just the way they are…because people will say, 'Well, you’re an artist. You can make all these nice arrangements so they look good,' and I’m trying to say, 'No, I’m not going to touch them, and you can find the same things that I’m finding.' - Marxhausen in an interview for <em>Time Lines</em></p></blockquote><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0571.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1266103733464" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; width: 500px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">As I continue to put the lessons I've learned from Marxhausen into practice, I am trying to find compositions which change during the course of the day. I found this little notebook set on a basket of Bible study materials against a brightly colored backdrop. I didn't touch these objects, but rather photographed them as I found them. This was shot at 1:40, with the sun high in the sky on a partially cloudy day.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8773884861143739338.post-26396102108430103572010-02-12T15:59:00.000-08:002010-06-24T13:39:22.186-07:00Learning how to See<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); line-height: 19px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Marxhausen taught that seeing is an aggressive act. When a group of art students watched the documentaries about his art, many were surprised to see that he taught art classes outside whenever the weather permitted. His way of seeing seems alien to less experienced artists.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">I've decided to practice looking for the kinds of things in nature Marxy taught his students to look for: I'm going to explore how light at different times of day affects certain objects, and I'm going to look for seemingly uninteresting or ugly objects which strike me as aesthetic.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">This caught my eye while doing laundry. I saw subtle streaks creating texture around a drain, and the red-orange color of the rusty chair leg complements the red-violet of the drain. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">- Duncan</p><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; "><br /><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span><img src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/storage/100_0525.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1265957620593" alt="" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; " /></span></span><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; ">My friend Amber left this comment on the original blog site:</span><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "></span></span></p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable" style="display: block; "><div id="item7437705" class="body" style="margin-bottom: 2em; margin-top: 1em; "><p style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; ">Keep at it! I think you'll find what Marxy is talking about the more you just keep at it. :) How fun!</p></div><div class="signature" style="margin-top: 0.5em; text-align: right; font-size: 10px; padding-top: 3px; padding-bottom: 0px; ">February 14, 2010 | <a href="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/contributor/8413308" title="Unregistered Commenter" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(160, 191, 119); "><img title="Unregistered Commenter" alt="Unregistered Commenter" class="inline-icon" src="http://marxhausen.squarespace.com/universal/images/core-resources/icons/dark/user-unregistered.png" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-color: initial; margin-right: 6px; vertical-align: middle; height: 16px; width: 16px; " />Amber</a></div></span><p></p></span>Josh Duncanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211058285623879594noreply@blogger.com0