Gallery Response 1

 

Daughter

Wellspring

Mother and Child

All of the artworks in the Extraordinary Still Life Exhibition portrayed personal meaning, individual to each artist. Two artworks, however, that I found most compelling were Ashley Lyon’s artworks. The first artwork is called Wellspring, and I was immediately drawn to it due to its surprisingly realistic appearance. In fact, I originally thought Lyon’s exhibition was made by folding a blanket and placing it for others to see. Therefore, I thought that the blanket must have extreme emotional importance to her, if it was special enough to place in an exhibition. I then heard her description about the artwork, and found it fascinating. Lyon explained that her exhibition was actually made of clay, made to look as realistic as possible, and made so that it repels some forms of dust and dirt. In Female Gaze: Art that Looks at What Women See, the author states, “Today that may not sound so special, but then in those times it was incredibly important,” she said. “They created a shift, a change in perspective, from being the model, the person a painter is looking at, to being the painter herself.” The clay blanket made by Lyon was a direct replica of a blanket that her grandmother made, and by making this artwork, Lyon is able to prolong its life, and even moreso, the life of her grandmother’s hard work, dedication, and memory. By sharing this art, Lyon is portraying her grandmother’s story and legacy to all of the exhibition’s viewers, and is simultaneously allowing her grandmother to present her art to others as the “painter.” In Susan Sontang excerpt On Photography, the author states, “In teaching us a new visual code, photographs alter and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at and what we have a right to observe. They are a grammar and, even more importantly, an ethics of seeing” (Sontang 2010). With such a large number of photographs and other forms of art circulating around the Earth, people have changed their perspectives and opinions on what is and is not worth looking at or prolonging the memory of. Lyon chose to make a clay replica of her grandmother’s fabric because it had extreme emotional importance to her and because it helps to form part of her own identity, regardless of what society thinks is or is not worthy of prolonging. This artwork is important to her, and she is able to share her emotions and feelings towards her art, her grandmother, and her grandmother’s art with anyone who wishes to hear. My digital selfie was inspired by Lyon’s Wellspring, and although my selfie includes a picture of an actual blanket rather than a clay replica, it is still something that I believe is worth sharing because it forms an important part of my identity. This blanket was gifted to me as a baby, and for years, it was tucked away in a box. When I found the blanket later on, memories rushed back like never before, memories of who dates I was not even sure of. This blanket forms an important part of my life because it reminds me of essential moments of my past, connection between me and my immediate family members, and now forms an essential part in my present and future. The second artwork I found compelling, Ashley Lyon’s “Mother and Child,” fascinated me due to its intricate detail. When I first saw her artwork, I wondered if it had as much meaningful significance as “Wellbeings.” Lyon explained that this piece represents motherhood, specifically the connection between her child and herself. Lyon expressed her feeling that her life would be permanently connected to this new life, both emotionally and mentally, and that this feeling transferred into her artwork. This rope, inspired by an anchor rope she used for her boat, twists, going through ups and downs and multiple directions, but had no beginning or end, representing the indefinite connection a mother, or specifically she, forms with her child due to motherhood. In The Cindy Sherman Effect it states, “No wonder the work of so many artists parallels Sherman’s, or at least mines similar conceptual veins: role-playing and the nature of identity; sexual and cultural stereotypes; the pressure to conform to the images of perfection promulgated through television, film, and advertising” (Hoban 2012). Lyon’s portrayal of motherhood is something that originally was not demonstrated in art. Although society has not always wanted to see women in art, and have not wanted to hear about women’s experiences or feelings in relation to those around her because they prefer to hear about the stories of specific men and the women who happen ot be around him, Lyon portrays the ongoing relationship between and mother and her child through an intricate piece of art. In Ana Mendieta: Artist Who Pushed Boundaries, it states, “These questions would echo in her work, which explored themes that pushed ethnic, sexual, moral, religious and political boundaries. She urged viewers to disregard their gender, race or other defining societal factors and instead connect with the humanity they share with others.” Lyon’s Mother and Child neither conforms or goes against any societal boundaries, but instead represents the humanity in the relationship between a mother and her child.