Visual StudiesCatherine Sharrar
TECHNOLOGY & COLOR REPRESENTATION IN CONSUMER CULTURE: A MODERN TWIST ON MODERNISM
In his article ‘Modernist Painting’ renowned critic Clement Greenberg condemns hundreds of years of representation for attempting to recreate 3-dimensional perception on a 2-dimensional surface. Emphasizing the discrepancy between a flat canvas and objects in the round, Greenberg blames said masters for the degradation of their art. Instead of working with their medium, naturalistic painters fight against the picture plane, manipulate brush strokes, and mix pigments to create an end product that falls short of real world appearance. Elevating the abstract color field paintings of artists i.e., Mark Rothko and Yves Klein, for their simple presentation of color without pretense Greenberg presents Modernist painting as the only “pure” aesthetic. With technological advances constantly improving the authenticity of the visual experience, from computer game simulations to high definition television, I examine the validity of Greenberg’s Modernist argument in contemporary consumer culture. In order to represent modern technological advances I replaced the canvas with the photographic picture plane, and abstracted the subject matter limiting my exploration to color reproduction. In producing these prints I looked to capture the color frequencies of real world objects while maintaining a Modernist aesthetic.
SECTOR C: Art Practice & Technology
ADVISERS: David Brainard | David Comberg