Cassie

Mrs. B
Honors Art II
1 May 2016
RISD Art Reflection
The first piece that struck my attention in RISDs collection was Flesh to White to Black
to Flesh by Bruce Nauman, 1971. It is a black and white film of the artist painting himself white,
then black, and then removing the paint from himself. The content of the video is not what I
found interesting, but the dark color of the film immediately attracted me. The vintage, grungylooking thumbnails caught my attention instantly, standing out from the other very clean and
sharp looking works in the RISD collection. Darker pieces tend to attract me more so than
lighter ones. I knew for my final I wanted to do something that was a little darker than what I
would normally create. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and try to work with perhaps
charcoal or ink, and have more of an edgy or perplexing subject matter.
The second piece that I looked at was a sign with a phrase on it. Hide Underwater or
Anywhere by Jenny Hozler, 1983, is a sign made of aluminum. The boldness of the sign
jumped out to me first, with the sharp lines surrounding it and the boldface words. Reading the
phrase made me stop and think, which is something that I really enjoy while looking at art. The
sign reads, Hide underwater or anywhere, so undisturbed you feel the jerk of pleasure when an
idea comes. For my final, I wanted to have my drawing be inspired by a poem or a quote. I
think that one art form many times inspires the next; a song inspires a dance, a dance a
painting, a painting a poem.
The final piece I chose from the RISD collection was a light sculpture called The Manu
Light Vessel by Lynda Benglis, 2009. The light is made from paper, wire, wood, and light bulbs.
The thing that attracted me to the photograph of this light sculpture was the drastic highlight
from the lightbulbs to the dark shadows of the background. I knew immediately for my final i
wanted a painting or drawing that would include drastic highlights and shadows because of this

striking photo. I especially like the fact that the highlight is not pure white, but a creamy, almost
orange color. For my piece or pieces, I would love to incorporate that element.

Bruce Nauman, Flesh to White to Black to Flesh, video.

Source: http://risdmuseum.org/art_design/objects/1199_flesh_to_white_to_black_to_flesh?
context=3&type=galleries

Jenny Holzer, Hide Underwater or Anywhere , Aluminum, 6 x 10 inches

Source: http://risdmuseum.org/art_design/objects/7611_hide_underwater_or_anywhere?
context=3&type=galleries

Lynda Benglis, The Manu Light Vessel, 108 x 36 x 36 inches, wood, wire, paper, light bulbs.
Source: http://risdmuseum.org/art_design/objects/9800_the_manu_light_vessel_ii?
context=3&type=galleries