Read

New Art for a New Age

What is art? Is it an oil painting on the wall? A sculpture in a museum? An etching, a watercolor, a print? How about a table that makes sounds, a pile of candy on the floor, or nothing at all? To conceptual artists, the latter group is considered to be more "art" than the former. For them, art is more about what you think than what you see. According to art critic and theorist Katie Segal, conceptual art is not a movement, like, for example, impressionism, minimalism, or surrealism. Instead, it is shift in emphasis from the visual to the intellectual, from object to concept. Artists accomplish this shift by trying to answer the question, "What is art?"

The origins of conceptual art
Although the conceptual art movement really took off in the 1960s, some posit that the first conceptual artist was Marcel Duchamp. Duchamp worked in France around the time of WWI and was known for his "readymades"—found objects, such as a bicycle wheel, a bottle rack, or a shovel, put together in an artistic way or placed in an artistic context. Duchamp, by using everyday objects you would find around the house or at a department store, was denying the commodification of art, removing its material value altogether. In one of his most famous works,The Fountain, Duchamp took a urinal from a men's bathroom and placed it in a gallery. He signed the piece "R. Mutt," obviously not his own name. With this act, Duchamp asked some very significant questions about the nature of art. What makes art? Its context? The fact that it is shown in a museum or gallery? Is it art if the artist did not actually create the object? Is the artist's signature important? Does the artist's signature define art? Can a different or absent signature devalue the artwork? Is it the concept that makes a work of art important? Like Duchamp, conceptual artists challenge all previously held notions of what art is.

Art as text
In 1966, Joseph Kosuth created a series of artworks calledArt as Idea as Idea. It consisted of mounted photostats of dictionary definitions of words such as "idea," "water," and "painting." Accompanying the series were certificates of documentation and ownership (not on display) stipulating that the pieces could be made and remade for exhibitions as necessary. Kosuth was one of the first artists to so literally spell out the aesthetic shift from things to ideas. But Kosuth not only focused on the conceptual idea of art by reducing it to text, more importantly, he removed the artist's hand altogether. Traditionally, an artist's signature, the canvas, and the labor involved, were all important in lending value to a work of art. Theexecution of the artwork was of utmost importance. By allowing his work to be limitlessly reproduced by others, the importance of the object itself disappeared, leaving only the idea of art. If an artist never touches the work of art, can it still be considered his? Kosuth thought so.

Art as touch
Conceptual art redefines not only the role of the artist, but the relationship with the viewer as well. The viewer often becomes implicated in the piece instead of being a mere observer. In conceptual art, the emphasis that was previously placed on the master—the artist, is now shifted to the viewer and the viewer's role in interpreting the work. In traditional museums, "Do not touch" signs abound. The most valuable pieces are usually protected by alarms, and the viewer and the art are separated as if there were an invisible barrier. Janet Cardiff has a different idea of art. In her 1993 installation titledTo Touch, Cardiff has made the act of touching an intrinsic and essential aspect of the work of art. The installation consists of a wooden work table standing in the center of a dark gallery. Surrounding the table are twenty small speakers mounted to the wall. A sign reads, "Move your hands over the table to activate the installation." The installation could have easily been calledTo Hear, as the motion of spectators running their hands over the table triggers a layering of pre-recorded voices and familiar sounds. Some voices tell scripted details of their lives, others construct graphic tableaus, others talk with private whispers that can barely be heard. These voices are overlaid with the familiar sounds of a person walking, tires screeching, and a woman reciting the alphabet. As the spectator interacts with the installation, he or she begins to ask questions about it: Whose voices are these? Are they describing truthful events or are they fictionalized? How are the voices related to the artist? How are they related to the table? What role do I play in controlling these voices? The viewer has now become an accomplice in the creative process.

Art as intimacy
French artist Sophie Calle has made herself known in the art world through her intimate portraits of people she doesn't know. In her piece entitledThe Hotel, Calle, while working as a chamber maid at a Venetian hotel, learned about people by photographing their belongings. When the tenants were out of their rooms, she searched through everything―baggage, diaries, trash―all the while making notes of small details about the people and their lives. The photos are accompanied with commentaries about each person, what she has learned about them, and the personal attachment that she has developed to them. When one tenant leaves, she writes, "I will try to forget him…I shall miss him."

In one of her most famous works,L'Homme au Carnet, Calle finds an address book and calls every number inside (over 400) in an attempt to get to know its owner. Eventually, by exploring the man's "context"—his friends and family—she ends up piecing together his life. The work itself is a weekly journal of text and photographs published in a French newspaper. In Calle's art, the importance is not only in the photographs themselves but in what's behind the photographs—the colorful stories she writes and her personal feelings about people, their friends, and their belongings. Although Calle never meets her subjects, she creates portraits not only through traditional photography but by creating a context for them with her writing.

Recalling Information

Based on the reading, tell whether each statement is about Marcel Duchamp (MD), Joseph Kosuth (JK), Janet Cardiff (JC), or Sophie Calle (SC).


1		Some think this person was the first conceptual artist.


2		This artist's works consisted of photography and text together.


3		This artist drew the spectator into the piece, making him or her part of the installation, not just a viewer.


4		Gave permission to have the pieceArt as Idea as Idea reproduced as needed, thereby removing the artist's "hand".


5		Tried to remove art's material value by using objects you could find on the street or in a store.


6		Tried to understand people's identities by looking at their context.


7		This artist's famous piece focuses on the sense of touch instead of the sense of sight.

2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.