Week 4 Readings

The Enveloping Air by John Berger

"Sometimes he was satisfied, often he was frustrated. Nevertheless he continued, searching for something more, determined to be more faithful, but to what?" -John Berger, page 48, Harper's Magazine, January 2011

This article discusses the manner in which Monet describes painting his work. How Monet painted the air that enveloped the scene he was capturing. Monet worked to capture a moment in time, a bird about to take flight from a fence, a particular time of day in a particular setting, all different details in how the air would touch the tings around it.

The Magpie
Claude Monet, 1869

Walter Gropius from Art in Theory

"Schooling alone can never produce art!" - Walter Gropius, page 310, Art in Theory

Gropius first talks about how the talent of an individual cannot be taught or learned, rather it's something that comes differently to each individual. However, the knowledge and understanding of design basics and nature of materials can be taught. The Bauhaus was an art school which covered all basis of what Gropius believed was the ultimate education for a schooled artist to live, work, and thrive under; even the architecture of the building helped to unite everyone within it, forming a community of artists. The Bauhaus not only schooled artists with technical details but helped artists express themselves in many creative ways, giving the artist the basis of visual vocabulary with which to work from.

Model of the Bauhaus