Bureaucracy
Exhibition Text
Bureaucracy is a charcoal drawings inspired by the mood and technique of Dennis Creffield's English Cathedral drawings and themes explored in Kafka's The Metamorphosis. The daunting apparatus that is bureaucracy looms over everyone with its arbitrary power to put people through the circular motions of government. In the face of such immense power, one must look up to their maker and submit, even if they are now a bug.
Bureaucracy is a charcoal drawings inspired by the mood and technique of Dennis Creffield's English Cathedral drawings and themes explored in Kafka's The Metamorphosis. The daunting apparatus that is bureaucracy looms over everyone with its arbitrary power to put people through the circular motions of government. In the face of such immense power, one must look up to their maker and submit, even if they are now a bug.
Planning
Critical Investigation
Dennis Creffield is a British artist who had studied under David Bomberg, the man that held the philosophy that ‘the hand works at high tension and organizes as it simplifies, reducing to bare essentials, stripping all irrelevant matter obstructing the rapidly forming organisation which reveals the design. This is the drawing.’ This idea is probably at the heart of his style and heavily influenced much of his work, which is evident in his 1987 series, when he was commissioned by the South Bank Board to draw all the medieval cathedrals of England. This series of drawings were heavily influenced by the aura of buildings as well as the mood created from different angles and shadows. Creffield knocks on the door of expressionism with many of his drawings in this series, especially because they are interpretive "drafts" (he drew what he saw) of medieval cathedrals. |
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Planning Sketches
The first three are my sketches and the following are six pictures I used to reference the City Hall.
The first three are my sketches and the following are six pictures I used to reference the City Hall.
Process
The main idea behind my process is that I wanted the have accuracy in presenting the building. That is why I went through with expanding my sketch using the grid method. This resulted in the building having the correct shape at least. When I got to using charcoal, I started with the really dark areas and used big, dark strokes. Most of the lighter areas was just smearing the charcoal.
Click on the photos for more details.
Click on the photos for more details.
Steps:
- Lightly sketch the basic shapes of the building to provide guidelines for placement.
- Work on large areas of the paper with little detail, paying the most attention to dark values.
- Work to add more specific details with fingers and rolled paper.
- Treat with a fixative upon completion.
Experimentation
This was part of my initial idea for Bureaucracy. I wanted to use the US capitol building because it is widely recognized. I forfeited this idea for a more personal approach with the City hall building. I also experimented with charcoal on this piece. I liked how I used the charcoal on the roof of the building, near the columns. I put dark marks at the top and dragged it down with my fingers.
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Evaluation
In reference to the direct comparison of my work and Creffield's, both are stylistically similar. The medium is the same, and the subject is relatively the same wherein symbols of a higher power were chosen for their look of authority. The difference in the two works is the amount of precision and detail used in rendering the drawing. My drawing, although not a perfect photograph, is more true to the actual building than Creffield's is.
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Reflection
Overall, this project was a success. In regards to cultural and artistic inspiration, as well as technique and the final product, everything went well. The cultural inspiration was Kafka and the oppressive bureaucracy we live through in American society. This idea was achieved through the contrast of the dark and light area throughout the piece as well as the symbolism of the building towing above. Creffield inspired the style of depicting the building because his cathedral charcoal drawings made me think of the emotions he was possibly feeling toward the church or religion at the time of creation. I could not find anything that said why he depicted cathedrals in such a dark and overpowering fashion, but upon analysis, I came to the conclusion that it was a critique on the imposition of religion on his generation.
The style of the charcoal drawing, although different form Creffield, is still similar to Creffield's work, in the sense that the building is drawn from, the base, converging as it rises so that it appears it is above the viewer. This technique allowed for me to make it seem as if bureaucracy looms over everybody in the form of City Hall.
The style of the charcoal drawing, although different form Creffield, is still similar to Creffield's work, in the sense that the building is drawn from, the base, converging as it rises so that it appears it is above the viewer. This technique allowed for me to make it seem as if bureaucracy looms over everybody in the form of City Hall.
ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
I initially thought that Creffield had something against religion or the church given that he represented it as if it were encrouching on his safety or burning.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors of my research all seemed to praise Creffield's work because he had this ideology that he was drawing exactly what he saw and felt to be true to the form.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I made the generalization that many people feel negatively about bureaucracy and its self prolonging processes.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The overall approach of my research was to find Creffield's inspiration for his cathedral series. I also wanted to find other people who have criticized the powers of society; that is where Kafka's work comes in.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made the inference that Creffield's drawings were criticizing the encroachment of the church in peoples lives for a post war (WWI and WWII) generation.
I initially thought that Creffield had something against religion or the church given that he represented it as if it were encrouching on his safety or burning.
What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors of my research all seemed to praise Creffield's work because he had this ideology that he was drawing exactly what he saw and felt to be true to the form.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I made the generalization that many people feel negatively about bureaucracy and its self prolonging processes.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The overall approach of my research was to find Creffield's inspiration for his cathedral series. I also wanted to find other people who have criticized the powers of society; that is where Kafka's work comes in.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I made the inference that Creffield's drawings were criticizing the encroachment of the church in peoples lives for a post war (WWI and WWII) generation.
Bibliography
“Dennis Creffield.” Art UK | Discover Artworks, Public Catalogue Foundation, artuk.org/discover/artworks/search/actor:creffield-dennis-b-1931/page/2.
“Dennis Creffield.” James Hyman - Fine Art and Photographs, James Hyman Gallery, www.jameshymangallery.com/artists/8259/biography/dennis-creffield.
“Dennis Creffield – The Ruth Borchard Collection.” The Ruth Borchard Collection, The Lightbox, ruthborchard.org.uk/collection/dennis-creffield/.
“Dennis Creffield.” Waterhouse & Dodd, Waterhouse & Dodd, www.waterhousedodd.com/dennis-creffield.
Lambirth, Andrew. “'England's most closely guarded secret'.” The Spectator, The Spectator, 3 Oct. 2012, www.spectator.co.uk/2011/09/englands-most-closely-guarded-secret/.
Mapleston, Charles. “The Invisible Recorder - Dennis Creffield's East Anglian Cathedrals.” Vimeo, 9 Nov. 2017, vimeo.com/88582758.
Tate. “Dennis Creffield.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/dennis-creffield-2262.
“What makes something "Kafkaesque"? - Noah Tavlin.” Eventbeat, 10 Aug. 2016, eventbeat.org/what-makes-something-kafkaesque-noah-tavlin/.
“Dennis Creffield.” James Hyman - Fine Art and Photographs, James Hyman Gallery, www.jameshymangallery.com/artists/8259/biography/dennis-creffield.
“Dennis Creffield – The Ruth Borchard Collection.” The Ruth Borchard Collection, The Lightbox, ruthborchard.org.uk/collection/dennis-creffield/.
“Dennis Creffield.” Waterhouse & Dodd, Waterhouse & Dodd, www.waterhousedodd.com/dennis-creffield.
Lambirth, Andrew. “'England's most closely guarded secret'.” The Spectator, The Spectator, 3 Oct. 2012, www.spectator.co.uk/2011/09/englands-most-closely-guarded-secret/.
Mapleston, Charles. “The Invisible Recorder - Dennis Creffield's East Anglian Cathedrals.” Vimeo, 9 Nov. 2017, vimeo.com/88582758.
Tate. “Dennis Creffield.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/dennis-creffield-2262.
“What makes something "Kafkaesque"? - Noah Tavlin.” Eventbeat, 10 Aug. 2016, eventbeat.org/what-makes-something-kafkaesque-noah-tavlin/.