In There, there, Anna Youngyeun masterfully employs the use of balance, texture, and contrast to create an interesting paradox: a sculpture that, at first glance, appears to emanate an atmosphere of dread, but, upon further inspection, exudes comfort and understanding. The sculpture, created in 2014 and featured in Youngyeun’s I feel funny, but I like it, consists of a fiber-filled, humanesque form made of muslin over a wooden armature. The form is surrounded by several smaller screenprinted pillows made of rayon and cotton. Due to its massive size, ingenious demonstration of the visual elements and principles, and interesting aura, the piece dominates the Cube in Truman State University’s gallery. One the most obvious elements used in the
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The viewer walks in and sees a colorless, expressionless, slouching, macabre form surrounded by dull-colored pillows, but then touches and interacts with the work to find that the slouching arms that once seemed so uninviting were meant to comfort and relax the viewer. This leaves the viewer seeing something different in the form after tactile interaction. It is ultimately the contrast between what the viewer sees and feels that makes There, there an effective work of art. There, there is truly the epitome of art. I personally have a very liberal definition of art: anything that uses a medium to convey meaning or emotion to the beholder. There, there fits this definition perfectly because it uses sculpture to comfort the viewer, even though the viewer may first be uncomfortable due to the form’s ominous appearance. Therefore, in my eyes, There, there is a masterpiece. In conclusion, There, there stands apart from other works due to its ingenious execution of the visual principles and elements. While the element of form describes the slouching, expressionless form and creates an uncomfortable aura, upon touching and interacting with the work, the viewer finds that the piece is actually gentle, understanding, and friendly. It is this contrast between the initial and final impression that makes this work a true masterpiece, one that conveys the message that visual perception may not always capture the whole
The viewer walks in and sees a colorless, expressionless, slouching, macabre form surrounded by dull-colored pillows, but then touches and interacts with the work to find that the slouching arms that once seemed so uninviting were meant to comfort and relax the viewer. This leaves the viewer seeing something different in the form after tactile interaction. It is ultimately the contrast between what the viewer sees and feels that makes There, there an effective work of art. There, there is truly the epitome of art. I personally have a very liberal definition of art: anything that uses a medium to convey meaning or emotion to the beholder. There, there fits this definition perfectly because it uses sculpture to comfort the viewer, even though the viewer may first be uncomfortable due to the form’s ominous appearance. Therefore, in my eyes, There, there is a masterpiece. In conclusion, There, there stands apart from other works due to its ingenious execution of the visual principles and elements. While the element of form describes the slouching, expressionless form and creates an uncomfortable aura, upon touching and interacting with the work, the viewer finds that the piece is actually gentle, understanding, and friendly. It is this contrast between the initial and final impression that makes this work a true masterpiece, one that conveys the message that visual perception may not always capture the whole