The North Carolina Museum of Art currently has two works of art that stand out because of their uniqueness and the stories they tell. “Tippy Toes,” created by Alison Saar, is a dark wooden woman suspended in a tall barbed wire dress. She has bobbed hair reminiscent to the artist’s. Alison Saar is a sculptor who is known for sculpting pieces that depict African American culture and the highly personal struggles they face. Often, her works are of women as is “Tippy Toes,” so these specifically tell a more feminist story. Likewise, “Era of Argus,” crafted by Alison Elizabeth Taylor, tells a tale of a different kind of culture and maybe even social class. Made entirely of wood, “Era of Argus” shows a two dimensional image of a man feeding a peacock.
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The most visible building is some type of barn dressed in a chain link fence that becomes a wooden fence. Taylor’s “paintings,” as she calls them, are not necessarily of images people want to see but of images people need to see. I think Taylor and Saar’s works illustrate the daily struggles of people and speak into an idea of social status. Upon entering the NCMA, one of the first works of art I was introduced to was “Tippy Toes.” Standing alone, she greets people by the helpdesk. I knew by first glance that she had a story to tell. I read her placard and was surprised that the cage around her legs and waist was a dress. When I found out that it was her dress, I immediately thought that she was a prisoner of her gown. I did not know if the dress of thorns was an allegory to Christ’s crown, but I could tell by her gesture and nearly nude body that she is vulnerable. Saar chose an especially dark wood for the woman to be composed of, a shade almost unnatural for actual human beings. This expresses a deep sadness. In …show more content…
My initial thought was that the work of beautiful, but upon further inspection, I couldn’t find anything particularly pretty about it. In fact, the context of the piece was somewhat ugly. However Taylor’s impressive use of wood is skillful. The different types of wood and their different lines and patterns add depth to this piece. For example, Carol Kino, writer for The New York Time says “to create an overcast sky she likes maple; for moody skies she prefers the striped violet grain of kingwood.” Taylor says that “the struggle is to use the grain in a way that can create form and contrast and value, just the way you would use paint,” (Kino). My question was “why is this subject matter important, and what’s the significant meaning?” The artist wouldn’t put in all this work for nothing, right? Well, according to the James Cohan Gallery, Taylor’s works “reveal the hidden histories of everyday lives. In her use of wood veneer, Taylor subverts the material's customary use as a decorative element used to convey a sense of wealth, power and elite social status. Taylor's oblique narratives refer to mainstream American culture and its fascination with large vehicles, sex, guns, video games, religion, hunting and the military.” There’s this juxtaposition of what the art is of and what it’s made of. The purpose of this is to draw the viewer in. Kino says that “she doesn’t aim exactly to
The most visible building is some type of barn dressed in a chain link fence that becomes a wooden fence. Taylor’s “paintings,” as she calls them, are not necessarily of images people want to see but of images people need to see. I think Taylor and Saar’s works illustrate the daily struggles of people and speak into an idea of social status. Upon entering the NCMA, one of the first works of art I was introduced to was “Tippy Toes.” Standing alone, she greets people by the helpdesk. I knew by first glance that she had a story to tell. I read her placard and was surprised that the cage around her legs and waist was a dress. When I found out that it was her dress, I immediately thought that she was a prisoner of her gown. I did not know if the dress of thorns was an allegory to Christ’s crown, but I could tell by her gesture and nearly nude body that she is vulnerable. Saar chose an especially dark wood for the woman to be composed of, a shade almost unnatural for actual human beings. This expresses a deep sadness. In …show more content…
My initial thought was that the work of beautiful, but upon further inspection, I couldn’t find anything particularly pretty about it. In fact, the context of the piece was somewhat ugly. However Taylor’s impressive use of wood is skillful. The different types of wood and their different lines and patterns add depth to this piece. For example, Carol Kino, writer for The New York Time says “to create an overcast sky she likes maple; for moody skies she prefers the striped violet grain of kingwood.” Taylor says that “the struggle is to use the grain in a way that can create form and contrast and value, just the way you would use paint,” (Kino). My question was “why is this subject matter important, and what’s the significant meaning?” The artist wouldn’t put in all this work for nothing, right? Well, according to the James Cohan Gallery, Taylor’s works “reveal the hidden histories of everyday lives. In her use of wood veneer, Taylor subverts the material's customary use as a decorative element used to convey a sense of wealth, power and elite social status. Taylor's oblique narratives refer to mainstream American culture and its fascination with large vehicles, sex, guns, video games, religion, hunting and the military.” There’s this juxtaposition of what the art is of and what it’s made of. The purpose of this is to draw the viewer in. Kino says that “she doesn’t aim exactly to