Fine Art in Cinema: The Loss of the Moment in Popular Culture

I have been taking "Intermedia" classes at USC for a couple semesters now. So there is no confusion, "Intermedia" is just a fancy way of saying "video" for the Fine Arts department. I have learned a lot from these classes, and have discovered many artists whose work I enjoy. From Doug Aitken and Jeremy Blake to Paul McCarthy and Mark Leckey, each artist has taught me something about formal and aesthetic techniques to content and presentation choices above and beyond what can be seen in a Hollywood film.

I must admit before continuing, I find many art videos extremely tedious, embarrasing, and/or agravating to sit through. Cinema, as it exists in Hollywood, is completely reexamined and restitched in the world of fine art. The result, I feel, brings film closer to its natural element as a series of images flickering before a light, rather than its hyper-realistic existence in Hollywood.

For an artist, the cellophane film itself is treated as a canvas, upon which mistakes are often welcome and pronounced. For example, edits are often made to make the viewer aware that they are watching a video; wires and special effects are often vidible so that the viewer is made aware of the effect; and actors and subjects are portrayed doing routine, sometimes mundane, things.

In today's Hollywood/popular culture there has been a growth and overabundance of special effects. While very impressive and sensational, special effects have ruined, what I like to call "the moment."

"The moment" is something fine art films do very well. It is a quiet, usually self-reflective, or meditative period of time. Therefore, "the moment" is often isolating, yet it is never lonely. "The moment" is a man looking up from his novel and blankly staring at nothing in particular. "The moment" is the thoughts of a person during a passionate kiss. "The moment" is a musician pausing at the sound of a note, and repeating it indefinitely.

"Moments" happen on a daily basis, and are a shared experience from person to person, therefore I cannot understand why there are so few "moments" in Hollywood. When they do appear, they are indeed, momentary. They vanish so quickly that they are lost to the onslaught of special effects within seconds.

I really enjoy capturing "moments" in my videos. I like taking minutes to examine a face, or use a slow zoom to locate an object. It struck me halfway through this semester: I really like the tedious films; I really like the embarrasing films; and heck, I even really like the aggravating films. I like them because they become tedious, embarrasing, and aggravting through the use of "moments." Who wants to zoom into the corner of a room for the duration of a forty-five minute video?

I will make this final statement, as perhaps something I have been trying to articulate for a long time now. I hope the popularity and creation of the "art film" grows. In many ways, I think it has been and will continue to do so. I believe it provides the viewer with a strong alternative to Hollywood and special effects, one that is not just neccesary, but vital. While I love Hollwood films, it is nice to escape to reality and live in the moment every once in a while.

The Bros of USC:
A Whimsical Examination of Fraternity Life

I am in a group with Burke Mohan and Bryant Cannon. Together we are “Team Bro.” We are creating a comical examination of fraternity life through a video we have created. For me, this examination is not too far from home, as I am a member of a fraternity, and funnily enough, is part of the reason this blog post was late. There are many stereotypes that are pinned to fraternity brothers. With songs such as “I Love College” by Asher Roth, and reality television shows such as “Bromance” on MTV, becoming so popular recently, it felt natural to tackle the issues and stereotypes surrounding brotherhood. USC Greek life is also such an integral part of the school, so it is something many undergraduate students have experienced directly.

I must say, our intentions are comical and point out the faults and stereotypes with the Greek system at USC. I do, however, believe that the Greek system is in a dire situation at USC, and I must use this post to voice my concern. It seems the higher powers at USC are slowly, but surely, squeezing and draining the life from the USC Greek system. When I was a freshman here, I remember Fraternity Row was always packed with people on Thursday night. Because of strict regulations applied to the culture, the fraternity system has become painted as “dangerous, unsafe, and unhealthy.” Because of this, today, there is a slow trickle of students mulling up and down the street on a Thursday night. Not to mention, the number of incoming freshmen that rush houses now has dropped significantly in the past two years. In light of recent activities (the sexual assault incident), I must admit I can see where the negative energy toward the Greek system spawns. Let us be honest with ourselves, however, these incidents are secluded and infrequent. If compared to the campus social scene, one cannot argue that horrible incidents are more likely to happen at a fraternity than any other rowdy party. For that matter, let us look at incidents at clubs in downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. I would venture to guess, there are more incidents outside of USC. This doesn’t make it a good thing. Every incident should be taken extremely seriously, but to punish the entire system destroys the integrity of the culture.

So, in many ways, this project has taken on a personal aspect for me. It is as much a mockery, as it is a tribute to keeping the system alive and healthy. I hope USC does not completely phase out the Greek system, as many brothers and fraternities believe at the moment.

Artist's Statement

Pulsating. Rhythmic lines are intertwining, commingling, and synthesizing. Circular waves crash in patterns, flowing, rolling, and gesturing. Hard lines cut one another into pieces, contrasting, forcing, and disfiguring. Lines that mimic the graph of a heart rate coexist with the rolling curves of sound waves. Layers of complexity build, and the atmosphere thickens as objects darken through saturation.

I am an artist, and this is the language I try to use when creating art. Music as dramatic as the melody of an anthem, as sensuous as a succession of harmonized chords on the strings of a violin, influences my art. I translate from auditory to visual. I am listening for visual cues, and I am looking for emotional content. The transfer of emotion remains the ultimate aspiration. As the music swells, I race more vigorously to conceptualize the sounds. I look to translate my feelings of a string of notes and chords into a visually stimulating string of colors and shapes. I view the transfer of emotion as critical for both artist and viewer.

Trance and Progressive music influences my work. I feel drawn to technology as my medium, and as my inspiration. I accomplish graphic design through Adobe Illustrator, photography through digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop, and film editing through Final Cut Pro Studio. Pixels and bits are my paints. I observe the color wheel through the additive color spectrum, while I practice subtractive color theory.

Pounding at 140 beats-per-minute, the bass of Trance and Progressive music causes my heart rate to accelerate. The melody contrasts; it helps to slow my thoughts, and eventually a moving thought becomes a single frozen image. I am mindful of that moment. I begin to transfer image from mind to paper.

From a buildup of layers to a breakdown of reason, I always follow a semi-linear format. Technology can be maddening, because there are so many opportunities, and so many applications to keep track of. Is there room for emotion in this crazed aesthetic electric reality? Is there room for a question, or are their only answers to be found in cyber-space? I look to transfer these questions from the canvas of the artwork to the eye and mind of the viewer.

I always make sure my artwork asks a question. I do not want answers. In a society where answers are expected, there will be contradictions. Where there is conflict, there is art.

"Ambience," Nicholas Leitner, 2009

Musings

In order to gather my thoughts for my next writing assignment, I have decided to add a post on my blog. I find it difficult to find other artist's work who I appreciate and look at as an example. While Impressionism has played a major role in my stylistic development, I find I am not inspired by the artist's themselves (if that makes any sense). I suppose a fascination with light travels alongside contemporary life. I am fascinated by technology and the power it gives me as an artist.

So where do I draw my artistic inspiration from? It has come from my complete infatuation with music. Music has driven my creativity beyond a doubt. I often find that music helps me generate a moving image in my mind's eye, which, in turn, I try to distill into a still and two-dimensional image on paper. Often times this translation of a moving image fails on paper. It is inherently too complex to make a reality, which is also why I believe I find film to be an awesome creative outlet. The movement of music creates a movement of images within my imagination.

So what kind of music do I enjoy? My immediate answer is "all kinds, it depends on my mood." But closer to the truth is that I only really prefer Trance and Progressive music. The repetition and energy of this genre is much more easily transcribed into a two-dimensional and static image.

So as I sit listening to A State of Trance Weekly Radio Show, and specifically to Tritonal's Crash into Reason (Moonbeam Remix) featuring Cristina Soto, for the thousandth time, I find myself easily moved to start creating an image inspired by this song. It begins with a subject. This one is easy to identify because there is a female voice. I place a woman as the subject of the drawing. Her voice becomes a color, a reddish pink for reflecting a longing that reverberates in her voice. She is longing for someone. Her thoughts become lustful as she muses about her companion. Of course this feeling is sexual, so she must appear seductive to the viewer.

The rest of the image I leave up to the viewer to decipher. Enjoy

A Reflection of Dan Graham’s Beyond Exhibit

From a retrospective of Robert Rauschenberg, to a refined look at the play between high fashion and architecture in the Skin and Bones Exhibit, The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown Los Angeles has had a cornucopia of profound and unique art exhibits in the last few years. Dan Graham’s Beyond is yet another impressive exhibit that guides the viewer through the life, eyes, and mind of a great visual artist.

I must admit, however, my thoughts remain locked within the very first room of the exhibit. I had stepped into one of his sculptures named, Triangular Solids with Circular Inserts (Variation E) (1989/2007). Sure, the title is a bit pretentious, and the work itself is as complex as what is ironically labeled a “Minimalist” sculpture made by Donald Judd in the 1960’s, but the surface was more intoxicating and absorbing. Graham uses one-way mirrors, semi-transparent glass, and two-way mirrors to create a sculpture that is the epitome of the Minimalist mantra: a physical object that makes the viewer aware of the space they inhabit. When I entered the triangle through a circular portal, I was surrounded by reflections of myself. Against the mirror I appeared clearly, yet the semi-transparent glass placed my reflection next to other people in the gallery space, yet separated me from them by the sheet of glass. On the third wall of the sculpture, a guard stood oblivious to my existence because of the two-way mirror. I boldly tested this fact by making a funny-face at him and waving my hands up and down rapidly. He continued to rock on his feet, unable to see my brash gestures.

I knew there were many other rooms to visit in the exhibit, but I didn’t want to leave my isolated space within the sculpture. The truth is that this exhibit was very well organized and presented. The sculptures in the front room existed as a gateway into the other visual and spatial pieces made by Graham. Graham is known as a video artist above all else. His attention to slight visual effects and tricks in his photography and two-way (multiple projector) video installations seem to engage his sculptural pieces in a very dynamic relationship. By the time I reached the piece Opposing Mirror and Video Monitors on Time Delay (1974/93), I was surprised, and completely engrossed.

Two monitors and a mirror confronted me. The monitor on my right showed my movements immediately. I turned assuming to see the same on the left-hand side. Instead, the mirror and monitor showed nothing; until several seconds later, I saw myself enter the room. I smiled when I realized the monitor was on a time delay. It was fun to observe your own movements from a somewhat removed circumstance.

From videos and pictures, to architectural models and blueprints, the exhibit remained cohesive and linear. Reflecting the precisely constructed equipment, models, sculptures, and pictures, the exhibit remained a success, until the very end, that is.

As I entered the secluded theater constructed in the middle of the gallery space, I wondered if I was still in the same exhibit. Perhaps I had accidentally wandered into another section of the museum where there was a separate exhibit. A film, Rock My Religion (1982-84), directed by Graham and inspired by essays he had written, was playing on the screen. But in the scope of the exhibit, I felt like I was going into a movie theater to watch a movie by some forgettable independent film-maker.

When I left the exhibit, it was with a sour taste on my already sugar coated tongue. I had to scratch at it before I could taste the sweetness again. It seemed a shame too, because it was really the very last piece within the exhibit that threw me off balance. Once I began talking to my friends about the exhibit, however, the moment in the reflective triangle came back to me, and I decided to lock it away in my memory to revisit whenever I wanted.

The Emotions of Duane Michals

(Post 1)

Everything is subject for photography, especially the difficult things of our lives: anxiety, childhood hurts, lust, nightmares. The things that cannot be seen are the most significant. They cannot be photographed, only suggested.
-Duane Michals

Before I begin examining the technological side of art and the electric culture that surrounds many of us, I would like to take a quiet moment to examine an under-appreciated photographer I stumbled across. This photographer's name is Duane Michals. He is a conventional photographer, who distinguishes himself through writing and narrative.

Michals physically writes on the majority of his photographs. He may give the piece an awkwardly long title, or he may tell a story that unfolds over a series of photographs. One thing becomes undeniable: Michals tells us what his photographs are about through his writing. Instead of our standing in front of the image, clumsily speculating what certain objects, body language, or compositional choices mean, Michals tells us what the undertones of his images are. I feel that in no way does this subtract from the value of his photos. In no way does it feel inappropriate or forced upon us as the viewer. His words do not analyze or pick apart the aesthetics of his photography, but they explain the look of the subject—whether it is lustful, cautious, or elated.

What makes his images even more powerful is that many of them touch upon emotions that we all have felt at one point or another in our own lives. While one may skip over or dismiss several of his images, it is almost certain that sooner or later, the viewer will stop to reflect: “I have felt that. I understand that look.” The words written on the photograph by Michals only solidify this process, and instead of being left to wonder the artist’s intentions, we are left reflecting on our own life and the idea that we are not alone. That is powerful photography.

In the Beginning There was Impressionism

Manet Lemon

I took a modern art history class in high school that began with the Impressionist movement. The teacher argued that the Impressionist movement was responsible for modern art, as we know it. The Impressionists such as Manet, Monet, Degas, and Camille Pissarro were the catalyst for the creative drive that fueled Dadaism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, etc. At the time I was skeptical, because I did not understand how Impressionism could be so far reaching and all encompassing. It took several more art theory and modern art history classes before I was convinced.

Let us briefly examine the traits of Impressionist painting as I have come to see them. Impressionism is most importantly the study of light. Light defines all objects and subjects in the painting; lines are rarely or never used at all. Impressionism is the bold use of color. Unmixed color is common, and the hue of color is often times exaggerated. The use of black pigment is discouraged and shadows are often times colorful. The hand of the artist is emphasized. Brushstrokes are brash and blending is often times completed through the eye. Color theory is critical. Placing blue next to orange will cause the eye to blend the colors into a neutral gray.

So how, then, did this color revering art movement come to influence the history of art? Simply put, Impressionism was the first movement to openly reject Academic art. Manet’sThe Picnic is not only a scandalous picture in presenting women in such a manor, but it is also playful with perspective and lighting. This alteration becomes an open rejection of the standard formal and detail driven techniques established in academic painting. Examine the woman in the background of this picture carefully in respect to those figures in the foreground to observe the skew in perspective and lighting. More technically, however, Impressionism was the first art movement to soften the hand of the artist. Instead of detail driven reproductions of figure, objects, and landscape, Impressionism broadened the concern of the artist. Now painting was focused on the materials, such as the paint and brushwork, which brings the painting itself into the plain of the viewer. This idea of bringing the work into the space of the viewer is frequently practiced in modern art. Making the viewer aware of the space they inhabit and the material used to make the work of art is a practice perfected by Frank Stella and Donald Judd in Minimalism.

The capturing of light in Impressionist paintings plays with the idea of feeling and emotion. While Impressionism never attempted to breach the realms of emotion, Abstract Expressionism thrived on the idea of the emotion of the painter, and how this emotion could be transmitted onto the canvas for a viewer to identify. One need look no further than the splatter paintings of Jackson Pollock to identify emotion in Abstract Expressionist art. To conclude, one must recognize that Impressionism was the doorway into what we call modern art.

An Impressionist painter taught me how to paint. It was not until I began taking art history classes, however, that I identified with this style of painting in its entirety. After years of painting in this manner, I have found it influences my drawing, photography, and graphic design. While I feel I go beyond Impressionism in many ways, such as the examination of human emotion, I am always linked to its most fundamental constituent: the study of light and color.

Nick Leitner Green Apples 2004