about

hi, i'm jonathon.  just started the arts foundation program at vcu.

there isn't much to know.  i really want to expand my knowledge of different medias and techniques, shapes and voices.
one of my favorite movements is dada.  i love the chaos and rebellion of the works from that period, and their transcendence from a simple canvas or sketchbook to film, theatre, public demonstration, even "readymade" objects.  all to show that art didn't necessarily have to be beautiful or appealing, but was itself a tool for cultural revolt, a stage for your societal aggression.
possibly my favorite work from the period is "dada siegt" by raoul hausmann in 1920:

this weekend i visited the taubman museum of art in roanoke, va.  the museum itself was a little disappointing once inside, but there was a work that really inspired me. the artist is primitivo suarez-wolfe, this work titled "recurring."  the piece questions our comfort zone by giving us a different, yet simple view of a room. the work shows the same room corner on each side, each with the same dimensions and materials, except each one is tilted, upside down, or just a little above eye-level.
when viewed up close, each room gives you the sense that something just isn't right. it's a sinking, uncomfortable feeling, like you're on the edge of a cliff, just before falling.


he pulls this off by giving us very common visual cues - the carpet isn't supposed to be on the wall, the bumps of the ceiling aren't supposed to be beneath us.  if you stripped down each room to the drywall, the piece wouldn't have the same effect.
i admire the power this piece has over you, and the ability of the artist to pull out such a deep, uncomfortable feeling from such a simple layout.
here is suarez's website: http://www.primitivosuarezwolfe.com/