Art review II about Lynn Hershman Leeson+Impressionism

Figure 1, Lynne Hershman Leeson's exhibition, pictures by Lynne Hershman Leeson’s official website/Raven

I did research about museum and artists before the trip, I was very interested at Modern Art Oxford museum. Lynne Hershman Leeson has a solo exhibition, and named Origins of the Species(Part 2)(Figure 1). She was born at the Ohio in 1941. Lynne is not only a multi-talented artist, but also a film maker and focusing on the documentary films, lives and works between San Francisco, California and New York. Her art works includes paintings, flims,  sculptures, photos, videos. She also has been an early practitioner of installation and interactive art , focused on the changing relationship between the body and technology.

I discussed Lynne’s artworks in the class with my classmates. Fist,I noticed the artork was name Breathing Machine IV in 1968. There are butterflies, feathers, face and black yarn. butterflies looks like strong vitality .The black yarn represents breathing machines. They symbolizes to combine life and death and never separate. I was surprised when I saw the real one. I saw it on the screen before I went to the museum, it didn’t have any voice, but I approached the artwork, It heard very strong voice of breathing, I felt horrible actuality and made me feel death close me very much.

Phantom Limb series is one of Lynne’s artworks.She used female identity into the media and technologies. Her artwork wanted to discuss female images in the mass media and ultimately changed the our mental projection of identity. Except her artworks, she also focused on the films . Leeson's three feature films are Strange Culture, Teknolust, Conceiving and  all about loss and technology. She released an astonishing documentary and gained a lot awards from the Toronto and Berlin movie festivals.

There are many cultural exhibitions in the Ashmolean Museum. Specifically Japanese painting culture exhibition made me a deeper impression. Ukiyo-e is one of Painting in Japan, it began popular between seventeenth to nineteenth century, and described life, views and dramas. They had different style from kano school and tosa School. Kano school is very great in the art history of Japan. My classmate shared a important knowledge to me about ukiyo-e. There didn't draw artworks, but they used to printed colorful woodcuts.

 In the Ashmolean museum, the exhibition of Hiroshi Yoshida’s artworks. He was a 20th-century Japanese painter and woodblock printmaker. Yoshida was influenced arts by his foster father in the early age. He trained in western oil painting ,often used the same blocks and varied the color to suggest different moods. Yoshida visited numbers of countries extensively, and observed many details afterwards he combined a new culture in his artworks. He depicted scenes as a series of prints from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Singapore was published in 1931. Yoshida ‘s artworks brought a new style to traditional Japanese woodblock. Ykiyo-e also influenced Impressionism(Post-Impressionism,Belinda Thomson,1998,P.23)

Another interesting part in Ashmolean Museum is Impressionism's exhibition.I read many books about art history, they explained impressionism in the France, but they are less to talk about other impressionism in the United Kingdom. Fortunately I saw a lot of details in the exhibition.

Figure 2, Spencer Frederick Gore's artworks, pictures by Wikipedia

Figure 3, Robert Polhill Bevan's picture and artwork, pictures by Wikipedia

Spencer Frederick Gore (Figure2) (BBC Your Paintings,ABOUT THIS ARTIST) was a British artist and born in 1878.He was good at drawing landscapes, and using natural brushes with full-toned colors in his artworks. Spencer founded a Camden Town Group in 1911,and he also was the first member. Robert Polhill Bevan  (BBC Your Paintings,ABOUT THIS ARTIST) and Malcolm Drummond(BBC Your Paintings,ABOUT THIS ARTIST)  are also members in Camden Town Group. Robert was painter and lithographer. His work was much influenced by Gauguin and used flat patterning and bold colors. His style became increasingly simplified and schematic in the last years(Figure3). Robert was good at painting featuring horses. Malcolm Drummond was another member in Camden Town Group and created London Group. He was an English painter and born at Boyne Hill, Berkshire. His style included simple forms , vast colors and expert in urban scenes and interiors. The Post-Impressionists and Walter Sickert influenced him.

Eugène Louis Boudin(BBC Your Paintings,ABOUT THIS ARTIST) was a French landscape painter and born in 1824, grew up in the sailor ‘s family.His father was a navigator and influenced in Boudon’s life a lot. Boudin was into views from the western coasts in the France. He had a marvelous ability, such as exact observation and recorder of nature. Boudin captured gestures, movements and costumes accurately from his individual views. His style made me feel like graceful and quick. Boudin was called "king of the skies" and also like Claude Monet's tutor. He encouraged young Monet painted outdoors.

Oxford is a very classical city and the answer is like my friend said” fall in love with it when you visit it.I have stayed at United Kingdom until 4 weeks. I still lose myself and try to find a new direction, not only improve my career, but also create a better future.

．The list of illustrations

Figure 1, Lynne Hershman Leeson's exhibition, pictures by Lynne Hershman Leeson’s

official website/Raven

Figure 2, Spencer Frederick Gore's artworks, pictures by Wikipedia

Figure 3, Robert Polhill Bevan's picture and artwork, pictures by Wikipedia

．Bibliography

　　1.BBC Your Paintings,ABOUT THIS ARTIST,                                                    

　　　http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/spencer-gore

　　2. BBC Your Paintings,ABOUT THIS ARTIST

　　　http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/robert-polhill-bevan