WP3: Pre-Writing Assignment 2

Torso, a bronze sculpture of the isolated torso of a woman’s body, was created in 1932 by the Lithuanian William Zorach.

Though this art-object that can be found in the UNL Sheldon Sculpture Garden is clearly made of bronze, Zorach’s original Torso was actually made using a material called Labrador Granite and later cast in its current bronze. This strong, stone material and the work he created within it was selected by Zorach, thus giving the audience of this art-object some idea as to who he might be as an artist, and possibly even as a person. This appeal to ethos, though obvious, gives the audience a clearer insight as to what aspects of this piece should be focused on and further analyzed. Labrador Granite is known for being extremely difficult to carve. This presents to the audience the idea that perhaps Zorach was up for a challenge in creating his version of the smooth and curvaceous figure of a woman through this difficult stone material. Furthermore, the fact that William Zorach chose to use Labrador Granite in the interpretation of the female form is a conundrum in and of itself. In art-objects that are more ancient that representing the female body, smoother materials such as marble, limestone, or some metals were utilized to make for an easier carve and a more true-to-life end product. Zorach’s selection is both unusual and telling of his persona as an artiste.

Moving on from speaking of Zorach’s intent, the current presentation of Torso in the Sheldon Sculpture Garden appeals to pathos through elements such as color and vectors of attention. As mentioned above, the sculpture is made of bronze. The color of this metal on Torso is mostly a deep brown, with some – not many – lighter and darker spots. This color, to me, gives off a different aesthetic than would silver, white, black, or any other. It seems more warm and welcoming. This feeling is also brought about by the small bits of discoloration on the sculpture. This deep brown color, though, automatically provokes within the audience the question, “Why?” I have not the answer to this question, but I do have my own feelings and interpretations. I see it as this is the way the presenters wanted women to be represented. Perhaps this color along with other aspects of the sculpture is used to present to the audience what the creator(s) might admire most in women, or the way they feel women should be represented through this particular piece. Sure this may be a stretch, but in my past experiences, I have learned that once an artist presents his completed work, it is open to any criticism or interpretation by its audience. The color of this sculpture is what provokes this aesthetic and these feelings, thus exhibiting to its audience an appeal to pathos. In addition to the element of color, vectors of attention are apparent in this work as well and also evoke emotion within the viewer. The “woman” is facing head-on, unafraid of coming obstacles and standing up straight, looking forward to the future and whatever may come her way. This created a feeling of pride within myself as a young woman viewing the work.

WP3: Pre-Writing Assignment 2

As far as my previous experience with art objects goes, I have very little. Most of my art object experience stems from my elementary and middle school art classes. Many of the assignments we were given, however, fell under the more “advanced” categories of pottery and sculpting. My art teachers generally tried to avoid delving us as students into abstract art. This is perhaps due to the fact that they felt that we would be unable to grasp the concept of it all. As a result, the majority of our art assignments involved everyday objects and still-life work. Generally, our created pieces were finished with glaze, so I do have some experience in that area as well when it comes to pottery. Although my past experience with art objects is rather limited, I feel that it will help me in many ways with this next writing project. For instance, in addition to creating sculptures in my art classes, we would also analyze and interpret works of art selected by our teacher. We would try to decipher our own meanings behind these works of art and often times create our own interpretations of them. I find this very helpful now even though the medium they would expose to us would be mainly paintings. This deciphering of the different meanings and emotions behind the works of art we would be assigned in class, and the analyzing and dissembling of such works has allowed me to more easily create in my mind both a visual picture and a verbal argument through which I would be able to interpret the work. Overall, I believe I would do well writing a rhetorical analysis on a sculpture I chose from the Sheldon Garden because of the experience I have had with art objects, but I am sure this will not stimulate me at all in the realm of creativity.

WP2: Final Draft

Author's Note:

In hopes of breaking the tedium of reading and writing essays in the form of blog posts, I decided to choose the alternative option for this project and create my own comic. My comic is entitled “The Palovican Box of Love,” and it consists of seventeen panels. When working with the other students who opted for the alternative project, I quickly realized that my comic was much lengthier than theirs were. One was as short as three panels long, and the longest was no more than twelve. Rethinking the layout of my comic, and not wanting its length to be a disadvantage for me in its critique by my audience, I went back to my storyboard and looked to see if there were any panels I could edit or get rid of to compress my story and to possibly make it easier for the reader to understand. I was able to get rid of one panel completely and consolidate two others, but this resulted in the ironic addition of two new panels – panels 3 and 4. These two panels were added to visually illustrate where this family is headed and how greatly the image of this foreign country contrasts with the image of the “Big City” to which they have all grown accustomed.

Another aspect of “The Palovican Box of Love” that I incorporated in order to express the physical difference between the people of Palovica and the American family is the use of flowers. In this country I fabricated, flowers are found everywhere – on clothing and bedspreads, in picture frames, and in other decorations. Because of this, the viewer is easily able to distinguish the American teenager from his Palovican cousins, making it much easier to follow along with the story.

One characteristic I wanted my comic to have is relatability. I wanted my comic characters in the younger generation to be able to easily relate to the feelings and mindset of the people in my audience. In order to accomplish this task, I used simple and cartoon-like representations of people in my comic and dialogue and captioning that I have either used myself or heard before in conversations that have been within earshot range of me. In addition, I feel that the captions that have been placed on almost every panel contribute to this feeling of relatability. The audience is able to tune in to the inner thoughts of the American teen, who is the main character, and either agree or disagree with what he is saying. The use of captioning in this comic also works to further inform the reader. If he is not able to comprehend some aspect of the story, the unspoken comments of the teen help clarify.

I am pleased with the final layout of my comic and feel that all of the panels in “The Palovican Box of Love” are necessary and relevant to my story.



Links:

Statement of Purpose



Final Draft:

Panel 1, Panel 2

Panel 3, Panel 4

Panel 5, Panel 6

Panel 7, Panel 8

Panel 9, Panel 10

Panel 11, Panel 12

Panel 13, Panel 14

Panel 15, Panel 16

Panel 17, Panel 18