Willis 1

Lillian Willis English 1101 - 060 Professor Hinnant November 12th, 2013 Recognizable Reality Red. Blood red. Splatter. A splatter that looks as if it is coming off of the canvas in some places. Hand prints smeared across a white canvas. The red paint now covers most of what was once completely white. A new white being has a appeared on top of the red paint. This white figure is in the center of the canvas, aided by smaller white blotches radiating outwards around it. As one continues to look at the blotch in the center, it begins to resemble a human body. Black lines trace over the bright red paint from the outsides of the canvas, each connecting to the main white blotch in the center. Some of these black lines are connected to other black lines. They are thick and defined. Although the white is centered and looks to be on top of the other paint, the red and black still draw equal attention. All three colors are brought into the interest of the audience, so that they must see, feel, or create some type of meaning for each of them. "Abstract Art: noun Art that does not represent external, recognizable reality but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures (Google)." When the typical person thinks of abstract art they usually think of something around the lines of "weird" to describe what they see. They think of shapes and colors. These often awkward, incomprehensible shapes and colors are what make abstract art, the art form that it is. These paintings may to some, may have no meaning at all, or perhaps they just don't recognize its meaning. Abstract art is very hard to understand. It so unique and meaningful because of the comprehensive thought-process which goes into understanding it. When recreating Precious

Willis 2

Blood by Complexions Contemporary Ballet, a piece of abstract art was created to portray its meaning in a new way. The abstract painting includes colors, shapes, and concrete ideas which were formed and put onto the ends of paint brushes to form the new creation of Precious Blood. The red and white objects in the painting directly relate to the dancers of Precious Blood. The way each are painted and the use of color makes them each unique and connected to their definition of blood and soul. The black defined lines encompass the meaning of universal pain which is portrayed throughout the dance and shows how all human beings are connected by pain. When considering the audience of an abstract painting one may think of hipsters, earthy people, creative people, or any type of artist. But in reality, it's really anyone with a willing mind. This painting stays within the boundaries of what its audience may picture if they were to look at an abstract painting. It has shapes and colors, which when you first look at it one may not see anything, but when looking closer one can see it has a deeper meaning. Precious Blood, the dance, is in a similar "mental genre" as the painting. They both take a large amount of thought to come to a conclusion regarding themes. They both can have multiple meanings. Precious Blood can be just as confusing, and intensely emotional, and beautiful, as the painting. The painting take on Precious Blood opens its meaning and message up so that it can be shared with new audiences. Although these audiences are new they still may have similar values. This is because someone who is interested in dance may also be interested in paintings, and vice versa. Those with a creative mind tend to like similar things. This abstract painting gives its audience a unique view on universal pain, one that is very visual. This painting never changes or manipulates itself into another position, the way a dance does. It also doesn't have live humans portraying emotion. Sometimes the audience may misinterpret the choreographers emotional intentions, because as humans we all feel and see

Willis 3

things differently. As an audience member you are able to sit and meditate on the piece as a whole, without having SO much to think about. A painting gives you a lot of time to understand its meaning because you can sit, stare, and contemplate it as long as you need. As you think and make connections between the colors, shapes, and textures and everyday life one might come to see a more clear connections to specific feelings and emotions. The fact that this is an abstract painting and can have numerous profound meanings is also a downfall in itself for the medium, because not everyone likes to take the time to think it through. The general public also doesn't tend to understand the meanings of most abstract paintings. Modern dance, which is the style Precious Blood by Complexions is performed in, isn't always straight forward either. It is usually very hard to understand and people often say they don't enjoy watching Modern or think it has no meaning. These forms of art definitely are not meaningless; instead, they are artistic and that is why it is hard for people to understand. Art is focused on expression, rather than explanation. The general public doesnt move their bodies the way Modern dancers do. Most only walk around, lay down, and sit up and down on a daily basis. Just as they don't dance a specific way, they also dont use a paint brush the way an abstract artist does. They may not see things through a creative lenses. Although the Precious Blood painting is foreign and conceptual, it is much easier to understand than some abstract paintings. The colors make direct correlations to certain things and emotions. These are such that are easy to make connections to in everyday life and the painting uses colors that are usually related to certain things that the general public knows. The red paint represents blood, while the white blotches represent the human soul. The fact that they are together on this canvas and the soul is in the center with the blood all around it shows how these two things make up a single human body. In the dance, the woman and the man were often

Willis 4

affected by one another indirectly. They made similar movement combinations and often reacted at the same time. For instance, near the end of the piece the man abruptly falls to the ground and then no longer moves for the rest of the piece as if he is dead. The woman sits up immediately after he falls motionless to the floor. She then proceeds to move in a way that shows despair and contemplation. When the "soul" dies, the "blood" is stirred up. She is emotional and confused. Blood and soul are equally important in the painting and dance. We need them both, and we all have them both. The shape of each of these elements is also very important. The blood has been smeared and splattered across the canvas. The audience can see finger prints and small 3D globs of paint. The making of these almost look like the artist was angry, feeling a lot of pain, or at the least going through some type of intense emotions. This connects to the overall theme of universal pain. We all feel it. We can feel it because of physical things (referring to blood because its physical), like breaking a leg or getting a disease. While we can also feel it emotionally, down in our souls. The white blotch in the center of the canvas, when looking at it closely, resembles the shape of a human body upside down. The pure white color and the shape being a body shows it is a soul. The white blotches, or orbs, around it give it a supernatural, spiritual feeling. This is rightfully so because you cannot see a soul, or concretely touch the place (like you could an organ) where our emotions and feelings and thoughts sit or come from. The soul. This abstract painting deals with human emotion, physical pain, and universal pain. These are things that all humans go through, and they are a recognizable reality for us when light is shed on the subject, such as through a dance or a painting. Once one realizes what they have and how they work together, they can learn to enhance them both and stay content and joyful.