Drapery at its finest.

Archaistic Kore
1st century BC- 1st century AD
Marble

This wonderful sculpture is part of an exhibition held at the National Gallery of Victoria titled "Drape: classical mode to contemporary dress". It represents a hellenistic female form in a tubular draped form of dress.

The exhibition, curated by Paola Di Trocchio, considers drapery in two ways- the clinging drape, as seen in the Kore and elevated drape popularised by crinolines and bustles.

"Clinging drape relies on direct interaction between body and cloth, as in classical sculpture; while elevated drape shows drape theatrically animated away from the body, such as the festooning of fabric over crinolines and bustles". NGV What's On p18 MAR-APR 10
To think the sublime form has been rendered in carving from marble is to realise the skills of the ancient artisans.
Photograph taken by mrsmatthews-artteacher.

The ghost who walks too?

Another example of the Wahgi people from the Western provinces of Papua New Guinea appropriating the Phantom comic book character onto a traditional tribal shield c.1970

This shield is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria-International Galleries.

Note the inclusion of the found metal car badge on the Phantoms' belt buckle.

Photograph taken by mrsmatthews-artteacher.

The ghost who walks.

Phantom Shield c. 1970

Wahgi People

Wahgi Valley

Western Highlands

Papua New Guinea

Synthethic polymer paint and enamel on wood

This is one of a collection of Phantom shields held by the National Gallery of Victoria-International Galleries.

This shield represents the crossing over of two cultures - 1970's comic book culture with traditional life in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea.

At the same time that Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein were appropriating popular culture into large scale artworks, the Wahgi tribal people were appropriating comic book culture onto traditional tribal shields.

Did the Wahgi people know that this type of artisitic practice was occurring half-way across the world? I think not.

My thought is that the Wahgi people were celebrating a comic book icon in the best way they knew how - by painting on a tribal shield. And what a celebration it is.

Photo taken by mrsmatthews-artteacher.

Claes Oldenburg and Coose van Brugen
Typewriter Eraser Scale X 1999
Washington National Gallery of Art- Sculpture Garden
Painted Fibreglass and steel.
This oversize sculpture depicts a redundant object - a typewriter eraser. It is a curiousity of a bygone age.

While thinking about Ron Mueck I was struck by the memory of sacred Spanish sculpture from the 16th century I saw at the Getty Museum in 2009.

The same meticulous attention to detail, scrupulous colour matching and blurring between reality and art.

Muecks' representation of the profane have the same power as these sacred images must have had in dimly lit churches and cathedrals.

All the photographs posted on the Blog Mrs Matthews-Art teacher have been taken by Mrs Matthews on her travels around Australia and the world.
Mrs Matthews uses a Sony Alpha 200 DSLR or her trusty Panasonic Lumix compact.
Remember when taking images of artworks to always check the gallery or museum policy first. Most will allow images being taken without flash.

Ron Mueck

"Youth" 2009

A moment in time. The youth stands at 65cm in his perfect attention to detail that we have come to expect fromMueck.

The audience marvels at the intricate details and Muecks' uncanny recording of contemporary life, then we begin to see what has happened. The youth has been stabbed. He can't believe it and the art audience, like motorists driving past an accident , slow down and look more closely. The blood stained T-shirt, the slow realisation on the boy's face that this is not good, the blood oozing from the open wound, the art audience is compelled to witness the aftermath of an act of brutal violence.