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Critics' Forum - 05/20/2006

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  • Critics' Forum - 05/20/2006

    Critics' Forum
    Visual Arts
    Joanne Julian: Concerning the Spiritual in Art
    By Adriana Tchalian
    www.criticsforum.org

    The title of my article, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, comes from
    a book written by twentieth-century Modernist Wassily Kandinsky on
    the subject of art and spirituality (1910). He, along with others
    such as Piet Mondrian, was strongly influenced by religious and
    spiritual subjects of his times, and as a result created art that
    reflected this awareness. Compared to the charismatic, angst-ridden
    artists of today, these early twentieth-century Modernists were sage
    and poet in one, creating works that reflected their inner life
    rather than generating "art for art's sake" or imbuing their work
    with social or political purpose.

    In fact, ever since Paleolithic man began sketching crude renderings
    of animals on the ceilings of the Lascaux caves (France, 13,000 BC),
    art has become an expression or a reflection of one's creed - for
    these renderings were not meant for decorative or social purposes
    but rather as some type of ritualistic magic. Assuming that one
    agrees that art has a purpose - whether cultural, political, or
    otherwise - and is not merely "art for art's sake," empty of meaning
    or purpose, it is clear that the most significant role of art has
    been the expression of one's religious or spiritual creed. The
    centrality of the spiritual in art is undeniable, be it in the art
    of India or the art of the Italian Renaissance, the interior of an
    ancient cave or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or to offer a
    more contemporary example, the open-air ceiling of James Turrell's
    Roden Crater, an extinct crater that has been excavated to function
    as an open-air observatory just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona.

    And although some contemporary western artists do not offer much by
    way of the spiritual in art, even they are keenly aware of its
    absence. As art critic and historian Suzi Gablik writes, "the real
    crisis of Modernism, as many people have claimed, is the pervasive
    spiritual crisis of Western civilization: the absence of a system of
    beliefs that justifies allegiance to any entity beyond the self."
    Galib goes on to say that even twentieth-century Abstract
    Expressionists were closet spiritualists, quietly revering the early
    Modernists' efforts to distill their spiritual explorations into
    fine art.

    Having made this argument about art and spirituality, then, how do
    we apply it to contemporary Armenian art? Enter the likes of Joanne
    Julian, a Los Angeles-based Armenian artist who is a virtual unknown
    in the Armenian diasporan community, yet one whose work is well-
    recognized amongst mainstream art circles.

    There is nothing intrinsically Armenian about Julian's graphite and
    ink drawings. The critic Robert McDonald describes her work as
    possessing "the discipline and spirit of Taoist painting." It is
    this proclivity towards things spiritual that is the driving essence
    behind her work. Having traveled throughout Asia, Julian has
    cultivated an extensive Asian visual vocabulary, which is reflected
    in the simplicity and beauty of her drawings - immense brushstrokes,
    reminiscent of Asian calligraphy, are set against the glistening
    sheen of the graphite, forming an exquisite contrast of color,
    texture and shape.

    In February of this year, Julian, along with William Amundson and
    Robin Dare, participated in an exhibition - Drawn to Scale - at the
    Spokane Falls Community College Art Gallery in Washington. The
    exhibit was co-curated by Louise Lewis, gallery director and
    professor of art history at California State University, Northridge.

    According to Lewis, "The juxtaposition of a delicately drawn silver
    braid entwined within a vibrant circle of crimson or gold suggests
    an unusually exuberant Zen exercise, ironically made more intimate
    by the all-enveloping scale. In Horizontal Braid, the intricately
    drawn tress stretches within the bottom portion of nearly 3' high
    gold and circle, provocatively inviting the viewer to contemplate
    the secrets within the circle."

    The presence of someone of Julian's talent in both the Armenian
    diasporan and American contexts suggests that the yearning for the
    spiritual is alive and well, even among the most avant-garde artists
    in our communities. In an earlier article, I had posed the question
    of whether or not there was an Asian aesthetic in Armenian visual
    art. It appears as if Joanne Julian's work more than answers that
    call, while transcending the limits of even that description in the
    process.


    All Rights Reserved: Critics Forum, 2006

    Adriana Tchalian holds a Masters degree in Art History and has
    managed several art galleries in Los Angeles.

    You can reach her or any of the other contributors to Critics' Forum
    at [email protected]. This and all other articles published
    in this series are available online at www.criticsforum.org. To
    sign up for a weekly electronic version of new articles, go to
    www.criticsforum.org/join. Critics' Forum is a group created to
    discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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