Join us for the CSUSB Undergraduate Art History Conference
Two Day Conference at the Visual Resource Center, Visual Art Building
SESSION I: Culture of Objects, Cultures of Art
Monday, June 4, 2018, 1:00 to 3:00
Anthony Mason, “Cultural Truth”
For generations, the writing of history and its representation through the arts has been under the nearly-unspoken control of colonial and euro-centric viewpoints and perspectives. It was not until the 1980's that this way of viewing history began to be questioned and it has only been recently that this problem has gained importance. This period of artistic decolonization has produced artists that have taken action by assuming some of the more traditional roles held by curators, organizers and historians. In this paper, I am exploring the topic, “the ideology of the artist as curator” or the ways in which new curators are taking back the museum space. Through this subject, I am exploring the job of the curator, how they have changed as the museum space has changed over the years, and how both have developed in the situation today. This topic provides an opportunity to research the history as well as the ideology of the new curators and how it effects the museum space and more importantly, communities. The mural practice and site-specific art of Los Angeles-based artist Judith Baca lay out a clear and decisive path to reclaiming a cultural history. Her work is an example of the reality that the only way that cultures can truly represent themselves in this postcolonial era is to be in charge of their own historical narrative. Almost exclusively, the arts allow us to have this deeper conversation about difficult cultural issues that we would not otherwise be able to have.
Joshua Villasenor, “The Impact of Influences on Filipino Culture and How We Like Art”
The Philippines and its people are examples of how a group of human beings can evolve from the historical impact of other cultures. The blending of deeply-rooted traditions of the Philippines with the western influences introduced from the detriment of European colonization has inspired a new generation of Filipino artists. By analyzing western influence as part of the modern development of culture in the Philippines, I am arguing that we can gain a greater understanding of the expanse of art and artmaking in its entirety.
Van Phan, “Making it a Day, after Vietnam”
The artist Binh Danh is from Vietnam, a small country located in the south-eastern part of Asia. Born in a small fishing village, Binh Danh and his family among other families immigrated to the United States shortly after the Vietnam war. The artist is now known for making photographic works of chlorophyll prints on actual leaves from his mother’s garden. I argue that Binh Danh is “making it a day” after Vietnam since he is making lasting memories for many families in his country.
Moses Medel, “Norman Rockwell: the Power of Visual Images”
The recent entry of Norman Rockwell’s work into the Guggenheim and High museums has initiated a re-evaluation of Rockwell as an artist and not just as a commercial illustrator. My study will analyze Rockwell’s controversial journey in artmaking, from his reproduced magazine images that flooded American homes to his paintings displayed now in prestigious art museums. I will also focus on Rockwell’s immense impact on modern day society. Through reviewing the development of paintings such as Rosie the Riveter (1943); his poignant depiction of Ruby Bridges in The Problem We All Live With (1964); and Southern Justice (Murder in Mississippi) (1965), I argue that Rockwell made a strong statement in favor of gender equality and the civil rights movement.
Sandra Zarate “For, Hans Holbein the Younger”
Many scholars debate the authorship of the life-sized portrait of Henry VIII, Untitled, 1537 (7.84ft x 4.41ft) on display at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. The artist in question is Han Holbein the Younger; however, previous conclusions have been challenged by significant scientific and historical evidence, revealing a turning point in the debate. Using this evidence in my paper, I will argue that the author of Untitled, oil on panel (1537) is indeed Hans Holbein the Younger. The primary evidence points to the oak panel on which the portrait was painted, dated to the reign of Henry VIII, 1510-1547 by the method of dendrochronology (the science or technique of dating events, environmental changes, and archaeological artifacts by using the characteristics patterns of annual growth in timber and tree trunks). In addition, there is historical evidence that Hans Holbein the Younger was more than just a portrait painter to Henry VIII, but a confidant of the king. Holbein was given the privilege to have significant control of Henry VIII’s official image that is iconic to the majority of his portraits. The relationship between the king and the painter was strong for Henry VIII gave Holbein the title of “Servant of the Kings Majesty” which came with a studio at Whitehall where Henry VIII’s privy chambers reside. Additionally, Holbein’s techniques which are engrained throughout many of his portraitures of Henry VIII and that of other paintings of his patrons further emphasize the signature of his authorship. These and many more facts will challenge previous idea, and while using this evidence, I will argue that the author of Untitled (1537) is Hans Holbein the Younger.
Holly Van Leer, “David’s Home”
Michelangelo’s colossal marble statue the David (1504) is one of the most well-known surviving Renaissance sculptures. When discussing the David, many scholars will focus on its impressive size and lifelike features, but one of the most important aspects of this sculpture is the location where it is sited in Florence. To fully analyze and interpret the significance of his sitedness, I will focus on the location where Michelangelo initially intended for his sculpture to be placed in relation to where it was actually put in the Palazzo della Signoria and where it is currently located today in the Accademia.
SESSION II: Meta-Physical Seeing, Thinking, Expressing
Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 1:00-3:00
Christina Voeltz "The Therapeutic Tool in the Abnormal Mind"
Artists with mental disorders allow viewers to experience the world of mental illness through the use of their art. Yayoi Kusama’s series of installations titled Dots Obsession (2003) visually explore the hallucinations she experienced as a child, polka-dot patterns that engulfed her entire environment. Kusama explains that she manages her madness by using her trauma for a productive visionary success. The practice of her work shows how art is a therapeutic tool for artists with mental ailments.
Mario Torres, “Black Paintings”
Francisco Goya was a prolific artist who produced paintings and etchings known for illustrating the crimes of war during the Peninsular War (1808-1814). During this period, Goya depicted the evils of such crimes in a
society exposed to the tribulations of war. Tragically, in his latter reclusive years, the artist created imagery that was disturbing and cryptic, exhibiting the decaying mental state of a person exposed to a lifetime of a degenerate environment. The series of fourteen paintings embodying this imagery has come to be known as the Black Paintings (c.1812-1823), which will be focus of my study.
Gerardo Hernandez, “Modes of Thinking”
The process of thinking has been epistemologically influenced by the archive of world history, one that was shaped predominantly by the self-proclaimed “superior human species.” In reality, this history is written to speak on the behalf of a “higher” society in the hierarchy of cultures. A study of the ontological practices of Marcel Duchamp can help to deconstruct our perception of socially-constructed genres in the production of history. In this context, my paper will explore how our unconscious mind is conditioned to follow a particular mode thinking.
Julio Munoz, "Maria Izquierdo and the Art of Ultimate Reality"
Maria Izquierdo’s Sueño y Presentimiento (1947) is a self-portrait painting which represents various elements of Nahuatl philosophy. Most notably, Izquierdo’s work dispels the Euro-American metaphysics of being by depicting the changing and ephemeral as an ultimate reality akin to Nahuatl metaphysics. In essence, the physical world is an epistemological limitation for humans instead of a separate ontological category. Sueño y Presentimiento has on one hand been interpreted simply as a premonition of the deterioration of Izquierdo’s health and on the another as a Surrealist depiction of her choosing. Though these arguments have some validity, I argue that the premonition and dreams are both avenues of knowledge production in accordance with Nahuatl beliefs. Izquierdo’s rejection of the Surrealist label, however, is offered as proof of her summoning something deeper than the explorations of dreams as fantasy. For Izquierdo and the native people of Mexico had a completely different understanding of dreams and envisioning of the ontological reality of this world. This paper will accomplish several tasks. First, in implementing the decolonial praxis of interpreting Izquierdo’s work through Nahuatl “metaphysics,” a deeper and richer understanding will be the goal. Secondly, Kant, in addressing the shortcomings of rationalism and empiricism, opted for the philosophical theory of transcendental idealism, which will be analyzed for its similarities and differences in connection to Nahuatl metaphysics and Sueño y Presentimiento. Finally, by negating the interpretation of this work through a Euro-American epistemology and viewpoint, Izquierdo’s refusal of the Surrealist label will be better understood.
Juan Carrillo-Dominguez, “Phenomenology of the Viewer’s Perception within Racial Relations in Art”
Perception becomes sculpted through the subject’s experiences within the physical world. Perception enables the subject to think and behave consciously in order to interact and make sense of their surroundings. Artists such as Adrian Piper and Kara Walker create artwork that challenge the viewers’ perceptions of racism and incidents of stereotyping that happen predominantly within the United States. I argue that the attitudes and outlooks of their works are perceived differently based on the viewers’ own experiences in racism.