In an attempt to undermine the theory/practice binary, still tenaciously holding on in art school parlance, an auxiliary intention was to posit the idea that we don’t have to bring words to art but rather that we use the experience of art as a form of criticism itself. In so doing, I discovered that experiences with art can function very well as forms of analysis in their own right…”
Love (2005) pg.157.
There is a tendency to associate research with Wikipedia, library searches and formal writing. Whilst these are clearly recognised within the research process, you are also encouraged to pursue practical research by making creative research skills and techniques.
For this assignment, park your critical analysis ideas for a moment and return to focused studio practice. It may be that your current research has sparked new ideas and you need time to evaluate and experiment with practical work to explore where you are going.
Use this exercise space to create some new work that you can present to your tutor for feedback. This work can be a starting point in a conversation about the growing relationships between your practice and research interest.
Inspiration:
PHILOSOPHICAL POEMS OF Constantine P. Cavafy
Also called instructive poems, they are divided into poems with consultations to poets, and poems that deal with other situations such as isolation (for example, “The walls”), duty (for example, “Thermopylae”), and human dignity (for example, “The God Abandons Antony“).
The poem “Thermopylae” reminds us of the famous battle of Thermopylae where the 300 Spartans and their allies fought against the greater numbers of Persians, although they knew that they would be defeated. There are some principles in our lives that we should live by, and Thermopylae is the ground of duty. We stay there fighting although we know that there is the potential for failure. (At the end the traitor Ephialtes will appear, leading the Persians through the secret trail).[15]
In another poem, “In the Year 200 B.C.”, he comments on the historical epigram “Alexander, son of Philip, and the Greeks, except of Lacedaemonians,…”, from the donation of Alexander to Athens after the Battle of the Granicus.[16] Cavafy praises the Hellenistic era and ideas, so condemning the closed-mind and localistic ideas about Hellenism. However, in other poems, his stance displays ambiguity between the Classical ideal and the Hellenistic era (which is sometimes described with a tone of decadence).
Another poem is the Epitaph of a Greek trader from Samos who was sold into slavery in India and dies on the shores of the Ganges: regretting the greed for riches which led him to sail so far away and end up “among utter barbarians”, expressing his deep longing for his homeland and his wish to die as “In Hades I would be surrounded by Greeks”.
Constantine P. Cavafy. (2023, August 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_P._Cavafy
<<The God Abandons Antony by Constantine Cavafy introduction>>
After suffering defeat at the hands of Octavian at the Battle of Actium (31 BCE), Antony and Cleopatra retreated to their power base of Alexandria, Egypt, where the two lovers had first met almost twenty-five years earlier. The Ancient Greek biographer Plutarch tells the story of how, one night, while besieged in Alexandria by Octavian’s forces, Antony was woken by the sounds of instruments and voices as if from a boisterous procession making its way through the city in the direction of the city gates. The former general of Julius Caesar took this as a sign that the god Bacchus, whom he regarded as his personal protector, was now deserting him. The next day, Octavian’s soldiers entered the city and Antony committed suicide, along with Cleopatra. The Greek poet Constantine Peter Cavafy (1863-1933), who was born in Alexandria and spent most of his life in that city, was inspired by Plutarch’s tale to write “The God Abandons Antony,” a poem celebrating human dignity in the face of loss and defeat.
The God Abandons Antony
When suddenly, at midnight, you hear
an invisible procession going by
with exquisite music and voices,
don’t mourn your luck that’s failing now,
work gone wrong, your plans
all proving deceptive –don’t mourn them uselessly.
As one long prepared and graced with courage,
say goodbye to her, the Alexandria that is leaving.
Above all, don’t fool yourself, don’t say
it was a dream, your ears deceived you:
don’t degrade yourself with empty hopes like these.
As one long prepared and graced with courage,
as is right for you who proved worthy of this kind of city,
go firmly to the window and listen with deep emotion, but not
with the whining, the pleas of a coward;
listen –your final delectation– to the voices,
to the exquisite music of that strange procession,
and say goodbye to her, to the Alexandria, you are losing.
-Constantine Cavafy (1911) (Translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard).
Edmund Keeley, Cavafy’s Alexandria (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995). An extensive analysis of Cavafy’s works.
Constantine P. Cavafy. (2023, August 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_P._Cavafy
Introduction of studio work
I have always been inspired by the Greek Myths and how various artists have depicted them through the centuries. Of all heroes/heroines and Gods/Goddesses one single figure has always captured my imagination:
Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy,[2][3][4]Helen,[5]Helena,[6] (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη, romanized: Helénē, pronounced [helénɛː]) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta,[7] was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda, and was the sister of Clytemnestra, Castor and Pollux, Philonoe, Phoebe and Timandra. She was married to King Menelaus of Sparta “who became by her the father of Hermione, and, according to others, of Nicostratus also.”[6] Her abduction by Paris of Troy was the most immediate cause of the Trojan War.
Helen of Troy. (2023, August 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy
Artistic representations
–The elders of Troy gather at the Scaean Gates to witness the armies prepare for battle below the city walls. They murmur to themselves, paying tribute to Helen’s “terrible beauty,” the source of all their trouble and a treasure that inspired men to fight for her.
Helen of Troy. (2023, August 28). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_of_Troy
And catching sight of Helen moving along the ramparts,
they murmured one to another, gentle, winged words:
“Who on earth could blame them? Ah, no wonder
the men of Troy and Argives under arms have suffered
years of agony all for her, for such a woman.
Beauty, terrible beauty!
deathless goddess – so she strikes our eyes!”
The Iliad, Book 3, lines 187-191.
Knox, Bernard. Notes. The Iliad. Written by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Books, 1998.
Own studio work:
From Antiquity, depicting Helen would be a remarkable challenge. Homer in his Illiad, does not show us the tiniest description of how Helen looked like, but he gives us a glimpse of her beauty through the eyes of others.
Following there is a piece of my work, where I want to show Trojan’s agony and spirit trying to fight for Helen.
THE TERRIBLE DEATHLESS BEAUTY
As we get into the immortalising battle ——- We are singing full of joy
us the sons of Troy,———————–in strong shiny armour
being brave and proud, ——————–facing enemies, in millions
We fight for the Ilion,——————— defying the old ferryman’s duty
We fight for beauty ———————–for the terrible deathless beauty.
The stake is high————————-It is not God’s forbidden
Our destined fate is already written———-to fight for beauty
What a remarkable duty——————-is blessed and high
to be doomed and die——————— the old ferryman’s duty daring to defy
for the terrible deathless beauty————-for this terrible deathless beauty.
Reflection:
The above interlocking poem ( it can be read in various ways) is an experimental work of fusion and fantasy. I’m trying to capture the feeling of someone fighting to conquer (or keep) something unique and of high value because Helen has been considered as such.
Beauty is the supreme pursuit of art. Trying to achieve it is the ultimate challenge. So, like the Trojan fighters, who are ready to defend beauty with their lives, artists are spending their own to preserve their right to achieve it.
The ferryman (Charon in ancient Greece) was the fear of death. The Trojans in my poem march without fear of it because they have immortal beauty on their side. Because a work of art, a masterpiece of beauty never dies; It stands there to be admired and to inspire.
Helen of Troy is different to everyone. The sound of beauty hits a contrasting note to every single one. The men of Ilion(Troy) are paving the path.
Achieve beauty: This is the path to eudaimonia.
My goal through my studies is to capture the feeling of creating something beautiful for my eyes. Helen’s beauty inspired me to do so.
I really enjoyed assignment 5. Looking forward to working on the next one.
1:1 Tutorial
Upload documentation of your studio research outcomes to this section of OCA Learn for your tutor to view. Alongside submitting a draft abstract of your Critical Analysis, your tutor will offer advice and guidance and suggest research materials to support you moving forward.
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