FILM 3660 1st Edition Lecture 17Outline of Current Lecture – November 3, 2014Minimalism 1. Lars von Trier, The Five Obstructions 2. Obstruction #5 – The Perfect Human3. Lars Gratitude4. 1965 – Robert Morris5. Transcendence6. Composition7. L Beams by Robert Morris 19658. Meaning: Current Lecture:Minimalism1. Lars von Trier, The Five Obstructions : Represents optimism through the dark postmodern. Jamison and Crary – little freedom artistically. The artist is given a specific set of instructions- this has the dialogue between second person authority and first person autonomy (this is a moment of optimism). This film tries to interrupt artistic autonomy but instead reinforces it. 2. Obstruction #5 – The Perfect Human: The attacker exposes themself – you wanted me to help you, but you actually helped me. Von Trier confessed that his project didn’t work and that his project wasn’t therapy for just the filmmaker (Jorgen) but it was therapy for him as well. Lars was originally the therapist but this whole process helped Lars break free from himself – he underestimated how much he knew and understand him. But These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Jorgen proved to him that he can create a great film – Lars had a sense of gratitude for Jorgen. 3. Gratitude: Jorgen calls Lars a masochist- he likes to receive pain. He structures his own film in a way that is vulnerable and in search of pain – almost to the point of disabling him. Creativity through pain – romantic idea of therapy. Lars gives Jorgen so many rules in a sadistic way – I want to make your films bad - but really Lars is flipping the tables so he can dig into his own pay. A freedom from masochism is optimistic. 4. 1965 : Think about this era as a culmination of an atheistic attitude- we have decided originality, authority and intention are not solid ideas within the postmodern. 5. Transcendence:- Art has no spiritual meaning and comfort. Art offers no redemption. - Artistic meaning does not reside in intentions of the artist.- NO TO TRANCENDENCE - Donald Judge 1963 – Light cadmium red oil on wood. Atheist because they offer very little to work with.- Frank Stella 1959- “The Marriage of Reason and Squalor II” – Enamel on canvas: These were considered the last paintings. Distanced stripes are very uniform (2.5 inches apart) Where did Stella get that amount of space- if you see this work in person it sticks off the wall more predominately then most pictures do – very obtrusive within the environment. The canvas frame is also 2.5 inches- this is a deductive structure. The work will give you the instructions you need to create it, no original idea or thought. Purely mechanical operation, a picture in virtual space through illusionism.- Illusionism/Virtual Space: The opposite of real space – The art forms move from the wall onto the floor into real space. Instead of looking through a picture for depth, the object or art itself is the depth.- Dan Flavin 1962 “Icon V (Coran’s Broadway Flesh): The lights surrounding the box are highlighting the box itself- it wipes out any repersentaion- one bigpatch of red. Drawing attention to its own object character or quality. Radicalization of art.- Sol LeWitt 1966: Getting away from illusion of art but instead bringing it into real space.6. Understanding MinimalismI. Radical notion of space – No longer flat on the wall. II. Manipulation and Filling of space. No use of pedestals – used to fill space. Art is areal thingIII. Impersonal works – hard to imagine a human being has created it.IV. Industrially produced objects – Serially produced, cannot isolate an original – many copies and multiples without an original.V. Ophrieory Systems: The idea that there is some idea or some intention that controls experience – Judge doesn’t want you to look at art and think about the creator or intention because ideas and intentions are safely outside of the work hiding in transcendence.VI. Unitary Single Shapes: Judge was against the law of composition – or the way in which an artist manipulates objects and puts them together into a whole. This is because to have a composition you need a composure…Judge wants no composure. 7. Composition: Robert Morris 1965 (Untitled Table) (Untitled Corner Bench) (Untitled Floor Beam): Internal arrangement of parts within a whole. Rationality has been taken out of the object and put into space in general – none of these shapes were in the internal space but yet the external space – walking around the gallery changes from object to object – your body is talking to you and the logic of relationship is now physical– don’t bump into things, don’t walk under things, don’t get hurt, body is tired sit on the bench. Your body makes meaning through the relationship with the art. The space becomes the center of meaning.8. L Beams by Robert Morris 1965: Repetitive and permeable- no matter what shape it is in it does not have intrinsic meaning, the meaning is seen in the way that you arrange it. It is wholly relational with the setting. 9. Meaning: Merleau-Ponty: Meaning is a function of the body’s immersion in the worldWittgenstien: The meaning of the word is its use. (Context of application) Meaning is irreducible to intention, meaning is acquired in the public spave of our exchange. Meaning is a private language that has language games seen through patterns of verbal behavior tha are social in nature. Author vs. The Scripter: An author is a unified consciousness and determinant od aesthetic meaning and a scripter is understanding the author as a composure and arranger of ideas. The minimalist wants to kill the author, but they are not like scripters.Phenomenology: The way in which our lived experience is authoritative to meaning and functions through the body’s immersion in the