Author: Krishan Sharma

The Hungry Lion Throws Itself on the Antelope, Henri Rousseau 1905

(Note the strong use of pattern and lack of relative perspective)

Primitivism was an art movement occurring during the early 20^th century. Primitive art is also known as naïve art; most artists of this age, however, find these terms offensive and suggest a lack of skill¹. Because of this, primitive/naïve art is also referred to as “vernacular art.” ² This art form is most often associated with painting and is characterized by its strong simplicity towards the representation of its subject matter ². Vernacular art employs bold, saturated colors as opposed to subtle tones and mixtures². It is also characteristic of a lack of perspective, with several figures and objects seeming to “float” above the ground; this is often why vernacular art is described as “childlike.” This art form also has a strong reliance on pattern and repetition, favoring simplistic representations as opposed to complexity in design ¹. Vernacular art established itself as an art form that could be enjoyed by anyone (which is where the name originates) ². Because of this, some vernacular artists concerned themselves solely with universal symbols, as opposed to those specific to his/her culture ¹.

As stated before, the vernacular art movement occurred during the early 20^th century. During the 19^th century, the visual arts were extremely structured². Most artists at the time went to academies and universities such as the Beaux Arts School of Academic Painting in order to learn how to create art ¹. These schools instructed artists on how to copy the idealized classical forms of the Greeks and Romans, along with techniques of Renaissance artists². Several artists, however, began to revolt against this dogmatic approach, feeling as though art had begun to lose its self-expression. The vernacular art movement was thus initiated by those who had no formal art education². It is important to note that these artists were not simply those who painted during their spare time; they were actual artists who devoted themselves to their craft, but had revolted against the formal education aspect of art². These artists tried to depict the world in different ways which would not normally be seen by people ¹. This is why many vernacular artists chose not to incorporate perspective into their work. The prototype artist of this movement would be Henri Rousseau³. He was a Frenchman who incorporated all of the main aspects of vernacular art mentioned above. He is also regarded as one of the main founders of this art form³. It should be noted, however, that a small selection of artists in the 19^th century are also considered vernacular artists, including Edward Hicks and Justus Darlee ¹. Other famous artists from this movement include Camille Bambois and Anna “Grandma Moses” Robertson³. Although this movement generally began in Europe, it had spread to America soon after. Grandma Moses was of particular importance for helping carry the movement to New York and the western world ³.

1. Brodskaia, Natalia (2008), Art of the Century: Arte Naïve.  Advanced Marketing

2. Brodskaia, N.V. & Brodskaia, Natalia (1999), Naïve Art.  Parkstone International, Sirrocco

3.  Stabenow, Cornelia (2001), Henri Rousseau, 1844-1910. Taschen America, LLC

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This is a photograph from Len Jenshel’s Gantry Plaza State Park collection, which can be seen on display at the Museum of the City of New York. This photograph is interesting due to Jenshel’s use of focal points. In essence, a focal point would be described as what the photographer essentially wants the viewer to concentrate on when he/she views the particular photo. The obvious focal point in this photograph would be the large steel support rod, which is bolted to the ground. What makes this interesting is how this focal point is achieved. Rather than focusing on the given target, causing the surroundings to blur, Jenshel only employs centering when establishing the support rod as a focal point; this implies that he also wants to draw the viewer’s attention to the surroundings, which in this case, would be the city skyline. This photograph would thus most likely represent the strong foundation of New York City as a whole. This is due to the strong focus on the support rod, which is attached to platform which appears to be directly below the city from the photographer’s perspective, making it seem as though the support rod is “holding up” the city. It should also be noted that this photograph was taken only a few months after September 11^th, 2001, a horrible event which truly brought New Yorkers together, demonstrating the strength of the foundations of the city in terms of its people.

In comparison to Jenshel’s photograph, my photograph has a vanishing point which is roughly the same, which would be near the actual horizon at the city skyline. In both the photographs, an interesting note would be directed towards the parallel wooden boards that compose the floor. From a painter’s perspective, even though these boards are parallel, they are not perpendicular to the actual plane of view, meaning they must converge at a point which is on the horizon line. If you were to elongate these lines in the photograph, you would notice that they converge at a point on the horizon line outside of the photograph.

The obvious difference between both photographs would be the lighting. Even though the skyline is only experiencing a sunset, the luminosity of Jenshel’s photograph far surpasses that of mine, with both the skyline and steel support rod seeming to radiate more. Jenshel’s camera most likely had a different setting in terms of white balance in order to account for this. Also, the steel support rod in Jenshel’s picture is much more aligned and straight, whereas the support rod in mine is slightly bent, most likely due to an unsteady hand. It should also be noted that more light bulbs were lit on the house-like structure in Jenshel’s photograph than on my photograph.

Another note that can also be made is the reflection of the skyline upon the river. After seeing that I was unable to achieve this effect, I thought perhaps that it was still too bright outside in order to visibly see the reflection. After waiting an hour and taking another photograph, it can be seen that the darkness of the sky still did not achieve this reflection:

Thus, Jenshel’s camera could have been at a critical angle, such that this angle allowed the light rays to “bounce off” the water and be seen. But because my photograph is almost at the same angle, this is most likely not the case. Jenshel’s camera must have been set to a high ISO speed, allowing the camera to have a dramatically increased gain of light from any source. This would allow the camera to detect the weak source of light emitted from the river of the city skyline which would not normally be seen. This setting would also account for the light variability discussed earlier. ISO speed adjustment, however, is unfortunately not a picture setting for my camera. Although Jenshel’s photograph may seem simplistic, it employs numerous photographic techniques and is astounding to observe.

What does Art mean?

Art is the means of expression of an idea. Winston Churchill once said “Without innovation, art is a corpse.” Art is not just having an idea; one can have thoughts and feelings about almost anything they experience in the physical (and metaphysical) world. Art is the means by which one communicates this idea.  Virtually any medium can be used, and this is what makes art such a broad-based phenomenon. I feel as though art truly is one of humanities greatest accomplishments.

What is your favorite art form?

Music is definitely my favorite art form. It is universal, like most art, but has a greater emphasis on this aspect than most art forms. People from any corner of the Earth can listen to the same tune of music and feel the same raw power and emotion evoked by the piece.

What is your favorite historical period?

I love almost any ancient history: Egyptians, Romans, and the ancient Chinese. Out of the entire “ancient” era, I would have to say that my favorite period was Ancient Greece. I am in love with Greek mythology, as well as Greek philosophy. I feel as though the people from that era were gifted in so many ways, from art to mathematics, and I find it very fascinating to learn about all of the aspects of this era.

What is your academic/ non-academic strength?

I love chemistry and mathematics. Physics is great too. Most people view these subjects as being filled with mundane and useless calculations, but the applications of these subjects are immense. I find it amazing how a single problem can stump your brain for hours and force you to think in a completely new way.

My nonacademic strength would definitely be music, particularly with percussion instruments.  Rather than focusing on playing a drum-set like most drummers, I’ve played the snare drum for a local marching band for two years, as well as melodic instruments like the vibraphone and xylophone.

Do you feel comfortable with new technologies?

I can turn on a computer,  use basic applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, and can use email and chat. Other than that, I wouldn’t say I’m too computer savvy. I’ve used a computer a lot before, but I’ve never had the need to perform anything complicated such as writing programs. I even admit that trying the post this message didn’t come naturally to me; I had to go step-by-step through the tutorial.

How would you rate your writing skills?

I don’t even have any good skills.

What do you mean?

You know, like nunchuk skills, writing skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills… Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills!
(If you are unfamiliar with the film Napoleon Dynamite, then please disregard the former quote)

My writing skills aren’t too bad. I’ve taken AP English before and have had challenging writing courses throughout high school, so I would say I’m familiar with both creative and analytic writing. But by no means would I say I’m a great writer; it’s a skill I’ve always found to be challenging and require a lot of thinking.

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