Sculptural Ensemble of Constantin Brâncusi at Târgu Jiu

The Gate of the Kiss/The Monument of the Unity of the Nation

The Table of Silence/The Apostles' Table

The Endless Column/The Column of the Infinite Sacrifice

Inaugurated on 27 October 1938, the three pieces are made of different materials with varying dimensions. 

The gate of the Kiss is an simple gate like structure and is a post-and-lintel stone arrangement. Its dimensions are: 5,13 meters high, 5,45 meters long and the posts l,69 wide.

The Table of Silence is made of limestone and the measurements of top slab of the table is 215 centimeters wide and 45 centimeters thick, while the bottom is 200 centimeters and 40 centimeters respectively. Twelve stone seats surround the table with identical measurements of 45 centimeters wide and 55 centimeters high.

The endless Column stacks 17 rhomboidal modules, with a half unit on top. Measuring to around 30 meters, each unit weighs around 860 kilograms and is roughly 1.8 meters high. It is 45 centimeters at its widest and is made of zinc and brass coated cast iron modules.  

At first glance, very few would be able to put the pieces of work together. And actually even after much scrutiny, it would still be quite difficult to connect them.

So in reality, while the three pieces of work might have meant to be viewed together, it isn't exactly viewer friendly. Even tilting your head and squinting hard would only form the weak connection of perhaps-"Ah! They're all war memorials!" They don't have any distinctive features to link them together, thus leading to the impression that they could all have been done individually by three random artists. If there however were to be some common distinctive feature among the artworks, it would be much easier to link them together and come up with a more meaningful conclusion based on the three. As the way it is now, contextual knowledge is necessary to grasp the full picture which is quite a hindrance considering that many might not have to ability to find it.

The structure that I like best would be The Apostles' Table It basically consists of a circular table in the middle with twelve hourglass seats placed rather far away from the table. Should this be a place for real eating to take place, you would need some really long arms and body.

It is simple in design and easy on the eyes. Unlike some other structures which are peppered with detail and fanciful ornament, The Apostles' Table is the direct opposite with its simplicity to the point that boarders on crude. While others might think otherwise, I feel that this just adds to its charm.

It is also very meaningful to me, and it was only after checking up its true meaning that I realised that my interpretation was wrong...but even so, I believe I can understand it both ways. The twelve hourglass-seats supposingly  symbolizes time, and the Table represents the moment before the battle on which the combatants were going to participate. I however, see this as a dinner table. Since it is meant as a war memorial, it would mean that war is near and the table empty because it occupants are gone...

The word dinner, symbolizes eating together as a family. So an empty able would be terribly sad, especially with the distance between the seats and table, it does create a rather detached feeling.

What works best for me however is The Column of the infinite sacrifice. It is unique, and certainly knows how to leave an impression. While no doubt tall, it is, however, not infinite. In fact, it only consists of 17 rhomboidal modules with a half-unit at the top, coming to a goal height count of 1300, certainly not even coming close to some of the tallest buildings in the world. However, it is very striking visually and does have a rather awe inspiring presence.

Another structure that I would compare the three structures to would be the Great Wall of China.

It is define effective, well, it did manage to keep invaders out, and it is still standing till today. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a very bright history. (It's hard not to have one when so many people died to build it.) Plus, many more died while fighting around it. Whether defending or attacking, either way, deaths occurred on both sides and that would do much to tip the scale in that negative direction.

That is one type of effective, good at keeping enemies and bay and defending the country. Check.

The aesthetic side?

It would be a little hard to qualify since it wasn't exactly built with recreational purposes in mind. However, I feel that it serves as an excellent war memorial if not in the past, but now.

In a sense, the Great wall of China could be considered a war memorial as well. Countless people died fighting around wall, so it definitely qualifies since people would tend to associate it with war and death.

Anyway, with the Great Wall of China comes much cultures and memories. It is an impressive structure in its own right and most definitely has many stories accompanying it. It is an important part of China's culture and it helps to give the world an idea what the China of the past was like. 

The things associated with them are similar but they are essentially different. The Great Wall of almost makes the three pieces of art look innocent in a way. The wall has such a bloody history filled with countless tragic stories. While both were built for noble causes, the Great Wall of China would win that tragic award any day.

"I dream of a world of tomorrow where chickens will not be questioned why they cross the road."

As seen in the brilliant picture above, it is a scene of a particularly crowded day at the Taj Mahal...except now it's a Chicken Mahal.

Taj Chicken?

Taj Machick?

Tachi Macken?

Either way, it is now partially replaced by a chicken.

With its newfound structure, no doubt much change in appearance and impression has occurred.

1) The chicken totally destroyed the symmetrical feature of building. If my memories serves to correct, that was one of the most redeeming feature of the building, one that earned it a place in the highly sought after 'seven wonders of the world' rankings. The chicken isn't even facing the front so It stands no chance of being symmetrical, at all.

2) It looks hilarious/ridiculous/comical/ (insert similar meaning word of choice here). No way would anyone actually construct a building like that, it would probably collapse in few seconds (quite possibly setting a new record). Should such a thing really appear, it would probably be more due to an artist response or a photoshopped picture (which is exactly what this assignment is). Some might even frown at this picture, giving some valid reason of it being disrespectful and all. With context to the reason as to why the building was built, it does come off as a little rude...

Overall, it's good for a nice laugh and an appreciation of creativity. The changed look of the Taj Mahal something certainly different. Rather than beauty, would remember the building for its sense of humour.

What is certain though, is that the Taj Mahal won’t be looking like that anytime soon.

Rene Magritte, Les Valeurs Personnelles (Personal Values), 1952

 

At first glance, what you will see is obviously a room. It is realistic, and could quite possible be passed off as photograph. But under a little scrutiny, you might find more than just a room.

I mean, what kind of room has such oddly proportioned things?

Putting the strangely sized things aside, the room would seem rather ordinary. Ceiling? Check.

Floor?Check.

Walls with a sky like wallpaper? Check. Wait, maybe that isn't too normal...

The wineglass:

It's one of the most prominent things in this painting, since it is demandingly in the centre and pretty much the only semi transparent object in the room. It is an typical wineglass that one would normally find at any respectable adult party. The top is tinged a light blue due to the background, while the bottoms more of a silvery white. Unfortunately for all those wine lovers out there, the glass is sadly empty.

While it might look in proportion standing on its own, in comparison to the room it is like a giant to other glasses, although the other objects don't look too small either.

The match stick:

The first thing to notice about the match stick; isn't it's colours a little strange? That will be explored later, but for now all that is needed to be known that the stick is pink and the head, yellow. Talk about bad colour sense.

The second thing most people with decent observational skills will notice is that the matchstick is huge. Not huge to the extent of the other objects, but it greatly dwarfs it's kind.

The interestingly patterned comb:

This painting may have been painted back in the 1950s but I still see that comb pattern around...either it's a remarkably popular pattern, or there are some remarkably old things lying around my house.

Other than that offhand observation, the comb is rather ordinary apart from (need I say?) the very prominent size.

The cupboard and brush on top:

The cupboard looks like a standard, albeit old fashioned, cupboard fitted with two full length mirrors. The mirrors actually let us see part of the other half of the room. Opposite the cupboard is a window with curtains but apart from that, nothing else can really be seen. The brush on top of the cupboard looks like an ordinary paint brush or a cosmetics brush. Aside from its obvious altered size, it is otherwise remarkably boring.

The bar of soap (which I could not tell was a bar of soap):

My first thought was that the soap was a macaroon. I mean what not? I have yet to see a brown block of soap (or at least it’s not very common) and macaroons can be brown.

The wallpaper:

Unless I have been woefully deprived of the sights of a number of ordinary homes, I feel that I can safely say that I have yet to come across a room with the sky and clouds as a wallpaper. Thus this leads to my conclusion that it is not normal, hence slightly surreal since it is well within the means of humans to use it as wallpaper and for said wallpaper to be actually useful.

What seems to be very prominently showcased in this otherwise normal painting is the scale of the objects.

But what is making the objects seem so big?

Should you disregard the background and compare the items in the room, everything still looks off. In the end, you can sort the items in the room into two groups. The ones that fit the room and the ones that don't. Those fitting the room would be the bed and cupboard and the rest, just not. When the two are separated and viewed independently, the room becomes perfectly normal. The colours of the room are realistic as well, which only serves to highlight the odd scale since it is the only inconsistent factor in the painting.

This piece of work can be interpreted in a number of ways.

All the items in the room have some sort of underlying meaning to them. Even if one should not be familiar with them, the common words associated with the items should surface as sufficient.

They are all ordinary items that we use almost on a daily basis without giving them much though. Bringing them into a more personal place like the bedroom could be a way to show the viewer how much these unsung heroes have been overlooked.

Need a fire?

Light a match! (Of course this would be during the time period where the lighter have yet to be so popular.)

Dirty after a long day at work?

Take a shower with soap!

Unsightly bed hair?

Comb to the rescue!

Need I say more?

Also, since the painting seems to put so much emphasis on the scale, could it too perhaps have a meaning? It can range from something as meaningful as the how much we under appreciate an and item to it being a simple whim.

Or perhaps, Magritte had not much of a reason to pain the artwork?

After all, we are all humans and sometimes we do things on the spur of the moment, in other words, are we trying to dwell too deep into something that simply does not exist in the first place? He could very well just trying to express himself freely without restrictions like the boundless blue sky, or maybe just attempting to show how even the oddest things can mash together to form a nice piece of work.

Ultimately, since Magritte is unfortunate unable to speak, we can never know what the true meaning of the work is. The best we can do is interpret and sometimes that's all that matters. It's amazing that a single piece of artwork can spark off so many different theories on its meaning.

Overall, I feel that this is a rather pleasant piece of work that would work well in most homes, unless yours is one of those unconventional crazy kinds then, oh well...

It's painted rather lightheartedly with no jarring colours or odd shapes. It even is rather meaningful! Though most might not understand the underlying implications and messages the painting holds, it still is easy to understand to a certain degree. It's is realistic, apart from certain scalings and wallpaper, which most people can appreciate. It's not some over the top fantasy surrealist artwork that certain individuals scrunch their noses at, instead it just has this subtle tinge of surrealism that makes it one of a kind.

Presenting...my own value room

The list of things are: picture frames, egg bed, peacock decorations, stuffed toys, laptop, sweets and pencil.

While they may seem random to any other person, these items mean quite a lot to me.

Picture frames:

I was never one to take pictures, so instead of pictures, they are my various doodles inside them. While some of my work can get really bad at times, I do manage to produce a few good pieces that hold memories. Those really deserve to be hanged up and admired.

Egg bed:

Following my devotion to chickens, an egg bed would be nice. Although a little challenging to achieve in reality, it certainly seems nice than sleeping in the stomach to a chicken...that would be mildly disturbing. And it is not just about the egg design, a bed in general is important to me. Sleep has been seeming more appealing as of late so a comfortable bed to ensure a good rest is important.

Peacock decorations:

Just last year ask me about peacocks and I wouldn't be as passionate about them as now. What caused that change? I'm not that sure to be honest. Unlike chickens and cats that I have always loved for a while, the peacock is a new addition that possibly symbolizes my new year...and hopefully and change for the better in the results department.

Stuffed toys:

They are an important part of my life. As long as I can remember, my bed has always had a number of colourful assorted stuffed toys that keep me company when I sleep. However, one in particular has always been with me since I could start recalling...

Laptop:

This is one thing that probably brought me the most entertainment for the past few years. Plus it was very helpful in enabling me to complete my homework. I mean if not for it, this post wouldn't even exist! In the end whether I use the laptop to play games or type out that dreaded IH essay, it is a device that I certainly can't live without.

Sweets:

Sweets are helpful. When I am falling asleep in the middle of a boring assignment, a few sweets can help keep me awake. When I am trying to concentrate on some tough math problems, sweets can help me focus. In other words, sweets serve as some sort of a anchor that help put me in a state to numb the sadness that's comes from homework...that descriptions makes it sound like drugs...

Pencil:

Together with the sweets, it are what keep me from a complete breakdown should there be a power shortage would be my pencil. Since paper is like, almost everywhere, it would be easy to grab some and start drawing to keep myself entertained. Or if I could turn my room floor into a drawable material, it would be great, if not slightly troublesome. (think of all that pencil smudges...)

Planning and Development:

The first obvious question that came to mind when I took a look at the scroll was, which way was I going to do it? I quickly called to mind several memories of ancient Chinese scrolls and realised that quite a few were opened sideways. But since I had already come up with some sort of plan for my scroll, those insightful memories were rendered void...

Said plan was to do a timeline. A timeline seemed rather appropriate to me, with all those dates and prominent events going on. There wasn't much inspiration involved actually, it was more out of practicality. With the timeline, I could arrange my information in an orderly manner. For someone like me who has problems with organization, any help in that area would be greatly appreciated. I would be featuring a painting from each pioneer, and the Bali trip as well.

As for the scroll's decoration, I drew inspiration from my classmate's work. She used water colour and it turned out to be rather successful which prompted me to do the same. Since it would only make sense to paint something related to the pioneers, I decided to paint a section of one of their work. After much consideration, I settled on the model from Liu Kang's Artist and Model. In the beginning, I was feeling a little adventurous and planned to feature a section from multiple paintings, but it proved to be too much. Since I was going to write my information down in ink, I was sure to remind myself that I would have to wait for my scroll to be dry before writing anything or the results could get rather messy, and ugly.

Reflections:

So maybe I didn't plan hard enough, or my space management was simply that terrible, but I soon found myself lacking the space to add in the painting for one of the pioneers.

Cue panic and much much running around like a headless chicken in general.

Luckily, the artist I happened to miss conveniently did another painting at an earlier date that where I happened to have a bit of space left. It wasn't a very nice fit, but it was better than leaving him out altogether or, actually there isn't much of another option.

And that was only for the text inserting part, which is pretty much the easiest.

Painting with water colours was quite a huge worry, but at least it came out semi-decent. I had no confidence in painting the entire background with a dark colour like my friend did, so I settled for a subtle tinge of blue for a sky effect. It actually turned out rather well together with my palm tree leaves. Then came the most challenging part, the model. It was nerve wrecking, especially since I decided to do it without any helping pencil marks.

The result? An actually human looking blob with plant like blobs at the side! Well, there were quite a few holes in between the colours, but I could always just explain it as trying to imitate the bold outlines from the original work.

Overall, I think my work is quite alright in general. It certainly was a rather interesting process to create a scroll. To give a finishing touch, I happened to look to my left and saw the Chinese string decoration I salvaged from somewhere. I stringed it round my scroll and there, it was finally done!