E M I L I O B L A N C O

Introduce Yourself: Final 

QCQ #1: Chapter 1. Notes on the Gallery Space

Independent Museum Visit Assignment

3 Works: Thesis Ideas

QCQ #2: Chapter 2. The Eye and the Spectator

QCQ #3: Chapter 3. Context and Content

QCQ #4: Against Interpretation

Redo/Undo: Final

Artwork Liked: "Untitled (Poster Study)" by Dean Cornwell

Dean Cornwell's "Untitled (Poster Study)" from 1918 captivates with its powerful portrayal of wartime propaganda. The artist skillfully combines oil on canvas to depict a brawny worker embodying physical strength, intertwined with the industrial and military might of the United States. The form is dynamic, showcasing a harmonious blend of figures and symbols. The subject, though propagandistic, resonates with the era's ideals, skillfully merging masculinity, nationhood, and patriotism. Cornwell's technique and use of oil on canvas contribute to the artwork's lasting impact.

Artwork Disliked: "Lady Know How to Hold the Jungle Tiger" by Thornton Dial

Thornton Dial's "Lady Know How to Hold the Jungle Tiger" provokes discomfort. While the acrylic and mixed media on canvas exhibit technical prowess, the subject matter, a caged tiger symbolizing repression and the struggle for civil rights, elicits a sense of unease. Dial's social awareness is evident, but the heavy application of paint creates a chaotic texture, making the piece visually overwhelming. Despite the discomfort, Dial's intent and sensitivity towards materials are apparent, offering some redeeming qualities in the depth of his commentary on societal issues.

MANY A KING HAS DIED BY WILD BOAR, 2023

Oil on canvas 48” x 48”

My name is Emilio Blanco, and I am an oil painter focused primarily on portraiture and figurative subject matter. My latest works combine alla prima paintings with memes, emojis, tattoo motifs, video game characters, and miscellaneous imagery to create a sense of visual discordance. My goal is to challenge viewers' perceptions of imagery that they may or may not have already seen, prompting them to interpret the elements based on personal experiences and symbolism.

UNTITLED 30” x 30” Oil and acrylic on canvas

2023

“UNTITLED” fuses digital imagery and traditional oil painting, showcasing alluring female eyes against an empty black background. Melding classic oil techniques with iPhone crop marks, the artist blurs the line between the virtual and the tangible. The intentional concealment of the full portrait enhances intrigue, offering only a glimpse into the subject's identity. The intense gaze of the eyes transforms the act of observation into a reciprocal exchange, inviting viewers to reflect on hidden emotions and unspoken narratives. Beyond mere sensuality, the painting itself seems to gaze back, fostering contemplation and challenging traditional portraiture norms.

FLASH SHEET 12” X 12” Thermofax transfer on raw canvas

2023

“FLASH SHEET" integrates tattoo iconography with traditional painting on raw canvas, uniting historic symbolism with modern expression. This tactile narrative done on raw canvas, resembling human skin, weaves historical artworks and religious iconography found in tattoos. ThermoFax transfers construct a tapestry reflecting diverse beliefs and values resonating with the marked individual. Celebrating the convergence of the sacred and personal, the piece acknowledges vulnerability in tattooing and artistic creation. “FLASH SHEET" is an homage to the human impulse to inscribe meaning onto oneself, paying tribute the sacred ink that adorns our ephemeral canvases. Each transferred image tells a unique story of identity and spirituality, inviting contemplation on the interplay between tradition and modernity.

VIRTUE TAXIDERMY

Quote:

Comment:

In the reading, Brian O’Doherty writes about Modernism and states that “…In this [gallery] context a standing ashtray becomes almost a sacred object, just as the fire hose in a modern museum looks not like a firehose but an esthetic conundrum. Modernism’s transposition of perception from life to formal values is complete. This, of course, is one of Modernism’s fatal diseases.” In this, he accurately explains how everything and anything that is placed in the gallery context cant be seen or interpreted as an artwork with meaning and intention. From a thumbtack on the wall, to a fly that happened to land on the corner of a canvas, literally everything in the “white cube” that is a gallery is CONTENT. Whether it be an object that was intentionally included or not, it holds content in context, such as how gaudy “Beaux-Arts frames… do little more than announce “Old Master” — and monetary-status.”

Funny enough, the only things in a gallery that aren’t seen as vessels for content are our bodies — the spectators of the gallery space. O’Doherty writes “…the presence of that odd piece of furniture, your own body, seems superfluous, an intrusion. The space offers the thought that while eyes and minds are welcome, space-occupying bodies are not — or are tolerated only as kinesthetic mannekins for further study.” It’s worth mentioning that he also makes the point that the only way to view the gallery space in its pure form, free of lingering bodies, is through photography of the gallery space. Question:

Borrowing O’Doherty’s question, I would like to ask the class about our collective opinions about “How much space should a work of art have to “breathe”?” While artworks that are placed too closely together can visually contradict each other or compete for attention, it is also true that too much space between works makes the empty space between them becomes “harder to ignore”! What are your/our thoughts about how much space is ideal between artworks? What are the exceptions?

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(LOL)

1. Phantom Bodies: Test Cast

2. Phantom Bodies: Research 1 2 3

3. Phantom Bodies: Mirror Displacement 1 2 3 4

4. Phantom Bodies: Process

5. Phantom Bodies: Final

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Project #5: Index

1. 1:1: Video #1

2. 1:1: Video #2

"Ajar" Jell-O, plaster, cooler, glass jar, flashlight, and towel 27" x 17" x 12"