How does Fred Wilson's piece "Guarded View" (check your email for a reading about this work and others) critique both the museum as an institution and the museum goers behavior? And how does this piece fit into Arthur Danto's discussion about the end of the history of modernism?
Due Wednesday, October 17th
Due Wednesday, October 17th
n "Guarded View," Fred Wilson critiques the museum as an artistic establishment. The mannequins on display all wear art museum guard uniforms and stare directly at the viewer. Wilson's personal experience certainly is key to understanding the piece. In his experience as a guard he was "on display," but museum visitors always overlooked guards. In this sense, Wilson criticizes the function of guards within traditional museums, offering an idea that guards engage with visitors' attempts to understand artworks.
ReplyDeleteModernism was rooted in its clear sense of creating and displaying art. While modernists felt their techniques and creations were original, they continued to showcase their works in galleries. By criticizing this tradition, Wilson's "Guarded View" represents an end to modernist opinions. Further, the display of uniforms is not a traditional artform that modernists would have used. Thus, Wilson's body of work exemplifies Danto's post-historical definition. While it offers critical commentary of society and the art world, Wilson's style is not a dominant movement. Thus, he is not contributing to a progression in art's narrative, which Danto feels concluded with modernism. Overall Wilson is a post-historical artist of great merit, and his social criticism is clear to a viewer.
I think WIlson's piece, "Guarded View," critiques the museum as an institution by pointing out the elitist attitude of museums as well as museum goers. Wilson talks about being a museum guard during his life and how the museum goers simply didn't notice them. He also calls out the irony of the situation because the guards were just as much on display as the works of art. The story of Wilson dressing up as a guard and having his group of friends completely ignoring him displays this elitist attitude. I think this could stem from an idea of museum goers thinking so highly of themselves that they would never think that a friend of theirs would be a museum guard. Wilson further portrays the idea of guards being anonymous by leaving the heads off of the mannequins in "Guarded View." I think this whole idea of contemporary art breaking away from this elitist attitude is how the work fits in to Danto's discussion about the end of the history of modernism. Like, David stated, "it offers critical commentary of society and the art world," but it doesn't progress art's narrative.
ReplyDeleteIn Fred Wilson’s artwork, he rarely makes objects but instead takes readily available objects and manipulates them to create visual, conceptual works. Often Wilson’s work critiques the environments in which they were showcased. Wilson uses his own experience as a museum guard in his work “Guarded View” which emphasizes guards invisibility in traditional museum environments. The guards are a part of the museum’s exhibition, almost like work of arts themselves as they silently interact with the viewers raveling through the exhibits. Wilson’s work examines the themes of perception and power. These guards are perceived to be silent enforcers; they may go unnoticed by viewers, yet their authority keeps viewer’s actions in check.
ReplyDeleteWilson’s work fits into Arthur Danto’s discussion about the end of the history of modernism because his work does not fit into any specific art movement. Modernism focused on single truths and excluded criticism of society and culture. Wilson’s work strays from modernist ideas and style. Wilson’s work cannot be confined to one discipline, governed by a set of rules. According to Danto, the end of modernism allows for anything to be permitted as art. Wilson’s work challenges the idea of ‘what is art?’ and as David said “exemplify Danto’s post-historical definition.”
Fred Wilson’s “Guarded View” is influenced by his experiences as a museum guard. As a museum guard, Wilson reflects that museum visitors often overlooked him, almost taking him as a work within the museum. In his arrangement of headless, suited figures, Wilson stresses this point as the composition is literally a work within a museum. The viewer then is queued to question the idea of what can be considered art because these figures are essentially the same as the guards who stand idly within the museum. This concept is at the root of post-historical art. Danto argued that post-historical artists cannot be labeled with a particular style because these artists are free to make art in any way they please. Alternately, as David said, modernists have a "clear sense" of the way art should look and be created. Modern art is rooted in the use of formal elements, and the artists' originality was highly valued. Wilson's method resists modernist conceptions and illustrates the undefined qualities of post-historical art. Wilson relies on formal elements to construct his compositions, but because he uses found objects, the originality of the artist is questioned. Also, although Wilson does rely on the organizing of formal qualities, the intent goes beyond the surface level. He channels personal experiences, as in "Guarded View," and works off emotional responses to the formation of his works though the connections the viewer can make between the objects and contemporary concepts.
ReplyDeleteDavid points out right away that ‘Wilson’s personal experience certainly is key to understanding the piece.’ This is absolutely true; “Guarded View” is about, like most of his other works, his past experiences. He realized as a museum guard that museums themselves are one big display and everything in them are a part of the show. At that time people would approach all things as a work of art, to be viewed and looked at, not experienced. Danto speaks about art work as post-historical, a freedom from that Modernist view of art’s function of just being viewed. Post-Historical art, such as “Gaurded View”, is meant to be experienced and thought about. This work also uses that new freedom from by presenting its critique by existing in a form, suits on mannequins, which would previously have never been used. The anonymity and the demise of the elitist attitude that Drew points out is very interesting to me. The viewer and the artist—and their work—are no longer separated; this allows for more interaction and getting the most out of a work as possible.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone has pointed out, "Guarded View" is both an installation and a performance artwork that critiques the role of the museum and museum goers. In this case, Fred Wilson's closest friends unknowingly disregard him as they walk into his exhibition because he's wearing a guard's suit (which I still find shocking but regardless...) This makes a strong statement about the way museum goers interact with the museum environment. By giving light to some of the elitist attitudes that museum goers can carry when they're walking around an exhibit, Wilson critiques the way that people feel anonymous and dehumanized once in uniform and ultimately makes a commentary on how appearance (whether race or uniform) places people in certain roles within society where they are viewed as more or less important. This fits into Danto's discussion about the end of modernism for many reasons: 1. art after the end of modernism was characterized by a lack of stylistic unity, meaning artists were free to use any medium they wanted, and since "Guarded View" is a both an installation of found objects (mannequins and clothing) and a performance artwork (which was not common before the end of art), it is the epitome of a post-modern artwork. 2. Post-modern art was characterized by an emphasis on content and meaning rather than formal elements. As we can see in "Guarded view," Wilson's pieces are highly theoretical and rooted in content rather than aesthetics, making him part of the post-modern movement.
ReplyDeleteIn Guarded View, Fred Wilson presents a critique of the museum based on his time spent working as a museum guard. In the work, he sets up headless mannequins dressed in typical guard uniforms in an attempt to convey the anonymity that comes with the job. Wilson goes about challenging the viewer in an inventive way with this work. By presenting representations of guards being ignored in favor of art as a work of art, Wilson ensures that the viewer is indeed viewing the guards and paying attention. This critique of the museum visitors’ oversight and attitude is ironically presented back to the visitor and acts as both a critique of the audience as well as the museum. This work connects to Danto’s argument about the end of modernism in that it is a concept-driven work that challenges the viewing audience. Wilson’s appropriation of items in order to construct this work rather than physically crafting each aspect also begs the question: “why am I a work of art?” which again ties back to the Danto piece. Instead of creating a work that fits into an overarching theme or style, Wilson has created a work that questions the very definition of art as well as critiques the institution of the museum and, as David pointed out, “exemplifies Danto’s post-historical definition.”
ReplyDeleteThe most direct link between Wilson's guarded view and Danto's beliefs on the history of modernism, however, can be found on page 14, where Danto writes, "Why am I a work of art?' With that question the history of modernism was over."
ReplyDeleteSometimes knowing the background to a work of art helps the viewer to better understand the purpose of the piece, and this is definitely the case in Wilson’s “Guarded View”. Wilson worked as a museum guard for many years. He says that the guards were on display just like everything else in the museum, but also notes that they are invisible. People don’t go to museums to see the guards; they go to see the artwork. He chose not to put the heads on the men acting as guards, because they were invisible, and anonymous. Wilson was known to use found objects in his artworks, and he would bring in these objects and manipulate them by spatially arranging them to create a new piece of art, as he has done here.
ReplyDeleteDanto speaks about Modernist art and talks about post-modernist art being referred to instead as post-historical. I agree with Nikki when she says, that art such as this post-historical “Guarded View” is meant to be experienced. I also like Anastasia’s thought when she states, “his work does not fit into any specific art movement”. It’s true, that Wilson’s work strays from modernist style and ideas. However, Modernists valued originality, and I think that Wilson’s work shows this originality of thought and expression.
Fred Wilson noted that he was a museum guard, and as a guard he felt that they, "were on display like everything else." He felt that people were not to look at the guards, that they were taboo. This creates a change in the goers behavior. Museums were once paralleled with library behavior, but as times have changed they have gotten to be social. Museums used to be a kind of stuck up, high-brow zone. Now they have switched personas to a more educational and sophisticated environment where discussion has been encouraged.
ReplyDeleteDanto speaks about Modernist and Post-modernist art being referenced as Post-historical art. Wilson's work connects to Danto’s argument about the end of modernism because it is a concept-driven work that challenges the viewing audience.
I agree with Nikki when she says, that art such as this post-historical “Guarded View” is meant to be experienced. As Nikki said, "The viewer and the artist—and their work—are no longer separated; this allows for more interaction and getting the most out of a work as possible."
Fred Wilson's "Guarded View" was inspired by his time spent working as a museum guard. It is meant to communicate how security guards become part of the scenery in museums and other parts of our world. He expressed that as guards in a museum, they feel as though they are "on display like everything else". And even though the guards are physically present in a museum, people still seem to brush past them as though they weren't there. This makes the guards, regardless of their stature, seem invisible. For this reason, in Wilson's piece, he left the mannequins without heads. Not only is the way he constructed his work powerful, but also the message he is sending to the viewer. It is fascinating to see how people react to their surroundings (esp. other people around them) depending on what they are wearing. When Wilson put on his museum guard suit, he went completely unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteIn Arthur Danto's reading, The "end of art" speaks about the beginning of our modern era of art in which art no longer adheres to the restrictions of the imitation theory. Now, it serves a new purpose. "Guarded View" was certainly a groundbreaking piece in terms of entering the modern era of art because of his originality. The concept behind his piece challenges the viewer to interact with this work and connect with it in their own way. I find both the piece and the concept to be fascinating and would like to observe this the next time I am at a museum.