Jenny Holzer
Analytic Paper:
Jenny Holzer – “Truisms Projects”
Submitted as partial fulfillment for the requirements of Arth. 3710
Prof: Douglas Green
April 14th, 2013
By: Allen Zaki
For the past century new art forms have emerged that have been breaking the boundaries of traditionally recognized art forms. We’ve seen a rise in installation art, video and digital art as well as many experimental forms of art. Technologies have paved a new way of producing and conceptualizing art. New media has emerged such as video, robotics and have created new paradigms. Now no single medium or ideology dominates a piece of art. Medium categories are broadening; boundaries are getting blurred and redefined and taken to their limits.
The essence of all art comes from human contact. There is a vibration of unpredictability with natural mediums that allow the viewer to do an interpretation of the work. As Duchamp best said “The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator bring the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act”(The Creative Act). Jenny Holzer is an artist who broke the boundary of art and did this best with her “Truisms” projects. Holzer created works to where the audience becomes an active contributor to the work of art. The audiences are essentially in control of the art and the art is interpreted by everyone differently and in its own respective way. This approach is new since most artwork for most of the past century is already predetermined when it comes to the meaning behind the artwork. In other words the artist tells you what the artwork is about and what it means as opposed to the viewer choosing the meaning behind the piece.
Holzer displays a variety of expressions with a wide range of biases and beliefs with her truisms. Truisms essentially express a broad range of opinions, some that are irrelevant and pointless many that are
Jenny Holzer – “Truisms Projects”
Submitted as partial fulfillment for the requirements of Arth. 3710
Prof: Douglas Green
April 14th, 2013
By: Allen Zaki
For the past century new art forms have emerged that have been breaking the boundaries of traditionally recognized art forms. We’ve seen a rise in installation art, video and digital art as well as many experimental forms of art. Technologies have paved a new way of producing and conceptualizing art. New media has emerged such as video, robotics and have created new paradigms. Now no single medium or ideology dominates a piece of art. Medium categories are broadening; boundaries are getting blurred and redefined and taken to their limits.
The essence of all art comes from human contact. There is a vibration of unpredictability with natural mediums that allow the viewer to do an interpretation of the work. As Duchamp best said “The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator bring the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and interpreting its inner qualifications and thus adds his contribution to the creative act”(The Creative Act). Jenny Holzer is an artist who broke the boundary of art and did this best with her “Truisms” projects. Holzer created works to where the audience becomes an active contributor to the work of art. The audiences are essentially in control of the art and the art is interpreted by everyone differently and in its own respective way. This approach is new since most artwork for most of the past century is already predetermined when it comes to the meaning behind the artwork. In other words the artist tells you what the artwork is about and what it means as opposed to the viewer choosing the meaning behind the piece.
Holzer displays a variety of expressions with a wide range of biases and beliefs with her truisms. Truisms essentially express a broad range of opinions, some that are irrelevant and pointless many that are
Bibliography: Duchamp, Marcel. The Creative Act. N.p.: n.p., 1957. 818+. Print. "Jenny Holzer - Projections." Jenny Holzer - Projections. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013. <http://www.jennyholzer.com/list.php>. "Jenny HolzerTruisms 1984." 'Truisms ', Jenny Holzer. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/holzer-truisms-t03959/text-catalogue-entry>. "The Tate Gallery 1984-86." The Tate Gallery 1984-86, Illustrated Catalogue of Acquisitions : Including Supplement to Catalogue of Acquisitions 1982-84. N.p., 1988. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/1722814>. Smith, Roberta. "ART REVIEW | JENNY HOLZER; Sounding the Alarm, in Words and Light." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Mar. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/arts/design/13holz.html?pagewanted=all>. "Jenny Holzer." Cheim & Read -. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2013. <http://www.cheimread.com/artists/jenny-holzer/>. "Jenny Holzer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_Holzer>. "Truism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truism>.