Tim Hawkinson Analysis
What message is the artist communicating?
Tim Hawkinson conveys the passage of recorded time. This art piece shows how history repeats itself and overlaps. Despite changing times, we still face war, natural disasters, famines. Some things never change.
How has the artist used unexpected materials and/ or methods to shock, invite, enhance or challenge the viewer?
At first glance, I perceived the piece to be 3D — it looked to be constructed out of stuffed pink and red tubes of fabric; however, Hawkinson actually drew this piece on rag paper using ink and graphite. His cyclical drawing style gave the impression of a 3D piece.
For a piece entitled “Wall Chart of World History From Earliest Times to the Present,” it is quite unusual that there are no words. most history timelines are linear— each event is carefully mapped along a central line. In this piece, it is incredibly cyclical. It is monochromatic and repetitive. Times changes but history repeats itself. History is a cycle.
This challenges viewers’ perception of history. We tend to think of the past as not being incredibly relevant to the present and future; nevertheless, we can learn how to improve ourselves and society by looking into the past to see the successes …show more content…
The red ink used, in combination with the cyclical drawing style, is reminiscent of a spirograph— an instrument to record breathing patterns. This emphasizes the human aspect of history: our past is not a simple, straight timeline that can be memorized for a history test. Instead, it’s complex and intertwining. In times of war, we hold out breath (inhale). When peace resumes, we can stop holding our breath (exhale). This breathing pattern continues across history, and sometimes at the same time. For instance, areas of the world might be in conflict while others are experiencing peace, prosperity. Hawkinson portrays our past in a biomorphic art
Tim Hawkinson conveys the passage of recorded time. This art piece shows how history repeats itself and overlaps. Despite changing times, we still face war, natural disasters, famines. Some things never change.
How has the artist used unexpected materials and/ or methods to shock, invite, enhance or challenge the viewer?
At first glance, I perceived the piece to be 3D — it looked to be constructed out of stuffed pink and red tubes of fabric; however, Hawkinson actually drew this piece on rag paper using ink and graphite. His cyclical drawing style gave the impression of a 3D piece.
For a piece entitled “Wall Chart of World History From Earliest Times to the Present,” it is quite unusual that there are no words. most history timelines are linear— each event is carefully mapped along a central line. In this piece, it is incredibly cyclical. It is monochromatic and repetitive. Times changes but history repeats itself. History is a cycle.
This challenges viewers’ perception of history. We tend to think of the past as not being incredibly relevant to the present and future; nevertheless, we can learn how to improve ourselves and society by looking into the past to see the successes …show more content…
The red ink used, in combination with the cyclical drawing style, is reminiscent of a spirograph— an instrument to record breathing patterns. This emphasizes the human aspect of history: our past is not a simple, straight timeline that can be memorized for a history test. Instead, it’s complex and intertwining. In times of war, we hold out breath (inhale). When peace resumes, we can stop holding our breath (exhale). This breathing pattern continues across history, and sometimes at the same time. For instance, areas of the world might be in conflict while others are experiencing peace, prosperity. Hawkinson portrays our past in a biomorphic art