Thesis / Introduction
Throughout history, an artistic material that has always been significant is gold leaf. By nature, it catches the attention of viewers, and has consistently had the purpose of representing something that is especially meaningful. This exhibition will look at the various uses of and purposes for gold leaf throughout history, and aim to answer the question: How has gold leaf been used throughout art history? What was it used to signify? And how did its purpose change and/or develop as time progressed? In the painting I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold by Charles Demuth, gold leaf is used as an accent, but as the main “attention grabber.” Gold leaf is printed on the 5’s, the centerpieces of the artwork. In the other artworks, the use and purpose of gold leaf varies. There are different amounts in each piece, some containing only small accents, and others being completely covered. With these variations in use and style, different purposes will come. Some have spiritual meaning, some evoke royalty, and some may not have any apparent meaning at all; however, the gold leaf seems to be saying, “Hey, look at me! There is something important about this art and I make it that way!”
Charles Demuth, I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, 1928, Oil, graphite, ink, and gold leaf on paperboard, 49.59.1
This artwork is the centerpiece of the exhibition. It displays a very modern, forward-thinking composition. The main focal point of the piece is the giant, golden “5” which dominates most of the center of the painting. The gold leaf in this painting is used to represent the paint of a firetruck – it seems underwhelming – but is also used to draw attention to the numbers, which are designed to appear to be in motion. The implementation of gold leaf contributes not only to a naturalistic idea, but to a surreal composition.
Unknown, Ointment Jar and Lid Naming Thutmose III, c. 1479 - 1425 B.C., Serpentinite, gold leaf, 26.8.36a, b
Found inside the Tomb of the Three Foreign Wives of Thutmose III, this would have been a kind of cosmetics jar. The name of Thutmose III is inscribed on both the jar and lid. Here, gold leaf is being used ceremonially, for wives of a ruler to prosper in the afterlife. Even a small object like this was decorated for the royalty of the ancient Egyptian empire. This is significant because it displays the king as not only powerful in his reign, but also in his possessions, and even in his spirituality.
Pietro Lorenzetti, The Crucifixion, 1340s, Tempera and Gold Leaf on Wood, 2002.436
In the Medieval Era, gold leaf was often used to distinguish the pious (with halos) and to signify the heavenly or unearthly. In this painting, both uses are implemented. The gold is almost overwhelming, and flattens the scene – yet this would have been done to bring the earthly scene to a heavenly status. Lorenzetti, with his heavy use of gold leaf in the background, is drawing attention to the fact that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ brought heaven and earth together, as God poured out his wrath upon Jesus and Jesus vanquished the sins of his people.
Unknown, 柳橋図屏風 (Willows and Bridge), early 17th century, Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, color, copper, gold, and gold leaf on paper, 2015.300105.1, .2
So far, gold leaf has been used as an accent or a background filler. However, in 17th century Japan, there are many artworks like this, in which gold is the main color, evoking a very celestial, reverent feeling towards the serenity of nature. The way this piece is set up is similar to a film negative, or a woodcut print in that where the gold leaf is absent is where one would think would be the focal point, but the contrast of gold and black makes the black “negative space” fairly difficult to focus on.
Frederick Kemmelmeyer, The American Star (George Washington), c. 1803, Oil and gold leaf on paper, 62.256.7
This is an example of a more iconographic approach to the implementation of gold leaf. Each piece is used to elevate the status of George Washington to that almost of royalty; this painting could be seen as slightly ironic, because while George Washington was the first president of the United States, it makes him look like a king or monarch, which is what we were fleeing from at that time. This shows how gold leaf was still used in America for similar purposes as in ancient Egypt.
John Flanagan, Agnes Lane, 1890, Copper and gold leaf, 09.38.3
Designed by the man who designed the quarter we still use today, this “coin portrait” was one of a number of other portraits that John Flanagan engraved onto copper coins. The purpose of this small coin seems to be that of a keepsake. Who was this woman? Was she special to Flanagan, or was she just a customer who commissioned him to put her face onto a copper coin? Although these answers matter, it seems as though the gold leaf in this piece is working to make it a special object.
Zarina Hashmi, Blinding Light, 2010, Gold leaf on Japanese paper, 2014.495
In this 6 foot hanging sculpture, Indian artist Zarina Hashmi experiments with a long sheet of gold leaf on Japanese Okawara paper, making slits that allow light to enter and create illusions of reflection. This piece communicates a sense of beauty, purity and sublimity that beckons its viewers towards different forms of enlightenment. The golden quality of the artwork evokes a portal to a utopian dimension, or to a paradisal realm. This ideology is reminiscent of classical Greek sculptures, in that the creators of those sculptures believed that by looking at them, a viewer could improve themselves.
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