Art 21 "Paradox" Essay

The final episode of the series Art 21 season four titled Paradox showcases five artists who address and respond to the contradiction, ambiguity, and conflict that exists between the abstraction and representation of art. These artists include collaborators Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla who are driven by their beliefs that art can be a significant driver for social change; Robert Ryman who illuminate the role of perception in developing an artistic experience; Mark Bradford who uses collage and decollage paintings to magnify the social political, cultural and racial aspects within the urban community; and Catherine Sullivan who reveals the extent to which the day to day gestures and emotional behavior is exhibited. Through their unique and different styles, these artists examine the relationship that exists between mystery and the meaning of art in modern culture. All the artists present pieces that exhibit the theme of Paradox by making an assumption about art and creating unexpected juxtapositions.

In the preview above, it is evident that all of the five artists present great pieces as a representation of the current issues facing society. Nonetheless, this analysis will focus on the work of Mark Bradford because he uses simple artistic features to illuminate a vital topic facing society. Some of the interesting personality attributes exhibited by Bradford is that he is humorous, composed, and creative. He uses his creativity and geographic background experience to transform materials rummaged from the street into clean, organized wall-sized collages. These collages represent the various networks such as the migrant communities, concealed economies, and the abandoned public space within the city. Bradford's artwork is motivated by his cultural and diverse background in South California. The multilayered collages are therefore an image of the organization of the buildings and streets in Los Angeles downtown. Other images are a representation of the crowds that existed during the 1960s civil rights demonstrations as well as the protests that occur in the current world as a result of immigration concerns. Bradford's images are recurring whereby most of his pieces are mounted on the wall developed from advertisements and discharged materials from the streets. In this case, Bradford's work is related to Paradox as it brings to contradicting assumptions of the meaning of art. More often, art is considered as the process of developing paintings from scratch. However, Bradford shows that one can formulate artistic pieces by using other materials as well. Also, Bradford's work is related to the topic reason since his images make sense concerning the current issues facing American society. By depicting the political and cultural states of the diverse urban community in South California, Bradford helps in understanding the racial issues that face the immigrants.

Conclusion

In conclusion, art 21 "paradox" helps in acquiring an in-depth understanding of the mysteries and the meaning of art. Notably, Mark Bradford uses contradicting assumption to present images that showcase the racial and cultural issues facing society. Also, by using materials scavenged from the streets, Bradford focuses on emphasizing the day to day scenarios that immigrants face. Therefore, through his creativity, Bradford shows that art can be used to represent the contemporary issue facing society.