Art of the Later Twentieth Century

Spring 2009

Prof. Wolf

Exhibition Review

Focus: Joseph Beuys

Shiqnhuey Tsai

This exhibition of Beuys at Museum of Modern Art could be seen as a retrospective show of his whole life, and gathered that of works made between 1948 and 1982. Beside the earlier drawings and assemblage sculpture, vitrines, Beuys’s most famous performance art,” I like Americans, and Americans like me,” was also played by video in this exhibition. In addition, “Eurasia” also had been installed in this exhibition and presented the signature spirit of his concept that he often paid attention on social, political issues. As he Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller curator, Ann Temkin, said, he thinks Beuys brought a profound influence as much as American artist Andy Warhol did.(1) Differfed from Andy Warhol, Beuys made much more freedom on his form of art and create a new area on Performance and Conceptual Art.

Background

Joseph Beuys was born on May, 12, 1921, at Krefeld, Germany. During his childhood, he lived in countryside and got along with nature. Before his graduation from high school, he had worked in a circus for cleaning job and feed animals. These particular experiences affected his following works which had animals for materials. Moreover, it could not be ignored the particular incident that effected he usually using the signature material of felt and fat of his works. In the winter of 1943, Beuys had a terrible attack in an air crash while he was pilot to carry a mission. After he was shot down, he was saved by the ethnic group of Russia, Tartar, who wrapping Beuys in fat and felt to keep his body warm and protect him. This event inspired Beuys used fat to indicate the transforming of energy and rebirth. (3)

I like America, and America likes me

In this work, Joseph Beuys lived with a coyote in a close space for a week. The film, around 40 minutes, shows the original performance that took place at May, 1972, in Rene Block Gallery, New York. For the first few days, he wore a felt blanket for protection and stood holding an umbrella. Some critiques considered that Beuys chose a coyote to show the relationship between American and him, because the coyote is commonly related to the typical symbol of American culture. However, the coyote was not a wild beast, but a sacred animal in ancient Indian society. The native-Americans regarded coyotes as sacred animals in North American mythology, and they thought being close to coyotes was communicating with God.(4) The transforming of meaning could be traced from the early period of Spanish invading the Indian culture. In this work, Beuys might further propose the speculative thought to show how western people affect the traditional culture, but I thought the coyote was not just as an analogy of America. Moreover, he proved the possibility that human beings could coexist with the coyote peacefully in the same space. He tried to find out the nature of the coyote is not like people’s stereotype: aggressive and violent. He used the symbolic icon and the regional sign to highlight the power of animal in the nature.(5) I think what Beuys conveyed was to remind human beings not to see themselves as the priority, and at the same time, to reflect how America/ western country are influenced in modern art world.

Eurasia

Another important work by Joseph Beuys “Eurasia Siberian Symphony,” was installed with a dead hare on the top of a black board which had written some words and a cross on it. The central word “EURASIA” indicated the area between Europe and Asia, and overlapped a cross which provided a critical hint of the implication of religion. The broken cross implied the division of the European area, and conflict of races. However, the dead hare which was bound on the wood made the audience relate to the crucifixion of Jesus. It was not only a simple body, but also a metaphor of sacrifice. Furthermore, it symbolized salvation and spiritual rebirth.(6) After World War II, the world needed more resources to rebuild and recover. Thus, I think these resources are what Beuys concerned about when he wrote “Temperatur” to indicate temper and energy.

Beuys often used animals to build the relationship between human beings and nature and implied peace, quietness and livability. The hare is an indication of “hochzeitstauz”(goddess of spring) in Germany. In “Eurasia Siberian Symphony,” rare is an important element to present the energy. (a)

Beuys’s work was deeply affected by German philosopher, Rudolf Steiner. As Tzeng said, “His anthroposophie discussed not only the Sophia of human beings, but also to discover the nature of human. They both thought the aim of anthroposopphie is to transform the will and the experience of cognition.”（b）It is the reason why Beuys attempted to connection of life and death by using those material and found out the symbolic meaning of that.

Social Sculpture

Through these two works, I think Beuys’s conception of “Social Sculpture” differed from the ready-made art. The latter did assemblage of ready-made objects in a random to voice their thought of anti-art. Therefore, they could not eliminate the relationship of gallery or museum. In other words, ready-made art still had the limits of the space and was based on art perception. For example, Duchamp’s famous work, “Fountain,” was an upside down urinal which had been signed a name and exhibited in the museum. This urinal could not reveal its artic meaning if it had not displayed in the museum or gallery. In other words, ready-made depends on the space to ascertain its critical meaning and status of art world. Compared to ready-made art, Social Sculpture has a much broader field. Its material had no limit to the accumulation of objects, but strongly emphasized the social, political or economical events. Take Beuys’s project “7000 Oaks”(7000 Eichen) for instance. This work has been seen as a transformation of all of life, of society, and of the whole ecological surrounding. His primary purpose of this mass sculpture was to raise ecological consciousness. (7)

As stated above, Beuys’s social sculpture took the emphasis on society, politics, and economics. Therefore, he did not satisfy the narrow function of the traditional art. This is the reason why he could find out that his value was corresponded to what Fluxus supported in his early period. He proclaimed that, “Only a conception of art revolutionized to this degree can turn it into a politically productive force, coursing through each person and shaping history.”  (8)

Conclusion

Joseph Beuys is one of the most important artists in twentieth century involved in action art, Performance and Conceptual art. Beuys thought that “everyone is an artist” which he stated in socio-ecological approach,(9) but I think he ignored that not everyone could become an excellent artist. In this premise, he obfuscated the boundary between art and daily life, and broadened the definition of art. Beuys thought everything from the real world could be the medium or object to convey the specific concept. He further expanded the medium of art from material to event and action. Under this thought, art was not merely indicated to the work by which artists had made. Art was the consequence which was resulted from the life energy, imagination, and creativity of human beings.  

Reference

Adams, David. “Joseph Beuys: Poineer ofa Radical Ecology,” Art Journal, Vol.51, No.2, Art and Ecology (Summer, 1992): 30-32

Gandy, Matthew. “Contradictory Modernities: Conceptions of Nature in the Art of Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter.” Taylor & Francis, Ltd.: 641-644.

Soung, Gou-Chen. “A Shaman in art history──Joseph Beuys’s Anthroposophie.” Pots Vol 421, 2006(http://www.pots.tw/node/966 accessed Aug 3,2006)

Stachelhaus, Heiner. “Joseph Beuys.” (translated by David Britt.),1st U.S. ed., New York, 1991. 

Tzeng, Shai-Shu. “Thinking=Modeling：Joseph Beuys’s art theory and Anthroposophie.” Nan-tiang,Taipei, 1999

(a) Gou-chen Soung, “A Shaman in art history──Joseph Beuys’s Anthroposophie,” Pots Vol 421,2006(http://www.pots.tw/node/966 accessed Aug 3, 2006)

(b) Shai-Shu Tzeng, “Thinking=Modeling：Joseph Beuys’s art theory and Anthroposophie.”Taipei:Nan-tiang,1999,27

1Wall text in the exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, 2009

3 Heiner Stachelhaus. “Joseph Beuys / Heiner Stachelhaus.” (Translated by David Britt.),1st U.S. ed., New York, 1991, 18-22 

4 Matthew Gandy, Contradictory Modernities: Conceptions of Nature in the Art of Joseph Beuys and Gerhard Richter, (Taylor & Francis, Ltd.),644.

5 David Adams, “Joseph Beuys: Poineer ofa Radical Ecology,” Art Journal, Vol.51, No.2, Art and Ecology (Summer,1992), 32

6 Gandy, 641

7 Gandy, 641

8 Adams, 30

9 Adams, 30