There are wide and varied examples of artworks that use text, each has a particular intention behind it in terms of what the artist wants to communicate to, or illicit, in the viewer. Investigate the work of at least two artists, explore the media and the intention behind the work, then compare and contrast.
Fiona Banner (b. 1966)
Banner is a British artist, who was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2002. Her work encompasses sculpture, drawing, performance, installation and text in the form of ‘wordscapes’, that create a linguistic metaphor to attribute events to words and words to a meaning. Her early wordscapes derive from film dialogue and song lyrics that are interpreted to create a new narrative. Most appear to about, or have a back storey linked to the Vietnam War, including Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Hamburger Hill, and Full Metal Jacket.
Banner’s fascination with weapons and depictions of war are extended in the installation 1066. The piece consists of text relating of the action depicted by the eleventh-century Bayeux Tapestry: a 230 foot long embroidered depiction of the Battle of Hastings. Every letter in 1066 is painted in ink over a projected template, traced by hand by Banner or her assistants. The italic font echoes the invading and repelling actions of apposing English and French forces. The overwritten manuscript in the foreground reflects the processual act of constant re-creation that comes with reading and looking. (Banner, 2012)
Banner’s nude studies from life, continue to transcribe physical scenarios into verbal descriptions. In this context they define the shapes and forms of the body. In an article she wrote for the Guardian in 2009, she describes the complexity that surrounds the nude and how describing the human form came because of watching war films. (Banner, 2009)
Most recently, Banner has described her interest in words and language as “much about what it can’t do, about its failures”…”words are not always an appropriate medium,”…“they can’t accommodate as we need them to.” (Loiseau, 2019)
What I see in Banner’s work, is the re-purposing of what may be considered as an unlikely or unsuitable medium. That is not to say that the use of text in art is unique, but her interpretation and use of dialogue is fascinating. I am personally drawn to her nude pieces as I felt this to be more personable, in that it presents a description of what the artist see’s and the viewer can image – events to words and words to a meaning.
Tracy Emin (b.1963)
Personally, I often see two sides to Tracey Emin which presents something of a jackal and hide analogy. On one side, her subtle, intermate and delicate loose drawings and water colour paintings of the human form, which I believe to be some of her best works, and the side of her I can connect with. On the other a perception that she sets out to shock, to be aggressively confrontational and controversial and therefore it becomes predicable, and less appealing. The later perhaps more aligned to the philosophy of the Chinese military leader Sun Tse. Arguably, although I have no evidence, this could be Emin’s way of attacking the art establishment. Regardless, I felt this was an opportunity to explore the artist in more detail, albeit whilst focussing on her use of language and words in her artwork.
There is no doubt that a lot of Emin’s work is hard hitting and at times deeply self-flagellating containing references to her own vulnerability, body and personal relationships: the loss of love, abortions, rape and cruel boyfriends. In her own words she notes: “I realised that I was much better than anything I had ever made, I then realised I was the work, I was the essence of my work.” (Dazed, 2019)
For the viewer, this personal reference may be uncomfortable and/or equally engaging. Most recently, she has fashioned neon lights into the words or paragraphs, some of which were installed in public places.
Super Drunk Bitch (2005) is a collage of text on a blanket support. The opening line immediately confronts the viewer to make a visual picture which can be mentally refined whilst reading the remainder of the text. It is set out in a way that is like opening a book in the middle and trying to patch together the missing chapters. The phrases ‘get her out’ and ‘I have to get home’ suggests an argument between two people, to which we are observing different sides to a broken relationship. We are inherently making a mental picture, and most likely taking sides in the discussion. The appliquéd and embroidered blanket of white on pink juxtaposed with the block capitals and choice of words.
In the 2000s, Emin began working extensively with neon lighting and has produced several digital neon artworks that use simple everyday phrases to provoke feelings, address the tensions surrounding intimate relationships between dependency and independence, vulnerability and empowerment. They can be confrontational but are always thought provoking. Her inspiration to use neon as a material comes from her childhood in Margate, a town where she was always near a neon sign.
This work is a departure from her appliqued household soft objects and readymade’s, but it remains true to the Emin aesthetic. It could be argued that her greatest work is herself, her private life on public display. In an interview with In-Conversation she confesses that not all what we see is the truth, but her collating and editing is what makes it art. (Emin, 2013)
Her use of text shows us how artists have freed themselves from the constraints of pattern, although this may be veiled by the experiences and events from her own life that conveyed in her work.
Compare and contrast
In considering which artists to review, consideration was given to their style, composition, use of medium and material. Banner and Emin are from the same generation of artists yet draw upon different influences.
Both artists draw an analogy with pain and hurt, both mental and physical. There is a parallel in their use of words to describe an act, event or feeling that reinforce memory within space and time.
Emin’s is a personal journey, perhaps even as a coping mechanism. Banner is reflective of a third person.
Both artist illicit a personal response but Emin’s neon lights, cry look at me. Banner’s overall is more subtle and for me, more engaging.
There is a sentiment that Emin’s work would leave the viewer feeling tense, agitated and even a little uncomfortable. Banner’s less so be that because they are historical, or the viewer can draw their own conclusion and mental picture to her descriptive figures.
References
Artsy.net. 2011. Fiona Banner | Superhuman Nude. [online] Available at: <https://www.artsy.net/artwork/fiona-banner-superhuman-nude> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
Banner, F., 2009. Art Stripped Back – Fiona Banner On The Nude. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/apr/07/whitechapel-gallery-fiona-banner> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
Banner, F., 2012. 1066 – Time Lapse. [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wnXi9B2hC8> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
Emin, T., 2013. Tracey Emin – In Confidence. [online] YouTube. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSNXVjU_Tdo> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
Loiseau, B., 2019. “Making Art Is Ridiculous”: British Artist Fiona Banner. [online] Sleek-mag.com. Available at: <https://www.sleek-mag.com/article/fiona-banner-berlin/> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
Manatakis, L., 2019. Why Tracey Emin’S Work Is So Intensely Personal, In Her Own Words. [online] Dazed. Available at: <https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/43183/1/why-tracey-emins-work-so-personal-in-own-words-a-fortnight-of-tears-white-cube> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
Rabinowitz, S., 2007. Fiona Banner – Words. [online] Fionabanner.com. Available at: <http://fionabanner.com/words/workinprogress.htm> [Accessed 23 July 2020].
Roelstraete, D., 2011. Word Play. [online] Frieze.com. Available at: <https://frieze.com/article/word-play> [Accessed 23 July 2020].
Tate. n.d. Introduction To Tracey Emin | Tate. [online] Available at: <https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/tracey-emin-2590/introduction> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
Painting 2 - Studio practice 