Kinetic ART 04-21-03 視覚芸術理論

Eddie Yu

Kinetic Art took its highlight during the 1950s and ‘60s. It was a movement
that essentially represented “art in motion”. Kinetic artists wanted to create
an art that would enable them to demonstrate the force and power of
movement. Creation from Kinetic Art utilized many different avenues of art.
Aspects such as sculpture, lighting and superior technology, all played a
role in the artists and creations. They unconventionally neglected the use
of subject matters, and the traditional artistry tools like the paint and brush.
The public enjoyed most of the work created by Kinetic artists, and much
of their influence can be seen in today’s post-modern movements. They
adapted many ideas from their predecessors, and concentrated them into
more close knit theories. Kinetic artists obtained many of their styles from
the ideas of Futurism, a previous art movement that appreciated movement
for its source of artistic value.

Kinetic Art received some of its initial principles from Naum Gabo (Russian
sculptor, architect, theorist, and teacher) and Antoine Pevsner (Russian
sculptor and painter). These two men did not believe that sculpture
needed to have a definite solid appearance. A piece of artwork could take
form through Kinetic Art. For example, If you took a piece of string, and L Moholy-Nagy Alexander Calder
Light-Space Modulator Lobster Trap and Fish Tail
attached a weight at one end and spun it at the other, the figure from the
1922-30 Sheet metal, wire, and paint
spinning could make the appearance of a solidified shape. The Kinetic 102” x 114”
artists later developed this idea. Other people to influence Kinetic Art 1939
included Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Alexander Calder.

“The effect of Kinetic sculpture

Naum Gabo
Column
plexiglas, wood, metal and glass
105.3 x 73.6 x 73.6 cm
(1923, replica 1975)
on viewers is one of collaboration,
making them interact with moving
forces. This interactive dimension
is generally regarded as a precur-
sor to the digital, computer, and
laser art of today.”
The Art & Culture Network
Antoine Pevsner Moholy-Nagy created a type of Kinetic sculpture called the “light machine”.
Spatial Construction With his light machine, Moholy-Nagy introduced the possibility and
74.2 x 56.4 cm
importance of light in sculpture. Many Kinetic artists had the problem of
1928
powering their moving art, while some liked to show how a motor made their
work move. Calder opened up new doors by showing how a power source
could be fully hidden. He used the natural power source of air to make his
sculptures move. Calder therefore had no problems with having to hide a
power source for the movement to take place, since the source of power
came from nature.

When Kinetic Art emerged in the 1950s, the movement seemed to

emphasis certain meaning what these men used to create sculptures. Most
artists initially began with simple moving art, but many later began new
experiments with lighting and mirrors.

Marcel Duchamp Soto, Jesus Raphael
Rotorrelief Untitled
Sculpture Medium: Acrylic
81.3 x 62.2 x 12.7 cm 28”x 8”x 6”
1953 1968
Many Kinetic artists tried to step away from the elements confined in
conventional painting, and tried to represent expression and art through
the elemental power of what they so-called “motion”. Although most of
the Kinetic artists explored motion, they did not always incorporate it in all
of their artwork. They sought eagerly to examine the power of all forces
in motion, including light, wind and gravity. Artists like George Ricky and
Kenneth Martin used the air as a source of power, while other artists like
Bury, used an electrical motor. In the case of Bury, he often used an electric
motor as part of the art itself, or as an element of mystery by discovered
the work power source. Like many other artists, he had an obsession about
making his art “free from natural stimulation”.
Kinetic Art involved movement to make art disappear, and then reappear.
Artists like Marcel Duchamp and Jesus Raphael Soto, often created
sculpture that would give the appearance of a 3-dimensional image. For
example, when round pieces of interlocking chains were quickly spun, the
object would appear to take on a different form such as a flat circle. When
the pieces of that chain moved, it created an image. When it didn’t move,
the image of the chain stayed the same. In reality, the object never leaves
its constant state, but the power of movement creates an illusion inside the
mind that it did. In this manner, the Kinetic artists tried to make the spectator
an essential figure in seeing the art.
Soto understood that idea, and tried to make an object appear differently
when the spectator or viewer stood in front of the work, and different when
he stood aside of it. Soto successfully created objects that appeared to
move when they really didn’t. His sculpture was simple and ordinary,
and it effectively created a lasting impression of a structure usually gone
unnoticed.
As a pioneer in what is today known as the Moir + effect, Soto combined
simple outside objects into his work. The purpose in using these simple
parts was to add complexity to the work as a unit. When the parts were
alone, they would have no completeness or meaning. But when combined
with others they would become one united portrayal of movement. Soto
essentially wanted an object (metal for example) to appear free from the
forces of nature and the complexity as an individual object. He wanted it to
be seen as more meaningful when the metal combined with other similar
parts.
“Light” was also an important factor to the Kinetic artists, which came in two
forms. In one sense, light acted in a pictorial value, and in another, it added
structural value. As light involved sculpture, it was used mainly to define
the work spatially. Since light visually creates space and movement both
directly and indirectly, the Kinetic artists often used light. Light has an effect
that draws the spectator into the work.
Put simply, the Kinetic artist could do two things with light. Either shines
it on an object or away from an object. These usages of lighting added a
whole new dimension to the work because light either emphasized or de-
emphasized certain parts of a piece of art. Light can emphasis a focus to
one part or draw attention to another. In the other hand, Kinetic Art used a
variety of lighting to present its form. The Light source could be artificially
produced (neon lights), or come naturally from the sun.
Kinetic artists also tried to blend human form into their artwork. Imagine
yourself for a moment inside a maze of mirrors, kind of like the ones you see
at a county fair. Picture the lights on the mirrors. The objective of the maze
is to keep you lost. The effect of the lighting and the mirrors create a visual
illusion. By being inside the maze, you essentially become a part of it. It is
different than standing by it or looking inside of it, which mean the viewer
actually have to involve with it, to make the artwork “work”.
In the other mean, Kinetic Art wanted people not only to look with their eyes,
but also to take part of the art with their whole body. The artists wanted to
place the spectator into the art to emphasizes closeness, and eliminate
distance. Instead of simply admiring the artists work, the spectator or
viewer becomes an important part of it. The art and the spectator have
a connection, and when these three elements combine; viewer, art, and
movement, the artwork becomes “complete”.
The Kinetic artists were among the first in the modern era to step away
from “conventional” artwork. They didn’t use any of the traditional painting
or sculpting tools. The artists perfected how art could be seen through
technology, light, and movement. Rather than practice normality, the Kinetic
artists transformed these simple elements on their own terms to represent
new aesthetic practices, and turn Kinetics into an art form itself. Eventually,
the well-developed style and creativity of Kinetic Art, was passed on to other
artists. Conceptual Art and Minimalism would each use some part of Kinetic
Art in representing their ideas.
“Kinetics is the science of
relations between motions of
bodies and forces acting upon
them. Kinetic art is a way of
contemporary art depending
upon movement for its effect.”
REFERENCE
Art and Culture Network, “Kinetic Art” http://www.artandculture.com/arts/
movement?movementId=1041
Siegel, Katy, “Art since 1940: Strategies of Being”, magazine, The Art
Bulletin, 1997
Roth, Moira, “A history of performance”, magazine, Art Journal, 1997
Ferszt, Ginette G. Heineman, Laurie Ferszt, Edmund J. Romano, Sandra,
“Transformation through Grieving: Art and the Bereaved”, magazine, Ho-
listic Nursing Practice, 1998