Thesis Galatée Martin Introduction I-The power of Classics 1- Emotional and cultural references -Encyclopedia Aby Warburg / Batia Suter -The Dreamers : visual reference 2-Antiquity as a source of inspiration greek influence on our conptemporary society II- Antiques Statues «Pygmalion et Galatée» Myth -sensuality, desir -ideal representation -What happened to the Venus de Milo’s arms ? -Under their spell -cold as marble «Rape of the Sabine Women», Giambologna Conclusion a kitsch memory Introduction D-A-V-I-D Should we turn spotlights back on our past, or freely draw from it? «This is David But he disappeared The video «David» from Guan Xiao is displayed with an humoristic touch to express the daily madness that Yes ! He is right here has come to surround the masterpieces in the world’s largest and busiest museums. We can see him very close David is about Michelangelo’s eponymous statue. It is about the countless copies and representations of the Or scupture that one encounters all around the world. The artist sing on a Chinese karaoke tune ‘We don’t know Very far away, But we just , Can not see him how to see him’. The original statue is now drowns so deeply beneath reproduction kitsch that it is safe to assume the original meaning can be forgotten. D- for Disappear I am always shocked by the amount of phones lifted up in the air in front of famous artworks. We The audience satisfies itself, taking a selfie with the art piece, embracing its notoriety, its history, its status. Study him, shooting him, singing for him They want dearly to become part of the history. Virtually sharing the fact that they physically encountered- We such works of art. Sculpture him, Drawing him, Reproducing him We are living in a society which is ephemeral. Surrounded by visuals, we capture the moment with ease, we Precisely take millions of images.Quantity becomes far more important than quality. Images are widely shared, posted But we just and diffused on all medias, becoming more important than physical matter. We no longer touch, Don’t know how to see him the experience now develops through our smartphone’s screens. In a time where the digital image is superior, We don’t know why we watching referring to the past can be viewed as an act of melancholy. As an insult to Antique sculpture physicality, we We don’t know, we don’t know, we don’t know see a complete Disneyfication of our most precious cultural heritage. A- is for Appear We I would like to question our relation to classical art, to what we define in western-culture as classical Cook with him, Drink with him, Shop with him references, and explore what might fascinate us about these works. We Sleep with him, Dress with him, Tie with him As a subject of study I would like to focus on ancient greek statues. They are refered to as ‘classic’: in the La- We rousse dictionary, looking for the definition of Classic I read: «relating to the ancient Greeks and Romans». Cost him, Post him, Eat him Statues are one example of many within the wide collection of Greek and Roman art objects, yet they are the He is in everywhere, The city, the garden ones that fascinate me the most and which I would like to further discuss in the following research. And through your back yard Greek statues are a prominent reference within the present image culture, an image which we, as Europeans, Be with us and everyday, From day to night have studied and often relate to. In writing ‘Greek statue’ and what I imagine visually is a sleek naked torso, carved from smooth marble. Personally this represents a certain aesthetic ideal. D-A-V-I-D What elements make these statues fascinating to us? Their static postures and grace? Or their representation and meaning? V- is for Value What does Antiquity mean for us today, does it mean anything at all? We Still can not see him These statues represent a memory of a time that praises the beauty of the body, according to certain aesthe- Don’t know how to see him tic principles, certain rules. In a sense this is not so different from our own society, obsessed by the perfect body. I am inspired by the ancient statues, I follow what I read as perfect body lines, and I want to write about I- for invisible them. We can make him disappear, so easily To make her disappear, or make them disappear D- is for Disappear Only recording, but not remembering Only being there but not in there Until we forget his real face» Lyrics of the soundtrack on Guan Xio’s video called DAVID Biennale of Venise in 2013 The power of images Another example of this swirling dynamic of connecting references I find in the movie ‘The Dreamers’. The movie the dreamers is an adaptation of his semi-autobiographical novel «The Holy Innocents» by Gilbert 1- emotional and cultural reference Adair. A theme inspired by «the Holy terrors» of Jean Cocteau. The main characters treat references as a constant game, and if one of them doesn’t know what another one refers to; he is consider as an ignorant, he «In front of an image, at last we humbly admit this: that this image will probably survive us, that we are the loses the game. He is being punished shamefully, thrown out of the circle. «our very own cultural revolu- fragile element, the element of passage and that it is before us an element of the duration. The image often has tion». more memory and more future than the being who looks at it » Confined in a beautiful Parisian apartment, in their own world, they spend their days playing and evalua- Georges didi-Huberman ting each other’s culture. Their main occupation is this of a daily quiz, a home-made game mixing sexual experimentation and rich knowledge of their shared obsession: movies, speckled with references to Cocteau, What is a reference ? Godard, Truffaut, Tod Browning, and many more. This game they might define as: «our very own cultural In a time where the image dominates, it is essential to understand references. revolution». In that sense a reference is to be placed next to another to give it a sense, under the light of a certain context. «I always wanted to make love to the Venus de Milo» Matthew, one of the three main characters. «the use of a source of information in order to ascertain something» is the reference definition according to The scene I love most out of these playful referencing scenes is one where actress Eva Green embodies the the Oxford dictionary. enigmatic Venus de Milo, one of the most famous Greek statues. All things around us are references; from our past, our memories, our culture, even our names. I believe we In the scene she surprises her lover: it is a theatrical entrance, she is standing half naked in front of black vel- accumulate very different references depending on our individual experiences of life and of education. vet curtains. She is wearing two long black gloves, which, placed against the black fabric of the curtains, gives In an art school, the environment where I find myself now, references are meant to guide us in our projects, the impression of the statue’s missing arms. to help us understand things. When beginning a project, it is adviced to gather images in order to document She stares at him and asks: «What sculpture ?» research. To find similarities and links between various domains, to figure out what is truly of importance The visual illusion is so efficient that everyone can find the Venus de Milo within her imitation. and of interest. Saying « I was inspired by..» is a way of referring to links and influences, from external material to your own production. It might sometimes be viewed as a copying system and as well as a necessity for contextualizing the work created. Existing references, already produced concepts and ideas always resonate with our present aesthetic and research, and the links we shall claim within our research may reveal themselves consciously or unconsciously. « In every image survives a primitive image, dépositaire of a passionate gesture, which oscillates incessantly between two poles, one maniac, the other melancholic.» Aby Warburg To me, one master in terms of references is Aby Warburg. He created a Mnemosyne picture atlas, which he used as an instrument of creating knowledge: he freely organized and linked images together, drawing multiple connections, creating constellations. The result is a fascinating visual language composed of linked images. For instance he linked them through studying the similarities of the human gestures pictured within them... The constellations gather material is- sued from very different sources, and bring together historical references, personal traveling experiences and more common cultural references, resulting in a kaleidoscopic landscape of contemporary iconography. Batia Suter uses his technique for connecting references to classify her work «Paralell encyclopedia : a repertory of forms». “In my work, I collect groups of images based on various themes and characteristics, and I investigate how they can manipulate each other, depending on where and how they are placed. In the process of making this book, narrative lines unfolded before my eyes as I shifted images around.” We all collect images, but we no longer materialize them. They coexist on clouds, storage devices, websites. Instagram could be a modern version of Abu Warburg’s reference library. You research and dive into the web with hashtags, images linked to your inspirations pop up, suggested for you according to your likes.