Statement Of Purpose

The statue assigned to me is called “Serenity,” sculpted by Saul Baizerman, has many possible contexts, possible interpretations, and possible purposes. To produce and effective analysis of the sculpture, there are many elements including purpose, audience, and context that must be taken into consideration.

This assignment is different than previous in this class because I did not choose the art object or image that I will be analyzing; it was assigned to me. Therefore my purpose for writing about this piece changed significantly from previous assignments. In our previous projects I focused on picking images that I felt I could not only sufficiently analyze and find an argument for, but ones that I could also connect with, use to convey a message, and find meaning in. With this assignment however, my process was completely different. The time that we spent with our sculptures provided some of the necessary, shall we call it “bonding,” that needed to occur for me to be able to analyze it. And after spending time learning about “Serenity,” and gaining a sort of trust with the sculpture, I feel that I now have a greater purpose in writing about the sculpture than simply “because I had to.” Now, by analyzing “Serenity,” I hope to get across how the seemingly paradoxical elements that exist within the sculpture work together to create interest and convey a deeper meaning.

An essential element to consider when writing about “Serenity,” is the audience that will be viewing my analysis. My primary audience consists of my teacher and my classmates. They are the people who will be reading, reviewing, and helping me revise my analysis. Aside from the fact that they are going to be required to read my writing, I hope to provide them with insights and information about the sculpture, the context in which it was created, as well as a piece of writing that they can learn from, and help me learn from as well. But along with my classmates, I have a very prominent secondary audience as well. Since this analysis will be posted on the Internet, my secondary audience could potentially be quite large and quite diverse, with different backgrounds, experiences, and opinions. I recognize that this secondary audience will probably not be seeking out my blog, so when they find it, I hope to be able to interest them with the information found in my analysis.

Another very important element to bear in mind while composing my analysis is the context from which my audiences will be viewing my writing. While it is virtually impossible for me to determine or consider all of the possible perspectives that my audience will have, I can certainly imagine a few and cater to those particular demographics. Obviously, my teacher and classmates will be of primary concern, and will most likely be my focus as they will be the ones guaranteed to read my analysis. They will be reading from an academic standpoint so I will need to write with a certain amount of sophistication. They will also most likely be forced to read my work, so I will need to add a certain sense of urgency and importance in order to keep their attention and help them understand my writing. This point is also true for my secondary audience as well. Most of the random blog seekers will probably stumble upon my post by accident, and I will need to capture their interest so they want to read what I write, and write with enough gusto that they want to finish reading my analysis. I am not particularly interested in whether or not either of these audiences agrees with what I have to say, I just need to understand the contexts in which my audiences will be reading what I write, so that I can effectively cater to my demographic and accomplish my purpose in writing about “Serenity.”

Blog Post #23: Intensification

There are many vantage points from which to consider “Serenity.” From the cultural and historical contexts to the numerous rhetorical strategies utilized there is a lot to take into consideration. But there are some other ways to conceptualize “Serenity,” that are very important also.

To better understand “Serenity,” it is well to understand the object it represents, which in this case is the human form. The sculptor, Saul Baizerman, spent much of his career sculpting the human form, especially the female body. And while it is not entirely clear whether “Serenity,” is based on a male or female, the sculpture seems to have some more distinctly feminine characteristics. It is well known by virtually all people that the female form is generally softer and rounder, while the male form is straighter and has fewer curves. Even though there is no face, no genitals, and no real way to determine whether or not “Serenity’s” form is supposed to be male or female, due to the softer curves and rounder body, it is possible to deduce that the form is most likely female. That determination gives insight into the object that “Serenity,” represents.

To fully comprehend “Serenity,” it is also well to consider it as an art object. The sculptor, Saul Baizerman, put everything that he had into every piece, to make each one a true work of art. He described his own process, “How do I know when a piece is finished? When it has taken away from me everything I have to give. When it has become stronger than myself. I become the empty one, and it becomes the full one. When I am weak and it is strong, the work is finished.” Considering “Serenity,” in this manner, as a true piece of art created with everything the sculptor had to offer, gives the work credibility and merit.

Finally, we must consider “Serenity,” as an intensification and extension of the natural environment in which it resides. “Serenity,” is made of copper, which of course is a natural element. When found naturally in nature, copper is not traditionally seen as art, or viewed in an artistic manner. But the sculptor was also able to take the natural element, copper, and turn it into something completely different. By shaping the copper and hammering it so that it has a steel-like strength, gives the natural elements a new life. Thus, the fact that the sculptor took a natural element and made it into art allows “Serenity,” to be viewed as an extension of the natural environment.

Viewing “Serenity,” as a part of the object it represents, as an art object, and as an extension of the natural world, allows the audience to experience the work in a new way as well as gain new perspectives.

Blog Post #22: Cultural/Historical Contexts

"I conceive my work as though done in the round.... Hammering the metal without the aid of fire produces a steel-like strength. Heat can only be harmful.... The form-harmony of "Serenity" was planned as an arrangement of endlessly moving lines with the simplicity of effect executed by a concentration of its many modulations of planes rather than of their elimination." ~Saul Baizerman in a 1954 letter to then director of the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery in which he describes the process by which he had executed "Serenity."

Before you are able to begin to analyze and comprehend the sculpture “Serenity,” it is critically important to first understand the cultural and historical contexts in which it was created. “Serenity” was sculpted by Saul Baizerman, and created from 1932 to 1939. The sculpture now resides in the sculpture gardens surrounding the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery on the University Of Nebraska Lincoln campus.

“Serenity,” was a direct product of sculptor Saul Baizerman’s deeply rooted sympathies for the labor movement and social causes (Getty.edu). Baizerman was born in Vitebsk, Russia in 1889. During his youth he became involved in the Bolshevik movement and in 1906 he robbed a bank in order to contribute to the revolutionary cause and was sentenced to jail. With his father’s assistance, Baizerman was able to escape from jail after only a year and a half and fled to the United States. He settled in New York and trained as a sculptor at various art schools while also working hard as a housepainter, machinist, and a dressmaker, (Getty.edu). In the 1920’s he began to shape copper by hand, a very arduous and labor-intensive process. This technique allowed Baizerman to “align his artistic practice with the daily toil of the manual laborer to whom he remained profoundly sympathetic,” (Getty.edu). In addition to producing many copper works throughout his career, Baizerman also created a series of statuettes in bronze and plaster as homage to the urban worker. As he gained prominence, he was able to create larger copper pieces intended for the outdoors, such as “Serenity.” But all of this sculpting also took its toll. The banging of the hammer on hard metals damaged the motor control in his hands and damaged is hearing. His exposure to poisonous chemicals from soldering metal was ultimately what led to his death of cancer at the age of 68, (Getty.edu). Understanding a little about Saul Baizerman’s life gives us insight into what events and motivations lead to the creation of the sculpture, as well as adding to our understanding of the argument the work makes.

Central to the understanding of this sculpture is the ability to comprehend the definition of the word “serenity,” which is the title of the sculpture. According the Merriam Webster online dictionary serenity is a word that means: “the quality or state of being serene.” The same source defines serene as word as being “marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude, (Merriam Webster Dictionary). It is the understanding of these words that provides us with the most basic preliminary understanding of what argument the sculpture attempts to make. The title of a work can provide insight into not only the argument the sculpture attempts to make, but also into why the sculptor created the piece and what their understanding of the work is.