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.

Blog Post #21: Second Analysis

When first saw the title of the sculpture that I had to analyze for my final writing project, I was anxious to see what it looked like. I don’t know if I ever really imagined what I might look like, but I was not expecting to find what I saw. The title of my assigned sculpture is called “Serenity,” and when I first saw the partial copper body hanging on a wall of the Sheldon Art Museum Sculpture Garden, serenity was definitely not my first thought. That immediately got me thinking about what serenity really means and how it is portrayed in the sculpture. The more that I sat and looked at the sculpture I found myself not only seeing serenity in the sculpture, but also feeling rather serene as well.

The sculptor, Saul Baizerman created a work of art that employs several rhetorical elements to create not only an argument for serenity, but also a feeling of serenity. The rhetorical element of logos is most prevalent in this sculpture. It is the basic structure of the sculpture that shapes the argument, creates contrast, and ultimately portrays serenity. “Serenity” is a copper work that takes the shape of a human body. But an element to consider is that not all of the body is represented in the sculpture. There is no head or face, one arm of the figure is not shown, another appears to be tucked under the body, and the legs, while shown, are cut off just above where the knees would be. It is the fact that we see a human form when we look at this sculpture that makes logos such an important part of the work.

Another rhetorical element it is essential to consider in “Serenity,” is pathos. The title of the work immediately evokes an emotion because serenity itself is essentially an emotion. But the one thing that typically elicits an emotional response and supports pathos is the human face, but in this case, the head and face are not shown. But even though these characteristics are not shown, they contribute to the rhetorical element of pathos even more strongly.

There is also another element to consider when analyzing “Serenity.” The work is outside in a sculpture garden as opposed to being inside a gallery or museum. This adds a whole different dimension to consider. Being outside there are natural elements that now come into play that would not normally be factors were the sculpture inside. One of these natural elements is the sun. The sculpture is made of copper, so it could easily become glaring if placed in direct sunlight. As it stands however, the sculpture is “located in a setting with simple light so that the sun can pass over it without glare,” (Sculpture Brochure). Obviously these natural elements were definitely a consideration and add to the overall feeling and argument portrayed through the sculpture and it is important to consider all of the elements in order to fully it.

Works Cited

Sculpture Brochure. Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2009. http://www.sheldonartgallery.org/photos/graphics/sculpturebrochure.pdf.

Blog Post #20: Initial Sculpture Analysis

My art object is a sculpture created from 1932 to 1939 by Russian-born American sculptor Saul Baizerman entitled, “Serenity.” The work is found in the sculpture gardens surrounding the Sheldon Museum Of Art located on the University Of Nebraska campus. Upon first viewing the sculpture, there are some preliminary inferences to be considered and some initial observations to be made. “Serenity” is made of hammered copper. It stands 39 inches tall, 27 inches wide, and is 15 inches deep. The sculpture hangs on a garden and is located in a setting with simple light so there isn’t a glare at any time during the day. “Serenity” is a sculptural representation of a human figure, one that appears to be laying down, head and arms tucked securely under the body. There is no head shown, no face to show emotion, and there are no complete arms or legs present either.

The first rhetorical element at play in “Serenity,” is the vectors of attention. When one first approaches the sculpture the first reaction is to identify the structure as a human form. Thusly, there is a visual hierarchy created. Our natural tendency when looking at other humans is to first look up to the face and the head and then slowly work our way downward. “Serenity” is no exception to this rule. It creates a natural line for our eyes to follow starting at the top and flowing slowing downward.Another rhetorical element at play in this sculpture is the arrangement. “Serenity,” is clearly created to resemble the human form, but it is not a complete human form. The one arm that is visible appears to be tucked under the body, and legs of the figure are partially cut off, or not shown. This element could also be considered as another rhetorical strategy, cropping. Despite the this cropping of the arms and legs, the arrangement is still such that not only can we tell that it is a human form, the most important elements remain, and the piece still conveys emotion.

The fact that we are able to read an emotion from “Serenity” is a direct appeal to pathos. Each person viewing the sculpture is able to understand the emotions that it is trying to convey and form an emotional connection with the sculpture. Despite the lack of facial features, or any kind of head at all, people are still able to understand the emotions. The position of the body, the sheer fact that it is depicting another human, as well as the title of the piece, allows viewers to empathize with the sculpture and feel the emotions it conveys.

There are also contrasting elements present in “Serenity.” The cold hard metal from which it was created is a sharp contrast from the calming title with warm emotional associations. The metal structure is also very simple with flowing continuous lines and most basic of human forms, while the emotions that “Serenity” invokes are neither simple nor basic. All emotions are very complicated, and serenity is no exception.