A theme I have noticed over the past week and a half is how art constantly transforms other things. Banksy’s maid graffiti was probably my favorite image we discussed in class because the artist took the concept of graffiti to the next level. Not only did he paint something where he wasn’t supposed to, he turned the wall into something else entirely. I saw this as almost rebellious, proving that the artist could not only paint wherever he wanted to, but also had the power to turn a brick wall into an easily liftable piece of cloth.
Illuminated manuscripts also seem rebellious in a really magical way. They broke the rules by coloring outside the lines and changing how text was presented. Things like calendars and religious scripts began to take on the appearance of fun, colorful story books.
It was extremely interesting to read about how mediums for expression transformed over time. In the film The Secret of Kells, many of the surfaces we read about appeared. For example, Brendan used paper, parchment, and stone. In addition, he used chalk, feathers, and berries to illustrate with. I loved, loved, loved the animation in this movie. In many scenes, certain characters or objects glowed, and it echoed the radiant gold in many illuminated manuscripts.
I completely agree with the theme of transformation in the art we’ve viewed so far in class. And I really appreciate the connection to rebellion that you made between Banksy and the illuminated manuscripts, as I wouldn’t have connected them in that way in terms of animating and coloring outside of the lines.