Written Critique on Juan Carlos

Juan Carlos took a wooden board and on it recreated a the Grinnell logo out of beer cans and displayed it on the ledge by the window of the art room. As I glance upon the large symbol of Grinnell College made of beer cans I start off my observation by noticing the display choice of this artwork. The artist chose to put the piece of art on the ledge by the window; rather the specifically have it up with proper lighting he decided to display it in a more pedestrian way. Moving on past the presentation of the piece I pay attention to other visual aspects of the work. The project is very clear in the form of what it is visually representing and because of both the material and the symbol it says something about the person who created the work. The visual aspect of the piece looks to be time consuming and necessary of effort from the specific way that the can are crushed and glued upon the board , the form may not be the hardest but the content behind the project is strong. Looking at the project the size of the work makes a statement too about the importance of both the symbol and the material, rather than a small 8’by 10’it is about 4 times the size of that. The visual aspect of the piece uses both repetition and continuity in the way that the beer cans are both placed and crushed on the board in an order that work well. As I begin to really look at the work entitle, My Grinnell Experience and I think about the concepts that the artist wanted to develop through his work. When determining the content of the piece there is different elements of the work that represents different thing.

From the symbol that the beer can represent that artist is seemly making a comment on his role in the Grinnell campus the G that is embroidered as our logo mean a lot to those who wear it. From the idea that the symbol is an image representing the artist’s interpretation of his role on this campus he is stating that Grinnell is a part of him and it is something that is important to him. The material that embodies the symbol makes a statement on the artists in heavily involved socially in Grinnell and the parties that happen. For me this piece is more about the content and the statement that is being put across rather then the form that is put on the board. In the Critique handbook we read that material are meaning and from this I get the understanding that the artist through his material is making the large statement of the experience that he has had on this campus along with the drinking social life. This project is one of which we discussed where the statement is what really trying to be conveyed through both the symbol and material of this work.