C+P Assignment 03 - Bourgeois and Leris Readings

Bourgeois
1. The benefit of confrontation is that often one can release the pressure and anziety of a situation into artistic expression and this can be used as a way of coping with stressful or painful experiences. Also, when viewing a confrontational piece by an artist, another person who man not have a developed coping mechanism may find solace through viewing.

2. Schwartzman feels that people do not understand Bourgeois' work because they are confounded by its lack of clear definition, because she uses her materials in unorthodox ways, and because her psychological insight is frightening or uncomfortable to them.

3. I like art that conveys strong emotion and I wish I saw more of it. I think the photographs of Lauren Greenfield dealing with young women with eating disorders have affected me emotionally.

4. Bourgeois risks revealing very personal aspects of herself and being judged on and because of them. I think it is owrth it to her as an artist to take these risks because that is how she deals with her experiences. I feel that I would be able to take a great number of risks as an artist.


Leris
1. Leris means that it was very important to his siblings and himself to keep their stories private because they might lose some of their specialness if others knew about them.

2. The ill-defined space Leris would walk by was the area between the buildings by the racecourse at Auteuil. I have memories of turning into the neighborhood I grew up in and even though we still have a few blocks to go to get to our house, I felt like I was home. I don't feel the same way about this place now since I have not lived there in a very long time.

3. The words "empty hall" signified a specific place for Leris as it was a name he and his brothers had given to a place they visited. The echoing of their voices against the stone give the words a more audibly descriptive scene.

4. I think Bourgeois and Leris would agree that self-reflection and confrontation are worth it. I agree with them. The results are that often art is produced that may speak to us emotionally and sometimes it will only have an affect on the artist themselves.