On February 26,
2015 I went to The University Galleries at Texas State University. Within
Gallery [1] was an exhibit titled Tell Me
What You Think of Me, curated by Leslie Moody Castro. Stereotypes,
definitions, and cultural classifications are brought to the forefront and how
North America, as a whole, contributes to these issues. La Graduita by Máximo González was a doll standing on a thick piece
of plywood; the wood jutted out at least a foot from the wall. The doll, a mere
inch in length, was set against the wall leaving eleven inches of emptiness in
front of her. At the feet of the doll was a small sign that read “Graduate.”
The doll was wearing a cap and gown while holding a diploma in one hand and her
head in the other. The neck was painted showing the bone of the spine and blood
red of human flesh. When looking closer, the texture of flesh appeared smooth
showing a clean cut. La Graduita is a
work of art that is representative of the North American higher education
system and makes viewers postulate the issues that graduates face.
A doll clothed in graduation attire
directly represents college graduates and the higher education system; therefore,
I see this work as employing art as imitation. As an artist I question, “Would
Plato approve of this form of imitation?” I answer myself, “No, he would not.”
Plato defined art as imitation as showing an ideal world, a sort of utopia. La Graduita does not imitate an ideal
world, but represents how the world actually is. However, imitation is shown
through this tiny doll with the cap, gown, and sign that says Graduate. As a
viewer, I do not question what it is I am looking at; I am looking at a college
graduate. This is why I would categorize this work as employing imitation.
Although, the head decapitation is not literal of college graduates, it is on a
metaphoric stance; metaphorically, this doll is imitating every future college
student. I am viewing this sculpture as an artist and also as an upcoming
graduate. The experience I received from this art allowed me to come to terms
with and understand the world I will soon be entering into. Employing art as a
means of understanding was successful through this sculpture. This sculpture
gives viewers the understanding that graduation is nearly the same as a death
sentence. I am able to more clearly understand this work of art because of the
information I have learned about the higher education system. I can directly
relate to this graduate doll because I feel that I am represented through it.
This
artwork is very three dimensional, and because of that it allows viewers to be
given the opportunity to walk around it and experience the art from all angles.
The bluntness of a decapitated doll coexists well with the linearity of the
wood that is clear and stark. This work is nearly symmetrical, aside from the
difference in what is in the dolls hands. By standing directly in front of the
doll I experienced the same feelings as I did when standing on either side of
it. When postulating further about this work, my take away is the idea of this
doll representing the higher education system. Delving deeper, it mimics the
college educated students specifically in North America. Regarding 2nd
function, the piece of plywood represents the notion of ‘walking the plank,’
and there is a clear intention of having the head removed. This plays with the
idea that receiving a college degree is sentencing people to a death sentence.
The plywood could also represent walking out into the world. There is nothing
on the end of the board besides emptiness, just a straight drop off. This
emptiness is society and the walk towards it is anything but good. By leaving
the universities and entering into society, college graduates have nowhere to
go but down. Graduates should be greeted with immense opportunities and job
possibilities, but instead they are faced with unemployment or becoming
employed in a field that they did not specialize in. While appreciating a work
in 1st function form is refreshing, the 2nd function
within this work was dominant.
The
experience I had while viewing this work stirred up a variety of emotions. I
was relieved that this issue of college and society was being addressed
artistically, but on the opposite end, I was upset because it is a pressing
issue. I believe González’s intention was for viewers to become upset with how
the system works in North America. The artist wanted to remove the dolls head
and paint on the bloody flesh and vertebrae to show the brutality of our
reality. Instead of simply stating what is wrong with higher education,
González responded to the issue in an imaginative way that jolts viewers into
facing the reality. La Graduita can
fall under multiple categories of Dennis Dutton’s universal signatures.
Novelty, creativity and imaginative experience because of the imaginative way
the artist spoke about a serious issue through a small sculpture. Strongly depicted within the art is the universal
signature of representation - the setbacks that this generation’s college
graduates are ultimately destined to face, and the intellectual challenge of
how do we change things for the better.
While
looking at the exhibit as a whole, it is clear that the issues behind all the
works were from a South American cultural point of view. The stereotypes and
classifications that the North American culture puts on other cultures is made
fun of and questioned throughout this exhibit. Máximo González could have
possibly created La Graduita in
response to how the education system in North America confides or maybe oppresses
students of different nationalities. As a person born in North America this
artwork spoke to me as an individual, not regarding any of my cultural
categories. La Graduita is not
focused to a specific group or person, but speaks universally to people.
