Stephen Yip' Analysis-- Burden's "Medusa's Head 1994 (2)"

1) INTRODUCE THE DRAWING IN GENERAL TERMS

•What is the title of the drawing?

-The title of the drawing is “Medusa’s Head”.
•What is the name of the artist?

-The name of the artist is Chris Burden.
•What is the year the drawing was done?

-The drawing was done in 1994
• What is the medium?

-The drawing was done by using watercolor on the paper.

•What is the subject matter or general theme of the work?

 -It was a creative, imaginary, surreal drawing of an irregular object like a rock or a planet . However, with careful observation, one can discover the drawing of transports and infrastructure like bridges, highways, concrete roads, trains running on the railways; and also natural landscape (probably mountains).

•Does the drawing have a particular purpose?

 -As Chris Burden was an American installation artist, the drawing is probably a draft or a sketch on the journal, and the object in the drawing is materialized by using concretes and rocks, and the sculpture is exhibited in museums and galleries.

-I think that it is an imaginary and creative masterpiece that reveals Burden's perception of how the contemporary world acts and looks like. Instead of presenting the late 20th century condition in an ordinary and realistic way, he attempts to  draw the world in a surrealistic way. This makes the picture interesting. 

2) DESCRIBE THE DRAWING IN DETAIL

•How is line used? What does it do/express?

-Lines do not play very important role in this drawing. However, thin, curvy, complex, but vague lines travelling in different directions can still be found in the drawing. The use of unobvious thin lines tends to express a chaotic or confusing situation, and the lines crossing over the the “Medusa Head” also create a sense of directionless movement.

•How is tone used? What does it do/express?

 - Primary color (mainly yellow and red), and black are used, and the drawing tends to be relatively darker in terms of tone. It seems that the artist is trying to show that the irregular object is actually is large, earthy planet. 

•What can you say about shape and/or form in this picture? What is the effect?

-The Medusa’s Head has an irregular shape like a spitball crumpled by hand. It is also similar to a planet or a rock. The shape of the Medusa's Head brings a sense of messiness and confusion to the audience. One has to observe carefully to see the whole structure of it. 

•Is texture a feature of the drawing? 

-Texture does not play an important role in this drawing. However, the directionless lines  show that the irregular object tends to be bumpy or uneven. 

•What can you say about the composition of the drawing? What is the effect of this type of      composition on the overall drawing?
 -The composition of the drawing is relatively simple, with vertical composition. There is an extraordinary head of Medusa at the center of the paper, which is the focal point of the  drawing; the title of the drawing is found  at the top of the paper; besides the irregular  object there are numbers to show the height and weight of the object. 
-A small human is also drawn at the left-bottom corner of the picture, which act as a  contrast with the object to demonstrate the greatness and magnificence of the “Medusa Head”.

•Is the picture balanced? Explain...
 -The drawing is quite balanced, Medusa Head was the only focal point of the drawing, and it was drawn quite symmetrically like a planet or round rock at the center of the paper.

•Is perspective used in the picture?

- It seems that perspective is not  vital in this drawing. However, Burden drew a small human at the left-bottom corner of the drawing. The human was standing in front of the object at an angle, with the back facing the audience. He was looking at the object. This may create a some sense of perspective.

•Is the picture harmonious? If so, in what way? 
-The picture is not very harmonious, as the picture fails to create a sense of unity by    stressing similarities of separate parts of the artwork. 

•Are there any strong contrasts in the picture?
-Contrast is not very strong in this drawing. However, the background of the drawing is white, clean and clear, without any unnecessary decorations. This makes the messiness and chaos of the Medusa’s Head stand out. Inside the head, colors with different tone is also used. 

3) INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION

•What is the mood of the drawing? Justify your answer using information from your responses above.

-The use of colors (probably crimson, mustard, grey and black) with darker tone reveals a sense of earthiness and  that the object is a great crystalized minerals; the use of vague and directionless lines give me an impression of chaos and messiness.

•What does the drawing express? Justify your answer using information from your responses above.

-This drawing is surreal and imaginary, but also messy and chaotic. However, by careful observation one can discover man-made infrastructure, such as bridges, trains running on the railways, tunnels and concrete roads, and all of these are the symbols of industrialization in the 19^th and 20^th century. One can also discover natural landscape (probably the mountain) in the picture, but it seems to be darkened. With the utilization of darker colors and unapparent, chaotic curve lines, Burden seems to express his point of view about how complicated and muddling the world is nowadays. 

•In your opinion, why is this work interesting/moving/ clever/ imaginative/thought-provoking/......?  Choose the adjective(s) that best fit(s) the work, and then justify your conclusions by referring to specific features and qualities of the drawing (including those you have discussed above).

 -I think the drawing is thought-provoking and imaginative. The name of the object (“Medusa’s Head”) is a metaphor. Medusa is a well-known female character appeared in the Greek mythology that can turn organic things (humans and animals) into stone when they look at her eyes. Burden attempts to visualize the complex situation of the contemporary world by drawing transports and infrastructure with thin, continuous and directionless lines, as if the numerous snake-like hairs of Medusa. 

  -Medusa head is sometimes used as a symbol of terror, sin and evilness. It seems that the drawing expresses a sense of pessimism and negativity about the chaotic situation of the world and the creation of artificial things. This idea is presented by using colors with darker value. 

 - The drawing is also interesting as it seems to be a still life drawing (the drawing of a hanged and non-moving planet), but one can somehow see the swinging movement of the whole object, and the operation of different means of transports in the head.