Michal Rovner and Henri Michaux

Michal Rovner

Culture plate #4 2003

I have looked at this artist because there is an obvious visual connection between our works; Rovner is both a photographer and video artist. She often distorts pictures of specific groups of people to hide their identity; it is a rebellion against prying into people's personal lives. She wants an air of mystery behind her work; she wants to keep people wondering what are they doing? Where are they going? Are they doing something they shouldn't? It's like it's a game to Rovner.

Her video had the same sort of theme, however not always sticking to humans and using animals and objects. One of her instillations was even filmed at the Israeli boarder, which to me is quite an intimidating place, but also one where no one can remain anonymous. This was called "a game against nature" which suggests again that this is a game that she wants to play and she doesn't really mind who she plays it with.

The actual figures in the work are quite ghostly, blurred at the edges, an effect that I really like. They look quite calm and peaceful, maybe like the protest. Some of the figures seem to me walking around in circles as if they are lost. A common factor in all of her work is memory and time, it's something that she always brings to the table in her work, and she likes to make sure that it's present because it's something that is incredibly important to her, past and where she came from because of her culture.

http://www.pacegallery.com/artists/405/michal-rovner

Henri Michaux

Michaux was primarily a French writer and poet, but due to later drug use he started making drawings while under the influence. He was well travelled and had a good social status; he was very popular at the times of his writing. Michaux started taking mescaline which he believes that made him create these art works however it has since been proven that the drugs wouldn't have aided his creativity at all. Michaux fell into the trap of believing and relying on the drugs to create the work.

Critics thought that he was releasing the inner pain of his body, they really emphasised this almost like they were trying to break Michaux just in case created more or better work. Michaux's work was very spontaneous, there doesn't seem to be a great deal of thought to them they just seemed to be whatever popped into his head when he started drawing.

 The work is quite light and airy it seems very carefree, almost like a dream. Which is interesting because when doing the drawings Michaux was said to be in "his own little world" and incredibly this seems to translate straight onto the page. The drawings are simple black and white and drawn with Indian ink, Michaux says that he wanted to use simple colours because any more would have overcomplicated it and bogged it down. I really like the work because of its simplicity and I wanted to look at the work because to me I can see small figures within the drawing something similar to my work. However the work is very perceptive everyone can see different things with in the work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Michaux