Critics’ Forum
Visual Arts
Joanne Julian: Concerning the Spiritual in Art
By Adriana Tchalian
The title of my article, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, comes from
a book written by twentieth-century Modernist Wassily Kandinsky on
the subject of art and spirituality (1910). He, along with others
such as Piet Mondrian, was strongly influenced by religious and
spiritual subjects of his times, and as a result created art that
reflected this awareness. Compared to the charismatic, angst-ridden
artists of today, these early twentieth-century Modernists were sage
and poet in one, creating works that reflected their inner life
rather than generating “art for art’s sake” or imbuing their work
with social or political purpose.
In fact, ever since Paleolithic man began sketching crude renderings
of animals on the ceilings of the Lascaux caves (France, 13,000 BC),
art has become an expression or a reflection of one’s creed – for
these renderings were not meant for decorative or social purposes
but rather as some type of ritualistic magic. Assuming that one
agrees that art has a purpose – whether cultural, political, or
otherwise – and is not merely “art for art’s sake,” empty of meaning
or purpose, it is clear that the most significant role of art has
been the expression of one’s religious or spiritual creed. The
centrality of the spiritual in art is undeniable, be it in the art
of India or the art of the Italian Renaissance, the interior of an
ancient cave or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, or to offer a
more contemporary example, the open-air ceiling of James Turrell’s
Roden Crater, an extinct crater that has been excavated to function
as an open-air observatory just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona.
And although some contemporary western artists do not offer much by
way of the spiritual in art, even they are keenly aware of its
absence. As art critic and historian Suzi Gablik writes, “the real
crisis of Modernism, as many people have claimed, is the pervasive
spiritual crisis of Western civilization: the absence of a system of
beliefs that justifies allegiance to any entity beyond the self.”
Galib goes on to say that even twentieth-century Abstract
Expressionists were closet spiritualists, quietly revering the early
Modernists’ efforts to distill their spiritual explorations into
fine art.
Having made this argument about art and spirituality, then, how do
we apply it to contemporary Armenian art? Enter the likes of Joanne
Julian, a Los Angeles-based Armenian artist who is a virtual unknown
in the Armenian diasporan community, yet one whose work is well-
recognized amongst mainstream art circles.
There is nothing intrinsically Armenian about Julian’s graphite and
ink drawings. The critic Robert McDonald describes her work as
possessing “the discipline and spirit of Taoist painting.” It is
this proclivity towards things spiritual that is the driving essence
behind her work. Having traveled throughout Asia, Julian has
cultivated an extensive Asian visual vocabulary, which is reflected
in the simplicity and beauty of her drawings – immense brushstrokes,
reminiscent of Asian calligraphy, are set against the glistening
sheen of the graphite, forming an exquisite contrast of color,
texture and shape.
In February of this year, Julian, along with William Amundson and
Robin Dare, participated in an exhibition – Drawn to Scale – at the
Spokane Falls Community College Art Gallery in Washington. The
exhibit was co-curated by Louise Lewis, gallery director and
professor of art history at California State University, Northridge.
According to Lewis, “The juxtaposition of a delicately drawn silver
braid entwined within a vibrant circle of crimson or gold suggests
an unusually exuberant Zen exercise, ironically made more intimate
by the all-enveloping scale. In Horizontal Braid, the intricately
drawn tress stretches within the bottom portion of nearly 3′ high
gold and circle, provocatively inviting the viewer to contemplate
the secrets within the circle.”
The presence of someone of Julian’s talent in both the Armenian
diasporan and American contexts suggests that the yearning for the
spiritual is alive and well, even among the most avant-garde artists
in our communities. In an earlier article, I had posed the question
of whether or not there was an Asian aesthetic in Armenian visual
art. It appears as if Joanne Julian’s work more than answers that
call, while transcending the limits of even that description in the
process.
All Rights Reserved: Critics Forum, 2006
Adriana Tchalian holds a Masters degree in Art History and has
managed several art galleries in Los Angeles.
You can reach her or any of the other contributors to Critics’ Forum
at [email protected]. This and all other articles published
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Critics’ Forum is a group created to
discuss issues relating to Armenian art and culture in the Diaspora.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
