OUTSIDER ART


     This lesson is about the history and background to OUTSIDER ART and related vocabulary practiced through a video from Cristies Auction house New York  and reading material from the Guardian newspaper. 

Travelling from Haria to Papagayo you cross practically the full length of Lanzarote, passing the beautifully unique vinyards where every vine is protect by a small semi circle of vocanic stones protecting the vines from the constant winds while simultaneously shading and holding on to the small amount of humidity. 


Vinyards making patternson the volcanic landscape of Lanzarote. 


The overall appearance of these vinyards is secondary to the purposes they serve but they seem like an art installation or some type of lunar outpost, it seems Cesar Manrique really left his spirit here. 

Don Pillimpo -- Outsider Artist -- Museo Mara Mao.Passing through the small town of Tequise we spotted these strange plaster cast figures in what looked like a cementary but which turned out to be a QUASI museum locally known as Museo Maro Mao. 

These strange but me for me quite enchanting plaster sculptures are the works of a local artist who PASSED AWAY  in 2019. Some of these figures like the one on the left are Manequines encased in plaster and painted white. All sorts of figurines and  offerings are decorated around the grounds of the artist house almost like a pagan shrine in a living cementary. I hope the council of Lanzarote value and protect what should be a cultural heritage. 



But what exactly is OUTSIDER art ?

Outside art can basically be described as anyone without a formal education in fine art which is as broad an expression as the field itself.

I would also consider many artists who have had a formal education in art to be part of this same category, these are artists that vary in their discipline, working in a host of materials and hopping from one theme to another.

Below is an introduction to outsider art from Christies Auction House in New York, the audio is clear and PACED \ many gaps while speaking \ which give the viewer time to TAKE IN the information. Outsider art is BIG MONEY in America and I do wonder how MUCH of the money goes to the artists or their families ?

LISTENING for gist and more specific content - Watch once and discuss the four major artists mentioned and the term FOLK ART.  

                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEsxshoGZV4

LISTEN and watch for a second time for more specific information -- 

In the presentation the speaker mentions ' PUSHING OUT THE ENVELOPE'  what does this mean and what do you thing she is referring to ? 

Who did the curator say was her most favourite outsider artist and why? 

Which artist showed ' sophistication with colour in their religious message' ? 

She spoke about symbolism in art, what did she say ropes, towels and metal represented in a certain artist work? 



READING ----- 

Also considered OUTSIDER ART would be the work of artists in mental institutions SUCH AS the work of Louis Wain who had been a very successful artist before his mental break down which lead also to a change in his expression from figurative advertisements to intense SHAMANISTIC cats or puzzling psychedelic art.



The link below is an article and review of a Netflix film based on the life of Louis Wain. 

In the class I would concentrate more on a general understanding of the reading rather than be very specific DUE to the fact that there are many colloquialisms. 

The phrasal verb such as LAP UP  or the term MOGGIE for a cat are specifically British in culture. 





All hail Cat Jesus! The fantastic feline artist behind Benedict Cumberbatch’s latest biopic | Art | Thea Guardian


This reading is in my opinion stylistically written and quite WITTY at times on a subject matter that is  serious and troubling. The way in which the exercise would be approached depends on the students fluency and the dynamic between the group. If the class were a one to one I would stop at intervals discuss the paragraphs and practice pronunciation.  


NOTES - Below are some of the notes taken from actual classes and are typical corrections from a B2 level class. 

VOCAB - To lap up - the cat laps up milk , a Christmas cracker, el puente - the long weekend , bedlam a famous British mental hospital chaotic , it's bedlam - que disastre - what a mess, barrio – neighbourhood, some interesting topics EMERGE – come to the surface, brittle – fragile, a snow sledge - Sledge\\\\\

\\\\\

Phrasal verb - to PUT UP the tree \\\\\ Pronunciation - psychotic - \ sicotic\ , psychiatrist - \---- \, scizofrenia PAST PERFECT - I haven't been lucky this year. \\\\ A MOGGIE - a cat \ colloquial English.


Further reading ---

10 Outsider And Self-Taught Artists Who Use Art To Create Their Own Worlds | HuffPost Entertainment


                                                            

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