The Moodschach Test: Pam Jennings’ Artist’s Statement of the Problem
I am toying with the idea of calling my color series, “The Jennings Moodschach Test.” I have formulated the following artist’s statement which I will rename as an Artist’s statement of the problem which I think more accurately reflects the interdisciplinary nature of my Rorschach work. In Psychology, instead of an artist’s statement one writes an abstract to describe their research projects. The abstract includes a concise statement of the problem. In general, artist’s statements are too undefined for my tastes and rarely describe exactly what the work is about.
Pam Jennings “Artist statement of the Problem” *
In the Moodschach Test, I have developed a version of the infamous Rorschach test that expands the aesthetic and conceptual bases of the use of color. Historically, the Rorschach, according to art critic Patricia Sloan (1970) has achieved great success with its bisymmetric form as well as its graphic achromatic features. However, she argued that Hermann Rorschach was not as successful with his use of color. I agree with Sloan as based on my 27 years of professional experience with the Rorschach as a Clinical Psychologist. Her observation is even apropos to the contemporary art of Andy Warhol whose massive Rorschachs share the same fate as those of Hermann Rorschach when it comes to the use of color. In my work I take on the formal difficulties of chroma in Rorschach design in the hopes of creating colorful images that are as apt to attract the viewer’s gaze as achromatic images prove to be. Additionally, I significantly alter what the Rorschach is designed to measure by developing a series of questions for the viewer that require movement beyond a study of what is seen upon gazing at ambiguous form to an examination of moods and feelings perceived when observing ambiguous color and ambiguous color relationships.
For
2 Comments »
Leave a Reply
-
Archives
- May 2012 (5)
- January 2012 (3)
- August 2011 (3)
- July 2011 (8)
- October 2010 (16)
- April 2009 (2)
- March 2009 (5)
-
Categories
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
Loving your Rorschach revisited series. The three on the website home page are beautiful, haunting but most of all evocative. The colors feel like they are color in a monochromatic way. I am trying not to score my responses.
Thanks Val. I know what you mean about scoring one’s own responses. At least you have a response… My problem is color shock…. Sometimes I just have to absorb all of the color, sit with it for awhile and then I can pick up on the suggestive effects of the paintings and produce a response period.
Pam