By Lilly Wasserman

ICONOGRAPHY IN THE WORK OF

AI WEIWEI

WHO IS AI WEIWEI? Born in Beijing, China His father was the revolutionary poet, Ai Qing Raised in a labor camp in the province of Xinjiang, China Attended Beijing Film Academy in 1978

Source: Lovell, S. (2012) Ai Weiwei Portrait [photograph]. MSNBC.

Source: VOA News (2013) Xinjiang Province [map]. Voice of America News.

BIOGRAPHICAL ROOTS

Source: Weiwei, A. (1983) Ai Weiwei

Brooklyn [photograph]. New York, NY.

Source: Weiwei, A. (1986) Outside Tompkins Sq. Park

[photograph]. New York, NY.

Source: Weiwei, A. (1988) Washington Square Park Riot [photograph]. Brooklyn, NY.

RECENT YEARS

Source: Unknown. (2008) Beijing National Stadium “Bird’s Nest” [photograph]. Beijing, China.

Source: Getty Images. Davidson, A. (2011) Ai Weiwei in the Rubble [photograph]. Beijing, China. The New Yorker.

The Bird’s Nest Ai’s demolished Shanghai studio

LEGAL CONSEQUENCES

Source: Nissen, M. (2008) Beichaun [photograph]. Sichaun, China.

Sichuan Earthquake of 2008 Ai’s artistic retribution

Source: Carver, C. (2012) Snake Ceiling [photograph]. Washington, DC. Hirshhorn Museum, Ai Weiwei: According to What?

“In December 2008, government officials acknowledged in the most definitive report since the earthquake that many school buildings across the country are poorly constructed and that 20 percent of primary schools in one southwestern province may be unsafe.”

-New York Times, 2009

"My definit ion of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression, a new way of communicat ion. I t i s never about exhibi t ing in museums or about hanging [pieces] on the wal l . Art should l ive in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same abi l i ty to understand art as anybody else. I don’t think art is e l i te or myster ious and I don’t think anybody can separate art from pol i t ics . [ In fact] , The intent ion to separate art f rom pol i t ics i s i tsel f a very pol i t ica l intent ion.”

-Ai Weiwei , Der Speigel

"I f there is no freedom of expression, then the beauty of l i fe is lost . Part ic ipat ion in a society is not an art ist ic choice, i t ’s a human need.“

-Ai Weiwei , W Magazine

“I’ve always bel ieved i t is essent ia l for contemporary art ists to quest ion establ ished assumptions and chal lenge bel iefs”

-A i Weiwei , Hirshorn Museum

AESTHETIC PHILOSOPHY~IN HIS OWN WORDS~

Exhibited at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC for a 2012 retrospective entitled Ai Weiwei: According to What?

Invested with latent significance of a political nature that fails to resonate on a purely external level

He Xie represents a metaphysical trend in the artist’s career

Requires a particular methodology to be fully understood and appreciated.

HE XIE

Source: Art Hag Blog. (2013) He Xie. Washington, DC.

Form and content are inherently linked

All forms of cultural expression are driven by “essential tendencies of the human mind”

These modes of inquiry transcend time and place.

Therefore, art reflects a pan-human process of investigation, a curiosity about the world around us that necessitates cultural background but is universally shared.

PANOFSKY’S ICONOGRAPHICAL APPROACH

Pre-Iconologica

l

• Focus on the formal elements

• Factual + expressional meaning

Iconographical

Iconological

APPLYING THE METHODOLOGY

● Linking figural elements to their conventional meanings

● Explores the broader cultural context.● How river crabs symbolize ongoing political unrest in ChinaSource: Ross, J. (2012) He Xie (River Crabs). Washington, DC.

Hirshorn Museum

Panofsky’s three-pronged approach gave me the tools to analyze from multiple vantage points, beginning with surface details and delving deeper into historical context.

Without having conducted background research on the artist’s political intentions I would not have gained a lingering appreciation for Ai’s work or his individual circumstances.

Panofsky’s Iconography gives the formal elements a chance to shine while adding narrative dimension, thereby allowing for a holistic understanding of He Xie and other installations like it.

CONCLUSION

THANK YOU!

Through my research process, I learned is that

Ai’s prestige, like his artwork, is a dynamic and

multi-faceted thing. It stems from a confluence of disparate sources: his charisma as a leader, his courage as an activist,

and finally, his ability to imbue striking works of

art with an equally salient message for social

change. Thank you!

“Ai Weiwei : ‘Shame on Me. ’” Der Spiegel , November 21, 2011.  http : / /www.sp iegel .de/ internat ional /wor ld /a i -weiwei -shame-on-me-a-799302.html

Solway, D iane. “Enforced Disappearance.” W Magaz ine, November 2011. http: / /www.wmagaz ine .com/artdesign/2011/11/a i -weiwei -ch inese-art ist -co l laborates-with -w

Ai, WeiWei . "Ai Weiwei : Accord ing To What?"   Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden . Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden | Smithsonian, n .d . Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http: / /www.hirshhorn.s i .edu/co l lect ion/ai -weiwei -accord ing- to-what

Prezios i , Donald . "Mechanisms of Meaning."   The Art of Art History: A Cri t ical Anthology . 2nd ed . Oxford : Oxford UP, 1998. 215-19. Pr int .

Panofsky, Erwin. " Iconography and Iconology: An Introduct ion to the Study of Renaissance Art ."   The Art o f Art History: A Cri t ical Anthology . By Donald Prez ios i . 2nd ed . Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. 220-35. Pr int .

Smith, Roberta . "ART REVIEW; The Message Over the Medium."  The New York Times . The New York Times, 12 Oct . 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http: / /www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/ar ts /design/a i -weiwei -survey- in-washington.html?pagewanted=al l

Adams, Laur ie Schneider. “ Iconography.” The Methodolog ies o f Art . Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press , 1996. Pr int .

Quotes

WORKS CITED

Photo #1: Source: Lovell, S. (2012) Ai Weiwei Portrait [photograph]. MSNBC. Retrieved from: h t tp : / /beh ind thewal l . nbcnews .com/_news /2012 /06/20 /12318406-ch inese -a r t i s t - a i -we iwe i -warned-no t - t o -a ttend -h i s -o wn-cour t -case? l i t e

Photo #2: Source: VOA News (2013) Xinjiang Province [map]. Voice of America News. Retrieved from: h t tp: / /www.voanews .com/content /gun -bat t le -e rupts - in -ch inas -x in j i ang -prov ince /1647749 .h tml

Photo #3: Source: Weiwei, A. (1983) Ai Weiwei Brooklyn. New York, NY. Retrieved from: h t tp: / /as iasoc i e ty.o rg /a iwe iwe i

Photo #4: Source: Weiwei, A. (1986) Outside Tompkins Sq. Park. New York, NY. Retrieved from: h t tp: / /as i asoc i e ty.o rg /a iwe iwe i

Photo #5: Source: Art Hag Blog. (2013) He Xie. Washington, DC. Hirshorn Museum. Retrieved from: h t tp : / / a r thag . t ypepad .com/ar thag /2013/03/a i -w.h tml

Photo #6: Source: Ross, J. (2012) He Xie (River Crabs). Washington, DC. Hirshorn Museum. Retrieved from: http:/ /dcmuseumgoer.com/2012/10/07/ai -weiwei-here- in-spir it/

Photo #7: Source: Unknown. (2008) Beijing National Stadium “Bird’s Nest” [photograph]. Beijing, China. Retrieved from: http://www.bestourism.com/medias/dfp/5467

Photo #8: Source: Getty Images. Davidson, A. (2011) Ai Weiwei in the Rubble [photograph]. Beijing, China. The New Yorker. Retrieved from: h t tp : / /www.newyorker.com/on l ine /b lo gs /c lo seread /2011 /01/a i -we iwe i - in - the -rubb le .h tml

Photo #9: Source: Nissen, M. (2008) Beichaun [photograph]. Sichaun, China. Retrieved from: h t tp: / /www.m adsn isse n . com/s ichuan -ear thquake -ch ina -2008/

Photo #10: Source: Carver, C. (2012) Snake Ceiling [photograph]. Washington, DC. Hirshhorn Museum, Ai Weiwei: According to What? Retrieved from: h t tp : / /www.h i rshhorn . s i . edu /co l l ec t i on /resource -ce nt re /#deta i l=/b io /press - images -a i -we iwe i -acco rd ing - to -what/

Images

WORKS CITED