1) The document discusses the four classical elements of earth, air, fire, and water through examples of artworks that depict or interact with each element. 2) It provides descriptions and images of works by artists such as Ansel Adams, Andres Gursky, Jeff Wall, Adrian Sommerling, Cai Guo-Qiang, and Christo that represent the elements of earth, air, and fire. 3) It also discusses artworks related to water including the paintings of JMW Turner, Peter Lanyon, Laura Knight, and Philip Wilson Steer as well as works by Peter Doig, Matthew Davis, Hokusai, and Els Van Baarle that depict water or were

1. AS EXAM 2014
EARTH, AIR, FIRE, WATER

2. EARTH

3. Earth
Ansel Adams, Mount Williamson
Adams is famous for his majestic American landscapes

4. EARTH
Andres Gursky, in contrast Gursky looks at how man has changed and affected the earth

5. Earth
Farming, root vegetables, landscapes etc
The South Downs

6. MICHAEL PORTER

7. Flanders & Swan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QW85kfakJc

8. Jessica Winder, Rust, 2013

9. TEXTILE DESIGN: JESSICA RANKIN
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUtOVW8W6CY&
safe=active
Jessica Rankin’s work might best be described as mental
maps. Working on a sheer fabric called organdie, her images
invoke cartography or geographic diagrams. Made from
thousands of tiny embroidered stitches, Rankin delineates
shapes, boundaries, and contours, interconnecting and
locating them with miniscule text. In Hour To Hour, which
incorporates 4 gossamer swatches, Rankin’s constellation
appears to hover as gauzy illusion, with tiny green islands
anchoring fixed location in nowhere. Labelled with poetic
stream of consciousness text such as
IHEARDTHEMBUTWASNOLONGERTHERE and
COMPLETELYBYSURPP, Rankin’s map refutes tangible
space to chart the mystical terrains of memory, the
subconscious, fiction, and passing time.

10. JULIANA SANTACRUZ HERRERA

11. AIR

12. Jeff Wall, A sudden gust of wind, 1993
Wall produced this clever image with multiple exposures, combined in post production
(image manipulation). His inspiration was the Hokusai print

13. Adrian Sommerling, Wind

14. AIR
Anthony Gormley – Blind Light
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3665126/Gormley-finds-himself-in-thefog.html

15. AIR
OLD vs NEW
Wind power. How we use the air to our advantage, for consumption
(food energy etc)

16. AIR & 3D Design
For both children and
adults, windmills, kites and paper planes have
proved popular across ages and cultures.
At the annual Giant Kite festival in Yokaichi
designers from across Japan are invited to
showcase their works.

17. EARTH & AIR
More recently, artist Andy Goldsworthy works with the individual elements as here in Hazel stick
throw, banks, Cumbria, 1980 .
The solid ‘earth’ sticks are thrown into the air creating a pattern determined as much by the elements
themselves as the throw – the elements: the stick shapes & weight (earth), the wind (air) etc.

18. FIRE

19. Fire
Fire can be used to signify energy, power, destruction, speed, the
supernatural, cleansing and excitement to name but a few.

20. Fire
Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang uses fire in this
installation piece entitled Red Flag, 2005.
What might this artwork mean?
(Hint: think about what the red cloth
resembles and perhaps symbolises)

21. Melanie Hoff connected cables carrying 15,000 volts of electricity to
a large plank of wood and then documented the results. Fractal
Patterns were created

22. NINA CANELL
Photocopying ink was placed on
marble and 100,000V was passed
through the marble slab, a fractal
pattern was created
Fragile raw materials, such as electricity, gas and
water, materialise into binding agents, with
conductive properties resembling the fumbling
human attempts to make contact.

23. TEXTILES AS PAINT - ELANA HERZOG
Brazilian artist Elana
Herzog creates light, delicate structures
Interacting with the elements
Passing of time and decay

24. WATER

25. WATER’S EFFECT ON MAN
Documentary Project:
After effects of flooding
Interview those whose lives have been affected

26. PAINTING
PETER LANYON RESPONDS TO THE CORNISH COASTLINE

27. PAINTING
DAME LAURA KNIGHT
PHILIP WILSON STEER

28. To see more of Turner’s paintings visit the National Maritime
Museum (exhibition lasts to 21st April 2014).

30. WATER – CHRISTO & JEAN CLAUDE

31. CORY HOLMES – WATER AND INK, WATER AND
OIL

32. PETER DOIG
MATTHEW DAVIS
REFECTIONS, ATMOSPHERIC LANDSCAPES

33. KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI - GRAPHIC DRAWINGS

34. TEXTILES
• The effects of the
elements weathering
surfaces over time
provide a wealth of
textures, colours and
marks to inspire her
work
Els Van Baarle