Susana Aldanondo
Thesis Statement
My thesis as well as my work, are about challenging the conventional, centering around the idea that grit is the leading component that artists need to survive and perhaps to eventually “make it.”
Immersing myself in the present, while looking at the past to find answers about how the art world operates, I looked through the history behind the ebbs and flows of the artistic expectations and available career prospects for artists. This investigation is as much about the art world in the past and today, and what is necessary to be an artist, as it is about female empowerment, and questioning the dominant narrative and expectations of those making decisions in the art world. My thesis interrogates the origins of art schools, the learning methods and work possibilities for apprentices and artists during the Renaissance and finally into what accessing an art education and living and working as an artist means today.
I also delve into the history of graffiti art to engage in the topic of art as a natural innate occurrence dating back to prehistoric times. This research led me to the history of Egyptian art as it relates to art to communicate specific messages on walls and at sacred sites, and how those origins are also at the core of the graffiti art movement of the 1970’s in New York City.
Further, it explores the idea of perseverance in the face of impossible situations such as lack of resources, specifically: poverty, as most artists have or will experience at one
point or another if they are relying solely on their art as their sustenance. Looking back at the masters we know today, very few were able to sell their work and live from their art, even if they came from affluent backgrounds.
My research intends to prove and shed light into my thought that art belongs to everyone, and even more so to those experiencing failure, rather than the upper class as we have been led to believe.
It ponders on the thought of: how do artists really ‘make it’?
Is “making it” dependent on talent? Is it influenced by available resources? Is it something that is only achieved by those who excel in their intelligence and education? It opens dialogues on the difficult realities that await a vast majority of artists upon graduation as far as their job prospects are concerned.
In my investigation, I also looked at the lives of artists who did not access an education or who dropped out of college who happened to excel in their artistic careers and conducted research on how their experiences could prove my point of presenting failure and lack of resources as a key element to success.
My research included reading material about street artists, performers, medical research conducted, and two interviews to two New York City based street artists who happened to be friends of Jean Mitchell Basquiat and Madonna, among others.
I met with Nick Taylor, who was Jean M. Basquiat’s friend and photographer, and I also met with Al Diaz who was Jean M. Basquiat’s high school friend and graffiti partner during the 1970’s.
I also looked at the work by Jean Dubuffet and read about his trajectory and vision,and have included him in my thesis paper, as someone I also look up to and admire for his work but most importantly for his artistic vision and inclusive nature.
I believe that education is a tool for growth and that when it comes to the arts, it serves an important purpose of discovery to bring us closer to who we are as artists and how we choose to communicate that to the world. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to attend the New York Academy of art for my graduate degree, it was a decision that caused me to have to work very hard to be able to afford it.
Though education in the arts is important, I also believe that art institutions and art schools in general can act as a trap for most artists both from an economic standpoint, and at times, from a place of individuality. In this regard, I explore the concept and act of liberation not only from the constraints that come from social, political, religion, gender roles and socio-economic issues, but from what is expected of us: how art should look, what is acceptable, what mediums and what disciplines we choose to communicate through, where should art be made? Who will be given an opportunity and what plays a role into that type of decisive decision?
My approach embraces the idea that art should not enclose us within just one message to give to the world because the world is always in flux, so are the lives of artists, and in this there is tremendous potential for expansion. In my case I have had to make decisions about what the focus for my figurative work should be, both my abstract and figurative work do connect through this mindset of individuality and taking risks to be me.
My thesis explores what can happen when artists dare to make art in ways that speak to us even if we do it in ways or settings that seem to go against the grain.
In my paper, I also refer to my atypical approach when I choose to paint in the public spaces of New York and attempting to make a living from my work.
My work in the public space relies on pioneering new possibilities for women in the arts, highlighting the importance of making space for women. Finding a construction wall to attach my canvas to and create and exhibit my work there for the day is an allegory for the need for more walls and opportunities for women and other underrepresented artists. My hope is that someone will see it, and it will align to help create a better art world for all of us.
My thesis seeks to highlight the importance of higher education and how inaccessible it can be; leaving so much talent out without any realistic possibility for academic growth. To help support my argument, I read research by Dr. Angela Duckworth, articles by Noah Bradley, Casey Lesser, I read material about rock inscriptions in ancient Egypt, teaching methods of the Renaissance, as well as books about street culture.
My work is embedded in my personal experience as a woman, as an artist and as an immigrant. Much of my work is influenced by music and the complexities of navigating life and the arts as a woman of Latin-American identity and doing things my way to make art and to access an education in the arts.
In figuration, I have been creating work inside my studio at school. I have focused my work on female empowerment using imaginary figures.
Some of these figures resemble me and tell stories of inner journeys to reach liberation, empowerment, and spirituality. I do this using symbolism that echo the idea of the female body, companionship, and freedom.
Some of the symbols I use come from nature and celestial bodies, inspired by mythology and ancient figures. I believe both my abstract work, my presence in the public space, and my figurative work all point to the same: finding courage to do what may not be acceptable, calling attention to issues of our times as they relate to the art world, to women, to gender roles, to that which is expected, and rebelling against what limits us as artists, while also holding a musical element within their compositions.
In the face of the unprecedented times we are experiencing, I also created figurative work that depicts tango dancers, to highlight the beauty and enriching element that immigrants contribute to any society they join. It is something that has come naturally as most of my work is heavily informed by music.
In conclusion, my thesis seeks to create consciousness of how difficult it is and will be for most of us, all the artists graduating to find serious opportunities and live from our work.
My art and the way I create are an act of rebellion, and a way to oppose what is imposed on us: those often-exclusionary practices. My work and thesis are also an act of inclusion, combining a disparate language of figuration as well as abstraction. They both point to the juxtaposition some artists may be confronted with, that of academic training and street art.
I hope my active role and my thesis can inspire anyone to find the courage they possess and do what they think is necessary to create and build a life in the arts without regard to the opinions of others and in so doing to help drive change for all of us leading to a more inclusive and fair art world, while also creating awareness of the great efforts, investments and risks artists take to follow their vocation and make art.
The stories that all artists tell deserve a fair chance: all stories from all walks of life are worth considering.