December Research – Etel Adnan
I’ve been researching Etel Adnan - an artist I don’t know much about. Etel Adnan, 1925 to 2021, was a Lebanese American poet, essayist, and visual artist [oil paintings, film, and tapestries]. She was interested in “the immediate beauty of colour” and was inspired early on in her career by Paul Klee. She often worked in small format e.g. 2012 paintings exhibited as part of Documenta 13 in Kassel Germany (see below).
I’d not heard of Documenta before and have learnt about the fascinating history of this event. I gather Etel Adnan’s work was also exhibited at the Van Gogh museum so there are some gorgeous pieces about her and her work on that website too.
Here are some links if you want to take a look:
1. Etel Adnan exhibition images from 2012
https://www.contemporaryartlibrary.org/project/etel-adnan-at-documenta-halle-kassel-7200
2. Info about Documenta
3. 5 things about Etel Adnan
https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/art-and-stories/stories/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-etel-adnan
4. Exhibition Colour as Language
5. A leporello by Etel Adnan (see below)
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/190159
For this brief the idea of making a zig zag book that incorporates a poem appeals to me. Looking back, I wrote a haiku per day in December in 2024 so have started by looking at them again. So, my task for December is to write some more haiku and alongside them do some work in small format and/or book format.
Looks like childlike colours and fairly simple shapes- was some of it done as torn paper?