ZHANG Wenxi (Cici) talks on Fever Few by Michael Landy

1)   INTRODUCE THE DRAWING IN GENERAL TERMS

•What is the title of the drawing?

Fever Few

•What is the name of the artist?

Michael Landy

•What is the year the drawing was done?

2002

•What is the medium? (ie the materials used to produce the picture, for example charcoal on paper, pen and ink etc)

etching on paper

•What is the subject matter or general theme of the work? (eg is it a figure drawing, a map, a portrait, an autobiographical work, a picture about nature, a drawing of the city etc?)

It is a picture about a kind of weed (fever few) in a very realistic way.

•What is the purpose of the drawing? (eg Is it a diagram that explains how something works? Does it record accurately record the appearance of something? Does it express the artist's emotion or memory? )

The purpose of it is to render in the traditional style of botanical draughtsmanship.

2)   DESCRIBE THE DRAWING IN DETAIL

•How is line used? What does it do/express?

The lines are very carefully depicted which "systematically record every twist of root, bristle on stem and capillary hair on leaf.  
Some information online shows that the drawing seems to encourage 2 types of viewing."From a distance of a few feet, appreciating the overall shape of the grey masses against the paper, and taking in the structure of the weed, from flower to root; and from a few inches, marveling at the extraordinary level of details. When the view changes, you will find a big surprise of those amazing details."

•How is tone used? What does it do/express?

Although the drawing is monochrome, it still gives the viewer a feeling of live and strength. The roots are long and powerful, flowers are also trying their best to reach the sunlight. We can easily feel that this plant is absolutely fresh and strong.

•What can you say about shape and/or form in this picture? What is the effect?

"In a final and surely conscious twist, the artist uprooted the weeds so as to idealize and depict them, keeping them alive as best he could over the many days it took to etch them in such detail. Yet the weeds seem to float against the pure white of the paper as though they were rising, their roots trailing in the air. So these colourless weeds take on a ghostly or spiritual air, and the lethal act of representation, of making beautiful and eternal is a price paid for with life itself."

•Is texture a feature of the drawing?

"From a distance, certainly, it has a conventional aesthetic appeal but closer up it contains a subtle surprise as, despite the abstracting force of monochrome and uniform lines on paper, the collection of bristles, thorns and wilting leaves hints not at aesthetic order but at the weed’s defence, grubbiness and decay."

•What can you say about the composition of the drawing? What is the effect of this type of composition on the overall drawing?

The drawing seems very simple but focused. There is only a single weed in the paper. And this composition makes people put emphases on the observation of this plant, which gives people a very good chance to appreciate it very carefully.

•Is rhythm important in this picture? If so, say more about it...

No. I think there is no certain rhythm in this picture. The picture is so realistic.

•Is the picture balanced? Explain...

Yes, the picture is quite balanced. The weed “stands” in the middle of the white paper. And every part of the plant spreads very equally, which makes people feel balanced and harmonious.

•Is perspective used in the picture? If so, describe the way that the illusion of three-dimensional space has been created.
I think there is no perspective used in this picture. This is no light, no shade, it is very 2D.

•Is the picture harmonious? If so, in what way?

Yes. This picture is very harmonious. It has a very conventional aesthetic appeal. Every line, every detail makes this drawing harmonious.

•Are there any strong contrasts in the picture? Say more...

I think the only contrast in this picture is color. Also, from different distances, you will have different feelings. From a far distance, it is only a plant but for closer-up, you will be amazed at those sophisticated details.

3)   INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION

•What is the mood of the drawing? Justify your answer using information from your responses above

I think the mood is peaceful and vital. The color of the drawing is black and white. Every single detail of the feverfew is carefully depicted. The composition of this drawing also contributes a mood of peaceful.

•What does the drawing express? Justify your answer using information from your responses above

As I said before, the purpose of it is to render in the traditional style of botanical draughtsmanship. The artist just wants to bring the viewers back to nature. He used old method to make a series of this kind of picture, which also took his big amount of time on them. A constant strand in this artist’s work is just that single-minded and uncompromising focus on what he undertakes. These works made him poring over plants and the etching plates for months, and for as long as the daylight held out (twelve hours a day, he says, in the summer). What the artist wants to express is that “weeds are not just weeds”. He uses his hard work to remind people of these weeds’ names, neglected histories, supposed medicinal qualities and the meanings that people used to attach to them.
For Landy, weeds are not just weeds!

•In your opinion, why is this work interesting/moving/ clever/ imaginative/thought-provoking/......?  Choose the adjective(s) that best fit(s) the work, and then justify your conclusion in terms of specific features and qualities of the drawing. 

I think the work is powerful.
This drawing seems very simple, which is just a little weed, and it even makes people feel it’s weak. But the series of this similar etching contains artist’s hard work. Although the picture is black and white, you can still feel the green of the leaves, the yellow of the flowers and the strength of the root and the stem. The weak weed makes viewers feel the nature, feel energetic, feel strength… that is exactly what I think the power of this picture.


"(Julian Stallabrass,Michael Landy, Nourishmenthttp://www.courtauld.ac.uk/people/stallabrass_julian/reviews/evening-standard/Landy-Nourishment.pdf)