The Urbild

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German philosopher, scientist, and great literary influence upon Western literature. This natural philosopher once said," Nature has certain forms that are urbild or ideal types, archetypes." In the image to the left, the innate texture of the tree bark is so delicate and detailed an artist could only hope to mimic its beauty. The red flower bursting through the center of the photograph serves as a focal point, creating great visual interest. The flower itself has symmetrical shape, for the flower is a mirror image of itself in composition. Goethe realized that nature is an archetype for artists work, it is the primordial masterpiece of mother nature.
In this second image we notice a man made sculpture placed in natural setting. The sculpture is peculiar not only in form, but also in positioning. The face of the man smiling gives the sculpture a sense of relatebility. However, the unusual coloring, and odd shaping of the structure gives the artwork an "egg - like" resemblance.

Thus this artist must have drawn inspiration from one of the most urbild forms of nature, the egg. The artist of the collection of egghead sculptures scattered around the UC Davis campus is Robert Arneson, who believed in the duality of " artist vs. academy, passivity vs. aggression, the bookworm vs. the dreamer, the yin and the yang of the institution and of life." (Teri Bachman, M.A. '82).

The final photograph is taken near the center of UC Davis Campus and is titled, " Bum, Bum, Youve Been Here Before." (1967 Tio Giambruni) The sculpture is undoubtedly visually interesting, the composition of the design is intricated and chaotic. The curving lines of the metallic sculpture create continuation, thus giving the piece a sense of cohesion. Despite all these factors, the design lacks similarity to any form of nature, and the urbild archetype as Goethe said. Due to the overally modern design and materials, the viewer percieves an industrial / manufacturing mechanism. Art is the greatest form of inner expression, and although it is not necessary, many succesfful works of art have built their structure and composition of the most natural occuring beauty of our world, nature.

photographs by Annie Boylan