Metamatic jean tinguely biography

Summary of Jean Tinguely

Jean Tinguely first began creating assemblages composed of found-objects, but soon thereafter, intrigued by the current debate regarding the effect of mechanization and industrial innovation on modern society, he completely altered these static works by putting them into motion. Tinguely was intrigued by the effect of these moving constructions on the spectator and devoted the rest of his career to its exploration. The resultant oeuvre, on both a small and large scale, in works that generated corollary works of art and those that self-destructed, instigated spectator reaction and forever challenged the concept of a static experience of viewing art.

Accomplishments

• Tinguely updated the Dada practice of creating sculptural assemblage composed of found-objects, most often scrap metal that might easily have been considered junk, by actually mechanizing them. The revolutionary step of putting a work of art into motion would become known as Kinetic Art.
• Also following the lead of Dada artists, who used various means to make fun of society, Tinguely's me
  •

  Jean Tinguely is best known for his kinetic and mechanically animated sculptures that explore the aesthetics of movement. His sculptural machines are built of found or familiar objects and rudimentary parts, combining kineticism with the hallmarks of junk art.

  
  

  Méta-matic No. 9, a machine for drawing, displays Tinguely's trademark wit and conceptual rigor. It critiques central tenets of art history, namely the role of the artistís hand in the production an artwork and the importance an object's unique status. Instead, this portable machine allows one to produce an abstract drawing automatically. Given the quality of materials used to construct the Méta-matic pieces, the resulting drawings are unpredictable and haphazard.

  
  

  Ultimately, Méta-matic No. 9 is a work of art that functions as a machine to produce a limitless number of offspring artworks. "The machine is above all an instrument which permits me to be poetic," Tinguely said. "If you respect the machine, if you enter into a game with the machine, then perhaps you can make a truly joyous machine; by joyous I mean free

  •

  Métamatic

  Series of generative artwork by Jean Tinguely

  For the music album, see Metamatic.

  In the mid-1950s Jean Tinguely began production of a series of generative works titled Métamatics: machines that produced art works. With this series of works Tinguely not only problematised the introduction of the robotic machine as interface in our society, but also questioned the role of the artist, the art work and the viewer. Metamechanics (French méta-mécanique), in relation to art history, describes the kinetic sculpture machines of Jean Tinguely.^[1][2] It is also applied to, and may have its origins in, earlier work of the Dada art movement.

  Jean Tinguely created his Métamatic sculptures between 1955 and 1959. These sculptures are modelled in a way that resembles the aesthetics of the Industrial Revolution. The drawings they produce resemble, but also mimic mid-century gestural abstraction. The abstract drawings are produced by means of a motor-driven arm that holds drawing implements of the viewer’s choosing against a piece of paper. The result is