Modernism in Visual Arts

I visited the Museum of Modern Art at 11 W & 53rd Street. I encountered Alfonso Ossorio’s famous ‘Empty Chair or the last colonial.’ Alfonso Angel Yangco Ossorio was a Filipino-American artist born on August 2, 1916, in Manila, Philippines. Mr. Ossorio came from a wealthy background and possessed a mixed heritage of Hispanic, Chinese, and Filipino. Ossorio was very famous for surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Art Brut styles for his work. He changed his artwork style a lot throughout his career. Alfonso’s early works were based on the surrealist art style. Ossorio’s work ranges from mural works to ink drawings. He also creates independent sculptures that incorporate feathers, bones, mirrors, and tree bark. He describes these works as “collectible images.” His drawings and sculptures considered surreal refer to dreams or the unconscious. At the museum, I saw many art pieces, but the ‘Empty Chair’ caught my attention. One thing I discovered about the artist is that he never finishes his art. He will leave it incomplete so we can force ourselves to think and create a meaning that we like. I haven’t seen many artworks that would make us feel and figure out the story and meaning behind it. Upon looking at the ‘empty chair’ for the first time, I thought it was about some evil eye or black magic since many eyeballs were dispersed throughout and nails were hammered into the sandal’s outsole. But you have to look very carefully to see the small details. A small wooden sculpture is in the pose at the bottom right of the artwork. I saw eyeballs made of what seemed like glass/plastic, which would be looking at us. At the top right-hand corner, there were relics and shells. The centerpiece was eye-catching and had a bone structure of feet. At the bottom, we see a sickle(weapon) being used. The wooden figurine at the top left corner had an ‘empty chair’. If I were to guess at the work style, I would say that Alfonso Ossorio was going with the theme of surrealism due to a mixture of natural and artificial objects such as relics, totems, and an all-seeing eye. I think this artwork is a blend of indigenous culture and colonialism. To back this up, the title also has ‘colonial’ in it. Also, there are so many cultural objects like wooden figurines, shells, bones, and the addition of a sickle (weapon) and relics that could hint towards the colonial power taking control over indigenous culture. Overall, I was genuinely amazed at how much the artwork can make you think about different things, yet all thoughts combined into one.