Marilyn Levine - Term Paper Example

The object of art Marilyn Levine’s 1985 P.H.V. Strap is a ceramic art exhibiting a fading-color waist belt. The acronym for P.H.V. is very deceptivefor it may mean many things; however, the meaning of P.H.V. here is Panagiotis Harry Voulkopoulos or simply Peter Voulkos. The name “Voulkos” appears on her ceramic strap. Levine’s art can be categorized as trompe l’oeil or illusionist art since her “P.H.V. Strap” seems to be a real human belt. The texture and tone of her ceramic strap do not seem to look like a ceramic-made product.

Like Trompe l’oeil, Levine uses a technique that depicts an object (i.e, belt) in three dimensional perspective. The shadows play an important role in transforming her art into something real. The scale of Levine’s “P.H.V. Strap” is quite small with a physical dimension of 5.1 x 21.6 x 10.2 cm. And how the ceramic strap is folded impressed me very much. Bending the ceramic strap facilitates Lavine’s art to look as if it is a true waist belt.Appreciating art I choose artist Marilyn Levine because of her choice of objects for her art work.

Lavine heavily employs objects or imagery that have human utility; bags, shoes, jackets are vivid examples of things that have human use. Through Levine’s work, ordinary objects seen in everyday life appear to have an aesthetic value. The play of illusion in Levine’s ceramic art truly evokes or appeals to my mind. The technique utilized in her work questions my very perception of the world. Though ordinary things, they seem not to be ordinary when viewed in Lavine’s wok of art. In the process, I quite enjoyed appreciating her work.

To evaluate Levine’s “P.H.V. Strap” requires the consideration of the artist’s technique and the art itself. The texture, tone, and play of the shadows are examples of evaluating her work.