Michael Craig-Martin's An Oak Tree

Making Meaning from a Glass of Water

Kyle William Branham
ARTH 20 A02 ! T"entieth-Cent#ry Art
$rofessor %ohn Alfor&
May '2( 20')
Branham 2
A glass of "ater on a shelf an& a sheet of *a*er com*rise Michael Craig-Martin's
contro+ersial ',) Conce*t#al "ork( An Oak Tree- The "ork( "hich in.#ires #s to acce*t the
glass of "ater as an oak tree( *oses a *otential e/treme for artistic e/*loration as sha*e& 0y
the artist's conce*t( "hether thro#gh s#0stantiation( materials( or nothingness- As a 0arrier
0et"een the confrontational "orks of Marcel 1#cham* an& the conformist "orks of 1amien
Hirst an& the 2-B-A-( Craig-Martin's Oak Tree challenges "hether an artist's &irect creation is
&e+oi& of that artist's e/*ression - an& "hether a creation can really ha+e no meaning-
3e+eral co*ies of Craig-Martin's An Oak Tree are on e/hi0ition- Craig-Martin's original
has 0een ho#se& in the 4ation M#se#m of A#stralia since ',5( "hile an e.#ally famo#s
artist's co*y "as *ro+i&e& to Tate Mo&ern in 6on&on in 2000 78ig- '9- The tit#lar oak tree in
Craig-Martin's *iece is a glass of "ater on a glass shelf 78ig- 29- 3*ecifically( it is a 8rench
1#rale/ 0ran& &rinking glass on a glass shelf( of :the ty*e normally fo#n& in a 0athroom;
'
(
*erha*s selecte& for &#ra0ility an& clarity- Craig-Martin insists that the shelf( its fittings( an&
the glass remain com*letely clean "hen &is*laye&-
2
These materials may only ser+e a
s#**orting role to the "ork itself( for Michael Craig-Martin insists that "e recogni<e this glass
of "ater to 0e an act#al oak tree-
Ho"e+er one sees this &ilemma( the ans"ers are in the artist's te/t- The te/t car& 78ig-
)9 contains a self-inter+ie" 0et"een Craig-Martin as an artist an& as a ske*tic- He clarifies
that the a#&ience isn't s#**ose& to see an act#al oak tree or any *roof of its act#ality( nor is
the image or the oak tree *#rely mental- The glass of "ater for each of the t"o Oak Tree
e/hi0itions re*resents an oak tree( manifeste& in no other form-
)
1 =li<a0eth Manchester( :3#mmary of 'An >ak Tree'( Michael Craig-Martin(; Tate( 1ecem0er 2002(
htt*!??"""-tate-org-#k?art?art"orks?craig-martin-an-oak-tree-l022@2?te/t-s#mmary 7accesse& A*ril @( 20')9-
2 Byrony Bery( :Techni.#e an& Con&ition( AAn >ak TreeB( Michael Craig-Martin; Tate( %#ne 200C(
htt*!??"""-tate-org-#k?art?art"orks?craig-martin-an-oak-tree-l022@2?te/t-techni.#e-an&-con&ition 7accesse& A*ril
22( 20')9-
3 Michael Craig-Martin- Artist's Te/t for :An >ak Tree;- ',)-
Branham 3
When hy*othetically s#s*ecte& of &eli0erate artifice in *resenting the glass of "ater as
an oak tree( Craig-Martin state& that he ha& :change& its act#al s#0stance; #*on *o#ring
"ater into the glass-
D
The artist e/tolle& faith in ha+ing esta0lishe& the e/istence of not
merely an oak tree in the form of a glass of "ater( 0#t a s*ecific in&i+i&#al tree for the artist's
act of *o#ring "ater into a glass-
C
3im#ltaneo#sly( Craig-Martin ackno"le&ge& that most "ill
only see a glass of "ater( "hile most of those "ho "ish to see an oak tree seek for s#ch an
a**arent change to occ#r- An Oak Tree has most im*ortantly not 0een concei+e& as a glass
of "ater a**earing to 0e an oak tree( 0#t as an oak tree a**earing to 0e a glass of "ater-
There has 0een no literal transformation in maintaining the glass of "ater( 0#t a transition of
s#0stance! trans#0stantiation- The occ#rrence of this is not entirely inci&ental( an& has ser+e&
a *o*#lar *oint of hy*othesis( *artic#larly 0y the Tate Mo&ern( for the "ork's meaning-
@
Trans#0stantiation as a conce*t is associate& "ith the Christian tra&ition of the
=#charist( roote& in %es#s' 6ast 3#**er "ith his a*ostles 0efore his arrest 0y Roman
a#thorities- 8or his follo"ers to remem0er him( he share& 0rea& an& "ine as a meta*hor for
his flesh an& 0loo&- These are *hysically im*ermanent 0#t s*irit#ally *er*et#al in Christ's
s*irit an& the =#charist sacrament-

Craig-Martin( "ho "as e&#cate& as a Catholic in his

yo#th( likely recalle& the =#charist "hen making An Oak Tree-
5
Ho"e+er( An Oak Tree is not
all a0o#t trans#0stantiation &es*ite its conce*t#al *arallels- The connection is an a+aila0le
concl#sion for most to &ra" from the "ork( 0#t the tr#e meaning may come from the artist's
metho& rather than his message-
While tra&itional art is "hat it is( conce*t#al art foc#ses 0y contrast on the i&ea 0ehin&
4 E0i&-
5 E0i&-
6 Manchester-
7 A- C- 8o/-1a+ies( FTrans#0stantiation(F Catholic Encyclopedia 74e" 2ork! Ro0ert A**leton Com*any( ',')9(
htt*!??"""-ne"a&+ent-org?cathen?0CC)a-htmGsection) 7accesse& May D( 20')9-
8 Michael Craig-Martin H Whitecha*el Art Gallery( Michael Craig-Martin: a Retrospective, 196-199 76on&on!
Whitecha*el( ',5,9( '2'-
Branham 4
a "ork of art instea& of its material e/ec#tion- The i&ea takes *rece&ence so long as it is
ma&e manifest in some form( lest it is only an i&ea( 0#t #ltimately asks +ie"ers to concei+e of
it-
,
The 1a&aist Marcel 1#cham* hel*e& commence the conce*t#al form of art 0y creating or
a**ro*riating &eli0erately challenging "orks s#ch as his infamo#s ',' rea&y-ma&e
!o"ntain- A re*#r*ose& #rinal "hich re*resente& "hat the artist chose to 0e art( !o"ntain's
meaning stemme& from 1#cham*'s choosing the #rinal as his "ork of art an& his im*loring
the a#&ience to en+ision it as s#ch-
'0
3#ch art .#estions 0oth itself an& the a#&ience-
''

3imilar to ho" 1#cham* aske& "ith his !o"ntain "hat art co#l& 0e( Craig-Martin
so#ght to e/*eriment "ith ho" his art co#l& 0e con+eye&( &isregar&ing its a**earance-
'2
By
the late ',@0s "hen conce*t#al art ha& 0eg#n to emerge as an international mo+ement( the
Minimalist-traine& Craig-Martin esta0lishe& his art career in Britain at this time "ith 0o/es an&
li&s ma&e into nonf#nctional artistic o0Iects-
')
These art"orks "ere com*letely material(
*resente& a change of *ractical o0Iects into aesthetic forms- En these earlier "orks an& in An
Oak Tree, Michael Craig-Martin in+oke& a similar sensi0ility to 1#cham*( 0#t one 0ase& in
0elief more than a choice-
'D
Any artist co#l& try a similar metho&( tho#gh for an artist like
Craig-Martin to esta0lish an #ncon+entional "ork of art( the artist nee&s a#thority s#ch as that
c#lti+ate& thro#gh e/*erience an& e/*eriments-
'C
The artist may 0e a go& o+er his o"n "ork(
0#t to make a glass of "ater 0ecome more to a +ie"er( the artist nee&s to *ro+e his artistry-
>f co#rse as Craig-Martin o0ser+e&( the act of granting a glass of "ater the s#0stance
of an oak tree cannot 0e entirely reconcile& "ith an a#&ience "ho may only see it as only a
9 Tony Go&frey( Concept"al Art# Art H E&eas 76on&on! $hai&on( ',,59( D-
10 E0i&-( @-
11 E0i&-( 'C-
12 6ynne Cooke( :The $re+arication of Meaning(; in Michael Craig-Martin: a Retrospective, 196-199, e&-
Michael Craig-Martin an& Whitecha*el Art Gallery 76on&on! Whitecha*el( ',5,9( ''-
13 E0i&-( ')-
14 E0i&-( '2-
15 An&re" Renton- FMichael Craig-Martin! E 8eel Jery 3trange When $eo*le Call Me A 3c#l*tor-F !lash Art( no-
'C2 7May?%#ne ',,09! ')'-
Branham 5
glass of "ater- An Oak Tree has 0een commen&e& 0y art critics an& fello" Conce*t#alists for
its *ro+ocati+e *resence it the art "orl&( 0#t the glass of "ater that re*resents An Oak Tree
re*resents an e.#ally tro#0lesome .#estion of "hat the "ork is for- 1es*ite ackno"le&ging
the trans#0stantiation theme( British art historian An&re" 1i/on sa" An Oak Tree as
re*resentati+e of an artistic ten&ency to cast off tra&ition an& cater to those "ithin the art
"orl& of similar mentalities( if not to"ar& a &eli0erate attem*t at making a statement-
'@
Craig-Martin may not ha+e "ishe& for An Oak Tree to con+ey anything for any
a#&ience or st#&ent( 0#t to instea& ser+e as an affirmation for the artist's ca*a0ility to create
art or ascri0e the sensi0ility of art- Craig-Martin's *hiloso*hy of anti-*hiloso*hy( "herein
&isci*line sho#l& 0e a+erte& or "ill linger #ntil it &isa**ears( has carrie& o+er to his st#&ents
"hich com*rise& the 2o#ng British Artists- Craig-Martin's most nota0le st#&ent 1amien Hirst(
fame& for his oe#+re of mor0i& m#lti-million-&ollar "orks that marry ass#me& mortal themes
"ith semi-legen&ary e/or0itance( has 0een &efine& 0y that *se#&o-im*ersonal sensi0ility in
his "ork-
'
1es*ite Michael Craig-Martin's o"n *er*et#al search for an i&eal &istance from his
"ork( he can 0e connecte& "ith the mo&ern artist's strife for some notion of self-e/istence
thro#gh "orks confo#n&ing to the masses an& confirming to the like-min&e&-
An oak tree in the form of a glass of "ater ser+es as the fo#n&ation for conce*t#al art
as it is to&ay! an o**ort#ne &eli0eration of i&eas ma&e manifest in some form- En one regar&(
s#ch a "ork "o#l& ha+e only 0een ma&e *ossi0le thro#gh the challenges 1#cham* *ose&-
The oak tree "o#l& only take its trans#0stantiate& form if Craig-Martin( confi&ent in his
#n&erstan&ing the metho&( ma&e it that "ay-
$erha*s the chief matter is in the materials that ser+e to em0o&y the oak tree( or that
the artist's metho& makes s#ch a conce*tion *ossi0le- A&+ersely( *erha*s only a cli.#e of
16 An&re" 1i/on( A $istory o% &ritish Art 7Berkeley! Kni+ersity of California $ress( ',,,9( 2)C-
17 E0i&-( 2)@-
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conce*t#alists "ith similar sensi0ilities to Craig-Martin may concei+e an oak tree in the same
tho#ght as a "ater glass- This may ha+e 0een a sign of &ecay for most tra&itionalists
confronte& "ith the sensationalist Britart "orks of Hirst an& other Craig-Martin *ro&igies(
"hose careers forme& from #n#s#al "orks they I#st ha**ene& to make first- 8or "hate+er
*#r*ose An Oak Tree "as ma&e( it e/ists #*on an i&ea con+eye& thro#gh a metho& that may
0e *rofo#n& 0eyon& e+en Craig-Martin's #n&erstan&ing( if he allo"s it-
The +ery act of granting life or i&entity to one's "ork may 0e at 0est e*hemeral( like a
0reath gi+en *#r*ose for the moment it occ#rs( an& at "orst e/cretory( as something
*assi+ely *ro&#ce& from cons#me& matter- Kltimately( s#ch an action is 0orn of a tho#ght
"hich may not manifest #ntil a means to act can 0e concei+e&- Making an oak tree o#t of a
glass of "ater took Craig-Martin :no effort at all(;
'5
0#t the aesthetic an& theoretical frame for
his oak tree fits "ith the creation of s#ch an eternally #northo&o/ "ork- 8or "hate+er this "ork
may 0e( many "ill only see a glass of "ater- 3ome among them may think of an oak tree( or
something &eli0erately &ifferent- >nly the artist can *ossi0ly see an oak tree( "ith all-*o"erf#l
a#thority o+er the art an& con+iction to his assem0ly- To kno" that the glass can 0e sense&
this "ay 0y others( e+en ironically( grants some reality to that oak tree- The &imin#ti+e e/hi0it
"as once "ithhel& from a ',@ m#se#m to#r for a**arently consisting of +egetation( m#ch to
Craig-Martin's Ioy-
',
Whate+er affirms the "ork( for 0etter or "orse( grants it meaning-
18 Michael Craig-Martin( Artist's Te/t for :An >ak Tree;( ',)-
19 Michael Craig-Martin an& Whitecha*el Art Gallery( ''2-
Branham 7
Emages
8ig- '9 Michael Craig-Martin( An Oak Tree# ',)-
Glass of "ater( glass shelf(
chrome 0rackets( an& *rinte& te/t o0Iect-
Artist's co*y- 6ent from a *ri+ate collection 2000
>n long term loan- Reference 6022@2-
20
20 :'An >ak Tree'( Michael Craig-Martin(; Tate( htt*!??"""-tate-org-#k?art?art"orks?craig-martin-an-oak-tree-
l022@2 7accesse& A*ril @( 20')9-
Branham 8
8ig- 29 Michael Craig-Martin( 1etail of An Oak Tree# ',)-
Branham 9

8ig- )9 Michael Craig-Martin( Artist's Te/t for An Oak Tree- ',)-