26/10/2025
Edit *This is my first assignment returning back to my fine art degree. The subject is visual culture and word of warning it's going to get a bit pretentious I think 😂 as it's mostly theory*
*check the comments for Ruskins quote"
In Tansey’s painting, "The Innocent Eye Test", the cow is the subject of the test, but are we being tested too?
This painting is a clever visual representation of the Ruskins quote. The Innocent Eye.
Mark Tansey uses symbolism of well-known art, their colour and social constructs to play on the title of the piece. Much like an oil painting it too has layers but not in the physical form but in a literary form.
Tansey’s work depicts a cow being shown a portrait of another cow; this female cow shares the same innocent gaze as you, the viewer. The men represent social constructs that believe themselves to be far more intelligent than the viewer.
The test is that in order to comprehend the complexities of all of this, you must accept that you are a part of this social construct, or that you at least understand its cleverness.
This means you must accept that you, like Tansey, are part of the test.
