module 8 video blog

More Human Than Human

               I think it’s only natural that art and the human form are connected. Artists are human and therefor it spills onto art. As a culture we are obsessed with it aesthetically as well as functionally.  In art it can be distorted or colorful or blank or exaggerated. And yet it is still identifiable. Even in 1,900 b.c. the Egyptians were drawing the body and it continued over 700 years in their culture and in actuality lasted for over 3,000 years. There was only one way the body was drawn and it descended down the generations. It is thought that the form of the body didn’t change in Egyptian culture because of a grid like structure used to create all of the images. This created the pattern of it being unchanged and uniform for thousands of years.

Cairo Museum

               30 dynasties of Pharaohs. 5,000 years of history.  All housed in one astounding museum! Spectacular isn’t even a good enough word to describe what this museum holds within its walls. I never would have thought about what would be in the basement of the Cairo Museum. The Egyptian Museum contains 160,000 artifacts, but only half of them are actually on display. The rest is stored below in the basement. Many of the artifacts in the basement of the Cairo Museum have been there for 100 years  and still have not been opened! One artifact that was opened up for the first time was an actual human foot fitted with an artificial toe. It is said that the Egyptians were the first to perform a type of plastic surgery. It’s unreal to think that that has been sitting in the basement for years and years and years. It seems almost wrong to me though, to be in possession of such things and they are in boxes.

               I thought the quick view of the queens bracelets were sooo pretty and to get a glimpse of the undone Queen’s throne shows just how much work goes into restoring it. She is devoting a huge part of her life to this. It was also amazing to see Dr. Nadia sitting in her office and then have the camera pan over to a wooden box.  My office is just filled with boxes of paper. I can’t imagine to be in possession of so much history. The jewelry and caskets to be put on display for the centennial celebration were amazing to view. I just wish we had something like this in Buffalo. It was so amazing to view through video I can only imagine what its like in person!!!!

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure

This was the turning point in that the human form was starting to be displayed in a more realistic way rather than a stylized one. Many of the Greek sculptures are glorifying the human body, most especially that of the female form. Many of the female forms used were representative of actually being pregnant or remnants of giving birth were present. I feel this shows how much the Greeks value life and that it stems from the woman. Eventually this lead to a humanism of the Greek arts according to the narrator. There was a transition from sixth century b.c. in where the Gods were replaced with a more classical theme of where the sculptures were of humans and not Gods.

Module 6: peer blog review

http://dasiamorman.blogspot.com/2013/02/project-1-elements-and-principles.html

For project number 1, while I couldn't see the pictures I did enjoy her explanation of them and felt that it was very creative.  For color  she chose to take a picture of her strawberry lemonade and said she liked how "the light reflects off the ice cubes perfectly". You can tell just by her written responses how much thought and time was put in. I liked the fact that she used her drink, its something that never would have dawned on me. I love lemonade so I immediatly connected with it.

Project #2 Art Gallery Visit #1- Responding To Artwork
I enjoyed her view on the pieces she chose. I especially liked that she was able to connect on the pieces in such a personal way whether it be by music, her heritage  or her own childhood experiences. I especially connected to the bath painting. My sister and I spent so much time in the bathroom with our mother, watching her put on her makeup, or doing her hair. It was our time with her to do what girls do. It is something my sister and I cherish until this day.

Stone, Glass and Space

“A sculpture comes alive in clay, dies in plaster, and is reborn in marble.”

           One of the things that struck me was during the Through the Eyes of the Sculptor was that the sculptor has to use his feelings to carve "life back into the shape". It seems to be a very intimate process between the artist and the piece. It is such a painstaking process there is no way you could do work like this if it wasn't something that you loved. You can't fake something like this. Carving comes from within. So many things go into making a sculpture that I never even thought of, like if the piece of stone is good or not. Emmanuel Fillion (who is quite handsome) can tell the difference between the sound of a cracked stone or one without a crack.  He talks about how shape, modeling and aesthetic are all important and that he has to make sure they all interact together to make his sculpture come alive. Even the transfer of the sculptures from his studio to where they reside takes a lot of thought process. "Bridges" have to be put on the portions where the sculpture is liking to crack. The bridges add stability to the pieces of sculpture that are jutting out and allow for safe travel of the piece. Once its put in place, the bridges are removed. He said that if he can't envision the sculpture in his head first, he can not create it. This shows the connection between sculptor and sculpture. They have to feel it and see it and connect with it. Otherwise it doesn't get created.

 

          Glass and Ceramics  video made me laugh immediatly when she said "You are at home, glasses on your head"...so very true as I am wearing glasses. I like that she used the word viscous when she said that glass doesn't come as a solid but rather a viscous solid. Most people do not realize that. I enjoyed the scientific aspect of this video since I am a biology major and have had to take plenty of chemistry. This brought the realization that science and artistry are intertwined in a way. More so than I orignally thought at least. The firing portion of ceramics is so important because it is what determines how the glass will look and what its finish will be. That would be too intense for me to know that your final outcome could be ruined by just one degree!!! I couldn't believe that the glazing process was done by a man actually dipping the pieces into the glaze, swirling it around and then putting on a conveyor belt. I just assumed a machine would do it like all the other processes. Laminated glass has become such an important and vital requirement in Architecture so has to to harm anyone when the glass is broken. It was neat to see the glass being folded and refolded when adding the strengthening element.

        Installation Art   is large and alive and.....controversial. It over takes whatever space its being developed in. It is in a way a form of sculpture in a way. Installations are three dimensional and its up to the artist to decide how much space it will take up depending on the concept. I think its controversial because of the lack of understanding as to actually what it is. I think its harder for an audience to connect with these types of pieces because they are life-like and in your face. I can't say I actually like Richard Wilson's pieces but they are amazing. It broke my heart to learn that the installation artist Yayoi Kusama has lived in an insane aslum voluntarily, and only coming out to introduce her art!!!!!! She was obsessed with "dot's". It's as if her life is only in existance when it comes to art. It's her only sane form of communication with the outside world. That is just so unreal to me. Susan Hiller described installation art as the relationship between the "images, the space and the viewer" coming together to make the piece/pieces work.

I feel so Blue or Green or Pink!

1. Describe Color and it's effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.

 As the video states color is an extremely powerful gateway to evoke emotions but it is also unpredictable. It is unpredictable in the sense that you can never be sure how a person is going to react to it. I would assume the bold, saturated colors would create stronger emotions than lighter, pastel colors. The lighter colors would be more peaceful while the bolder colors would spark intense emotions like passion or anger. We also equate how we are feeling emotionally by tying to a color: Im feeling blue (Sadness), Im feeling green (queesy).

 

2. What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?

I find it fascinating that color can make you happy. And that it can make or break a painting. I have never really thought about how important color. We even pick out toothbrushes with the colors that appeal to us! A room could be filled with the most beautiful furniture in the world, but if the walls of the room are a color that doesn’t appeal to you the whole room will be thrown off. A single line in a painting of a certain color can become the focal point. Color is found in nature and is carried over onto our everyday life.

 

3. In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?

The biggest impact for me was just how precious pigments were before there were art stores and paint in tubes. The process of making a pigment, especially the blue made from a semi-precious metal and then soaked and needed in water for two weeks is amazing. Color was treated as a valuable commodity. The more expensive the color, the artist would reserve for the most important part of the painting.

 

4. In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and its effects on emotions?

I find it amazing that people are in love with the famous painting "Mona Lisa." To me the colors are depressing and not vibrant. But I get the emotional pull that people feel towards “her”. She is mysterious and people are always trying to solve the mystery of who she is and why she came about.

Assesment of the Course

1. Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the best? Why? I loved working on the final project because I liked the freedom it gave where you got to choose the theme and you were in control of what pieces you chose. It was fun to come up with a theme and then play around with fonts and backgrounds and look at different art pieces.

2. Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the least? Why? I least enjoyed the readings of the book. I feel like the modules should allow for more times like 10-14 days rather than one week or have the readings everyother week. Only because I felt like I was usually rushing through the chapters and only trying to find the answers to the questions rather than actually letting the information permeate my brain. I know a lot of other students in the class felt the same way as well. I learned the most from doing the projects than the actual readings. But on the plus side this is the ONLY class I have ever actually utilized the ENTIRE book.

3. How did you like using ANGEL? I really like using angel, its not anything new for me.

4. If you had the opportunity to change this course:

What would you keep? I would keep all the projects, I feel that is when I learned the most about art.

What would you remove? I don't think anything needs to be removed if a little more time were added to the modules.

What would you add? More time to the modules.

5. Would you recommend this course to your peers? Yes and no. I think its just the amount of time is what would stop me from recommending it. I would just have to make it very clear that this class would take up A LOT of time. A LOT of it. And if you are not an art major it can sometimes be cumbersome to work on the modules, especially all the readings.

6. Please list any other comments you would like to share. I think there should be more projects and less of the readings. I know it sounds like a cop out, but I truely benefitted more from the projects than the readings.

Aed 200

1. What were you expectations for this course and where they met?My expectations were that I would be looking at A LOT of different pictures and learning about all the different genre's.

2. Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared to your intial posting? From the first class discussion I defined art as "something that comes from the soul. People will connect with it on whether or not it "speaks" to them. Art is as diverse as the human body. There is no right or wrong." I still agree with my original definition. I feel even more strongly now that it is something that comes from deep inside. The artists we learned about some of them we recluses and didn't enjoy the actual life around them, but were able to paint it or sculpt it. There are so many things/themes an artists hides within their work. It's like a mystery and it never gets boring. I love that when you look at a painting you are looking into the eyes of that artists.

3. Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you think so? Well my favorite artists were my nrother and sister. They still are but I have also added Picasso (whose works I did not like before).

4. Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different? I feel that an online course works if you want it to. Sometimes though things happen and it's impossible to stay on track. I wish that I hadn't had certain things happen throughout the course, because I feel like I missed out on a lot of what I should have gained and had to rush through things that I would have enjoyed spending lots of time on.

Self Portrait



Create a reflection journal on your Blog and answer the following questions:
1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces? I selected the Frida Kahlo portrait because I just love how real she was and didn't try to hide shy of her imperfections. I think that she is just so beautiful. I chose the Andy Warhol portrait because I felt it mimicked the media that I used for mine. And lastly I shose Savannah Storm's picture because I liked the plafullness of it and the fact that she was still beautiful even with a mustache.

2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait? I chose to use digital media because I could in no way what so ever draw or paint myself. I liked the fact that I could experiment with special effects and colors and in a way "hide" myself but still be visible.

 3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them? The challenge I faced was that I DO NOT like to take pictures of myself. But the fact that I could masquerade the picture to not be a real view made me feel better. I also had to retake the picture several different times and with different lighting so that my scar wouldn't be visible.

4. How does this piece represent you? This piece represents me in that it is an actual picture of me. I also had to change everything about the way I look over a year ago. I live my life pretty much always tring to be in disguise with different hair colors, makeup and glasses. So by creating the effects on the picture I felt like it was what I do in my everyday life.

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work? I used different special effects and layered them until I got the picture how I wanted. I like the gradient of color and the at first I put it in black and white and then layered it with the different colors. I also played with the lighting and sharpness of the picture.

6. Did you enjoy working on this project? I would enjoy this art project more if we had the choice to use a self portrait or something we felt represented us.

7. What do you think of your final artwork? I actually really liked the final outcome and I am def going to use the digital program with other pictures since its so uncomfortable for me to take pictures.


          

Fine Art, Funny Art even Recycled Art!

COLORFUL EXPRESSION SHENISE SANTANEK-I absolutely loved how she used the shapes in the background and also how some of the art was oval and some were square. It really brought out the art and I felt like there was a lot of thought put into how everything was displayed.

Eco Art Exhibit Melyssa Peplowski- Great theme, it was very creative. Very poignant exhibit considering the Going Green movement for a healthier lifestyle and a healthier planet.

Waiting for the Queen Angela Lockard -This exhibit was an ingenious theme. I love the fact that it was all done from the same photographer and it chronicled an event in history.  I like that it was real-life and art mixed together.

Mind Altering Ana Colfels- She used two of the same art pieces that I did, which just goes to show that each piece of art can have several different themes linked to them. I enjoyed reading her take on the pictures.

Struggles Coumba Sy- This theme was very well thought out. I felt that each piece chosen perfectly fit it with what was trying to be conveyed. I especially love the piece of the women weight lifter and how it was explained that she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. This was a very good exhibit.

           I chose Shawn Galante's Metal and Stone exhibit because his subject matter is something I am not interested in at all and yet I found myself loving his exhibit. I also felt like his was the one where a lot of time and effort was put in. Not that we all did not spend the time, but it just actually showed in his exhibit.
           I did not like the fact that I had to critique someone elses project, but I would be very interested in reading what others said about mine. I just felt funny saying what I thought because as students we are all on the same level. I think it would have been less apprehensive and a little more fun if we were able to view all of the exhibits from last semester rather than the current. At least then we could feel free to say the truth about the exhibits we really did not like.
           I would rate my article as a 10 out of 10 because I believe you should always stand behind your work. If you don't who will? Overall I enjoyed looking at everyone's project. Most of them were very impressive, and the themes were creative and fun. I would read some of the themes and go "Why didn't I think of that?"

Art Curation Reflection Journal

I found the more and more I thought about my theme, the harder it became. I thought of butterfly's, abstract, romance, love, sadness all these different things but nothing pulled at my heartstrings to say "yes this is it." It wasn't until one day I was washing my face and examining my scar that it came to me: Perfectly Imperfect. It's what my grandmother told me one day when I was complaining about the way my scar looked. She said to me "Your face was perfect before, but now its imperfectly perfect. It has even more character now". I am someone who likes everything neat and orderly. I like my lines to be straight, colors to match, everything to flow. So, to create an "exhibit" that was in a way out of order was HARD for me. I would create the slide all nice and neat and then have to go back to it later to make it "imperfect" with different fonts and colors. I also chose pieces that I would NEVER have hanging in my home. But truth is, after becoming quite aquanted with some of these pieces I love them. I would absolutly find a place to hang the cow painting, or a Picasso or the "fat ladies". I like that these don't fit the standard definition of beauty that I have grown up with all around me: movies, magazines, television. I guess a part of me identifies with these pieces.

Critiquing the Critic

Greenberg on Pollock: An Interview by T. J. Clark

            I agree with Greenberg in that while Pollack moved himself away from the containment and orderliness of “regular art”, his paintings do possess an orderliness all their own.  Jackson Pollock is associated with Dionysian painting. Clement Greenberg comments on that characterization. He argues that the only demand on art is that it just be good art. Some have even classified Pollack’s art as Dionysian, which represents pieces that are frenzied and undisciplined; both of which Greenberg disagreed with, stating that art just needs to look good. He stated that the paintings leaned more towards Apollonian if it had to be categorized. I think Greenberg felt that by categorizing a painter and paintings you are pigeon holding them into a design that may not fit what they are trying to represent. I believe that is the key when criticizing art. If you look at a painting with its genre in mind, you may only be looking for the things that represent that genre and missing out on the “message” of the painting to begin with.  I like how Greenberg stated that whatever didn’t “sit right” on a painting that Pollack would go back in and rescue his art. It shows how personal these pieces were to him by using the term “rescue”. Greenberg understood how close artists become to their paintings by using that term. He didn’t say “fix it” or “start over” or “repair”, He said RESCUE. That stood out to me. Just by using one different word to call something out on an artist or a painting changes the thought process behind it.

 

The Critics: Stories from the Inside Pages

“You’re helping the arts of your time to stay alive and be vital” is one of the quotes in the beginning montage that stuck out for me. It is the job of the critic to get not only the audience to THINK, but to give relevance/notoriety to the art of their generation. A part of me is swayed at the idea that one person can go in and say “this is good” and this is bad” of someone else’s works. This irks me for the main reason that when someone reads or hears a critique it can sway their judgment rather than just have them experience it all on their own and come out of it with their own feelings. But on the other hand, people are talking about something and just that fact alone is good for the artist. Another key factor is that the critic has a passion for the genre that they are critiquing. The medium they have chosen speaks to them on a deeper level and so they are critiquing what they love, what they live for. That’s an important factor because they have an no interest in let’s say movies, or hate reading and that’s what they are judging it doesn’t work. They are skewed. I liked this video a lot because it showed me that these reviewers love the genre they are in, whether it be music or movies or art or books. Most of them fell in love at an early age and felt like it was their calling to try and bring that love to the masses. This was very viable information to obtain, because it shows the tremendous responsibility the media has in our culture. The responsibility that a critique has to the genre that they are so in love with coincides with being able to bring it to the masses so that the public can experience it as well.

Definition of Art

. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.
3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

 

 

The Lowdown on Lowbrow

I love the first video featuring artists with the names like Braineater, The Pizz and Shag. That alone just says it all. I get why the term Lowbrow was used if it was in terms of art that featured blatant pornography, but since it has now evolved passed just only naked imagery I like the term Newbrow. I loved the "individualness" of the artists and their works. Its the first time I felt the artists actually looked the way I'd imagine them to after looking at the pieces. I thought it was poignant when the one woman said "They said we couldn't play in their sandbox, so we created our own." It goes to show that art, just like people comes in all shapes and sizes and backgrounds. I really feel Lowbrow art encompasses a sort of "To each his own" attitude which is refreshing. I wouldn't necessarily have any of it hanging in my house, but I did like seeing the pieces. It was great to see the gallery jam packed with people who didn't "look" like they were going to some stuffy art gallery opening. The one man even had on a tie dyed shirt with suspenders!!! This video helped me a lot because I have been stressing over the final project, and thinking that I would pick the wrong pieces or critique them wrong, but this video made me see that art is not only beautiful but its also fun.

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach

The fact that one million people visted this within 47 days is astounding. Critics of the layout argue that Tate Musuems presentation of art requires that visitors have no pre-existing knowledge of art. This is because there is such controversy surrounding pieces that are put next to eachother. In the layout room there are three pieces by the British artist Richard Long and on the opposite wall reside's Monet's Water Lillies. (Which I didn't realize how big Monet's piece was in real life).  It is meant to represent environmental art but critics feel they are not meant to be seen together and that it somehow takes away from the pieces. When I go to a museum I tend to look at the pieces individually rather than as a whole in terms of the layout. I think that most people can look at art this way, well those of us without an extensive knowledge of art.



Photographs and Paintings

Hockney on Photography

 

British painter and photographer David Hockney was able to successfully merge the emotions of both the photographer and their subject. He set out to have an intertwining of both, rather than the normal disconnect between the two. He wanted to take away in his words “the window effect” when looking at a photograph thus making the subject more interesting to the audience. Hockney was able to take a series of pictures and rearrange them to make an art piece, utilizing his background as a painter first. Hockney would envision the final product of his creations while he was taking the pictures. Upon creating his first of many photographic collages, he used a grid like system with Polaroid’s. You would see the entire “scene” laid out for you in a series of shots put together to make a whole.

Many of Hockney’s photographic compositions of things such as an older woman, or a guitar and fruit were put together in such a way that it mimicked cubism. The unique thing regarding these pieces is that people, who wouldn’t ever look at an actual cubist painting and connect with it, are able to do so with his photographs. He identified with the fact that cubism was meant to identify perceptions of reality not reality in itself and Hockney set out to do the same thing with his works.

 

He started to progress beyond the Polaroid camera and was able to advance his skill by using the 35 mm camera. This allowed him to advance his subject matter as well as the perception he wanted to communicate with the audience. He took the Grand Canyon, where almost all of the tourists find amazement by looking down into it and, created a whole new perception of looking at it. He created a way for his photographs to portray looking INTO the Grand Canyon, not down it. The use of the 35 mm camera posed the obstacle of Hockney having to remember the pictures that he took. The Polaroid camera gave him almost instant access to his photographs, but the 35 mm camera made him rely heavily on his memory.

 

At the end of the documentary, Hockney reveals that he is losing his hearing and equates the hearing loss silence with visual silence of his photographs. It shows how deeply he connects to his pieces and how much they mean to him. He looks at the pictures and is able to recount the silence of nature of his subjects as he took them and created his masterpieces. Photographs for Hockney speak to the eyes, not the ears.

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Andy Warhol: Images of an Image

I chose this video because I never understood why Warhol images were so coveted and I wanted to learn more about this phenomena. I thought maybe by the end of the video I would maybe be a fan or at least have a better appreciation for who he was and what he contributed to not only the artworld but society as a whole. Without even liking his pieces, it is known that Andy Warhol is KNOWN and his works bring in major money even now. It struck me to learn that some of his subject matter were things such as race riots, the landing on the moon, and the cultural revolution in China and not just soup cans and Marilyn Monroe.

My first impression of Warhol was that he had a child-like essence to him. He seemed to be relatively soft spoken and had a sort of glimmer in his eye when he was talking about his pieces. I have to admit it was a little off putting at first, his child like demeanor was slightly creepy to me. But learning that he was a commercial journalist made me understand more as to why he chose a lot of the subject matter that he did. It was what he was exposed to. Just as a writer often writes of what they know, Warhol did the same thing. He was involved with Vogue magazine so suddenly his paintings of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor didnt seem so far fetched to me anymore. He was just simply creating pictures that was representative of the culture at that time. (Although I still despise the soup can paintings), I do have a better understanding as to why it was done.  It's amazing that his multiple silk screen paintings of Marilyn Monroe is what catipulted him into fame. He had a love for movies and actors and that came across in his artwork. Each of his series was inspired by an event happening in the world around him. The death of John F. Kennedy sparked his series on his wife Jacquelynn Kennedy.

His technique was to crop an image that was already available, and then repeat it many different times, each image having a different color variation. It was during this time he moved into a loft with ALUMINUM covered wall and ceilings!!!, which I find utterly amazing, and he called this his factory. It was his studio and his place to hold parties where many of New York artists would go. It was for lack of a better phrasing, the hip place to be. No matter what he did to his photographs, he left features that were recognizable so that the audience could connect with its subject matter. I still don't connect with a lot of his pieces but I do find him to be a very fascinating man who led a fascinating life and was able to capture pop culture unlike anyone then or anyone now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A picture is worth a thousand words...or $78 million dollars

Questions and Topics for Your Blog Posting:
1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

Expressionism

The artwork "Ashes" painted by Edward Munch in 1894 deals with the theme of sexuality and relationships between two lovers. I can't think of a better theme for expressionism. Love embodies a plethora of emotions, happiness, giddiness, sadness, anger, perplexity. The woman' face is distraught, her eyes widened with sadness and almost a hint of horror, her hands grasping at her hair as if to try and find some sort of reasoning. The man lay hunched, his hands over his head. The top of her white dress is unbuttoned revealing a stark red shirt beneath. The man is clothed in nothing but black. According to the narrator these color's were used as symbolism. Which is the basis of expressionism. It plays off the human mind of equating colors with certain emotions. Black. White and Red equals Sorrow, Innocence and Passion.  The Blue Horse, shows that the artist gave a color to the horse intentionally not found in nature so that it would stand out and be unlike any other house seen. The shapes are crude and almost elementary in a way, but the standout of the portrait is the color. Bold and unforgettable. Again it insights emotions due to the colorful nature of the piece. Whether it be anger that the horse is blue or wonderment at seeing such a majestic animal. Either way the onlooker is forced to feel something by just the simple act of color. Max Beckmanns oil on canvas painting called THE ACTORS (1942) shows just that: actors. There is a king who is dressed in a light blue suit with a muddled yellow cape who is for lack of better terms about to commit suicide. Yet there is a distance put between the artists character and the person looking at it. The colors are soft and not screaming out at you. There is no pain on the face of the king. He seems to be doing this matter of factly, staring off into the distance. the rest of the actors are unaware of his doings including the ones painted right next to him. I like how this video is divides each painting into its own section to be discussed. It gives each painting the time it deserves to discover all the different aspects that the artist was trying to convey. I really like the way that this was set up. This relates to the text in the book spot on. The definition in the book of expressionism is "describes a style where the artists subjective feelings take precedence over the object being observed". I think the video did a great job of picking artists and paintings that display expressionism.

Dance at the Moulin de la Galette

I picked this video because it reminded me of a painting that I have been obsessed with since I was a young girl at my grandmothers house. All of the artwork in her home is representative of her Sicilian roots. Heavy, ornate and just downright gaudy gold mirrors, giant, beyond huge paintings that take up the entire length of a wall and light up when you turn a switch on the side. Fountains and Sicilian weapons are found throughout. Massive pieces that fill every room. However there is one painting tucked away in the corner of one hallway that I have stared at since as long as I can remember. It is of a ballroom, with beautiful woman dressed to the nines, their hair and make up done, the man dresses as fancy as can be, everyone laughing and dancing or fanning themselves as they watch the others. I longed to be one of those woman, pursued by a well dressed gentlemen with my hair done up and my dress down to the floor. It is literally written in my grandmothers will that I will become the owner of that painting. So needless to say I was very interested in learning about Renoir's Dance at the Moulin de la Gallete. It was sold in 1990 for an astounding price of 78 million dollars! It is considered the quintessential impressionist painting of all time.  it was even painted by Renoir himself twice, the only difference being the size of each painting. This shows how much dedication and admiration that Renoir himself had for his own work. The smaller of the two paintings has been kept in a secret location and is rarely seen in public. The dancehall was representative of something extremely close to Renoir's heart and it is thought that he never missed a sunday there. The dancehall became an important aspect of his life as it is where he found refuge after the tragedy of losing his childhood home.  I think this is why he felt such an infinity for the painting and why it is so highly regarded and controversial. The dancehall back then was equated to the Revolutionists.  He chose to only display only he niceties of the dancehall and omitted the prostitution and unkempt working conditions.  He sued several of the woman that in real life appealed to him, and they have also been painted in some other pieces of work.  This gives the painting a more personal meaning and it captures the true beauty of the woman at that particular time period. The woman are all rosey cheeked and in pretty dresses. The man are all in suits. He even included his closest friend. He wanted the dancehall to depict the joy that he got out of it, and how the men and women of different classes came together for fun and a night of innocent dancing, although it is known that much more sinister things had gone on at that time. The constant gazes of all of the people painted give the piece its life. Whether they are looking out at the audience at their partner or each other, the gazes can be found all over the place and focused on different objects. Eventually in 1990 the painting was bought by a Japanese millionaire. He bought it through Sotheby auction house and he kept it stored for 7 years in a climate controlled warehouse. This angered many people in the art community because it was felt this painting was meant for public display to be enjoyed not holed away somewhere. It was then soled again in 1997 after the death of the owner in a private sale. No one knows who bought it or where it remains. This adds to its valuableness  and the fact that it is so sought after. The people who enjoy this painting comment on the fact that it just makes them "so happy" when they look at it. The smiles on their faces shows just how much they identify with this piece of work. I guess I identify with it as well since my favorite painting is that of a ballroom dance. There is just something about the beauty and delicacy of woman dressed up trying to attract men and the men donning suits and hats ready to find the women they want to spend the night dancing with. It really is a beautiful painting.   

Masked

 

 

This mask is from Afghanistan  and is a Hizara wedding hat that covers the brides eyes.  The bride is clothed in all white except for her wedding head dress/mask. It is the equivalanet to the wedding veil used a lot in American weddings. The colors used are saturated and full of life. Geometric shapes and patterns are woven with the same thread they make from carpets and blankets. It’s a beautiful contrast to the white cloth worn by the bride. I was drawn to this mask because of its intimate purpose. It hides the eyes of the bride so that only her husband can see them. While  I know some may view this is sexist, I do find the beauty in that.

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This is an Egyptian funerary mask, also known as a death mask. In Egyptian culture the death mask is believed to strengthen the spirit and soul of the dead in the afterlife. It is carved from wood and used d-shape for the eyes. The delicate features and smoothness of the nose and mouth indicate that this was a woman’s death mask.  In honor of the dead, there is no “abstractness” to the masks but yet is one cohesive carving. I chose this mask because I could still see the beauty of this woman hundreds and hundreds of years later. To me it is eerily life like and you can see inside her eyes. I like its simplicity yet elgance. I feel it is v ery respectful of the woman who died.

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This is an Asaase yaa mask, from Ghana. It represents  "Mother Earth,"  and it is believed by Ghanans that she is the ruler of earth.  Asaase yaa is always worshipped during important feasts and rituals.  The mask itself is carved from wood and painted using the symbol for infinity around the eyes. It is meant to represent forever and always.  The mask lacks colorfulness as it is believed that she has given all her color to Earth. I like the black and white, and the figure eight around the eyes. I also enjoy is simple yet bold pattern. The lines are thick and curvy.

module 10 blog review

African Art

          The very first line of the film is "Art is a part of daily life." I feel that art is able to stay more alive in the African culture because a lot of what they use are made by hand and not machines. It brings a personal touch to the things they use everyday. Also its a huge part of their religious structure and art brings vitality to the rituals. The most successful of all the african artifacts to last over the years were found in the drier areas of the country. Ancient bush paintings depict animals and humans and are thought to represent good luck. As African Art infilitrated the Western world, it was lost upon them what the art actually meant. Its much more than just decorative masks to hang on a wall. It has deep roots in African culture. I like how this film defined the difference between conceptual art and perceptual art and thats where the disconnect lies in European culture understanding African Art. Western art had a tendency to be more perceptual, capturing the things around them. Cinceotual art comes from within the artist. It is more about symbolism than actuality.



The Great Wave

       Hokusai’s The Great Wave is considered to be the best known image of all of  Japanese art and its prints were sold for the equivalent of a double bowl of noodles!! It's likelihood is printed on mugs and folders and clothes and tattoos. This allows for an over 170 year old image to remain relevant in Japanese culture today. It is only 15 inches by 10 inches and yet its presence is one hundred times that much. It was when Hokusai was under great physical, mental and financial distress that THE GREAT WAVE came about. His grandson had left him destitute in his old age and he had to find away out of his newly found poverty. Its amazing to know that out of the most dire of circumstances the most amazing things can come about.  I think this is the most important aspect. I feel that Hokusai's wave was in direct reflection of his life. He was faced with this huge monument of negative things happening, like a wave coming at him, and he had to find a way to survive. I think the wave represents life.

          

 



Hands...???????

This is the hideous self portrait of my hands.

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing?

I normally really like my hands, especially my nails. They are always pretty and polished. But, in my sketches they are not so purdy.

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why?

I used pencil because it is easier to erase...and I always have to do a lot of erasing.

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand?

There was A LOT of ereasing drawing with my non dominant hand. It felt very childish and awkward. My thumb came out the same size as my pinky!!!!!

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies?

These are only successful in the fact that I completed the task. They are not successful in that it is a true representation of my hands.

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future?

I would like to utilize my non dominant hand more. It would be interesting experiment to see if I could strengthen my use with it.

Master Class

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

 Albrecht Durer: Image of a Master


I selected this video because its title intrigued me: Image of a Master. I find it fascinating to learn about someone who is considered the top of their area. Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) is credited for dragging Germany's world of art out of the Gothic era and into the Renaissance. He was extremely honest in his portraits which made it seem as though he was painting his subjects in a harsh light. But he was true to what he saw and there is a beauty in that. And when he painted himself it was with that same exacting tone on the canvas. The sketches of his wife Agnes were also lacking in the modern day beauty we are so used to now a days. The narrator commented on her older portrait as still having a sparkle in her eye but I disagree. She seemed sad. After Durer's travels to Italy, the landscape embedded itself in his mind and he carried it over in his portraits. He is considered the first "true landscape" artist in Europe. Just as he was able to capture the essence of his human subjects, he excelled in portraying the mood of his landscape pieces as well. He had a knack for being able to translate truth and emotion into his paintings/ sketches. He was able to reach a larger scale audience when he started print making.
This video related to the textbook readings pretty much exactly. He lived during the Renaissance which is what we were reading about. Not only did he live during that time but he graciously crossed it over into his work and put it at the for front of German art. I enjoyed this film very much and found him to be a very interesting man. Although I feel bad for his wife, who looked as though she lived a very hard life, considering she was the wife of a respective artist.



Velazquez
I was going to watch this video but decided against it as for some reason the voice of the narrator got under my skin.

The Drawings of Michelangelo
Michelangelo is a name that almost everyone knows, even if you have nothing to do with art at all. I chose this video because while I have heard his name and know a few of his art in the Sistine Chapel, I really do not know a lot about him. One of the women in the video commented that she was embarrassed regarding the sketches because they were so "sexy". And it is true. He creates a man's body with a feminine quality about them yet it still screams masculinity. His lines are smooth and thickly shaded, and yet each muscle, each jaw line is extremely defined. And as the age old adage goes "we are our own worst critics", he destroyed most of his sketches on his own, leaving few for survival today. His influences were his adoration of the male figure as well as his love for Christianity, which is apparent in his pieces. He was described in the video as "Searching out power and form...its unbelievable". All of the people speaking in the video did so with such a passionate admiration as to the type of artist he was. He still to this day evokes an almost lustful craving of his pieces. This relates to our class readings because he is from the same time period and it correlates with he rise of Christianity in the book. He is also mentioned in chapter 16. I very much enjoyed this video mainly because of the reactions to the people being interviewed regarding him. They have such love and admiration for a man and his pieces that are hundreds of years old. I find it fascinating that his relevance has not faded. And he really was an amazing artist.

It Aint Easy Being Green

Last Call For Planet Earth

The key point in this video is that sustainable development is key to a better more productive future. Climate change and global warming seems to be dictating the direction that architecture is being pushed: GREEN. It is also evident that more and more people are becoming enviromentally aware and wanting to live a more eco-friendly life. One of the architects, Jo Crepain was explainging how simple building techniques lead  to effective sustainable energy for living. Rooms facing north should have small windows, and the building should be properly insulated. And since there is this trend of going green, its also important for private businesses to show that they are a part of this to the public. It's important for businesses to be run out of buildings with a good carbon foot print for two reasons. One, it saves them money on utilities and two, it may give them an upper hand with consumers. If they have a choice between the same two prodicts/ services, but one company is greener than another, theirs will probably be the chosen one. The building for Natur and Lehm, in Australia, looked very primitave, almost shack-like. I think sometimes for green you have to sacrifice a little on the aestetics. It is insulated with straw, had one whole side of just windows, and none of the materials were treated chemically.

Imperial Rome...

I think the key concept of this video is just how remarkable the architecture from centuries and centuries ago remains today. There were no computer programs or calculators. It was shear strength and mind that this amazing city was built. It is a testament to it's influence on today's architecture as well. Even incorporated mosaics back then. It served to show commercial success of a business or wealth of a person. A design technique that is very much still in use today, albeit not on as grand of a scale. You can see mosaics in many homes of today especially in kitchen back splashes, patios and around mirrors. Also arches and domes are incorporated into Romanesque architecture when building churches and government buildings.

 

These two videos related very well to the text, because it took what was discussed in the book and expanded it. To actually see the various places of interest in Rome not just in a picture but from different angles and to even look up from the bottom of the dome gives a little more depth to the appreciation of what was accomplished. Even the narrator of the video said it is anyones guess how that dome was built, considering what tools would have been needed. Both videos took the topics from the text and gave a multilayered explanation. To view on video all the sides of a green building, hear the water running that they use for heating and cooling makes for it to be a lot more interesting. I think these films added depth into learning about architecture because you got to add some other senses into the learning process beside just looking at one dimensional pictures and reading words on paper. You can hear and see from different angles, and listen to the people who have extensive knowledge on the subject. In the Green video, the architects became excited when discussing the different possibilities of how to obtain sustainable architecture. To see the cement and stone arches in Rome and the intricate mosaics gave me a better appreciation for what was accomplished back then. It truely is just absolutly amazing!

I chose these two videos because they were on the subjects I found most interesting of Chapter 13. Going green and Roman architecture. I like the oldness of Rome and the newness of green. To be able to combine both of those concepts today would be amazing. It's great to have all these new concepts and innovations, but you can't discount the ability to stand the test of time.

Albright Knox Art Gallery Visit

Albright Knox Art Gallery

This was only my second time visiting the gallery but my first time does not count. My first experience was on a Sunday when my best friend's son school was having an outside art exhibit on the grounds of the gallery. It started pouring rain and thundering one hour into the festivities so the gallery opened up and allowed us all into the back part of it. We werent allowed to walk through the gallery but we did have access to the art in the part we were placed. There was a huuuuuuuuuge replica of a city made out of silver pots and pans and cups and plates and spoons and forks and knives and bowls....It was spectacular. There was also a flat sceeen television on one wall where different pieces of an artist would play on a slide show. I had never seen art displayed in that way-I loved it. Needless to say I was drawn to Kelly Richardson's installation.  It is just breathtaking to literally be surrounded by her installation.


Kelly Richardson Legion

Denis Maher House of Collective Repair- I connected with his installation really because he is a local artist. I think its great that the gallery gives local artists a chance to be on display. When I first saw it I have to admit that it looked like just a bunch of jumbled junk, but then I realized each piece was PUT there. It's not like he just threw a bunch of stuff in the space and called it art. He physically assembled things to create his vision. It's actually pretty awesome.

I would like to know more about the Cycladic Heads, 1976 by Jirí Kolár. To be quite frank masks and faces and such creep me out. It was the two masks on the left that left hand side that gave me with the hibbee jibbees. I would like to learn more about them so it wouldn't be so creepy. I can't stand faceless masks where there are no eyes or mouths. Although I feel they would have stood out more if they weren't place atop a marble type structure. I feel like it interferes with the design on the faces. It should just be one color-just my oppinion. I didnt so much as mind the face on the right with the circular blue but these two sent me over the edge. But I feel like if I learned more about them it would be such a foreign concept to me. I hav

 

Nikki's Logo

1.) At first I thought it would be a lot of fun to create a logo. But then as I thought about it, and then tried to actually do it, that became another story. I literally sat with a blank sheet of paper for two and a half hours with nothing coming to me. I thought that it had to be really intricate, but then I realized most logos are not. They are clean lined and simple.

2.) I used a slightly crooked line as the base of my logo, because just over a year ago I had to have reconstructive surgery on my face and I’m left with a slightly crooked scar on my upper lip. It’s what I see every single day when I look in the mirror, so it seemed fitting to have it a part of my logo.  I found that I had slight “artists” block when I was trying to come up with what to add to the crooked scar line. But I found that the less stressed I was about it, the more ideas would come to me. I also put a half of a butterfly on one side of the line and a purple ribbon on the bottom. The butterfly and ribbon have special meaning to me.

 3.) The most important discovery I made during the logo making process was how much I connect the scar on my face to who I am. It was second nature to draw the shape of scar on the piece of paper. There are days that I just hate it so much, but I've realized now that it is a part of me and if I were to truly have to come up with a logo and put it on shirts and things, the crooked line would absolutly be a part of it.

 

 

 

4.) I liked how the designers in the video talked about the "energy" of the designs they were coming up with. I think what surprised me the most was how he said the one design didn't have the energy of the other ones, but that it was more fitting for the company and marketing aspect. They were discussing weight of words against the art piece and how they fit. It was very interesting to me to see the actual process. It's not just about an artist coming up with a piece. It is so much more than that.

Im a Biologist Not an Artist...and it Shows

1-2.) I thought that the value scale would be fairly easy to do. But two and a half hours later, and ten crinkled up sheets of paper after, I was near tears. It became my kryptonite or whatever it is that was Supermans takedown thingy. I had to teak a break and run to Tim Horton's to get a cappuccino. I don't know why I couldn't do it. And my end result is very elementary looking but it was the best I could do. The color wheel on the other hand was a nice change of pace. I did the color wheel directly after I did the scale and it was nice to finally see some color! I have to admit that I had never even heard of the color Cyan before this module. I found the color wheel to be much more gratifying in the finished product than my value scale.


3.) The most important discovery for me was just how much work it takes to create even the simplest form of art. My friend saw the directions for the value scale and said that I could do it in about 15 minutes. But looks are deceiving. It takes a lot of time and effort to accomplish something so straight forward, at least on my end.

4.) I think for me the most important factor was that what I always thought were the primary colors are indeed not! And also the discovery of the color Cyan. I liked the fact that the videos were not long at all, so it allowed me to keep focus and stay interested.

Aed 200 First Impression

1.) The process of setting up a gmail and creating the blog seemed very intimidating at first. I do not have a facebook, myspace, twitter, tumblr or whatever else there is, so my experience with these types of things is limited to the yahoo search engine and my email account. But all said and done, this was painfully simple.

2.) I have very high expectations regarding this course, and am looking forward to learning about the world of art. I am a biology major and before that I was an English major so this class is refreshing welcome from all the science and literary credits I have obtained. I want to explore the "artsy" side of myself and see  if it leads to anything beyond this class. I have always appreciated color and lines and enjoy looking at paintings. Im killing two birds with one stone by registering for this class. Im satisfying an elective as well as exploring a new avenue that interests me very much.

3.) I am very comfortable doing an online class as I have done two before. It requires a lot of planning and dedication to stay on top of deadlines and discipline to stay on top of the workload. Im not going to lie, this blog thingy does feel awkward to be doing but so far so good :)