My expectations for this course were to do well, earn high grades, and overall gain a greater understanding of how I can become a more compassionate art teacher. I think I definitely earned good grades, like I wanted, but I think I will have to apply the knowledge I learned in order to see whether I will become a compassionate art teacher. So in a way, this is an ongoing learning process, but doesn't mean I didn't reach my expectations. I don't at all think my definition of art has changed, it is different according to each person, and can have multiple definitions, but mainly it surrounds creativity, skill, and emotion. By using these qualities, and not being afraid to create something different, art is successful.
My favorite artist is still Chuck Close, because I love and identify with self-portraits, and I think it is so creative and mind-boggling how he creates a larger image out of many smaller ones. His work blows me away, and i would love to create a piece, using the same techniques.
After taking this course, I still feel like I could definitely take another online course without a problem. As much as I hated sacrificing gorgeous summer days, this course taught me time-management, and that I could reward myself by having free time if I completed the necessary assignments. I think a 200 level course is tolerable online, if it were any higher, I might have difficulties, but so far I have done well, and am pleased with my resulting grades. When I first started out taking this course I had a mixture of confidence and nervousness, but at this point I am completely confident I did well, and will continue to do well.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Self-Portrait
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| "The Hip-Hop Project" Nikki S. Lee 2001 chromogenic color print photo 21 1/4x28 inches |
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| "Self-Portrait With Monkey" Frida Kahlo 1938 oil on masonite 16x12 inches |
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| "The Messenger" Bill Viola 1996 sound and video installation 28 min, 28 sec |
I selected charcoal to use for my portrait because I thought black and white charcoal would be very simple, and would capture tones and values and make it more interesting. I definitely wanted it to be black and white tones, and if I had done it in a different media such as colored pencils or paint, I don't think it would've been quite as easy. Charcoal was great for blending, and allowed me to create the values I wanted.
The areas I was challenged in were the hand and the profile of my face. I often got frustrated, and kept going over and over the details of the face to get it as accurately as I could. The lips and nose always give me problems, and the best way I dealt with them was going over them until I had an image I was happy with. I overcame my struggles by continually drawing and re-drawing.
This piece represents me because I am a very simple person, and I show that by having a dark background, and have removed all color. I am as simple as black and white I'd like to think, and so I portrayed myself in that with lots of value surrounding my face. I am holding my I-pod, entranced by music, because it is one of the things I love most, and it relaxes and soothes me.
I applied the use of value, texture, emphasis, balance, and light in this piece. There were many different scales of value, by using black and white tones, and light was used carefully, highlighting the peaks of the face and skin. Texture was apparent in the soft curls of my hair, and the piece was asymmetrically balanced. I chose not to create a background, because I didn't want to distract from the main focus.
Art Critic Blog week 11
I first reviewed Mike Farrell's, "Outside Looking In", which featured Landscape Art, Debbie Russell's, "How Bizarre...How Bizarre", featuring Surrealism Art, and Cassandra Krajewski's, "Nature Affected", which focused on nature, and how it is affected by people and things. I selected Debbie Russell's exhibit because I have always liked the against-the-grain appeal of Surrealism, and I was interested to see how a fellow student (curator) would identify and represent the movement in an exhibit. I was also drawn to the exhibit and ended up choosing it because of the introduction she has in the beginning of the project. It captured my interest, and I chose to use it for analysis and criticism.
I was challenged in writing the critique article during the art criticism steps, because I don't have a hard time describing the exhibit itself, but analyzing it, and relating it to memories/ current events etc. was difficult for me because I couldn't think of anything to relate it to. I also didn't like choosing between whether it was "Good or bad/ successful / unsuccessful" I didn't think that was very fair, to sum it up like that in one or two words.
I liked critiquing my own peer's work because I didn't feel the pressure to have certain views or answers based on what I already heard, because as far as I know, I am the first to comment and judge her work. Since I have not yet seen any other responses to Russell's exhibit, I feel better knowing that there is nothing to compare my response to.
I am interested in reading the critique that may or may not have been written about my exhibit because I always accept advice, and I would like to know what someone thought of my work, how it affected them, and what I could have to done to improve it or make it more successful.
I would rate my finished article a 10 because I followed the steps in art criticism to the best of my knowledge, really took a good look and thought about my peer's work, and put in my own most creative words what I thought about it. I think I did a good job analyzing Russell's work, without making it too long.
I enjoyed working on this project because it taught me to be comfortable critiquing someone else's work, and not being afraid about what others think of my response.
I was challenged in writing the critique article during the art criticism steps, because I don't have a hard time describing the exhibit itself, but analyzing it, and relating it to memories/ current events etc. was difficult for me because I couldn't think of anything to relate it to. I also didn't like choosing between whether it was "Good or bad/ successful / unsuccessful" I didn't think that was very fair, to sum it up like that in one or two words.
I liked critiquing my own peer's work because I didn't feel the pressure to have certain views or answers based on what I already heard, because as far as I know, I am the first to comment and judge her work. Since I have not yet seen any other responses to Russell's exhibit, I feel better knowing that there is nothing to compare my response to.
I am interested in reading the critique that may or may not have been written about my exhibit because I always accept advice, and I would like to know what someone thought of my work, how it affected them, and what I could have to done to improve it or make it more successful.
I would rate my finished article a 10 because I followed the steps in art criticism to the best of my knowledge, really took a good look and thought about my peer's work, and put in my own most creative words what I thought about it. I think I did a good job analyzing Russell's work, without making it too long.
I enjoyed working on this project because it taught me to be comfortable critiquing someone else's work, and not being afraid about what others think of my response.
Questions About The Course
I enjoyed working on the Self Portrait assignment (final project) the mostly because portraits are one of my favorite styles of art. Once it was assigned, I knew I had a chance to represent myself, and show my skill, even if I wasn't in an actual classroom. I thought the self portrait assignment was a great way for students to be more personal, and instead of reading the textbook, or answering questions, they/we could now show a bit about ourselves, exactly the way we wanted.
I really did not enjoy working on any of the power point assignments because they were extremely time consuming, and very blase. I felt like in the several power point assignments we had to do, it was mostly centered around "the elements and principles of design" and I got really tired of it. I think they are both important, but when they're are integrated in almost every single assignment or project, it gets annoyingly repetitive. Power points are one way of doing an assignment, but I'd prefer a more personal approach, like actual artwork!
I definitely enjoyed using ANGEL because I'd much rather take a course online, where it is centered around turning assignments in on time, rather than being in a classroom on time. ANGEL was a great way to learn how to me more computer savvy, which is just what I needed. It taught me to use resources such as a blog to connect with my classmates visually.
If I could change the course in any way I would take out some of the video assignments, and add in more artwork assignments. I think some of the material I learned in the videos was useless, and was kind of a waste of time, and if the point was to teach how to draw material from online sources, and write about it, I definitely am pretty good at that now. As I said earlier, I would remove some of the element and principle themes, because I don't think ever assignment should be surrounded by those principles, because they're not the most important parts of art. I would keep the textbook reading assignments, I think there was a great amount of extra credit opportunities, I liked the art gallery visits. I would also keep the art piece assignments like the self portrait, or the mask assignment, or the slideshow about elements and principles. Keep the blog! It was a great way to connect me with my peers.
I would recommend this course to other peers if they are searching for a class that really gets you involved with the internet, and many of it's pro's. I liked using a blog for this class, and I hated using it for other classes, I felt like I could be a lot more expressive in this class. I would recommend this class for someone who is striving to work with the computer more.
This was an interesting and fun class, and I hardly had any problems with it because it taught me to manage my time, and I learned what I needed to do in order to get assignments done, and have time to play. It was a little difficult at first, but it certainly got me organized.
I really did not enjoy working on any of the power point assignments because they were extremely time consuming, and very blase. I felt like in the several power point assignments we had to do, it was mostly centered around "the elements and principles of design" and I got really tired of it. I think they are both important, but when they're are integrated in almost every single assignment or project, it gets annoyingly repetitive. Power points are one way of doing an assignment, but I'd prefer a more personal approach, like actual artwork!
I definitely enjoyed using ANGEL because I'd much rather take a course online, where it is centered around turning assignments in on time, rather than being in a classroom on time. ANGEL was a great way to learn how to me more computer savvy, which is just what I needed. It taught me to use resources such as a blog to connect with my classmates visually.
If I could change the course in any way I would take out some of the video assignments, and add in more artwork assignments. I think some of the material I learned in the videos was useless, and was kind of a waste of time, and if the point was to teach how to draw material from online sources, and write about it, I definitely am pretty good at that now. As I said earlier, I would remove some of the element and principle themes, because I don't think ever assignment should be surrounded by those principles, because they're not the most important parts of art. I would keep the textbook reading assignments, I think there was a great amount of extra credit opportunities, I liked the art gallery visits. I would also keep the art piece assignments like the self portrait, or the mask assignment, or the slideshow about elements and principles. Keep the blog! It was a great way to connect me with my peers.
I would recommend this course to other peers if they are searching for a class that really gets you involved with the internet, and many of it's pro's. I liked using a blog for this class, and I hated using it for other classes, I felt like I could be a lot more expressive in this class. I would recommend this class for someone who is striving to work with the computer more.
This was an interesting and fun class, and I hardly had any problems with it because it taught me to manage my time, and I learned what I needed to do in order to get assignments done, and have time to play. It was a little difficult at first, but it certainly got me organized.
video review week 11
I chose to watch videos: Greenberg on Pollock: An Interview by T. J. Clark, The Colonial Encounter: Views of Non-Western Art and Culture, and Jackson Pollock: Michael Fried and T. J. Clark in Conversation. These videos related to my art criticism project because some of them helped me to see the thinking process that goes into art criticism, and the different results that will happen. The videos showed me that even critics who are so set on their word, often change their mind entirely about a piece over time. It's all about experience, and the more experience one has with a piece, the more they will have to say/judge about it. There's quite a difference from viewing a piece once, and viewing it day after day for years.
In the first video, Clement Greenberg discussed Jackson Pollock's style of painting, and how Pollock did not like easel paintings. He made sure his pieces didn't remain easel paintings once he finished them. Greenberg considered Pollock to be a kind of outsider, whose approach to painting was pragmatic, and down to earth. Pollock never materialized to the transition of painting from easel to mural painting. He knew this, and accepted that his paintings were not murals. What was important was his independence from contained characteristics of modern painting, and his were wild and not contained. Though Pollock believes his works were not contained, some critics argue this.
The second video discussed the Dahomian exhibit and that Dahome art is often ignored as art, and accepted as craft. At the 1900's World Fair, it featured art from all different cultures which encouraged different ways of viewing. The different views, that were spurred on by the material on display as art in Western collections include political contexts as well as cultural. They don't show any connection to cultural meaning, unless the viewer perceives it in this way. The Western viewers believed that all they were seeing was art.
The last video discussed Jackson Pollock between two critics, who start out with ideas about his work at one time, and how their ideas change as time passes. This video showed that just because critics make initial judgements doesn't mean they're always final, they always have the potential to modify. Both critics Michael Fried, and T.J. Clark agree on a historical way of looking at art, that the historical significance of Pollock's work cannot be separated from its pictorial quality. His work requires much concentration, and critics have problems describing it in the first place, for it's difficult to relate with his intentions.
I liked viewing the videos, especially the ones about Jackson Pollock, because his work is of interest to me. It was interesting to hear critics arguing, and how their ideas can change. I believe I have more of an understanding of art criticism because I was able to see that ideas can always change, however strong they may seem, they always have the right to change.
In the first video, Clement Greenberg discussed Jackson Pollock's style of painting, and how Pollock did not like easel paintings. He made sure his pieces didn't remain easel paintings once he finished them. Greenberg considered Pollock to be a kind of outsider, whose approach to painting was pragmatic, and down to earth. Pollock never materialized to the transition of painting from easel to mural painting. He knew this, and accepted that his paintings were not murals. What was important was his independence from contained characteristics of modern painting, and his were wild and not contained. Though Pollock believes his works were not contained, some critics argue this.
The second video discussed the Dahomian exhibit and that Dahome art is often ignored as art, and accepted as craft. At the 1900's World Fair, it featured art from all different cultures which encouraged different ways of viewing. The different views, that were spurred on by the material on display as art in Western collections include political contexts as well as cultural. They don't show any connection to cultural meaning, unless the viewer perceives it in this way. The Western viewers believed that all they were seeing was art.
The last video discussed Jackson Pollock between two critics, who start out with ideas about his work at one time, and how their ideas change as time passes. This video showed that just because critics make initial judgements doesn't mean they're always final, they always have the potential to modify. Both critics Michael Fried, and T.J. Clark agree on a historical way of looking at art, that the historical significance of Pollock's work cannot be separated from its pictorial quality. His work requires much concentration, and critics have problems describing it in the first place, for it's difficult to relate with his intentions.
I liked viewing the videos, especially the ones about Jackson Pollock, because his work is of interest to me. It was interesting to hear critics arguing, and how their ideas can change. I believe I have more of an understanding of art criticism because I was able to see that ideas can always change, however strong they may seem, they always have the right to change.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Life in Color Exhibit Review
At first I didn't know what I wanted to choose for my exhibit, but I finally decided upon Color as a theme because I find it so enticing not only in art, but in nature, and I wanted to show its importance both in small quantities (modest doses) or in large, where the artwork is intensified by color alone. Color is an element that is used to portray life, like a colorful flower blooms in a dry, dead desert. It was difficult to write about each of the paintings, but easy to choose them. I chose each artwork based on its vibrance and intensity of color, I wanted the viewers to immediately think of color when they first see them, which is what I did. I chose the pieces that pop out, and liven my vision up a little. The most time-consuming part about the exhibit was finding, and writing the information about each piece, and making each caption interesting (which was difficult). Organizing the pieces wasn't truly important to me because I didn't care about the dates, media, or artists. I just organized them based on intensity, and tried to space out the media.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
week 10 video blog review/art curating
The key concepts The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art contained were that term "Lowbrow" was initially used in relation to a lot of paintings or art works with nude women and hot rod cars. The term originated in 1979 by Robert Williams, who says he doesn't care for the meaning. The movement that was influenced by comic books, rock n' roll, hot rods, cold war imagery, and nude women, encouraged a rise in female artists as well. In Lowbrow style, there always seems to be a narrative, there's always something happening, or about to happen, and there are a lot of dynamics. Lowbrow has gained more recognition and acceptance over the past ten years than ever before.
The video Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach discussed certain exhibits at the Tate gallery which corresponded directly with the chronology of works. MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art) had an organization in which the placement of artworks showed viewers that the pieces were influenced by other artwork in the gallery, they were characterized by a progressive sequence. The Tate museum is an ideological institution that focuses on class and power. Curators in the museum have chosen to display works of art in four sections, and in each an overarching principal provides a theme for the selection and an exhibition for the works of art. Tate wants its viewers to see art as more than just entertainment.
The video Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology discusses the problems of archeologists digging up the remains of Native Americans and using them for study. Native Americans have a problem with this because they feel that their rights for burial are taken away. In 1985 The Smithsonian National History Museum began inventory of its human remains and discovered that over 18,000 bones were Native American. Along with the bones that were given back for burial purposes will go the valuable date and information of history. Native Americans argue that they are not anthropological, or biological specimen. Establishing the tribal affiliation with the remains is top priority at this time. There are strong tensions between scientists, historians, and museum curators and Native American people, as the remains are involved in war of different perspectives. Native American culture is shown to clash with another set of equally entrenched beliefs.
The last video, George Eastman House: Picture Perfect discusses George Eastman and his home which is now a museum, and historical estate. There are many different kinds of cameras and photographs featured in the house, but the main idea is that Eastman really worked hard to make photography simple enough, and accessible to everyone so that anyone could take pictures. "Kodak" was a name he completely made up for his company. He invented the "Brownie Camera" which was one of the first cameras sold for an affordable price of $1. The Eastman House is the oldest photography museum in the world and is one of the world's premiere motion pictures archive.
I think some of the videos related to my art exhibit because they discussed the organization and reason of placement for works of art, and why it makes sense to place a certain work of art in one spot, compared to another. The videos got me thinking about how I will organize my own exhibit, and if I should take chronology into consideration, and how I should organize my theme. I liked the films, but I though some of theme were just full of facts, rather than focused on art curation and exhibit set-up. I was interested especially in the Native American video, because it told of historical facts I had never heard. After watching the videos I think I am more understanding toward different cultures, and will take this into consideration while organizing and incorporating my theme into my slideshow.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Modern and postmodern review week 9
The two videos I chose to discuss were Uncertainty: Modernity and Art, and Andy Warhol: Images of an Image. I chose each because first I wanted to understand what was behind the uncertainty in modern art, and the ties to Nazism, and I chose the Warhol one because I absolutely love him, and want to know everything I possibly can, new or old information about him.
The first video discussed the fact that modern art tells us that there is no single code for living, that the burning issue for us is uncertainty. Subtle bits of obscurity have been made glamorous, and Hitler himself believed this. The early 20th century is when modern art really started to take place, and when reality is completely transformed. Modern art is based on speed, efficiency, and mass-production, just like any material object of its time. We live in uncertainty because we're just parts in a system that is mostly mysterious to us. During the Nazi movement, Hitler himself said that modern art is a refusal to show things as they really are, and was a display of weakness because it shows uncertainty. Whether uncertainty shows weakness or not, it still has been justified as being a large part of what's behind modern art.
The second video about Andy Warhol discussed the methods of silkscreening. He would select and crop photographs of his choice, found in the media because they were popular, and reproduce them. Mainly his subjects were famous actresses, some being Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor. Warhol was very interested in the lives of the famous women, and used that interest with another- one that included making a lot of money with his method of quick mass-production. He would destroy the original photograph by rendering it and making them even more superficial. His works now show viewers that they are mere images, or even images of images, and simply a consumer product in the end.
The films relate to the text because they focus on topics like art movements, and the effects of them on artwork of the time. Consumerism, industrialism, and mass production effected both artwork and cities. This related both the text and the videos because each discussed how the movements of the time effected people and art. I absolutely loved the film about Warhol, and was completely in tune the entire time. I feel like I learned a lot more about the fact that art work can end up being a consumer product, and lose it's meaning. I never considered this before, but by studying Warhol, I realized that he realized the link of art work and consumerism, and manipulated it because he knew exactly what people wanted and the way to work them.
The first video discussed the fact that modern art tells us that there is no single code for living, that the burning issue for us is uncertainty. Subtle bits of obscurity have been made glamorous, and Hitler himself believed this. The early 20th century is when modern art really started to take place, and when reality is completely transformed. Modern art is based on speed, efficiency, and mass-production, just like any material object of its time. We live in uncertainty because we're just parts in a system that is mostly mysterious to us. During the Nazi movement, Hitler himself said that modern art is a refusal to show things as they really are, and was a display of weakness because it shows uncertainty. Whether uncertainty shows weakness or not, it still has been justified as being a large part of what's behind modern art.
The second video about Andy Warhol discussed the methods of silkscreening. He would select and crop photographs of his choice, found in the media because they were popular, and reproduce them. Mainly his subjects were famous actresses, some being Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor. Warhol was very interested in the lives of the famous women, and used that interest with another- one that included making a lot of money with his method of quick mass-production. He would destroy the original photograph by rendering it and making them even more superficial. His works now show viewers that they are mere images, or even images of images, and simply a consumer product in the end.
The films relate to the text because they focus on topics like art movements, and the effects of them on artwork of the time. Consumerism, industrialism, and mass production effected both artwork and cities. This related both the text and the videos because each discussed how the movements of the time effected people and art. I absolutely loved the film about Warhol, and was completely in tune the entire time. I feel like I learned a lot more about the fact that art work can end up being a consumer product, and lose it's meaning. I never considered this before, but by studying Warhol, I realized that he realized the link of art work and consumerism, and manipulated it because he knew exactly what people wanted and the way to work them.
The Modern World Video Reviews week 9
I chose the videos Dance as the Moulin de la Galette, and A Sunday on la Grande Jatte, 1884 because sadly enough, I did not recognize the names of these paintings, and I wanted to be able to know more about them, and remember them for the famous works that they were. Once I saw the second painting featured in the second video I did recognize it, but it was interesting to hear more information that I already knew about both.
The first video discussed the artist Renoir, and how he painted Moulin de la Galette not once, but twice, only changing the size! No one knows exactly which one came first, but he painted a place that people would know well and recognize. He used the same women models as he did in his other paintings. Industrialization wiped out most of what Renoir depicted in his paintings, which made his vision romanticized, because he wanted to see everything as beautiful. Anything he painted was romanticized in fact, and was turned into a wonderful fantasy. Ryoei Saito was a collector bought the smaller version and kept it in a vault for many years, saying he wanted it to be cremated with it. Luckily the painting was seized, and is now in a private location.
The next video described and focused on Georges Seurat and his painting, A Sunday on la Grande Jatte. Being a very discreet and reserved man, these characteristics rubbed off on his artwork. It had a very mysterious aspect to it, and there are and were many questions as to who the featured figures were, and why they were depicted in the actions they were in. In Seurat's day, prostitutes often hung out at the riverbank, in the exact location where he painted Jatte. People wonder if the famous lady fishing is a prostitute. Also, the monkey in the painting was proven to be painted later, more towards the completion of it in fact. He was influenced by Classical art and it is apparent in his famous painting with the pointillist technique and color theory. His career as an artist lasted a mere 10 years before he died.
Both of these videos relate to the text because they further emphasize the influence of art movements on artwork. I liked both films, and thought the new information I learned from each was very interesting. I couldn't believe that Renoir made two different copies of the same painting! The videos related to the art concepts because they discussed their histories, and showed the connection to the art movements of the times.
The first video discussed the artist Renoir, and how he painted Moulin de la Galette not once, but twice, only changing the size! No one knows exactly which one came first, but he painted a place that people would know well and recognize. He used the same women models as he did in his other paintings. Industrialization wiped out most of what Renoir depicted in his paintings, which made his vision romanticized, because he wanted to see everything as beautiful. Anything he painted was romanticized in fact, and was turned into a wonderful fantasy. Ryoei Saito was a collector bought the smaller version and kept it in a vault for many years, saying he wanted it to be cremated with it. Luckily the painting was seized, and is now in a private location.
The next video described and focused on Georges Seurat and his painting, A Sunday on la Grande Jatte. Being a very discreet and reserved man, these characteristics rubbed off on his artwork. It had a very mysterious aspect to it, and there are and were many questions as to who the featured figures were, and why they were depicted in the actions they were in. In Seurat's day, prostitutes often hung out at the riverbank, in the exact location where he painted Jatte. People wonder if the famous lady fishing is a prostitute. Also, the monkey in the painting was proven to be painted later, more towards the completion of it in fact. He was influenced by Classical art and it is apparent in his famous painting with the pointillist technique and color theory. His career as an artist lasted a mere 10 years before he died.
Both of these videos relate to the text because they further emphasize the influence of art movements on artwork. I liked both films, and thought the new information I learned from each was very interesting. I couldn't believe that Renoir made two different copies of the same painting! The videos related to the art concepts because they discussed their histories, and showed the connection to the art movements of the times.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
mask blog
http://www.masksoftheworld.com/SoAmerica/Peru%20Mask%20Rabbit.htm
http://www.masksoftheworld.com/SoAmerica/Diablo%20Umo%20Mask.htm
I found three inspiration images of masks, that I chose to analyze and describe.
I uploaded these three images because each one was well defined with either color, line or shape. They each displayed these qualities and more. They are eye catching and attractive to me, especially since they don't just have a regular human face displayed. A couple of them are animals and one of them is unknown.
The first mask looks like a wind chime, with it's straw on the bottom, dangling. There are eye holes, and what looks like a belly button or something, and the mask would cover the entire face and back of the head. It kind of reminds me of a scarecrow actually. It contains elements and principles such as shape, line, value, and pattern. The wooden part of the mask has lots of rectangle, square and crisscross shapes. The line in the design are very precise and dark, outlining all the shapes. Since the colors are mainly black and uncolored wood, value is apparent. The shapes make up the pattern on the piece.
The next mask is obviously a rabbit, but a very ugly one at that. It has a large nose, marble (glass) eyes, and ugly teeth. I am reminded of a childhood story book that has a very similar character (brer rabbit I believe). The mask is tin, and is cut out to outline the shape of a rabbit's face. It is painted with a small collection of colors, and the elements and principles that define it are color, line and emphasis. Emphasis is apparent because certain features on the face are more emphasized such as the very large nose against the small eyes and large face. Color is used because of the small collection, but interesting use. Half the face is one color, while the other is another, and the features like the eyes nose and mouth are completely different colors than the rest of the face. Line is used because outline is very strong on the entire face, and is used thoroughly. The third mask looks as though its hair is sticking straight up. The hair is all different colors, and it also seems as though there is a ring through the nose. It reminds me of a character getting electrocuted. It is made out of colored fabrics, and contains the elements and principles of color, line, shape, and value. There are five main colors used-red, black, green, blue, and yellow and they all balance out as well as unifying together. Value is created with the dark colors against the lighter ones, as there is a shadow on the face. There is a large square on the middle of the face which is why I've included shape. And line is used because of the defined hair.
In my own sketches and final mask I used Line, Color, shape, and pattern. Line is used as I have created horizontal lines going across the face. They differ in color, but that also creates a pattern, as I interchange the red, blue, and yellow acrylic paint to make a repeating pattern. I have used color in my mask by using three primaries. They balance each other out because I have a very dark color against two warmer ones. I only used those three colors in the entire mask, but preferred to stick with a smaller number to keep it simple. Shape was considered in my design because the nose (which is 3-D) relates to the eye holes, which are all triangular.
I like my final mask. I don't think I will display is or wear it however because it just seems like something for fun. I like that I only used three colors, and I like how I made use of the elements and principles. I don't feel like there is much meaning behind it though. I like the nose, not only because it relates to the shape of the eyes, but because it is 3-D. I had fun overall creating the mask, and it seems like a project I could use in the future in a classroom.
Friday, July 22, 2011
week 8 video response
I selected each of the four videos because the first two concerned African art, and I have been interested in it since my room mate gave me a textbook all about African art and culture. So I definitely wanted to explore more of the information I was originally interested in. I chose to watch the Hinduism and Buddhism videos because for some reason, after many history classes, I still always manage to confuse the two somehow.
Some key concepts from African Art: Legacy of Oppression were that there is a huge range in African art styles, and African art that is most effective in the West is abstract, startling, and exaggerated. Artists of Central African glorified the "motherness" of their own mothers, and the "chiefness" of their chiefs. Artists also gave a granger to everyday objects such as combs, wooden cups, and beds, and overly decorated them. The most common art objects of all were masks. Rubber was in demand in central Africa because of the invention of bicycle tires, so Belgium's King Leopold sent his soldiers to get as much as they could. Bullets used for the invasions were very expensive, and were used to kill mutinous workers, and with every life taken, the soldiers had to sever the right hand of the victim off. In many cases, the bullets missed their targets, so the right hands of the living would be severed, as proof of a bullet not wasted in the Kongo/Congo.
In the second African Art video I learned that a strong aesthetic sense is apparent in every day objects and homes and many forms of art were made of wood or straw. With climates such as those that were in Africa, the medium rapidly deteriorated. Ceremonial African art is preserved in dramatic recreations of sound, color, and movement. The oldest existing African art is found in drier regions, like the ones that held the rock art and paintings. Egyptian ideas and cultures influenced Africa. Great Zimbabwe was the focus of a sophisticated political economic system. The site displays a well developed sense of architecture. African art was relatively unknown to the Europeans until the 19th century. Pablo Picasso was the modernist artist who was influenced by African art. The key to understanding African art lies in two basic approaches of artistic expression- the perceptual and the conceptual.
Some key concepts from African Art: Legacy of Oppression were that there is a huge range in African art styles, and African art that is most effective in the West is abstract, startling, and exaggerated. Artists of Central African glorified the "motherness" of their own mothers, and the "chiefness" of their chiefs. Artists also gave a granger to everyday objects such as combs, wooden cups, and beds, and overly decorated them. The most common art objects of all were masks. Rubber was in demand in central Africa because of the invention of bicycle tires, so Belgium's King Leopold sent his soldiers to get as much as they could. Bullets used for the invasions were very expensive, and were used to kill mutinous workers, and with every life taken, the soldiers had to sever the right hand of the victim off. In many cases, the bullets missed their targets, so the right hands of the living would be severed, as proof of a bullet not wasted in the Kongo/Congo.
In the second African Art video I learned that a strong aesthetic sense is apparent in every day objects and homes and many forms of art were made of wood or straw. With climates such as those that were in Africa, the medium rapidly deteriorated. Ceremonial African art is preserved in dramatic recreations of sound, color, and movement. The oldest existing African art is found in drier regions, like the ones that held the rock art and paintings. Egyptian ideas and cultures influenced Africa. Great Zimbabwe was the focus of a sophisticated political economic system. The site displays a well developed sense of architecture. African art was relatively unknown to the Europeans until the 19th century. Pablo Picasso was the modernist artist who was influenced by African art. The key to understanding African art lies in two basic approaches of artistic expression- the perceptual and the conceptual.
The Buddhism video described that Buddhist teaching is taha, which means the extinguishing of all desires, possessions and all the preoccupations that feed the ego and obstruct enlightenment. With in a hundred years after Buddha’s death, Buddhism split in tow, it also brought flowering to art and architecture. The largest Buddha shrine in the world is called Borobudur, and is located in Indonesia. It took close to 100 years to build, and was later buried by a volcanic eruption. It was standing proof of the spread of Buddhism in Asia. The video described a lot about the religion itself, with commentary on the arts. The focus was mainly on the religion however,
The Hinduism belief was a system of life, death, and rebirth. Hindus invest so much in elaborate decoration in their architecture, to portray their beliefs. The video showed a lot about the funerary practices, and how simple they were. They would “baptize” the bodies in the Ganges River, and cremate them along the river, hoping that their spirit would be freed. Everything in Hinduism is symbolic in some way, and Hindu sculpture typically combines epic and ordinary, and fantastic and familiar, side by side. They began their artistic practices underground, with rock sculpture and cave art. The source of life for all Hindu people is Brahma, and Hinduism teaches that there are many ways to Brahma God, and the many gods are symbols of these ways. Those exact symbols also show bewildering variety of expression in art and architecture.
The videos relate to the text in the fact that they reinforce it through images and further explanation. For example both the videos and the text explain the importance of art in the religious cultures, and shows how the people express their religion through art and architecture.
These videos add depth and understanding because of the deeper discussions of history and descriptions of the different cultures. Instead of just going over the aspect of art, like the text did, the videos described more about the history, which added depth and understanding.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Art Gallery Visit #2
http://www.albrightknox.org/exhibitions/exhibition:07-01-2011-videosphere-a-new-generation/
The title of the exhibit I chose to explore was called "Videosphere", and the theme of it was art in the form of videos, and video clips, and the manipulation of film and special effects. The lighting in the entire upstairs region of the gallery (which is where the entire exhibit was) was in darkness, except for the lights from the videos on the screens and projectors. Most of the walls were white, and the marble in the main room was white, but some of the other rooms were covered in black fabric. Some materials used in the interior architecture of the space were chairs, speakers, soundproofing on the walls, projectors, and flat screen television monitors.
The viewer can move about the exhibition in anyway they please, but when it comes to each piece of artwork (which take up an entire room each), there are arrows that direct where it starts and ends. The viewer is most likely expected to enter each room that is closest to the last one, so they don't skip over any pieces. Each artwork by each different artist was organized by room, as each piece had it's own, and each artwork was similar in that they were all moving images and were all video clips, either projected, or recorded. They were different in that fact that not all of them had sound, or voice or music, only some did. Some were in color, others in black and white. Some where projected onto flat screens, some on the wall, and some on a sculptural form. The pieces were identified and labeled by small, white description cards on a wall near it, listing the title, artist, date, and information about the piece. No two artworks were in the same room, so their proximity from each other was definitely walking distance, as in from room to room it would be at least ten feet.
Peter Sarkisian, an American artist created his piece called Extruded Video Engine #5, in 2007. The media he used was vacuum-formed thermal plastic and video production. In his piece there are recorded voices reading deeply personal memories as the sculpture/video piece itself displays the memories as sentences and words across the plastic. There are projected gears turning, lots of colors and shapes and words moving, and knobs turning. Everything stays in motion, and keeps going over and over agin repeatedly. The room the piece is in is dark, with black walls, and is small. Sarkisian has used elements and principles such as vivid color, value, shapes of all sizes, movement of everything, rhythm in movement and voices, implied texture of the projected objects, line and light. Each of these elements and principles work together in unity, as this system of whatever it is, may it be a digital brain or something else, continues to use each part to work. When observing this piece I am reminded of a working brain, thinking and using energy and creativity. It is almost confusing to look at, but with the clever use of elements and principles, it catches the eye immediately. It's almost mesmerizing with the vivid color and constant, rhythmic motion. There are so many things happening at once, and all senses are in tune to this work of art. I think the artist wanted his viewers to see and hear the portrayal of memories so that they themselves would be influenced to think up their own deep memories. As I looked at the piece, I was reminded of memories, both recent and far back, and I think I achieved what the artist intended after all.
Bill Viola, an American artist completed his piece called The Messenger, in 1996. The media he used were sound and video installations. When I looked at the piece, I saw a nude man floating on the surface of some kind of water source, and I could hear the sound of him breathing in and out. His face seemed to remain expressionless. He slowly started to sink below the surface, and before long, he took a deep breathe and submerged, allowing air to continually blow out as he descended under water. I could see the bubbles rise to the surface and they became less and less. Viola used elements and principles such as movement, value, color, form, texture, rhythm, and light to achieve the seemingly image of a nude man drowning. The water is rhythmic and constant in its ripples, the man is lit in cool deep colors and hues of blue. There is a soft light illuminating him, and the screen he is projected onto is large, almost taking up the entire wall. The entire room is dark, with black walls and is very large, with a tall ceiling. When i see the piece I am reminded of a handful of movies where a victim is drowning, and slowly sinking below the surface. Normally, their expression is panicked, but the man's face is almost serene, calm, and accepting of his "fate". I don't feel terrified for the man, because he is alive for the whole process, and doesn't seem to be struggling. I think the artist may have wanted me to see that no one can struggle with their end, and the best thing to d is just be calm and accept it. I definitely can see that he could've been portraying it in that way, and I understand was he was showing. It makes me calm to see the figure as calm as he is, and I believe that's what the artist intended.
Jaye Rhee is Korean artist who create the piece, Tear, made in 2002. The medium used is a four channel video installation with sound. The video is displayed on four different monitors, lined up next to each other. The figure is filmed tearing through a large piece of white cloth, and as they come to the end of the screen, they appear to enter in the next one, continuing to the end, and starting over. You can see them pushing forward, and all you hear in the background is the loud tearing sound of the cloth. There is a lot of negative space in the piece, as 3 television screens are always showing just the fabric, and the figure only fills one. The artist has used value, space, movement, balance, and emphasis in the piece. Value is created by the use of black and white, the figure is dark, and there is an emphasis on them, while the canvas in contrast is white. Balance is used because the piece is asymmetrical. Space is used in the description mentioned before, and movement is apparent, because the whole piece focuses on the constant movement of the figure, working their way across all four screens. When I see the piece it reminds me of someone walking through deep snow, and using all their effort to trudge through the weight. I feel like I'm not sure what the figure is trying to accomplish, because it's just repetitive movement that always ends up starting from the beginning. The figure gets so far, and it never really leads up to anything, and because of this it was frustrating to watch. I didn't find it very enjoyable. You cannot see the figure's face, only their form. I think the artist intended to show space in their piece, but I'm not sure exactly how. I like the fact that wherever the figure is in the clip, there are always three screens that contain only the cloth. If the artist's intention was merely to show space, or new visual space, I think I understand it.
I enjoyed going to the gallery and looking at the pieces through a different perspective in the sense of the exhibit as a whole, not just one piece at a time. It was interesting to see the exhibit, and how the piece related to each other. I liked that they were separated into individual rooms, it made me focus my attention on each one specifically, without being distracted by the other piece. Having them in individual rooms made me take the time to study them, and let myself get absorbed by them, without rushing off to the next one I saw. I felt isolated as I studied each one, but it was more personal that way, just me and the artwork. I didn't get much from the architecture, but the spaces and theme were very obvious and applied to the pieces well.
The title of the exhibit I chose to explore was called "Videosphere", and the theme of it was art in the form of videos, and video clips, and the manipulation of film and special effects. The lighting in the entire upstairs region of the gallery (which is where the entire exhibit was) was in darkness, except for the lights from the videos on the screens and projectors. Most of the walls were white, and the marble in the main room was white, but some of the other rooms were covered in black fabric. Some materials used in the interior architecture of the space were chairs, speakers, soundproofing on the walls, projectors, and flat screen television monitors.
The viewer can move about the exhibition in anyway they please, but when it comes to each piece of artwork (which take up an entire room each), there are arrows that direct where it starts and ends. The viewer is most likely expected to enter each room that is closest to the last one, so they don't skip over any pieces. Each artwork by each different artist was organized by room, as each piece had it's own, and each artwork was similar in that they were all moving images and were all video clips, either projected, or recorded. They were different in that fact that not all of them had sound, or voice or music, only some did. Some were in color, others in black and white. Some where projected onto flat screens, some on the wall, and some on a sculptural form. The pieces were identified and labeled by small, white description cards on a wall near it, listing the title, artist, date, and information about the piece. No two artworks were in the same room, so their proximity from each other was definitely walking distance, as in from room to room it would be at least ten feet.
Peter Sarkisian, an American artist created his piece called Extruded Video Engine #5, in 2007. The media he used was vacuum-formed thermal plastic and video production. In his piece there are recorded voices reading deeply personal memories as the sculpture/video piece itself displays the memories as sentences and words across the plastic. There are projected gears turning, lots of colors and shapes and words moving, and knobs turning. Everything stays in motion, and keeps going over and over agin repeatedly. The room the piece is in is dark, with black walls, and is small. Sarkisian has used elements and principles such as vivid color, value, shapes of all sizes, movement of everything, rhythm in movement and voices, implied texture of the projected objects, line and light. Each of these elements and principles work together in unity, as this system of whatever it is, may it be a digital brain or something else, continues to use each part to work. When observing this piece I am reminded of a working brain, thinking and using energy and creativity. It is almost confusing to look at, but with the clever use of elements and principles, it catches the eye immediately. It's almost mesmerizing with the vivid color and constant, rhythmic motion. There are so many things happening at once, and all senses are in tune to this work of art. I think the artist wanted his viewers to see and hear the portrayal of memories so that they themselves would be influenced to think up their own deep memories. As I looked at the piece, I was reminded of memories, both recent and far back, and I think I achieved what the artist intended after all.
Bill Viola, an American artist completed his piece called The Messenger, in 1996. The media he used were sound and video installations. When I looked at the piece, I saw a nude man floating on the surface of some kind of water source, and I could hear the sound of him breathing in and out. His face seemed to remain expressionless. He slowly started to sink below the surface, and before long, he took a deep breathe and submerged, allowing air to continually blow out as he descended under water. I could see the bubbles rise to the surface and they became less and less. Viola used elements and principles such as movement, value, color, form, texture, rhythm, and light to achieve the seemingly image of a nude man drowning. The water is rhythmic and constant in its ripples, the man is lit in cool deep colors and hues of blue. There is a soft light illuminating him, and the screen he is projected onto is large, almost taking up the entire wall. The entire room is dark, with black walls and is very large, with a tall ceiling. When i see the piece I am reminded of a handful of movies where a victim is drowning, and slowly sinking below the surface. Normally, their expression is panicked, but the man's face is almost serene, calm, and accepting of his "fate". I don't feel terrified for the man, because he is alive for the whole process, and doesn't seem to be struggling. I think the artist may have wanted me to see that no one can struggle with their end, and the best thing to d is just be calm and accept it. I definitely can see that he could've been portraying it in that way, and I understand was he was showing. It makes me calm to see the figure as calm as he is, and I believe that's what the artist intended.
Jaye Rhee is Korean artist who create the piece, Tear, made in 2002. The medium used is a four channel video installation with sound. The video is displayed on four different monitors, lined up next to each other. The figure is filmed tearing through a large piece of white cloth, and as they come to the end of the screen, they appear to enter in the next one, continuing to the end, and starting over. You can see them pushing forward, and all you hear in the background is the loud tearing sound of the cloth. There is a lot of negative space in the piece, as 3 television screens are always showing just the fabric, and the figure only fills one. The artist has used value, space, movement, balance, and emphasis in the piece. Value is created by the use of black and white, the figure is dark, and there is an emphasis on them, while the canvas in contrast is white. Balance is used because the piece is asymmetrical. Space is used in the description mentioned before, and movement is apparent, because the whole piece focuses on the constant movement of the figure, working their way across all four screens. When I see the piece it reminds me of someone walking through deep snow, and using all their effort to trudge through the weight. I feel like I'm not sure what the figure is trying to accomplish, because it's just repetitive movement that always ends up starting from the beginning. The figure gets so far, and it never really leads up to anything, and because of this it was frustrating to watch. I didn't find it very enjoyable. You cannot see the figure's face, only their form. I think the artist intended to show space in their piece, but I'm not sure exactly how. I like the fact that wherever the figure is in the clip, there are always three screens that contain only the cloth. If the artist's intention was merely to show space, or new visual space, I think I understand it.
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| "The Messenger" |
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| "Extruded Video Engine #5" |
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| "Tear" |
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| (Brochure) |
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