1.
The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art: I never knew what pop art was until watching this video. I did recognize it while viewing the video, but I just never realized what it was called. Lowbrow is all about surrealism; its reactionary. I didn't know that it was originally pornography. But I do like that it is open to everyone and that anyone can participate in it. It was interesting to see the little galleries that there are and where the artists can be exposed and let fans buy their art. It is also interesting to learn that lowbrow is always narrative and hardly still born. I think this art is most representative for cities, especially New York City because NYC is known as the city that never sleeps. But lowbrow is more known on the west coast. It makes sense that the art is hard to be accepted because you don't really hear of lowbrow art or artists while being taught art in school. I think once it is more accepting and grows more, schools will start to teach it.
Tate Modern: I think this video was my favorite to watch. After seeing this video I do want to be one of those tourists that go and visit the art gallery. I think its uniqueness sets it apart from other galleries. I've heard of galleries changing their exhibits, but I've never heard of a gallery having an exhibit built into it for the time being. The one exhibit that stuck out most to me was the crack. It was interesting to see it and to actually see it in person must have been a great experience. I also liked this one the most because it is always there. There is the remains of the crack which can create lifelong impact on the gallery and the visitors. I also liked the sunset exhibit and how people started to lay on the ground and look up at the ceiling to find their bodies in the mirror. I like how art can mean different things different people, and that people take what they want to take from it.
An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and the Metropolitan: I think this video was interesting to me because I have visited the Metropolitan a few years ago. I think that if I never visited it, I would never really find too much interest in the video. It was interesting to see the long process of obtaining art for the museum and how in depth it was. I also didn't know that the museum has such a huge team of people who can preserve art in all different ways. I think it was interesting, but it got me to think that the art isn't 100% original. But I guess that's just how they do it. It was also cool to learn that the curators and their experties are the best currency for the MET. I also liked how they added that obtaining new art is not the end of the discovery process and how its a learning experience. I also didn't know that the MET has the largest stained glass collection. It was interesting to see that they have so much art on display but also a lot of art that is still behind the scenes.
2.
I think the last video relates most to my exhibit because of the process of picking art. The whole thing about process is what connects to my exhibit. Even though I didn't have a board of Trustees to pick the art or have a 5 minute presentation for each piece to persuade me to pick each piece, it was the process that can connect. It was hard to pick each piece because I wasn't quite sure what each meant, but that's ok. The viewer can interpret the meaning themselves. But it felt like a long process just to pick each painting.
3.
I liked watching these videos because it opened up my attention to the world of art. For example, I never realized what pop art was, and also learning about the Tate Modern was interesting because it was different than the norm. I also liked the third video because it connected to an experience I had. I think all of these videos do add depth to art concepts because they open up different areas of art and help view art differently but also put the concept of art is what you make it to be.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Reflection Journal on Exhibit
For my exhibit, I decided to focus on women as being subjects for art. It was hard to choose pieces for it because I wanted to chose a variety and not have them all the same style or the same artist. For my power point i decided to chose a pink for the first slide with the title and also a pink text for the names each of the pieces. I chose pink because pink is usually referred to as being feminine and usually refers to women. It was interesting putting this exhibit together because all of the images were different and all of the women were depicted differently. There were some portraits in my exhibit but even then, those weren't all the same. There were different postures, different clothing, and different backgrounds. I think my favorite piece that I chose was the Woman with a Parasol because that one is most visually appealing to me. There just seems to be an overall unity with it. I'm not quite sure why I prefer it over all the other ones, but I do. Creating the exhibit was an overall good experience because I liked how we were able to explore art on our own and pick what we wanted to pick.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Module 12 Video and Text Review
1. For this module I chose Abstract Expressionism and Pop:Art of the 50s & 60s and Andy Warhol: Images of an Image. I chose these two because I wanted to pick the first video on the list and then I chose the other one because I recognized Andy Warhol's name and wanted to learn more about his art.
2. Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s & 60s: With this video I learned that bright colors can be important for abstract art and that abstract art grabs the audience faster and leaves them with a quicker impulse of emotional reaction. Franz Kline's art was interesting to look at because he didn't really use much color but his pieces had layers of different understandings. Even when he used color, he was still able to preserve his vigorous strokes. I liked looking at Andrew Pollock's paintings because I remember seeing his paintings in grade school and it was interesting to make a connection back to things that I was shown years ago. His drip technique is so weird but yet so intriguing. He just rolled with it and let the paint just drip off of his tools. With Ellen Frankenthaler, it was interesting to see as she was exposed to more art and surroundings, she had realized that the landscape belonged to her. I also liked the idea of a cotton cloth that she used as her canvas. It had a different affect and absorbed the paint differently than a regular canvas and I liked the results and how the cotton embodied her art. Looking at Jasper Johns works of art is also quite weird. His painting of the flag was more than just a flag. It looked like there was newspaper underneath the paint which kind of made it seem like it had a deeper meaning. I also counted the stars and found only 40 stars, but 13 strips which kind of made me question it a little. But I did like how he used every day objects that had a symbolic meaning and exploited their meaning. His piece of the map was interesting too. I wasn't sure what I was looking at but it seemed to work. It was also interesting that when giving it a closer look he did have labels on the states. Seeing Warhol's pieces at the end were interesting just because I've seen lots of his art, like the Campbell's soup and the Marilyn Monroe. Lastly, Lichtenstein's pieces of work were interesting because I always thought of comic books as just being a comic book and never being art. He makes it art though. It was simple and sophisticated. It was interesting to see his view on love and war.
Andy Warhol: Images of an Image: With this video I liked how it opened with the Ten Lizes and also ended with it too. I didn't realize that Marilyn Monroe's face made him famous, I always thought he was famous before it. I liked how they included the process of creating a silk screen to show how Warhol would do it. I always questioned on why he would produce so much of one print just because I feel like the value would go down, but everyone still is amazed by his work. It was interesting to see the different faces that he had reproduced, but the focus was mainly on Elizabeth Taylor. When they were getting a closer look at the prints that Warhol had created with the same silk screen on Elizabeth Taylor it was interesting to see how none of them were exactly the same due to the flow of the ink with the screen, some had more some had less, and some had clogged pores. It was interesting on how these prints could show the flaws. She was a beautiful woman and his work can reveal that but yet at the same time it shows flaws. It is interesting how it can do that and make it work at the same time. I also didn't realize that his work revolved around death. The prints of Marilyn Monroe weren't created until after her death and the prints of Elizabeth Taylor weren't created until she became deathly ill. He also had silk screens that incorporated electric chairs, car accidents, suicides, and skulls. Its just interesting to see how one person can be so fantasized with death at such a level, but yet the audience might not realize it.
3. These videos really can relate to chapter 22 of the textbook. They go over Jackson Pollock with his drip art, to Warhol and his pop art, and then into the 90s with the abstract that we see today. But with chapter 23 there was a connection to the videos, but the videos didn't really go over what was in the text. This chapter had the same concepts with color but it also added in sculptures and shows abstract differently and shows an evolved form of it compared to the movies and the chapter previous to it.
4. I liked the films, but I think I liked previous films from differently modules more than I did with this module. The videos were informative but they seemed more dull than others. Even though they were talking about abstract art, which isn't dull, they brought it together in a way which I didn't think fit the presence of the abstract art. I wish the videos were more up beat and captured my attention more, just like how the abstract art had grabbed my attention. But besides that, I do think the videos were very informative and were on the same track as the text but did give more depth to what the text was trying to say.
2. Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s & 60s: With this video I learned that bright colors can be important for abstract art and that abstract art grabs the audience faster and leaves them with a quicker impulse of emotional reaction. Franz Kline's art was interesting to look at because he didn't really use much color but his pieces had layers of different understandings. Even when he used color, he was still able to preserve his vigorous strokes. I liked looking at Andrew Pollock's paintings because I remember seeing his paintings in grade school and it was interesting to make a connection back to things that I was shown years ago. His drip technique is so weird but yet so intriguing. He just rolled with it and let the paint just drip off of his tools. With Ellen Frankenthaler, it was interesting to see as she was exposed to more art and surroundings, she had realized that the landscape belonged to her. I also liked the idea of a cotton cloth that she used as her canvas. It had a different affect and absorbed the paint differently than a regular canvas and I liked the results and how the cotton embodied her art. Looking at Jasper Johns works of art is also quite weird. His painting of the flag was more than just a flag. It looked like there was newspaper underneath the paint which kind of made it seem like it had a deeper meaning. I also counted the stars and found only 40 stars, but 13 strips which kind of made me question it a little. But I did like how he used every day objects that had a symbolic meaning and exploited their meaning. His piece of the map was interesting too. I wasn't sure what I was looking at but it seemed to work. It was also interesting that when giving it a closer look he did have labels on the states. Seeing Warhol's pieces at the end were interesting just because I've seen lots of his art, like the Campbell's soup and the Marilyn Monroe. Lastly, Lichtenstein's pieces of work were interesting because I always thought of comic books as just being a comic book and never being art. He makes it art though. It was simple and sophisticated. It was interesting to see his view on love and war.
Andy Warhol: Images of an Image: With this video I liked how it opened with the Ten Lizes and also ended with it too. I didn't realize that Marilyn Monroe's face made him famous, I always thought he was famous before it. I liked how they included the process of creating a silk screen to show how Warhol would do it. I always questioned on why he would produce so much of one print just because I feel like the value would go down, but everyone still is amazed by his work. It was interesting to see the different faces that he had reproduced, but the focus was mainly on Elizabeth Taylor. When they were getting a closer look at the prints that Warhol had created with the same silk screen on Elizabeth Taylor it was interesting to see how none of them were exactly the same due to the flow of the ink with the screen, some had more some had less, and some had clogged pores. It was interesting on how these prints could show the flaws. She was a beautiful woman and his work can reveal that but yet at the same time it shows flaws. It is interesting how it can do that and make it work at the same time. I also didn't realize that his work revolved around death. The prints of Marilyn Monroe weren't created until after her death and the prints of Elizabeth Taylor weren't created until she became deathly ill. He also had silk screens that incorporated electric chairs, car accidents, suicides, and skulls. Its just interesting to see how one person can be so fantasized with death at such a level, but yet the audience might not realize it.
3. These videos really can relate to chapter 22 of the textbook. They go over Jackson Pollock with his drip art, to Warhol and his pop art, and then into the 90s with the abstract that we see today. But with chapter 23 there was a connection to the videos, but the videos didn't really go over what was in the text. This chapter had the same concepts with color but it also added in sculptures and shows abstract differently and shows an evolved form of it compared to the movies and the chapter previous to it.
4. I liked the films, but I think I liked previous films from differently modules more than I did with this module. The videos were informative but they seemed more dull than others. Even though they were talking about abstract art, which isn't dull, they brought it together in a way which I didn't think fit the presence of the abstract art. I wish the videos were more up beat and captured my attention more, just like how the abstract art had grabbed my attention. But besides that, I do think the videos were very informative and were on the same track as the text but did give more depth to what the text was trying to say.
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Art Gallery Visit #2
Burchfield Penney Art Center
The Exhibit:
The exhibit was called FINDING AID: Making Sense of The Charles E. Burchfield Archives. The theme of the exhibit was focused on Burchfield and his works. At one point they even included his desk and his office where he created his art.
The Gallery:
The lighting for the area wasn't too bright but it wasn't too dark. It also didn't resemble artificial light which was nice. At one part of the exhibit, the lights were more dim and had a brighter focus on his work area which was cool. The walls weren't white, but more of an off-white and more towards a very light grey. When first walking into the exhibit there was the main wall which acted as a focal point when walking into the area. It was black and had the title of the exhibit on it along with boards that had notes on them. The whole area was made of just painted drywall and wooden floors. but the layout had a nice flow to it. When first walking into the area, I didn't want to walk straight but instead I wanted to walk to the left after seeing the first wall that had the exhibit title. I thought it was different because normally you don't walk to the left first, even in movies, they don't pan the camera to the left normally because it would indicate that something bad would be going to happen. But with the exhibit it worked. After going left, it was easy to follow the flow of the exhibit and go from each work of art.
The Exhibit:
The exhibit was called FINDING AID: Making Sense of The Charles E. Burchfield Archives. The theme of the exhibit was focused on Burchfield and his works. At one point they even included his desk and his office where he created his art.
The Gallery:
The lighting for the area wasn't too bright but it wasn't too dark. It also didn't resemble artificial light which was nice. At one part of the exhibit, the lights were more dim and had a brighter focus on his work area which was cool. The walls weren't white, but more of an off-white and more towards a very light grey. When first walking into the exhibit there was the main wall which acted as a focal point when walking into the area. It was black and had the title of the exhibit on it along with boards that had notes on them. The whole area was made of just painted drywall and wooden floors. but the layout had a nice flow to it. When first walking into the area, I didn't want to walk straight but instead I wanted to walk to the left after seeing the first wall that had the exhibit title. I thought it was different because normally you don't walk to the left first, even in movies, they don't pan the camera to the left normally because it would indicate that something bad would be going to happen. But with the exhibit it worked. After going left, it was easy to follow the flow of the exhibit and go from each work of art.
The Artwork:
The pieces of art were organized in what seemed to be by medium. The first ones I saw all had graphite or charcoal as their medium, but as I continued the mediums would change and add more to it but still keep the same graphite or charcoal. The pieces of art were similar in the way that they were all around the same medium and also because they all seemed to have a similar style. But at the same time the pieces of art were different because they in a way showed the evolution of the artist. At least I think it showed the evolution of him simply because the pieces of art would become more complex when trying to add new mediums to it. Most of the pieces of art were framed with a wooden frame, but not all the same wood and same urethane finish was used for the frames. Some frames were black as well. But the frames worked. Even though the frames weren't completely the same they didn't look out of places but seemed to match at the same time. Each piece of art was identified by a white rectangular label placed to the right of the piece. Just like how they were labeled at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The pieces of art were generally the same distance apart, but the ones that had more similarities seemed to be closer in proximity of one another. The change in distance didn't seem overwhelming though, it worked to help bring together the exhibit.
Art Criticism:
Charles E. Burchfield
Study for Solitude
Charcoal and water color on paper
c. 1945
I like this painting because of the balance that is created. Neither of the sides seem to out weigh the other. When looking at this picture you can see the charcoal but also see the few colors of watercolor that he incorporated. To me this painting looks like maybe something he saw outside his window, like some sort of plant. But it could also represent something else like growth. This piece of art is full of organic lines. there is also different values in this piece of art when looking at the strokes that Burchfield took to create it. There is space here, but they are all close in proximity and overlapping each other. But they don't seem to crowd each other. The negative space around the image also works to compliment the image. The colors aren't too different but the little highlights of the peach give the piece of work more energy throughout the piece. There seems to be movement up from the bottom but also movement back down to contain it all in one place instead of letting it go. This piece of work definitely reminds me of either a tree or bush. But at the same time it also reminds me of someone's growth but how its contained into one area. I'm not quite sure what he is trying to say, but I don't think he is trying to say anything negative. The peach in the piece of work gives it a more positive tone.
Charles E. Burchfield
Spider and Grasshoppers
watercolor on mounted joined paper
1948
I like this piece of art because it is different. When I was turning the corner I wasn't expecting to run into this. Its not too vibrant but not too dull. The spider towards the bottom seems to be the focus of this piece. But then after noticing the spider your eyes start to move and you start to wonder what is around it. I wasn't really sure what I was looking at with my first glance, but then I started to notice other forms, like a flying grasshopper and the sun which is towards the top. There are a lot of lines used to create this piece of art. Some of those lines do create organic forms like the bugs and different types of wings around the spider. Unlike the other piece of art, this one has more color to it, and various colors; from yellow, to green, to blue, to red, to black. But they all seem to be ordinary colors. There is asymmetrical balance in this piece of art, but even with the different weights in the piece it does balance. There is contrast in this as well because the spider has a greater contrast than the rest of the work and stands out the most. There is also movement because after looking at the spider, your eye seems to be able to explore everything around the spider. When looking at this piece of work it reminds me of hiking and walking past two trees that have a spider web connecting them and being able to see the spider just chilling there. But then after noticing the spider you start to notice the other organisms that inhabit the area, and without noticing the spider first you wouldn't normally notice the rest of the organisms. I don't know what Burchfield was trying to say with this piece of art, but I think it could go along the lines of you don't really notice anything around you until you actually notice it.
Charles E. Burchfield
Easter Morning in the Woods (right side)
charcoal on paper
1947-1960
When I first saw this piece of art, I wasn't sure if I actually liked it, but then after looking at it for a few minutes and reading the short description they gave, I realized that I liked it. This piece of work took awhile to complete, he started it one year and then finished it years later. The interesting part of it though was that he left the left side unfinished letting the viewer see his thought process at work. I think that was the part that made me realize that I liked this piece of work because there is a better understanding of Burchfield and his process in this one. When looking at this piece you can see the woods on either side, but one is more descriptive than the other. There is line that forms this piece of art, both organic and non-organic. Those lines do form organic and non-organic shapes that create the woods and the different rocks and holes where light shines in. On the left there are simply just lines that fill the space. There is value in this piece of art, the back is darker while the objects in the front are brighter and stand out from the background. There is also space created in this piece by the how the objects are placed, some look closer while others look farther in the distance. The color is all around the same with different values of the charcoal. But I also like how there are yellow highlights in this piece. I don't think this piece of art is necessarily balanced because the right does out weigh the left, but it's not an uncomfortable difference, it works. There is movement as well. When first looking at it the viewer is drawn to the right of the piece of art and explores the right side, but then after that, there is a push to the left to view what is actually on the other side of the piece. This piece of art reminds me of the woods, but with the yellow placed in it, it seems like there is something more than just the woods in this piece. Like the other two pieces of art, I'm not sure what Burchfield was trying to say with this piece of art, especially since he started it one year and finished it years later, but I do agree with the description of the piece of how it shows his process when creating art.
Here are some photos to document the area of the exhibit:
The Visit:
I liked this art visit better than the first one. I think I like the layout of the exhibit more at the Burchfield Penney Art Center more than the layout of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The Burchfield Penney seemed more inviting compared to the other. I also liked the flow of the exhibit and the exhibits following it. I also liked the theme of the first exhibit simply because it gives a good representation of what the building is all about, hence the name of the building. I would definitely come back to this art center again instead of going to the art gallery across the street. I also liked going into the exhibit with a different perspective of actually looking at everything around me instead of just the art works themselves.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Module 11 Video and Text Review
1.
For this module I picked the two videos, Matisse and Picasso and The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present. I chose those two videos simply because they were the first two on the list. I did it this way this time because I haven't done it that way yet, I usually look at all the titles and descriptions and go from there. But even with changing the way I picked the videos, I still liked the one I chose a lot. The first one definitely caught my interest because I've heard of Picasso before and wanted to learn more about him, and the second one also caught my interest because I like Spanish culture.
2.
Matisse and Picasso: From this video I learned about their relationship together. I thought it was cool that they both came from different upbringings and still found each other to be good friends and connected with their art. I also learned how their art was a break from tradition but in different ways. Picasso was more impulsive and Matisse was more organized with his work. Picasso was more intellectual while Matisse was more innocent with his art, but they both had strength. The one quote I liked from this video was the one with Picasso, "To paint a picture is to engage in dramatic action where reality is disengaged." I like this quote simply because it shows his view of art and his connection with his pieces of art. To understand someone's passion in art gives their artwork that much more meaning. It was also interesting to learn that Matisse painted with a model while Picasso painted from memory of what he had saw, it didn't directly have to be in front of him. The two had similarities but also differences. I also never realized that Picasso had fits of depression and thoughts of suicide. I found that some what shocking because I just never thought of artists being able to show those kinds of thoughts. And Matisse had more self confidence. Even at old age, it was cool to see that they still communicated together and still respected eachother.
The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present: From this video it was interesting to see the change of Spanish art over time due to the circumstances of the country and also what was introduced. I also didn't know that Northern Spain was crucial to modern art. I've never heard of Francisco de Goya, but I did recognize his work, especially his work after the war and his black paintings. It was depressing but it definitely reflected the horrors that he saw with war, I can't even imagine seeing the things that he had experienced. Saturn devouring his son was one of the paintings that I recognized from either another video we had to watch, or earlier in the textbook. Its definitely horrific but it shows how the war affected him personally and his view on life, it was ruined and dark. When Antoni Gaudi finally came around, he brought back the sense that Goya left behind. But it was interesting to see how it was the opposite of Goya; he clung to Spain's Catholic past. Gaudi considered himself God's architect but during his time the religious climate was changing and his construction of the Cathedral remained incomplete to his death. It was weird to learn that a group of Japanese men finished his creation of the Cathedral, but it didn't embody him anymore. It was cool to see a connection from this video to the one before. I didn't know that Gaudi had inspired Picasso and that he had a deep sense of Spanish art. With Salvador Dali, I had recognized his painting which can also be known as the melting clocks painting. But I didn't know that there was a deeper meaning behind it until reading about it in the text and watching this video. I didn't know that it incorporated death and corruption and that it could also represent that people are subject to decay.
3.
These videos relate to the text because it expands on certain parts of the text and helps give the text meaning. The videos actually make me learn what the text is saying. With reading the text I'm more likely to be not as focused and to just skim the words. But it was cool that the videos overlapped with the text and how they both went over Picasso, Dali, Matisse, and Gaudi.
4.
I like the videos because I think that I can actually learn from the videos. But the second video was quite weird for me because at times I wasn't completely sure what he was saying because of his strong accent and also because he was quite provocative but that was also because of what he was talking about. The first video was probably my favorite just because I liked the relationship between Matisse and Picasso and how they had a strong sense of mutual respect for each other and their art. The videos give a deeper understanding of the text and gives the text and second layer of understanding.
For this module I picked the two videos, Matisse and Picasso and The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present. I chose those two videos simply because they were the first two on the list. I did it this way this time because I haven't done it that way yet, I usually look at all the titles and descriptions and go from there. But even with changing the way I picked the videos, I still liked the one I chose a lot. The first one definitely caught my interest because I've heard of Picasso before and wanted to learn more about him, and the second one also caught my interest because I like Spanish culture.
2.
Matisse and Picasso: From this video I learned about their relationship together. I thought it was cool that they both came from different upbringings and still found each other to be good friends and connected with their art. I also learned how their art was a break from tradition but in different ways. Picasso was more impulsive and Matisse was more organized with his work. Picasso was more intellectual while Matisse was more innocent with his art, but they both had strength. The one quote I liked from this video was the one with Picasso, "To paint a picture is to engage in dramatic action where reality is disengaged." I like this quote simply because it shows his view of art and his connection with his pieces of art. To understand someone's passion in art gives their artwork that much more meaning. It was also interesting to learn that Matisse painted with a model while Picasso painted from memory of what he had saw, it didn't directly have to be in front of him. The two had similarities but also differences. I also never realized that Picasso had fits of depression and thoughts of suicide. I found that some what shocking because I just never thought of artists being able to show those kinds of thoughts. And Matisse had more self confidence. Even at old age, it was cool to see that they still communicated together and still respected eachother.
The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present: From this video it was interesting to see the change of Spanish art over time due to the circumstances of the country and also what was introduced. I also didn't know that Northern Spain was crucial to modern art. I've never heard of Francisco de Goya, but I did recognize his work, especially his work after the war and his black paintings. It was depressing but it definitely reflected the horrors that he saw with war, I can't even imagine seeing the things that he had experienced. Saturn devouring his son was one of the paintings that I recognized from either another video we had to watch, or earlier in the textbook. Its definitely horrific but it shows how the war affected him personally and his view on life, it was ruined and dark. When Antoni Gaudi finally came around, he brought back the sense that Goya left behind. But it was interesting to see how it was the opposite of Goya; he clung to Spain's Catholic past. Gaudi considered himself God's architect but during his time the religious climate was changing and his construction of the Cathedral remained incomplete to his death. It was weird to learn that a group of Japanese men finished his creation of the Cathedral, but it didn't embody him anymore. It was cool to see a connection from this video to the one before. I didn't know that Gaudi had inspired Picasso and that he had a deep sense of Spanish art. With Salvador Dali, I had recognized his painting which can also be known as the melting clocks painting. But I didn't know that there was a deeper meaning behind it until reading about it in the text and watching this video. I didn't know that it incorporated death and corruption and that it could also represent that people are subject to decay.
3.
These videos relate to the text because it expands on certain parts of the text and helps give the text meaning. The videos actually make me learn what the text is saying. With reading the text I'm more likely to be not as focused and to just skim the words. But it was cool that the videos overlapped with the text and how they both went over Picasso, Dali, Matisse, and Gaudi.
4.
I like the videos because I think that I can actually learn from the videos. But the second video was quite weird for me because at times I wasn't completely sure what he was saying because of his strong accent and also because he was quite provocative but that was also because of what he was talking about. The first video was probably my favorite just because I liked the relationship between Matisse and Picasso and how they had a strong sense of mutual respect for each other and their art. The videos give a deeper understanding of the text and gives the text and second layer of understanding.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Mask Project
I picked these three images as inspiration for this project because I like the colors used in them. I like the primary colors in them and how they play together. I also like the detail, but also how they look complex at the same time. They are all exaggerated masks but I like the way they look.
I like the colors in all of these masks because the colors all compliment each other. I also like the lines in each of them that form the different designs on the masks and make them each unique. They either have simple lines or more complex line formations. the space between the colors works out well and distinguishes each different shape on the masks. The first mask has the most texture than the rest with the detail with the hair and also around the mouth, nose, teeth, and the rest of the face.
They all seem to have balance, neither side of the masks out weighs the other side. The first one and last one both have emphasis on the eyes which can be seen by the distinguished lighter colors that form the eyes. The first mask has rhythm and pattern in it with all the marks and dots that form the design on the mask. I think the last one has a sense of rhythm because the colors and lines create a sense of movement in the mask; at the top of the mask my eyes are more directed up.
These are my sketches, I tried to add some of the same oddities to them. I did like the last one with its lines and designs on it, so for my last sketch I tried to do that too. I also liked the animal concept with the first mask that I chose so for my first and last sketch I tried to incorporate something like that. The second sketch I tried to base it off of the second mask that I chose for inspiration because I liked the simplicity of it, but how it looked so odd at the same time.
I like my finished mask but also I hate it at the same time because I had no idea what to do. I also didn't really have much around the house and couldn't go out and buy anything. The thing that puzzled me was how to make it seem 3D, but the hair does give it a sense of 3D which I like. I think that if I were to spend more time on it and try to be more creative than I could have come up with something different. But when I was thinking of creating a mask I was thinking of the masks that you buy at the stores or even like a wooden mask because those seem 3D to me compared to just paper.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Module 10 Video and Text Review
1.
African Art: I chose this video because I've always found African art to be interesting. I also like how abstract it is and wanted to know more about it and see more types of African art and how it developed.
Buddhism: I chose this video as well because I think Buddhism is an interesting religion. I also don't know much about it, and this video definitely helped me understand it. It was also cool to explore the art behind the religion and what it means and how it connects to the religion. It was also cool to see the different areas around the world where Buddhism exists.
2. Key Concepts
African Art: From this video I learned that art plays an important role in African religious traditions and that they combine art with the dynamic power of dance. The masks that they use in religious traditions or for their dance are used to connect with the animal or person that the mask was made to represent. With the mask they become one with it instead of just playing a part. They used it to connect and to prosper, sometimes even to gain power. I also learned that artists were respected among the community but now art is more used for commercial means instead of more for religious and expressional means. I also learned that Europeans didn't become aware of African art until the 19th century, and then they thought of their art being too childish. I learned that there is a perceptual versus a conceptual meaning between how Europeans viewed African art and how Africans viewed their art (reality vs imagination).
It was cool to see how they incorporated the Bush cave drawings with the video. It helped connect other parts of the book together and to help make sense of it.
I think the part that stood out to me the most in this video were the Zimbabwe walls. It was amazing to see it and to learn that it was created in the 9th and 13th century. It looks amazing even now years later left as ruins. Just imaging how it would have been then is quite amazing. there had to been hundreds of people in this enclosure living together and working together.
Buddhism: I knew Buddhism started in India but I didn't remember how it came about. It was interesting to relearn that; that a man living a wealthy life had finally seen the realities that the common people were living and was amazed, talked to a monk, and then found himself meditating under a tree, and received the Buddhism religion. The proclaimed message of love by Buddha is quite interesting and I think it helps represent the religion because whenever I think of Buddhism I always think of peace and equality. It was also interesting to learn that Buddha was around for a good portion of the beginnings of the religion. I also didn't know that there was a golden age of Buddhism. But it was during the time that Buddha was alive and had created attention to it. It was also interesting to learn that Buddhism isn't centrally big in India where it was created but instead places like the United States and Indonesia.
I loved seeing the sanctuary in Indonesia, Borobudur. The temple took about 100 years to build. I also didn't know that when making a pilgrimage they usually have to walk clockwise in the temple to let go of material and to attain virtue. Seeing the finely carved stone in the temple was quite amazing to look at and I could definitely see how it could take 100 years to create. It definitely looked like something that I could never be able to create, not even any of the tiny carvings.
The last temple they showed in the United States also left an impression on me. It was amazing to see this huge statue dedicated to Buddha in the temple, and that the temple had to be built around the statue.
I was just intrigued at seeing these temples and seeing their structure and detail that they poses. It really does make someone speechless; I'm not quite sure what to say about the Buddhism art, but that it definitely leaves me speechless.
(Both of the videos also led to the conclusion that these arts are truly Heaven on Earth)
3.
These videos relate to the text because they bring it to life. Being able to see it visually in a text book and then being able to see someone else explain it and show different examples really helps me get a better understanding. The videos touched on all of the parts that the text had included with them. The text book did go into more detail, and more areas of art than just Africa and Buddhism. The text and the videos both went over the understandings of the masks in African art and how their art connects with their religious traditions. With the Buddhism video, the text also went over the temples and over the meanings and also to the Buddhist temple with the 4 gates that surrounded the one temple that showed the 4 stages of Buddha's life. But there were more videos for us to pick. So all the videos together give a better understanding of the text as a whole, but I really wanted to watch the two that I picked. If I find more time in my weekend or coming up weeks, I'll definitely will have to check out the rest of the videos.
4.
I like the films. I like how the Buddhism film was like a virtual tour of Buddhism, its art, and its temples. It was interesting to watch the guy go to the different temples and also interesting to see the different temples in different countries. The videos add depth to the text because its a second wave of information about the same things, but in a new perspective. Its also nice to see more visuals and to be able to listen instead of having to read.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Hand Drawings: Exploring Line
1.
It was definitely challenging to use my hand as a subject to draw. I've heard that drawing the hand is really difficult, and I definitely agree with it. There are so many small details that go into drawing a hand and I don't think I was able to capture it, but I definitely tried. I did get frustrated with it though just because there is so much to it that it was hard to get all the details.
2.
I chose pencil as my medium because I'm so used to using it because of grade school. I'm also most comfortable with pencil because it seems much easier to erase than charcoal, but I do like how charcoal looks compared to pencil. I like how charcoal is more dense looking and how it stands out more than pencil. But I was more inclined to use pencil on this assignment just because of the difficulty of drawing a hand.
3.
Creating a drawing of my dominant hand with my non-dominant hand felt so weird. It felt so out of place and so many times I wanted to take my right hand (the dominant one) and fix parts of what my non-dominant hand left behind. It was hard to restrain myself from changing hands, but I didn't. I do think I would stick with using my dominant hand when drawing because there is more control.
4.
I think my final sketchings are successful studies because it shows the struggle between the two hands. I also like the drawing of my left hand because I think it turned out relatively well. I like how you can see the difference between the two hands and also see the control between the two drawings.
5.
I don't think I would use my non-dominant hand to create work again just because I don't like how it feels and also how I can see that there isn't any control in it. I like my dominant hand better when drawing. If I wanted to practice drawing with my non-dominant hand to obtain better control with it I would, but I don't think I would automatically pick my non-dominant hand to start.
Module 9 Video and Text Review
1.
I chose The Drawings of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci: the Mind of the Renaissance as my two videos to watch because I wanted to learn more about both of them. From previous weeks I've learned some about them, like for sculpting and drawing. But I only knew so much. With these videos I was able to learn more.
2. Key Concepts:
The Drawings of Michelangelo:
From this video I learned that he was also a draftsman and a creator. It was interesting to see his work evolve over time and how it still incorporated the same basics, but different ideas over time. I also liked the fact that he reused paper; to me it made him seem more human and more real. It was interesting to see that he joined an apprenticeship at age 12. Now that doesn't seem realistic, but during his time it was probably more normal, especially since he was so sure that he wanted to draw. I liked seeing all the different medium he created and seeing the process and how he drew a lot before actually creating something. I also liked how he destroyed a bunch of his own work because he could see his second thinking in the work. Even though we see his work as something magnificent, he didn't always see it as he wanted. I also liked how he taught himself how to sculpt. To me it makes art seem more possible; that you can teach yourself new mediums. Seeing the Sistine Chapel and how in depth it was, was amazing. I liked how in the video we were able to see his hatchings before he actually started to paint. I also can't imagine painting a ceiling that was 20 meters high. The last analogy that they provided was very interesting on how the men's naked body he first was drawing was what God gave and at the end it was a body that was worn and didn't want to leave.
Leonardo da Vinci: the Mind of the Renaissance:
From this video I learned that him and Michelangelo had some similarities. They both did hatchings, painting, and sculpting. I also learned that they both incorporated religion. It was interesting to see that da Vinci also had unfinished works just like Michelangelo. he was always in search of perfection but never thought his works were good enough, so therefore they weren't completed to him. I also didn't know that da Vinci was an inventor or into music. I liked how they showed us his notebook and all of his sketches and notes that were in it. I think my favorite about this video was learning about the later life of da Vinci when he was in his 50s and older. The aura of his works were of mystery and those paintings seemed most capturing to me.
3.
These videos relate to the text because they both incorporate religion and the Renaissance but the video visually shows what the text was trying to explain. Having a visual definitely helps understand and reiterate what was taught in the text.
4.
I like the videos because I think I learn more from the videos than I actually learn from the text. I find myself a visual learner. I also like that the videos go over what we learn in the text so that there is a second wave of the same information being processed over again. I find it helpful relearning the same information in a different way because it gives a better understanding and helps me process it better.
I chose The Drawings of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci: the Mind of the Renaissance as my two videos to watch because I wanted to learn more about both of them. From previous weeks I've learned some about them, like for sculpting and drawing. But I only knew so much. With these videos I was able to learn more.
2. Key Concepts:
The Drawings of Michelangelo:
From this video I learned that he was also a draftsman and a creator. It was interesting to see his work evolve over time and how it still incorporated the same basics, but different ideas over time. I also liked the fact that he reused paper; to me it made him seem more human and more real. It was interesting to see that he joined an apprenticeship at age 12. Now that doesn't seem realistic, but during his time it was probably more normal, especially since he was so sure that he wanted to draw. I liked seeing all the different medium he created and seeing the process and how he drew a lot before actually creating something. I also liked how he destroyed a bunch of his own work because he could see his second thinking in the work. Even though we see his work as something magnificent, he didn't always see it as he wanted. I also liked how he taught himself how to sculpt. To me it makes art seem more possible; that you can teach yourself new mediums. Seeing the Sistine Chapel and how in depth it was, was amazing. I liked how in the video we were able to see his hatchings before he actually started to paint. I also can't imagine painting a ceiling that was 20 meters high. The last analogy that they provided was very interesting on how the men's naked body he first was drawing was what God gave and at the end it was a body that was worn and didn't want to leave.
Leonardo da Vinci: the Mind of the Renaissance:
From this video I learned that him and Michelangelo had some similarities. They both did hatchings, painting, and sculpting. I also learned that they both incorporated religion. It was interesting to see that da Vinci also had unfinished works just like Michelangelo. he was always in search of perfection but never thought his works were good enough, so therefore they weren't completed to him. I also didn't know that da Vinci was an inventor or into music. I liked how they showed us his notebook and all of his sketches and notes that were in it. I think my favorite about this video was learning about the later life of da Vinci when he was in his 50s and older. The aura of his works were of mystery and those paintings seemed most capturing to me.
3.
These videos relate to the text because they both incorporate religion and the Renaissance but the video visually shows what the text was trying to explain. Having a visual definitely helps understand and reiterate what was taught in the text.
4.
I like the videos because I think I learn more from the videos than I actually learn from the text. I find myself a visual learner. I also like that the videos go over what we learn in the text so that there is a second wave of the same information being processed over again. I find it helpful relearning the same information in a different way because it gives a better understanding and helps me process it better.
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