My expectations of this course were to learn and be exposed to a variety of different styles and techniques that progressed through the history of art. I feel that art is anything that someone has achieved true mastery in. This can be with artworks, music, even tile work. I feel that this class did a great job in showing me many different of artistic styles in the field of art.
My favorite artist is still Van Gogh however I got to see many different other works from other artists that I enjoy. For me I prefer modern art in general no matter who the artist is. During this class I got to see works of modern art created by many different artists.
This class was another great online experience. Each of the assignments were well defined and organized in each module. For me a clear outline of the expected work is key to a successful grade. This was done very well in my opinion! Being able to turn in items early was also a big help! I am continuing on for my Master’s degree and my program is offered 100% online. I will be finishing up my education entirely in an online environment.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Week 16 Video Blog
Greenberg on Art Criticism
I enjoyed that in this video Greenberg discussed that even many years ago that the stereo type was that money and fame would alleviate all of life’s problems. However he went on to mention that this time was around avant-garde and meant that if one was successful they were typically not very liked. This was the same for artists, musicians, and sculptors alike. What I really liked was his quote “you don’t ask anything of art except to be good.” I feel that this video relates because he spoke about mainstream art and I feel that my project which focuses on nature is about as mainstream as it gets.
Greenberg on Pollock
Greenberg began to explain how he was told that Pollock was an artist with great talent and that he would be a great painter. With much skepticism he dismissed the idea however after 1947 he began to see that he was a talented man. He also felt that the demise of the easel paintings around this time as well. I didn’t realize there was specific time that this idea took place. This related to my project because from the size of some of the works I included I know they were too large to have been painted on a standard easel.
An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance
Before the collapse of the Roman Empire the culture was shifted to the east which was then called the Byzantine Empire. These artists were required to only paint religious figures as it was not accepted to paint men and women who were god’s creation. Giotto’s work revived the representation of humans as well as using perspective by using architecture and nature landscapes. This related to my project because I chose landscapes as a theme. In many of the works I chose however, the element of perspective were not identifiable.
The Critics
Critic’s jobs are to continuously teach and get people to start thinking in a fresh way. Books and other media are designed to give people things to talk about as well as educate and provoke. If these artists can provoke thinking then they have done a good job. Critics also are key as reviewers to TV and movies. This video didn’t seem to relate much to my project because we had to write on what was evident in the images and not our personal opinion of the work.
The Colonial Encounter
During the early 1900’s travel began to become popular. Tourism and pleasure were the reason for the development of many cities. The introduction of postcards allowed for outside cultures to become familiar with Arab women. There was a large emphasis on physical attributes in relation to intelligence. These images fell in between scientific and erotic themes. But since they called them science there was a refusal to the sexuality behind them. This video had nothing to do with my project as it discussed non-western art and culture and not at all landscapes.
Jackson Pollock
The point of Pollock’s work is to try to discover a complete other figure. His works express something different then works of the past. Instead of distinct figures he broke the mold and chose to drive further past abstraction. The viewer would now take the colors, shapes, and lines as the key elements of the work. He attempted to redeploy the standard of typical art. Ambition and feeling is always immediately clear in these types of paintings. Abstract art did not fit into the theme of my project either. I think it would be very hard to represent a landscape type theme using abstract art.
These videos were a nice change from the chapter reading at the end of the semester. Each of the videos covered topics in great depth and also shared many interviews and examples for each themed video. I always find it more enjoyable and more interesting to watch these videos then reading out of the chapter. Overall another great set of videos
I enjoyed that in this video Greenberg discussed that even many years ago that the stereo type was that money and fame would alleviate all of life’s problems. However he went on to mention that this time was around avant-garde and meant that if one was successful they were typically not very liked. This was the same for artists, musicians, and sculptors alike. What I really liked was his quote “you don’t ask anything of art except to be good.” I feel that this video relates because he spoke about mainstream art and I feel that my project which focuses on nature is about as mainstream as it gets.
Greenberg on Pollock
Greenberg began to explain how he was told that Pollock was an artist with great talent and that he would be a great painter. With much skepticism he dismissed the idea however after 1947 he began to see that he was a talented man. He also felt that the demise of the easel paintings around this time as well. I didn’t realize there was specific time that this idea took place. This related to my project because from the size of some of the works I included I know they were too large to have been painted on a standard easel.
An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance
Before the collapse of the Roman Empire the culture was shifted to the east which was then called the Byzantine Empire. These artists were required to only paint religious figures as it was not accepted to paint men and women who were god’s creation. Giotto’s work revived the representation of humans as well as using perspective by using architecture and nature landscapes. This related to my project because I chose landscapes as a theme. In many of the works I chose however, the element of perspective were not identifiable.
The Critics
Critic’s jobs are to continuously teach and get people to start thinking in a fresh way. Books and other media are designed to give people things to talk about as well as educate and provoke. If these artists can provoke thinking then they have done a good job. Critics also are key as reviewers to TV and movies. This video didn’t seem to relate much to my project because we had to write on what was evident in the images and not our personal opinion of the work.
The Colonial Encounter
During the early 1900’s travel began to become popular. Tourism and pleasure were the reason for the development of many cities. The introduction of postcards allowed for outside cultures to become familiar with Arab women. There was a large emphasis on physical attributes in relation to intelligence. These images fell in between scientific and erotic themes. But since they called them science there was a refusal to the sexuality behind them. This video had nothing to do with my project as it discussed non-western art and culture and not at all landscapes.
Jackson Pollock
The point of Pollock’s work is to try to discover a complete other figure. His works express something different then works of the past. Instead of distinct figures he broke the mold and chose to drive further past abstraction. The viewer would now take the colors, shapes, and lines as the key elements of the work. He attempted to redeploy the standard of typical art. Ambition and feeling is always immediately clear in these types of paintings. Abstract art did not fit into the theme of my project either. I think it would be very hard to represent a landscape type theme using abstract art.
These videos were a nice change from the chapter reading at the end of the semester. Each of the videos covered topics in great depth and also shared many interviews and examples for each themed video. I always find it more enjoyable and more interesting to watch these videos then reading out of the chapter. Overall another great set of videos
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Project 4 Reflection
I chose to use nature as the theme for my project. I feel that some of the most beautiful things have been forned without human interaction. I really enjoyed this project since we were give a choice on what we wanted to do it on. This made it more enjoyable for me personally. I also enjoyed looking through the amazing collection of art on ArtStor! This was a great resource. I look forward to seeing what other students have put together as well.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Week 14 & 15 Video Blog Review
Lowbrow art is another style of art which I was never aware of. It is usually defined as distasteful however I think that with the rest of art it is all about interpretation. I also learned that even mechanics were involved in the lowbrow art movement by applying the style to automobiles. McCarthyism was also a topic displayed in this style of art. This doesn’t relate to my initial choice for the art project however I think that I would enjoy learning more about this. This was actually one of my favorite videos because it had many interviews with different artists that talked about a lot of the history of this style as well as many examples of different works.
Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach
Modern art is also one of my favorite styles of art and I feel that Generation Y also takes a view on this. I found it fascinating that they converted a power station into an art gallery. The success of the Tate Modern exhibit was instantaneous. A million people visited the museum in just 40 days. It quickly became the most successful modern art museum of all time. A majority of the art here is Western European and North American which are surrealists and pop works. There is also a very little respect to women artists. This style of art brought the works off of the walls and turned museums into loud and noisy environments. I have always been fond of modern art and thought about using this as a topic for my project however I am still undecided. I liked how this video explored multiple museums and showed how modern art changed the style and layouts of typical displays.
Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology
This video was very interesting as it discussed a type of art than what is typical. It began by showing what looked to be a warehouse full of remains of Native Americans. Archaeologists are individuals that study the remains of ancient individuals. In 1976 Iowa passed a bill to protect burial grounds and many states quickly followed. Not only did individual archeologists get harmed by such laws however these laws then took aim at museums that housed remains. I feel that these kinds of studies are necessary to the field of science and our history. This video did not relate to my project at all because I never thought about the study of remains or by choosing a Native American theme. The video was very good as it showed how history had changed over time with the study. I enjoyed this video because it was on a subject that I knew nothing about.
George Eastman House
I liked this video because it related to both the studies and subject of this class as well as related to Rochester which is very close to Buffalo. He was the founder of Kodak as well as the first motion picture. He also created the first affordable camera for the masses and this would change the world forever. I think that this would be a great place to visit to see the amazing collection of pictures and equipment that paved the way to what we now know as pictures and photography. I really enjoyed how the video walked through the history of the equipment and the photographs and that the Eastman House has many items which are related. Over the past few years I have taken a great interest in photography. I bought a DSLR camera which saves on developing costs and allows me to take infinite pictures. I think that I have enough pictures of a specific theme that I could use my own collection for this art project but photography wasn’t my planed theme for project 4. This might change over the next couple of days though.
Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach
Modern art is also one of my favorite styles of art and I feel that Generation Y also takes a view on this. I found it fascinating that they converted a power station into an art gallery. The success of the Tate Modern exhibit was instantaneous. A million people visited the museum in just 40 days. It quickly became the most successful modern art museum of all time. A majority of the art here is Western European and North American which are surrealists and pop works. There is also a very little respect to women artists. This style of art brought the works off of the walls and turned museums into loud and noisy environments. I have always been fond of modern art and thought about using this as a topic for my project however I am still undecided. I liked how this video explored multiple museums and showed how modern art changed the style and layouts of typical displays.
Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology
This video was very interesting as it discussed a type of art than what is typical. It began by showing what looked to be a warehouse full of remains of Native Americans. Archaeologists are individuals that study the remains of ancient individuals. In 1976 Iowa passed a bill to protect burial grounds and many states quickly followed. Not only did individual archeologists get harmed by such laws however these laws then took aim at museums that housed remains. I feel that these kinds of studies are necessary to the field of science and our history. This video did not relate to my project at all because I never thought about the study of remains or by choosing a Native American theme. The video was very good as it showed how history had changed over time with the study. I enjoyed this video because it was on a subject that I knew nothing about.
George Eastman House
I liked this video because it related to both the studies and subject of this class as well as related to Rochester which is very close to Buffalo. He was the founder of Kodak as well as the first motion picture. He also created the first affordable camera for the masses and this would change the world forever. I think that this would be a great place to visit to see the amazing collection of pictures and equipment that paved the way to what we now know as pictures and photography. I really enjoyed how the video walked through the history of the equipment and the photographs and that the Eastman House has many items which are related. Over the past few years I have taken a great interest in photography. I bought a DSLR camera which saves on developing costs and allows me to take infinite pictures. I think that I have enough pictures of a specific theme that I could use my own collection for this art project but photography wasn’t my planed theme for project 4. This might change over the next couple of days though.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Week 13 - Video Blog
The Power of Art
I chose this video because I feel that art can be very a powerful and emotional. I liked the opening statement “can art change your life?” This statement was true for Rothko because he became so absorbed in his work that he committed suicide. I also learned that Seagram had Rothko decorate their first headquarters building. This relates to the text because it further shows examples of abstract art and how it affected people’s human emotion.
Uncertainty: Modernity and Art
I chose this video because I wanted to learn more about why the video was titled as Uncertainty. This video explains how the time of modern art after the Industrial Revolution and how it represents current society. After this period of time, life changed forever. Art has moved from the margins of social life to the center. What makes modern art interesting is that it continues to evolve around modern society. Modernism was an issue that we read about in the book this week. It was nice to see some video footage of some art galleries and types of art they housed.
Andy Warhol: Images of an Image
I picked this video because I wanted to further my knowledge of Warhol. I knew that he was famous for the Campbell’s soup image however I wanted to see what other kinds of works he created. He started his work being employed by advertising companies and magazines. I was interested to learn that he also did work for Coca Cola. The series of Marilyn Monroe silkscreens he created were also interesting. His style of repeating the same image is evident in the majority of his works.
The Art of Henry Moore
I chose to watch this video because I never have heard of Henry Moore and wanted to see what kinds of works he created and if I could recognize any of them. It was evident that Moore loved art very much. He stated that he drew anywhere and anything. He focused on drawing animals, figures of people, and trees. The figure was always important to him as it was a representation of a living thing. He put a large focus on his education and attended two art schools. He enjoyed Mexican art and it formed his views of carving.
Each of the videos were very informational and expanded on the reading in the chapters we read. I really enjoyed the narration in the first video; he has been in other videos we have watched and has a good style. I enjoy seeing more examples of the types of works while having the video narrated. This has always been an easier style for me.
I chose this video because I feel that art can be very a powerful and emotional. I liked the opening statement “can art change your life?” This statement was true for Rothko because he became so absorbed in his work that he committed suicide. I also learned that Seagram had Rothko decorate their first headquarters building. This relates to the text because it further shows examples of abstract art and how it affected people’s human emotion.
Uncertainty: Modernity and Art
I chose this video because I wanted to learn more about why the video was titled as Uncertainty. This video explains how the time of modern art after the Industrial Revolution and how it represents current society. After this period of time, life changed forever. Art has moved from the margins of social life to the center. What makes modern art interesting is that it continues to evolve around modern society. Modernism was an issue that we read about in the book this week. It was nice to see some video footage of some art galleries and types of art they housed.
Andy Warhol: Images of an Image
I picked this video because I wanted to further my knowledge of Warhol. I knew that he was famous for the Campbell’s soup image however I wanted to see what other kinds of works he created. He started his work being employed by advertising companies and magazines. I was interested to learn that he also did work for Coca Cola. The series of Marilyn Monroe silkscreens he created were also interesting. His style of repeating the same image is evident in the majority of his works.
The Art of Henry Moore
I chose to watch this video because I never have heard of Henry Moore and wanted to see what kinds of works he created and if I could recognize any of them. It was evident that Moore loved art very much. He stated that he drew anywhere and anything. He focused on drawing animals, figures of people, and trees. The figure was always important to him as it was a representation of a living thing. He put a large focus on his education and attended two art schools. He enjoyed Mexican art and it formed his views of carving.
Each of the videos were very informational and expanded on the reading in the chapters we read. I really enjoyed the narration in the first video; he has been in other videos we have watched and has a good style. I enjoy seeing more examples of the types of works while having the video narrated. This has always been an easier style for me.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Gallery Visit #2
Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University
Step 1: The Exhibition
Questions about the exhibit:
1. What is the title of the exhibit?
There were 4 main exhibits on display at this museum. Betty Gold: Edge, Color, Movement, Scott Bye: Method to My Madness, Through Polish-American Eyes, and an exhibit on the Underground Railroad.
2. What is the theme of the exhibition?
The Betty Gold exhibition was a collection of serigraphs whose theme used brilliant color and strong directional objects such as arrows. There were approximately 50 of these 26x20 inch works on display and were displayed in their own room.
The Through Polish-American Eyes exhibit was also in its own room and included drawing that represented the life of Polish tradition around Christmas time. There were many drawings as well as a few displays of what a traditional Polish Christmas meal looked like.
Scott Bye’s exhibition included all structures that were composed of abstract items. He also had a segregated part of the museum for his works. The artists used a variety of other individuals disregarded items to portray his ideas of health, politics, and the economy.
The Underground Railroad focused on the history of the movement that Niagara Falls is well known for. There were many displays that explained how the slaves secretly traveled from the southern states to Canada. There was also a display of the arm and leg shackles that were used during the time.
Step 2: The Gallery
Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used?
Most of the exhibits used track lighting to illuminate each of the art works. All of the rooms were very well lit. Scott Bye’s exhibit also used spotlights to light up his sculptures.
2. What colors are used on the walls?
The majority of the museum’s walls were painted white. There was a very large entrance room which included a massive orange wall. In the Polish-American display 3 of the walls were painted white while the other wall was painted a very vivid red color and complemented the black and white works that were on that wall. The Underground Railroad exhibit used an earthy green color scheme on all of the walls.
3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?
The entire museum appeared to be just painted drywall with each of the art works attached. This museum was only one floor and it had a tiled white floor. This style seemed to make each of the art works be the focus of the viewer’s eye.
4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?
Once entering the main room of the museum there is a room immediately to the right which leads the viewer to a start. After looking at all of the artworks the viewer moves into the next of three rooms. At this point the viewer moves through the back of the museum and into another group of three rooms coming back towards the front of the gallery. The viewer moves through in an upside down U shape.
Step 3: The Artwork
Questions about the artwork:
1. How are the artworks organized?
The majority of the artworks are all grouped into their own exhibits. Each room is a different style of artworks which was very interesting.
2. How are the artworks similar?
Each of the exhibits included very similar types of works the Betty Gold exhibition displayed many of the same size works with different combinations of arrows and vivid colors. Bye’s exhibition included different structures of random objects which forced the viewer to break down each part of the work piece by piece.
3. How are the artworks different?
There were a variety of different kinds of artworks on display. Some were oil on canvas, there were some photographs, colleges, and installations. Each of the exhibitions had their own theme.
4. How are the artworks framed?
A majority of the works of art did not have any type of frame. Some of the other works included very bold thick gold frames which looked like frames from a much older style of art. Many of the works appeared framed because the artist left a small border around the works using the absence of color on the medium used.
5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?
Each of the artworks were identified using small white plaques like in the Albright Knox gallery. They depicted the artists and title of each work as well as a short description of the materials used.
6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?
For the most part the entire gallery used about a one foot spacing between each of the art works and had them at about eye level to the viewers. There were many different works on display and made the gallery look full but not over crowded. There appeared to be equal distance between the floor and ceiling between each of the works.
Art Criticism
Artist: Betty Gold
Title of work: The Apex of Being from the Arrows Portfolio
Media: Serigraph
Date: 1970
Size: 20x26”
Source of picture (URL):
http://www.castellaniartmuseum.org/assets/Uploads/_resampled/SetWidth300-Gold-constant-contact-2.jpg
1. Description – The artist used a purple background for the entire image and included 2 arrows that meet in the middle of the work in two different colors. The arrow heads are outlined in white.
2. Formal analysis – The artist uses a variety of contrasting colors to make the arrows “pop” out. She also uses only straight lines to separate each part of the work. This piece is also symmetrical.
3. Bracketing - The arrows remind me of being directed in some way. I think that it is interesting that both of the arrows meet each other and point in opposite directions.
4. Interpretation – I think that the artists was trying to say that in any activity there is always a force from different directions and that only when they can equally meet in the middle can the activity be completed.
Artist: Scott Bye
Title of work: RV
Media: Cedar, grocery cart, wood
Date: 2008
Size: 36x36x72”
Source of picture (URL): http://www.sculpturebyescott.com/sculpture.html
1. Description – The artist used a combination of a shopping cart and pieces of wood to enclose the basket of the shopping cart and make it look like a house.
2. Formal analysis – The artist uses the cart as the base of his work and used pieces of wood to make the cart appear to be a dwelling. There are stairs leading up to what appears to be a door and a roof made from cedar shingles. The use of color makes the red cart stand out from the natural colors of the wood.
3. Bracketing – The dwelling in this piece reminded me of a small tree house. It was put together very plainly without any finishing of the wood.
4. Interpretation – I think that the artist was trying to express the idea that homeless individuals use a shopping in a way like an RV. It travels along with them and provides storage and represents their home.
Artist: Jed Jackson
Title of work: Courage My Friend the Devil and Death
Media: oil on wood
Date: 1987
Size: unknown
Source of picture (URL): http://www.castellaniartmuseum.org/castellani-art-museum-of-niagara-university-presents-jed-30-years-of-painting-by-jed-jackson/
1. Description – The artist uses mainly blacks in this piece of work to give a feeling of dark subject matter. A man and a woman stand over a man who is down on the ground. The man on the ground has his right hand extended as if he is saying stop. This man’s face is much more pale then the other 2 characters.
2. Formal analysis – Jackson uses a majority of dark colors to establish a value that the topic is dark and not pleasing. The characters are placed very close to each other and leads to a sense of compacted space. The proportion seems an unrealistic to the trees in the background but the people are proportionate.
3. Bracketing/Interpretation – Initially I felt that the subject matter was very dark. I like to interpret the art before looking at the title that the artist gave it. It seemed that the two standing individuals were connected in some way. The expressions on their face show concern but not sadness.
What did you think of visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?
This gallery is located in Niagara Falls where I have lived my entire life but never visited. I enjoyed the visit and was surprised by the extensive collection that they housed. I felt that they layout was very good and guided its guests in a very clear manner around the entire gallery from entrance to exit. The architecture was very clean and simple and really focused on the artwork and not the building itself. Each room was very good size and the main room was extremely large and housed some of the biggest works. I will be making another trip back in the near future.
Step 1: The Exhibition
Questions about the exhibit:
1. What is the title of the exhibit?
There were 4 main exhibits on display at this museum. Betty Gold: Edge, Color, Movement, Scott Bye: Method to My Madness, Through Polish-American Eyes, and an exhibit on the Underground Railroad.
2. What is the theme of the exhibition?
The Betty Gold exhibition was a collection of serigraphs whose theme used brilliant color and strong directional objects such as arrows. There were approximately 50 of these 26x20 inch works on display and were displayed in their own room.
The Through Polish-American Eyes exhibit was also in its own room and included drawing that represented the life of Polish tradition around Christmas time. There were many drawings as well as a few displays of what a traditional Polish Christmas meal looked like.
Scott Bye’s exhibition included all structures that were composed of abstract items. He also had a segregated part of the museum for his works. The artists used a variety of other individuals disregarded items to portray his ideas of health, politics, and the economy.
The Underground Railroad focused on the history of the movement that Niagara Falls is well known for. There were many displays that explained how the slaves secretly traveled from the southern states to Canada. There was also a display of the arm and leg shackles that were used during the time.
Step 2: The Gallery
Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used?
Most of the exhibits used track lighting to illuminate each of the art works. All of the rooms were very well lit. Scott Bye’s exhibit also used spotlights to light up his sculptures.
2. What colors are used on the walls?
The majority of the museum’s walls were painted white. There was a very large entrance room which included a massive orange wall. In the Polish-American display 3 of the walls were painted white while the other wall was painted a very vivid red color and complemented the black and white works that were on that wall. The Underground Railroad exhibit used an earthy green color scheme on all of the walls.
3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?
The entire museum appeared to be just painted drywall with each of the art works attached. This museum was only one floor and it had a tiled white floor. This style seemed to make each of the art works be the focus of the viewer’s eye.
4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?
Once entering the main room of the museum there is a room immediately to the right which leads the viewer to a start. After looking at all of the artworks the viewer moves into the next of three rooms. At this point the viewer moves through the back of the museum and into another group of three rooms coming back towards the front of the gallery. The viewer moves through in an upside down U shape.
Step 3: The Artwork
Questions about the artwork:
1. How are the artworks organized?
The majority of the artworks are all grouped into their own exhibits. Each room is a different style of artworks which was very interesting.
2. How are the artworks similar?
Each of the exhibits included very similar types of works the Betty Gold exhibition displayed many of the same size works with different combinations of arrows and vivid colors. Bye’s exhibition included different structures of random objects which forced the viewer to break down each part of the work piece by piece.
3. How are the artworks different?
There were a variety of different kinds of artworks on display. Some were oil on canvas, there were some photographs, colleges, and installations. Each of the exhibitions had their own theme.
4. How are the artworks framed?
A majority of the works of art did not have any type of frame. Some of the other works included very bold thick gold frames which looked like frames from a much older style of art. Many of the works appeared framed because the artist left a small border around the works using the absence of color on the medium used.
5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?
Each of the artworks were identified using small white plaques like in the Albright Knox gallery. They depicted the artists and title of each work as well as a short description of the materials used.
6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?
For the most part the entire gallery used about a one foot spacing between each of the art works and had them at about eye level to the viewers. There were many different works on display and made the gallery look full but not over crowded. There appeared to be equal distance between the floor and ceiling between each of the works.
Art Criticism
Artist: Betty Gold
Title of work: The Apex of Being from the Arrows Portfolio
Media: Serigraph
Date: 1970
Size: 20x26”
Source of picture (URL):
http://www.castellaniartmuseum.org/assets/Uploads/_resampled/SetWidth300-Gold-constant-contact-2.jpg
1. Description – The artist used a purple background for the entire image and included 2 arrows that meet in the middle of the work in two different colors. The arrow heads are outlined in white.
2. Formal analysis – The artist uses a variety of contrasting colors to make the arrows “pop” out. She also uses only straight lines to separate each part of the work. This piece is also symmetrical.
3. Bracketing - The arrows remind me of being directed in some way. I think that it is interesting that both of the arrows meet each other and point in opposite directions.
4. Interpretation – I think that the artists was trying to say that in any activity there is always a force from different directions and that only when they can equally meet in the middle can the activity be completed.
Artist: Scott Bye
Title of work: RV
Media: Cedar, grocery cart, wood
Date: 2008
Size: 36x36x72”
Source of picture (URL): http://www.sculpturebyescott.com/sculpture.html
1. Description – The artist used a combination of a shopping cart and pieces of wood to enclose the basket of the shopping cart and make it look like a house.
2. Formal analysis – The artist uses the cart as the base of his work and used pieces of wood to make the cart appear to be a dwelling. There are stairs leading up to what appears to be a door and a roof made from cedar shingles. The use of color makes the red cart stand out from the natural colors of the wood.
3. Bracketing – The dwelling in this piece reminded me of a small tree house. It was put together very plainly without any finishing of the wood.
4. Interpretation – I think that the artist was trying to express the idea that homeless individuals use a shopping in a way like an RV. It travels along with them and provides storage and represents their home.
Artist: Jed Jackson
Title of work: Courage My Friend the Devil and Death
Media: oil on wood
Date: 1987
Size: unknown
Source of picture (URL): http://www.castellaniartmuseum.org/castellani-art-museum-of-niagara-university-presents-jed-30-years-of-painting-by-jed-jackson/
1. Description – The artist uses mainly blacks in this piece of work to give a feeling of dark subject matter. A man and a woman stand over a man who is down on the ground. The man on the ground has his right hand extended as if he is saying stop. This man’s face is much more pale then the other 2 characters.
2. Formal analysis – Jackson uses a majority of dark colors to establish a value that the topic is dark and not pleasing. The characters are placed very close to each other and leads to a sense of compacted space. The proportion seems an unrealistic to the trees in the background but the people are proportionate.
3. Bracketing/Interpretation – Initially I felt that the subject matter was very dark. I like to interpret the art before looking at the title that the artist gave it. It seemed that the two standing individuals were connected in some way. The expressions on their face show concern but not sadness.
What did you think of visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?
This gallery is located in Niagara Falls where I have lived my entire life but never visited. I enjoyed the visit and was surprised by the extensive collection that they housed. I felt that they layout was very good and guided its guests in a very clear manner around the entire gallery from entrance to exit. The architecture was very clean and simple and really focused on the artwork and not the building itself. Each room was very good size and the main room was extremely large and housed some of the biggest works. I will be making another trip back in the near future.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Week 12 Video Blog Review
I chose the Matisse and Picasso video because I wanted to learn more about Picasso. He is one of the most well-known artists of all time. Mention Picasso and almost everyone makes the association that he was a famous artists. I also chose this because I was intrigued by the Picasso display at the Albright Knox Museum. A painting represents the idea of things during the Cubists idealism. In 1912 he created the first college which was done in oil and was the leader of the Cubist movement. This relates to the readings because Cubism was one of the topics I discussed in the forum posting.
I watched the Dada and Surrealism video because I felt that it was a very influential period of time which reacted to WWI. I think that this period of time since there was a push to develop art that represented life yet was very vague. The artists used a lack of detail in order to create a different type of representation to the viewers. Many of the works allowed the viewer to bypass easy traditional associations and forced them to think harder about the piece. The Dada movement was also a large part of the chapter 21 material.
The Expressionism video further expanded on the ideas in the chapter of artists creating work that emphasized emotional ideas by using the element of color. Kirchner’s works are very pictorial and are designed to express sensation rather than specific objects. I think that art should stimulate emotion and that the inability to do so doesn’t allow a work to be considered art. Expressionism is also one of the topics of the chapter we read. These works were created around the time my grandmother was born which I why I found a connection with them.
Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century was another of the videos that I chose to watch. This was because it included more of Picasso’s work as well as other works of art that were provocative which it another reason for creating art. Dali is an artist that gave us the idea that dreams could be represented in works of art. He was a very controversial artist during the 1930s. This was during the time of communism and fascist ideas. One of arts main ideas is to represent history and this is what the video makes clear to the viewer.
I prefer to watch these videos because I feel that they further explain what the text cannot represent. There are many more examples of each topic in the video and I like how the narrator breaks down some of the works of art to show each of the elements and what the artist was trying to represent. There is much more information in each of the videos then in the reading in the text. The textbook author and the narrators of the videos also have two different styles of explanation which helps comprehension of the topics.
I watched the Dada and Surrealism video because I felt that it was a very influential period of time which reacted to WWI. I think that this period of time since there was a push to develop art that represented life yet was very vague. The artists used a lack of detail in order to create a different type of representation to the viewers. Many of the works allowed the viewer to bypass easy traditional associations and forced them to think harder about the piece. The Dada movement was also a large part of the chapter 21 material.
The Expressionism video further expanded on the ideas in the chapter of artists creating work that emphasized emotional ideas by using the element of color. Kirchner’s works are very pictorial and are designed to express sensation rather than specific objects. I think that art should stimulate emotion and that the inability to do so doesn’t allow a work to be considered art. Expressionism is also one of the topics of the chapter we read. These works were created around the time my grandmother was born which I why I found a connection with them.
Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century was another of the videos that I chose to watch. This was because it included more of Picasso’s work as well as other works of art that were provocative which it another reason for creating art. Dali is an artist that gave us the idea that dreams could be represented in works of art. He was a very controversial artist during the 1930s. This was during the time of communism and fascist ideas. One of arts main ideas is to represent history and this is what the video makes clear to the viewer.
I prefer to watch these videos because I feel that they further explain what the text cannot represent. There are many more examples of each topic in the video and I like how the narrator breaks down some of the works of art to show each of the elements and what the artist was trying to represent. There is much more information in each of the videos then in the reading in the text. The textbook author and the narrators of the videos also have two different styles of explanation which helps comprehension of the topics.
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