Sunday, November 28, 2010

Video Review

1. The Lowdown on Lowbrow: Westcoast Pop art- I learned from this video what lowbrow is. Lowbrow is considered art that nobody else know how to categorize. Lowbrow artist were not really welcomed in the art world because they didn't want to embrace current art trends. Initially used with pictures having naked girls and hot rods in them. Lowbrow evolved into a meaning of its own different from the original meaning. Lifestyle is a social scene with a common experience. Lowbrow looks at spatter as just that and highbrow looks at the spatters and try to understand what the splatters mean. Lowbrow artists created there own scene because they were shunned out by the museums and art galleries. IInternet brought awareness so people could become more aware of the lowbrow art. Vast majority of punk rock musicians had fine art backgrounds. Lowbrow art part of music into it created its identity of its own. Lowbrow art got through to people by record covers and posters.
   Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach- I learned that this gallery does not charge for admissions. The Tate Museum is one of the most popular museums. Museums give art its value when they display them. Thematic approach allows curators to bring together works of art from different artists. Categories open up endless possibilities. Became difficult to look at individual art. Art displayed so that the observers do not get bored.
   Bones of Contention: Native American Archeology- I learned that Native Americans want the bones of their ancestors back. Racist line of research to establish the level of intelligence of the people of the world. Skulls were collected to be measured and determine the intelligence. The new law of Repatriation requires the bones to be returned back to the tribes. A concern is that data will be lost with the return of the bones. Information can be obtained from the bones to discover how the Native Americans fit in with the rest of the human community. Repatriation is a large and difficult task because of the different tribes and amount of bones to be returned. The greater the similarity between the skulls the greater the probability the skull belonged to a particular group. Places that will accept unclaimed remains even the ones that belong to a different culture.
   George Eastman House: Picture Perfect- I learned that George Eastman would be the father of modern photography and founder of motion film. I also learned he lived in Rochester, NY. He created the first user friendly camera and place photography in everyones hands. The mansion frames the story of his life. Photography is a complicated subject. The invention put into motion a photo revolution. Kodak was a made up name, the K came from his mothers maiden name and just played with other letters and vowels that he felt would easily noticed and pronounced in other languages. The colonial estate is the center of the museum. Took a photo album around the world with various photos that he showed some parts of his life. You can also access some photos of the collection. He comitted suicide because he didn't want to be remembered by the disease that caused his death.
2. I didnt complete that project. So I would have to say no. But just looking at the videos and going through the various clips I would assume in some way that it would have been some relation between the creation of the Art Exhibition and the videos. The reason I say this is because the videos covered a variety of different aspects.
3. The videos add meaning and depth to my knowledge and understanding. It allows me to visually see the different art works that art work is displayed and some of the thought process behind creating a display. I believe the videos will provide me with a starting point and some sort of reference. I just hope I do not run into technical difficulty again along the way.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Video Review- Week 12

1. I selected the videos because of the titles. The titles seemed to click a light bulb in my head from the readings through the text and some of the images that I have seen throughout the course. Some of the titles just seemed interesting in itself.
2. Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the '50s and '60s- I learned that abstract art titles are intended to make the observer think and feel what the painting is. Some abstract paintings look empty the space filled is different than that of figurative paintings. The abstract painting is physical and mental. Once you notice the details of abstract art you can begin to understand the language of the painting. Some abstract art seems to be changing with our reactions as we notice more colors when observing the painting. The language of the line and shape and color as a means of saying more rather than less about the world then more traditional methods could. Working with a cloth allowed the colors of the painting to appear to be sinking into the picture. Abstract shapes must have a likeness, not of a specific image but of an echo of sensations we may recognize. 1950s in NY heroic time for painting. Common bond of the artist was to create something that the European painters had not already done. Some subjects were of things that can be found in the ordinary world that was seemingly take for granted. Andy Warhol pop arts most famous son. Pop art first 20th century art movement since futurism to embrace the rhythms, images and textures of modern city life. Simple and sophisticated images.
   Uncertainty: Modernity and Art- I learned that art has its own memory in itself. Industrial revolution brings about the emergence of modern life shattering old images. Modern art tells us that something broke that can not be put back together again. The future would be able to see by our art that a society defined by change. Art of the past was aspirational and idealized modern art is restless questioning. We live with uncertainty because we are just parts in a system. Art offered individuality instead of standardized experiences. Abstract artist says this is the experiment what is it telling you. Abstract art was deliberately open ended and obeyed only its own purely visual rules. Uncertainty is your not sure of status of anything. Pop art describes civilization relaxing. Art mirrors what we are at the level we are already at. Traditional style back in art is just as disturbing as abstract.
   Andy Warhol- I learned that he never wanted to be an artist but always wanted to be a tap dancer. He used stencils and acrylic paints for his art.
   The Power of Art: Rothko- I learned that Rothko's body was discovered a few hours after 9 of his paintings was brought and he died from suicide. He was an abstract painter. His paintings begin an unknown adventure into an unknown space.
3. The videos relate to the readings because they give more in depth descriptions than the text. The videos also help to create a more visual and audio approach to the concepts in the text. All the videos related to each other and seemed to have overlapped. I thought this interesting because the videos just flowed to me.
4. The videos are nice. For me they help solidify  concepts that I have read. Sometimes I read the material and it seems vague, but after watching the videos I have an "ah ha" moment. The videos are a nice component to this course.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Video Review

1. I selected the four videos based on the order they were in. Matisse and Picasso was probably the only video that I choose because I wanted to learn more about it.
2. Matisse and Picasso- I learned that they were a little nervous about the relationship in the beginning. The relationship between the two was unique and has never been repeated in art history. Both artist broke with tradition. Matisse was the uncontested leader of Fauve and it was an American family that was stunned by his work of a woman with a hat. He was a strength of genius. Picasso was a born painter and Matisse did not become aware of his talents until his early twenties. Matisse rationalized and Picasso didn't care much about rationalization but was more impulsive. Picasso had an intellectual approach which was foreign to Matisse. Picasso was the first to create a colleague. Picasso painted most of his paintings from memory and observation not form posed model. Awareness of differences brought them together. Matisse believed paintings are not for decorating apartments and that his paintings are the pages to his journal. Death of Matisse was awful for Picasso, and a way of his mourning was to carry on their dialogue.
   Dance at the Moulin de la Galette- Was the most beautiful picture of the 19th century. Renoir painted the picture twice only changing the size. Renoir lost his childhood family home and looked the originality of it in the city he moved in. He painted local girls and believed there was no such thing as poverty in art. His paintings depicted the way women and men interacted with each other, flirting with sexuality. Renoir aesthetics were of sunshine and daylight and the beautiful. A gap in between seats in one of his paintings gives you room to venture into the picture. Renoir pictures invite you into them. He had a hope for life that was doomed and his paintings responded to the heart first and the mind later.
   The Mystical North: The Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the present- I learned that Goya questioned what it means to be a human being. He began painting lighthearted decorative pictures and was considered the father of modern art. Illness left him deaf and he began creating a darker style more pessimistic. He often painted pictures of despair. His home was isolated and he painted the walls with black paintings.. Antoni Gaudi was the first great artist in Spain since Goya and exemplified Barcelona. His style was opposite that of Goya. He was inspired by God's natural world. Picasso was driven by the tension between spirituality and sexuality. Cubism was the coldest most rationalist phase of Picasso's art, making people and objects shimmer something like seen in a vision.. Spain never lost deep conviction for work of art to really capture you. Surrealism was an artistic movement to explore irrational, ideas of the unconscious, and world of dreams. Dali pictures showed an endless clowning around.. There was a tension between his genius and self-pradody. His paintings combined sex, death, and food. Self-obsession and self-exploration was present in the 20th century. Dali was kicked out of the surrealist. Architecture holds the key to Spanish art in the 21st century.
   A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884 (Seurat)- This was the painting of the artist who was concerned with experiment and obsession. He repainted the whole canvas. It is hard to understand what the painting is about and often the meaning is changed. It became a hide and seek and was inspired by endless caricatures.Seurat was somewhat conventional and decided early on to study art. His art making was interrupted from his military service. His everyday subjects were mostly solitary figures caught in a half light. His figures were somewhat mystical figures. The subjects were more commonplace. Often painted unaccompanied women and was believed to have painted a prostitute in one of his paintings who was fishing. The revolutionary technique was most important. Only an artist for about 10 years before dying of diphtheria and his death was considered a great loss to art. Popular culture adopted the painting and adding to the characters. Advertisers love the serenity of the painting.
3. The videos relate to text just like the other videos the elaborate on concepts and abstracts within the text. Focusing on main portions that the text briefly referred to.
4. I like the films. Although for the first one I was a little nervous because of the subtitles in the beginning. After continuing to view the video it became just like the rest of the videos, easy to understand and enhancing the meanings and concepts that I read in the text previously. The add depth and understanding to the material for me because of the details and background knowledge that was provided of the artist and the time in which they were created.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Art Making/Material Exploration Blog: Mask Making

1. I choose the three designs because of their meanings. I also choose the designs because of the detail in them. It was overbearing and it flowed with the mask. The colors were simple and allowed for the details to be appreciated instead of drowned out.
2. I used the elements in principles to create the mask by outlining parts in black. That to me help give the mask and certain details definition. I tried to use different shades of purple to show the difference in the color and the value. I tried to use different patterns to create a rhythm that would be in harmony with one another.
3. I had fun creating the mask. My children helped me with the colors. I think watercolors are a little bit messy but for the most part I really enjoyed making the mask. It actually surprised me how well the finish product came out to be. I tried to use colors that were bright but not over dominating. I also used the colors that are each of my children's and mine as well favorite color.








Friday, November 5, 2010

Week 10 Video Review

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.
African Art: Legacy of Oppression and African Art I choose because I just wanted to gain more information from what was already in the text, and also because I seem to be drawn to African artworks.
Buddhism I choose because I found the topic to be interesting from the reading and I have a friend who often tries to explain this religion.
Hinduism I choose because the previous video mentioned it, so I guess it become more interesting after the fact.
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
African Art: Legacy of Oppression- I learned that the some of the masks actually creates a sinking feeling in ones stomach. That the mask are two toned for a reason. The white side indicates the healthy side and the black side indicates an illness. It was made to create fear so that people would not make fun of the handicapped, and respect elders. Because of the diversity in the cultures there is a huge range of art styles in Central Africa. A world fair once displayed live Africans because they were new and not understand by the Europeans.
African Art- I learned that it played a strong sense in the daily life of the people, with a strong aesthetic sense revealed in traditional homes, everyday utensils, clothing and hairstyles. Some materials like wood and straw deteriorate and were not made to withstand the humid climates. Some art works from these are are less than 200 years old. The oldest existing art is found in the dryer regions. African art was relatively unknown to the Europeans until the 19th century. The Europeans thought the art to be childlike and primitive. To understand the African art you must be familiar with the concepts of perceptual and conceptual art. The Africans focused on more conceptual art. Where the artist used their imagination, mental images and perceptions of invisible forces.. African art take into account realms of magic and religion. The Africans created statues to harness the supernatural powers. The art was not to represent a living human or animal except a powerful king or noble, but instead was used to conjure spirits.
Buddhism- The greatest temptation for Buddha was to walk off and reach nirvana-which is the highest enlightenment. He was a rebel who spoke softly but firmly against authority. Freedoms from preoccupation that feeds the ego and obstruct the way to enlightenment allows the Monks to be of this world but not in the world. Buddha shares his enlightenment and was a gentle and serene person. A stupor has a story to tell and the lotus is the flower of he Buddha. There is actually a Monastery in upstate NY. Leaving the shoes off at the door confers respect and the chanting is done to free them distractions of the ego.
Hinduism- The river is a symbol of life, death, and rebirth. Worship can be done anywhere and does not need a large temple but instead have detailed shrines. The reason why it does not have to be so great is because you can't take it with you, and it appeals to the idea of letting go. There are many gods and goddesses in this religion. The many gods and goddesses is what helps create rich art and architecture because they are seen through these representations of art and architecture. Finding your way to Brahma can be affected by your personality and your circumstances. Hinduism does not seek to convert other religions, but respect those seeking Brahma. The female is the begetter of life. Once liberation is reached the cycle of life is ended. There are many ways to reach Brahma.
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos relate to the text because they elaborate on the information that was in the text.
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
I always like watching the films after reading the text. The videos always add on to information that I got from the text and it also solidifies concepts that were in the text,