Video Reviews

The four videos I picked this week were African Art, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese Art: The Treasures of the National Palace Museum. The reason why I picked these specific videos was because these were the topics in our readings this week that interested me the most.

African Art: The key concepts in this video were: That art was shown through hair styles, dress, rituals, and performances. Art was an important tradition, and it is usually incorporated with dance. Sound, color, and movement are all concepts of African art. Many of the ceremony art pieces were mostly made of wood or straw. The oldest existing art can be found in drier regions where there are carvings on stone or sculptures, also that carvings or sculptors where considered the homes of the ancestors. The main point that I found most interesting was that African art had an influence on the famous Picasso.

This video relates to our readings this week because it helps reinforce and give images of what African art was and how was created and used.

Buddhism: The key concepts in this video were: The key teaching is “Tanha” which means feed to extinguishing of desires and all things that the ego contains. After Buddha died Buddhism was split into two groups the monks “Hinayana” and the “Mahanyana” which mean big boat. Sanchi became the center of art and architecture and after Buddha died he was rarely shown in art form he was created by using symbolism. The Borobudur Temple is the largest shrine in the world, and the Great Stupa is where thousands of Buddhists go to pray. This temple contains 432 sculptors of Buddha’s. The most interesting thing I learned in this video was that in the east pilgrims must walk clockwise in the Stupa or any temple because this is how they would be able to let go of material things for the attainment of virtue.

This video relates to our readings this week because it helped give me a more in depth understanding of Buddhism and certain things that go into it.

Hinduism: The key concepts in this video were: The only source of life is “Brahma” which means great breath there are several ways to “Brahma” which were shown through their many Gods. Within Hinduism there is a wonderful sense of spiritual in the ordinary and everyday life. That Varanasi is the holiest city in India and within this city there is a river called “Ganges”, and this river is the symbol for the circle of life. Many priest would go to this river and perform an “aarti” which to honor the gods. Gods and Goddess in Hinduism are the same as saints to Catholics they help the people gain access to their higher God. There was a lot of architecture created with sculptures of their Gods. The Kandariya Mahadev temple was built by the rules of Chandella which is located in Khajuraho India. The walls are covered with erotic images and this is where pilgrims go to pay respect to the “lingam/Phallus” of its life giving creative forces.

This video related to our readings this week because it helps reinforce the concepts we read about that relate to Hinduism.

Chinese Art: Treasures of the National Palace Museum- The key concepts of this video were that it allowed the viewer to see many pieces of art that are in the museum. It was a collection which spreads over 5,000 years. There are too many to talk about so will list my three favorite- I really like the Chinese double handed vessel because it contained the earliest treaty over territory which I thought was very interesting that they used art work to document agreements. The second were the tea bowls that were from the Zhou dynasty they were beautiful and the details on them were amazing. The third was the golden Buddha in a lotus position on a throne with his hand lifted to show webbed fingers that shows a gesture called Buddra of the absence of fear. This sculpture has so much detail on the front and back and I really liked how each item told a different story or had a different meaning.

The video related to our readings this week because it helped provide visual images of all the many different types of art work and sculptures that were created in our history and the meaning behind them. This was my favorite video because it allowed me to see and appreciate the great attention to details that went into creating the art work.

Exploring Line

Left Hand Dominant

At first I didn't think this project was going to be hard but I quickly realized after I started that it's a lot harder than I thought. I liked creating the pictures of my hands and I actually made several drawings because I did one set without all the lines and creases and then created another set with them. I never realized how much detail is actually in a hand. I used pencil because I thought it would be easier to create light and dark lines within the drawings. At first drawing with my right hand felt a little strange but I got use it because a few things that I do I can use either hand. I'm happy with the way both drawings came out I was surprised by how good my drawing came out with my non-dominant hand. Looking at both drawings I can see that the details with the lines are stronger when I was using my dominant hand as compared to using my non-dominant hand. I will continue creating drawings with my right hand because I feel if I continue to practice this I will feel comfortable creating drawings with my non-dominant hand.  

Video Review

The first video that i watched was " The Drawings of Michelangelo" and I picked this one because I didn't know much about him or his work. The key concepts in this video were: That he taught himself how to sculpt, he had incredible knowledge of human anatomy which helped him create "David". Through his drawings people could see that he was a perfectionist and that there was certain techniques that were visible in most of his drawings. Another one is that some of his drawings would be a visual intrepretation and explanation of his feelings.
This video relates to our readings for this week because it helps reinforce Michelangelo and his art but it also gives a good explanation of the style of art that was going during the Renaissance.

The second video I watched was "Leonardo da Vinci : The Mind of the Renaissance" and I picked this one for the same reasons i picked the first one and that is because I know very little about him and his work.
The key concepts in this video were: He was an extremely smart man even when he was younger people could tell that there was more to him than an average child. He was the example and explanation of what a "Renaissance Man" was. He developed many urban projects for Milan and one thing that i found very interesting was that he often spent many hours/days thinking about a project and most of the them he never picked up a brush.
This video relates to our readings this week because it helps give information about Da Vinci and his works but also it helps explain characteristics of a man that would allow him to be called "Renaissance Man". It also helps get a better understanding of Renaissance art.

The third video I picked was "La Primavera (Botticelli)" and I picked this one because it was the next one on the list that was about an artist from our readings that I wanted to know more about. The key concepts in this video were: That he studied under an artist by the name of Fra Filippo and it's form him where Botticelli learned how to use drapery to help create movement in his female subjects. This work of art was interpreted to many meanings and themes to it such as: religious, symbolic, and even homosexual. Many people have spent a lot of time really picking apart this work of art and it's many meanings and themes. This video also talked about the types of paints he used and why he used them.
This video relates to our readings this week because it helped me become informed about Botticelli, humanism and neoplatoism styles of art.

The last video I picked was "The Night Watch (Rembrandt)" and i picked this one because I wanted to stay with my theme of video's that I have watched so far. The key concepts in this video were: That this painting has become an icon for Dutch art, This painting has been through a lot of violence and the worst one was when it was cut down so it would fit through a doorway. This video also talks about the many different characteristics that this painting incorporates.
This video relates to our readings this week because it helps reinforce what we read about the Baroque style of art.

As always I enjoyed watching the videos because the help back up our readings but I really liked the ones I picked out because each one focused on a certain artist and their work. My favorite was "The Night Watch"  I can't really explain why except for the fact the I liked learning about everything this work of art has been through and its still standing strong.

Video Review

In the video More Human Than Human- The key concept was about realistic and unrealistic images of people that were being created In the beginning portraits of humans were never a true representation of how they looked in real life. Throughout time they have transformed into almost exact representations of what that person actually looked like.
This video relates to our readings this week because it helps reinforce what we read about the progression art made from unrealistic to realistic form in the creations of human sculptures and paintings.

The three video's I watched were: Cairo Museum, A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript, and Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany.

In the video Cairo Museum- The key concepts were about the museum and all of the ancient artifacts inside it. I was surprised to learn that this museum is so large that they only show sections of at a time. I also learned that they relocated mummies so they could be near this museum, this video also helps with the understanding of how they preserve artifacts and the types of materials that were used to create each work of art.
This video relates to our reading this week because it helps reinforce what we read about the different types of materials that were used during that time.

In the video A World Inscribed-The key concept was about the production of manuscripts and books, who created them, and how long they took. I was surprised to learn that monks were the ones who created these and also about the amount of time and work that went into these but they came out amazing. I don't think i would ever have the time or patience to complete something like this.
This video related to our readings this week because it helped me further understand art from the middle ages.

In the video Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany- The key concepts in this video were how the plague was transferred from place to place, how many works of art would be left never finished, how artist would now start becoming more interested in the "Divine World" and not so much the "Natural", and how this epidemic became one of the reasons for the Renaissance.
This video relates to our readings this week because again it helps reinforce our readings about art during the renaissance period.

I enjoyed watching all of these video's I always do because they help me understand our readings much more especially if I don't understand something I know the video's will touch base on it in some way. I have to say my favorite was Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany, yes it was a sad and difficult time but I was very surprised that most artist placed much of their focus on creating art as it should be and not letting the issue surrounding them effect their work.

Video Review

In the video Prairie Style talked about some of the contributions that Frank Lloyd Wright had to architecture. Some of the concepts that I learned were: The development of single family homes, horizontal layering, and also the idea of using nature and natural materials. Frank Lloyd takes the Victorian style homes and their  value of space and transforms them into one of flowing space, using the fire place as the center of attention in the middle of the room. This also created more space on the walls for windows to allow for more sun light. With extra windows the sun will travel through  creating open views of the entire home and outside. Frank Lloyd Wright tried to use an organic approach which also led him to leave the old ideas an focus on the new ideas of open spaces. This video related to our reading because it focused on Frank Lloyd Wright and explained in detail some of the things he did.

The video Architecture: The Science of Design, the key concepts were about skyscrapers and there structures, materials that were used to build them, and also the advancement of living spaces. This video related to our readings because it talked about the environment, planning, redevelopment, and Green technological advances.

The video Classical Architecture it was very informative on Greek and Roman architecture and how they were the building blocks of all styles of architecture. The three Greek orders are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles of columns and post-and-lintel construction. The Roman elements are Tuscan and Composite arches. There was a lot of emphasis placed on proportion, harmony, and symmetry which repeated its self over and over again. We still see domes and rotundas still used today. This video related to our readings because it help reinforce the concepts we read about with Greek and Roman elements and styles of building structures.

I picked Frank Gehry: Architecture as Art: I picked this one honestly because it was first on the list. I liked this one because I had no Idea about his work and I found this to be interesting and full of information the only thing I didn't like was that you could not get a good look at his work because the video didn't focus on them for long periods of time I found myself stopping and backing up a few times just to get a good look. The important concepts in this video were about how Gehry's creative nature which helped him in creating sculptures that would be used as buildings. He said that he gained much of his creativity from visiting museums and viewing the paintings inside. He also used influences from pop artists and Robert Roschenberg's paintings.

Installation Project

Installation Art- A form where an entire room or similar space is treadted as a work of ark to be entered and experienced. It also can be the placing of a work of art in a specific location, usually for a limited amout of time. The types of materials that can be used in an Installation work of art are not limited the artist can use just about anything they want. Artist create installations becaus eit allows the views to experience the art in real form and not just look at a painting or drawing.
In the video's I liked Richard Wilson's 20:50, I could not believe that he was able to create this inside. It looked amazing and i was i could see it in person to exerience it. On page 256 I saw an installation by an artitsit named Yayoi Kusama and the two works that I loved were "Fireflies on the Water" (media) plexiglass, mirror, lights and water, It was created in 2002 and the size is 9'3x12 1/2'x 12 1/2'. http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/reviews/robinson/robinson2-18-c.asp
 Another on of her works that I found and I loved was "You Who are Getting Obliterayed in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies" (Media) mixed, created in 2005. http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanmyrland/2659894833/
My project i decided to use wood just because I had a hard time with this one and I just settled with it. I wish I could have gotten deeper into this but for some reason I just couldn't get a handle on it. This Installation could be set up anywhere i have it in the basement but it could also go outside.

I used pieces of wood and a wooden curtain as the base for this project and after looking at the finished product I a fort that you could hide in and I see a home that is being built. The elements of art that I see are: shape, mass, line, color, texture, and light. The principles of art that are present are: balance, emphasis, and  proportion,

Peer Blog Reviews

I took a look at Nicholas Sessana's http://www.sessanna01.blogspot.com/  and Monica White's blogs. http://monicawhite420.blogspot.com/
Project 1: I looked very closely at both of their projects of the elements and principles of art. I really liked the fact that their were no two pictures a like. There was so much of variety it was amazing! With Nick's photo's for movement I think he could have also used it for shape and mass. When i was looking at Monica's photo's her harmony photo i also saw line, shape, color, and texture.
Project 2: We all had different photos for every section which i thought was great because it just shows how different people are. I did see two images that peek my interest and that is because I liked then as well but they just didn't make it into my group. Nick's image of "Untitled Flood" I was drawn to the because of the brightness and boldness of the color red. Monica's image of "Soft Manhattan" I loved the effect it gave of both hard and soft.
I had a lot of fun with this because it is always nice to see what other people are using for their projects. I like the fact that most of the blogs that i looked at all had different types of picture of each project. The variety was great. It is also nice to see someones point of view for a work of art at the art gallery that you liked and didn't use. I liked reading the comments on my blog because it's nice to hear good feed back from other people about work that you put a lot of time into.