Video Review

The key concepts of the video Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach are:

·         MOMA art started around 1929

·         Henry Tate’s International museum opened and within the first 47 days it had 1 million visitors and within one year 4 million people and visited.

·         Art was displayed in four sections Landscape and that also included matter and environment, Still-life and that included object and real life, History included memory and society, and last was nude which included action and body.

·         There is controversy one Long’s and Monet’s art work because they are very different and yet they are placed together in the same room.

·         Sometime when visitors go to the Tate museum they are hit with an abrupt transition between rooms.

·         Some critics say that art should be more than a form of entertainment and that visitors who go to the Tate are required to have no prior knowledge of art due to its presentation of art.

·         Joseph Beuys room creates a church like atmosphere and some people have a hard time understanding it especially since the next room is so completely different.

I like this video because it was full of information which focused on one museum and its art work. This one also helped me with learning about art curators.

In the video George Eastman House: Picture Perfect the key concepts are:

·         He was born in 1854 and he was the father of photography.

·         Eastman and his company have made many achievements in art, science, and the phenomenon of photography.

·         He is the founder of Eastman Kodak and the inventor of motion picture films.

·         1949 his house was opened to public and they could go there to study the history and medium of photography.

·         Treasure Trove contains about 400,000 photos, 25,000 films and many different machines for film making.

·         There are about 14,000 amateur and professional photographs.

·         The collections have many types of photos from famous to obscure and documentary to fine art.

·         In 1882 the first photo of lighting cause captured by William Jennings and he did this because he wanted to show people what lighting actually looked like.

·         The Eastman house holds the largest Daguerreotype collection outside of France.

·         Daguer was the first commercial camera created to be sold to the public.

·         The first camera sold in 1846 to Samuel Beamish for $76.

·         2 million went into the restorations of the Eastman home and it was redone just the way it was when he was alive due to the get photo’s Eastman took of his home.

·         140,000 images of Eastman’s collection are viewable online.

·         He killed himself on March 14, 1932.

I found this video very informative about the entire process of the development of photos and the camera and I never knew that this place existed and that it’s so close to Buffalo.

In the video The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art the key concepts are:

·         The dictionary meaning for Lowbrow art is a person regarded as uncultivated and lacking in taste.

·         Robert William says he invented the term but he doesn’t like the definition.

·         Some people like the term while others like the term lowbrow surrealism.

·         This art type appeals to many different cultures, pop, car, folk, and comic. These different cultures also helped influence this style of genre.

·         Rock posters fit into this genre of art and they were shown in museums all over Europe but not in the U.S.

·         Underground comics began in the late 60’s and Robert Crumb was the one who really set it off.

·         Lowbrow art was not easily accepted so the artist’s would create their own scene.

·         Female artists increased in Lowbrow because it was more open to women than any other movement.

·         The Internet really helped lowbrow artists get their art out there.

·         Lowbrow art exploded with punk rock because artist could use album covers to get their work out to the people.

·         Pop Tarts are a group of women lowbrow artists who held shows in California

·         Lowbrow art has been highly recognized over the past 10 years.

I enjoyed this video because I had no idea what this type of art was called until I watched this video. I learned a lot about Lowbrow art and what types of art work would fall into this category.

In the video Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology the key concepts are:

·         Back rooms of museums and universities are full of the remains of Native Americans who many of them have been victim of Genocide.

·         Native Americans want their remains back and researchers fear that history will be forgotten or lost forever.

·         Hidden graveyards reveal Anglo remains that are buried and they were taken for science to be studied.

·         Maria Person fought for the return of the bones and a law passed in Iowa 1976 the protection of Native American’s and soon other states followed except California.

·          David Van Horn was charged with criminal possession of Native American remains.

·         California laws against the possession of Native American remains hurt archaeologists and museums everywhere.

·         Burial mounds were considered too civilized to be created by Native Americans but research shows that it was in fact the Native Americans who created them.

·         Brains were studied to relation of intelligence and studies showed that whites were larger Native Americans were middle size and African Americans were the smallest. This was obvious racism against other cultures.

·         Susan Harjo fought to have Native American remains to be returned.

·         18,000 Native American bones were stored in the Smithsonian’s inventory.

·         Lifestyles and manufacturing led to the death and decreased birth rate of Omaha women.

·         New York opens a museum N.M.N.A and that holds the largest exhibits of Native American artifacts.

·         Native Americans were allowed to design and set up the exhibits within the museum. It’s a show case of their culture past and present.

This video was a little sad because I never knew that all of this was going on and there was such a fight for the return of remains. I learned a lot from this video.

Video Review

For this week’s video reviews I just randomly picked four for our list and just like last week I decided to use bullet points instead of writing in paragraph form because it’s a nice change. All of this week’s video’s that I watched relate to our readings this week because they help reinforce art styles, mediums, and movements that artists used in their art work as a reflection of them and their feelings towards certain things.

In the video Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50’s and 60’s the key concepts were:

·         During the 50’s and 60’s abstract expression was born from combining the attitudes in America and European art, but it was soon rejected because it had nonfigurative and seemingly egocentric characteristics.

·         Franz Kline’s painting was used to compare figurative and abstract art.

·         Kline’s starts off with creating his paintings based off of mood and expression but eventually moves towards using color t create imagination with sensual impact.

·         His paintings can be viewed as impact painting because shapes are used to create emotion this is meant to allow the viewer to constantly be discovering new things. The outcome of this process is what leads to a world of color and form.

·         Another artist by the name of Frankenthaler is known for creating art based off of feminine and mystical influences. She has impacted a new generation of artists.

·         Willem de koonig’s work “Women One” was also a clear example of what an action painting should represent.

·         His work “Morning: The spring” shows movement with examples such as the plant forms, light, and falling water.

·         Andy Warhol was pop arts most famous during the 1960’s

·         Pop art was never a well defined movement but it was the first movement since Futurism in the 20^th century.

·         Warhol and Rauschenberg were icons of the 60’s and helped create a pathway for future pop artists because of the use of everyday objects.

In the video Hockney on Photography the key concepts were:

·         During the 19^th century the camera was not created it was only the chemical process and painters would use this to create an image to paint from.

·         David Hockney played around with photography during the 1980’s for five years and he shows examples of this through picture collages.

·         His first collage was created with a grid-like form but them he later moves towards free form.

·         Hockney’s photo’s show the same multi-perspective philosophy as Cubism.

·         Cubist pictures were the first set of photo’s that confused viewers because they were “only perceptions of reality and that are pictures, not reality”.

·         Hockney painted a chair for Van Gogh’s foundation.

·         Equality is present in every one of his photos because he says “Everything is related to everything else.

·         When he moved from Polaroid’s to 35-mm he had to know keep compositions in his head because he was not able to view each photo individually before taking the next one.

·         In the 80’s he created a painting of the Grand Canyon and to appreciate the painting the viewers had to look at it just as they would the real thing.

·         He then created another painting of the Grand Canyon which showed his mastery skills with color

·         Hockney created a series of collages of things close up the perspective one would see if they were doing it themselves.

·         With collages there is really no limit to what a person can create or use.

·         Hockney has a love hate relationship about his photography life.

·         He has done work for Vanity Fair and Vogue magazine.

In the video Andy Warhol: Images of an Image the key concepts were:

·         Andy Warhol was a commercial artist in the 60’s until he started experimenting with advertising images until he died in 1987.

·         He was very interested in Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.

·         In 1962 when Marilyn Monroe died Warhol took an image of her cropped it and printed a series of this image colored it, discolored it, etc. This is what made him famous.

·         He created a huge image of Elizabeth Taylor using one image and repeating it over and over again. It was called “Blue Liz”.

·         The “Ten Lizes” was created in 1963 and Warhol used a 5.65 meter canvas each face was 1 meter wide and he placed ten images of the same picture on it, because this is such a huge canvas the viewer is forced to move around while looking at it.

·         Silk- Screening is when you take a photo and blown up onto silk screens they use transfer paper, canvas, ink, and paint.

·         He created a silk screen of Elizabeth Taylor in 1963.

·         Warhol used repeat images as a way to make money.

·         Warhol used his art journalism to talk about things such as riots, the cultural revolution of China, the conquest of the moon and many more.

In the video Isamu Noguchi: The Sculpture of Spaces the key concepts were:

·         Isamu Noguchi uses his childhood memories and feelings when he creates his sculpture gardens.

·         When he was young and lived in Paris and the US he lived in poverty.

·         He redesigned Bayfront Park in Miami and his sculptures help show just how versatile his art work is.

·         Noguchi uses the medium such as water to create a new approach to his sculptures. Through his “Expo ’70” and others you can see how he uses that space around his sculptures.

·         The “Black Water Mantra” is an example of how he can create something useful to people.

·         “Water Stone” is an example that shows us that nothing is perfect and yet nature is always perfect even with its imperfections.

·         In his Japanese residence the gardens surrounding it are made of metal, stone, grass, and earth which he calls “Celebration of life”.

·         In 1988 he creates his final work which is created within a 40 acre park in Japan and he uses three dimensional models.

·         This park is described as going into another realm because of the way he created it and it will forever be a monument to him and his visions.

Art Gallery 2

Pablo Picasso- Nymphs and Satyrs- 1964- 14 Glass figures 2of 3
This art work was set up in a rectangle room with white walls and all the art work was created by Picasso. The art work on the walls had thick frames, thin frames, and this specific one was in a glass case set up against the wall with a whit shelf. Next to each work of art there was a square with the title, artist, date, and some other additional information. The room was set up so that that the center was empty allowing the viewers to walk freely around. All the pieces were similar in the aspect of they were all created by Picasso but they were also different because they were not all the same media.

The elements of art that are present are: Shape because each one is not the same they are all made to be a visual representation of what it should look like, Mass because they take on a 3-Dimensional form, Color because they are all made entirely of shades of blue, and Pattern because they are all the same when it comes to color and style. The Principles of Design elements that are present are: Unity because they all flow together, Scale because they are all of smaller size to what we would normally see, and Rhythm because this art work is repetition.

Arshile Gorky- The Liver is The Cock's Comb- 1944- Oil on Canvas.
This work of art was set up where they was other art work on the walls as well as some that were set up in the walk way area. The art work that was on the walls had no frames, thin frames, and thick frames. The art that was not on the walls had a defined area for that work of art and the viewers were not suppose to enter that space. They were all different because they were created by different artists and they were of different media. The information was on a square with the artist, title, media, and year. The one that were not on the wall and a section set off with a stand where the viewer could find all the information about the piece and who created it.

The Elements of art that are present are: Color because this artist uses many different shades with contrasting colors. Lines and Shape because the artist created clear shapes and others that are left incomplete for the viewer to complete, also there are thick and thin lines. Motion because looking at this the viewer gets the sense that this art work is in motion. The Principles of Design that are present are Variety because everything about this piece provides the viewer with a lot of difference which is visually pleasing, Subordination Because the back ground is made less appealing as the center for the viewers eyes.


James Rosenquest- Nomad- 1963- Oil on Canvas, Plastic and Wood.
This art work was set up in a very well light area and there was art work on the walls, on the floor, and Installation art. They were all different because they were from different artists and they all were created to have a different view point to the viewer. The information for each work of art was either on the wall next to the art or it was set up on a stand near the art work so the viewer could see it. The room area was set up so the there was dividers between some of the art while others were only a few steps away allowing the viewer to chance focus and compare artist with really have to walk far.

The Elements of art that are present are Line because the viewer can clearly see think lines, thin lines, and undefined lines. Color because there is a variety of different colors and shades present, Shape because some are noticeable while others are not and the viewer has to complete them, Mass because of the wood and plastic that are on the floor give the art a 3dimensional look, and Motion because certain aspects create movement such as the grass and the wood on the floor. The Principles of Design that are present are Variety because all of the things that are going on allow the viewer to many things that interest the eye, Scale and Proportion because the items created are larger than normal size items and some are larger than the item next to it.

Over all I liked this art work visit more because I was not focused on finding a certain amount of art work that met the areas I was looking for. This one allowed me to really look at the art and enjoy it and it's surroundings. 

Video Review

I did this week’s video listing’s a bit different because this week I used bullets instead of writing in paragraph form. I did this because just because I was getting a little tired of writing about them the same way every week. I’m glad I changed it up because it seemed less repetitive this week as compared to the past weeks. There was no reason to the videos this week I just looked at the list a picked four.

The key concepts of the video Matisse and Picasso are:

·         Picasso and Matisse were artists that both steered away from tradition.

·         Gertrude Stein was one of the first to recognize and speak about how great these two artists were. 

·         Matisse was an artist who was deliberate and organized when it came to organizing his thoughts, while Picasso was the opposite he was impulsive and the type of man who would completely submit himself into his work.

·         Paris was the city of up’s and down’s for both artists

·         Picasso’s work didn’t exist outside his paintings and his inspirations would come from real life women.

·         Matisse’s inspirations were also women but they would model for him.

·         Both artists have completely different working styles and they both worked off of the others art.

·         WWll was considered a jumping off point for Picasso’s work.

·         Picasso was an artist who loved to be the public while Matisse was rarely seen in the public

·         After many years they finally met at Matisse’s home and they talked about the many differences in their choices of art.

·         It took Matisse four years to create and complete “The Vence Chapel” and he used the element of light to “introduce immensity into a small space”.

The key concepts of the video Dance at the Moulin de la Galette are:

·         The first showing of this art work was in 1887 and Gustave Cailebotte bought it and then donated it.

·         The art work’s meaning is pleasure and it allowed people to see the past times of Paris.

·         Renoir created two separate copies of this painting and he used local people as models to help show two different worlds the Bohemian and the Fashionable men and women of lower class.

·         This painting was created during a time when political oppression and Montmartre were at the forefront of the troubles.

·         Renoir’s version of this painting was created more towards the romanticism theme while many other artist’s show the dance hall with a more Realistic aspect.

·         Renoir captured the changes of light, color, and immediacy of the moment which were all characteristic of a true impressionistic style.

·         There is a lot of controversy over which of the two painting’s were created first.

·         In 1990 this painting sold for 78.1 million dollars to a Japanese tycoon and he kept it in a vault for seven years until it had to be auctioned.

The key concepts in the video The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19^th Century are:

·         Goya was thought of as the father of modern art and he was 100% deaf.

·         Much of his art focused on death, the wrath of God, and man’s inhumanity to man.

·         The walls of his home were covered with his “infamous black paintings” which depicted watches, violence, and devil worship.

·         When he died Spanish art came to a stop for about fifty years, around the 20^th century is when Spain became what is called “the power house” of modern art.

·         Gaudi was an architect who broke out during this time and was thought of as the inventor of art for the future.

·         When Picasso was 14 years old he had his first sexual experience which was the first of many that would lie at the heart of some of his paintings, while others depicted a religious theme.

·         Picasso was very superstitious of the Catholic religion.

·         Surrealism and the unconscious emerged out of the decline of religion and Salvador Dali was one of the many painters to emerge during this movement.

·         “The Persistence of Memory” showed that all that lived was going to die and decay.

·         Salvador’s painting “The Specter of Sex Appeal” and “Premonition of a Civil War” are both examples of his dreams and unconscious both are filled with images of sex, death, the future, and food.

·         Picasso’s “Guernica” is a image of one of the worst times in Spain the Spanish Civil war and while Franco’s ruled over Spain many artist were forced into exile.

·         Santiago Calatrava was an artist who was at the front of the new wave of architects in Spain

 The key concepts in the video A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884 are:

·         Georges Seurat’s image of “La Grande Jatte” can be found in the Art Institute of Chicago and he is described as unfathomable.

·         He had a classical art education and his teachers had placed the focus on his drawing.

·         There are many questions about this painting and the Island its self, such as the meaning of the monkey, and the lady with the fishing pole.

·         One of Seurat’s painting techniques is pointillism which he didn’t start doing until Ascension Day 1884 where he tried different characters, character placements, and light.

·         He spent ten months on “La Grande Jatte” and others say the dots next to each other help bring the colors alive.

·         Egyptian art had an influence on Seurat’s art work as well as classical sculptures such as “Parthenon frieze”.

·         In 1886 when this painting was set to be displayed many other impressionists didn’t want their art next to his.

·         1958 the painting was almost destroyed by a fire.

·         Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George” is a musical aspect of the painting “La Grande Jatte”.

All of these videos relate to our readings this week because they help reinforce different art movements and themes that occurred during those times. They also helped back up the different artists and their work of the specific times.

Mask

Diablico Sucio Mask:

La Chorrera Panama like most Caribbean art comes from both African and Roman Catholic traditions. The elements of art that I see in this mask are: Line, Shape, Color, and Mass. There are lines all over this mask while some create shapes, some are there are boundaries dividing colors. Mass is presented by the 3Dimenionationl aspects meaning the horns, eyes, ears, eyebrows, and the mouth.  The use of color is amazing, I really like the way the shades change in area. There are also a variety of different shapes presented all over this mask. I picked this one because I really liked the way this one looked with all the colors. The principles of art that are present are: Unity and Variety because all the colors flow together but there they are different. I did see Emphasis as well because The area that I could not take my eye off of was the eyes and mouth.

Venetian Bird Mask-Venice Italy:

This is a carnival mask created in Italy, and the elements of art that I see are: Line, Shape, Color, Mass, and Texture The lines flow into each other creating shapes. Some shapes are clearly noticeable while others are only partially finished leaving the mind to finish the outline of the shape. The glitter and jewels give the mask texture. Mass is present with the 3Dimenional features present in the mask. I picked this one because of the visual texture that is present with the glitter and jewels. The principles of art that i see are Variety and Unity because while the colors are mild they provide just enough to be visually eye pleasing to allow the eyes to notices the differences. Balance because everything just seems to be in just the right spot where one part does not have more emphasis than another.

 

Paper Fish Mask- Mexico City, DF:

This mask is also called a fantasy mask but it could not be worn it was just created for visual art. The elements that I see in this mask are: Line, Shape, and Mass, Texture, and Color. The lines create direction and movement. Mass is present throughout the mass with the 3Dimeniontional features, while the colors are bright and vibrant. Shapes are present and while some are clearly seen others are left for the mind to create. I picked this one because the colors caught my eye I couldn’t stop looking at it because the colors are so vibrant. The principles of art that are present are: Proportion because because to me everything is just the right size of each other. Emphasis I believe is placed on the mouth because that is the one area that could not stop looking at. Variety because there are many different things going on from the colors to the shapes. 

My Mask i decided to make a real 3D mask because i thought it would be a lot of fun but I didn't realize how much work i would be putting into the mask. The materials I used were clay, paper mache, and paint. I first used my sons face and placed clay on it to mold an outline. Then because it started to crack I went over it with paper mache. Then I painted it with a pink and didn't like it so I went over it with white. Which was much better I then used Q-Tips and used different colors to make the dots. The only real elements of art that are present in my mask are: Color, Shape, and mass. Like i said before I used a variety of colors to create the circles all over the mask. Mass is present in the 3D features that are present in the mask. The principles of art that are present are Unity and Variety because the colors flow together while at the same time give the mask a variety of colors. Proportion is present because everything is in size relationship to each other. I am very happy with how the mask turned out given this was my first time ever making something like this and with everything I did learn what works and what doesn't work for next time. 

 

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.