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.

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.