Reflections of AED 200

My expectations for this course were very simple; I figured we would be learning about different artists and their work. This class was much more than that. We learned about art in different time periods and also how the art was developed, which was interesting to me. Making the blog was not at all something that I had expected we would be doing, in addition to all the art gallery visits we had to do. As someone who has taken many online classes, I had never had to do work that involved me physically having to go somewhere. I definitely think having to physically go to art galleries helped open my mind more and helped me understand the different elements of art as well.

My definition of art remains the same as it did in the beginning of the course, which is that art is something created by an individual to express or depict a certain emotion, feeling, or event. I would like to add though that I think art is also a form of creative expression. Sometimes an individual does not need to be feeling a certain way in order to make a beautiful piece of art. Sometimes it can be something that was created simply by the current thoughts of an individual, with no specific purpose behind it.

I am embarrassed that in my initial discussion post I stated that I couldn't think of any artists off the top of my head. I don't even know how that was possible! Anyway, I think that Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso have got to be my favorite artists, in addition to Michelangelo. Van Gogh paints awe-inspiring paintings of the night sky where I feel like I could stare at his pieces for hours. Picasso paints many pieces where he distorts peoples faces, making them looking ugly in a way, yet something about me loves this. I cannot pinpoint why this is, I think part of it is because that is kind of like his own personal style when painting images of peoples faces. As for Michelangelo, I think he is a complete genius and that the sculptures he has created cannot be matched. They are life-like, yet always show more than exactly what meets the eye.

After completing this course, I still enjoy online classes. I think I do relatively well in them. Some online classes are a bore and I feel as though I am wasting my time, which is my current feelings on one of the other online classes I took this semester. The only constructive criticism I have for this class is that for the weekly video blog reviews, although the videos were always different, the four questions were always the same. By the end of the semester, this made the video reviews become kind of boring to me since I felt like I was always talking about the same type of things because I was always answering the same questions. Other than that, I really enjoyed this class and liked how you don't have to have an art background in order to excel in the class.

Art Analysis Project - Geurnica

The color of this piece intensifies the drama, as it is only blue, black, and white. It is full of abstract lines and abstract faces, and many different forms of value. It is interesting how all of the faces within the piece are either whites or light greys, while most of the background is darker shades of greys and blacks. This helps make the faces pop more and not get buried in the abstract design of the piece. There is also an overdose of movement within the piece. There are faces at all angles, meaning there are eyes looking at all angles. For me personally, I know that I tend to look wherever a face in a piece of artwork is looking, so since there are so many faces and sets of eyes, I found myself looking all over the piece, scanning everything quickly before looking at the individual aspects of the piece.

This work is a mural-size canvas painted in oil, and the discarding of color intensifies the drama as I stated above, which produces a reportage quality as in a photographic record. The rampaging bull in the top left of the piece is a motif of destruction, while the horse is meant to represent the people Guernica. This may be confusing as first, since there are different faces featured within the piece, so you would think the faces are what represent the people. This is the case, but the horse being compared to the bull also makes sense, since the bull is the devastating force of destruction, while a horse is a more peaceful, innocent creature. This shows how the people of Guernica were affected by numerous tragedies of the war.

Picasso painted this piece as an immediate reaction to the Nazi’s devastating casual bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. This piece shows the suffering that the war inflicted on innocent civilians and became a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. As talked about above, the horse and bull are a contradiction to one another, but are two important characters within the piece as they represent the opposite of meanings. The left side of the piece shows a woman who is crying out as she is holding her child who was killed. The other depictions of humans in this piece are a dead soldier laying on the ground, a woman holding a lamp and leaning through a window, as if to see what was going on in the world outside of her home, a woman on the right side who is rushing into the center of the piece as if to save someone, and another woman on the ride side who is wailing her hands in the air while her house burns down. All of these depictions are symbols of what happened during the war and bombing practices.

I think that all of the human beings within the piece provoke the most emotional response. They also convey a persuasive image in my mind, since they are portraying real life events. The images represent an undeniable form of brutality and darkness. Even decades later, this piece still touches home with many people who were very innocently murdered due to the Nazi bombings and WWII. In particular, this hit Picasso hard when hearing about what had happened to his country of origin. Once you understand all that is going on within this piece, you cannot deny that it is a potent symbol of the destruction of war on innocent lives.

It is very difficult to critique Picasso’s work because he is such a genius with his art. I think the biggest strengths in this piece are what the people in the photos are depicting. The messages that he conveys in this piece are eye-opening and a difficult reminder of what happened during 1937. There is so much movement going on in this piece, which also helps portray the fact that there was complete chaos during this time. This is another strength of Picasso. As for a weakness, the only thing I can’t seem to understand within this piece is the light that is hanging at the top of the piece and the scroll that is held in someone’s hand at the bottom of the piece. There does not seem to be any unity with these two images, although I am sure there is, since Picasso never paints something just to paint it, there is always a meaning. I have tried to determine what these symbols mean and represent, but cannot seem to find the answer. I wish this was more obvious, although almost nothing Picasso does is obvious. The only obvious thing within this photo is a sense of chaos, pain and suffering. Everything ties together at the end when learning about why it was created and what it relates to.

References:

Guernica, 1937 by Pablo Picasso. (n.d.) Retrieved on May 4, 2016, from,

http://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp

Guernica. (n.d.) Retrieved on May 4, 2016, from,

http://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/collection/artwork/guernica

Self Portrait Art Gallery

My Portrait

Media: Digital photo, cut into abstract pieces to form portrait collage

Size: 8.5x11 in.

Artist: William Doran

Title: Charles E. Burchfield at his Desk

Media: Reproduction of Ektacolor slide

Size: not stated

Year: 1996

Artist: Charles E. Burchfield

Title: Self-Portrait

Media: Watercolor and conte on paper

Size: not stated

Year: 1916

 Artist: Majorie A. Wyckoff

Title: Bust of Martha Visser's Hooft

Media: not stated

Size: not stated

Year: late 30s

I chose these three pieces because I liked the difference in them. The first portrait is a picture that was taken, the second is a watercolor painted portrait, and the third is a sculpted portrait, so I thought it was nice to have portraits with different media.

The first portrait, which is an image of Charles E. Burchfield, is actually what inspired me to use a photo as my self portrait as well. I then added my own creative touch to it by cutting abstract pieces to make my portrait look like a puzzle or type of collage.

I struggled for a little while on how to make my portrait creative and different. I decided to do something simple, but not something I have seen before in any of the art galleries that I have visited this semester. My friend is a photographer, so I had her take a close-up picture of me from the shoulders up with her digital camera, then I printed it and cut the picture into different pieces, then pieced them back together.

I think this piece sort of represents me because it is jagged and not perfectly pieced together. This is how I feel mentally right now with the end of the semester and graduating within the next two weeks. My brain is all over the place, so it's interesting how my portrait represents different pieces of me that may be separated from another piece.

There are irregular shapes and lines within my portrait, since I cut different pieces out of the image. The portrait also shows a sense of space, since the pieces are not perfectly fit together, creating some space in between them. 

I didn't mind this project, although I do think that what I enjoyed most about this project was creating my own portrait and trying to add my own twist to it. This involved me being more creative, which I liked. I have always like portraits and how they portray a person differently depending on the textures, colors, and the emotions/feelings that are expressed in a persons face.

I like my final artwork. I love taking photos, so I enjoyed being able to use a photo of myself and like I said, add my twist on it. I'm happy with how it turned out, although I do wish that it had more dimension to it and that it wasn't as flat.

Art Curation Exhibition Reflection Journal

The Art Curation Exhibition Slideshow was actually something that I enjoyed doing, which surprised me. I think the reason for this is because of the theme I chose, which was any type of artwork that portrayed different skies/skylines/sunrises/sunsets. As I stated in my powerpoint, I have always thought that our sky is one of the most beautiful wonders of our world and is often overlooked.

After finding all my pieces of art that were based on the sky, I wrote what the image was portraying and why it was significant. I also decided to have a little more fun with the project by including an interesting fact about each piece, which better explains either the piece itself or the artist who created it.

Finishing up my slideshow, I tried to make text colors and fonts coincide with the theme and the pieces represented, but also kept things simplistic. I did this so that the most important and most eye-catching thing for each slide was the image of the art.

I have developed even more of a respect for artists who choose to portray the sky in their art, as it is not something that is easy to do and can easily be critiqued by viewers since we all know what our sky looks like. Still, each piece represented a different kind of sky, which makes the viewers feel a different type of mood.

Art Criticism Exercise

Artist: John E. (Jack) Dummer

Title: Untitled

Media: Stretched and dyed rubber, 12 panels

Date: 1990s

Size: Not stated

Source of Picture: Picture taken with camera at gallery

This piece shows 12 different panels, all of which are the same texture but with different coloring. Some of the panels are dark shades of purple and blue, while some have hints of yellow or light blue. This piece is interesting, as it represents what can happen with the colors on the stretched rubber from sitting there for an extended amount of time. The colors are faded into the stretched rubber, giving the piece a very elegant, simplistic look to it. Some of the panels show dots on the dyed rubber, while others show lines across the dyed rubber as well.

Artist: Seymour Drumlevitch

Title: Illuminations for the 21st Century - Catalan and Petenera

Media: Acrylic on canvas

Date: 1972

Size: Not stated

Source of Picture: Picture taken with camera at gallery

This piece catches the eye immediately due to its bright yellow background. Most of the piece shows the yellow background, while the top half depicts an abstract, colorful image. Although I am not exactly sure why the artist choose this type of design, my original thought in regards to what the colors were meant to represent was that each color symbolized something that went on or took place within the 21st century. Line is very prevalent in this piece, as the abstract design is broken up within itself, with each piece having its own color.

Artist: Charles E. Burchfield

Title: Early Spring Summer

Media: Watercolor and charcoal on paper mounted on board

Date: 1950

Size: Not stated

Source of Picture: Picture taken with camera at gallery

Although the title of this piece is a positive one, this piece looks like it represents an abandoned piece of land. It is almost eery when looking at it from farther away, rather than close up. The sky is bright in color, but the trees are black and without leaves, the fence separates part of the land within the piece, and the house is far in the distance with a dark rooftop. The land itself shows lots of textures, making part of the field look like it has tall grass, while the bottom left corner depicts a dry piece of land that is just starting to grow back.

Art Gallery Visit #2 - Burchfield Penney Art Center

The Burchfield Penney Art Center has many different galleries within itself. I took pictures and looked at 8 of the galleries: Andrew Deutsch Gallery, Anthony J. Sisti Gallery, Charles Cary Rumsey Gallery, Fluidity in Form Gallery, Jack Drummer Gallery, R. William Dootlittle Gallery, Sylvia L. Rosen Gallery, and The John R. Oishei Foundation Gallery.

Although I will show all of my pictures of the galleries below, I will be talking and answering questions about the Jack Drummer Gallery.

Title: Jack Drummer: The Effects of Time Gallery
Theme: The pieces made by Jack Drummer are made from his "materials that have transformed so much over time that they look unrecognizable.
Lighting: The lighting that is used in this gallery is very basic, yet very bright. There are bright, white lights throughout the whole gallery that hang above all of the pieces and also from the ceiling.
Colors on walls: The walls are completely white. This makes the room look very bright since all the walls are white and all the lighting is white as well.
Materials used in interior architecture: The only materials used for the interior architecture of the Jack Drummer Gallery are thick, white walls that protrude through the huge space, making the space look like somewhat of a maze from above. This makes the whole gallery more abstract to walk through. Other than the white walls, there are basic benches throughout the gallery for viewers to sit on.
Movement of viewer through art space: Because there are protruding white walls, this makes the viewer have to turn a few corners in order to see certain pieces when walking through the space. I liked this, seeing how it allowed me to concentrate more on the pieces that were currently around me, until I turned the corner or to another side to view different pieces. It created a bit of suspension on what would be coming up next through the walk.
Artwork Organization: The artworks are all hung on the white walls. They all hang relatively at the same height and in the center.
Artworks Similarity: The artworks are absolutely similar. Each piece flows with the next. The colors and textures may be different, but the back canvas/panel is the same, in addition to the shapes of the canvas which is either a square of rectangle. Some of the pieces are multiple canvas placed together, which is another similarity.
Artworks Differences: Like I just stated, some canvas shapes differed between squares and rectangles, in addition to their sizes. There are also some pieces that exhibit much more texture and have a 3D effect to them, where the painting is lifted off the canvas. Others have a tie-dye look to them and simply differ in color and the abstractness of them.
Artworks Framing: The pieces are not framed. They are all on canvas/panels that are simply hung on the wall.
Artwork Identification: All of the pieces in the gallery are identified by a small rectangle that is placed directly next to each piece stating the artist, year, title, and media.
Artwork Proximity: Each piece of art has its own wall, making lots of white space around each piece. This helps viewers keep their eyes focused on one piece at a time.

Andrew Deutsch: Object as Energy Point Gallery




Anthony J. Sisti Gallery




Charles Cary Rumsey Gallery




Fluidity in Form Gallery


R. William Doolitte Gallery






Sylvia L. Rosen Gallery




The John R. Oishei Foundation Gallery

Video Reviews - African & Chinese Art

I chose the African Art video because from what I can remember, lots of African sculptures consist of long bodies and large facial features, in addition to bright colors painted on these bodies and faces, so I thought it would be interesting to choose this video to see if it touches upon this style of art. As for my second video, I chose the Chinese Art: Treasures of the National Palace Museum The Great Wave video because I have always liked Chinese art that depicted army soldiers standing in rows of each other, which I saw that our book touched upon. Chinaware is also very beautiful, so I thought it would be cool to hear about the making of Chinaware as well.

The African Art videos talked about the meanings behind African art, from making pottery and utensils, to dress, hairstyles, and other forms of ornamentation. Art is also very important in traditional African rituals, like masks for example. These masks were made of wood and straw, representing patterns that have been handed down from generation to generation. The Chinese Art: Treasures of the National Palace Museum The Great Wave video talked most specifically about the different glassware, or Chinaware. It stated that people used black glazed tea bowls to help accentuate the paleness of the tea, which I found to be odd, yet interesting. The Chinese teapots that were featured in the video were also intriguing, as they had similar features of current styled teapots, like the spout and the tail, yet it also featured 3 legs that the bowl part of the teapot stood on.

The text discusses African clothing and ornamentation in Africans, which was talked about in the African Art video. The textbook features an image titled Temne nowo masquerade with attendants. The term nowo refers to the mask that is featured in the picture. The picture depicts females surrounding a girl who is hidden underneath the mask, and shows the bright, ornate colors that are being worn by the woman all around her during a ritual. For the Chinese Art: Treasures of the National Palace Museum The Great Wave video, this video was based solely on a diverse collection of 33 pieces like glassware, jars, cups, cabinets, and other artifacts. I did not see any Chinaware featured in the textbook, unless I somehow missed it, and was sad to see this considering how much I love Chinaware. My family has a few different sets of Chinaware that are absolutely beautiful and have continued to remain pristine through many years, so I wish the text had touched on this specific subject more.

As always, both videos helped provide further explanation of different pieces of art, like how they were made, what their meaning was, what they were made of, and also showing 3D images in close detail. I do wish that the Chinese Art: Treasures of the National Palace Museum The Great Wave video discussed more than pottery and artifacts, but I liked how it showed close-up, 3D images of every piece they showed, including a description of what the different markings were.