Course Reflections

1. My expectations for this course were to get the credit for class in order to graduate, as well as to learn more. Both of these expectations were met (so far as long as I continue to get good grades!) I learned so much more than I expected in this course. It was very, very hard for me at times to sit down and get the work done, but I am glad I did. I learned so much more about the depth of art, as well as the history and meaning behind so many pieces!

2. My original post said "Art is the expression of the eyes, nose, ears, and brain in multiple forms. Art can be expressed in drawing and painting, but also in music, poetry, writing, and many other areas. Art is hard to define, but it is produced and expressed by an artist."
The only thing that I would add to this post is how emotional art is as well. Art is full of feelings and emotions which speak so far, yet are silent. So much can be said and felt in simple works of art.

3. My favorite artist was, and still is my sister. I am also beginning to like some of the work that I have done myself throughout this course, and my lessons with her. She is still the best!

4. I had taken online classes before. I still like them, but also have learned a lot about discipline throughout this class. It is not as easy to complete work when someone isn't telling you to!

Week 15-Self Portraits

 

 Inspiration Pieces

My Artwork
















1. I selected these inspiration pieces because of the personality involved in the artwork. I looked through hundreds of pieces, and many were just front on shots of individuals. They all seemed so boring, and uninterested. They seemed to almost be mad that they had to be in a picture. When I found these three pieces of artwork, I loved the expression by the individuals. I feel like I was able to learn so much more about who these people were. They seemed happy, and fun, which is how I like to be.

2. I chose to draw with pencil, because since this class has started I have been getting lessons from my sister about drawing and doing a lot of sketching. Throughout these lessons we have mainly used pencil, so this media I feel very comfortable with, and you can erase!

3. I had a really hard time drawing my teeth and had to erase several times and continue to try until I was satisfied. I also felt that as I started to draw the background, it took away from the subject (me) so I did not finish it!

4. This piece represents me because I am laughing, which I love to do. This picture and drawing both are great expressions of me. I love to be outside, and to laugh.

5. Line, color, shape, form, and value all can be seen in this self portrait.

6. I loved working on this project. As I mentioned before, I have been practicing and taking lessons with my sister. I have never drawn myself, so this project was fun to have my sister guiding me through.

7. I am so proud of all of my hard work on this project. Overall, I am very proud!

Week 15 Video Review

The first video I chose was Greenberg on Art Criticism: An interview by T.J. Clark. This was an interview with Clement Greenberg who advocated for the old abstract expressionism. The various ways that art is analyzed and criticized was discussed. What was also discussed misinterpretations as well.

The Critics was about how art criticism is perceived by the public, and talked about the variety of criticism and the amount of weight that is put on public perceptions. This video spoke in depth about how criticism helps to show other explanations of art. This is not always on impulse, but it is about facts, and feelings as well.

These videos both helped to discuss and interpret critics on artwork. They also showed how knowledge and background information can help to decipher between what is really art, and what is not. The biggest things that I took away from the videos was how to give better feedback as a critic, and also a better understanding on the fact that the opinion of others when compared to your own greatly differs with art.

Overall, I think that the videos certainly added depth to my understanding of criticism.  What is important to remember is that many criticisms are opunions, and they are specific to the individual. What one viewer might love, the other may not, depending on their life experiences, culture, and feelings. Critics do help to benefit the art that they are critiquing. 

Art Curator Exhibition

Creating this project was quite a lengthy project, and it turned out to reveal more to me than I had expected. I chose to create my project theme around nude art. I chose nude art because my sister studied and created nude drawings before and has always said it was very interesting, and I wanted to do something in which I knew nothing about.

My original intent was to create an exhibit with both male and females as the main subjects, but there are very limited pieces of art that are famous of men who are nude. However, what I learned was that women are mainly the subject for this type of art.
Women are portrayed in a few different ways throughout art history. They either seem very confident in who they are and with their sexuality (often portrayed to be too comfortable) or seem very timid and inferior to men. In many painting, women sat with their legs open, or stood with confidence in who they were. In others, men were present, but only to control a woman in some way.

The way that I set up the slideshow was to produce great variety in the types of pictures and portrayals. I tried to switch up how the women were viewed to open up to new ideas and interpretations. The background color that I chose was to keep with the "natural" theme, as I see being nude a natural state. I tried to find a font, and a color that went along with this theme, but struggled to find a font that fit what I was looking for. Therefore, I kept with a simple font in black to stick with the idea of plainness, just as a body that is naked without any clothes and jewelry can be seen as plain.

Weeks 13&14 Video Review

1. The Lowdown on Lowbrow talked about the influences by comic books, movies, and music. I learned about how the genre evolved from pop culture, rock and roll surfing, and tattoos. Within lowbrow art, there is a lot of humor, sexuality, and action. It has been rejected to be contemporary art, but has also gained a lot of popularity in more recent years. There were many great examples of what pieces were created as lowbrow, and explained a lot a lot how it got started, and grew. 

Displaying Modern Art: the Tate Approach talked about the success of the opening of the Tate Modern Art gallery in 2000, as a million people visited.  There is a unique display of the collection in which artwork is grouped by themes. Because of this, many different eras can be seen throughout one collection. Many different types of pieces also may come together to make up a collection. Majority of the Art is Western European, and North American. Modern art changed the styles and layouts of displays.

Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology talked about archeological sites all over the US, and showed the remains of Native Americans. These remains are studied and are used to help with the field of science. After a woman spoke out, the collecting of bones became outlawed. Many people in the science field grew upset, as they believed that much more could be learned through the artifacts, the Native Americans wanted everything and everyone to be left alone.

An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and the Metropolitan was much like the second video, as it was part of a series about great museums. This video told a lot about the history of the museum. 

2. The Tate Modern Gallery Video gave me ideas on how to “think outside the box” when organizing the works, and not only doing things the way that they are normally done. The Great Museum video was a great reminder to use art from all different places. Additionally, in general they gave more exposure to the art world, and the many different pieces that exist. It is very helpful to hear about more artists and to look into their work in order to incorporate it in.

3. These movies were shorter, and more modern and upbeat. They gave for new ideas, and expanded on a few ideas that I had before viewing. They brought more of a knowledge to art museums and curation. 

Module 12-Videos

1.     I chose Abstract expressionism and Pop: Art  of the 50’s and 60’s because I wanted to know more about this time period, as it is what was going on when my parents and grandparents were alive.  I picked Uncertainty: Modernity and Art randomly.  None of the others really sounded interesting, so I just picked this one and started watching!

2.     Uncertainty talked about how this is such a part of our daily world, and showed the struggle that artists have because of the uncertainty of modern society. This has lead to great experimentation and reflections.  Changes in culture and society have a great reflections on the changes that happen in art.   Many new pieces of art had emerged in this time period, usch as cubism and pop art, and it was often very difficult to know exactly what to consider as art.

The abstract expressionism video talked about how expressionism came to be after World War 2. There was a notion of expression over perfection, and it also changed and challenged what art really was. Many critics were not impressed at this art, but Pop Art led to different feelings.

3.     As for most of the videos, they are relatable because many of the major topics are talked about, but you are able to actually see more about the artists during that time period, as well as more details and examples exist. The videos are able to show a greater importance of the topics.

4.     This videos gave much greater knowledge of expressionism, as well as society and critics feelings toward art at this time. Greater detail about how art was influenced was expressed, and they were very informative.  The art movement and globalization in China were both very clearly expressed in the films. 

Art Gallery Visit

Exhibit:
1. This exhibit was called "Disclosure, Women of the Burchfield Penney Collection"
2. The theme was that of the representations of women, ideals of beauty, motherhood, and work

Gallery:
1. The gallery only has overhead lights. Lights were not dim, but were not at "normal" brightness either. Spotlights were used on the display cases.
2. The walls were painted a dark grey.
3. The interior architecture was hardwood floors and simple walls.
4. The movement seemed rather simple. The room seemed to draw the viewer to the outside, as 80% or more of the pieces were on the walls on the outside of the room. There was a lot of open space in the room with only a few pieces in the middle. In the first section of the room, the display cases made a U-shape, and in the second room the displays were in more of a vertical line. 

Artwork:
1. The artworks seemed to be organized in a random matter. They were not organized by authors names, or by their theme. There were oils on canvas, then sculptures, and paintings all in a row.
2. The artworks were similar in that the perception of self seemed to be very common, along with women, children, and families. 
3. The artworks were different in that some women seemed proud of their bodies, and who they are, while others almost seemed to be hiding and ashamed. A few works also included males. 
4. The frames used were wood frames, or glass cases.
5. The artworks were identified and labeled with engraved plaques on the walls to the right of the artwork. 

Esther Lapham Hoyt Sawyer
Untitled
Charcoal on Paper
Undated
http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/


Although the image is hard to see, the lack of emotion on the mother and child's face are both able to be seen, which are important.
A woman holding her child is seen here, and the woman does not seem happy. She is alone with a child, and this situation does not look like a "happy family." It looks as though it could be representing the difficult life that single mothers can face. 
The lack of color used here is important. I think it adds to the dimness and sulky mood that is felt. Theres is contrast between the dark and the light. 
For some reason, this picture reminds me of the famous Great Depression photos. The artist is trying to show this hard life. 




Ellen Carey
Self Portrait 
Lithograph
1987
http://www.porticony.com/ftp/Images/EC1730_THMB.jpg

This piece of art almost plays a trick on the eyes when you look at it. It seems very deep and emotional, as if something is almost hidden. The picture is beautiful of the woman in the background.
There is a woman, and many different lines covering her face, as well as objects hanging down that she seems to be pushing through. The woman is staring straight on, and looks emotionless.
Line, shape, and direction are all used. These all are coming out from the middle, and putting a diamond around the womans face. There is unity among the lighter lines. 
The artists seems to be representing a woman who is alone in life, and is trying to push through all of the battles. She looks as though she is overcoming obstacles, but the shapes and line seem to show confusion and clarity that she has not yet found. 

Reclining Nude
Anthony J Sisti
Oil on board
1979
26x39 in
Digital Camera

A beautiful depiction of a feminine body is shown here. The woman is seen from behind, and she looks as though she is very relaxed and comfortable while in the nude. 
Shape is used throughout the body, showing curves. Line is used throughout the body as well, and down the back to show the spine. There is contrast between between the body and the sheets, and the background. I think that in this painting, the artist was trying to show the beauty and comfort of being in your own skin. Nudity is often seen as forbidden, when in fact, the body is wonderful and should be appreciated like it is here. 


I actually enjoyed viewing a gallery in this way a lot more. It opened my eyes to more than just the artwork. I was able to analyze the art, as well as the room. It posed a lot of questions as to why things were set up this way, and why certain colors were used.