Art Gallery Visit #2

 BURCHFIELD PENNEY ART CENTER

Questions about the exhibit:
1. What is the title of the exhibit? 3-D WIT
2. What is the theme of the exhibition? emotion through with and satire


Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used? natural lighting
2. What colors are used on the walls? white walls
3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space? mainly drywall, some exposed brick. The floors were a light wood and the ceilings throughout the building were very high
4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?The movement was quite windy. I ended up at a couple dead ends. Also, it involved a lot of movement between floors. 

 Questions about the artwork:
1. How are the artworks organized? The artwork was all in one square room. It didn't seem to have any sense of particular guidance other then that it was lumped together.

2. How are the artworks similar? The artwork of 3-D wit was all quite modern, and all statues.
3. How are the artworks different? The artwork varied depending on the artist. Some art was more "cartoony"such as Christy Rupp's Runaway Factories become a Bobsled-Rust Belt . Where others are more literal like John McQueen's Four Food Groups. Yet, because the theme was very centered- the art all followed a common theme even though it was done by different artists.
4. How are the artworks framed? Most of the artwork in this exhibit was statues so they were either free standing or in glass boxes
5. How are the artworks identified and labeled? Each artwork had a small description next to hit printed on a white piece of sturdy cardboard. The description listed the artist, work, media, and a little about the piece.
6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other? The artwork was very close together since the room was only about 8x11. 

Artist:  John McQueen

Title of work:  Four Food Groups

Media: sticks, string, bundle ties, hot glue

Date:2006

Size: not listed, about 4 feet high

1.   Be receptive - I was immediately attracted to this sculpture. I think it was the crows that stood out.I also was attracted to the use of sticks and hot glue to form a really modern sculpture 

2. Description- I see three crows eating and guarding the words cake, bacon, beer, and coffee. They words seemed to be piled on some sort of table made of sticks that are sticking out in various directions.

3.   Formal analysis – McQueen uses the principle of movement by having words intertwined in the art that the viewer must read in order to grasp the concept. The artwork also has harmony because very few medias were use to create the statue, giving it an uncomplicated and streamlined look. The artist used the element of form because he created a 3-D piece of work. Also, The statue has texture because it is created out of sticks.

4.  Bracketing - The statue is definitely a symbol because the theme of the exhibit was satire and wit. The crows seem to represent people and the words embody all life choices that may not be the right choices. 

5.  Interpretation - I think McQueen is trying to caution us about the choices we make. His statue features the words bacon, beer, cake, and coffee. The description says that McQueen is trying to cautioning people about the choices they make that will affect their lives and although it seems to be referring to eating habits I think McQueen is talking about life choices in general. 

Artist:  Christy Rupp

Title Of Work:  Runaway Factories Become A Bobsled- Rust Belt

Media: steel, cardboard, wood, and paint

Date: 1986

Size: no size given about 2 feet tall and 2 feet long

1.   Be receptive - I liked the cartoonish elements of this work it gave an upbeat additude to a sad idea, which of course is where the satire lies. 

2.   Description –I see factories disguised as bobsleds on a track that is actually a rusty belt, that comes to an abrupt end with no safe landing. The track begins in Ohio and ends right over Pennsylvania.

3.   Formal analysis - Rupp uses color, form, and space to compose her 3-D statue concerning the downfall of big factories in the rust belt. 

4.  Bracketing - I think the symbolism behind this work is that the factories are on a ride that ended in a big crash. The factories are riding on a very rusty belt. She seems to be very concerned with the factories of the rust belt. 

5.  Interpretation - The artist seems to be sending a message about corporate disregard for the effect on the lives of the people living in these factory towns, such as Buffalo. 

Artist: Allison Wilton

Title of work: Spam

Media: Artists' book, mixed media, hardcover, screw-post bound
Date: 2008

Size:  not listed, size of small book.

 














1.   Be receptive -The colors of the front cover immediately caught my attention, I was very interested to explore the piece 

2.   Description – I saw two books covered with string that made up a picture of a smiling sun and a rainbow. 

3.   Formal analysis – Artist used form, texture, and color to compose these books. 

4.  Bracketing - The smiling sun and the rainbow seems to represent the really interesting ideas that cover-up the actual hoax that spam truly is.

5.  Interpretation - It was difficult to interpret the book because it was in a glass case, but according to the information provided the book describes her house spend on the internet, social networking, and spam mail. The artist finds spam interesting and humorous. She says that the falseness of the smile that the sunshine portrays represents the idealism and false advertising that spam represents. 

VIDEO BLOGS

The Night Watch

I chose this movie because I have always enjoyed Rembrandt's paintings.  I like the Night Watch particularly because of all the action going on in the painting. From the video, I learned Rembrandt was a Dutch painter and was generally considered one of the greatest painters in European art history.  He is mostly known for his portraits, and each person in "the Night Watch" is an actual person. Some of the key concepts talked about in the movie was: the real meaning of "The Night Watch" , people of the painting, the history of Rembrandt and his personal life,  public reception of the painting. The movie talked about how the painting wasn't very well received, especially by the family of the men painted.  The movie had a segment about new artist reworking famous masterpieces which I found extremely interesting. I also found it pretty funny what the artist did with all the famous masterpieces. When he said he wanted people to re-look at things, he definitely accomplished his goal!  I liked how this film focused on one artists so that I could learn more about how the different movements were applied individually to art.

Albrecht Durer: Image of A Master

I chose this video because  I wanted to learn more about the artists of the Northern Renaissance. The movie talks about Durer's early life and how he was intrigued by the  process of aging. He too was known for his portraits. His self portraits is one of my favorite. He truly looks like he is staring right at you! The movie also concentrated on Durer's trip to Italy that made him a excellent landscape artist. Durer's landscape features many Italian features. What interesting about this is this is the main idea of the Renaissance: accepting and thinking about new concepts. This movie helped me make a connection to the Renaissance and its impact on art.

Velazquez

I chose this movie because it was a name I had never heard before. Diego Valazquez was a Spanish painter who was the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. He was a famous artists from the Baroque period, and also a portrait artist.  The movie talks about Dona Juana Pacheco, his wife who stayed with him throughout their entire life. They were very scholarly and enjoyed collecting worldly goods.  Valazquez is known for his idealist paintings. The movie said he tried to "conform reality" . I liked this movie because it taught me about Valazquez, and also informed me more about the Baroque period and it's realist ideas.

The Power of Art: Caravaggio

From this movie I learned that  Caravaggio used realism and dramatic use of lighting to create Baroque period paintings. In one of my post I talked about "The Calling of Saint Matthew" which is famous for its dramatic lighting technique. This movie went into depth about his technique. This work was commissioned for a chapel so that Catholic could see the masterpiece. Caravaggio was known for his religious work that fought back to the Protestant Reformation. What I thought was very interesting was the story about Caravaggio being a murderer. I like the personal stories about the artists because it creates a connection with the artists, and helps you understand his work better.  I thought the portrait "David and Goliath" that shows Caravaggio's duel personalities was really fascinating. talk about tortured artists!

Hand Drawings

 

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing? I enjoyed using my own hands as subject matter. I am not a very good drawer and the hand has a lot of simple dimensions that were easy for even something who isn't artistic to copy.

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why? I chose pencil because I knew I'd need to erase. Also I am familiar with the pencil and how it draws so I felt comfortable with it.

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand? This task was almost impossible! I am a little ambidextrous  so I could at least keep the pencil sort of steady. I couldn't imagine doing this project if I didn't have some strength in my right hand. I laughed at how chubby my hands look...I really don't have chubby hands! Yet, I left it because this is how it came out when I used my right hand to draw!

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies? you can tell they are hands, but I don't think they are very realistic! I tried to copy the flow of my hands including the wrinkles and such, but my true artistic ability really showed through. I wouldn't say they are completely successful studies, but I thought they were pretty good for my skill level.

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future? No, it's very challenging and frustrating to draw with your non-dominant hand. I just wanted to keep picking up the pencil with my left hand to fix the mistakes my right hand had made! I think the only time I'd use my non-dominant hand in art again was if I was making some sort of abstract piece. It certainty doesn't work for still life.

Video Review Week 6

VIDEOS REVIEWED:
More Human Than Human 
Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany
Cairo Museum 
The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure

QUESTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED:

1. Explain why you selected each of the three videos you choose from the selection listed above.
2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?


SELECTED BECAUSE:
VIDEO 1: REQUIRED
VIDEO 2: I was attracted to the title, and I really enjoy learning about renaissance culture.
VIDEO 3: I wanted to learn more about Egyptian Art
VIDEO 4: I find Greek sculpture fascinating and wanted to know more about their use of the human figure

KEY CONCEPTS 
MORE HUMAN THAN HUMAN: 

-Use of unrealistic figures
-ancient ancestors: difficulty in finding evidence of their rise and demise
 -female form: same key features are exaggerated no matter where the statue is created
-brain has been trained to exaggerate certain female traits
-Eqpytian art and the human body
-Egyptian art and consistency
-Greek form: perfection
-Greeks transformation from realism to exaggeration

Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany
-Black Plague
-dawn of the renaissance
-Christian mosaics
-Chrstian faith almost universal
-after-life for plaque victims
-suspicion and fear in Europe
-Flagelence
-Giotto
-developments between 1200-1350
-development of civic government

CAIRO MUSEUM 
-pharoahs
-the treasures of the Cairo museum
-the basement of the museum
-downtown Cairo
-valley of the kings

The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure
-realistic vs. stylistic
 -impact of human figure on human beings
-perfect form
-classical period of art
- produced idealized perfect forms
-portrait art
-gods: thought of as people but grander
-mobility
-trading affect on art
-moving away from Egyptian style and move to realism
-realism produces movement
-Olympics 



In this past module we learned about ancient cultures. All of these videos features ancient civilization and their impact on art.  I found the videos useful because they specific example of what the cultures contributed to the art world. What I found most interesting that I didn't learn from the reading was how the black plague affected art and the renaissance.  Also, I really enjoyed watching the video on Greek art. The video expanded on the history of Greek art and the reasons behind their use of realistic sculpture.

 I found the videos extremely useful. They helped expand my understanding of ancient civilizations. I sometimes find the videos a tad monotonous but the foundation of the videos do provide knowledge and important information that helped increase my understanding of the material we are supposed to be learning and analyzing.

PEER REVIEWING

BLOGS I REVIEWED:
BLOG 1
BLOG 2


For the first project  I really enjoyed looking at my peers work! I thought their photographs were very creative. I do believe the portrayed the elements in the correct way. What I really enjoyed about this project is that it gave me a chance to see the elements used in a different way other then my own.

Reviewing the second project on the Albright Knox was a little more difficult, and a lot less fun! I'd rather get a chance to see someone's artwork rather then read their thoughts on other people's art. None of our works were the same, but I was glad! it gave me a chance to see other works that are at our local gallery and made me eager to go back to the museum and check out some of the works my peers cited.

I really liked Big Pysho 8 that was cited by Matthew from Blog 2. I thought the sculpture was really interesting and it made me want to know more about it! Erwin Wurm is an Austrian born artists who is known for Since the late 1980s he has developed an ongoing series of "One Minute Sculptures" in which he poses himself or his models in unexpected relationships with everyday objects close at hand, prompting the viewer to question the very definition of sculpture. He seeks to use the "shortest path" in creating a sculpture—a clear and fast, sometimes humorous, form of expression. I thought that it was interesting that he wants sculpture to be humorous because that is the first thing I did when i saw a picture of "Big Pyscho 8": LAUGHED!

I can't necessarily say that reading my peer's blogs increased my knowledge, but I did find it fun and interesting. It is also fun to see how other people interpret the same assignments and projects. Everyone's minds work differently and it is a positive approach to learning to try and understand everyone style. I don't know if I added to my knowledge about these specific projects, but  certainly was able to understand the subject better. My peer's slideshows provided me more options and example to help better clarify the certain elements and principles.

 I have not gotten any comments on my blog yet because my blog was not listed on the shared document but I added my blog myself in hopes that people will use it for this specific blog! I think if my peers do comment on my project I'll find it interesting and I'll consider their insight as helpful. I think that peer editing is very useful and use it all the time in my concentration. Maybe next time you do the elements and principles project you could do this blog before the students hand in the final copies of our project so that they can edit their project based on peer comments.

Blog: Video Review (Sculpture, Ceramics, Installation)

Key Concepts Installation Art:

- What is installation art

- How is installation art made

-What is installation art made of

-The story and artwork of Richard Wilson

-Video imagery

-What the video camera did to the genre of installation art

-Pop art

- Damien Hirst: Mother and Child divided

-Tracey Emin's Bed

Key Concepts on Glass and Ceramics:

-how glass is made

- the idea behind stained glass

- the techniques and processes of making ceramics

-the everyday use of ceramic materials

-Glass in architecture

-The process of tempered class/laminated glass

-laminated glass is bonded glass by BVB

-Shattering glass and it's severe accidents

Key Concepts of Through the Eyes of the Sculptor:

-the process of making a sculptor

-the life of Emmanueal Fillion

                -carver of stone

                -French

                -major in restoration of monuments

-Italian marbles roots in the mountains in northern Tuscany

-Stone is canvas for a sculpture

-stone yards

-active quarries to get specific stone

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text? The Videos expand on the ideas in the text. By following the lives of real life artists it brings the information in the textbook to life- giving it a name and a personality. This makes the textbook information easier to understand.
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation, and Craft? I enjoyed the films, especially the one of Craft. I don't think many people have a deep appreciation for craft and this video really helped me to understand how much work goes into creating everyday things that we take for granted. I also though Emmanuel Fillion story was extremely interesting. It amazes me that he goes all the way to Italy for his marble.

Video Review (Architecture)

Key Concepts of Modern Architecture:

 - Skyscrapers

-main problems of constructing high rises: WIND

-vortex make buildings sway

- discovery of new materials ( concrete and steel) let to skyscrapers

- architecture has become a social art form

-concrete satisfies both engineers and architects

concrete- sand combined with cement and water

-Egyptians used concretes as a hydraulic binder

-English Man invented cement most used today

Key Concepts of Last Call For Planet Earth

-Sustainability

-green architecture

-Architectural designs manage energy through integrated systems

-continued development of green  analysis

- China's first ecological friendly apartment building

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos expand on the text. For the second video it relates to the section on Green Architecture from page 310. The first video expands on the section on steel-framed construction  which talks about how in the 20th century skyscrapers began to take over the cities. 
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture? I thought the videos were good. The first one was a little outdated and her yellow suit was awful! Yet, it did give very good informational that increased my understanding of architecture and building materials. I thought the video on Green architecture was more relatable. Green architecture is something that is going to have to be accepted and used more widely if we want to reduce our carbon footprint and help keep the earth clean and livable.
4. From the group of four that you had a choice: Why did you choose that film?
I chose these films because I thought they would give me the most useful information. I wanted to learn more about moderd architecture and I thought these films would provide that information.  I always wonder why skyscrapers swayed and if this was normal and the video answered it for me! I always think if you learn something, that is better then nothing!