Module 13 & 14 - Project #4 - Reflection Journal

Well I feel like this whole project was a disaster for me. First off I wasn't able to start it till late in the week, because everytime I get home from work I end up passing out from exhaustion.  Second I'm staying with my grandparents who don't believe in computers, or any other technology invented after 2000. So I had to use my phone as a mobile hotspot,  which normally I wouldn't mind, but since I'm already over on my data limit, I had to use it sparingly. Thirdly, when I was able to muster up the energy, I tried accessing Artstor, but it wouldn't let me in. I tried putting in my Buff State username and registering and all that, but it was no good. I couldn't access it. So that being said I hae a real difficult time picking out a theme. My goal was to find a peice of art that I could base my theme around,  but being that I couldn't access Artstor, I didn't really know where to begin.  I started to look at the example projects and those of my fellow students. One girl I looked had her exhibit centered around fashion. It was different from the rest in that it didn't follow that stereotypical art exhibit.  She formed an exhibit around a topic that interested her, and it inspired me to do the same.

Which lead me to my theme of comic books. Again it's something different,  I doubt anyone else has done it, and it's something that interests me. I started off at the root of comics by going for Action Comics #1, which is the first appearance of Superman,  and is essentially what made comics the way we know them today. Fairly recently DC Comics restarted all of their titles including Action Comics. So I thought it would be fun to pair the original up with the revamped edition. Honestly I could have done my whole project around different cover art, and looking back on it might not have been such a bad idea. I figured people would want a little more variety so I included other pieces like "Explosion" which has no connection to comics other than the fact that it is a explosion would would see in a comic book and it is created in comic book fashion using tiny dots in order to create the image. From there moved onto other pieces that were not as mainstream as the big 2 (Marvel and DC). I got a Peanuts comic. Once again it is a comic but not in the traditional sense that we know them to be. From there I got pieces from The Adventures of TinTin, and I compared its evolution from comic book to the silver screen. I then transitioned back into the more mainstream comics like Batman, Superman, and Spiderman.  One thing I did manage to include were some different statues depicting characters from different comic books. Another thing I included was a couple of different settings in which comic book enthusiasts gather, just because it relates to the the overall comic book experience. I would have liked to have added more but I was cut short on time.

Module Twelve - Blog: Video Review

Questions and Topics for Your Blog Posting:
1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO 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?

Andy Warhol: Images of an Image

Ok well this video had somewhat of a reason for which drew me to it. Andy Worhol is one of those famous artists I learned about freshman year, and for some reason I just seemed to remember him. Him, Jackson Pollock, Marcel Duchamp. I hated the class; boring as hell, but I some things still managed to stick with me. I feel kind of proud that I recognize these artists. It makes me feel like I'm smarter than I actually am. So anyways just the fact that Andy Warhol was in the title is part of the main reason why I chose it. The video was slightly disappointing. From his mini bio and picture in the book, I got the sense he was an "artsy fartsy fruit cake" but when the showed clips of him I didn't get that sense at all. He seemed professional like he was just doing his job. So I was left wanting more of seeing Andy Warhol himself rather than seeing the pieces that he did. I also liked seeing the technique of silk screening in action. I'm still not 100% clear on how the process works but now I got a better understanding of it. Also one thing I did not know, although it is somewhat unrelated is that Elizabeth Taylor was in a coma. I also found it fascinating on how he tried to take the celebrity status out of everything, by duplicating it to the point of insignificance. It ended up kind of having ironic effect to it, raising the celebrity status of his subjects i.e. Marlyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Campbell Soup, ect... I think the video in this case did a better job than what the book was trying to say.

Hockney on Photography

Again this video actually has a reason for why I have chosen it, and that is because I thought it would relate to my interest in photography, being a photographer myself. And it did end up relating to my interests. Although it is pre-digital (something I am not interested in) I did like the concepts. The way he was able to use multiple pictures to form a collage of sorts. I've done used this concept myself to stitch panoramas together or using rasterbation. His photo pieces however show the progression of time, so in some photos you will see multiple hands throughout the picture, which physically don't make sense but thinking through it begins to make sense. I also liked his piece about looking about looking about looking. Just that wormhole concept is very fascinating. Where does the cycle end? Am I just another piece within it? Unfortunately the video like cut off halfway through for some reason and I could not get it to load up again, but not before they got onto the subject of cubism. That makes sense because I was wondering how this was going to relate to the text and there ya go.

Bit of an update. I was able to get the video going again. There was not too much more to this video though. I learned that he actually painted as well as. He actually painted a big mural of the Grand Canyon based on his Photographs of the same place. These two were each separate paintings all combined into one gigantic piece. Hockney liked to uses the concept of perspective in his pieces. Apparently since the taping of this video, he has since given up Photography. The man seems like an alright guy, but I feel like if I got to know him a little more that he would start to resemble my photography professor, who I just loathe.

Module Eleven - Blog: Video Review

Questions and Topics for Your Blog Posting:
1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO 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?

The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present

I had mix feelings about this video. I chose it because it was the shortest of the videos, and by short I mean 50 minutes. -_- But anyways the host, Andrew Graham Dixon, seemed to be like the Steve Irwin of art, which for presentation purposes is excellent. You can't have "Dry Eyes" guy hosting this thing with monotone voice and his molasses like cadence. You would be put to sleep. So for him to be really into what he's doing is great. I learned quite a few things. Touched on a number of different subjects I had gone over in the textbook. I got to see Goya's artwork, Saturn Devouring His Child. I'm not sure if the book went over this. The discussed him early on in the book, but after just having finished the sections covering the history of art I never realized that Goya lived during the times of Napoleon. I also never realized that Picasso could actually draw realistically. I was impressed to see that he had done so at a young age. Also I didn't realize that he was the true designer of he Guggenheim museum, or at least according Dixon he was. Even though he a had a Steve Irwin vibe about him, I couldn't help but kind of hate him. I really just wanted to punch him. He just kept talking, pulling crap from literally out of nowhere. Just stop! You're not going to convert me into being intrigued by all this art. This is actually getting me to appreciate minimalism more and more. Where the art work is just is what it is. No deeper meaning. No B.S. it just is what it is. I feel like he along with countless other are reading way to into this stuff.

Dada and Surrealism

Again I just picked this video randomly, there's no deeper reason or anything like that. Honestly none of these subjects interest me in the slightest, so really I just want to get it done. With that being said videos like these are really difficult to pay attention to making really hard to grasp anything that they're saying. Whenever I hear people talk about art or "analyzing it", everything just seems to go in one ear and out the other. That's why I think I found the more earlier videos more interesting. I feel like there was more to take away from those videos than these ones. Well moving on I guess, I learned that Dada is Russian for "yes, yes". I also learned of the works from
Kurt Schwitters, Hanna Höch, George Grosz, Joán Miró, Salvador Dalí, and Man Ray. I found the last three paintings to be the most interesting of the bunch. Probably Salvador Dalf's Burning Giraffe was the most interesting just because of the fact that it contained a burning giraffe. The women with drawers coming out of them were somewhat interesting I guess in the sense that they are out of the ordinary, but the Giraffe on fire was way more fascinating. Next would be Joán Miró’s Dutch Interior I mostly because it's somewhat of a comparison piece in that it's based off off a postcard that he once saw. So it's interesting to look at what he saw and what ended up painting. Then the last piece that was the most memorable to me was the last piece by Man Ray. I just dig the name Man Ray. It reminds me of that character from Spongebob, so every time I hear the name that's who I think of. But anyways I don't know what it is about this piece that made it so memorable. I do like to play pool whenever I get the chance so maybe that's why I related to it so much. That and I liked the abstractions that he put on it. The clouds were each a different color, the perspective is all off and that kind of stuff. I don't really remember seeing any of these pieces in the text book, but Dada and Surrealism sound like familiar terms.

Module Eleven - Art Gallery Visit #2 - Blog

Step 1: The Exhibition

Questions about the exhibit:

1. What is the title of the exhibit?
  Mind and Matter

2. What is the theme of the exhibition? 
Exploring one's inner psychology and the physical space surrounding oneself

Step 2: The Gallery

Questions about the physical space:

1. What type of lighting is used? 
Plain overhead fluorescent spot lights

2. What colors are used on the walls? 
White

3. What materials are used in the interior artchitecture of the space? 
Carpet and wood? Not quite sure what kind of answer you're looking for here?

4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space? 
Well when you walk into the gallery you have two options you can either go right or left. I'll tell your right now that the exhibit is closer to your right. Which is where I went. I then chose to go right again orbiting the center wall and then pretty much following the perimeter of the exhibit.

Step 3: The Artwork

Questions about the artwork:

1. How are the artworks organized?
The majority of the pieces are hung up on walls. There a couple pieces that are lied out on table, and there are even a few pieces lying on the ground up against the wall, kind of like that of a memorial.

2. How are the artrworks similar? 
Well for one thing they are all created by two people. Another thing is that they are all, for the most part, paintings; and the seemed to be abstract paintings at that.

3. How are the artworks different?
Being that this exhibit was done by two different people you can distinguish between the two style's. Liz's painting seem to have bit more color to them, or they are at least a bit more saturated, where as Jane's seem to pale and dull. Also Jane's appear to be a lot more cleaner than Liz's. Hers seems to lack organization in that they are somewhat chaotic.

4. How are the artworks framed? 
The pieces appear to be just oil on canvas. I am not sure what the technical name for the framing would be. There are a couple pieces within wooden frames.

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled? 
They are not labeled. As you may or not be able to see, there are two walls with names on them. One being Liz Parsons and the other being Jane Dell, and I assume that they group the pieces that each artist did. So Liz's are on one side of the room and Janes are at the other end. Other than that, that's all you have to go on.

6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?
They range. Most are with 2 to 3 feet away from each other. Some I'm not quite sure if the pieces are right on top of each other or if the whole thing is one piece.

Step 4: 

Art Criticism Exercise Select three of the artworks from the show and use the Art Criticism worksheet to desribe, analyze, bracket and interpret the work using the 5-step Art Criticism Process described. (see the sheet in the module folder) Take pictures of the images you are interpreting. If this is not allowed, make quick sketches of the pieces.

Artist - Liz Parsons

Title of Work - Mind and Matter

Media - Oil on Canvas?
Date - June 1st
Size - 3' x 5'?
Source - http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g88/lacrossebap3x6/AED%20200%20Art%20Gallery%20Visit%20_2/20130724_094715_zps447c88ec.jpg

Description - This piece is really difficult to describe because there is quite a lot going on within it. If look at it broadly you can see that the piece is made up of four quadrants. Each one having a different overall primary color. One with red, one with blue, one with yellow, and one which has green. If you take a look at the bottom right quadrant, the green one, you will notice that there is giant condor occupying that entire space, and even extending itself off of the page. Beneath the condor is some text, which if you can make it out says "I am a California Condor, not a turkey." Diagonally across  from the condor is the red quadrant where it looks to be someone's insides made with what looks like actual telephone wire. Beneath that quadrant looks to be waves emanating from the condor. The entire piece looks like a chaotic piece of messy graffiti. I say messy, because even graffiti appears to have a little bit of organization to it.

Formal Analysis - Well the piece certainly has a lot of variety to it. It contains no symmetry at all, just completely and utter chaos creating areas of conflict and interest. Your eyes don't know where to start. Mine seem to start on the blue quadrant and go counterclockwise following the path of the three primary colors: blue, red, and yellow. The image of the condor seems to dominate the piece, gaining the most attention out of the piece, extending itself beyond the frame.

Bracketing - I am a simple person. I am not one to read into things that are not even there. But forcing myself to look, if I squint my eyes a little bit I can kind of see the windows logo. Not something you'll clearly be able to see. You'll have to use some of your imagination, Obviously the text has to have some kind of special meaning behind it. What it is I'm not sure

Interpretation - I really have no idea what the artist was trying to say. I feel that if anything the key to unlocking it, is the vulture, whoops I'm sorry the Condor. Hmm well Condor's usually pry on the dead, unlike a turkey. I don't it seems like it wants to clarify something except it's only making it more confusing.

Artist - Liz Parsons

Title of Work - Mind and Matter

Media - Oil on Canvas?
Date - June 1st?
Size - 3' x 5'?
Source - http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g88/lacrossebap3x6/AED%20200%20Art%20Gallery%20Visit%20_2/20130724_094723_zps2be25738.jpg

Description - This one is much more simpler to describe. The piece is separated into two sections: left and right. The left side looks like some sort of fire, while the right side appears to be a some sort of schematic, one which apparently teaches you how to make a fire.

Formal Analysis - The piece seems to have seperated two sections roughly equally or at least according to the eye. The piece makes use of contrast with the use primary colors on primary colors i.e. red on blue as well as red on black. The piece also makes use of scale, as well as line in the drawings on the right section.

Bracketing - This piece reminds me of something I would see at a toxic spill, almost like a warning, more than a tutorial.

Interpretation - I feel like the artists has no deeper meaning but to teach the viewer how to make a fire.

 

Artist -Jane Dell
Title of Work - Mind and Matter
Media - Colored Pencil?
Date - June 1st?
Size -11" x 13"?
Source - http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g88/lacrossebap3x6/AED%20200%20Art%20Gallery%20Visit%20_2/20130724_095030_zpscb7bbb56.jpg

Description - This piece appears very nautical, although there is not a trace of blue within the image. On the bottom of the page is what appears to be a coral reef, while above that is what looks like a seahorse type of creature. His body almost looks like a doorway, revealing a palm tree within him. Above that although somewhat faded is a stingray like creature.

Formal Analysis - This piece relies heavily on shape and form what with the creature and the coral reef. This piece is also able to apply the use of negative space by looking inside the creature's stomach. The fadedness of the stingray like creature in the back adds depth to the image making like the seahorse kind of thing seem closer.

Bracketing -Looking closely at this picture I saw that this seahorse like creature is actually composed of human feet. The creature reminds me of a seahorse.

Interpretation -Palm Trees. Feet. I think the author is obviously trying to tell us to relax. Not sure if that is her actual meaning but who knows

Step 5: 

 Document Your Visit Take some pictures (no flash) if it is accepted at the Gallery you are visiting. Make sketches if you are not able to take photographs. Bring home brochures and other materials for reference.

Up Module Ten- Art Making/Material Exploration Blog: Mask Making

1. Upload the three (3) inspiration images to your Blog (or link to your Photobucket account). Explain why you selected the inspiration pieces.
2. Include the analysis and description (art criticism steps) of the three (3) inspiration pieces.
3. Upload images of your sketchs and finished piece.
4. Explain how you used the Elements and Principles in your finished mask.
5. Share your opinion of your finished mask and what you thought about creating the mask.
 

Iron Man Mask
 This form looks to be comprised of three pieces. A U shaped golden outer faceplate on top of red shell with large horizontal slits for eyes which are backlight. The second piece is the mouth piece which has a slight w shaped to it. That too has golden plate over a red shell, that being the third piece. And according to canon the mask is made out of a golden-titanium alloy.

This mask has  pretty simple design to it, but has a lot going for it. The red and yellow color scheme creates a nice contrast between the two primary colors. The eyes also give off a slight blue hue to them creating a trifecta of primary colors. Speaking of the eyes, they are the center point of this piece. That and the mouth give this "face" a serious look to it.

Spider-man Mask
This mask is red with strands of "spider web" emanating from between the eye pieces. The eye pieces are shark fined in shape. Also if you look closely you'll see that the fabric is comprised of tiny hexagonal cells.

Once again the eyes are the center point for this piece as they create a contrast between the white/silver reflective material and the red fabric. They webbing creates symmetry throughout the piece with it's geometrical pattern. However the size the web cells differs all over creating some variety throughout the piece. Also notice that there is not mouth, giving main focus to the eyes. The sharp edges of the eyes give this "face" a serious tone.

Witch King Mask
This mask appears to be made of iron or some sort of metal. The piece fits on the head in the shape of a crown in that the top of the head is cut out so that it slides over. In the front of the mask extrudes a big long point that is edged almost like a sword. Across the forehead and extruding all around the skull of the piece are a pair of spikes. The top spike protruding at a 45 degree angle and the other spike sticking out longer horizontally. This piece also has long chin jetting out to a sharp point, with a symmetrical mouth opening.

This piece is meant to work with the negative space utilizing both the mouth and eye holes as well as the protruding spikes the run across the forehead. This piece has a very sharped edged theme about it. I also noticed that this piece is vertically symmetrical. The texture of this piece also seems to look rusted giving this piece also a serious feel to it

This form is spherical in shape, with triangular shaped eyes toward the top of the piece. This piece is made out of paper mache and is spray painted green with a little bit of black as it gradually moves downward. There are also several silver stripes running across the piece.

This piece is very simple in nature, the form is simply spherical but not completely smooth surface creating a little bit of conflict, because usually with spherical objects we generally think of them as being smooth. Also notice that there is no mouth piece; just eyes as the negative space is what attracts you in this piece. Also there is so gradation in the design as it goes from green to dark green/black creating some variety within the piece

Well as you can see my final piece looks a lot different from my original design. My original design I wanted it to look more like the witch kings mask. As I was making the paper mache though, I started to notice that the mask was starting to resemble a turtle shell which get my into a thought process leading me to think of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so I just decided to go with the flow and try and make a ninja turtle themed mask, having the mask be a turtle shell. As I was painting it though I ran out of green which would have been fine if the tape hadn't removed chunks of it, when I went to go paint on the grooves of the shell. So again I had to improvise, and so I just spray painted black in the exposed spots. Overall I'm not really too happy with the turn out. It was my first time working with paper mache in ten years, and in the end I just didn't have the patience to deal with it anymore. I feel like the mask resemble more of mask from Bionicle.

Module Ten - Blog: Video Review

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

African Art: Legacy of Oppression 

Once again, this video was a random selection. None of these topics sound particularly thrilling to me so I just drew a straw out of the bunch. This one was very short, it discussed African Art, African Masks to be more precise. Apparently these mask were used not for ritual purposes but to envoke fear. To whom you may ask? To us. Apparently Western Society used these people for slavery and took their resources. It's pretty tragic story. It reminds me of how some African dances have people dressed up like us. The stereotypical image of European. But where that disguise was harmless, these masks were meant to cause conflict. 

 African Art

Wow, the guy who narrates this video could not sound more the guy from the Dry Eyes commericial. The dullness in his voice and cadence made it really hard to endure this video. If I learned anything from this video it's that a good abundance of the masks that these African Tribes make have something to do with animals. Which makes sense the make a mask of a zebra when they go on the hunt so that they can try and blend in with the crowd. They also believe that once they dawn the mask they gain the power of the animal, kind of like how Jim Carry became that green guy when he put on the mask. But anyways even though this video was beyond boring, it was still a good segue because I'm in the middle of constructing my mask right now, so I guess gives a little bit of influence you could say.

Module Nine - Blog: Video Reviews

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

The Drawings of Michelangelo

Honestly there was no special reason why I chose this video over the others. It was just the first one on the list. Looking forward that's probably all it's going to be, there's nothing special to why I choose these videos. It's just pure instinct, no thought process involved. If there is some special reason for I choose a video I shall inform you. This video discusses the works of Michelangelo, and how his pieces seem to be superior than normal drawings, having more lifelike qualities than life itself. It reminded me of that one greek bronze statue, the name of which escapes me at the moment. But the qualities were so lifelike but yet there were physically impossible which is kind of what Michelangelo has done. A lot of artists try to replicate what he's done, and they are just are unable to do it. My professor that I had for sculpture class, Kenneth Payne, told us he came to the conclusion that Michelangelo was not human, just by observing his work. That his work had a lifelike quality that no human could possibly achieve. Now while I would like to believe that there is some paranormal phenomenon going on here with Michelangelo, I highly doubt there is anything truely remarkable about him. I think Michelangelo was just a remarkably gifted artist, and nothing more. I think people are giving him way too much credit. I feel like he is famous for the sake of being famous. That's not to say he's not one of the most talented artist out there. He truly is. Having accomplished what he was able to accomplish: the Sistine Chapel, the Statue of David. I think he was a really gifted artist, but that's all. His mind was far beyond his time, and I feel like that's all there is to it. I did really like the segment where they showed the Sistine Chapel and the hand of God right before he ignited the spark.

Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance 

Again there was no special reason for I chose this video, it just happened to be the next one down on the list. I found this video to be really interesting though. It was about the life of Leonardo da Vinci. The more I watched this video the more it kind of reminded me of the show on ABC Family Kyle XY, and how the main character was pretty much like how Leonardo was. He had the mind of super computer more or less, great artistic talent. Much of this was attributed to his extended period of time within the womb, which allowed his mind to develop more, in turn granting him these extrodinary gifts. Not saying that is what made Leonardo the way he was, due to an extended period of time within his mother's womb, but it's a possibility. Anyways I just liked to draw the comparison because it is fascinating the way an everyman like Leonardo was able to accomplish so much. Notebooks upon notebooks of research all in the name of science. I didn't realize before that he had actaully disected people. In secret no less. It kind of gave a rather dark tone to the video. Also the way the voice over talked about how he could reproduce any painting, no matter how good the artist was. I feel like that is something Leonardo could do if he put his mind to it. I have an easier time believing that there is something paranormal to Leonardo than there is to Michelangelo. It's kind of hard to believe that a man of his stature was able to be "outdone" in a sense by Michelangelo. I mean the man is great and all but compared to Leonardo, I feel like there's not much competition. I think I find Leonardo more interesting not because of what he has done for the art world but what he has done for the world in general, i.e. science and mechanics. Where as Michelangelo never really was a scientist as far as my knowledge goes, but Leonardo had notebooks upon notebooks devoted to the subject, and that was just one aspect of him. Also a footnote, Leonardo was able to master polyphasic sleeping which is where you sleep in short increments throughout the day, instead of monophasic sleeping where you do your sleep in one long period, which is what most of us do. I think these videos definitely added more depth on the artist than the textbook did.