Hand Sketch...

Well, I knew this wasn't going to turn out pretty because I am not an artist or artsy in any means. But, I have to say I was pretty impressed with how well I did considering what I was working with and my lack or experience. Using my own hand as a subject matter was weird because you could see all your own imperfections or all the little pieces that your never notice or truly take note off. Using my self as a subject was weird not just cause I am not an artist, but because I had to focus on myself and I am not one who focuses on myself in most cases. I am one who thinks of others or what I can do for someone else or putting them and their needs above my own. This is something I am working on, but I don't like all the attention being on me either. I have never been one for attention and using myself as the subject was strange.

For my piece, I chose pencil because me being not an artist is was easy for me to get a hold of and also it was an easy media to be able to erase any of my mistakes. Charcoal isn't the easiest media to change any errors without it looking sloppy or having to start over. Creating the second sketch with my non-dominant hand was nerve racking. I was comfortable and semi-confident with how my first hand came out and then realized my second one will come out worse because it is my non-dominant. The nerves that I felt probably made my sketch even worse than it would've been if I wasn't already nervous for the project as well as having to use a hand that I don't use often or ever really. So, using my non-dominant hand in anything else wouldn't ever cross my mind or intrigue me in the future.

My dominant drawing was definitely more defined and looks a lot better than my non-dominant. I have noticed that my non-dominant hand sketch was a lot shakier even though it had taken me longer I had used smaller lines and shorter strokes. My dominant hand drawing was quicker because not only was I more confident, but also it was something that was easier to control on my end. So, comparing overall I think that my dominant one did come out better, but I took more time and focus using my non-dominant hand. These studies were a success knowing that it is a proven fact that people perform better with their dominant hand, but it does take more focus and determination to be able to use the non-dominant hand for any activity including art, writing, hitting in baseball, or throwing any type of object.

Module 9: Video Review

The first video I decided to watch for this module was "The Drawings of Michael Angelo." I chose this particular video because of how famous he was and that he was one of the most famous artists that has been heard of in anyone's lifetime. Believe it or not even though most of his paintings now can be seen by any and all, back in the day of Michael Angelo, his paintings were locked a way from the public eye. He actually destroyed most his paintings because they showed hesitations and second thoughts that he was having. He was a perfectionist and didn't want the viewers to see him as a failure even though most his paintings are extremely famous in our time. Michael Angelo was not only a painter, but a sculpture. He only has one sculpture that is signed by him and this makes it one of his most famous. His drawings actually set the precedent for any of the future bodybuilders in our day today. Think about how most bodybuilders look and then take a look at any of Michael Angelo's drawings or sculptures. See any similarities?

This particular video relates to the text because a majority talked about Michael Angelo and his Renaissance influence. There is an entire page dedicated just to his background and that is what made this video interesting. It emphasizes and elaborates on the minimal amount that the text tells us about. The text is about to give us his background and a short piece of his life and how he worked. But, this video helped elaborate and emphasize some of his techniques and went more in depth on his work. I liked this video specifically because it focused on one person and wasn't trying to bounce all around talking about thousands of different artists in a short period of time. They focused on Michael Angelo and his works during his time period. He is such a famous artist and created thousands of paintings and sculptures, but many that we will never get to see.

The second video that I chose to watch was the "Power of Art: 1 Caravaggio." Although this was one of the longer videos, it intrigued me with the realism and the more story way the video is told. It wasn't exactly told in the way of a documentary. Yes, it was supposed to be informative, but it draws your attention and keeps you intrigued. That is why I decided on this video despite the length of the two I had chosen. Believe it or not Caravaggio isn't his name he was born as MichaelAngelo Merisi. He was born in Caravaggio, Italy on September 28, 1573. He had many run ins with the law and was charged for several assaults and for killing one of his tennis opponents. He was on the run of several years after being released and made his way to Naples, until being pardoned by the Pope and being imprisoned again. In this image, Caravaggio turned a simple meeting or a group into an emotional, religious piece. The focus isn't on Christ, but is focused on where the finger is pointing and this is when Matthew becomes Christ's disciple. The emphasis and focus is drawn to the hand and the fingers that are being pointed towards those that aren't paying attention. Caravaggio is an amazing painter that takes the saint and turns them into the sinner and he focused more on what he "can't" get away with.

This video relates to the text because Caravaggio was seen as the most revolutionary of his time. He would fit into the revolution section of this text. He abandoned most the rules that guided artists for years in regards to humans and religious experiences. He challenged what he was taught and what others thought were the "laws" to follow. That is why I liked this video and thought it added to the reading. The reading doesn't focus much on the Revolution and the influence it had on the art world. But, this man changed art and showed the art world that there isn't just one specific way to do things. He had the ability to paint a beautiful fruit basket and turn it into despair and sorrowful feelings. His art has the ability to reach you and tear it's way out of the frame and make the viewer feel the intense feelings, that is why he has such closeness with those that are pictured in his paintings. He wants the viewer to feel uncomfortable, but the purpose was not erotic.

Module 8 Blog Review

The required video we had to watch was actually extremely intriguing and brought forth a lot of interesting information. They had made the point that no matter what the painting or sculpture looked like or was used for it had no resemblance to an actual human being. Humans are so dominated by images of themselves that are completely unrealistic.  These images and beliefs steam all the way back to Austria when the first few sculptures and paintings of humans were created. The Venus of Willendorf is the first real sculpture showing why the world perceives people in such an unrealistic manor. The sculpture that is only 4 inches tall and currently is located in the natural history museum is a symbol of motherhood and fertility. But, we don't see women walking around that look like this: virtually no arms, huge breasts, overlay of fact, stumpy legs, and even her sexual organs are smaller and proportionate to what we would see in reality. The belief is that the humans that created the Venus figure had a brain that was programmed to focus more on the fertility and fatness. They were living in terrible cold climates that would make those two things more prominent and focused on than others such as arms and legs. I found it intriguing that the entire video was based around this one small sculpture that only stands to be 4 inches tall.

The second video that I choose to watch was "The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figures."  I decided on this one because it was one of the shortest on the list and watching a 59 minute video I didn't have the attention span to watch a whole nother movie. But, I also thought this one would be interesting in that the above one that was required was about human figures and how we perceive ourselves not as we actually area and prefer to see ourselves in an unrealistic perspective. Now this video focused more on the human body and how Greeks play apart in this. The Greek artist and sculptures are actually infatuated with the human body and they have been for  thousands of years. The focused more on using stone to carve their sculptures and most that have been found, located mainly in graves, were of women that looked as if they were pregnant or had scratches on the belly making it look as if they had already given birth. Fertility is a monumental remembrance and sculptures wanted to focus on realism. Producing the human body in three-dimensional figures that view as if they are going to move and giving them perspective in that they are created as a more realistic view on the human body. The part of Western Art that I really liked is that people try and show the inner beauty of humans in a piece of stone. Artists try and show some type of inner beauty through what they are producing.

Both videos relate to the text in that the text goes on to talk about sculptures and the uses of sculpting as it has progressed throughout time. The main product that is used for sculpting is clay because it is the easiest to work with and the easiest to correct mistakes. Those who use stone have very little room for any error because it isn't as easy to correct. The text also talks about the perception of the human body and how artists have used the human body to create many works of art. Unfornately, the videos help talk about how people in today's society have an unrealistic perspective of what the body should look like and what is expected. I feel like a good example of modern day is that women and even men have issues with body image due to advertisements and what we have been fed my the media. If you are somewhat over weight or look athletic in anyway you aren't what society classifies as "beautiful." That's why I enjoy these videos because they do help with the understanding of what is trying to be shown in the text but in a more modern way. I personally am a visual learner, so seeing the videos and listening to them give examples of what the reading is actually trying to portray just solidifies what we were getting from the textbook. I do enjoy the textbook, but sometimes you get lost in the book and stop absorbing what you are reading. But, these videos help break that up and provide me as the reader and student a way to see a real purpose of what we are learning.

Mod 7. Video Review

The first video I chose to watch was the "Architecture: The Science of Design." The main focus of this video was obviously architecture, but also it revolves around how the buildings are designed and built in that they are safe. Something that intrigued me during this video was they talked about how high rises have to be thought out as if the wind is going to be much stronger at the top. At the top of a 100 foot high rise the wind is going to be much stronger and when the wind actually hits the building it forms it's way in swirls and produces these things called vortexes. These whirlwinds are what make the buildings sway at high levels up to a whole meter. The swaying motion is actually absorbed by the building joints, unfortunately if it is poorly designed it can cause nausea, sickness, and can possibly end badly. I also found it interesting that an architect will actually strategically plant trees that would help absorb some of the wind that could impact the high rise. The trees will act as a barrier and block out some of the wind. The second half of the video talks about smart houses and how we have developed into a technology dependent society. You have the ability to set your house to turn on before you wake up things such as: warming up the shower, heating the floor, coffee brewing in the kitchen. These are simple everyday activities that  most people still have to do on their own unless they can afford some type of house like this. But, it is hard to believe that our society will be dependent on things like this in the future.

The second video I watched was the "Architecture is Art" video by Frank Gehry.  The thing that stood out to me in the beginning is that he says the he doesn't plan anything he bases his projects on the place, the people, and the technology that is available to him. He uses the technology to develop a "language" that has changed and developed over time. That really hit me because he talks about how he doesn't like to repeat himself and that he makes the piece based on the surroundings and not one thing is the same to another. Which is interesting when you think about it because buildings are like people, not one building is built the same or designed the same as another. They are like fingerprints and each one has it's own identity. The video also identifies that buildings are created to relate to a human response to the building. We have discussed previously that art and sculptures have a way of creating a human emotional response, but to think that a building is created and designed to create some type of emotional response from people is amazing. I have never really been connected like that with a building but I guess if you imagine places like the Eifle tower for example people have their own emotional appeal.

I chose these two videos because they relate directly to the text and I wanted to stay with the idea of architecture and the idea of art. They related well with each other in the fact that they speak about technology and how it has helped develop art in the world today and influences the designs of artists and architects. The text talks about architecture and structures along with the new technologies and new materials that are available. The one thing that I really enjoyed was the fact that both talked about the use of digital design in architect today. They now have the ability to create a design online and then produce it to become an actual building. But, with this capability they can use electronics to predict the weather the building might face and how it will react to that particular weather based on that specific design.

I liked the two films that I chose or obviously I wouldn't have sat and watched them with the fact that I had other videos to choose from. They both helped me understand the reading and real life examples of how people took technology and didn't just settle for creating a painting or a sculpture and think of creating a building as art. I didn't ever really think of a building as a piece of art until I watched and read these chapters.  The videos helped me develop the message from the text and put it in a real-life perspective for me. That is why I do like these videos because the text is just telling you and is a lot of facts when the videos give you something to pay attention too.

Video Review Mod 6

In the first video that I had to watch, "Through the Eyes of the Sculptor", there was a lot of information provided in regards to sculpting. It was interesting actually to hear them talk about how sculptures would leave bridges of uncarved marble between any pieces that stood in the air. The purpose was to make it stronger and be able to withstand any type of traveling that it had to make. The bridges were actually taken away once the sculpture is set into place. Marble is the product of limestone from when the tectonic plates were crushed together hundreds of years ago. It is an impact of pressure that was created and put on the limestone. It was intriguing to see that artists actually make casts of sculptures so they have the ability to find out how things are put together and how it will exactly look. It takes a lot of focus before they can or choose to move to the next stage.

The second video that we had to watch, "Glass and Ceramics", focused on the idea of glass making, ceramics, and even the uses of glass. Glass seems to be everywhere and we use it in our everyday lives. It is cool to find out that glass is made from sand which is actually the most abundant resource on the planet. The sand mainly contains silicon and there are other things mixed such as soda, oyster shells, or pot ash. They prevent the glass from taking to much of a liquid state. It was really cool to watch them create a delicate piece art from just a small piece of molten glass. They have the ability to man handle the piece as much as they want as long as it doesn't cool too much. The impact of air actually causes the glass to harden and take on a solid state.

These two videos relate to the readings in the text because of the topics. The readings talked about three-dimensional art and that is what sculptures, glass, and ceramics. The reading and videos talk about the same initial aspects of sculptures and how you must create castings that can be made for outlines and castings have the ability to make a model the exact way that you want it to turn out. Carving is an extremely long and intricate process that takes a lot of focus and time. It isn't easy to create a carving and it isn't something that it is as simple as erasing a mistake.

I think the videos were good and helped emphasize the topics that were given in the book. It was able to identify those topics that are extremely important and that we should put focus on. I like the videos because they helped me learn as I know I am a visual learner personally and that is why I do so well with online classes. I like when the videos are short and sweet because it helps with getting to the point of the topics. Dragging out the video and information only makes it worse.

Reviewing Art Work...

Click here for BLOG #1
Click here for BLOG #2

For the most part while looking at their blogs I agreed with their choices for elements and principles. There may have been a few that I may have labeled them something different, but that is just because I have a different eye than they each do. For example, I may have choose a different one for color for the second blog that I looked at. But, it is all based on the artists perspective I can't tell them that theirs' is right or wrong. I think that's what awesome about art, you can't tell someone what something should be or is. It is all based on the perspective form the viewer and the artist.

For the blogs, neither of them chose images I had used in my posting. I did noticed though that there were some images that when I was in the museum I had felt a connection with just not as much as I did with the one's I ended up choosing. One that I remember was the Medium Rare painting that was mentioned in the second blog. She talked about how she was curious about how the artist would have created it with being paralyzed and how it intrigued her to think that he was able to create such an intricate piece. That was the same thing that intrigued me about that piece as well. I loved it, but it didn't connect with me as much as the ones I had picked.

Some of the images they posted that I didn't see piqued my interest as well. The piece that was painting of Niagara Falls was beautiful and really captured the beauty and essence that you feel when you are there. I know this piece is in Albright Knox because it is located in Buffalo, but I feel like this should be located in another museum not close to here so people can see the beauty behind nature and everything it has to offer. I truly think this is a piece that could truly make an impact. Another one I thought was interesting was the projection that was put together through IPAD images. It mainly grabbed my attention because of how it was created. It was more modern than most art that you see, but I would love to see how she created it and how that idea came about. I would have so many questions if I could sit down with the artist.

Looking at other's blogs was actually intriguing and helped me. It gave me some different perspectives on pieces that others also looked at. It also allowed me to be able to really see where everyone else is coming from in regards to work. We are all going to think differently because we aren't all art majors and we are not the same people, but I have realized that is the beauty of art. You don't have to be an art wizard to really be into art or have a passion for it. I have established a new vision or art in just the last month and a half with this class. I have loved it and learned a lot in such a short period of time. I am learning a lot not just from the work, but also gaining a lot from my peers.

I haven't received any comments yet on my work, but I am excited to see what they have to say when I finally do get some. I can't wait.