Video Review Curator Project....

The first video, " The Lowdown On Lowbrow," talks about the artistic period from the 1940s-1950s and the types of art that existed back then. They also discuss how art and the display of it has turned into a capitalistic routine for artists. Even back in that time they were trying to sell art, but what they were painting and creating actually had meaning. Some of the more recent stuff may not have meaning and may just be created for the sole purpose of stirring a profit. It is discussed in that there is a visible difference between the type of painter that is creating the piece. There is a clearing distinction between commercial painters, soul painters. and those who are focusing on the piece. What the video doesn't talk about, but you can notice throughout the piece are the way the pieces are presented either in a gallery or when they are being presented. For example, the section talking about tikis and showing how they were presented the wall color was a red color trying to pull out and compliment that brown wood that tikis are made from. I think this piece does semi-relate to the powerpoint project because they speak about many pieces that involve comic books and posters. The way comics and presentations are created and displayed these are used the same way as people use an actual gallery. It isn't easy for people to get into galleries or museums so those in the art community have to make their own way of presenting their works. This specific video doesn't exactly mention much about galleries, but if the viewer paid attention you could notice small things from when the paintings or works of art are shown.

The "Acquiring Mind" Video was all based on museums and how pieces are curated. Yes, it definitely does relate and help with the projects that we are currently completed for this course. The first few things that were talked about were how a museums are never finished and that actually caught my attention. I had never figured that. I don't think most people ever realize that museums and galleries are always changing and that they won't always remain the same. The work is never done and rarely the same. It was amazing to find out the over 2 million pieces are currently placed in the MET's collection and are presented to the public. That is a lot of pieces in one gallery/museum; it is incredible to think how many of these may be located all over the world. The process of what is gone through before something is bought and put on display. A piece must go through an extreme vetting process and the first thing is to get the director onboard with the piece and the decision. Having the director's approval is the biggest part and the hardest struggle because he/she needs to be interested.

I think the second video has a bigger impact and more relevance to the project than the first, but I think both of them has something to add to the knowledge that we need to help make this project better. I have yet to finish my pieces yet and these videos will help me with selecting my pieces that are going to be in my pieces of art. The biggest thing is making sure it is something I am interested in as well as something that may intrigue others. It is important to find the medium between the two and be able to be objective. I think both these videos did a good job of developing the information and providing a little bit of an idea of what a gallery and museum should do with pieces of art. The first video didn't discuss much of galleries or museums, but if the viewer was paying attention there were subtle pieces that would help create your piece. They didn't use just white walls like some galleries, but they presented the back wall in other colors such as red. I liked watching the videos, despite the fact that the second video we were required to watch didn't work.

Module 12 video review...

The first video I chose was " Andy Warhol: Images of an Image." Andy Warhol created many paintings using Marilyn Monroe as his muse. He would repeat the same motif over and over until she actually made him famous. The next muse he used was Elizabeth Taylor. He would create paintings of these two women that were extravagant and used the same image in just multiple images of was. An example would be the blue image of Elizabeth Taylor that he had created that had an image from the paper faded in a blue hue. The video also talks about how to transfer a picture into a silk screen and how it has to be enlarged several times and but on a half- sheet that was originally made of silk. What Andy Warhol does is takes the screens he creates and multiplies them onto a canvas several times that creates an image of an image. In the transfer, the ink may create unique smears and marks in the piece. He would use the same screen for multiple years he would just change the background of color of the image. In his piece of Elizabeth Taylor it was compared to the 10 commandments in the video, the their were 10 commandments and 10 pictures in the paintings, what is the purpose?

This video relates to the reading because of the section title "Pop Art" that addresses Andy Warhol and his impact and influence on art in his time period. The idea of this time in art was to find a way to mass-produce objects and images of America's pop culture. This is how the idea of advertising and the media has been transformed along the way. The piece focused on in the book is Marilyn Monroe and how she was a troubled film star back in the day. She had taken her own life in August of 1962. Warhol doesn't use direct portrait of the actress, but he creates paintings of her by creating the silkscreens that are also mentioned in this video. Andy Warhol also has his own page in the book that talks about his journey and how he got there. I like this video because it enhanced what the book was discussing in regards to Andy Warhol and how he created most of his art. Although, there were a lot of similarities from the video and the book it was still an informative piece.

The second video that I chose was the "Uncertainty: Modernity and Art." The industrial revolution changed the perspective of art in this time because it allowed for a larger freedom in consumerism and opened up the world of advertising to a whole new realm of civilization. Most modern art is seen as fun and superficial because of the impact of advertising and the amount of modern art that is used in advertising and the media. Modern art has taken obscurity and turned it into something that is admired and visited millions of times a year. This actually never stops changing and keeps responding to society everyday and what is needed in that new world and the new views of society. So, even what we experience now is considered modern art that began in the late 1900s. Instead of a view of standardized images and entertainment, it encouraged artists to become more individualized and provide more "out of the ordinary" pieces or also known as degenerate art.

This video relates to the text because this section of the text was mainly focused on modern art and the times of what has come. It was actually informative to hear and not just read that everything changes even in the art world. There is always someone looking to do something different and change what has been. The text tries to focus mainly on the people and what they have done to impact modern and postmodern art, but the video focuses on the questions that modern art asks. The video also constructs how something broke 100 years ago and can't be put back together and that is where the idea of modern art comes from. I like how they do go hand in hand and that the book focuses mainly on the idea of modern art, but doesn't focus on society as the video does. They reinforce and emphasize each others flaws.

I chose these two videos because they were interesting and didn't just talk about the time period, but were more current to this day. I think it is amazing that modern art is still something that we experience everyday in our lives. Modern art is constantly changing and there may never be a normal for modern art because as time progresses so does the art world. Andy Warhol didn't just paint portraits of famous people or take pictures of landscapes, he went above and beyond. He found his muses and worked with them creating art that is simple but amazing and still creates an impact today. He chose to capture the positive side of those who were famous in that time period and not be so objective towards the subject. His goal wasn't to be the tabloid.

Module 11 Video Review...

The first video I chose to watch was the one title "Expressionism." I chose this specific one because instead of learning about a place or person this week I wanted to mix it up and learn about a time in history. It is intriguing that there have been all sorts of periods during history where people have created their own forms of beauty. This is how times like expressionism came about. This video relates to the readings because the book for this week does talk about the period of expressionism. The differences is that the book only scraps the top of the Expressionism era of art and how expressionism is brought into today's art. This video  emphasizes and builds on what the book has told us prior to watching this video. "The Scream" painting is actually mentioned in both the book and the video. It talks about how the artist Monk, uses blood to paint the background which causes for the scream. The idea of expressionism is to question the motives of society and what they have been told to do through society. There is a painting in which a horse has been painted blue. Yes, you have never seen a blue horse, but the idea was to implement more color despite the meaning of the color. It didn't matter what was supposed to be or what was viewed to be correct. I think one of the most important things to take from this vide is the expressionism is kind of similar to abstract, in that it has to be deciphered. Nothing is just put out in front of you for you to look at it, there is a level of interpretation that has to be overcome to understand or figure what is going on in a piece.

The second video I chose to watch was " The Impact of Cubism." I decided on this one because of the uniqueness in the video and the topic that it covers. Cubism is more relevant to the 20th century that started in Europe. It intrigued me that paintings and sculptures can be captured in just the shape or corners of squares. Picasso was a main contributor to the idea of cubism. This type of art allows for more artistic freedom and comprehensions to create a more rich effect. This art is very similar to expressionism as it has to be deciphered and thought out otherwise it isn't just laid out in front of you to comprehend. The artist expects the viewer to be able to think and interpret what they are trying to show. I didn't know that they refer to nudes within this video, but it isn't like a naked painting but it is someone moving and the attempt to show the perspective and step by step events of the movement. Cubism is a lot of disorientations and this changes perspectives throughout the painting. It is very detail, but not explicit in that it is obvious in what you are looking for. The best way to do this is by closing your eyes, taking what you have seen, and pulling apart the abstract piece.

I am always one to watch videos and get the second form of information but something I was not a fan of for these videos was that they were broken into several different artists and sections. It made things a tad confusing even though you knew when the other section was ending . But, I began questioning what had to do with what and the point that was trying to be made in each section.  Although, I had still learned a lot from these videos and it brought forth more examples of what was talked about within this chapter for the book. It was not easy and was quite confusing in doing so.

Art Gallery #2

Title of exhibit: Picturing Niagara
Theme: This exhibited focusing on picturing Niagara Falls and different perspectives that are taken on one of the natural wonders of the world.
Lighting: The exhibit used dimmed lighting that way the oil on the paintings wouldn't fade, but there was a brighter light that was on each piece that way it helped the piece catch the viewers eye.
Colors: The museum used all white walls and didn't really change much for this particular exhibit. There was no reason to change the wall color.
Interior Architecture: There wasn't much interior architecture used by the museum for the exhibit.
Movement: Moving through the gallery was easy and free flowing, but it doesn't really guide you to the exhibit. It was difficult to determine what was part of the exhibit and what wasn't.
Organized: The exhibit is organized by the date of the painting, but began to mix as the paintings got closer to today in year. It was well organized once the viewer determined the layout it was easy to navigate.
Similar: All the pictures show a perspective of Niagara Falls and most were painted on canvas with oil. Most the older paintings were just portraits of the natural wonder.
Differences: Each artist had a different perspective whether it was the Canadian side of the falls, a different set of falls (horseshoe), or the main falls seen on the New York side. One of the paintings used mixed media and combined it with the oil background of the falls and another used oil and created an outline of the chemistry make up of the water within the falls.
Framed: All the framing is different with one using a set of copper piping with actual water shut offs. There were several that actually had no frame for the piece and then there were even some that had extremely elaborate frames. These frames were mostly made out of a wood material and carved with elaborate designs.
Identified and Labeled: Each piece was labeled and identified with a small white box on the left side of the painting. The boxes contained the year it was published, the artist, the medium, and a small blurb of the piece.
Proximity: The art was located about 5 steps from each other and with this length it allows the artist to walk a few steps before being in front of another. But, each painting wasn't located so close to another that the viewer's focus is distracted or taken away from the piece they are viewing.

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1. Frank C. Moore

Niagara, 1994-95

Oil on Canvas

 Description: This painting is gorgeous and does a great job outlining colors and the beauty in the little things. I see a man that lived a life of science and saw the falls as a piece of science to research. The viewer can date the painting based on the video camera or camera that is being used. The city can be seen in the background (faded but it's there).

Formal Analysis: Frank Moore definitely takes advantage of uses specific bright colors that are used to catch the viewer's eye. The contrast between the green water and the blues that are used draws eyes to the falls. He uses shapes not only in the mist that can be seen, but the same shapes can be seen in the water that is settling. There are hexagonal shapes that are being used by the artist. The artist also using perspective with the city buildings that can be seen in the background of the image.

Bracketing: The shapes and symbols that are located within the mist reminds me of chemistry and trying to figure out the makeup of something. The copper piping seems like a metaphor for how human's try to dominate natural resources, as if something like the falls can be shut off and controlled.

Interpretation: I feel that the artist was trying to show the chemicals that can be contained within the falls. He has exposed a lot of uncertainties that most don't want to identify are related to the falls, but he has changed perspectives of many peoples and himself especially.

2. Stephen Hannock

The Great Falls at Dawn for Xu Bing, 2013

Polished mixed media on canvas

Description: I see a different perspective for the artist who is trying to bring art into the 21st century and not just create another depiction of the falls. This piece was based of the sunset and is trying to be relatable.

Formal Analysis: The artist uses lines to show the 3-D image that is the falls and the output of the edge. The white writing contrasts with the brown cliffs that are being shown and portrayed through this picture. This stands out to the viewer and allows them to be able to see the point that is trying to be made. The colors also contrast in the sky with the sunset. The reds, oranges, and yellow show the value of the color red from white. It allows the viewer to determine when the painting was painted.

Bracketing: There are a few pictures that are shown within the piece that show a woman walking down a street in a suit and there is writing that symbolizes the 21st century and the ability to relate to the newer generations. I think the pictures symbolize the busy life of the city that contributes to the busy life of the falls.

Interpretation: I think the artist is trying to say that the world around the falls is as busy as the falls themselves. The falls are running 24/7 and don't have the ability to be shut off, but the pictures shown are of people who are still moving and that haven't stopped. Most are busy people, college students, and working life.

3. Harry Fenn

The Horseshoe Fall from the Three Sisters, 1893

Watercolor on paper

Description: I see the horseshoe falls which is also known as the three sisters. This looks as if it was painted from the American side of the falls. It looks extremely realistic and the viewer can definitely tell that the falls were running rapidly.

Formal Analysis: The texture the artist uses focuses on the beauty of the evergreen trees that line the edges of the falls and the rocks that are in the midst of the falls themselves. The space used is extremely important when it comes to the perspective in this painting due to the fact that he is trying to portray three different falls in one image while keeping the natural beauty noticeable. The harmony in this piece is also essential. Everything flows well together and messes with the waves and the natural essence that one can gather from just a simple painting.

Bracketing: This piece doesn't really have anything that stands out or that differs from others. It is a basic portrait of the landscape.

Interpretation: I feel the artists idea was to embody the dangerous allure of the rapids. He wanted to show the beauty of the horseshoe falls at the same time as portraying the dangerousness and temptations that some see when they are in the midst of the natural wonder.

I thought that visiting the gallery to view things from more of the artist and art world type was interesting. I never really focused on the spacing of the paintings or how they were arranged throughout the exhibit. But, to actually be looking for these things in the gallery was actually fun and intriguing. It gave me a different perspective and made me think in a different light.

Mask creation....

For my inspirational masks I used these three examples. I chose they for several reasons. First, if you notice each mask is semi unique in shape and uses a variety of different colors. The first one is a more oval shape that has pointed ends. The color scheme focuses mainly on browns and tans (darker shapes) and the face movement looks for as if the person who created it was looking for a more negative approach. The way the eyes are slanted and the mouth is slightly open shows the created was angry or upset in some manner. Whoever created that mask also focused on using the element of value in which they used a darker color and offset it with the lighter tan to emphasize certain perspectives. The lines that are used to clarify the eye lines as well as the tan marks that are located around the mouth draw your attention to those areas.

The second one I chose because of the elaborate color scheme and the bright colors. This mask doesn't show an angry aspect but it shows that the person didn't really show much emotion. There isn't much emotion to show here. The color scheme is bright, but seems to contrast a bit drawing one's attention to the white dotted lines that encompass the entire piece. The major portions are shown as blue and orange. Those two particular zones allow your eyes to be drawn to the entire piece.

The third one I chose is more a circular shape that uses darker shades of blue and red to give the viewer some perspective. The creator seems to be a happier person who wants to emphasize different spots of their mask. He uses the white shade to draw out the parts of the face that women usually draw out with makeup. The cheek bones, the top of the head, and the chin area. They also use a touch of value in contrasting the darker red and blue with the bright white. Despite not using some shade of black it still shows the idea of what they are trying to portray.

Not going to lie that when I saw this project I had a feeling it was going to be pointless. But, in the process of creating the mask it made me realize how much work and creativity that really goes into making these masks that represent that person that created the mask. It is a piece of beauty because of the personality that can be seen not only through the art but also through the facial expression and features that are given to each mask. The masks act as a fingerprint and there just happens that there is not one mask that is similar to another. My mask uses colors to show the meaning and expression behind my creation. You can see that the blue represents ocean and a waterfront which is my place where I love to be and relax. The red clashes with the pink with the idea that softball is my life and has taken control of everything I do. I used lines in that the red and blue through my eyes draw attention the eye portion and the center of the face than focuses on the forehead of chin (those are my worst qualities). The I also used value on the right side of my face to show that I may not be completely happy with how happy I always look, but you can always cover up imperfections. The white and the black contrast to show the beauty of night and day and how the world is seen in two different views. I am always the one to look at life with the glass half-full instead of as a pessimist. The wings and halo are to show a type of perspective that each of us has a guardian angel whether we know it or not. I loved this project and how I had the freedom to express my thoughts and not have to be completely open about why I chose certain things, but as a viewer you can gage how I feel and my perspective.

Module 10- Blog review...

We had to choose two videos in which to watch and relate to the readings from this week. The first video that I had chosen was the video titled "Buddhism." Buddha encouraged his followers to find their own way and he had provided mentors and supporters to follow them and encourage them along the way. Buddha believed in the eight-fold path. This is considered " the path to nirvana, comprising eight aspects in which an aspirant must become practiced: right views, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration." Most art in the Buddhism world is made my architects and are sculptures or art galleries carved into stone. They carvings tell the story and life of the Buddha without portraying him as an actual human-being. The lotus flower is actually the sacred flower of Buddha and the largest Buddhist temple was built in the shape of a lotus flower. There is actually a monastery located in Carmel in upstate New York. That isn't that far from where we are and where we live our lives everyday. 

The second video I had chosen to watch was the one that focused on Hinduism and it's impact on art as well. Hindus belief that live is for billions of years which consists of life, death, and rebirth. Unlike the Christian religion they don't believe that life will eventually end. Hindus perform many religious sacrifices and ceremonies that are actually considered a form of art because of the beauty that they put into the ceremonies. They are extremely intricate. They have the ability to practice anywhere and don't just focus on practice within a temple. But, Hindus are encouraged to practice their religion where ever. They have temples that are small but contain beautiful intricate carvings that are dedicated to one of their many spirits. It was interesting to learn that a devote Hindu isn't allowed to touch a dead body. That was intriguing to me because they cremate that their people, so they have to be able to touch it somehow. If a devote Hindu can't touch the body, how do they burn the body? Either way the burning body creates a symbolism to the people, that the spirit is being released and that person will be reborn again within someone else's body. 

These videos relate to the text because of the short blurbs that are talked about in the chapters about the different religions. Beginning on page 428, the text begins to talk about Buddhism and how beginning back in 800 B.C.E many began to preach social equality and a more direct and personal access to the spiritual realm. This is how Buddhism was born. That is why I chose this particular video. I shows actual moving emphasis of what the book talks about. An example would be on page 429, the book talks about the reliefs of Sanchi which tells the story of Buddha which is then talked about in the video and the beautiful, extravagant architecture is shown. The text begins to talk about Hinduism on page 432 and it's artistic culture. It originates out of India and eventually replaced Buddhism as the religions virtually disappeared from his birth place. The text then talks about the temples themselves and how the form of the temple itself has representation. For example, from the text they talked about the central temple complex at Angikor Wat in Cambodia and how the exterior represents the energies of the god radiating out into the world. 

The two videos I chose were the two that had to focus on the aspects of religion and how they viewed art. These two religious belief systems have had a huge impact on society and it is amazing to see the sculptures that still stand today that were created a long time ago. I loved this aspect that was brought forth in these videos. They really gave you the perspective that isn't mentioned in the book. Unfortunately, the book doesn't go into whole lot of depth about art within these religions. I am a semi-religious person and this concept has always entertained my thought. I really liked these videos (not only because of the shortness) but I liked them because they helped emphasis what the book was getting across. The book doesn't go a whole lot in depth about these religions and the individual videos go in depth and gave me the idea of what was actually being presented.