Self Portraitification...in a Sense.

Harmensz. van Rijn Rembrandt

Título:

Self-portrait wearing a Hat and two Chains

Fecha:

ca. 1642-1643

 

Portrait of Marie Joseph Robert Anatole, Comte de Montesquiou-Fezensac (1855-1921); Arrangement in Black and Gold

Portrait of M.I.Lopukhina

Vladimir Borovikovsky, 1797, Oil

 

 

 

 

Rockin the Bluetooth! ha

Portrait Extraordinaire

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?

I picked these three pieces because of the expressions that they have on their faces. My favorite out of the three would be the portrait of M.I. Lopukhina. The woman looks to be very sure of herself and looks as though she knows something about you, very mysterious.

2.Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?
I chose what I am comfortable with, anything that I have ever drawn was devoid of color, so a pencil was an easy choice. 
 
3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was that I have never drawn a portrait of any kind and before drawing my hand for a previous project havn't picked up and sketched in a couple decades. The portrait is very rough but I didn't want to go to crazy with the eraser.  It is what it is. 

4. How does this piece represent you?
I guess it represents me saying hi, nice to meet you.

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?
I tried to apply a little depth with the shading but that definitely isn't my strong point. 

6. Did you enjoy working on this project?

I have to say that I did enjoy this project, there was no stress associated with it. I just sat back, viewed the pic on my laptop and tried to draw what I saw. 

7. What do you think of your final artwork?
I actually like it, it could use a little more spit and polish but it came out better than I thought it was going to. 

The Good, the Bad and the Art

1. Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the best? Why?

I really enjoyed the Art Gallery visits. The only galleries that I seem to visit these days would be the small venues at the local fairs or if I spot something out while driving around. The Gallery visits were great and I liked reading others thoughts about pieces that I had chosen also.

2. Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the least? Why?

The one project that I hated for some reason was the value and color wheel. When it comes to shading and coloring, this has just never been my strong point. I don't know if its just lack of training or because I am slightly color blind (reds/greens) but this project haunted me to no end. 

3. How did you like using ANGEL?

I think Angel worked out very well. I actually liked that others discussions wouldn't get displayed until I posted my own, this keeps others from copying your work. Being able to track my progress through the reporting screen really gave me something to work towards. 

4. If you had the opportunity to change this course:

What would you keep? The gallery visits and discussions.

What would you remove? A few of the videos were just boring and I found myself stopping a few of them and picking others.(I can't think of specifics) I may have commented on this in one of my video review blogs. 

What would you add? I know its a daunting task for the teacher but more interaction in the discussions would be beneficial. I didn't read through all of the posts but I remember you commented on my initial discussion thread and don't remember seeing anything on many others.

5. Would you recommend this course to your peers?

I would recommend this course, even though it was a ton of work, you are a very fair teacher and most of the content was interesting. 

6. Please list any other comments you would like to share.
I just had two things that I didn't care for. The length of this class during the summer is very long and I know it was my own fault for not reading the course outline. There was also a time for a few weeks that I didn't see any of my work being graded, I was moving along and wasn't too sure if the work  I was turning in was up to snuff or not. I  figured that it was Summer and like all of us you were enjoying it too (our Spring was so horrible).Other than those two things It was a pleasure to take this class and I'm going to make it a point from now on to go to a few exhibits every year.

One last thing, it would be helpful if a list of local Art Galleries could be included in the Syllabus. I would be interested in places other than the Albright-Knox.

From Then to Now

1. What were you expectations for this course and were they met?

 My original expectations for this course were to analyze and understand different types of art. I think that I have a better understanding of the styles of art and the movements and how they led from one style into another. It seems that art just keep building on itself and there will always be somewhere different to go.

2. Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared to your intial posting?

During my initial discussion I answered this question with "I believe art is all around us, it impacts our senses and emotions.". I would now define it in the same sense but add that art is deliberate and not just thrown together as I previously thought (abstract art).

3. Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you think so?

In my first post I didn't have a favorite artist but two that I am drawn to are Henri Matisse and David Hockney. I really enjoyed the Matisse vs Picasso video that we watched, I had no clue that the two artists worked off of one another. I enjoyed the Hockney video but there was just something about the artist, he is just so talented.

4. Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different.

I have never taken an online course so I took two this summer, never again! I started both classes at the same time and the work load was overwhelming. I would have had a rough time even if I didn't work full time. For some reason I assumed that both classes were ending in June and was surprised that this class went until August 13th.I will not make that mistake again and will either take just one class or take one during session A and another the following session. I'm still not sure if the work was just too much or maybe I did too much. I am taking another online course in the fall along with a typical course.

Critisizing the Curator

1. Which projects did you review?

I reviewed a couple different projects. 

- Nature Affected by Cassandra Krajewski

- Life in Color by Lydia Merlo

- I Want to be Inspired by Joanna Limpert 

and the project that I chose, How Bizarre…How Bizarre (A Venture into the World of Surreal Art) by Curator Debbie Russell

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?

I selected Debbie's project because I like art that goes beyond the typical and has an imaginative craziness to it. The title originally drew me to her project and the content made my final decision easy. 

 
3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?

I had a tough time writing a critique about an exhibit and trying to fill two pages. I think it may have been a little easier if the exhibit was real and I was there to take everything in. I looked at the project I selected a few times and tried to pick a few works that I could connect with.

 
4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?

I have to say that being critical of a classmates work is a little uneasy. Who am I to judge someones art, I neither have the formal education or art experience to judge someones work. I just tried to figure out whether the Curator chose pieces that truly fit her title.

5. Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?

I would love to read what others wrote about my project, they would have an unbiased opinion towards my work.

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?

I would rate my article a 10 of course, its complete and I did my best to adhere to the instructions given. 

 
7. Did you enjoy working on this project?

This is actually one of the projects that I did enjoy and wasn't looked at as grueling. There is a ton of freedom as to what theme you pick and countless works found to demonstrate your theme.

Week 11: Video Review

Greenberg on Art Criticism: An Interview by T.J. Clark

Clement Greenberg states that writing about art is a lot harder than writing about literature or music. Writing about music you’re a formalist. Music you’re pinned down to the score but visual art doesn’t have a score that you’re pinned down to. His generation was brought up to think money and fame would solve everything but at the same time it was believed if you were good then you wouldn’t be liked by many people.  The interviewer and Clement discuss prejudices in art criticism and that the best art had been made during the last 50 years. Greenberg feels that this art is predominantly abstract.   During the dark 40s, the best artists felt isolated.  He says people who are blue colored are intrigued by abstract art but don’t necessarily understand it.  Greenberg wasn’t worried about his art criticism position. He states to taste art, that it takes everything in you, what you hear, see, read, when arts good it’s everything it should be, backed up by a world of experience.  Experience and aesthetics in art criticism are of personal taste. Clement states that you place limits on nothing and the great art critics of the past new automatically that the value of judgment came first and they weren’t philosophical.  Certain artists have proven themselves and some haven’t but that is enough.  Greenberg felt that writing was just like generating copy.  He believes in modern specialization. 

The Colonial Encounter: Views of Non-Western Art and Culture.

The 1900 World Fair was important to display France with a new self-image.  Art of Dahome is seen as beautiful even though it is usually viewed as being a craft. The Dahome were thought of by other nations as primitive and savage people and not dignified.  The Dahome exhibit was thought of as not civilized by the French and were seen as very barbaric. Images of these people at the fair seemed to support this view. Violence enacted against each other, viewed the French as saving them from themselves. This justified the colonization of African people. Three figures that were shown in the World Fair represented the three aspects of African people. A throne brought back by the French was actually acknowledged at how much had gone into its construction.  The throne was evidence of skilled craftsmanship. Algeria at the World’s Fair was treated differently because it was colonized for a longer time than the Dahome.  Tourism played a big part of how the Algerian display was viewed.  By the early 1900 tourism was on its way to becoming an industry. Pleasure and tourism was used to establish communities that would cater to this new industry.  Arab women were represented as promiscuous and promote the conflation of dance. The Belly dance stood for Arabs and France had no problem promoting  it this way. Naked African men and Women were kept in cages and enclosures along with other exotic animal species.  The Europeans tried to rationalize this type of display as some sort of scientific study and not pornographic. They displayed items that seem to emphasize the racial differences between the Africans and Europeans.  The French created a dichotomy between the Dahome and Algeria exhibits. The art exhibits displayed at the Fair were seen as art but were devoid of any cultural information or meaning.  These types of displays were shown throughout the west but the only information that was displayed was about the person who collected the items, the anthropologist. 

 

An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance

There was a new enthusiasm in the arts and many artists contributed to this new style called the Renaissance.  Romans created art form the natural beauty found around them but that came to an end after the Barbarians conquered the empire. The Byzantines focused less on beauty and focused more on religious themes.  Giotto was one of the first artists that brought back the realistic style of the Romans. He used perspective that would be found in architecture and landscape. Objects seemed closer and farther depending on their objects sizes.  This added depth and realism to his paintings giving them a 3 dimensional look. He influenced many artists such as Ghiberti who created beautiful door panels.  He created realistic vision of the human form. His interests were very similar as Giotto but Ghiberti used perspective to add depth to his reliefs.  Apprentices learned from the skilled craftsmen to work their perspective crafts. They were trained in Guilds.  Donatello’s David, is standing in “contrapposto” which gives a natural appearance to the way he’s standing.  He portrayed him nude to show the human form that people were now used to seeing as beautiful. Ucello used perspective with human and animal forms as did Giotto.  “The Madonna and Child” painted by Francesca used contrasting light and dark to create a depth within the painting. This experimentation with light was used to illuminate different areas called chiaroscuro.  IN the Adoration of the Magi, Botticelli incorporated his patrons the Medicis in the painting. Da Vinci took science and math and applied it to this art. The figures in “The Last Supper”  appear naturally in their surroundings. He studied the systems of the body and for 3 years sketched live models to know how the clothes would drape over the figures. Raffaello was influenced by Da Vinci, he uses his mastery of space and perspective to create “The Transfiguration”. All figures are moving, acting, teaching, discussing an’d figures are personified by these traits.  He paints in a balanced structure.  Michelangelo’s “David” created a powerful symbol of the Republic by driving for perfection. He taught himself by studying art from past artists. He believed that god created man to strive towards gods perfection. His painting of the Sistine Chapel represents man’s relationship to God.  

I really enjoyed the first video; it was very interesting listening to Greenberg talk about art criticism. The second video was interesting and followed along with what was conveyed in our text. The use and display of Africans was almost pornographic and to think the Europeans tried to cover up this fact with science.  The last video was a good way to help understand the history of the Renaissance and how it came to be and who its major players were.

Outside Looking In

Picking a theme was a definite challenge that took me a little while to nail down. I wanted a theme that coincided with my personality but would also supply enough diverse examples to keep the audience interested.  I don’t want the visitors to get to my 5^th work of art and say “Oh look, another landscape, moving on…” I chose works from sculpture, painting, photography and even an outside installation. I had a few problems, the biggest was worrying more about what I wanted in my gallery and forgetting to find pieces that had authors and titles readily associated with them. There are a few pieces that are in this category. Being this gallery would be about landscapes, I would set the mood with some plant life and sounds of nature playing quietly overhead. The main piece would be my installation, this would be viewed through a large old pane glass window. On the other side of this window would be Field Rotation by Mary Miss. I would have either a live feed or just video of this work played from different angles on large video screens. The other works would be hung on the surrounding walls painted either white or grass colored. I have to say this was the most challenging of all the projects this semester. I spent a couple hours just looking for art that I liked and that matched my theme. As I started building my presentation it became clear that my first websites associated with these works did not contain much needed information. I worked on locating more info on these works, some could be found but others could not. I liked the green background for the PowerPoint, it just lends itself to the landscape theme. I know that there are tons of different things that can be done in PowerPoint to spruce up your presentation but I wanted it to be simple and natural. Building this Art Exhibit did teach me that there is a ton more work in setting up a show then just picking some art and hanging it on the wall.

Video Blog Review

The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art

Lowbrow art is reactionary style to the highbrow culture. Originally this art depicted cars and naked women. Artist Robert Williams coined the phrase Low Brow Art in his book published in 1979. B rated movies, car culture, surf scene, Malibu Beach Scene, McCarthyism and the threat of Communism were all inspiration for this type of art. Ed Roth, Von Dutch and Robert Williams are the three big representative artists of this style. Low Brow always has a narrative associated with that type of work. During the 50s and 60s the Tiki theme was big and these artists pulled this style into the Low Brow art.

There doesn't seem to be any Low Brow art in permanent museum collections. These artists created their own scene and put on their own art shows. Over the last ten years Low brow art has gained recognition and acceptance. The growth and value of this type of art has been growing by leaps and bounds. Robert Williams is now in demand where as 20 yrs ago no one would even show his art. Low Brow is now basically called Pop Surrealism and is being seen as real art.

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach

During the first year it was opened, there have been 4 million visitors making it the most famous Modern Art Museum in the world. When the MOMA was opned in 1929, the art was displayed in chronilogical order, on white walls using flexible lighting. During the 1970s, the art came off the walls and became busy and noisy. Gender, ethnicity and sexuality roles in the acceptance of artworks was looked at. Tate Modern had to come up with a different way to display art. They decided to display art in four sections, each section will provide a theme for works of art. Landscape, still life, history and the nude are the themes which link directly to the genre of art from the 17^th century french academy. The Tate approach does not display art in chronological order and will often have an abrupt transition between pieces and artists. This type of display allows viewers to have no knowledge of art and is used as an inferior form of entertainment. The exhibits are set up so that people will not get bored , kind of like channel surfing on the TV. The pieces are set up so that they compliment and transition to the next piece being viewed. Hanging art thematically it encourages a type of viewing that can leap out and thought of less as a narrative. Anything being viewed that requires a lot of concentrated effort had to be avoided.

Bones of Contention: Native American Archeology

During the US genocide against Indians over the past 150 years bones have been collected and Anthropologists wonder whether or not these bones should be returned to the Native Americans. Roadwork in Iowa relieved a cemetery, 26 Anglo people were re-buried but one Native American and her baby were sent back for study. Maria a Sioux claims this is discrimination. Iowa ended up passing a law protecting Indian remains. David Van Horn, archeologist, found small bones, figured they were American Indian and returned him. He was then arrested for having these bones in his possession. He avoided jail but lost his livelihood as a result of the prosecution. Europeans encounter burial mounds, collected the remains but thought the mound builders were too intelligent to be Native Americans. Samual Morton MD collected skulls to provide measurements that were suppose to conclude that the size of your skull was in relation to your intelligence. Over 4000 skulls of Native Americans were collected. Native Americans were seen as doomed people so collecting of their remains went on and dozens of museums were built to show the collections. Susan Harjo fights for the Native peoples objects to be returned to them. The Smithsonian held the bones of 18000 Indians. IN 1989 inventories were beginning to be taken in the museums and the remains must be given back to those tribes. Lakota world view rejects the theory that evolution and migration brought them to the Americas. The Sioux believe they emerged from the Black Hills. Repatriation requires scientists to try and determine where the bones came from and where they will go back to. Skull measurements help determine where the remains should go. Scientists try to document all the remains before they are given back to the tribes for re-burial. They also learn allot about today’s health problems by studying these remains. Researchers DNA test bones infected with Tuberculosis. They compare and contrast ancient bacterial material and use that information to help with the diseases that could be caused by that material. Burial sites remain untouched and are avoided by construction crews at all cost. The Great Plain Omaha Indians want their bones analyzed for cultural and medical reasons before returning the bones. They have figured out that change in diet has increased diabetes in these people. They found out that after the Small Pox epidemic hurt the life expectancy of women who now never lived past 30 so the population was in a decline. The Native Americans are still striving to bring their ancestors home to rest.

George Eastman House: Picture Perfect

George Eastman was the father of Photography. He was a visionary and marketing genius. He invented motion picture film. His house was turned into a Museum. Eastman created a process that made photography available to everyone. The collection contains over 400k photographs and over 25k films. The history of photography is linked to the life and home of George Eastman. His Brownie camera revolutionized photography and the motion picture film stock developed with Thomas Edison became an industry standard that is still the standard today. The Brownie was made for 70 years. The Tech collection of the Eastman house contains 16k objects, 5k of them are cameras. He strove to make the camera as convenient as using a pencil. Kodak became one of the best known brands all over the world. He made the name up, there was never a Mr. Kodak. IN 1902 Eastman started construction on his 50 room estate. Each room has some sort of musical instruments because of his love for music. There are over 62k personal artifacts found in the museum. The museum is one of the premiere movie archives in the world. In 1996 the Eastman House established the first school to teach the restoration, preservation and archiving of motion pictures. The Eastman collection is available for viewing online. He ended up taking his own life because he didn't want his disease to be his demise, he wanted to control his life and death. 

I really enjoyed the Low Brow and George Eastman videos. I never thought of Low Brow art as that, I always associated it with the Car Culture. These works are done with so much detail and imagination that its strange that it was kept in the shadows for so long. After watching the Kodak video I think the family and I will have to go and visit the museum. That Tate Museum is very interesting, I enjoy the way that they handle the art and do not just display it chronologically.  The Native American video did not peak my interest and I really didn't understand the point of watching it, what did this video have to do with our class?