Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Hand drawings
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Week 9 Video Blog
I chose the video about Michelangelo as my first video. I have seen a few of his drawings but didn't know so many existed as he is better known for his sculptures and the Sistine Chapel. I wanted to know more about his drawings. I didn't know he taught himself to sculpt...wow....and just look at the masterpieces he created. The video related to our readings through discussion of his sculpture David and the frescoes of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The video showed a poem he had written describing his distaste for the project and the book tells us he hated painting and there is a verse from the poem on page 371. I didn't know he was such a prolific architect as well. He designed the interior of the Medici families tomb, including the furniture, and also created the framework of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling to better show his different scenes. I certainly learned alot about the final works we know so well after watching this video. I am amazed to see the sketches and beginnings of such masterpieces. His knowledge of the human body is incredible...even when quickly sketched by him. What a genius.
I was interested in Albrecht Durer when I read his profile in our book on page 177 so I chose the video about him to learn more. I was very drawn to his woodcut Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse on page 176. How can someone have the talent to create such a delicate and intricate woodcut? I was very happy to see many of his other prints in the video. I learned he is considered the first landscape artist in Europe and that he got his inspiration from traveling to Italy, where he spent alot of his time. Both the video and our readings describe how he would create his works with a combination of Northern features and Southern features. He would include naturalistic figures as well as idealized beauty in his paintings. He made most of his money from the sale of his prints but was also appointed the court painter of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. The book and video mentioned his arranged marriage and the video showed drawings he had made of her. I really enjoyed the video because I was able to see how his artwork changed throughout his years. He was talented in so many different aspects of art and his work trully revolutionized Renaissance art, which means "rebirth" and was a revival of ancient Greek and Roman culture.
I didn't know anything about Valazquez and therefore wanted to watch this video to learn about him. I am glad I did! He was a Spanish painter during the Baroque era. He was the appointed court painter of King Philip IV of Spain and who was also, according to the video, his only friend. He painted many portraits of the Royal Family but had his own unique style...somewhat Baroque with his use of light and space but also very independent of any other art movement. He wasn't interested in creating pleasing works of art but rather "real" works. He was able to capture the true spirit of his subjects. His most famous works were of the court jesters with whom he spent much of his time. These pieces are called the Baffoon Portraits and they captured the opposites of Baroque, the beauty and opposite of Baroque, the flaws. He painted the person just as he was, with his flaws apparent, but was able to give his subjects a transport from their daily lives to rise above their afflictions. He was able to capture the "human" in his renderings. Both the book and the video gave alot of detail of his most famous piece Las Meninas, which is a painting so involved but yet so organized due to his genius in the organization of his paintings. I really like Valazquez' work and can't believe I didn't know anything about him until the book and this video.
I chose Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance as my last video. Although he was a painter, most famous for The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, I am amazed by how many other things he undertook. His drive to understand everything around him was unstoppable. The inventions of things we use today like the submarine and airplane were just a bit too early to be executed then. He was so well-rounded but after watching the video I don't think he ever gave his intellect enough credit. As with every video we have seen a particularly like to see the not-so-famous works of art. I didn't know that there weren't many of his paintings remaining, nor did I know he left most of them unfinished. I had never heard that he was looked over twice by the King to become the new court painter, losing the position first to Botticelli and then Michelangelo. He was forefront in a particular technique of combining different parts from different people to create one true beauty, the perfect man. Perfection and beauty were embodied in the Renaissance Period and Leonardo found a way to acheive this. I liked this video but it seemed to say to me that Da Vinci may have led a sad life which is something I never would have figured given he was so talented.
I was interested in Albrecht Durer when I read his profile in our book on page 177 so I chose the video about him to learn more. I was very drawn to his woodcut Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse on page 176. How can someone have the talent to create such a delicate and intricate woodcut? I was very happy to see many of his other prints in the video. I learned he is considered the first landscape artist in Europe and that he got his inspiration from traveling to Italy, where he spent alot of his time. Both the video and our readings describe how he would create his works with a combination of Northern features and Southern features. He would include naturalistic figures as well as idealized beauty in his paintings. He made most of his money from the sale of his prints but was also appointed the court painter of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. The book and video mentioned his arranged marriage and the video showed drawings he had made of her. I really enjoyed the video because I was able to see how his artwork changed throughout his years. He was talented in so many different aspects of art and his work trully revolutionized Renaissance art, which means "rebirth" and was a revival of ancient Greek and Roman culture.
I didn't know anything about Valazquez and therefore wanted to watch this video to learn about him. I am glad I did! He was a Spanish painter during the Baroque era. He was the appointed court painter of King Philip IV of Spain and who was also, according to the video, his only friend. He painted many portraits of the Royal Family but had his own unique style...somewhat Baroque with his use of light and space but also very independent of any other art movement. He wasn't interested in creating pleasing works of art but rather "real" works. He was able to capture the true spirit of his subjects. His most famous works were of the court jesters with whom he spent much of his time. These pieces are called the Baffoon Portraits and they captured the opposites of Baroque, the beauty and opposite of Baroque, the flaws. He painted the person just as he was, with his flaws apparent, but was able to give his subjects a transport from their daily lives to rise above their afflictions. He was able to capture the "human" in his renderings. Both the book and the video gave alot of detail of his most famous piece Las Meninas, which is a painting so involved but yet so organized due to his genius in the organization of his paintings. I really like Valazquez' work and can't believe I didn't know anything about him until the book and this video.
I chose Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance as my last video. Although he was a painter, most famous for The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, I am amazed by how many other things he undertook. His drive to understand everything around him was unstoppable. The inventions of things we use today like the submarine and airplane were just a bit too early to be executed then. He was so well-rounded but after watching the video I don't think he ever gave his intellect enough credit. As with every video we have seen a particularly like to see the not-so-famous works of art. I didn't know that there weren't many of his paintings remaining, nor did I know he left most of them unfinished. I had never heard that he was looked over twice by the King to become the new court painter, losing the position first to Botticelli and then Michelangelo. He was forefront in a particular technique of combining different parts from different people to create one true beauty, the perfect man. Perfection and beauty were embodied in the Renaissance Period and Leonardo found a way to acheive this. I liked this video but it seemed to say to me that Da Vinci may have led a sad life which is something I never would have figured given he was so talented.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Week 8 video discussion
In the video More Human than Human I learned alot about human psyche and how it relates to the ways we make and perceive art. I think it's fascinating that we are drawn to exagerrated images and we don't know why. I didn't realize that the Egyptians maintained the same human form drawings for 3000 years...that's mindboggling! The video related to the readings by talking about the Egyptians and the continuity in their artwork. Also the Greeks and their temples and sculptures were found in the readings and explained even more in the video We even have a picture of the Greek bronze Warrior sculpture,which was found by an Italian tourist, on page 335. Our book talks about the venus of Willendorf and what her purpose may have been and the video took it a step farther, trying to explain other reasons she may have been carved, such as our fascination with exagerrated features of the human form that may very well be hard-wired in our brains. I really enjoyed this video and learned more from this one than others I have watched. I only wish it would have been longer!
I chose Cataclysm: The Black Death visitsTuscany as my first video because I knew a little about the plague but wanted to know more about it and how it affected the art of the times. Until this video I never thought about the religious implications the Plague would have or that it would change the artists depictions of religion. It makes perfect sense now that these would have been the major outcomes of such a devastating event in such a religious era. It was interesting to learn that these two major cities had such an enormous uprising and even more dramatic fall due to debt incurred from just trying to maintain the growing population. Two of the artists talked about in the video are also mentioned in our readings; Duccio from Sienna and his contemporary from Florence Giotto. Our readings described their use of space in their paintings...the placement of the walls and people giving movement to the artwork. Duccio's use of architecture to dictate space rather than a backdrop and Giotto's faces full of emotion were the two major contributions given by these artists. Both were alive before the plague and the video gave us more information of their views through their artwork after it. I liked this video because it explained the artwork and how it had changed due to different events but it didn't focus only on the artwork produced but also why it was produced. I learned from this video that many inventions arose from the Renaissance period: modern cities, modern banks, universities, eyeglasses fireplaces and paved roads. I also learned that the vanishing point was developed in the 1400's...what that must have done to the artworld!
My second video is The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th century BC. I have always admired the Greeks and all the accomplishments they created that we still implement today. This video touched on many of them...art, science, philosophy, math and politics. I was hoping this video would provide more information on the architecture of the Greeks because I knew from our readings that not many paintings during this period remain...and it did. I am sad, however, that there aren't many paintings to study. Although I am amazed by architecture I feel I learn more about a culture through it's paintings. I learned both from the readings and this video that Perikles basically turned Athens from a city of wood to a city of marble. What an enormous feat that must have been! And what a testament to Phidias, Pericles friend and overseer of the Acropolis' construction, that it still stands today. Both the video and our readings informed us that there are no straight lines in the Parthenon, though we can't tell by looking at it...they planned it that way. I enjoyed the indepth explanation of the sculptures around the frieze of the Parthenon. It is amazing how much thought went into what they placed where and for what reasons. I wouldn;t have known what a frieze was if I hadn't learned it in our readings! This video renewed my life-long dream to go to Greece! I loved how the people and their culture are portayed in the video...as alive and vibrant as those centuries earlier and just as integral to the history and future of Greece.
Cairo Museum is my third video. There wasn't much that related to the readings except a few explanations of what the art meant and where it was found. There was a mention of King Tutankhamun's tomb in the readings and more in-depth explanation on the video. 3500 objects were found in King Tutankhamun's tomb...wow. I did learn from the readings that his father tried to change the style of art in Egypt, as well as their religious beliefs, but this didn't last. This video was still extremely interesting to me, however. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to choose which artifacts to display, especially when choosing from 80,000 of them. The basement houses these artifacts...as many as are in the museum itself. one piece I really liked was an ivory carving of a gold fish that was used to mix cosmetics that dates back 3000 years. It is great to see the colors and gold and jewels they used. I would really love to visit this museum.
I chose Cataclysm: The Black Death visitsTuscany as my first video because I knew a little about the plague but wanted to know more about it and how it affected the art of the times. Until this video I never thought about the religious implications the Plague would have or that it would change the artists depictions of religion. It makes perfect sense now that these would have been the major outcomes of such a devastating event in such a religious era. It was interesting to learn that these two major cities had such an enormous uprising and even more dramatic fall due to debt incurred from just trying to maintain the growing population. Two of the artists talked about in the video are also mentioned in our readings; Duccio from Sienna and his contemporary from Florence Giotto. Our readings described their use of space in their paintings...the placement of the walls and people giving movement to the artwork. Duccio's use of architecture to dictate space rather than a backdrop and Giotto's faces full of emotion were the two major contributions given by these artists. Both were alive before the plague and the video gave us more information of their views through their artwork after it. I liked this video because it explained the artwork and how it had changed due to different events but it didn't focus only on the artwork produced but also why it was produced. I learned from this video that many inventions arose from the Renaissance period: modern cities, modern banks, universities, eyeglasses fireplaces and paved roads. I also learned that the vanishing point was developed in the 1400's...what that must have done to the artworld!
My second video is The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th century BC. I have always admired the Greeks and all the accomplishments they created that we still implement today. This video touched on many of them...art, science, philosophy, math and politics. I was hoping this video would provide more information on the architecture of the Greeks because I knew from our readings that not many paintings during this period remain...and it did. I am sad, however, that there aren't many paintings to study. Although I am amazed by architecture I feel I learn more about a culture through it's paintings. I learned both from the readings and this video that Perikles basically turned Athens from a city of wood to a city of marble. What an enormous feat that must have been! And what a testament to Phidias, Pericles friend and overseer of the Acropolis' construction, that it still stands today. Both the video and our readings informed us that there are no straight lines in the Parthenon, though we can't tell by looking at it...they planned it that way. I enjoyed the indepth explanation of the sculptures around the frieze of the Parthenon. It is amazing how much thought went into what they placed where and for what reasons. I wouldn;t have known what a frieze was if I hadn't learned it in our readings! This video renewed my life-long dream to go to Greece! I loved how the people and their culture are portayed in the video...as alive and vibrant as those centuries earlier and just as integral to the history and future of Greece.
Cairo Museum is my third video. There wasn't much that related to the readings except a few explanations of what the art meant and where it was found. There was a mention of King Tutankhamun's tomb in the readings and more in-depth explanation on the video. 3500 objects were found in King Tutankhamun's tomb...wow. I did learn from the readings that his father tried to change the style of art in Egypt, as well as their religious beliefs, but this didn't last. This video was still extremely interesting to me, however. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to choose which artifacts to display, especially when choosing from 80,000 of them. The basement houses these artifacts...as many as are in the museum itself. one piece I really liked was an ivory carving of a gold fish that was used to mix cosmetics that dates back 3000 years. It is great to see the colors and gold and jewels they used. I would really love to visit this museum.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
videos
The first video i loved! I have always been amazed by Frank Lloyd wright and to see his architecture was great. I didn't know he created the 'open-space" idea or placing the fireplace in the middle of the room rather than the end. He can actually be labeled in our times as a true "green architect because he designed his homes, for the everyday person, to extend from nature..an extension. He used the environment as his palette when creating his designs.
I was kind of disapointed by the second video. I was expecting to understand more about the process of using concrete and steel to make skyscrapers but found it more concentrated on the computers used to control a rooms environment. I did learn that skyscrapers have to have a foundation and one way to do that is to form a pile that is used to dig into the earth's surface until it hits rock, thus securing the structure. This video related to our readings because it used Steel and Concrete....necessary to create skyscrapers. I didn't know that buildings have sway or that there is an allowed amount of sway to them.
The video on classical architecture was really interesting. I can look around everywhere and see the designs of the greeks and romans. I learned that the romans originally used columns for structural support but also used it as ornamentation. I learned that their buildings were proportionate and balanced and that is why they are reused in architecture. I can admit that I could recognize the different styles of the columns...my favorite is Corinthian.
I chose the Frank gehry video because I knew his name from the guggenheim museum. I learned that he started by designing residential housing. He unlike green architects likes to make a statement. he will incorporate his structure with it's surroundings but uses them to make his structure stand out. I learned that architecture is in the architects mind....it can be done. His museum design proves that...gone are the conventional lines and now there is flowing movement to a once stable structure. I really liked the interviews with him...I love to see the artist..or architect...and hear what they have to say.
I was kind of disapointed by the second video. I was expecting to understand more about the process of using concrete and steel to make skyscrapers but found it more concentrated on the computers used to control a rooms environment. I did learn that skyscrapers have to have a foundation and one way to do that is to form a pile that is used to dig into the earth's surface until it hits rock, thus securing the structure. This video related to our readings because it used Steel and Concrete....necessary to create skyscrapers. I didn't know that buildings have sway or that there is an allowed amount of sway to them.
The video on classical architecture was really interesting. I can look around everywhere and see the designs of the greeks and romans. I learned that the romans originally used columns for structural support but also used it as ornamentation. I learned that their buildings were proportionate and balanced and that is why they are reused in architecture. I can admit that I could recognize the different styles of the columns...my favorite is Corinthian.
I chose the Frank gehry video because I knew his name from the guggenheim museum. I learned that he started by designing residential housing. He unlike green architects likes to make a statement. he will incorporate his structure with it's surroundings but uses them to make his structure stand out. I learned that architecture is in the architects mind....it can be done. His museum design proves that...gone are the conventional lines and now there is flowing movement to a once stable structure. I really liked the interviews with him...I love to see the artist..or architect...and hear what they have to say.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Questions
Installation art is created around a surrounding, incorporating the art with the surroundings. As the video stated it forces the viewer to interact with the piece. There is no limit to what can be used to create installation art. It can be small or large. It can be inside or outside. Some people have even wrapped mountains as their installation. I suppose you would make installation art for the same reason as you would make any art...to say something....express your views visually.
Installation
I felt a connection with the bedroom scenein the video. I like reality and that to me embraced that. I like when art is recognized through everyday common objects. I wanted to use environment as my theme...not like mother nature but surroundings. I used my girlfriends stuffed animals and her dog Romeo. I was trying to combine alive with a semblance of life. I didn't want to place this outside because I didn't want to get it confused with nature.
peer comment
Kate and I used the same picture. We both chose Andy Warhol's 100 cans. But other than that there were no similarities. I could definitely see that each girl's pictures represented the elements they said they were. Eleanor's picture for color could have also been symmetry. Of course, we could see many different principles and elements in each picture we took. It was so hard to decide what element to use for each picture. I really look forward to reading comments. I am quite pleased with what everyone says.
Although Kate and I used the same picture it wasn't for the same reason...mine was used as a connection and hers was wanting to know more about. She also used a Van Gogh that I alsmost used.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
sculpture, glass and installations
I absolutely enjoyed the video about sculpture. I have always wondered how an artist could take a block and remove pieces to create the final sculpture. I didn't know that many people actually work on each sculpture...such as artisans who just carve hair or faces or ornaments of the sculpture. I always assumed it was the artist alone. Knowing that gives me more appreciation for the sculpture that so many could put their minds together for each artists ideas. I also didn't know that marble is a product of limestone...although I knew both were used for carving. As amazed I am about the final carving I learned that there are many steps prior to this. The sketches, the half-size clay model, the silicone mold, the life-size clay model and the life-size plaster model...wow!!!
I have worked with clay before and found it quite challenging. I never, however, considered there are so many different types of clay used for so many different things. I certainly didn't know that ceramics were used in car mufflers or medical purposes. After watching the different objects made with clay I realized that porcelain is another type of clay, comprised of different elements. I now know how tempered glass is made! I have heard the name so many times. I thought a film was placed on the outside of the glass but it is just fired differently and shocked by different temperatures. I also learned that glass tarnishes due to iron oxides. I have been in many old buildings and thought it was just the process of glass-making at that time that colored it.
Before the video on installation art I only had a vague idea what installation art actually is. I now know that arrtists create it to make the viewer an active part of the piece itself. I also learned that the art can't work anywhere else...the surroundings chosen are so integral to the piece. i wasn't aware that it is a s popular as it is. I saw alot of it at the Albright-Knox but I now know that it is the most popular form of artwork now.
The videos certainly related to our readings and also provided a little more. They showed us the crafts of the artist and described the history about various medias. I liked the interviews with the artists and curators. that is something we didn't get from our readings. I find it easier to learn from videos with people that I can see and hear and music than from reading so I definitely learned more from the videos.
I enjoyed the video of sculpture the most. Watching the process of creating a marble sculpture is remarkable. All three definitely taught me a great deal about each of these different forms of artwork. I am not a big fan of video installations but hearing the artists describe how and why they made them helped me to appreciate them more.
I have worked with clay before and found it quite challenging. I never, however, considered there are so many different types of clay used for so many different things. I certainly didn't know that ceramics were used in car mufflers or medical purposes. After watching the different objects made with clay I realized that porcelain is another type of clay, comprised of different elements. I now know how tempered glass is made! I have heard the name so many times. I thought a film was placed on the outside of the glass but it is just fired differently and shocked by different temperatures. I also learned that glass tarnishes due to iron oxides. I have been in many old buildings and thought it was just the process of glass-making at that time that colored it.
Before the video on installation art I only had a vague idea what installation art actually is. I now know that arrtists create it to make the viewer an active part of the piece itself. I also learned that the art can't work anywhere else...the surroundings chosen are so integral to the piece. i wasn't aware that it is a s popular as it is. I saw alot of it at the Albright-Knox but I now know that it is the most popular form of artwork now.
The videos certainly related to our readings and also provided a little more. They showed us the crafts of the artist and described the history about various medias. I liked the interviews with the artists and curators. that is something we didn't get from our readings. I find it easier to learn from videos with people that I can see and hear and music than from reading so I definitely learned more from the videos.
I enjoyed the video of sculpture the most. Watching the process of creating a marble sculpture is remarkable. All three definitely taught me a great deal about each of these different forms of artwork. I am not a big fan of video installations but hearing the artists describe how and why they made them helped me to appreciate them more.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Museum
I really enjoyed my visit to this museum. I was surprised there were so many pieces from artists I know about. I liked the Joan Miro exhibition alot...he is one of my favorite artists. I have always had a connection with him...the colors he uses and the shapes are so unique. I also felt a connection with Roland Flexner and his bubble drawings. What a great idea using soapy water mixed with sumi ink. They were each one individual but yet connected to eachother. I decided to use Gianfranco Foschino's The Window as my third connection piece. I was really drawn to the color of the wall and couldn't stop watching the video of the people in the room just going about their daily lives.
My choices for making an impression was first the Andy Warhol oil on canvas titled 100 cans. I couldn't believe he painted every can himself. I always thought it was a printed image that he duplicated. They were all so perfectly done! I also liked theAlexander Calder Composition in Red and Black. The movement he achieved through the contrasting colors and the curves make the image look like it's going to walk right off the page. My third choice is by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner titled Portrait of a woman. I liked his use of proportion and the bold colors he used to give her importance.
I was really intrigued by Salvador Dali's The Transparent Simulacrum of the Fatigued Image. His artwork is so involved...always so much going on! I would love to know more about his thoughts when he created the piece and what he wanted it to mean. I also enjoyed the bronze figure by Alberto Giacometti called Invisible Object. The way he made her eyes different from eachother and the distant stare she has and the expression on her face made me wonder if she was troubled by something or missing whatever was in her hands. And, of course, I would like to know more about Joan Miro. To some his art must look like just a bunch of shapes but I know there is meaning to them. His style of abstraction has always interested me. I would love to know more about his pieces so I could learn what he was trying to convey in the piece.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
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