Nature is Art-art curator project

I thought this project was actually quite fun. It took a lot of work along with quite a bit of thinking. Coming up with a theme was the hardest part for me. There are so many themes you could use in creating an exhibition. Pieces that are inspired by nature always stick out to me so it seemed like a fitting subject. I grouped my pieces by the content of the piece and also by the medium used. The last few are watercolors while most are oil paintings. I chose the design of the powerpoint because it seemed to give light to and emphasize the works of art. All of the images came from the ARTstor database. I am really interested to see what others in the class chose and how they set up their exhibitions in powerpoint.

Week Nine Video Review

The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art is based on the concept that a lowbrow is a person regarded as uncultivated and lacking in taste. In the art world is referred to works of certain images such as naked women. It discusses the difference between lowbrow and surrealism. The video also explores the idea of women artists in lowbrow art and the role they play.

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach explores the key ideas of the intellectual issues with displaying modern art. It describes the chronology of the art exhibit as well as the way modern art was displayed by being posted on the white walls with reflective lighting. It discusses the idea that exhibits are theme-based.

Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology discusses the idea that Native American bones have been kept in Museums for science, but the Native American culture alive today feels it is degrading to a point as it reminds them of the poor treatment of the past. It focuses on the protection of Native American burial sites and how it is limiting the work of archaeologists who may or not know that the bones they investigate are in fact Native American.

George Eastman House: Picture Perfect discusses the idea of the legacy of George Eastman and his work through photography and motion film. The George Eastman house is the mecca of the medium of photography and the largest motion film library around the world. It investigates the impact that Eastman had on the world.

I don't believe that the videos really relate to the creation of my art exhibition project in that my theme is different from that of the videos. The videos focused more on modern and pop art whereas my theme is the natural world. They do however relate to the project in that they spend some time disussing the ways in which an exhibit may be arranged.

I thought these films were exceptionally interesting and absolutly added depth to my understanding of the art concepts I am using in the art curator project. They gave me ideas that I could use in arranging my exhibit.

Video Review Week 8

I selected each of the videos, Matisse and Picasso, Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50's and 60's, Uncertainty: Modernity and Art, and Expressionism, because they were topics they stood out to me while doing the readings. Matisse and Picasso as well as Pop art of the 50's and 60's were topics that I also used in other assignments for the course so I thought it would be interesting to learn more about those topics. Some of the videos are similar topics which seemed like a better idea to choose than watching four unrelated videos.

In the Matisse and Picasso video some of the key concepts were that Matisse traveled the world and often took very little with him in search of artistic inspirations. Matisse struggled to find his latest paintings a great deal of the time. Picasso, in contrast, did not travel much. He spent much time in his studio and drew inspiration from what was around him. His name, however, traveled far and wide.

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50's and 60's, we learn that emotions were meant to be expressed through abstract use of colors in the paintings. The video teaches us how to look at abstract art, by looking up close at all the small details and then taking a step back to understand the full meaning of the work. The key ideas focus on describing the different abstract and pop artists of the time and each of their key works. It also goes over the transformation of Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art with Andy Warhol.

Uncertainty: Modernity and Art focuses on how modern life evolved out of old ideas, similar to how modern art evolved out of older art styles and ideas. The key concept is how uncertain modern life can be. It talks about how more modern art changes with modern life through different styles such as Abtract Expressionism and then Pop Art.

The video, Expressionism, defines the style of Expressionism and its use of colors and how this style changed from the formal use of color of Fauvism. The color use in paintings are meant to express a certain emotion. There is often some kind of facial expression or action taking place. The emotional response is meant to be part of the viewers experience.

Each of these four videos relate very closely with the readings from the text. They covered topics from the readings and went into much more detail. They focused on the evolution of styles from one to another and how the artists worked to include these styles in their paintings and other works. It also goes into detail on some of the works that were seen in the text.

The videos really add much more knowledge to the fundamental lesson we've had from the readings. I really like that they focus on single ideas and really take what we've already learned to a new level.

Mask Making

My own mask uses symmetry in that each side is identical. I also used a unique design and line from to make it my own. I used colors that I knew family from my past really liked and incorporated it in a flower design that I felt represented my own ancestors the way other masks do. I felt there was also a balance with the use of color and symmetry. There is some value in the color with the light and darker blue and variety with the shapes on the masks. It is a simple shape with added design. I thought creating the mask was a fun experiment and wished I was a better artist to really make it stand out. If I had the material, created a 3-D mask would have been a creative experience. The finished mask was alright, but wasn't really what I envisioned.

The mask of the Royal Sister and Wife of the Kuba Kingdom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a realistic mask of a woman with hair and beads on it. The eyes are shut and the mouth slightly open. There is an almost perfect symmetry with the paint design and black and white are used to create different shapes on the face. The blue and white beading goes along the hair line at the top and there are white beads in the red material hanging from the sides of the mask. The texture of the face appears smooth, while the hair appears rough. I selected this piece because I thought there was a very unique use of design on the face which highlighted the features and the use of beading was very unique as well.

This is the mask of the Beautiful Ancestress of the Chokwe Peoples. This is a three-dimensional mask of a woman. The eyes are shut and she appears to be wearing a headdress of some kind. The mask is a bronze color with white and blue also used in the band of the headdress as well as on the lips and in the markings on either side of the face. There is symmetry and shape used in the mask in the eyes, nose, ears and mouth. The face has a smooth texture, while the head dress looks like it has a rough or furring texture, perhaps similar to a net. I selected this mask as an inspiration piece because I found it very interesting and visually stimulating. The expression and shape of the face caught my attention and I liked that the markings were simple but noticeable.

The Aztec Mask of Xiuhtecuhtli is a mask of a face in symmetric form. The eyes, nose, and mouth are relatively identical on each side of the face. It uses a traditional shape of a face and is flat across the top. There is an excellent use of color. It uses bright greens and shades of greens that fade into a turquoise blue. There are also different dots on the mask that add texture and design. It has a rhythm with the repeating of colors and texture throughout. This mask was an ispiration to me because of the use of color. It stood out and made me pay attention to the use of color. The shape is simple but even the expression of the face draws your attention to it.

Video Review

I chose the four videos: Buddhism, The Great Wave (Japanese Art), Islamic Art:India and the Middle East, and African Art. Each of these videos I chose because they were things I remembered specifically from the readings in the book. Since they stood out to me more than other parts I decided they would be the best videos to watch.

They key concept of Buddhism was that each individual needed to find their own way to enlightenment by freeing themselves from those things that inflate the ego. It meant seeing the world in a different way. It also displayed the way Buddhism spread and how people continued to honor Buddha after he died. This video relates to the readings because it explains the path to enlightenment as the book did and also shows some of the art and architecture that was used and created during Buddha's time and how they related to his life and lessons. African Art key ideas I thought were that many of the materials used in African art did not last long, so although they displayed forms of art that were very old, the works themselves were no more than a few hundred years old. They also talk about how the art represented ideas, such as success in the hunt. There was also a difference explained in conceptual and perceptual art and how these flow from either objective reality or the artist's imagination. It also talks about the use of ritual or performance art, which relates to the book in that we learned about how masks were used in rituals as a means of spiritual communication. The Islamic art video discusses the key idea of how images of humans and animals were forbidden. Plants, flowers, and patterns were primarily used in Islamic art. This relates to the readings in that the readings emphasize the use of geometric patterens and script in Islamic art that made it very beautiful. It also examines the architecture in Mosques and places of worship, also seen in the readings. I also like how it said that Gothic style owes so much to Islam. It gives an idea of how styles were adopted from other cultures and expanded. One of the key ideas of the Japanese art video was that The Great Wave is probably the best known image of western art and that no other image represents the same feeling. Also, that the images were not necessarily of Japanese tradition, but of European style, especially in the use of the writing which normally goes vertically in Japanese. I thought this was the more interesting of the videos because it really went in-depth explaining every detail of The Great Wave and makes you want to understand why each detail was included. This video really expanded what was said about Japanese art in the book while explaining a great work of art.

In my opinion the films were a great educational tool to use to reinforce the readings from the book. They capture your attention better and let you learn about the different styles individually and visually instead of trying to take in all of the cultures of art in the chapter at once. I thought they were enjoyable to watch and make it much easier to learn about the concepts of art that the book is teaching us through the readings.

The theme of the exhibit was Pop Goes the World. The theme of the exhibition was Pop art from the 1960's. This included familiar images from everyday life used in the artwork. The type of lighting used was bright lights that were meant to spotlight each work. The color of the walls were just a bright white and the interior architecture included metal running spotlights, wooden benches, and flat painted walls. The exhibit was a big square that circled around with a room on each side of the center for the viewer to enter. The artworks were organized by sculptures on one side of the exhibit, larger paintings with words on them in another room of the exhibit and flat paintings along the walls. The works were similar in that they contained household objects, mixed materials and bright colors. They were different in that some were lifesize, some were bigger, some were small. They had different color schemes as some were bright and mixed colors and others were gray scale. Most of the works were not framed, but the ones that were had wooden or black frames. All of the artworks of the exhibit were identified by a small plaque on the wall next to the work. The works had about 3-4 feet of space between them.

Work 1:

Tom Wesselmann

Still Life #20 , 1962

Mixed Media

The work is partly abstract and partly realistic. It includes real life objects such as the sink and soap, but also includes more artwork on the work itself. There is an emphasis on the sink with the light and the red contrasts the lightness of the rest of the piece. There is a balance with work in each of the 4 corners of the piece. The piece reminded me of someone's home. Either the bathroom or kitchen. I think the artist was trying to represent a person's home. It may offer a comforting feeling.

Work 2:

James Rosenquist

Nomad, 1963

Oil on Canvas, Plastic, and Wood

This work is a more abstract, non-representational piece. Is has movement with the orange flowing through to keep your eyes moving. There is attention drawn to the left with the bright yellow and the words. It has an excellent use of colors and value in the black shading to balance the brightness of the color. The materials in front look like the piece is meant to represent a piece that has just been finished. It almost reminded me of a billboard, or an artists home where they were working on it. My emotional reaction was confusion because I was not really sure what message I was supposed to see.

Work 3:

Marisol

Babygirl , 1963

Wood and Mixed Media

This is a realistic wood carving that is meant to represent a babygirl. It includes wood, white fabric and paint. There is a smaller piece on the leg of the girl that seems to symbolize the girl's doll. It is modified slightly in that it is larger than life-size and the work has no arms.

Video Review

I chose the Drawings of Michelangelo video because I find his finished work amazing. It is very interesting to see how his drawings turned into such amazing works as David and the Sistine Chapel. Leonardo da Vinci's works are also very interesting to me, which was why I chose that video as well. The Albrecht Durer video I chose because we read about him in the book and I thought it would be a good idea to see the ideas in the video versus the book. The Gothic Art and Architecture video I chose to learn more about the Gothic style.

The Michelangelo video goes into much detail about how the political situation of his country was reflected in his David sculpture and influenced Michelangelo's own life. He also enjoyed displaying the beauty of the human body. Every work of his goes into detail on the lines and curves of the human form. I feel this relates to the readings in the book because we read that the human form was popular during the Renaissance and that artists often used politics to influence their work.

Leonardo stressed the idea of spiritual thought in his works. He also uses the contrast of light and dark in his work. The light figure in the front compared to the dark background adds depth and volumn, which the book mentions as an important style of art that had evolved. A key concept of the video was the painting is done based on the 10 aspects of sight and these are displayed in the paintings that we see in the book and the sames ones in the video.

An important idea of the Durer video was that through Durer, Italian Renaissance forms and styles were brought into gothic Germany. Durer painted many religious scenes, which the book taught us was an large characteristic of the Renaissance, as well as the realistic view of the human form and face that we see in some of his works. A large part of the video was that Durer did many woodcuts and engraving.

We learn in the Gothic video that the styles and architecture used in the Gothic period were meant to always outdo others. This was explained in the book as well that the style of Gothic architecture was used by those building Chapals and such that wanted to make theirs bigger and better. One of the important concepts is that it was the look that was important in Gothic art and architecture along with the attention to detail.

I enjoyed the films. I thought they were very educational and an excellent supplement to the readings in the book. It helps when you can hear the readings reinforced in the video. The videos go much deeper into detail, however, and that adds to the knowledge and gives us a better understanding of the artists and the types of work they created.

Art Installation

One way to describe installation art is that is it the placement of artwork in an exhibition space. It is a 3-D work of art where a specific space and everything in that space is seen as a single work of art. It is a space you are meant to experience.

Any materials that the artist wishes to use can be used in installation art. 3-D objects such as lights, doors, buckets or anything else imaginable can be used as well as any art material such as paint.

Installation art is made as a way for viewers to see it and experience it. It is something that the audience can enter either physically or mentally and explore.

The installation that I found more interesting was without a doubt, Fireflies on the Water by Yayoi Kusama. I love that it is a space you can enter only by yourself that will shut out the world and let you explore only your own thoughts.

I mostly felt a connection with Fireflies on the Water, but also with My Bed. Both make me think of a place where no one else can go. It is your own space that takes your thoughts to wherever you want them to be.

I'd like to explore the theme of Self/Human Experience. Something related to memories or living.

I plan on using materials from around my house. I want the installation to represent my own self but give off the theme of Memories that anyone can relate to.

This installation will be located in a space that I create in my own room because I want it to reflect a place that each person considers their own. A bedroom is a place that belongs to each person and in a sense is a place that shuts out the world.

I would choose the title Everyday Life for my installation. I used basic materials from my house, such as blankets and pillows on my bed and objects, such as the computer, book, notebook, cell phone, headphones, and TV remote. Everything is lifesize. It is about 6 1/2 by 4 1/2 feet. There are a few basic colors included which are black, pink, and white that create a balance in the installation. Each object is placed in a matter that keeps it from looking to concentrated in any one area.

Planning and creating a site specific installation takes a lot of thinking. There are many aspects to consider and each piece needs to fit together to create the theme you are looking for. I think there is also the challenge of creating something that you can explain to the viewer. It needs to make sense in a way that you can describe. It certainly is much harder than I thought it would be.