Week 14 and 15 video reviews

The first video, The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art, discusses the Lowbrow style, which is defined as “uncultivated or lacking in taste.”  Though I initially looked at some of the art as challenging to even be considered art, I began to understand that some people look at Lowbrow art as easier to relate to than more traditional paintings.  Since I identify myself as a musician, I really enjoyed the part about the psychedelic posters of the 1960’s and the artist, “Big Daddy” who designed them.

The second video I watched, Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology, dealt with the Native American genocide and whether ancestral remains should be returned to their families.  I thought the video made an interesting point – if a Caucasian person’s body was found, the remains would be buried; if a Native American’s body is found, the remains are studied.  I didn’t think this video was as related to art as many of the other ones, but I still found many of the points they made to be interesting.  It was nice to see in the conclusion that many bodies are being returned to their families.

The next video, George Eastman House: Picture Perfect, followed George Eastman who was widely considered to be the father of modern photography, and his house, which became a museum.  I learned that the house has a large collection of daguerrotypes.  In addition, I learned that the Eastman House offers an extensive amount of online photographs – 140,000 of them.  I might try to access it for influence for my exhibit.

Finally, I watched Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach.  This video covered the questioning of traditional ways of displaying art – art eventually came off of the walls to become busy and noisy.  I learned that rather than display the art is chronological order, the Tate approach subjects the viewer to random changes that are often visually striking.

Week 13 video reviews

I chose to watch Andy Warhol: Images of an Image because I have never liked Andy Warhol's art. I don’t know if it is because everyone else loves it or if it is just because I can’t make a connection with it, but I was hoping this film would help me to at least understand where the artist making advertisements, which makes sense in comparison to his later works of art. I also did not know that Andy Warhol was also a filmmaker and a journalist. The video also explains the silk screen technique, which is how many of Warhol’s works were actually made. This was interesting for me because I am currently using this technique in my fibers class. It makes sense that Warhol saw silkscreen images as a way to make money because the images can be easily reproduced. Overall, I thought this video was good because it gave more information about Warhol than the book and I have decided that I like the ideas behind his work. The concept of the immense power images have acquired in our society and the topic of American consumerism have always interested me.

I chose to watch Hockney on Photography because I am interested in photography and I took a class on it in high school.  I really enjoyed the collages made out of the Poloroid pictures - I actually like making collages myself.  What was most interesting about this video is it addressed the artist's thought process, rather than just a work of art in particular.  It was more a concentration on Hockney himself.  Rather than relating to this chapter though, I think this was more relevant to earlier chapters that focused more on photography.

I watched Uncertainty: Modernity and Art because I quite like modern art.  To put it simply, the main thesis of this video was that uncertainty what modern art strives to achieve.  Nothing is ever stagnant; I though this was very reminiscent of the chapters in the book this week, as globalization has really changed the way we look at art in so many ways.  I thought it was interesting that the video related all the way back to the Greeks as well.

Finally, I chose to watch Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s and 60s because the title sounded pretty cool.  I thought the book was rather lacking, but this video helped to further cement the topics covered in the chapter.  What I liked most about this video was that it was different than most of the films that we have watched this semester – there were no interviews, just a narrator and various pictures.  That was a refreshing change. I thought Jasper John's "Flag" was really interesting.  It didn't seem out of the ordinary at first, but upon closer examination, you realize the detail that actually went into the piece.

Gallery Visit #2 - Burchfield-Penney Gallery

For my gallery visit this week I chose to go to the Burchfield Penney art museum, as it is right on the Buff State campus and it is free.  After looking around, only one exhibit seemed to be cohesive enough to do a gallery study on it - the "An Overabundance of Detail" gallery, specifically the Sylvia L. Rosen side of the gallery.  The theme of the gallery was posted right on the wall.  It was inspired by artist Carolyn Panzica and her intricate work with sugar.  Specifically, it was "an exploration of how the essential details of an object inform, create tension, and ultimately balance with the whole."

In terms of the physical gallery space, it was a white, semi-circular room.  It was separated by a 3/4 wall in the middle that stretched about half way into the room.  It was lit by small overhead lights and had a few skylights (which were actually covered) with more lights in them.  Most of the gallery was simply drywall, white paint, wooden floors, wooden podiums, and plexiglass display cases.  The entire space seemed very sterile which made the intricacies of the detailed artworks all the more apparent.  The movement of the viewer was in the shape of the room, a semi-circle.  You could view all the podium pieces from all sides. 

The artwork was not organized in any special way - besides them all being roughly 8-10 feet away from one another, there was not one area dedicated to a specific artist.  In terms of similarities, many artists were repeated (Katharine Sehr, Carolyn Panzica, Felice Koenig, etc.), various mediums were revisited throughout the gallery (acrylic, sugar, etc.), and almost all the pieces were extremely intricate and detailed.  Surprisingly, a large number of them were "Untitled" as well.  There were many different mediums throughout the room - the most interesting was sugar but there was also clay, ink, paper, and various metals.  Furthermore, none of the works of art in my gallery were framed and only a few were in plexiglass displays.  They were all identified by an information card next to the work.

The three pieces I chose are as follows:

1.) Katharine Sehr, Untitled, 2009, ink on paper, roughly 12' x 4'

I think this piece was non-representational and was just a demonstration of the intricacies of pen and ink.  It also doesn't make use of modified images.  Overall, it is a long ink on paper work of art with teal, grey, black, and orange rectangles.  The boxes are made up of small ink lines, almost scribbles.

Principles - This piece uses the principle of line heavily, as many tiny intricate lines make up the majority of the piece.  Color is also important, as the various lines are done in different colors in different intervals throughout the piece.
Elements - This piece uses rhythm, as the same technique is used throughout the entire piece.  It also uses proportion, as the colored boxes are done in different sizes

This piece doesn't necessarily remind me of anything.  If it were done in a different medium, it might look like a flag or a rug.  It does bear a resemblance to Sol DeWitt's wall drawings, as it looks like tiny scribbles.

I didn't have a strong emotional reaction to this piece, but I did find it soothing for some reason despite the "busy-ness" of the piece.  I don't think Sehr was trying to make a point other than pen and ink can be used to make very intricate pieces.

2.) Carolyn Panzica, Untitled, 2011, Sugar string on a sugar base, roughly 1' x .75'

I learned from the wall that Panzica works almost exclusively with sugar and that the purpose of this gallery was to take influence from her intricate work with cakes.  I think this picture is representational of a pond or the sea, and is a modified picture of a fish.  The piece uses many greens and blues, and features a large blue koi fish with red fins and an orange head.

Elements- This piece uses form, as it is three dimensional.  It also uses color because it repeats a lot of blues and greens throughout the piece to represent underwater life.  It is also highly textured, as it is made out of sugar
Principles- Rhythm is represented in this piece as many of the textures are repeated heavily.  Furthermore, the "xxx" pattern makes up the scales of the fish, showing harmony and unity.

This piece is pretty straightforward - it is a fish in a pond.  There is a strange perspective on the piece - the fish makes it look like it is a view from the above, but the grass makes it look like it is a view from the side.  This piece actually reminds me of The Great Wave.

This piece looks delicious!  But in all seriousness, I enjoyed the simplicity of this piece within the detailed-nature of the medium.  It reminded me of "Realism," where artists found every day things to be sufficient subjects for their works of art.

3.) John Tracey, Untitled, 2007, clay, oil paint, and graphite, roughly 3x2x.5'

This piece is again representational of sea life.  It is a series of shells, starfish, and coral, all painted jet black.  It is a modified image of sea life as it seems like something that wouldn't actually occur in nature.  This piece is interesting as the artist could have painted it quite vibrantly - instead, he chose to paint it entirely black.

Elements- This piece uses form as it is three dimensional.  It also uses color since the entire piece is black.  Furthermore, it is very textured and spikey.
Principles- This piece uses unity, as the combination of sea life together makes the piece a whole.

This piece is very reminiscent of an ocean or some sort of sea life.  It is also quite depressing, as black in nature is usually a representation of death or pollution.  From far away, it looked as if this piece were made of tires or black rubber.

The way I interpreted this piece was that it was a criticism of our polluted oceans.  The black was a fairly good indicator that the piece wasn't supposed to be representative of vibrant, sea life.

Video Reviews Chap 21.

I chose Dada and Surrealism because the Dada style makes me laugh.  The film examined many artists and their relation to the anti-art of the Dada movement (following World War I) and surrealism.  I like Dali's melting clocks!  In addition, I found surrealism, the style I knew less about, very interesting as well - the concept of tapping into the unconscious mind is definitely fascinating.

I chose to watch the Expressionism video because Claude Monet is one of my favorite artists.  I learned that symbolism through color, not necessarily through perfection, is a very important factor in this style.  For example, the bright palettes and "smudgy" techniques found throughout most of Monet's work help to show a sensation or impression of a scene, rather than every actual detail.  This film helped reinforce what I learned about impressionism from the book.

I chose to watch Dance at the Moulin de la Galette (Renior) because the title sounded interesting.  Renoir's painting represents two different types of people in France, the upper class men and poor women.  Despite being a fan of impressionism and the artists who paint in that style, I had never heard of this painting, despite it being "quintessential" to the period.  I thought this film was rather interesting because it talked about the various nuances between different styles of art - since there were so many this chapter, it was nice to be able to differentiate between them a bit more.

I chose A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884 (Seurat) because I actually have never liked this painting and I wanted to try to change my feelings about it. I didn't realize that there were so many enigmas surrounding the painting, such as the monkey on the woman's shoulder.  I also didn't know that the park depicted in the painting was a place to find prostitutes, which may indicate that the women in the painting were trying to find a few clients. Though I still don't really care for the painting, I at least know that there are a few controversial secrets surrounding its existence now!

Masks

The three masks I picked as inspiration are as follows.  Unfortunately, the pictures were copyrighted and they would not post to this blog, so I added the links to the masks instead.

I picked a parrot mask because I like birds.  This mask has two layers of feathers on the top that are blue and green.  A white area separates the top from the bottom – it has two holes for eyes with black lines.  There is a large black beak in the middle of the mask.  There are yellow feathers on the bottom as well as a strange yellow and orange checkerboard pattern near the ears.  I thought the beak was an interesting way to make it 3D, which is also a good demonstration of the principle of “space.”  I think this mask shows rhythm through the repeating use of black lines surrounding the eyes.  It also shows balance and unity by having the shape of the feathers being repeated from one side of the piece to the other.

Parrot Mask

I picked a human face mask because it made me laugh.  This mask looks like an exaggerated human face.  The forehead has many wrinkles and the nose is huge and hook-like.  The lips are low on the face and very close to the chin.  The mouth is open, showing a row of white teeth.  The eyes have wrinkles around them and are set wide on the face.  I think this mask shows line because of the wrinkles throughout the face.  Since the mask was rather plain compared to the others, I think the plain peach color is an important element.  Finally, I think the wrinkles form a pattern throughout the mask.

Human Face Mask 

I picked the Ecuadorian Huaco mask because I’m wearing a striped shirt and the mask is also striped.  It is a papier mache mask in the form of a human face that includes black eyebrows, blue eyes outlined in black, holes for nostrils, and an opening for a mouth with red lips and teeth. There are also yellow, blue, and red lines drawn evenly across the mask. Therefore, the main elements in the mask are line and color. However, form and shape is also important, as it is a 3d mask.

Huaco Mask 

I think the most important principles of my mask are texture, shape, color, and rhythm.  The "beard" of my mask is made of twirly yarn, which has a soft feel and a curly-q shape - an excellent demonstration of texture.  The two eyes are large circles, the face itself is an oval, and the holes used for the beard are circles, so I think shape is definitely an important part of my piece.  The dark teal color is repeated throughout the piece in the nose, lips, and beard, so color is an important aspect of my mask.  Finally, the strands of the beard are repeated several times throughout the mask, which emphasizes rhythm.

Making this mask was pretty fun.  I like my mask - when I walked into a room with it on, it made some people laugh, which was enjoyable for me.  It was kind of tedious to pull the beard strands through their holes and tie them into knots, but I enjoyed seeing the final product.  I also liked making the over-emphasized features of the nose, lips, and eyes (which remind me of aviator sunglasses).  Overall, I thought this was an enjoyable project.

Video Review

I chose to view The Great Wave (Japanese Art) because I am familiar with this work. I learned why The Great Wave has become a symbol of Japanese art and culture. I thought this was a good representation of Shinto culture from the book, as it depicts nature.  This video explored the meaning of the work, as well as why it is one of the most known works. The film suggests that The Great Wave is more than just a work about the natural world – it is about ourselves. I was surprised to learn that the work was created in the 1700s and that it is still so pervasive in our lives; I enjoyed learning of its use in cartoons, such as political cartoons. Even the story of Hokusai’s life is interesting, such as the fact that the wave can be seen in many of his earlier works. Some people even suggest that the work is a self-portrait of Hokusai. I am glad I watched this video, especially because of the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami recently in Japan (although critics agree that The Great Wave is not a depiction of a tsunami).

I was drawn to the Buddhism video because I think of any religion, Buddhism has some of the strongest concepts.  I understood the concept of Nirvana from the book but I also learned about the concept of tanja, which I had not previously known about.  I was also surprised to view the Great Stupa - I thought that the hajj from Islam was the only large pilgrimage related to religion, but the Great Stupa is for Buddhists.  Furthermore, this film was succinct, so I enjoyed it.

I also watched Chinese Art: Treasures of the National Palace Museum because I liked the word "treasure" and thought it would be interesting.  I am usually not a fan of Chinese art, but I enjoyed the pieces covered throughout this video.  I drink tea every night, so I thought it was nice that they included the beautiful tea bowl in the video.  It reminded me of the tea-related art that we saw throughout the book, like the simplistic, yet beautiful teabowl on page 448.

Finally, I randomly chose Islamic Art: India and the Middle East.  I found it really interesting that elements from Christianity and Buddhism could be found throughout Islamic architecture - I never would have thought that.  I was also surprised to find that the narrator, Januszczak, touched upon the stereotypical relation of Islam to terrorism and tried to break down those barriers.