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.

Hand Drawing

I thought it was a good idea to use our hands as subject matter for drawing since, in my opinion, this exercise was meant to show how different art may be when you try doing it with your non-dominant hand.  I'm glad it was simple, like a hand, and not something more intricate.

I picked pencil because I had a pack sitting next to me.  Plus, I have experience using pencils, so I though that might be my best bet, especially if I'm attempting a new technique.

It was very difficult to control the pencil with my left hand.  It was very shaky.  I felt embarrassed at first but the drawing gradually evolved.  It was nowhere near as good as the drawing I did with my right hand, but in the end, I felt okay with my finished product.  Ultimately, I felt proud of myself for doing better than I thought.


I think this exercise was a success, however, I'm no professional artist!  Although my right handed drawing turned out well, my left-handed drawing was pretty pathetic, so I don't think I will be posting this one on the refrigerator anytime soon.  Overall, this was a successful study of our hands.

Unless I'm forced to, I don't plan on using my non-dominant hand for anything except playing the guitar.  I won't be painting any masterpieces with my left hand in the future!

Video Reviews - Week 9

I chose to watch El Greco: Rediscovering a Master because I was familiar with the artist’s name and wanted to learn more about him.  I mentioned earlier that one of his paintings, View of Toledo, is my favorite ever.  I found out that his real name is Domenikos Theotokopoulos and is one of Spain’s greatest painters. I was most interested in how his training and work in Medieval, Byzantine, and Renaissance styles come together in works such as “The Triumph of the Holy League.” I think it is fascinating how so many artists are largely unappreciated until long after their deaths; many people thought El Greco was extravagant and even “insane.” The film directly related to the Romantic Movement and modernism as introduced in the textbook, and also included information on other artists in the book who are connected to El Greco, such as Picasso.

I was attracted to La Primavera because I know it means "spring" in Spanish and I desperately want spring to come!  I learned that there are many different connotations for this painting - some of which are very controversial.  Some of the themes that are visible throughout the piece are sex and the concepts of humanism and neo-Platonism that we read about in the book.  I was surprised to hear that rape, as well as a completely converse theme of flowers, were common themes in these kinds of paintings and ultimately showed that adversity breeds a happy marriage.

I watched The Night Watch because one of my favorite bands has a song with the same title.  I am not very familiar with the Dutch and their legacy - now I am.  This painting is amazing - it is so huge.  I was blown away by its size.  One of the most blatant things about this painting was Rembrandt's use of chiaroscuro - the light was definitely an important part of this piece.  Furthermore, I found it amazing that it survived despite being attacked with blades and even acid.  I also learned about how it was "trimmed" to fit through a door - which is considered a bigger act of vandalism than either of the previous two acts I talked about.

I chose to watch Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance because I honestly just wanted to know more about him. I thought it was extremely interesting that Da Vinci was able to spontaneously write from right to left in a mirrored style - I can't even fathom doing that.  Before I decided on Public Communications, I considered being a morgue technician (I know, very odd differences in career choices), so I thought it was really interesting that Da Vinci performed secret autopsies.  I'm glad I decided on this video since now I feel like I have a connection with Da Vinci!

Video Review - Week 8

The three videos I chose were:

Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany, A World Inscribed: The Illuminated Manuscript, and The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure.

 

I chose the Cataclysm video because I am very interested in the black death and how disease could have wiped out such a huge portion of a country.  I chose the Illuminated Manuscript because I remembered reading about it in the chapter and I wanted to know more about it.  I chose the Greek Art video because I think their portrayal of the human body is beautiful and I admire their respect for it.

In More Human than Human, I liked how they acknowledged that the most popular/celebrated works of art depicting the human body are actually quite impossible to achieve.  I also enjoyed learning more about the venus figurines.  Whenever I heard the word "venus," I would think of a beautiful, godly figure... The Venus of Willendorf figure from the chapter proved that wrong!

 

For some reason, I am really interested in the black death, so I picked Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany.  The black death was a horrible time for the Renaissance so it was interesting to see that artists were focusing on the divine and the otherworldly rather than the horrors that were occurring on Earth.  I also learned more about the plague itself and how it was transferred and ultimately how it took control so quickly.

I remembered reading about The Illuminated Manuscript in Chapter 15, so enjoyed learning more about it in the video.  It was amazing to hear how many people were illiterate - only church-related individuals like monks could read!  I also learned how books were made and what an arduous process it must have been - back then, books were just as much works of art as anything else!

 

Finally, I watched The Greek Art Video.  I actually thought this video related a lot to the More Human than Human Video.  It was interesting to learn that the Greeks focused as much on the unobtainable/perfect human form as much as we do today.  Comparing something "ideal" like the Venus of Willendorf to a beautiful Greek figure is somewhat comical, but the differing views on what is ideal is very interesting to me.

As per usual, the videos take the readings a step further and offer a more in-depth look at certain things that the book did not elaborate on.  I definitely noticed similar topics like ideal forms, gothic styles of architecture, and so on.

I enjoy the films.  It is nice to sit back and watch a video on topics you just sat down and read about in the books.  It is a different way to gain knowledge about these topics and I enjoy learning about things that I find interesting (like the black plague) rather than just what is assigned to me.