Self Portrait, inspirational pieces, and questions

My inspirational pieces were 

1. Vincent Van Gogh's "Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat and Artist's Smock"

-Oil on Cardboard, 40.8 x 32.7 cm, Van Gogh Museum, 1887

2. Anselm Feuerbach- Self-Portrait

-Oil on canvas, 62 x 50 cm, Alte Nationalgalerie, 1873

3. Karl Bryullov Self-Portrait

-Oil on Canvas, 64.1 x 54 cm, The State Tretyakov Gallery, 1848

Photograph I used of myself to create my self-portrait.

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?
I chose the three inspirational pieces because they were all so nicely done.  The detail they used was fantastic.
2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?
I chose to go with a regular pencil because I wanted a sketch looking self portrait.
3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?
I realized that its much harder than it looks to create a good self portrait.  Mine really doesn't look anything like me because of my talent as an artist, but this was a good experience to try.
4. How does this piece represent you?
It does physically represent me at all, but it represents my effort to work towards making a portrait of myself.
5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?
I tried using emphasis, but my ability as a drawer didn't allow as much emphasis as I would have liked on my face.  I also differentiated between light and dark throughout my work.
6. Did you enjoy working on this project?
Yes, I did.  I now know the difficulty of creating an above average self-portrait and it was comical/a learning experience to work on this.
7. What do you think of your final artwork?
It was a nice try, but I wish it could have came out a little better.  Maybe I will let a good artist do a portrait of me next.

art critique blog questions

1. Which projects did you review?
The three projects that I reviewed were the one on Life and Death, the Perfect Day, and Man's Best Friend.  

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?
 I chose to go with the exhibit on Man's Best Friend because I found it the most interesting and it was organized nicely.  I had nothing against the other too, I just felt the Life and Death exhibit was too depressing and the Perfect Day just did not excite me as much as the one I chose.

3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?
I had to really think about the exhibit in detail as if I was actually at an exhibit viewing each work with the next.  I tried picturing it all in my head and this helped me imagine how it would all look on walls, etc.

4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?
It is nice to see what others have to say, because we can gain more knowledge and learn by helping one another.  Everyone has different ideas and opinions and as long as they are mostly positive, critiquing is a good tool. 

5. Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?
Sure, I wouldn't take it too personally regardless if what they said was right or wrong because what is trash to one individual could look like treasure to another.  I'm sure I would get a few solid ideas I could use to better my exhibit.

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?
I would give my finished article about an honest 8 because writing is definitely not one of my strong points.  I tried to be a good critic to the best of my abilities.

7. Did you enjoy working on this project?
Yes, it gave us a look from a different perspective.  Instead of creating the exhibit, we were critiquing an exhibit that already existed, which was nice to do.

art criticism, short video blog posting-questions

1.
Greenberg on Art Criticism- the video surrounds Greenberg and TJ Clark, who is a historian.  Greenberg discusses the relationships between art and history and also about the nature of value judegements in criticism.  Greenberg feels that the best art of the last 50 years has primarily been abstract.  This video is old and I found it funny that the individuals in it were smoking cigarettes.  


Greenberg on Pollock- this video has to do with Greenberg and Clark sitting down to discuss and reflect on the work of the late Jackson Pollock.  He was very eccentric, yet his approach to painting was very practical.  They reflected on some of his work that never materialized and Greenberg talked about firsthand observations of the artist in his studio.


Intro. to Italian Ren- In this video, you see how each great art master learned and developed their techniques and worked on top of those ideas to become great themselves.  Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and many other greats were innovative and came up with new ideas while also building on others.  Great works from these artists demonstrate the Roman influence on Renaissance art.


Stories from the Inside Pages- this video features Dr. Dwight DeWerth-Pallmeyer who spent months traveling the country while interviewing prestigious commentators.  He got a great look at criticism as an art form, the social value of critic's work, and the variety of ways that these great critics began their career, which is pretty fascinating.  These critics have such a drive and passion for their work.  They go about their work in a very professional manner as well.


The Colonial Encounter-  In this video, we see film clips, photographs, etc. from renowned art historians.  We are able to see offerings from museum collections.  The program shows and takes a look at the ways in which Western prejudice, ethnography, and art consumption have counteracted authentic dialog.  


Jackson Pollock- Fried & Clark Conversation-  This video shows Clark, who is mostly a history of art scholar, and Michael Fried, who is a proponent of aesthetically based views of painting and sculpture.  In this program, we see the two discuss 2 of Jackson Pollock's works in which they try to come to some sort of understanding with each other.  They have there differences, and go into small details on what they feel is right and wrong.


2.
These videos do somewhat relate to my Art Criticism Project because they show different viewpoints and different understandings on how to critique art.  You have to try to be unbiased and go about your criticism in a proper manner, which was shown well in the video where Dr. Dwight interviewed so many great critics.  You were able to see how they did what they do for a living and were able to pick up some ideas and pointers from that as well as parts of the other videos.


3.
I enjoyed most of these short films.  The film that interviewed great critics was my favorite because I felt I was able to take some ideas away from that program the most.  I feel that they all gave us ideas and to get a better grasp on art criticism as a whole.

Project #4- Art In Ice Hockey

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project.  I was able to take great works of art, break them down, and examine them closely, while taking the history of them and sharing them with others.  When you are passionate about a certain area or topic, you enjoy working on that more than something you find less interesting.  After seeing one of the sample slide shows for a project, I saw how it related to very depressing images, and I feel that I would not nearly enjoy working with that as much as I did with the sport of Hockey as my main topic for my exhibit.  I hope I was able to teach other individuals a few new facts while breaking down the artwork in an understanding fashion.  I understand that even though the topic of Hockey is of great interest to me, it might not be as much to others.  I am looking forward to seeing other individuals projects as well and seeing how they incorporated their works together.

West Coast Pop Art, Displaying Modern Art, Native, and Eastman Video Blog

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Lowbrow- Lowbrow is different then surrealism.  The term is sometimes used to describe an artist who uses images with cars, cartoons, pornography, etc.  In the video, many lowbrow artists talk about what they think lowbrow art is and what it means to them as an artist.  There is a common bond between these Lowbrow artists.

Displaying Modern Art- Tate curators developed a new method that utilized theme-based museum sections for viewers to see.  This was a great success.  Throughout this video, we see how this evolved starting in the early 1900's until today.  

Native American Archaeology-  This video revolves around whether it's right or wrong to analyze the bones for scientific research of the thousands of Native Americans that have been unearthed at archaeological sites all across the country.  There is a lot of debate between the Native groups, scientists, and the museum curators as well.  I can see why all sides feel the way they do.

George Eastman-  He is the man who made Kodak a household name across the country.  He developed the first cameras and motion pictures and this film takes a look at the museum at his mansion in Rochester, New York.  He developed the first camera that took pictures of the moon. In this museum, thousands of films and photographs are stored as well as many other fascinating machines, lens, etc.  This mansion is the center of the foundation of photography and motion pictures.

2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.

Lowbrow-  I think this video gave me a few ideas for my exhibition.  Some of the images were so out there and different, which gave me a few different perspectives on things that work well together.

Modern Art- This video showed me ways that I can set up particular art in my arrangement/exhibition.  It gave me a few ideas as to where I would like to place particular art as well.

Native video-  I felt like I got more out of the other videos as far as ideas for my art exhibition than this one.  It just didn't really relate to my exhibition ideas, even though I enjoyed watching the program.

Eastman-  This video was fascinating and I had never even heard about this museum before and it is less than an hour away from here.  I learned how motion pictures can be used in art and also saw many great photographs.

3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

I enjoyed all four of these films.  My favorite has to be the George Eastman video.  I should try to make a visit to there sometime when I am out by Rochester.  I feel that I now have a few more ideas that I can add to my Art Exhibition that I am creating.  The other videos were informative as well and gave me more perspectives on what to do with my exhibition.

West Coast Pop Art, Displaying Modern Art, Native, and Eastman Video Blog

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Lowbrow- Lowbrow is different then surrealism.  The term is sometimes used to describe an artist who uses images with cars, cartoons, pornography, etc.  In the video, many lowbrow artists talk about what they think lowbrow art is and what it means to them as an artist.  There is a common bond between these Lowbrow artists.

Displaying Modern Art- Tate curators developed a new method that utilized theme-based museum sections for viewers to see.  This was a great success.  Throughout this video, we see how this evolved starting in the early 1900's until today.  

Native American Archaeology-  This video revolves around whether it's right or wrong to analyze the bones for scientific research of the thousands of Native Americans that have been unearthed at archaeological sites all across the country.  There is a lot of debate between the Native groups, scientists, and the museum curators as well.  I can see why all sides feel the way they do.

George Eastman-  He is the man who made Kodak a household name across the country.  He developed the first cameras and motion pictures and this film takes a look at the museum at his mansion in Rochester, New York.  He developed the first camera that took pictures of the moon. In this museum, thousands of films and photographs are stored as well as many other fascinating machines, lens, etc.  This mansion is the center of the foundation of photography and motion pictures.

2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.

Lowbrow-  I think this video gave me a few ideas for my exhibition.  Some of the images were so out there and different, which gave me a few different perspectives on things that work well together.

Modern Art- This video showed me ways that I can set up particular art in my arrangement/exhibition.  It gave me a few ideas as to where I would like to place particular art as well.

Native video-  I felt like I got more out of the other videos as far as ideas for my art exhibition than this one.  It just didn't really relate to my exhibition ideas, even though I enjoyed watching the program.

Eastman-  This video was fascinating and I had never even heard about this museum before and it is less than an hour away from here.  I learned how motion pictures can be used in art and also saw many great photographs.

3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

I enjoyed all four of these films.  My favorite has to be the George Eastman video.  I should try to make a visit to there sometime when I am out by Rochester.  I feel that I now have a few more ideas that I can add to my Art Exhibition that I am creating.  The other videos were informative as well and gave me more perspectives on what to do with my exhibition.

abstract expressionism, modernity and art, warhol, moore- video blog

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I chose the first video on Abstract Expressionism.  I then watched Uncertainty: Modernity and Art because I wanted to learn more about modern art and see what the video had to offer.  The last two videos I watched were Andy Warhol's Images of an Image and The Art of Henry Moore.  I have always thought Warhol was very out there and I wanted to see some more of his work. 

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

-Abstract Expressionism came about from the joining of attitudes in American art and European avant-garde art.  It was rejected later on in favor of what we call Pop Art.  Andy Warhol was one of the most famous Pop artist's.  It was not a very clear movement but it really embraced city life.  Rauschenber was also a great art icon of this time during the 60's.

Modern art did not offer a normal vision of humankind, it showed chaos, stress, anxiety, and uncertainty.  This video starts out going back to Greek Art and it reflects on man as an idealized version.  Modern art documents the metamorphosis on mankind.  During the Industrial Revolution, man is taken away from nature and machines rule work, while science challenges religion.  Modern art is completely different in that it is not like art of the past that was inspirational/idealized.

Warhol was a commercial artist until the 60's when he started working on advertising images.  His interest in the lives of famous women such as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor inspired several repeated images.  He used silk screening, where images were made a few times there size and developed onto silk screens, then transferred to paper and canvas by using ink and paint.  Warhol saw these repeated silk screen images as a way to make money.  He also made many self portraits, and as a journalist of art, he addressed the trip to the moon, race riots, the Cultural revolution in China, and more.

Henry Moore explored the human figure in natural forms for sculpturing and painting.  Moore as an artist, believed that people placed too much emphasis on his mining background.  Moore always wanted to be a sculptor and he was able to do so through an Army grant that allowed him to go to the Leeds School of Art.  His views were formed through Ancient Mexican art at the British Art Museum.  He believed that beauty is a deeper concept than perfection.  Moore also believed that sculptures should have obscurities, deep meanings, and some mystery.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These video programs all relate to the readings through the content shown.  Many of the works shown in Warhol's videos are shown in our text, as well as much of the modern art.  The videos go into greater detail in certain areas, but the text and chapters we read had a lot of the same information as well that was presented.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

These films definitely added some depth and I was able to pick up a few new things that I didn't know.  I think I learned the most from the videos on modern art and also have a better understanding of Andy Warhol.  He really had a great idea with the artwork on Marilyn Monroe.  I read even more on him on the side and its crazy to think that one of his works sold for over 100 million dollars.  Only a select few artists are in the category and he is one of them.