Thursday, July 25, 2013

Module 12


1.)
            I chose the first video, Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s and 60s because I have always had a large interest in Pop Art.  I wanted to know how and why it emerged and which artists really cultivated it to help it become what it is today.  I chose the second video because I felt it would be a good supplement to the first video, and would help expand my knowledge of modern art.

2.)
            There are several important concepts that I learned from the video Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s and 60s.  As explained in the video, abstract expressionism was born from a joining of attitudes in American art and European avant-garde art.  It was later rejected for its non-figurative and seemingly egocentric character in favor of the phenomenon known as pop art.  Franz Kline is an important example of an influential abstract artist.  Kline initially injects his work with mood and expression but moves towards painting colors in undefined space thus sparking the imagination with sensual impact.  This can be seen in his painting entitled C&O.  He uses shapes to evoke emotions and his use of action painting reveals a process of constant discovery and leads us into a world of color and form.  Another important movement discussed in the video was Pop art.  This movement helped embrace the rhythms of city life.  Andy Warhol was probably the most influential of the pop artists during this time.  Both Warhol and Rauschenberg became art icons of the 60s by paving the way for pop artists in their use of everyday objects.
            The Uncertainty: Modernity and Art video also shared many important concepts as well.  Modern art was an art instrument of the tumultuous 20th century.  It communicates chaos, anxiety and above all uncertainty.  The underlying message of modern art is uncertainty.  It is a complete break from art of the past that was inspirational and idealized.  Modern art is the contemporary societies version of the Delphic Oracles.  It documents the metamorphism of mankind.  As stated in the video, with the industrial Revolution, man is separated from nature and machines rule work which brought changes in science, religion and art.  Modern art is a reflection of all the changes that were going on within societies.


3.)
            Both videos helped to expand upon the readings in the text.  For example, Andy Warhol was covered in both the video on Expression and Pop Art, and in the book.  However, I felt the video gave a better analysis of abstract expressionism and the artists who helped influence it.    The Modern art video also gave a much better analysis of the historical impacts of the movement then the book.  It also gave a much more in depth definition of the movement and its components.

4.)
            I felt both videos were very interesting and informative.  It was a little hard to catch many of the artists name as it was in previous videos so I would recommend putting on the captions for any one who is a slow typist like myself when taking notes!
            

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