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 20^th 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!

            

Mask Project

1)   Inspiration Images: (Elements & Principles, and why I chose them)

I chose to do a more festive mask therefore I used three mardi gras masks that I found on the internet.  The first two use bright hues of purple, yellow and green.  They both have symmetrical patterns around each eyes.  The third mask looks as if it was made out of gold, and has symmetrical patterns around the eyes as well.

2)   Planning my mask: (Elements & Principles used in my mask)

After trying out a few sketches, I decided on a small mask that only covered the eye area of the face.  I would use felt fabric, yarn as well as sequins to add to the festive effect.  I wanted to use the color purple and other shades of purple because I felt like it would make the mask pop out more.   I also wanted to use a symmetrical pattern scheme around each of the eyes.  I also used yarn on each side of the mask to create movement while the mask is worn.

3)   Creating my mask: (Digitized Picture of Mask)

4)   What I Thought of my finished Mask:

I actually was very pleased with how my mask turned out.  I was initially a little nervous about making a mask, but once I decided on a festive mask I felt much more comfortable.  Once I decided on the color and materials it all fell together.

 

Module 9: Exploring Line

1.)  Working with my hand as a subject was very strange.  I feel like its very difficult to notice the small details such as the lines and creases within my hands because I see it everyday.  I was also surprised to see how large my hands turned out based on my perception of what I was viewing.  If I place my actual hands on top of these drawings, it is much smaller.
2.)  I chose pencil as the medium for this drawing.  As can be seen by my drawing,  I am not a very talented artist in the drawing department.  Pencil seemed like a much more forgiving medium versus charcoal which could be easily smeared and not so easily corrected.
3.)   Creating a drawing with my non-dominant hand was extremely difficult.  I have extremely shaky hands and obviously my left hand is a lot weaker then my right so holding a pencil and trying to create a straight and concise line was very hard.
4.)  My final drawings were OK.  Like I had mentioned before, I am no way a talented or gifted drawer.  I did however try my best and created a piece based on what I saw my hands to look like.  I do think they were successful studies in that they showed my perception of my hands.
5.) I would never consider using my non-dominant hand in the future.  It was too weak to hold the pencil properly and create a line that I wanted to make.

Module Ten- Video Reviews

1.)

There are many important concepts I learned from the video African Art: Legacy of Oppression.  This video covered some of the artwork in Belgium’s tevuren Museum, which contains the world’s largest collection of Central African Art, approximately 250,000 pieces.  It is said that Tevuren collected this body of art because when Belgium’s King Leopold II colonized and brutally exploited this territory during the late 1800s, these pieces of art are likely to have been taken.  African masks were created with contorted features to frighten enemies, the Westerners.  The shocking expressions and body positions of African art leads to abstract art.  Their art glorified motherhood, chief hood, and the ordinary.

            The video entitled Buddhism also shared an immense amount of Buddhist art and architecture.  As stated in the video, Buddhism began in India and it spread to other lands where it has flourished.  The key to Buddhist teaching is “tanha,” the extinguishing of all desires and all things that feed the ego and obstruct enlightenment.  During the Golden age of Buddha, Buddhist art and architecture flowered across India.  Examples of this architecture include; The Mahabodhi Temple, The Great Stupa at Sanchi and The Borodur Temple.  These religious monuments are said to truly be “heaven on earth.”

2.)  I selected both of these videos because I was interested in expanding my knowledge on both the religious aspect of Buddhism in art and the impact that African culture had on its artwork.

3.)  Both of these videos offered information that was presented in the book.  However they also gave a deeper perspective and analysis on African art and Buddhist architecture.

4.)  Overall, I found the videos very informing.  I wish that the video on Buddhism gave a little more examples of artwork in particular rather than just Buddhist architecture.

Module Nine-Video Blog

1.)   I chose the videos Velazquez & Albrecht Durer: Image of a Master for several reasons.  I felt that out of the choices given, these were the two artists that I knew the least about. 

2.)    

There are several important concepts from Albrecht Durer: Image of a Master.  Albrecht Durer was one of the greatest artists of the Northern Renaissance.  He was highly influence by his father, his godfather, and Michael Wolgemu.  He was very well known for his skills in printmaking, which could be, produced several hundred times and reaches a larger portion of the public.  These prints included religious and scenes of everyday life.  He was also one of the first true landscape artists in Europe.  He was able to grasp the mood of the landscape as well as the glow of light.

The video Velazquez also had many important concepts.  Velazquez was born in 1599 in Seville.  He spent his life as a court painter to his friend King Phillip IV of Spain.  He served the palace in a variety of ways and he was given the order of Santiago by the king.  He painted what he wanted to paint, and if the king wanted something in particular it was requested in a friendly manner.  He painted slowly, and many of his masterpieces were work of a lifetime.  He was idealist and painted with little interest in color as seen in the portrait of sculptor Juan Martinez Montanez.

3.) 

            Albrecht Durer was briefly covered in the printmaking section of our book but I feel like this video gave a better analysis on his life and his tremendous influence on the Northern Renaissance.  Velazquez was also briefly covered in our book.  I felt the video helped show what he was influenced by in his artworks and why he created them.

4.)

            Both of these videos were very interesting!  I felt that sometimes the narrator spoke a little to quickly when showing the artworks however so I made sure to turn the captions on.

Module Eight: Video Review

1.)

The first video entitled More Human than Human was required, so there was no reason I chose that one except for the fact that it was mandatory.  The second video I chose was The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th Century BC.  I chose the second video because as seen in the first video, Greeks had a very strong influence on art during early human history and art today.  I was interested in knowing more about their developments in the art and other subjects as well.

2.)

There are several important concepts I learned from the film More Human than Human.  One of the first concepts I have learned was that many images of human bodies all share one thing, the fact that none of them actually resemble real human beings.  One of the first examples of this was a Statue of a woman's body which is clearly unrealistic and extremely pronounced.  One scientist believed he found the answer to why this might be true through studying baby seagull chicks.  The baby seagulls are stimulated by the sight of the red stripe on the mothers beak and tap it.  The scientist used a stick with a red stripe down it to see if the chicks would respond, and they did.  His analysis showed that we are stimulated by things that are desirable to us.  So in the case of the statue of the woman's body, the hunters and gatherers exaggerated the most desirable parts, fertility and fatness.  Egyptians also help an answer to this concept.  Throughout their existence, they had images of the human body without exaggerated features, that never changed.  The Egyptians created images of the body this way not because of their brains were stimulated by them, but because their culture emphasized stability and order.

The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th century B.C also offered several important ideas.  During the 6th and 5th centuries B.C a revolution in art, architecture, philosophy and theater took place in the Greek world.   One of the most well-known examples of there accomplishments in art and architecture that still exists today is The Parthenon.  The Parthenon was the center of the city where the moony and religious treasures were kept.  This building represents the summit of the humanist movement in the 5th century B.C.  This movement held that every man was the master of his own destiny and that destiny was a noble one.  5th century greeks also made important contributions to the theater world.  Not only did they build theaters, but they also invented drama as we know it.  Finally, Greeks were the first to try to portray humans in a realistic rather than stylistic way which effected the development of art itself.

4.)

The book provided a general analysis on ancient art across our world, but I felt the videos gave a more in-depth example of how art had emerged from these ancient civilizations.  The first video gave me an idea of how and why the human image is portrayed the way that it is.  The second video gave me an extremely detailed account of the way in which Greek culture including art, architecture, philosophy and theater impacted the development of many other cultures today.

5.)  

I really enjoyed both videos this week.  I felt like some of the information from the More Human Than Human video I may have already learned from previous videos and chapters, but it was a good review.  I especially liked The Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th century B.C video because it really helped me see the important impact that Greek culture had on our world today.

Module Seven: Video Review

1a.) The video entitled Prairie Style had several important key concepts.  The video discussed the many contributions of Frank Lloyd Wright.  One important contribution of Frank Lloyd Wright was the fact that he got Americans to start thinking outside of the typical box like home and instead into more horizontal focused architecture.  Frank Lloyd Wright wanted his homes to reflect their time, landscape and area.  He did this by using horizontal bands that came out of the landscape.  He wanted his homes to be one with the land around them, and his contributions are still seen in modern architecture today.

1b.)  The video entitled Architecture: the Science of Design, also had several important ideas.  One of the most important concepts from the video was its analysis of the construction of the modern skyscrapers.  The modern skyscraper is made of two distinctive parts, the superstructure and the substructure.  The substructure is the underground part of the skyscraper that has to support both the dead and living weight of the structure.  This video also pointed out the importance of considering wind and weather conditions that the structure will have to withstand.  The higher the structure, the higher the velocity and force of wind that there will be on the building.  In order to overcome these feats, architects use wind tunnel testing to determine how to create their buildings to withstand these conditions. 

2.)  The first video gave me a much better insight into Frank Lloyd Wright’s contribution to the architectural world.  I had no idea the immense impact that he had on architecture during his time and during modern times as well.  The second video related to the reading in that it gave a analysis of the materials used to build skyscrapers, but it also stressed the importance of other aspects (such as wind velocity), when building these massive buildings.

3.)  The first film was definitely my favorite out of the two, just because I was really interested in learning more about Frank Lloyd Wright.  The second video however really provided me with some shocking and interesting new information. For example, I had no idea that tall skyscrapers actually sway in the wind, and if built improperly, can cause motion sickness!  I think the second film may have been a little out of date as well.  They both helped to add to my knowledge of Frank Lloyd Wright and his contributions to the architectural world, and the method of constructing a skyscraper.

4.)  I chose the first film about Frank Lloyd Wright because I often walk by one of his houses in downtown Buffalo and I’ve always wanted to learn more about them.  I chose the second video because I was interested in learning more about skyscrapers and how they are created and constructed.