Reflections of AED 200

1. What were your expectations for this course and where they met?
My expectations for the course were to gain a better knowledge of Art in general and in terms of its place in today's ever changing world.  I do feel that these were met and then some, I have learned so much more this semester than I had ever anticipated. 

2. Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared to your initial posting?
I would say that my initial posting about what art is, was good, I would now add that even a novice can create art, art is something that enriches your life. 

3. Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you think so?
 My new favorite visual artist is now Ghada Amer, I have found myself almost to the point of obsession with her work.  I would love to see one of her works of art in person, to see for myself her technique of painting and embroidery.  This course has opened my eyes to modern works of art, previous to this course, I barely gave them a second glance, now I'm completely fascinated. 

4. Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different?
My answer is the same, I am completely comfortable taking an online course but I do still prefer a classroom.   

Art Criticism Reflection Blog

1. Which projects did you review?
I reviewed all the exhibits and narrowed it down to three and from the three I made my selection.  The three I narrowed it down to were Nature of the World by Brian Kubik, Nautical Artistry by Danielle Jarosz, and The Visions Through Faith by Carl Desir

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?
I selected Nautical Artistry by Danielle Jarosz for my critique article because I thought her theme choice was intriguing and I also felt her choices are art fit her theme and offered a good variety to her exhibit.

3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?
I had a difficult time deciding how I was going to word my critique and what I would be critiquing.  Should I be critiquing whether or not my peer adhered to the specifications of the project or just the exhibit itself, ultimately I decided to just critique the exhibit as a whole and not to get into the minutia of the project specifications.  As for the wording, I read a few exhibit reviews online to help me. 

4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?
I was at first uncomfortable with the idea, but once I got into the writing of the criticism, I enjoyed it and am happy with my end result. 

5. Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?
Yes, I would be very interested to read any critques from my peers about my own Art Curation Project.  I put so much time and effort into that project that I would love to know what others thought and whether they enjoyed my exhibit.  I would also find it helpful to know what people may no have liked about it. 

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?
I would rate my article a 9, I felt it covered all the aspects of the exhibit and offered my own insight into the exhibit.

7. Did you enjoy working on this project?
Yes I did enjoy this project.  Fun assignment.

Mod 15 - Final Video Review Blog

The videos I selected this week are:
Jackson Pollock: Michael Fried and T. J. Clark in Conversation

An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance (Giorgio Vasari)


　

Step 2: Questions for your Blog Posting

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
The key concept I took from the Pollock criticism by Fried and TJ Clark was that while people may have differing viewpoints, they can be respectful of each other's opinions and learn from them. I found their differing viewpoints gave me a greater understanding of the piece.

The key concept I took from the Italian Renaissance video was the connection the artists had with one another and the influence each had on the next. It also gave me a refresher on art vocabulary.


2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Criticism project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.
I feel they both relate to the art criticism project. The Pollock video, helped me to understand that while I may disagree with something I see in someone's exhibit piece, I must still be respectful and tactful. The Vasari video relates in its descriptions of pieces and how even though initially we may not think something relates to the project, I may need to take another look and reevaluate.


3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of art criticism?
I enjoyed both videos but felt the Vasari video was geared towards a younger audience. Yes I feel they both added depth to my understanding of art criticism.

Art Gallery Visit #3: Self-Portraits Art Making/Material Exploration Blog

In this Art Making/Material  Exploration project we have been asked to visit an art gallery, either in person or digitally, to study self portraiture and then use this information to create our own self portrait.  I opted to visit an art gallery using Google Art Project.  Below are the three pieces I have used in part for my inspiration.

Self-Portrait with Striped Shirt, Egon Schiele | Leopold Museum, Vienna, 1910, 305x443cm, http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/self-portrait-with-striped-shirt/IgEZ5y6LafINFA?hl=en&projectId=art-project
 

Marxism Will Give Health to the Ill, Frida Kahlo, Museo Frida Kahlo, 1954, 600x760mm, http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/marxism-will-give-health-to-the-ill/HAElPPnYYlxEWA?hl=en&projectId=art-project

Autorretrato escondido en mi miedo (Self hiding in my fear), Alberto García-Alix, Fundacion MAPFRE, 2009, 47x47cm http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/autorretrato-escondido-en-mi-miedo/KgGw8isvzH2dEw?hl=en&projectId=art-project


Here is the photograph of myself that I used to create my self portrait, it was taken on my recent vacation:

 

I took my photo and with the use of editing software created the below image, my completed self portrait.

 1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?  I selected these pieces for their abstract qualities.  I knew I wanted my finished piece to be more abstract than a conventional self portrait.  
2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?  I am most familiar with photography and editing, so I chose a media I would be comfortable using.  I am not a fan of taking my picture or seeing pictures of myself, so I wanted to be as comfortable in the creation process as possible. To create the final product, I edited the photo several times.  First, I adjusted the exposure as photographing in the sun can sometimes over expose your shot.  Second I adjusted the contrast so the colors wold stand out from one another.  Then I ran the photo through a filter turning the pixels into tiny brush strokes resembling pointillism.  Finally, I softened the colors to make the photo look like a painting.
3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?  The biggest challenge I faced was myself  and my own self esteem issues.  To overcome this, I had to focus on the creation itself and not on nit picking every aspect of my face.  Another challenge was the editing process, its a long and tedious process that takes a lot of patience. 
4. How does this piece represent you?  The final piece represents my struggles,  and how I am trying to put back the pieces after a difficult two years. 
5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?  I created direction and movement in the use of pixels and color contrast.  I also used asymmetrical balance in order to convey the feeling of life being up in the air and not in perfect balance.
6. Did you enjoy working on this project?  Yes, now that it is complete, I can look back and admire the work I created, that helps make up for the challenges I had during the creation portion of this process. 
7. What do you think of your final artwork?  I am very proud of my finished work, so much so, I have sent it to be printed and I plan on displaying it in my apartment.  I will look as this as inspiration going forward, I can overcome and I will succeed. 

Reflecting back on Project 4

This project was quite the challenge, I'm glad that I took my time with it these last couple weeks rather than just cramming it together at the last minute.  I would be so stressed right now if I had a lot left to finished.  There was so much that went into creating this art exhibit.  Coming up with a theme is probably what took me the longest.  I was going between several and kept coming up short.  Initially I wanted to do an exhibit that featured analogous works of art, colors from the same side of the color wheel.  That was difficult to search for works of art though and I would have spent way too much time finding works of art.  Then I wanted to do a theme on a particular emotion, but I again was having trouble searching that topic.  Then I decided to look at pieces of art that I have personally loved and find a theme based on one of those.  Bam, that was it. Once I pulled up Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat, I knew my theme would be pointillism. 

Another challenge I had was accessing ArtStor, I tried everything.  Even watched a video on registering but couldn't get the screen where you register to pop up, only a log in screen.  I sent an email to ArtStor directly and they explained that for registering I had to be on the Buffalo State proxy and that could be done through the Butler Library website.  Once I did that, it worked and I was able to register and then use the website.   Its so user friendly and made my searching for pieces so much easier.  ArtStor is where I found the majority of my artworks. 


Creating the PowerPoint layout was pretty simple for me, its a program I'm familiar with and comfortable using.  I wanted to use a simple theme as my layout theme, similar to the design elements used in an art gallery.  I didn't want to take away or distract from the works of art I was using.  I also chose a simple color scheme, fonts and page layouts.  I wanted to create continuity and flow from one slide to the next.  I opted not to use transitions or animations, as I felt they would also be distracting for the viewer.  The citations for the artwork are in the notes section of each slide.  
I organized my pieces into the following sections:

• Inspiration
• Pointillist Everyday Life
• Seasonally Pointed
• Points on the Waterfront
• Pointillism of the Sea
• Poignant Portraiture
• Modern Points

Doing this helped to let the viewer know why I selected each piece and helped to guide you through the exhibit.

Writing the interpretations of each piece was difficult but by using the Art Criticism steps from the previous assignments, I was able to come up with informed interpretations.   I did second guess myself quite a bit and spent more time than I had anticipated on it. 

Overall, I'm very proud of my end result and I hope everyone enjoys it and appreciates the hard work and time I put into this project.  I'm also interested to see how everyone else's exhibits turned out. 

Mod 13 & 14 Video overload!!!!

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

A key concept learned from The Lowdown on Lowbrow video was that there was a classification of art called Lowbrow, I had never heard the term in relation to art pieces. 

The key concept I took from the Tate Modern is how you can mix genres and movements to use as a way to show the differences between the two and also to force the viewer to find a parallel.  I also found it interesting that they have combined genres as a way to force the viewer to experience all types of art not just those that they are familiar and comfortable with.

A key concept I took from Bones of Contention was that museums were now being asked to turn over the Indian remains so they could be buried by their native people.  I had no idea there was such a controversy.   

The key concept I learned from the video on Philippe de Montebello, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was the process it takes to acquire pieces by large museums.   I also found the section on conservation to be extremely interesting.   If these pieces aren’t cared for properly their investment will be worthless.  Each material requires a different form of conservation and protection.               

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

The Lowdown on Lowbrow did not relate or help in the creation of my exhibit, the imagery is so extremely different from the style or look I am going for.

Yes, the Tate Modern has inspired me to think outside the typical boxes of the theme I have chosen and see if there is a way to broaden the viewer’s understanding of my theme.

I do not feel this video related to my art exhibit project, there was no reference to creating an exhibit; only that there were archeological reserves of the Indian remains at the museums.  The only reference to an exhibit came at the very end when the Native Americans helped to create the exhibit after the repatriation was complete.

This video doesn’t exactly relate to our project but was close enough that I found it interesting to watch and gained a better understanding of just what goes into running a large museum.

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?

While I found this interesting in the struggle that these artists have had in being taken seriously, other than that, I didn’t find this useful in helping me create my exhibit. 

The Tate Modern was done very well; I learned a lot from this video and will use it to create my exhibit.  Yes this added a great deal of understanding of exhibiting and how you can intrigue the audience by forcing them out of there comfort level.

I felt the video on Indian bones was a waste of my time; I did not get a better understanding of creating an art exhibit. 

The video on the Met was great, I enjoyed seeing the career of Philippe de Montebello and seeing how he works with his different curators.  I also found it interesting to see some of the different pieces that have been shown in our text as examples, as they are displayed in the museum.  I don’t know whether this adds to my understanding that I will use to create my exhibit. 

Overall though, I found the time it took me to watch these videos, nearly four hours, is a lot of time and that time could have been better spent researching for pieces for my exhibit, putting together my interpretation of the pieces or working on the lay out of the PowerPoint slideshow. 

Burchfield Penney Art Center Visit

My Visit to the Burchfield Penney Art Center of Buffalo, NY

Step 1: The Exhibition
Questions about the exhibit:

1. What is the title of the exhibit?

Marilyn
The Douglas Kirkland Photoshoot

2. What is the theme of the exhibition? 

The theme of this exhibition are photographs taken of Marilyn Monroe during a photoshoot she had with Douglas Kirkland.  One thing I loved about this exhibit was the fact that not only were the photos of Marilyn displayed they also displayed photos of Douglas Kirkland capturing the photoshoot. 












Step 2: The Gallery
Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used?

The Burchfield Penney Art Center uses a mix of natural light, through the use of sky lights and the windows in the gallery, and artificial lighting. The artificial lighting is subtle not overwhelming or too bright.

2. What colors are used on the walls?

The majority of the walls in the gallery are white, there were also some black and grey walls.

3. What materials are used in the interior artchitecture of the space?

Materials that are used in the gallery are drywall for the walls, creating a soft space throughout. Wood and glass are used in some of the display cases. The wood is a light colored wood, possibly oak. The floors are also light wooden material.


4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?

The gallery has an open floor plan, this gently leads the viewer through the gallery and into the next space or exhibit. There is a pair of staircases, one in the foyer the other at the back endof the gallery, they are wide and open, which also gently guides you to the next level of the gallery.




 














(This pic was taken from the Burchfield website)



Step 3: The Artwork
Questions about the artwork:
1. How are the artworks organized?

The artworks are organized by exhibits within the different galleries in the building. Here is a link to the Burchfield Penney Layout

2. How are the artrworks similar?

I would say with the exception of two of the exhibits there was a muted color theme throughout the gallery, including the pieces of art displayed.  Many of the paintings had a monochromatic theme. The majority of color was seen in the Shasti O'Leary Soudant Let There Be Light Installation & Suspended Motion: Sculptures and Watercolor by Ellen Steinfeld. 


3. How are the artworks different?

The artworks are different in that they are from a variety of artists with varying styles, a variety of media and variety of sizes in the artworks.


4. How are the artworks framed?

The framed pieces vary from traditional decorative large wooden frames to a minimalist simple black frame.

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

The artworks are identified and labeled by using a vinyl label usually to the right of the piece. The black font is simple and unassuming.


6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?

The proximity of the artwork is relatively close to each other. The gallery maximizes its space while not appearing cluttered.








Step 4: Art Criticism Exercise

Artist: Douglas Kirkland
Title: Marilyn Monroe Photograph from his Photoshoot for Look Magazine's 25th anniversary cover
Media: Photograph
Date: 1961
Size: 40"x 60"

In this photograph, Marilyn is shot as she is peering over the side of the bed.  Shot in color, but the majority of the picture is muted tones of white, grey or silver. This photograph uses the emphasis element by displaying her face almost in the center and is the predominant feature of this photograph.  The use of a bed is a metaphor for her sex symbol status. I feel that photographer was intending to show Marilyn in a different way than she had ever been seen, innocent and shy but still loaded with sex appeal as was her trademark of the time.  By taking away the perfect hair, makeup and wardrobe we are able to get a glimpse into the soul of a beautiful icon.


 
Artist: Ben Perrone
Title: Illusion/Delusion
Media: black paper bags and monofilament
Date: 2009
Size: 252 x 252 x 252 inches

In this massive installation piece, we see black paper bags strung together by monofilament.  It is in the shape of an upside down pyramid.  This piece uses the elements and principals of space by its use of equal space between bags and its use of negative space between each bag, monochromatic color and asymmetrical balance.  The bags are meant to refer to a serviceman or woman whom has died in the Iraq War, body bags if you will.  Before I watched the video that is displayed to explain the meaning of the piece, I thought its meaning was that life is dwindling away each day.  When I saw that the artist meant this piece to be a protest of war I was truly moved.  I looked at the piece with all new respect and reverence.  To see all those bags as lives lost, very profound. 

Artist: Florence Julia Bach (1887-1979)
Title: The White Fan
Media: oil on canvas
Date: 1940
Size: 48 ¼ x 34 ¼ inches (Frame: 52 1/8 x 38 14 x 2 5/16 inches)

This is an oil painting with soft white tones of a woman, possibly on her wedding day. The main element I see displayed here is the optical effects of color, using the white and light blues add to the drama of the piece and the emphasis on the woman posing for this portrait. Scale and proportion is also used, the proportion of the woman is normal and the scale of the fan is large to emphasize the grandeur of the day.  I think the artist is portraying the woman as she is preparing for her wedding day, the look of apprehension and nervousness on her face is beautiful. 


Step 5: Document Your Visit

What did you think of visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?

I absolutely loved my visit at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, it was my first visit, but will certainly not be my last. I was so excited to see the Marilyn exhibit, I have always found her life intriguing and it was wonderful to see this side of her.  I also had a lot of fun in the Shasti O'Leary Soudant exhibit.  You are able to play with the art and that was quite fun, there was a large scale lite brite, an wall with bright colors that you could walk in front of and see your shadow, I took the opportunity to take this neat shot! 

I enjoyed walking through and taking note of how the gallery was laid out and what materials were used.  It made me a more receptive viewer. 

Another great part about my visit was that it was FREE!!  Admission is free for Buffalo State students and faculty.