Reflections of AED 200 (Final blog)

I didn’t really have any expectations for this course besides passing but I will say it was a lot more interesting than I planned it to be. I have a totally different view on art now after attending this course, especially after attending the Albright Knox Museum and seeing all the different exhibits being displayed. Things that can be seen as “junk” can be visualized as art in an artist eyes. 

I do not have a favorite artist as I stated at the beginning of the course but I have grown to enjoy art and view images and creations differently seeing all the different types pieces that exist throughout the world.  

I really enjoyed this course, I was a little overwhelmed at the beginning but after I got the swing of things it was easy going after that. I learned a lot of different things during the course of this semester. For instance, I never blogged until I took this course but I learned and found it pretty interesting. I love taking on-lone courses and would recommend them to anyone who has a busy schedule and likes to work at their own pace.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy and safe New Year!!!!

Self-Portrait thoughts

The reason I selected these three pieces of art for inspiration was because they were pictures of people and it inspired me with thoughts of my self-portrait (All from Albright Knox). I figured using a pencil was the best way to complete my self-portrait because I have enjoyed using it in the past while creating other projects in this class.

The biggest challenge I found in creating my self-portrait was some inspiration and a media of choice to help make this creation complete.

I feel the piece represents me simple because it is a image of me playing with my camera and being silly as I can be at times. The elements and principles I used on this work were Unity and texture while creating my face and hair.

 I did enjoy this final project and found it pretty fun and amusing due to being able to take images of myself in a playful matter and I must say I think my work came out pretty good considering I have never drawn a self-portrait before.

Project 5 thoughts

I viewed "Black" by Zseniiyah Walker, "Equality at it’s Finest" by Dianne Incorvia and "Made of itself" by Elias Taveras. The reason I chose "Black"  by Zseniiyah Walker was because it brought out valid points and discussed true and recent tragedies. 

The challenges I faced with this exhibit was thinking of all these terrible tragedies that occurred in the past and present today. I did enjoy critiquing my peers though we did something like this earlier in the semester, this was a little more detailed in work and we can not see the critiquing of each other. 

I think I wrote my critiquing article pretty well being said this is the first one I have ever done, I would give myself a 9 if not a 10 on a scale from 1-10. I would like to see how well I actually did on the article. 

I did enjoy working on this project because it opened up my eyes on a lot of true tragedies that occurred. Though it was terrible memories, people actually lived through these events. 

Video review

In the video “Jackson Pollock: Michael Fried and T. J. Clark in Conversation” Clark felt that Pollock had a desire to communicate subject matter being shown in Pollock’s move towards complete abstraction. In the video “Greenberg on Pollock: An Interview by T. J. Clark” Greenberg felt Pollock’s approach in painting was practical and unpretentious while others saw it as being “freakish”.

I defiantly feel these videos are related to the Art Criticism project simply because they were both giving their opinion on the pieces of art being displayed which can be considered constructive criticism which is being done in the Art Criticism project.

I will say these videos were a little boring but they did add depth to art criticism in more of a constructive way being displayed by professionals.

Project 4

I thought this project was a little difficult at first because I could not think of what theme I wanted to go with. Once I decided what theme I was going with it was pretty simple after that. I enjoyed looking through all the paintings that included nature in it because it was displayed in so many different and beautiful ways. I noticed most of the paintings were in oil paints on canvas. I will say the project seemed a lot more difficult than it actually was when reading the instructions but I was able to get through it as usual.

Video review

In the lowdown on lowbrow video I discovered that Lowbrow artist are considered to lack taste in art and  most artists do not want to be associated with “lowbrow” artist and take offense if they are considered a lowbrow artist. 

In the An acquiring mind video I discovered that Philippe de Montebello was the longest served director of the Metropolitan museum of art which was 31 years.

In the video Bones of contention I learned that in 1976 IOWA passed first law protecting Native American burial Sites.

In the displaying modern art video I discovered that The national galleria of british art opened Millbank London 1987.

I must say I am still unsure of the theme of my project so I can't really say any of the videos are related to my project them but I will say that the Lowdown on Lowbrow has an influence on me because I loved some the art in the video with the colors and animation, it was really interesting and eye catching to me. I really enjoyed watching the videos but I have to say the lowbrow video was my favorite and the fact that it has an influence on my project is just evidence. 

Module 12 video review

The reasons I chose the videos "Abstract expressionism and pop" and "Uncertainty" was because I remembered reading about the topics and I wanted to see what the videos had to discuss and how much more detailed it would be considering the videos usually are.

In the video "Abstract expressionism" I learned that Franz Kline’s was born in Pennsylvania 1910 moved/settled to NY in 1930s and in the video "Uncertainty"I learned that -->Abstract art is considered hard to love because most feel it takes to much thought and it causes uncertainty.

The videos covered many of the topics discussed in the readings but more in detail in my opinion and helped give me more of an understanding of the topics being discussed and this is why I usually enjoy the videos more compared to the readings.

Module 11

All paintings above are by Clyfford Still are titled “Gift of the artist” and were created in 1964.They were all created with oil paints on canvas with ceiling light to bring out the colors while they are placed bare with no frame on white walls separate from other paintings from different collections.

Each painting is said to be an episode in a personal history, and an entry in a journal. All of Still’s paintings were in close proximity of each other in the museum because he believed that his art should not be separated from one another or exhibited with the work of other artists because he felt they could only be understood as part of a whole—the whole being the evolution of his entire life's work.

The paintings look very similar with colors and style but they all have a different meaning behind them and the meanings were unavailable. A viewer can stand back from Still’s paintings and see these similarities without moving very far or much movement of their body.

Module 11

The reason I chose the videos DaDa and surrealism and the impact on cubism was because I remembered reading about these topics and I wanted to how much the video had to offer compared to the readings.


In the video DaDa and Surrealism I learned that Kurt Schwitters was forced to leave Germany by Nazi’s in 1933…..In the video The impact of cubism I learned that Marcel Duchamp’s Sad Young Man on a Train (1911), was said to be a self portrait and he was 24 when he created it.

I feel the video's relate to the readings by it being the same topic discussed but the videos were more in-depth compared readings because it went deeper into the topic and discussed other things related to the topic. I felt the videos were good and helped give me a better understanding on things discussed in the readings.

Module 10

 


All the masks above inspired me in some way with creating my mask. In image one the colors really inspired me, I felt the elements of colors used to bring life to these mask were very beautiful. They were very warm and inviting, this is what caught my eyes. In image two and three the feathers are what inspired me. I loved how the colors of the feathers blended (unity) so well with the color/style of the mask. To me it brought life/creativity to the masks.

While creating my mask I used the elements of color and unity along with line structure and variety to blend everything together to make my mask complete. I thought this mask creating project was pretty fun once I was able to finally complete it. I think I wouldn't mind doing this again in the near future just for fun.

Video review

The reason I picked these two videos because I figured they were both about African art due to the titles of the film.

I learned a few things from these videos. In the video African art: Legacy of Oppression, I learned there are over 250,000 pieces of African art in the Belgium's Tervuren museum and in the African Art video I learned that most African masks are created with wood and straw and do not last much longer than 200years, as the ones on display in museums.

The videos are defiantly related to readings with the simple fact they are discussing the same topics and some of the same art. I always enjoy the videos because they go more in depth and hearing someone talk helps give more clarity on things if you ask me.

I really enjoyed these videos as usual, I thought they were interesting and I loved looking at all the different types of African art and learning more details of them.

Video review

The reason I selected the videos "Velazquez" and "Albrecht Durer: Image of a master" was simply because they seemed most interesting to me by title and I wanted to see/learn more about the topic.

In the video Albrecht Durer: Image of a master, I learned that in 1623 at 24 years old Albrecht Durer was announced court painter  to Phillip the 4th. I felt this was pretty interesting considering the book did not mention this.

In the video Velazquez, I learned that he was the first Landscaper in Europe and that was a  pretty interesting fact to know with this also not being included in the book.

I feel the videos are very much related to the readings in the book and add a lot of details to the topic, not to mention the videos add much more depth to the topic with information that was not mentioned in the readings as I previously stated. I must say I enjoyed the videos as I usually do and like how it gives more information/details on the topics to follow.

Module 9

I must say using my hand as subject matter was a little interesting. I learned that drawing hands let alone your own hands is not easy at all, as you can tell in my drawing. I choose to use a pencil because I did not have any charcoal available with-in hands reach.

I feel the whole creating process was fun/annoying due to it being difficult using my left hand with my right hand being my dominant hand. I felt my hands looked a little deformed in the drawing, especially the right hand. To me it looks sort of like a chicken foot.

I do feel the experiment was successful but I must say I will NEVER consider using my non-dominant hand to create art work, at least not for a grade

Module 8 video review

Explain why you selected each of the three videos you choose from the

selection listed above.

I selected the three videos simply because their title seemed most interesting to me and I wanted to know more about that topic.

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

In the video More Human than human I learned there was a statue found on August 7, 1908 from over 25,000 years ago that was left behind by nomads in Europe. The statute was of Venus of Willendorf.

In the Cario Museum video I learned that an Egyptian created the first plastic surgery over 3,000 years ago on a man who lost his toe and he lived for a few years with this artificial toe walking with it.

In the film Art and life of the middle ages I learned that the psalm book of Sir Geoffrey Luttrell was a book was filled with illustrations of the bible and his everyday life so to me it seems as though it is something like a diary but in a biblical way of some sense…

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

I think the videos relate to the readings with it give it discussing the birth of the middle ages but giving more of a visual detail on top of verbally.

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

I enjoyed the films much more than the reading due to it being more detailed and keeping my attention. I also feel the videos gave more details as far as the birth of the middle ages and what came with it.

Module 7

    In the video Prairie style it showed homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I learned that his designs were made to look as if they were grown from the ground and very natural/organic to the surroundings. I also learned and noticed that he used the floating horizontal planes in his prairie style and this added to its unique look/style. I can see how he considered himself as the best architecture alive. In the video Architecture: The science of design, I learned that scientist uses a research technique called Wind tunnel microclimatic wind research. This research technique consist of a model of the building being designed with artificial winds being created to determine/predict wind speeds at ground level caused by the skyscrapers themselves. I thought that was pretty interesting.

    I think both videos relate to the readings in a few ways. For instance, the prairie style video shows how frank’s style of the homes is made to have an organic look and be friendly to its natural environment. This is giving an example of the green architecture as discussed in the book. In the video the science of design it shows how the same designs/techniques of creating a building have been carried out of many years and still continues, as discussed in the book.

    I really enjoyed the films, especially the prairie style video. I felt they really showed mw things I did not know. The homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright were absolutely beautiful from the ground up. I loved the nature look/surroundings; they were all very unique in their own way.

   I chose these films because they seemed most interesting and intriguing to me from the others. I must say again I really enjoyed the Prairie style video, Frank Lloyd Wright was truly a gifted architecture.

Project 3

My reflection:

What is instillation art???

It is a form of art that usually has viewers see things in a three dimensional form. Many objects can be put together in an area to form instillation art. Installation art can be either temporary or permanent. It usually has a broad range of everyday and natural materials.

What materials are used in instillation art?

As I stated before, Instillation art can include any types of material from any/every where. It all depends on what the artist is focusing on.

Why make instillation art?

Instillation art can be created for many reasons. It can defiantly be interesting to look at and observe the many objects that may be included in it. Instillation art can be used to catch viewers eyes on something that once seemed boring but now it comes off more interesting.

Which artist/installation did I find most interesting?

Fireflies on the Water by the artist Yayoi Kusama seemed most interesting to me, I thought it was pretty eye catching.

My plan:

From the material reviewed, is there a inspiration piece that I feel a connection with?

Though I thought all pieces were interesting I did not feel a connection with any but Red Room by Louise Bourgeois did show me how instillation art can be formed in a large room, any size at that.

What theme do I want to explore in my installation?

The theme I will be exploring is Nature. I will be selecting items out of my backyard.

What materials will I use?

I will be using seasoned leaves, rocks, pine cones, twigs.

Where will this installation be located and why?

The pieces of my installation can be found right in my backyard but it was created at my dining room table.

 

Artist: Sarita Huff

Title of work: Nature at its best

Media: Seasoned leaves, rocks, pine cones and twigs

Date: 10/7/12

Size: 6in. x 3in.

My installation pieces includes pieces of nature (rocks, seasoned leaves, pine cones and twigs) from my back yard and my focus is to show the affect of the seasons on nature. As you look you will see the leaves are turning into the beautiful earthly tones, red/burgundy, greenish brown with a hint of yellow and bald tree steams. What inspired me to reflect on nature is Fall is one of my favorite seasons and I wanted to share the beauty I see in my eyes that this season possesses. The purpose of Instillation art is to get the viewer to see an object or objects in a different point of view; I hope I succeed with this on the view of fall.

I must say I really enjoyed the project, especially since I had a chance to play with my favorite season.

Video review

While watching video one I discovered that all stone have a smell, I thought that was pretty cool and interesting and I can’t wait to get my hands on some stones.

Video two showed me that the creating process with ceramic also includes fire, just like glass. You would think the creating process between the two would be a lot different. 

Video three alone was interesting to me because I never heard of Instillation art until these readings/videos. It gave me a different out look on windows for sure

The videos related to the reading in many ways. It discussed “man-made” figures and how it is one of the oldest art techniques around. The video pretty much discussed all of the same things the book gave to read by the video gave more of a visual/verbal view.

I really enjoyed the videos; I feel they did give more detail. They were very interesting to me and touched all topics in the readings. I think the videos are a good idea for this course because it can help give those who don’t quit understand the reading another source to get a better grasp of the concepts being discussed.

Peer review

I thought all the photos were correctly labeled in both projects and it was pretty good and creative. The interesting thing about the elements and principles is they all can easily be found in one image/photography, I noticed this while creating my project and viewing others.

I noticed one of the blogs did choose one of the same pieces of art I chose, the Jackson Pollock painting. Though we chose the image for different reasons, we both agreed the painting was unique and expressive.

I viewed a lot of images that I never seen, especially with going to the same museum. The two that really caught my attention were the Roades’s Highway to Heaven and Antoni’s Inhabit. The lighting is what really caught my eyes. I would defiantly love to know the meaning behind these pieces of art and what the focus was/is.

I really liked the whole reviewing of the peers. To me it gave me a chance to get to know some a little better considering this is an online course and we have never met. I also liked to see their thoughts and point of views of some of our assignments, it helped give me more insight on things.


I found the comments from my peers very helpful. They let me know what they thought of my work without being too critical and also let me know if my work was clearly stated. I really enjoyed this assignment as usual.

My reviews:

http://artexplorations2012.blogspot.com/

http://fai200.blogspot.com/

Project 2

Picture five and six had an impression on me. Picture made me laugh after I looked closely because it looks like an upside down turkey or chicken to me. Picture number six seemed fun and relaxing to me. It kind of reminded me of a stress reliever picture where you would just let loose with the colors and see where they land.

Picture three and four I had a connection with. Picture three reminded me of a little girl playing dress-up and showing her dad/grandpa how pretty she looked and this gave me flashbacks of my childhood. Picture four also gave me flashbacks of my childhood. The picture looked like a flying frog and this made me think of one of my favorite toys as a child, Kermit the frog.

I would like to know more about pictures one and two. I felt they were lovely pictures but I just wanted to know more about the meaning behind them. Knowing more about these paintings may give me more of a connection.

My Logo

I thought this assignment was pretty cool, it made you sit and evaluate what you thought about yourself. I thought of myself as hot and cold and pretty fierce when it came to my personality.

I chose to use the colors red and blue with eyes because red usually represents hot and blue usually represents cold and the eyes are used to represent the fierceness. I felt these colors and designs fit well with my thoughts.

During the creation of this project I realized what I really thought of myself. I do feel I am a very nice person but I do know that I also have my moments.

While watching the "Bottled up" video, I realized how important logos really are when it comes to packaging and branding a product. It showed how a product can be put into a bottle without the logo on it and it will not get as much attention until the logo is actually on. It also shows how people/consumers actually pay more attention to brands/logos than anything else on the the product. I must say I enjoyed watching the videos and they brought out some valid points.

Second art project

I thought this project was pretty fun. I enjoyed the whole creating process. I actually thought it was relaxing doing the painting of the color wheel but I enjoyed them both.

I must say though I found the painting very relaxing, I think I found the value scale more interesting.  The whole mixing colors and trying to figure what color made what was a little difficult/annoying but all and all I still enjoyed this project.

I haven't dealt with primary colors since I was a kid so this whole process of dealing with them brought back memories and reminded me how important these colors actually are when it comes to making other colors.

 I mentioned earlier how I haven't dealt with primary colors since a kid, the video revealed that there are more than three primary colors. I am unsure if I was ever taught this as a child but I learned it today. I feel though the videos were short, they were very entertaining and kept my attention.

Once again I will say I hope the other projects are just as interesting.

My second project:

http://s1166.photobucket.com/albums/q601/sarita0907/Art%20projects/?albumview=slideshow

First project

I must say I actually enjoyed this project. It allowed me to see different things in many different ways. It was also very interesting seeing how pictures can me viewed, I learned this while researching my project. I also learned that one photo can include many different elements and principles of art if not all in one.

I also enjoyed how for a change I was viewing my own photos/art and finding the meaning behind it instead of another artists' work, I really felt like I was an artist. This one thing that I must say that is really interesting about this course, all the meaning behind the work and that is meant in a literal way.

I hope everyone enjoyed this assignment as I did and hopes the rest of the assignments are just as exciting.
 
My slideshow link:

//s1166.photobucket.com/albums/q601/sarita0907/?albumview=slideshow

Color and emotions

Color and emotions are connected in so many different ways that some may not even realize it. After viewing both videos some valid points were shown on how these two actually coincide with each other.

 For Instance, some associate the season change with depression, like fall for example. Many say the dull colors brought on by the season change can cause this. Some actually enjoy the colors and view them as "warm", it can bring joy knowing the holidays are coming. I know I enjoy the fall/holidays and the colors that come along with it. I guess it all depends on the person.

The videos also made me realize how colors can actually effect you in your dreams. I never realized this until I saw the video. I also like how it was pointed out how there aren't many blue foods and the color blue is actually used as an appetite suppressant, I never noticed that until this video. If you haven't noticed most spoiled or out dated food becomes a bluish green color, still wanna try that blue soup? I'll pass. Now you can see why/how it is used as an appetite suppressant. Pretty cool if you ask me.

I think it's all actually pretty fascinating how colors and emotions are associated. Like how scary/evil things are usually dark associated with dark and dull colors such as black and gray and happy/beautiful things are usually bright and light colors such as white and pink.

 After viewing these videos it has actually given me a different outlook on colors and how emotions are associated with them. I think it is all pretty interesting and it has brought some light to some of the things I have already known as far as the association between the two.

I hope everyone has also found something fascinating about the two just like I have.

Video review

I feel Pluto's philosophy (4th century b.c.) is most important. Pluto had low opinions of art and artist because he believed that a lot of artist would create objects or paintings of things that they knew nothing about due to events being before their time, so how could one express anything through a painting or sculpture if they have no real feelings? Therefore the paintings were not made of true emotions so he would have some say a “lack” of respect for most art and artist due to this. Pluto also states "what is beautiful in itself is not the object or that one, but that which conveys their own nature". To me he is basically saying the beauty is in the truth, I couldn’t agree more.  This also shows the importance of beauty in art and aesthetic when it comes those who really appreciate.

I like how Changeux broke down his definition of art and aesthetic by category. That made it seem very interesting and can give you a different point of view based on his opinion in a scientific matter.

 I also like how Ramachandran stated how he did research on certain art to get the true definition and meaning behind the figures. He stated that he was raised to believe that certain figures were known to serve religious purposes but he decided to do the research on his own when he was older to get the true history and why these figures would have the affect they did on him. This just goes back to the importance of doing research and knowing the true meaning and history of art without making assumptions.

The videos and readings are clearly both discussing the same topic but they are being discussed in many different way, I feel the videos maybe a little more detailed on the artists’ thoughts and opinions on things.

I personally like the films better because I think they are more detailed on a personal level. Listening to the videos made me feel like I was able to get to know the artist on a different level and had a better understanding on why they felt they the way they did when it came to art and aesthetic.

Thoughts on blog

I felt creating the gmail account was ok as far as the blogger account, that's a different story. I felt it was a little difficult considering I have never done this before. I am still unsure if I did it correctly.

I hope to learn a lot more about art than I know now by taking this course and I really enjoy taking online courses because they can be very convenient with your schedules if you plan accordingly