Journal Entry #5: INSPIRATIONAL ARTISTS

1. How has this artist contributed to the field of study, which you plan to enter?
Man Ray who was an artist in the early 1900’s achieved much throughout his lifetime. He gave much to the dada and Surrealist movements but he was most known for his avant-garde photography. Like his photograph Dada Portrait (1921).
2. What achievements or developments make this person stand out in that field?
Some of his achievements are his helping the creation of the Rotary Glass Plate, which is an example of kinetic art. He also created a technique he called rayographs. He also helped collect art, which helped found the first museum of modern art in the U.S. He was also an extraordinary photographer who broke ground on many discoveries in the photographic field. For example reintroducing the photographic use of solarization.
3. What impressed you most about this artist?
I was really impressed by his photographs. I enjoyed seeing how much time and effort he put into capturing the human body. He really seemed to appreciate the human form. I was surprised though that I did not see many paintings of humans as I did photographs. I was also surprised at how much Man Ray enjoyed photographing a female nude, like in the photograph Le Violon d’Ingres (1924). Or even Kiki in Odalisque (1925).
4. How have they used dominance to organize or structure their work?
How he addressed dominance in his paintings was by putting most of the figures in the foreground like in Departure of Summer (1914). Also in his image of Apples (1948), the red apple is the largest piece of fruit in the painting. Or in the photographs the woman are usually in the very center of the piece commanding all the attention. Like in Kiki de Montfarnessa (1922). In all of his works he uses some kind of dominant structure.
5. How do they address the human form?
In many Man Ray’s photographs he mainly addresses woman in the nude and men fully clothed. The same also seems to be for his paintings. He seems to appreciate the human form so much that it is all he wants to capture.
6. In what ways have you been influenced after seeing their work?
I do appreciate his work. He has a unique gift that I have never seen in anyone else. But for me personally I do not really enjoy his work, and I don’t really feel that I have been influenced by it.
7. How does this artist use color? What color schemes or other mechanisms, such as emphasis or temperature, do they employ?
Man Ray does not use color in his photographs but in his paintings he seems to use more dull colors. He definitely uses a variety but none seem to be vibrant. He mainly uses complimentary color schemes with blue and red but occasionally he’ll add a green or yellow.

Image Essay 15: Symmetry

Las Dos Fridas by Frida Kahlo do0es an excellent job at symmetry. When looking at this picture if one was to divide it straight down the center, each side would jest be a mirror image of each other. Their hands coming together signifies the center of the piece. The background story behind this piece is really an interesting one. The piece pertains to Frida’s divorce to her husband and on the left portrays the divorced Frida in her modern dress and on the right is Frida in her native garments. The only thing that connects the two is the heart and in one woman it is empty and broken and the other if full and colorful just like the dress. It can almost be interpreted that her modern life style sucked the color and life out of her and her clothes. But also in neither woman’s face does either look happy, not even the one on the right, which is Frida in her native garments. Both faces look calm or even shocked at what has happened. Also with the woman on the left she cut the vein so it almost seems as if she wants to cut off all ties to her modern life and go back to the life she always knew.

Image Essay 14: Analogous color

An analogous color scheme pertains to colors that are adjacent on the color system. The painting done by Paul Cézanne “House in Provence (vicinity of L’Estaque) uses the colors blue, green, and yellow. The painting by Cézanne is classified in the impressionist period of art. Cézanne has a distinct way of painting. He outlines most of his images in a black outline compared to Claude Monet another impressionist artist who just lets all of the colors mesh together to create his images. With Cézanne using an analogous color scheme it makes all of the images look alike and unified. But if he had used more of a variety of colors the piece would contain more diversity. But with the use of the analogous colors in this piece the objects complement each other. I think that by using only a variation of the 3 colors adds more depth to the piece than if he had used a variety of colors. The perspective of this piece also helps the analogous color scheme. Cézanne seemed to use a darker variation of the colors in the foreground of the piece and then lighter colors in the background to help further the perspective of a full landscape painting.

Image Essay 13: Texture

Texture can be made in all different ways. First if the objects have their own texture. Second if a bunch of objects are put together to create a texture or lastly if the artist creates a texture on a surface. The piece by Douglas Smith “No turning” does an excellent job at portraying different textures. The first thing that I noticed when I looked at this piece was the detail of the bricks. The bricks actually look real. They have the lines in between them they are all spaced the same and as the picture goes back in space the bricks merge together to give it that three-dimensional look. The second texture that I notice is the wood on the truck. When looking at it one can even see the detail of the wood grain on the truck. The other thing that stands out is the texture of the granite on the ground. It actually has that grainy look to make it look real. There are also other minor details like the lines on the trashcans or reflections from the windows. All of these textures put together help make the piece look so real that it almost looks like an actual photograph instead of a painting.

Image Essay 12: color

For week 12 we were studying the use of color. With the use of color in a composition one can create a dominant structure just be utilizing a color’s symbolic meaning. In Jan Van Eyck’s the Ghent Altarpiece (closed) he mainly uses earth tones and reds for his main colors. The earth tones that are present in this piece are light browns, white, black, gold/yellow and a little bit of green. I find this odd for a religious painting because for me earth tones seem more humble than other colors. Unlike how most “kings” are portrayed in purple for the representation of a holy figure. And around the time the painting was made people of the cloth were not seen as humble but more as godly and powerful. Although, that may be the reason why Van Eyck clothed the two people in the bottom corners in red. It is not said who exactly those two people are but with the use of the color red they take on the connotation of power because of the colors meaning. They however are not seen as all powerful because they are still seen knelling with their hands together representing prayer. But just with the use of a little red it shows that these two people possible had more power than the rest in just plain earth toned clothes.

Image Essay 11: Narrative

Narratives tell a story. Some are more self-explanatory while others need background information to be understood. During week 11 we were working on our narrative paintings. Some were simple and needed little explanation while others needed to be explained. A piece that needs no explanation is Jerome Witkin’s “Division Street” [A story told in 3 panels]. He does a n excellent job at showing how the woman feels in the painting by her actions and the expressions on her face. In the first panel the woman is scowling as her husband puts on his hat and heads for the door. With the use of color in this first image it can also be construed that the woman is jealous because of her entirely green face. Then in the second panel we see the plates with food hit the wall that were intended for the man. In the first panel one sees that she is just holding the plates and her anger, then in the second panel it show how she let her anger go. Then in the third panel again her skin tone is back to normal and she seems calm and is just cleaning up the mess alone. This piece does an excellent job telling the story of the woman. It needs little explanation and little interpretation. One is able to see the action and consequences all at once.

Image Essay 10: Perspective

During week 10 we were doing a narrative piece that dealt with perspective. There are three different types of perspective. One-point, two point, and three point. One-point perspective is when the lines going back in space appear to meet at one point. Two-point perspective is when two lines go back in space appearing to meet at two different points. Three-point perspective is when the lines going back in space seem to meet at two different pints plus a third line that is above or under the eye level. Comic book artists as in the piece by Ely Itara Jr. “Pen and Ink” mostly use three-point perspective. Three-point perspective happens when one is looking at the side of an object instead of just straight on. In this piece three-point perspective allows the viewer to see from two sides at the same time what is happening to the building. This artist also decides to use a perspective as if the viewer was above the buildings looking down. This allows the artist to express more and the viewer to get a better idea of what is happening in the piece. Three-point perspective makes this piece very dynamic with the use of diagonal lines. Perspective allows the artist to express more and the viewer to see things from a different angle.

Image Essay 9: Figure ground reversal

Figure ground reversal is an arrangement in which positive and negative shapes alternatively command attention. When shapes change from black to white continually they draw the viewers eye around the composition. As in David McNutt’s “Master Harold’…and the boys” he uses figure ground to represent a servant, a master and the continent of Africa. For our composition we were to incorporate words into our narrative pieces using figure ground reversal. In this piece with the use of figure ground reversal the first thing that one’s eye is drawn to is the black head on top of the white surface. Then when one looks closer they notice the master’s head in white, which also happens to be in the shape of the continent of Africa. As the servant’s head merges into the master’s head it changes to all black so that it is not completely lost within the master’s head, which is pure white. The use of figure ground is so important in this piece because it also helps represent the relationship between the servant and the master. For example how the servant is depicted in complete black while the master’s head is complete white and it is what surrounds the servants head. It shows that the master has the power in Africa. The use of pure white value for the outline of the master also further increases his role of dominance in this composition.

Image Essay 8: Images with Text

Many of the projects that we have done this semester have had text incorporated within them. For my first project that I incorporated text into was my three shapes three times but it didn’t work so well. Then in the paintings project we were to incorporate text along with using figure ground reversal, and instead of using my own handwriting I chose an actual font and it helped my piece. A person that does a good job at incorporating text into her pieces is Barbara Kruger. In her piece “ you are a captive audience” she uses an individualized text to convey her ideas. Her text for this picture somewhat already says what the meaning of the picture conveys on it own. With the picture alone it is the type when you look at it and you see that the man is in pain and one wants to look away but they can’t help but stare. This is what her text conveys. She knows that people are drawn to it so she decided to blatantly put he idea in her piece. It also helps that the words are restricted by a black box because it further illustrates the idea that the words are also a captive.

Image Essay 7: Sally Mann

Sally Mann is an American photographer who was born in 1951. She takes photographs of landscapes and other things but she is most known for her works with her children. When her children were growing up they were always walking around naked so she just took photographs of them. She says that it was not because she was interested in children but just because they were there. These photographs by Sally Mann of her children really display what innocence in a child should look like. These photographs show a child’s innocence and curiosity. In the first image Naptime, the girl almost looks angelic. She looks like a perfect doll just lying there; like she has no care in the world and that she has the perfect life. The second photograph of the girl in the water really displays the idea of what is unknown. She is crouched in the water completely oblivious that she is naked just staring at the water and she seems to be wondering what lies beneath the surface. I absolutely love that all of Sally Mann’s photographs are in black and white. I think that they give them more depth that way. It gives it a more classical old style feel to them that adds character.

Image Essay 6: value

Value is determined by the relative lightness and darkness of a surface. When the complete scale of value is used shapes start to look three-dimensional. The use of value also helps one perceive that there is more space than is actually there. Many artists use value in their paintings to give their piece more definition and tension. With the use of value it increases the space perceived in a composition or it can help accentuate an object even more. In Thomas Moran’s piece “Noon day rest in Marble Canyon” he utilizes the full range of value. In this landscape piece Moran depicts the boat in the foreground with his darker use of value. The rocks in the extreme foreground are in an even darker shade of black than the boat. Along with the cliff in the middle ground to give it the impression that it is in the middle to foreground, it is as depicted in a much darker shade than the other items in the piece. How Moran gives the illusion hat the water, cliffs, and rocks seem to be going back in space is by using a whiter value on the value scale. With the use of a lighter gray the images look as if they are blurry and thus receding in space. In this composition Moran does an excellent job at utilizing the entire value scale.

Image essay 5: Principles of Gestalt

During week 5 we were researching the principles of gestalt to incorporate into our art pieces dealing with texture and symmetry. Gestalt is a complete configuration that is perceived through psychological closure, which is perceived to be larger than the sum of its parts. In a composition, each element must be related to each other in some kind of way or the viewer will see the composition as incomplete. The principle of gestalt that was just described is known as unity or grouping. The other principles of gestalt are containment, repetition, proximity, continuity and closure. This piece Rheo by Nancy Graves does an excellent job in demonstrating proximity. Proximity is the distance between objects. With the use of proximity opposite objects can be grouped together. In this piece the large yellow square in the middle is what brings all the objects together to create a complete composition. Without the large yellow square the other squares would look as though they don’t belong and thus make the piece incomplete. Also with the use of proximity it can create energy within a piece. The energy is created when the little squares within the piece almost touch and the energy is then contained between the two objects. Separate, the objects retain their own shapes creating tension but when the objects touch and overlap as shown at the bottom the energy is broken creating a completely new shape out of common shapes. As shown in this piece just by using one principle of gestalt it unifies the objects creating a complete composition.

Image Essay 4: Meaning

During week 4 we were researching the idea of meaning. Meaning is not just a dictionary definition. Objects do not have meaning on their own, but people create meaning for objects. Meaning takes into account language, Iconography, Audience, immediacy, stereotypes, clichés, and surprise. This piece by Shepard Fairy relies on psychological meaning. He uses Andre the Giant with an obey sign to influence people’s mind and emotions. This piece uses the idea of phenomenology which is the process of letting things manifest themselves. This piece mainly plays on people’s emotions and reactions. At first I thought this piece was supposed to make people fear that they are in a society with all of these rules and one must obey. But I also think this piece is just supposed to make people think and question their surroundings. Shepard Fairey started making this icon a first only as a sketch that was for fun and then it caught on and he started to put them everywhere. He stuck them on street poles, billboards, and he would even spray paint them on the sides of walls. Fairey has even gotten arrested fro putting these icons up but that has not seemed to stop him. He is relentless to get the message out there for people to see.

Image Essay 3: Synesthesia

During week 3 we were working on the project 3 shapes 3 times. In this project we were working with the idea of synesthesia. Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which two or more bodily senses are coupled. In this piece by Beth Gilmore it clearly demonstrates the idea of synesthesia. When looking at this woman you can almost hear what she is playing. She is so focused on the keys that it looks as if she knows the piece by heart. This piece triggers a distant memory of mine from when I was little. When I was little my cousin was learning how to play the piano. So at any family get together he would play the piece that he was learning at the time. After a while it would get annoying and he would stop but now looking back he was actually quite good. When looking at this piece it reminds me of my cousin and the pieces that he used to play for us while at my Aunts house. This piece mainly focuses on the woman and how she is sitting rather than the fact that she is playing the piano. Bu I think that the fact that she is playing the piano plays a very significant role because it is what makes the piece a complete composition.

Image Essay 2: Juxtapostion

For week 2 we were researching how meaning changes when one juxtaposes an object near something else. In this piece by Filippo Ioco he decides to put 2 of the same images next to each other but change their composition slightly to obtain a different effect. He wanted to show their comparison and contrast. When looking at just the left side it seems very dark except for the very center of the flower. But when he puts the same exact flower next to it only surrounding it in white it creates a whole new meaning for the piece. One then starts to contrast the 2 and see how they are different and also the same. For our project we were required to juxtapose a circle, line and rectangle. The project seemed easy when there were only three elements spread far apart on a page but when more elements were added and they had to be placed right next to each other it was a little more difficult. When placing a black circle next to a black rectangle you could not just look at the shapes you are laying down in black but once they were glued down one also had to look at the shape the white negative space made as well. The same is also with this piece. When one looks at all the black they also have to consider the shape that is being made by the white and when you interchange the colors the piece brings on a whole new meaning just by juxtaposition.

Image Essay #1: dominant, subordinate, accentual

This piece created by Rik clearly does an excellent job at demonstrating a clear dominant, subordinate, and accentual object. This piece shows a very clear foreground, middle ground, and background. To further strengthen the hierarchy of the dominant object the artist put the dominant object in the foreground. What also makes the boots the most dominant structure is the use of colors he used. When it is printed off into black and white the boots are the darkest object in the piece. And in color they are still the darkest colors used in the piece. Keeping true to the idea of hierarchy the next darkest object that resembles a light gray so happens to be the subordinate object, which is the body of the man. And in color the body of the man is also in earth tones but they are lighter than the boots. And to complete the hierarchy the whitest object that happens to be on this piece is also the accentual object, which is the bird on top of the man’s head. All of those objects of this piece are the positive objects. In this piece the artist shows that there is a fight for dominance between the negative and positive objects. The negative object seems to be just as big as the boots are and seem to draw the viewer in just as well. But what I think makes the boots the most dominant is that they are in the foreground right in your face and the fact that they are the darkest object on this piece. This artist seems to show a clear knowledge of how to juxtapose objects to show a dominant structure and get his point across to the viewer.

Blog entry 4

Blog#4

Place:

1. I think it is both. I think people define a place by putting meaning on objects but I also believe that a place defines us. I think where a person lives really affects how they act as a person. In the video we watched we saw how different areas affected them. One woman loved living in the country side and it influenced her art. But another woman could not imagine living anywhere other than in the city. Overall I think a place has more affect on us then we do it, just by the example of these women and how their soundings have influenced their art.
2. Each of these artists has been influenced by the places they grew up or the places they live. Richard Serra grew up around a shipping yard and so he was always around ships. In one of the pieces he created it resembled the haul of a ship. Serra is much known for his sculptures and many of them resemble parts of his childhood. Sally Mann on the other hand loves living out in a remote countryside. She is an outstanding landscape photographer. She takes what surrounds her and takes photos of it. In her work she is most known for her photographs of her children. She talked about how it was not because she liked taking photographs of them but because they were there. Her father was the person who gave her all her cameras to begin with. She ended up going back to landscapes by taking pictures of the area around her house. Margret Kilgallen and her husband Barry McGee are completely the opposite of Sally Mann. They enjoy living in the busy city. Margret enjoys studying American and Indian folk-art. She enjoys just going around the city and finding things that would usually go unnoticed. She and her husband enjoy going to train yards because they remind them of folklore. They enjoy making art for galleries but they wish they could just do things for the open public for everyone to enjoy but they also know they need to make money somehow. Pepon Osorio draws his artistic creativity from his childhood when he got his first haircut. For him this was a right of passage into boyhood. He had the hardest time becoming an artist because he came from a working class family where becoming an artist was not an option. Most of his are work is shocking and he enjoys it the most when he can bring it to people’s homes. Each of these artists has a different style of art work but they all rely on their surroundings for inspiration.
3. Before this program I always just assumed that artists created what ever they wanted. They do, but they also rely heavily on their surroundings for motivation. Before this program I always naively thought that artists thought up what they wanted to create.
4. The artist that I feel the most connected to is Sally Mann. The first time is saw her photographs I fell in love with them. When she printed those black and white prints it was as if she was putting her soul into those photographs. I could not image her photographs to be anything other than black and white.
5. The different types of Medias used by each artist affect the accessibility of their work. Sally Mann lives in a very remote area where she takes photographs. On the other hand Margret Kilgallen lives in the city and does gallery shows often. Each of these women live different life styles which affect the way people are able to access their work. In fact Pepon Osorio makes it even easier for some to access his work because he enjoys doing house visits to various homes. Each of these artists creates art in their own environment and presents it in their own way.
6. 1. bedroom-quiet
2. Disney world- exciting
3. Grandma’s house- love
4. school- scary
5. museum- insightful
7. The place that I remember the best is my grandmother’s house. She lived in Florida when I was little. In my grandmothers house she had only 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In her bedroom the doors to her closets were solid mirrors and the other bedroom was a guest bedroom and the bed always had dolls on it. They had a small kitchen and a back porch that always had a couch in it but it always had an orange cover on it. The cover to the couch had a rough texture with tiny little squares all over it. The lighting in the living room of the house had a soft yellow light that you could read to. But the kitchen had a bright florescent light that made everything perceive to have their true color to it. To me this place was a happy place that I got to go every summer and visit my grandparents. To this day I still wish they could live there.



Stories:

1. I think the most important sorties that are being told in society today are stories of the past, past wars and events in history. The most important stories that are being told on the news today have to do with the war in Iraq. But on the other hand the most important stories that are being told by my friends are about the latest boys that they are dating. Those two issues are complete opposites but yet there are still important to a certain audience. If I could guarantee that a story would be passed down I would probably chose Hitler’s holocaust, and I would want that story to be written down. I would choose that story because to me it is the most significant thing that has happened in history. There were so many lives that were lost and I feel that it is our duty as survivors to tell the story for future generations just so that it did not happen again.
2. Some stories are told as opposed to others because of the message that they present or to the people they are being told to. I think some stories live on because of the people who are telling them. I think stories affect people lives and they become connected to them in some way and so they feel the need to tell other people a certain story to help express who they are. And then another person becomes connected and the story just continues to be passed on.
3. Each artist in this film has a different way of exploring ideas before they create their art. Kara Walker would just sketch on the wall until she drew something she liked and then she cut it out. And place it where she wanted it in her finished piece. Kiki Smith on the other hand would work with a manican and she would mold that into what she wanted until she found something she liked. Also before she sculpts something she makes a rough sketch of what she was thinking. She usually follows her intuition and creates whatever she wants. Do-Ho Suh did not necessarily rely on the use of a sketch book but he did rely heavily on his Korean background for influence. He remembered all the things the boys used to do in Korea fro school and how they were obligated to serve in the army. So for one piece he created a sculpture made completely out of dog tags. On the other hand Trenton Doyle Hancock did use a sketchbook. He at one point wanted to be a comic book artist. So for many of his designs he sketches them before he creates them. He also has a couple of comic books that he has created. Each person has their own unique way of starting a project but each way works for that person. Each person’s sketchbook is a piece of art because each one is unique and tells something about the person. No one can recreate another’s sketchbook because each person’s is individual.
4. When I was 14:
Each day I wake up and go to school. I know that everyone says that junior high is easy but not for me. Some of my classes are hard, I hate most of the boys in my grade and most of my friends don’t eat in the same lunch period as I do so that sucks. Most of my friends right now have boyfriends and it seems like I am the only one that doesn’t I hate feeling all alone especially when my friend brings her boyfriend to the movies with us and I feel like the 3rd person. I just hope that some day it will change.
When I’m 19 looking back:
Now that I am 19 and can look back at my life I laugh. I laugh at how stupid I acted and how insignificant my problems were at the time. Now that I have had boyfriends I know that it is nothing special that I should have ever worried about. Also now that I am in college I find it funny that I once thought 8th grade homework was hard. Now I would rather do that homework than the stuff that I have now. Its just so funny to look back and think about what was so important to me then compared to now.

BLOG ENTRY ASSIGNMENT #3: WRITING ABOUT ART ASSESMENT

1.Before this Blog Assignment, had you ever kept a journal, diary, or blog?No
2.Before this Blog Assignment, had you ever written about art before?never
3.Have you ever written for fun (poetry, fiction or non, journalistic, or research)?Often
4.When writing, do you use a dictionary or thesaurus?Both
5.If given a chance, would you rather discuss art verbally or through written means?Verbally
6.How would you rate your overall vocabulary?Average
7.How would you rate your vocabulary of art terminology?Below Average
8.How would you rate your writing abilities? Average
9.How would you rate your writing abilities when writing about art?Insecure How would you 10.rate your ability to use specific vocabulary when writing?Below Average

Blog entry 2: Reviewing part 3

The images that I choose to use had a gothic antique theme to them. I choose to use for my dominant image a picture of a woman on a brooch. I also choose to make my most dominant image a circle because I feel out of the shapes I used that it was the most powerful. In my picture I also tried to create a negative space that would fight for dominance with the circle. Besides the most dominant images of my picture I do not think that the size of each image affects their meaning in any way. I think that where I placed each image on the page affects its meaning more than its size. I think that how I placed the small flower in the center of the gothic cross makes the cross stand out even more. It gives the cross more attention and makes a person’s eyes stay that much longer on that portion of the page. I think that where I decided to place the images helps a person’s eyes move around the page. The circles lead one’s eyes down the outside but the square flowers help bring a person’s eyes back up the page as well. Hopefully I met all of the objectives of this piece that were required. But in the end as long as I am happy with my art that is all that matters.

Blog Entry Assignment 1: Biographical statement

This is actually the first art class that I have ever taken. In high school I never took an art class because I always thought it was for people who had a talent for creating art, not just for people who wanted to study art. The only art projects that I was ever required to complete came from my French classes so they were never graded on my artistic ability. So this will be a completely new experience for me.
If I do have a choice of what materials that I get to work with I choose to work with clay most of the time. I enjoy being able to feel the texture of substances as I work with them. But if I am really creating something that is meaningful to me and also artistic I prefer to write poetry. When I write poetry the gratification that I get for completing a piece is completely for me and no one else. It’s a place where I am able to write about my experiences and I get to choose if I want to share it with the world or not. My poetry is very personal to me because who ever reads it gets an idea of my inner most thoughts.
The reason I want to pursue art academically is because I love going to the museum more than any other place in the world. I may not be the best artist but I am willing to give it my all and take any suggestions given and learn from them. Someday I would like to work in a museum as my career. My major current major right now is Art History and that is why I am taking art foundations. Not just because it is required but also because it gives me an insight into how art is created. And what I hope to gain from this experience is more of an appreciation for artists.

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