Reflections of AED200

1. What were your expectations for this course and where they met?

I wasn't really sure what I expected this course to be. I didn't even know what the content was, honestly. It turned out alright! I'm definitely not an online class kind of person. I feel like I take more from a class that is in person. I did learn some good stuff still though!

2. Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared to your initial posting?

My view is the same. I've been in art school for too long... Art is life, love, everything. Art is stopping and appreciating flowers growing from the sidewalk. 

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 favorite changes so much. I'm enjoying Berthe Morisot a lot after doing my project. There's something so sincere about her paintings. 

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?

Ehh, I'm still not big on online classes, but to quote Tommy Pickles, "a babies gotta do, what a babies gotta do." I'm taking Art History online over the summer. I just deal with it. 

Project 4 Reflection

Project 4 Reflection:

Reflecting.........hmm..... Well I wish I would have done this project ahead of time. It was nice to look at lots of art and think about how it might be linked together to create balance. I also enjoyed learning more about female artists. It's important to teach more diverse artists and not just white males, because it allows students to identify with the artists. Overall, the project was doable, but it took some time to gather everything. The slides looked nice when they were all finished and I am happy with the outcome.

I enjoyed using the ArtStor website as well. It's a great resource for both artists and teachers. It made things much more simple when find examples and citing my work.

I guess I didn't do too bad because I got the project done before sunset! Woohoo!

Gallery Visit 3 and Self-Portrait

Self-portrait in red
Paula Rego1962

The Dream or Oneiric Self-Portrait 
Frida Kahlo 1932



Francis Picabia
Self-Portrait 1915

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?
I was interested in non-traditional self-portraits. We tend to think of self-portraits as being a realistically rendered image of ones self, but what if that literally representation does not reflect the person? I purposely took a picture of myself in a moment of over-whelm. This version of myself does not reflect myself on a regular basis. What is self and why are we so obsessed with defining it? I believe that everything we do and make is a reflection of self in someway. I selected these images, because they captured the idea that we are not always our physical face; We are so much more than that. 

2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?
I've been working on a visual journal all semester and I've been really into this idea of clip and pulling images from other places. It feels almost juvenile, but I love it? It reminds me of being 13 and decorating my school planner with clippings from Teen Vogue. 

3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge was TIME. Holy cats! I remember thinking during spring break that I wanted to try and work ahead so I wouldn't have to worry about this class during the final haul... Why did I not actually act on that thought? I don't remember the final weekend being over Mother's Day weekend in years past? It's been really hard to juggle everything this weekend. Just keep swimming. I made myself a cup of coffee and worked on things one step at a time. 

4. How does this piece represent you?
The scissors and glue are very much apart of my self portrait. I was sure to include them in my composition. As a pre-service art teacher I feel like I'm always covered in glue. The scissors, I've grown super attached to. I'm not really sure why, but they're my favorite tool. I've had them with me through-out college and they're usually in my purse. I use them probably every day. I actually sat down with my mom as I clipped out things that represented me. Who knows you better than your mom, right? The piece is composed of things that I love and things that I am. 

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?
I used collage for my self portrait. I used a bit of humor, representation, and metaphor while choosing the images. I also used implied lines to draw the eye down the piece. I was careful to create balance among the many clippings. I used space; Well more like a lack-there of. I wanted the page to feel full and cluttered, because that's how I was feeling in the moment. 

6. Did you enjoy working on this project?
Yes, I actually did. It was a nice break from writing unit sequences. It was also fun to sit with my mom and discuss some of my choices, while taking some suggestions. My mom found the image of the guy with his head rested on his computer and we got a good laugh from that. It seemed too perfect, in relation to this last week to not include.

7. What do you think of your final artwork?
I like it! I actually put it on the first page of a new sketchbook so that's cool too. It was fun to do this. 

Module 12

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

Andy Warhol- Warhol is the name most think about when they hear Pop Art. He's pretty influential. I really enjoyed silk screening when I was working on my undergrad and I know Warhol did a lot of screen printing. I appreciate the way he experimented with his screens and colors. 

Isamu Noguchi: The Sculpture of Spaces- I don't know much of anything about this artist so I thought that was a good reason to watch the film.

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

Andy Warhol- He wanted to be a tap dancer, not an artist! He created Marilyn Monroe after she died and it made him famous. He then started making prints of Elizabeth Taylor. He mad A LOT of works about Liz Taylor. Warhol was obsessed with making money so he loved silk screening because he could quickly make copies with little effort. The prints of celebrities were a radical way of saying that we are consumers and these stars are just another consumable. He was sort of an odd human in my opinion. It was like he was so interested in fame that he basically just figured out an equation to get himself there all while kind of poking fun at fame at the same time? He even managed to depersonalize art as an artist which you would think is any artists worst nightmare.   

Isamu Noguchi: The Sculpture of Spaces- He was inspired by Japanese stone gardens. He felt like sculpture was connected to time and space. He called a lot of his works "gardens". He felt like gardens were an experience that you had to walk through and he wanted his works to pay homage to this idea. Noguchi often felt like he didn't have a place where he belonged and his gardens gave him that place. He worked with some of the greats who taught him to sculpt on a scholarship. He was commissioned to work on a park in Miami. 

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

The reading was modern to post modern. The videos all fit into the time period and art movements. 

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

Andy Warhol- He is a great example of variation, repetition and even pattern.  I was surprised to learn that he made some films and published a magazine.

Isamu Noguchi: The Sculpture of Spaces- This video was a bit hard to get through. There was a lot of information about the artist, but the filming was rather dated. Sometimes I found it hard to hear, because the audio was echo-y. I did still enjoy seeing his work and learning about his story. 

Module 11 Gallery Visit 2

Step 1: The Exhibition

Questions about the exhibit:
1. What is the title of the exhibit?

Humble and Human

2. What is the theme of the exhibition?

The exhibition is in honor of the late Ralph Wilson and is filled with the great Impressionist pieces. 

Step 2: The Gallery

Questions about the physical space: 1. What type of lighting is used?

The lighting throughout the exhibit is slightly dim. The rooms feel like they have ambiance lighting almost.

2. What colors are used on the walls?

The wall colors vary from room to room to compliment the collection of pieces in each given room. One room was a peachy/pink neutral while another was a beautiful dark blue/grey. The blue/grey is often used in gallery's I've noticed. I really like the color. It romantic, yet calming. It seems to make a lot of colors pop. 

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

The rooms are pretty standard art museum. The space has the architecture of the Albright with the marble floors and decorative molding. A gem in Buffalo's rich architecture.

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

The exhibit is made up of a series of smaller rooms with one larger central room. The smaller rooms allow the view to flow freely through the space without obstructions. The central room creates a figure eight flow. The view can move around the outside edge and then through the middle and around two floating walls. 

Step 3: The Artwork

Questions about the artwork:1. How are the artworks organized?

The artwork was grouped by artist and then arranged near other artist that were similar in theme. 

2. How are the artrworks similar?

All of the artworks are part of the Impressionist movement. 

3. How are the artworks different?

There is a variety of subject matter in the exhibit from portraits to landscapes. They also vary in size. Some were a modest size like Van Gogh while others were quite large like the John Singer Sargents Madame Paul Poirson.

4. How are the artworks framed?

Many of them were in ornate frames. They were large and very decorative. Many were painted gold. The frames themselves felt like a work of art. 

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

They were all labeled in a standard art museum kind of way. There was a label on the wall that had the artist, title, medium, size, and brief description.

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

They were a all spaced with a bit of breathing room. Nothing was stacked on top of another. There is space to stand and look at each piece without being in the way of another onlooker. 

Step 4: Art Criticism Exercise

Select three of the artworks from the show and use the Art Criticism worksheet to desribe, analyze, bracket and interpret the work using the 5-step Art Criticism Process described. (see the sheet in the module folder)

Art Criticism: Describing, Analyzing, and Interpreting Artwork

Artist: James Tissot

Title of work: L'Ambitieuse

Media: Oil on canvas

Date: 1883-1885

Size: 56 x 40 inches

1.   Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

 I notice the detail in this piece right away. I love the detail of the fabrics and the detail of the faces all around the central woman. There is something so soft about the painting. I can almost imagine how the feather fan would feel sweeping over my skin. 

2.   Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)?

 The image is that of a woman. Most likely an important woman because of the high class event she is at. She is wearing a ballet slipper pink gown that is billowing in ruffles. She is carrying a pink fan made of feathers in her gloved hands. She looks pleasant. There is a large crowd all around her, but what is strange is that many of the on-lookers seem to be judging her. They are making strange faces or one man appears to be whispering about her to someone else. The woman seems to be poised above it all.

3.   Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used? Contrast and texture are the most dramatic elements in this piece. There are dark blacks on the men's tuxedos while the woman is a vision in her pale pink. Texture texture texture. The ruffles on the dress, the velvet cushion in the bottom left corner, the feathered fan. Everything is rich with texture. The viewer could easily imagine what these surfaces feel like just by looking at the painting. 

4.  Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography)

The fan reminds me of a white feathered fan I used to have in my room growing up. and the pink color of the woman's dress is so sweet. It's like a baby pink or a ballet slipper. 

5.  Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? 

The artist portrays to us, a women, who is looked at and talked about (perhaps negatively), but she glides above it like a vision from above. She is lovely. 

Artist: Vincent van Gogh

Title of work: The Old Mill

Media: Oil on canvas

Date: 1888

Size: 25 1/2 x 21 1/4 inches

1.   Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

This piece have beautiful hues of blues and yellows and greens. The majority of the painting is made up of these three colors. I also appreciate the physical texture that Van Gogh created with his paint. It feels very emotionally driven to me as if each stroke was the transfer of energy onto the canvas. 

2.   Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)?

The Old Mill is a paint of just that... an old mill. We see a mill on the french countryside. It appears old and rickety among overgrown shrubs and bushes. There are a few small buildings or houses behind the mill in the distance. Just in front of the mill is a man and a woman. The day is overcast; a blue-grey sky.  

3.   Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used? Van Gogh used color is portray a mood. The mood of this piece is calm and quiet because of the soft blues and earthy greens and yellows. He uses the line created by his brush strokes to show texture in the roof. The lines created by his strokes also create visual interest in the sky that has little value range. 

4.  Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography)

The man and the woman seem so small and frail compared to the mill and the wide opened landscape. They are almost like an aged Adam and Eve, dependent on the land. 

5.  Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? 

I don't think Van Gogh was ever really trying SAY something so much as make you FEEL something. I think he wanted you to feel calmly lost in this landscape. He wanted the viewed to feel in awe and in love with this beautiful landscape. 

 Artist: Paul Cezanne 

Title of work: Mont Sainte-Victoire

Media: Oil on canvas

Date: 1904-1906

Size: N/A

1.   Be receptive - Keep an open mind.  Look for what is good.  No put-downs allowed.

This piece by french artist Cezanne, FEELS french. the landscape is composed of beautiful blues and greens. There is green land and trees beneath a tall blue grey mountain under a soft blue sky. 

2.   Description – Describe what you see.  (subject matter)?

The piece is a landscape. It is not painted idealistically so the viewer has to sort of guess what some of the shapes are. For sure we see a mountain. There is a wide space of green that we assume is trees and grass. The image appears to us like a dream; still a little foggy. 

3.   Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used? Cezanne uses organic shape to roughly lay out the landscape. The stronger element here is certainly color. He uses color to tell the viewer that we are looking at a sky, a mountain, a landscape. There are hues and shapes of blues and greens. My mother would say that this painting was made of God's colors. 

4.  Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography)

This piece reminds me very much of Van Goghs "The Old Mill". I would assume that is why the curator put these two pieces next to each other. They are painted in a similar way that there are no solid shapes, but colors to define the image. The painting is more about the feeling than the seeing. The colors are very similar and I imagine that these paintings are of similar places, maybe even the same mountains.  

5.  Interpretation - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say? 

I think it is the same for this piece as it is for The Old Mill. It is more about the feeling. The painting feels awe inspiring. We look at it and are moved by the beautiful landscape, filled with such beautiful and calm colors.

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 have gone to see the Humble and Human exhibit so many times. It is so beautiful. Every time I go I spend time with a different couple of pieces. Perhaps I'm strange in this way, but I always looks at strange things at a gallery like the actual physical space and how the art is mapped out. I notice the paint on the walls and the way the lights are angled... I worked in an art shop for about a year and we did a ton with displays. Everything mattered, The spacing, what it was near, the way the lights were angled, the way a person moved through the space. It's interesting to think about galleries in this way. 

Module 11

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

The Mystic North- I just like the collection of artists highlighted in this film. I also like these films. I think they're generally interesting. 

Dada and Surrealism- I just wrote a lesson plan on surrealism. I thought it would be interesting to dive a bit more into the art movement. 

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

The Mystic North-

Goya lived through war. He lost his hearing. He made these drawings that show the dark inhumane images from his life. Then he withdrew from the world and moved to a place outside of Madrid. He painted his "Black Paintings" directly on the walls of his home. They also mentioned that his painting of a man eating a bloody corpse was hung on the wall of his dinning room. I don't know very much about Goya, but after watching this one can understand that he was most likely a sick man. My heart breaks looking at his art. 

Antoni Gaudi- they describe Gaudi as Goyas opposite. Unlike Goya, Gaudi embraced God and all of his glory. He built a beautiful cathedral that appears to be growing. Unfortunately, the cathedral is now owned my Japanese business men who are turning the structure into a Disney Land-esque building. Gaudi's architecture is beautifully organic with rounded edges smooth curves. His work is a modern nod to the future.

Picasso- I feel like I just learned that Santa isn't real. I had no idea that Picasso made such suggestive works, I apparently lived under a rock.. Apparently Picasso spent a bit of time in the Red Light District and brothels. Who knew... 

Dali- His museum is actually where he is buried. "Dali gave us the language of dreams". He created images about life, death, sex, and self. The Surrealists actually kicked him out of their group because they thought he was a fascist sympathizer. 

Dada and Surrealism- Dada and Surrealism are heavily influenced and a reaction to World War 1. The Surrealists were creating a response to the fascists.  Dada typically creates images that are anti-war or mocking of it. Surrealism is an escape and not so obviously antiwar 

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

The readings line up with the artists, movements, and time period of the film. They continue to add depth to the topic. I actually found the first video more insightful on the artists than the reading. 

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

Both videos were great. They were filled with information and beautiful imagery. It was interesting to learn more about many of these artists and to see the places where they lived. They definitely gave me more background knowledge of the artists and their art forms. 

Module 10

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I choose the Buddhism video first because I find Buddhism to be really beautiful. I wrote a paper on it in my freshman year of college and have been interested ever since. 

I choose the video about Chinese Art because well... Chinese Art... How could anyone not love Chinese Art? I love the colors and decoration in this style. I also love the background music in the video. 

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

Enlightenment for Buddhism is to be in the human world but not of the human world. Buddhism was split into two groups. One group sees Buddha as a saint and the other sees Buddha as a savior. There are three levels of heaven in Buddhism; Nirvana being the highest level. Buddhism spread across Asia. There is also a temple in Upstate New York. I did not know about the temple in NYS so that's pretty neat. The architecture of this building is beautifully simple. It also is the home of the largest Buddhist statue in the western hemisphere. 

Tea cups were often dark, even black to emphasize a light colored tea. I usually think of Chinese Art as being very ornate, but there were quite a few pieces that were almost minimalist in design. Many of these pieces seem influenced by flowers as they have some kind of floral design. The Chinese have a beautiful grasp of vessels. Much of this art is functional, yet still very beautiful. 

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

The readings are about cultures in Africa, Asia, the East and so on. This was a rich reading, full of culture, art, and history. The videos relate to the other all theme and added more knowledge to the two areas I choose in the videos. This section could honestly be an entire text in itself. It is almost a shame to smoosh them all together.

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

This was a good video. I liked the imagery they showed. It was to the point, but still full of information. 

The video on Chinese Art was strange. At first I wasn't sure what I was watching. Then I realized they were literally just running through a collect of Chinese Art. It was sort of boring at times, and I felt that this could have been done just as effectively in photographs with information on a page. I did, however, enjoy the music though. 

The videos show more images than the text does so it gave me a bit more understanding of these art forms. The first video gave me more background knowledge of Buddhism as well. 

Hand Study

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing?

I actually like to draw my hands because they're easy to observe and they're right there in front of me. 

 

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why?

I just used pencil because I can't stand the texture of charcoal. It's like nails on a chalkboard...

 

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand?

This was horrible. I felt like I could control my hand and my brain couldn't send the right signals back and fourth. 

 

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies?

I'm not really sure what the point of this study was... Maybe I'm missing something. I just created some rough sketches because I've been working on doing quick drawings to improve my general drawing ability. Neither of them are very success and I know that I am capable of drawing a much better hand but I am trying to improve my first attempts at rendering an image instead of having to spend hours studying something. 

 

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future?

The ONLY thing I would consider using my non-dominant hand for would be some kind of impressionistic style work. It's just too hard to control... 

Module 9

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.
 Leonardo da Vinci: Leonardo da Vinci always interested me. I choose it just out of general interest I guess.

Image of a Master: I didn't really recognize any of the names on the titles so I just choose a random video.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
Leonardo da Vinci: Leonardo da Vinci worked for the Medici family. While he is known as a painter, he was also an engineer and scientist among other things. He invented machines and weapons. He even arranged entertainment for the court. He also studied wings and the idea of flight, which I interesting and very progressive for the time. I think if I could define Leonardo da Vinci in one word it would be "creator". He was an inventor and a thinker of ideas. He was really very brilliant.

Image of a Master: Durer seemed to studied the process of aging in his early works. He also liked to create mythical animals in some of his drawings. He often creates images of himself as well. Durer also was known for landscapes after he was inspired by a trip through Italy.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The readings are about the Renaissance and da Vinci is, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant men of all time let alone the Renaissance. To learn more about da Vinci in the video builds upon the readings by adding depth of information about his life.

Durer is also part of the time period in the readings. His paintings have that Renaissance quality to them. I'm not quite sure what it is, something about the colors and the themes. Some of this paintings study the human form and others are study of landscape. He seems to always be exploring details like any good Renaissance man.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
 The one video about da Vinci adds depth to the reading in my opinion. There could be an entire chapter on its own about da Vinci and his ideas. It's always interesting to learn more about his works.

I didn't know anything about Durer before this so it was interesting to learn. He seemed to do a lot of different things. His study of human form is beautiful though. He captures form in black and white in a very detailed way.

Module 8

1. Explain why you selected the video you choose from the selection listed above.

I just like Gothic Architecture. I've always found it very beautiful and interesting. Some of the lines remind me of bat wings.

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

How Art Made the World 

These "Venus" sculptures can be found ll over the body, made by different cultures... all depicting the female form. What is interesting is that all of the cultures created the bodies with dramatically large breast and big round hips. The video analyzes why this is. They connect the findings to the findings of a research project done with seagulls. Basically, the scientists study how baby chicks react to the beak of its mother with a single stripe verse a fake beak with multiple stripes. What they find is that the chicks go crazy over the fake beak. The analogy here is that these ancient cultures are hardwired just like the chicks. They created these forms with over dramatized features that were valued in their culture and saw them as the most beautiful.    

Late Gothic Art and Architecture
During this time we start to see people having more things and having more comfort. People have things that aren't just religious; We see portraits of regular people and simply beautiful things. However, the church structure is still very grand. Stained glass during this time I found very beautiful and ornate. I thought it was interesting too that they said in the video that a lot of what we consider English art from this time, was actually imported. Books are also a part of this time. Very ornate printed books were sometimes even painted. The concept of printing books was new for the time. 

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

The first video relates to the ancient Mediterranean worlds portion of the reading. The Venuses were all create by ancient cultures and it analyzes why there is this similar dramatization of the female form. The second video I chose about Gothic Art relates to the formation of Europe and Christianity. Gothic art was particularly grand when it came to churches and it originated in England.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
The first video I had seen before, but it's still an interesting piece. I re-watched a lot of it actually. The second video was decent. A little dry in areas, but not horrible. It added depth to the reading by explaining a little more in detail England during this time and Gothic Art.