Reflection

1.     1.   A lot more came out of this course than expected so I would say my expectations were definitely met.

2.     2.   I believe art is a lot of things – it’s simply beauty. Art is in everything, regardless of wether or not everyone chooses to see it.

3.      3.  Pablo Picasso was my original favorite artist and that still remains the same – I believe I have just learned to understand and respect his art in a different way.

4.     4.   I did not enjoy taking an online course, it was unbelievably difficult for myself and I think I would have succeeded in the course had it been in person. This would be my first and last online course. 

Art Analysis Project

1.     1.   This work of art shows extreme emotion. The faces of the people are completely devastated. This painting also has a lot of use of line within it. The values between the people, the background and the images inbetween are strong and show a huge difference, almost as if there are multiple layers to the piece.

2.        2. This piece was an oil on canvas painting using the colors grey, black and white.

3.     3.   Guernica was painted during the time of the Spanish Civil War and it is a political piece of art. It was painted after the Germans had devastatingly bombed the Spanish city of Guernica.  Some symbols within this art is the bull that reminds viewers of the Spanish bull. And the horse probably represents the Spanish citizens that were scared, as the horse looks.

4.        4. The expressions on the faces of the people and animals evoke an emotional response because their fear in the faces are strong and concerning. Also, the lack of actual color makes the viewer feel the emptiness and sadness of the piece.

5.      5.  Strengths of the work: the line definition brings a strong separation throughout the work, like the separation during the Spanish civil war. Weaknesses: I believe if there was slight color added, not a lot, it would bring a very strong emphasis to parts of the work, making it even more emotional.

1.      1.  The West Coast Pop Art Video:

Lowbrow art – hard to categorize but a form of art, thought to be a reaction against highbrow culture. Lowbrow was seen as “lacking of taste”. Paintings included naked women and hot rods. Originally meant pornography. Some say it’s like pop surrealism. It’s origin was in the 1960’s.

Tate Modern Video:

Modern art museum with five million visitors a year. Interactive events happen in the art. It’s contempary art. “Temple of the far art” Tate Modern represents a social change. Contempary art became more valued because of Tate Modern. Wolff Olins, the creater, utilized the space very well. People had a personal and collective experience.

2.      2.  The video of Tate Modern helped me realize I wanted to do the unique medium as my choice of theme for my exhibit for the project.

3.   3.    I really enjoyed the films. I had never heard of the term “low brow” because and it was interesting to see a name put to that form of art and the history behind it. And watching the Tate Modern video made me realize how big of an effect art has on culture and people.

Art Gallery Visit 2

1.       Relief exhibit

2.       The theme of the exhibit was relaxed.

3.       The lighting in this exhibit was dim.

4.       The walls were an off white color.

5.       The materials in the interior architechture were all simple.

6.       The movement around this art piece was nice because this exhibit sat at the top of the stairs and was the first room you could walk into.

7.       The artworks in this exhibit were all lined on one wall.

8.       The artworks were similar in color and value.

9.       The artworks were different in shape.

10.   The artworks were identified on the wall to the left of them

11.   The artworks were all right next to each other.

1.       I lost the photo of the title of this exhibit.

2.       The theme of the exhibit was to show the history of the Albright.

3.       The light was bright and directly on the photos.

4.       There were simple materials used in the interior architecture.

5.       The photos laid across the wall that the viewers tended to walk left to right across to view.

6.       The artworks were organized in a perfect rectangle.

7.       Each picture was in the same black and white color.

8.       The artworks each held a different picture showing different events in the history of the museum.

9.       The artworks were framed in small black rectangle frames.

10.   They were identied by a description on the wall.

11.   The artwork was all close.

1.       This exhibit was the outside of the museum.

2.       The theme of the artwork on the outside of the museum is not one single theme.

3.       The lighting is natural lighting.

4.       N/A

5.       N/A

6.       The viewers of the outside of the museum get to move freely.

7.       The artworks are not organized in any particalur order.

8.       The artworks are all similar in the fact that they all seem to be made out of natural materials.

9.       They are different in the face that some have to do with actual people, other have to do with objects.

10.   The artworks are labeled on signs, typically on the ground.

11.   The proximity of the artwork is not close to each other.

1.       1. I chose both African Art videos for this assignment. I chose these videos because I thought they would paid nicely together and I would be able to gain more knowledge on this type of art. I also am very much interested in African art, it has always caught my attention and I know slim to none about the history behind it.

2.      2.  In the first African Art video I watched I found out that art, from sound, color and dance were all strong forms of art that they use in rituals. Masks were used in ceremonies along with dance and music and they all worked together. Africa’s oldest art can be found out stones were you can see paintings and carvings of pictures. A lot of Africa’s art is unrealistic, the faces are most time distorted. Gods and Spirits were represented through the masks. In the African Art: the legacy of oppression video it was discussed that a lot of art was magical, especially masks. The magic was sometimes a negative thing but still represented in their art. The art was meant to make people scared and fear certain things such as disease.

3.       3. The videos relate to the text in the book that discusses the Arts of Africa. The book goes further into certain objects, other than masks. The book talked a little more about the religious aspect of African art and how they used it to worship their gods while the video showed how dance and ceremony was an important form of art. Both emphasize the sacredness of African art.

4.       4.  I found the videos to be informative, as I earlier stated, I did not know much about African art so that’s why I chose these videos but now I further understand the meaning behind some of their art and now I can look at a certain mask and be able to understand a little more why it is decorated the way it is.

1.     1.   I chose the Drawings of Michelangelo and Velazquez videos. I chose the Michelangelo video because I have knowledge about his sculptures and his technique behind them but I still did not know too much about his drawing techniques and his thought process throughout. I chose the Velazquez video because I had known little about him and figured it would be nice to see a new artist and what he created and his life and techniques behind his artwork.

2.    2.   The Drawings of Michelangelo video: Michelangelo used cross hatching in many of his sketches in order to show and create mass, form and depth whether it be in muscle or clothing. He was extremely knowledgeable about the human body, especially muscles and how to create movement within a sketch. There was a point that one of the speakers in the video made that stuck out to me a lot and she had said that his lines aren’t just repeated strokes, they’re sculptural. Meaning that he didn’t just add lines for thickness but rather every line in his sketch was going to hold value in the overall artwork.

The Velazquez video: This video talked a lot about his life, I found it interesting that at only 24 he was named Court Painter and that he served at the palace gaining nobility from the king and that him and the king were very good friends. As an artists, he was very good at being able to paint the moment and make things that aren’t seen with the naked eye, like air, present in his paintings. He mainly painted portraits.

3.    3.   These videos relate to the text. In chapter 16, Michelangelo’s ability to contour and twisting of muscles and body parts is discussed and the video further explained. As with Velazquez, the book discusses his use and importance of light in his paintings but the video showed me more in depth how and where he used light.

4.      4.  I enjoyed the films. I liked that the films I chose had two different themes one being about sketches and the other about portrait paintings. These videos definitely helped me understand different art concepts, these videos gave me a further understanding to the importance of sketches and how even a simple Michelangelo sketch had so much technique. 

Architecture

1.

Frank Lloyd Video:

Horizontal Living Spaces – Prairie style

Changed the way people lived. From box like homes to open living spaces

Long bands, laying of horizontals making the house look like it grows out of the land

Worked his houses around the bushes, kept them around the porch for privacy

Panoramic windows

His ideas were used by other architects

ARCHTITECHTURE SCIENCE OF DESIGN:

Sky scrapers – steel (new material) made up of 2 distinct parts – the super structure and the underground structure

The bottom surfaces needs to be able to hold dead weight and living weight and the wind

Buildings sway in the wind

Wind tunnel research is helping architects to understand the effect of wind on buildings and how the surroundings will react to the wind and the building

To help – the either build a bigger surfaces or plants trees in certain areas to help

Snow accumulation on rooftops or the air quality

Concrete can be found in all forms of architecture

2.

The videos relate strongly to the readings in the text. There is a section in the book that discusses Frank Lloyd Wright. The book touches on all of the things the video did but also touched on his past and more buildings that he had worked on. The book also talked about concrete and reinforced concrete and its importance in past and present architecture. The book also discusses steel frame construction and the multiple styles of buildings / skyscrapers.

3.

The films I watched were very informative. Often people do not see architecture as an art form or take time to step back and realize all the work and beauty is in just one building, house or skyscraper because often all we see is the finished product. The videos definitely added depth to my understanding of architecture, especially the “Architecture: The Science of Design” video. I never knew that architects had to know how the wind would affect the building or that there was a giant underground slab on concrete for support.

4.

I chose the film “Prairie Style (Frank Lloyd Wright) because I live on the same street as the Martin House and I pass it multiple times on a day. I have never visited yet but I am sure I will someday, especially after watching that video. It was nice to gather information on something that hits close to home. I chose the “Architecture: The Science of Design” video because before watching the video, I did not know there was a true science behind architecture, I mainly thought it was mostly math and man power but it completely changed my view behind it. I realize now that there truly is a science to it and especially in some expensive, modern homes that are computerized to make your life easier and more convenient.