Self portait

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?

When I first read about this project I had an idea that I wanted to create this self-portrait in charcoal and these three inspiration pieces are what I had in mind when I thought about creating my own. I wanted them to look like the two monochromatic portraits do. The one in color I I liked because of the shading.

2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?

I selected charcoal to use because I like how it looks when it is a finished piece. I really like how it looks when it is used to create portraits. I really don’t like using it because I feel it makes a mess but I wanted to try it again.

3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?

When using charcoal I always feel like it gets everywhere and the paper ends up getting smudged. I really tried to be careful and wanted to not smudge it. I worked slowly and used very careful lines when I was working on my portrait. I had a hard time with the area around my mouth I tried to shade it and it worked a little. It’s hard to tell because of the way the picture took. It is lightly shaded, it was the part I kept re-doing.

4. How does this piece represent you?

It represents me because it really showed how I look and how I feel when I created my self-portrait. I really tried to do my best and show a realistic portrait of myself.

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?

I used monocratic color scheme I only used a charcoal pencil, so this was only black color and white paper. I used line in my face and the features. Also, I have shape in my portrait, because of my face and it the shape it takes up within the painting. Texture is shown in my hair and the area around my mouth. Balance is shown within my face if a line is drawn down the center of my face it is almost the same on both sides.

6. Did you enjoy working on this project?

I liked working on this project. I like working on hands on projects rather than writing papers. I like to be able to use the things that I have learned and apply them to a final piece.  I think that it is interesting to see how I have used art materials during the course of this class.

7. What do you think of your final artwork?

I thought my final portrait was good. I really tried to work hard and create a good portrait of myself.  I think it shows what I look like for the most part.

Picture of Myself

My Self-Portrait

Three Inspiration Self-Portraits from the Art Institute of Chicago

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn

Self Potrait drawing at a window 1648

Etching, drypoint and burin on ivory paper

130 x 156

Vincent Van Gogh

Self- Portrait

1887

325x410

Painting

Joseph Wright of Derby

Portrait un a fur cap

1765/68

Monochrome pastel on blue-gray laid paper

295 x 425

Module 16

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

I wanted to learn more about art and understand it more and gain more knowledge about art. I think these expectations were met. I have learned A LOT this semester. I didn’t think I would have learned this much in an online class.

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

My initial posting was the way that people express themselves. I think that it is not only the way people express themselves but also art can be anything. Things that you don’t think are art can very well be art. It is everywhere, architecture, sculptures, paintings and pottery these are just some examples of art.

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?

I didn’t have a favorite artist when this class started, now I would say maybe Jackson Pollock is one of my favorites. I think his work is fun and very interesting.

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?

Yes my answer is still the same. I like taking an online class. I can get everything done at home and still learn and be in a learning community where I can interact with classmates.

Exhibit Review

1. Which projects did you review?
I review three project before I chose which I wanted to critque. I viewed the exhibits from Chelsea Wolfing, Jeff Bieber and the exhibit: For the Love of Music, I'm unsure who wrote it.

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?
I selected this exhibit because I really enjoyed the Pop Art that she had picked. She got my attention with the bright colors and bold works that she picked.

3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?
I found it hard to think of things to write about. At time I felt like I was just writing a review of her exhibit and the works she picked. I really tried hard to focus on the questions and write as much as I could about her exhibit.

4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?
I liked writing about my peer because I was able to chose which person I wanted to review. I liked being able to review some and pick the one I wanted and most called to me. If I was given someone to review I don't think I would have liked it as much.

5. Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?
Yes.

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?
I would give myself a 9 or 8. I worked hard on the review and wanted to really give an honest look at her exhibit. I wanted to make sure I wanted to give her a good, well written review.

7. Did you enjoy working on this project?
Yes. I think that two pages was a little too long. It was hard to write that much about the exhibit I think I could have wrote a good review in one page.

Video Blog Week 15

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

A. Greenberg on Pollock: Pollock was very skeptical of his work. He wanted to have a perfect painting. He wouldn’t be satisfied unless it was perfect. He would go back and redo and fix anything that he didn’t think was perfect.

B. The Critics from an Inside Story: An art critic thinks that when he writes an art criticism paper he thinks that they are helping the public. They look at something then can direct people to “good media works.” They are there to help the public and give them insight on if they should go a view it for themselves.

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

Yes I think that they were helpful because they got me to understand what an art critic wants to do and how they view their jobs. They want to help the public and review to see if they think that others should go and view it too. They want the public to understand the art that is out there and what they can experience and by writing an art criticism they can help the public and see if they may or may not like something.

3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of art criticism?

I liked these films. I think they were very easy to relate to and understand. The people were straightforward and clear. They gave their understanding and helped people to understand what their jobs were. In the Pollock video we even got to see that artists themselves were their own critics. They viewed their work and were their hardest judges. They wanted their work to be perfect and for everyone to experience it like they wanted it to be viewed.

Art Exhibition

The art exhibition project was very intersting. At first I found it difficult to narrow down a specific topic to chose from but as I looked at paintings I found that I was always drawn to the ones with water in it so that's what I ended up picking. I ended up doign a google search for paintings with water and that came up with Impressionist painters so I did chose a lot of paintings from Impressionist painters. I enjoyed doing this project, it made me look closely at what I would want in an exhibit and what paintings I would place within my theme. It was a lot of work and time to complete this project but it was well worth it, because I finally understand what it would take to put up a small exhibit, I have a very good appreciation for museum workers now.

Exhibition Videos

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

Lowdown on the Lowbrow- Lowbrow is art that is different than it ever was. After watching this video I think it is the art that appeals to different cultures. It includes art like pop art that gain the viewer’s attention and it is a certain type of art that makes people think and it may not seem like it makes sense it does in the end.

The Tate Approach- In the Tate Approach they used a thematic approach and organized it. They used four themes when they organized them. They used themes to match the works of art with the other works. They put theses matching themes together. I think it is better to have themes to organized because it organized art in the museum but also helps people to reconized the organization and works that relate to each other.

Bones of Contention- This movie is about the bones of 10,000 Native American’s are in museums to be studied and their relatives want their bones back. They don’t want their realtives back and they do not want them sitting in museums and studied. Native American’s are a large part of history so it is understandable that people want to study their bones but we also need to understand they were people and they might not want to be studied.

Philippe de Montebello- Montebello was the Metropolitan Museum of Art served for 31 years. He was able to get 84,000 pieces of art. He wanted to get “truly outstanding piece of work.” He wanted to make the Met a showcase for European art. He later made it all areas of the world showcase for art. He made this museum wonderful for everyone to look at and experience.

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

They do relate to the creation of an Art Exhibition. They got me thinking about what needs to go into planning an exhibition if I was a real art director. Especially the Philippe de Montebello video, this video really got me to understand what goes into making a real exhibition. The Tate Approach made me think about themes and separating arts into themes to organize.

3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project.

I liked the videos they were very interesting. The Philippe de Montebello was the most helpful to the Exhibition project and so was the Tate Approach. The other two videos helped but they didn’t help me to understand what needs to go into creating an exhibition.

Burchfield Penny Visit

Step 1: The Exhibition

Questions about the exhibit:

1. What is the title of the exhibit?

          The Artist Among Us II

2. What is the theme of the exhibition?

          The theme is artists that are from our community. The Burchfield Penny members decided to display the artists from our area before and this is the second time.

Step 2: The Gallery

Questions about the physical space:

1. What type of lighting is used?

          Most of the lighting that was used at the art gallery was natural lighting. They had skylights and large window doors in the front entrance way. They also had lights but they were only used to help the natural light. The day I went it was cloudy so the light aided the natural light.

2. What colors are used on the walls?

          The colors on the wall were mostly white paint. There was one room gallery on the first floor that was gray.

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

The materials that were used were paint on the walls. They also had walls that curved around certain aspects of the gallery. It was used as a divider. There was also a glass wall on the second floor so you could look down and view all the art on the first floor. I didn’t realized it was there until I was on the second floor.

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

          The movement was very smooth and the walls were put together so that you could easily walk around the gallery and move about without getting confused or lost with the different artworks.

Step 3: The Artwork

 Questions about the artwork:

1. How are the artworks organized?

          The artworks were hung about the wall. They were atleast two feet from the round and went about 8 feet up. They were all arranged together so that you could easily view all the pieces. There was no order or arrangement they were just hung on the walls.

2. How are the artworks similar?

          The artworks are similar because mostly all of them could be hung on the walls. Also most of the artists are local or somewhat close to the area.

3. How are the artworks different?

          They are different because every artwork is unique and different. There were no two of the same or even very similar. All the pieces were a part of someone’s ideas and thoughts. Some of the art was photographs, drawings, paintings, and some were mixed media collages.

4. How are the artworks framed?

The artworks were all framed. Some were behind glass others were not. The frames were all different in colors and size.

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

          The artworks were identified on a off white plaque next to the work. It has the artist’s name, title piece and type of artwork.

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

          The artworks were very close together, only inches apart from each other. The frames are what separated the pieces.

Step 4: Art Criticism Exercise

Art Criticism: Describing, Analyzing, and Interpreting Artwork

Artist: Stephen C. Dubois

Title of work: O Schonheit

Media: Mixed Media and Acrylic

Date: 2011

Size: Unknown

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

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

This work is very interesting and fun. It has bright colors and seems to be have flowers in it with the mixed media. The art seems to be made of tissue paper that is twisted and collaged on it. The artist also put paint on the piece.

3.   Formal analysis – (form) What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

He used colors in this work. It is bright and dramatic changes between the bright yellow and darker blue. He also uses space with the mixed media. The media comes away from the piece and gives it a little dimension. There is texture in this piece. He used the mixed media and paint to create a texture on this piece. He used variety with the different variation of color and texture within the piece.

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 work reminds me of a garden. It is full of bright colors and some of the mixed media seems to be placed in a flower shape. It could be his interpretation of a flower garden.

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

I think the artists want to show us the bright and variety that he could make. He wanted to show the different color variation within the artwork.

Art Criticism: Describing, Analyzing, and Interpreting Artwork

Artist: Christine Daly

Title of work: A Red Lily

Media: Oil on board

Date:2012

Size: Unknown

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

         

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

This artwork is a lily laying on a pail. The pail is sitting on a ledge or table against a wall.  The lily is red and the pail is white. The table is brown and the wall is an off white wall. This is very realistic and could have been painted from a real still life.

3.   Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

The element of color was shown by the dull and muted colors within the art. Line is shown in the way the lily is laying across the pail. The line of the stem brings your attention to the flower of the lily. Emphasis is drawn to the lily flower. The flower is the only part of the painting that has color. She used scale because of the flower and pail is about the real size that it would be if it was lifelike.

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)

          There isn’t anything in this painting that I remind me of anything. It is very straightforward and it is what it shows; a pail and lily.

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

I think the artist was trying to show the use of color to emphasis something. She was able to emphasis the color element of the lily flower. She wanted to show the lily and highlight the variety and  color of the flower.

Art Criticism: Describing, Analyzing, and Interpreting Artwork

Artist: Kelly Root

Title of work: Slue Snowfall

Media: Wood, found objects

Date: 2012

Size: Unknown

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

    

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

     I see a city street on a snowy night. A few houses are light up and the piece is in a view that seems to be behind the first set of house taken from their backyard.  The houses across the street are lite up which seems to be from the street lights. The snow seems to have just fallen and is the light powdery snow.  The trees in the front of the art is 3D like and come out from the background.

3. Formal analysis – (form)  What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

     She uses emphasis in the way that houses are lite up especially across the street because the front of the work is darker and the back is lighter and brighter than the rest. Line is also used in the trunk of the trees. Their trunk brings your eye down. The lines of the houses also brings your eye around the artwork. Texture is shown with the use of wood in the tree. The wood that is used is a different material then the rest and shows texture. Pattern is shown with the houses. All of the houses are about the same and are one after another. Unity is shown with the white snow and the shapes of the houses. They are all the same and look the same so they seem like they belong together. Balance is also shown in the way that she displayed the houses and they are equal apart and the same shape and size.

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 art reminds me of a winter scene from a Christmas book. It is very story like and any writer could write a story based off of this picture. The pieces is very straightforward and shows what it seems to be depicting.

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

          I think the artist is trying to express the way a city street looks like when the snow first falls. The artwork is shown with very detail and it is what a street could look like if you look out of your backyard on to the street behind you.

Step 5: Document Your Visit