Final Reflection

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

My expectations for this course were met and more. I came into this course thinking it would be more along the lines of the history of art, in saying so the course did provide this material of how art came about and where different art styles originated from. Moreover the course went into more detail about certain artist. Also what this course provided that I didn’t think was going to happen was the videos of artists and style. The videos gave a further analysis of what was provided in the book. Furthermore the art gallery visits and online galleries were I believe essential to the learning process of art. With this course upon completion I now have a great knowledge of art and its history.

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

Art is the perception of the artist through emotion, inspiration and experience. My original post of what art was is along the same lines as what I know believe to be the definition of art according to me. But now after completing the course I have a better knowledge of art and where the emotion is set in in a piece of art along with the inspiration and experience. It has taught me how to analyze a piece of art work better.

3. Who was your favourite artist in your original posting and who is your favourite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favourite artist, why do you think so?

In my original posting Banksy was my favourite artist and still is now. I believe that I have the same artist because of his “I don’t care” attitude but not in a bad way. The type of attitude where Banksy stands up for people and stands up for the right through his art. He's not always right on where he does his art and how but the meaning that he puts into his paintings and passion oozes out of his work.

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?

I still feel the same about online courses as I did in my original posting. I like them because they are very flexible and easier for me to get my work done with a job and other activities going on. The one downfall to it is having to always check for updates and changes that a professor might post. The adding of work and changing of dates can sometimes be confusing but in the end its a help in doing online courses.

Self-Portraits

Young Knight in a Landscape 1510

Vittore Carpaccio | Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza

The Apparition of Christ to the People (The Apparition of the Messiah)1837 - 1857

Aleksander Ivanov | The State Tretyakov Gallery

Marie-Antoinette de Lorraine-Habsbourg, queen of France, and her children 1787

Louise Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun | Palace of Versailles

1. I went with the theme of “fighting”, but not in the sense of violence but fighting for what you believe in, fighting for the people in your life that you love and aid you and yourself. When you look into a self-portrait of yourself you see your family, which is the biggest fight in you, and you see resemblance of your parents, siblings, grandparents and you fight for them.

2. I choose to try myself with pencil on white paper because I believe it would be easier for me to show my detail and to be I can manipulate using the pencil the best.

3. The biggest challenge that I faced in creating my self-portrait was the details of the eyes and also the light shade of bread that I had. It wasn’t fully grown in but was still there.

4. This isn’t just me, its my family and everything we represent and what we fight for. To be there is a little of everyone of my family in me and that what helps me be motivated and push further and fight.

5. I used the element of shape, color, value. Principles: scale, balance.

6. I did enjoy doing this project, but one thing that I found weird and hard to do was creating the self-portrait. Its the first time that I have ever drawn myself and trying to focus was the hardest part.

7. I like my final work, I believe it could have been better. I think I could have created the shapes of my eyes, head etc, could have been done better to make it more realistic.

curation discussion

1. The theme of my art exhibit was “everyday life”. In life we have many encounters that we must over come from a small thing as a kid called “love” to something much bigger when your older, everyone goes through these things in life. The pieces of art that I choose displayed the everyday encounters that will happen to us during our lifetime that we must face.

2. I choose this theme based on Banksy the artist. He is a political activist and he displays his emotion and love through the art. This helps everyone else better understand him and each other and what they stand for. I choose the title “everyday life” because the artwork he displays and stuff we will go through in our daily lives throughout our lifetime.

3. First one is “follow your dreams”. In life not everyone is going to be supportive of what you do. There is going to be road blocks, detours and toughness but you must overcome it all and follow your dreams to what you want to do with your life. Next is “social media” it has taken over the younger generations lives over the past few years. It needs to stop and this piece of artwork displays what exact happens to people when they don’t have any internet “friends, likes, or comments” its about your daily life not your social media life. Finally “shop till you drop” we are constantly becoming more and more materialistic people rather than us ourselves. It needs to change.

4. It was very tough completing the project because of the artwork and artist I choose to use. Banksys is a graffiti artist that makes art and doesn’t sign it doesn’t date it nor give it a meaning. So trying to do these things was very tough, I couldn’t do it for all of them but I gave it my best shot in finding the proper information.

Reflection:

I learnt a great deal from doing this project. It was a tough challenge not only I curating the art work but finding the proper dates and meanings to each art work. By doing this it helped me look at art from a different angle, like stepping back and viewing a piece. Shapes, colors size texture had more meaning when viewing the piece from this angle.

art visit #2

The temple of the mind (before 1885), by Albert Pinkham Ryder, American, 1847-1917.

- oil on wood
- large gold (french renaissance sort of frame) Baroque style
- during the late 1880s-1890s Albert turned away from traditional pastoral landscape painting in favor of settings surrounded in mystery
- Drew inspiration from the poetry he wrote.

Dunes with ray of light, 1944, American by Lyonel Feininger 1871-1956.

- oil on canvas
- brown frame (simple almost modern)
- Born and raised in NYC, spend his early career in Germany

Le Matin en Provence (morning in provence), 1900-1906, Paul Cezanne, French 1839-1906.

- oil on canvas
- gold antique french style frame
- Painted at the end of his life.

These paintings were apart of the Romantics Landscape Room.

The room had 3 door ways that had marble frame, marble floor, other material was the frames and the art work. There were 5 lights in the Romantics landscape room with all white walls. Three of the art works were located in the corners of the room and the 4th piece of art (which was not documented) was located in the center at the back on the room. The artwork is identified by small plaques located adjacent to the painting. The artworks were 5-10 feet away from each other but in the same room.

Once you enter the museum it gives off a totally different vibe than when you are viewing artwork online or at school. You get into a “zone” were you are very focused on interrupting artwork in a different way and understanding the way artists think and get inspiration from.


I was unable to take pictures at the Albright Bright-Knox so I did some rough sketches of the artworks I chose. Also I did a sketch of the room that all the paintings were located in.

module 11 video review

1. I choose this video mainly because of Picasso, besides Banksy Picasso is my favorite artist, his work is world class, second to none. I believe Picasso is the greatest of all time and had an elegance about him that made him stand out to me. Also I have never heard for Matisse so it was a bonus to learn about him as well. The second video I choose was, the impact for cubism, this is because I really have no idea of what it is and what cubism is, I have a general idea but it was interesting to me after I looked up more background on it,

Matisse and Picasso

- painting and drawing the same but with less materials for drawing

- we’re regarded as the “kings” of art back then

- Matisse-rational painter,explains
- Picasso- didn’t care like Matisse, was just a “regular”

- innocents in their paintings, is what they recognized from each others paintings

- 1912 first collage by Picasso
- Picasso wife inspiration for art but not enjoyable but angry artwork

- Matisse at this time traveling the world
- Picasso doesn’t travel
- Inspiration is life and women for Picasso

- Matisse, painter of women, but need to be there unlike Picasso who doesn’t need them there

- Arbitrater of dreams being a model for Matisse

- Picasso kept painting over paintings and his final painting would be very thick which gave it a different look and elegance

-  Matisse “I go towards my feelings”

- His work he said was a gift for others (matisse)

- Matisse had more confidence than Picasso
- Matisse gets sick and is forced to create art with scissors and cutting out and creating art

- Picasso, paintings- sum of destruction

The impact of Cubism

- Shapes the major part of cubism
- make abstract concrete
- different subject matters changes the paintings
- Angles are very important in creating cubism artwork
- Abstract elements used
- very simple but complex at the same time, ex. patterns, shapes, angles, lines colors etc.

3. The video has more compare and contrast between the two artists. The video gives a further in depth background and information of Matisse and Picasso “rivalry”. For the second video, it was more challenging to comprehend, the book I believe gave a better understand rather than the video. It was more about the paintings of people of cubism rather than cubism itself i believe.

4. In the video they describe each painting and the elements they portray, they also give the background inspiration behind the things the painters did and why they painted certain paintings. Also the travel that the painters do is a major inspiration behind what they do. Also the videos describe the time of painter each artist is and how they developed sometimes into different types of painters, ex. anguish, angry, saddened, joyful etc. This is all based on their life experiences and encounters.

mask

1./2. My first inspiration came from the movie, Phantom of the Opera. It has been one of my all time favorite movies. So it inspired me in my first design to create a mask that had the same principles as that one did. The original mask only covers one eye. The mask protects the man wearing it so his identity is not known. My second inspiration came from another movie, Vendetta. Another one of my all time favorites. The mask is very simple but has a little flare with the facial hair and rosy cheeks. Also the facial features of the mask make it scary but also a little hesitant as it looks like someones up to something. After searching and thinking a lot, my final inspiration for my mask came from batman. The simplicity of the mask is what stands out most to me. It has its features such as the ears but the black, half mask is very simple but still very effective when seen.

4. Color was a huge element used in my drawing of a mark. Black and White because of the simplicity and as well as the cliffhanger on what it could be. There is not a for sure answer to the mask. I also believe the element of value is seen through the mask I drew with the black and white contrast. The principle pattern also, with the black being used twice and to also outline the mask.

5. My final mask I wanted to portray a mixed view and opinion on how the person behind the mask would be. With the simple colors of black and white and really can’t decide on how the person behind the mask would be. It was a fun experience creating a mask that could represent you or what you feel. And I feel like i’m seen different and not everyone has the same opinion on me. It represents me as I always judged by the cover and nothing else and I see this mask as being viewed by the cover and not who’s behind the mask.

video review- module 10

1. I chose Buddhism and Hinduism because these are topics that I have minimal background information on. It was something that I was interested in and wanted to know a little more about it.  

2. Video Review: Buddhism

-         -  Began in India

-          - Created by Siddhartha Gautama

-          - He witnessed firsthand the poverty and what India was going through and didn’t like it

-          -Sat under a Bodhi tree and saw the world in a different way when he opened his eyes and this is how --- -    -Buddhism was born

-          -Red seat symbol of Buddhism

-          -Buda, spoke out simply but firmly to authority

-          -Proclaimed basics message of love

-          -Gentleness and serenity

-          -Mission: to share enlightenment

-          -Final teaching, all compounds come to an end, when the Buda died

-          -Then was seen as a saint and leader

-          -17^th century Buddhist art and architecture came about

-          -Buda depicted through symbolism, tree, animal etc.

-          -4 gate ways, depicted with thousands of symbols of the history of Buddhism

-          -The symbols of Buddhism has inspired people around the world to create buildings and architecture based  off Buddhism’s symbols and creations

-          -Nirvana = bliss according to the Buda

-          -Java Indonesia, place of Buddhism, in the mountains is a place where it is practiced and is shaped as a -      -Lotus flower, flower of Buddhism ( “Buddhist Mecca”)

-          - All places of worship around the world for Buddhism are places of enlightenment and serenity a place of relaxation, with depictions of this all over this places 

Video Review: Hinduism

-         - To western eye Hinduism is seen exotic and different

-          -Varanasi, oldest and most holy place of Hinduism

-          -Belief of life, death and rebirth

-          -Worship anywhere

-          -Brahma- God

-          -Dedicated ceremonies for life, water, earth etc.

-          -Many gods and goddesses

-          -Temples symbol of giving up and dedication to different gods and goddesses

-          -Hinduism is full of symbolism

3. Like the text this videos start off with background on how these religion were formed and what they are today. In the videos it shows how art and architecture has influenced the religion and also how it has influenced other people and cultures around the world. Also the book explains the art that has inspired a nation and culture.

4. The firms are a great way to show visually how Hinduism and Buddhism are in the places they were created and practiced in. Also it was linked with the book which also helped understanding the video more because it jumped right into the heart of Buddhism and Hinduism.