Sunday, November 9, 2014

Art Gallery Visit 2


Step 1
1. The title of the exhibit is Imperfections by Chance:Paul Feeley Retrospective, 1954-1966.
2. The theme of this exhibit was based on a creative mindset that thrived on intuitive discoveries or abstract expressionism. 
Step 2
1. There were regular ceiling lights used and they weren't too bright, but it made the room and paintings visible. 
2. The walls were regular white/tan walls.
3. Architecturally, the rooms were just open space. They had a few benches and chairs, but they didn't get in the way of any of the paintings. 
4. It was a little overwhelming when I first walked in because there were three, smaller rooms I saw with more of his artwork besides the one big one that I first walked into. Other than that, the movement around the exhibit was pretty simple. I first observed the larger art pieces in the main room, then went in the back, came out and then in to the side room with the very small paintings, and finally, went into the last room. 
Step 3
1. All of the artworks were pinned on the walls and evenly and appropriately placed.
2. The artworks were similar because they all sort of looked alike. It's like he painted the same design, but flipped, turned, inverted, streched, and squeezed each one.
3. The colors were different, but the same colors were used in all of his paintings. Some of the shapes, though, were different than the rest. 
4. They were all in skinny frames, so the painting was really emphasized.
5. As like every label in the Albright gallery, each painting had a small, sliver like post on the wall next to each painting, describing the artwork. 
6. All of the artwork was in the same area, just with multiple rooms. 
Step 4
The public was not allowed to take pics of this exhibit so I looked online for them. My source was www.garthgreenan.com
1. Paul Feeley, Cassius, oil based enamel on canvas,1959, 80x56 inches
I liked the Orange and blue colors together. That's what caught my eye first. It looks like a bridge and then again looks like arches. I see the green, blue, and orange hues. It's repetitive and contrasting.  There are also lines used. This painting reminds me so much of that famous piece  of architecture in Europe that looks like a bridge. I'm not sure what the artist was trying to say. 

2. Paul Feeley, Arcturus, oil based enamel on canvas, 1963, 60x60 inches
This shade of blue is my favorite color. I see 6 closed loops that form this flowerlike design. It has a small yellow , almost similar design, shape in the middle of it. It's symmetric and geometric. It reminds of a flower. I think he was just trying to show the simplicity of a flower, abstractly. 

3. Paul Feely, Untitled, oil based enamel on canvas, 1958, 45x28 inches
This painting has my favorite colors in it. I see a big, blue, bean-type shape with a small tube meeting the end of the canvas. There is yellow surrounding it. The big blue shape takes up most of the space and is emphasized. It looks like it belongs in your body, like your stomach area. Since it doesn't have a title, I'm not sure he even knew what the piece meant. 

Step 5


I really enjoyed looking at this exhibit and all the exhibits. I really like the Lucas Samara reflections exhibit and being able to walk into the mirrored room. Paul Feeleys exhibit was different, but interesting. I really enjoyed the bright colors he uses and I think noticing the space and color of the walls is important because that's what made his paintings catch your eye. Looking at what goes into creating an exhibit is just important as the artwork 

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Module 11

1.  Chose the Imapct of Cubism video because it was the most fascinating movement that chapter 21 talked about and I knew it was about Picasso who is a legend. I chose the expressionism video because I also liked reading about this movement in the textbook.
2. In the Cubism video, I learned that it's about starting with abstraction and ending with real objects or something that's concrete. It also involves light and creating space by showing multiple perspectives. Art is not made from a single view. 
In the expressionism video, I learned how colors are symbolically used in this movement. They can evoke an emotional response . I alos learned how expressionism can clarify life.
3. Both videos directly relate to the chapter because it talks about cubism and Picasso developments in the 20th century. It also talks about expressionism in the 20th century. 
4. I thought both videos were a little dull, maybe because of the narrator. However, they did give me lots of examples, through the paintings in the galleries, of each movement. 

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Mask Making

 
I found this mask to be disturbing yet fascinating. There are circles and rectangles in this mask. The colors are light in this mask but the tea list color brings a nice contrast. There's no symmetry in this mask . There are distinct lines such as the ones that form the mouth and the nose. The surface looks rough and there is a lot of space. I think the colors bring a balance to the mask, but the overall form of it is not balanced in my opinion. There i repetition in the circles and I think those are emphasized as well because that is the first thing I see in the mask.
This is an ancient Chinese mask that I found really beautiful. The colors are so bright and intense. There are red, blue, and yellow hues throughout it. This mask has symmetry and there is a rhythm though the repeated shapes. This is definitely a 3D mask. You can see the lines not just because they are painted with colors but because they are engraved in the mask. 
Although simple, this mask was probably my favorite. It has exaggerated features like the lips and nose, but it does look very realistic. There is no color but you can see the value of dark to light in the eyes, lips, and eyebrows. That emphasis brings out those features and makes it three dimensional. You can see the shape of the cheeks and lips and the face is very symmetric. The texture is smooth.

My Mask


I didn't make sketches for my mask because I really didn't know how I wanted it to look. However, I really like the simplicity of the last image I found on the Internet. So I wanted to make a mask that followed that simplicity. I followed a simple face mask and used napkins dipped in water to add emphasis and texture. I also do like color and intensity so I wanted to add that affect with the bright red mouth and the black glittered eyes. There is some symmetry in my mask but the teeth, made out of cotton swabs, are random. Everyone doesn't have perfect teeth right! The mouth is pen and hollowed out. There is balance in the green and black colors and the red adds a nice contrast. 
I found this assignment very difficult at first because it had to be 3D. Then, I started getting into it and was inspired by the masks I searched on the Internet. I realized that a mask can look like anything and be anything you want it to be. This is what I came up with. 




Saturday, November 1, 2014

Module 10

1. I chose the African art video because I was interested in learning more about african Art. I chose the Hinduism video because our discussion post didn't talk about this religion and its art influence, so I wanted to learn more about it. 
2. In the African Art video, I learned how important art is to their daily lives. Art is in their utensils, homes, dress, hairstyles, and their traditional rituals. In their rituals, masks and statues, as well as dance, are all art influenced. Unlike the perceptual style of art that is often found in Europe, Africans use the conceptual style. This style is based in the imagination and expresses an inner set of ideas. I alos learned how important symbolism is to them. In the Hindusim video, I learned about Varanasi. It's considered the holiest city of Hindisum. This religion believes in the idea of life, death and then rebirth. The great river Ganges is where people go to remit there sins until they receive liberation. Although Hindusim doesn't focus on a specific place to worship, because they worship anywhere, their temples are very elaborate and decorative. I also learned that a key principle is to let go of things since you will not be able to keep those things forever. I totally agree with that principle. 
3. These videos definitely relate to the readings because chapter 18 goes into great detail about Africa and its art influence on its culture. It specially talks about masks and how important those are in their rituals and that exactly what the African Art video talked about. Chapter 19 ties in with the Hindusim video perfectly and how their gods influenced their art. Figure 19.8 is of the Kandariya temple that was shown in the video. 
4. I really enjoyed both videos, but they also disturbed me a little. However, it was informative for me and gave me a real look into their cultures which is something I appreciate. 

Friday, October 24, 2014

Video response module 9

1. I chose the Velazquez video because I haven't really heard of him before. I wanted to learn more about him and his work. I chose Leonardo da Vinci- mind of the Renaissance because he is probably the most known, to me, artist.
2. I liked the artistic freedom Velazquez had, partly because he was friends with the king. He painted what he wanted to paint. He was an abstract painter. Although many called him a realist, his art portrayed ideas or ideals. He wanted to conform reality to order and he used his minds eye to create art. Leonardo da Vinci really was a mastermind when it can to art. He was a master of perspective and was the first to make landscape a subject of art. He contributed to the understanding of depth in art. He also would study everything and anything before he started to draw it. The greater knowledge he had about something, the more praise that came.
3. My first video related to the readings because chapter 17 discussed the baroque style and Velazquez created masterpieces based on that style. The second video related because Lenoardo is the Renaissance man and all of chapter 16 talked about that. 
4. Thee videos definitely added even more flavor to the readings. I liked learned about someone new to me like Velazquez and realizing just how magnificent da Vinci was.  

Exploring Line


1. I liked using my hand as my vision sort of speak. I don't really take the time to look at my hands, but I realized how chunky they are!
2. I chose pencil because it's cleaner and I can see the actual lines better than charcoal would show.
3. I'm right handed, but I use my let hand is actually stronger, so it wasn't that hard to use my left hand to draw. It felt a little weird.
4. I feel these are good sketches, but not successful studies, because you would really need to focus and stare at every detail in your hand and that takes skill. 
5. I would definitely use my left hand to draw in the future. 

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Module 8

1. The required video talked about Ancient Greece and was really interesting, so I chose the Greek awakening video on art from the 5th century. 
2. In the required video, I learned the reason why today we are so vain about our bodies. It is because of how our ancestors viewed the body. I also learned that Egyptians sculpt and paint the body from the clearest angle in a 2D style, a style that has lasted for centuries, because of consistency and order. They use a grid pattern to paint or sculpt and have used it forever and in every building, statute, or pyramid. It is an unrealistic way to view body, but not as unrealistic as the Greeks vowed as I ałos learned from the required video. They were a very vain civilization and wanted to show a perfect body. That meant an athletic body with, the key to all our body issues today, exaggerated features. They had that view because they believed gods took a human form. Therefore, the better the body, the more godlike you seemed. I learned from the second video that Greece gave us a lot of culture and tradition. They sort of shaped a lot of what we do and what we feel today. This video also tied in with the first because it tlked about how vain Greeks were.
3. These videos relate to the text because they talked about Egypt and Greece. They also related to the text because it talked about body. 
4. I really like the required video. I learned a lot about why these civilizations painted and sculpted the way they did. I would totally share this video with someone.