Extra Credit

1. Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the best? Why?
My Favorite assignment would have to be making the mask, because i found it to be the most creative project.

2. Which assignment did you ENJOY working on the least? Why?

I did not like the hand project, i dont think it helped my artistic ability and i do not think it went with the weekly assignments.

 

3. How did you like using ANGEL?

I like using angel. however i always had a hard time opening it on my computer at school which i think it odd, so i would just email the assignments to myself.

4. If you had the opportunity to change this course:

What would you keep?- Projects

What would you remove?- I would make the tests on a smaller amount of material. and i would not have a final because of the amount of work given in the course. This course had the most work.

What would you add?

5. Would you recommend this course to your peers? Yes i would! how ever i would explain to that that it is a lot of work and you have to be willing to set alot of time aside to complete the work load each week.

6. Please list any other comments you would like to share.

Final Blog !!

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

I expected to learn a lot about art and i feel this course has definitely added to my knowledge of art, both visually historically and professionally.

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

Art is the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.
I feel that art can now be classified into what YOU the artists thinks is beautiful. 

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 still would say me favorite artists is Vincent Van Gough because of the amount of expression and emotion is in his work. You know what he is feeling by the colors in his works.


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?

This class has definitely been a learning experience. I am currently enrolled in a music online class for the spring and i am excited. This class was more work then i anticipated but as soon as a made a schedule for myself and learned the proper way to manage my time i thought it was an amazing class and i would recommend it to others.

Self Portrait

Frida Kahlo

Self Portrait with Monkey 1938

Oil on Masnoite

Joseph Joshephs

Self Portrait pioneer Tanner Cap 1880

Oil on Canvas

Lars Gustaf Sellstedt

Self Portrait 1899

Oil on Canvas

 William John Wilgus

Self Portrait 1837-1942

Oil on Canvas

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?
I used these inspirations pieces because they were the only self portraits available. First i went to the Albright Knox and the only self portrait in the gallery is by Frida Kahlo. I then went to the Burchfeild Penny and the only ones up were of the two shown above. I wish that there were more for display so that i would have used them for inspiration, it was hard using men as my references. 


2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?
I used graphite for my portrait because i like the way i can focus on detail and erase if i make a mistake. 

3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?
I thought it was weird drawing myself. I also tried to make pictures of myself before but i did not like the way they came out, so i used a picture i had which i think represents myself well. I printed out the picture and looked at it for a while, then measured it to make sure i made the right proportions for myself.

4. How does this piece represent you?
This piece represents me because i love halloween and costume. I have a mask on and i like the way you cannot see my entire face, leaving it a mystery. 

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?
I used value when creating my piece. In the original picture i had on all black, my hair is black, my dress is black, and my mask it black, therefore i chose to keep it in black and white graphite.

6. Did you enjoy working on this project?
Yes i enjoyed working on this project however i wish there was more self portraits available at the galleries as a course of inspiration. 

7. What do you think of your final artwork?
I like the way my final piece turned out, i think it represents myself well. If i wasn't so afraid of charcoal, i would have finished it off with charcoal focusing on my black hair.

Art Critcism

1. Which projects did you review?

I viewed MOTIVATION by George P.A Campbell i did not choose this exhibit because there was no explanation or interpretation of each work. I also did not understand the meaning.

I also Viewed its a matter of birth life and death by Stephen Teller. This exhibit was very interesting and the works all fit the exhibit well, however there was a lack of detail in the descriptions so i felt that it would be hard to critique.

And Finally i viewed CITYSCAPES by Meagan Aiello, which is the exhibit i chose to critique.

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?

I chose this exhibit becuase it was loaded with amazing works and beautifully detailed descriptions.

3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?

I wanted to make sure that i wrote construction criticism in case we were ever given another project like this. I wanted to make sure i praised her hard work, but gave her some helpful tips as well. I found it hard to choose a exhibit because most students did not follow the guidelines, or they lacked detail in their descriptions. I found it challenging to not seem mean or harsh about the overall outcome of the project.

4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?

I liked critiquing the project however, some students work a lot harder then others, and it really shows when given the opportunity to view the entire classes work.

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

I would love to read what my peers wrote about my project because i know how hard i worked and i would love some construction criticism from someone else who hopefully worked just as hard.

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?

I would rate my article an 8 because i had a hard time describing the exhibit because i am viewing it on my computer so i do not think i got the same experience as if i were to go to a gallery and view it. I also had a hard time relating the works to current events because i haven't visited those places, only NYC.

7. Did you enjoy working on this project?

Yes I enjoyed working on this project, I thought it was very challenging, but over all I thought it was a success.

week 15 video blog

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

Greenberg on Art Criticism: An Interview by T. J. Clark

• "writing about visual art is much tougher than writing about literature or music". He reads the work of music critic Tovey to remind himself "how to be relevant".
•  Greenberg comments in his early suspicion of modern art and his unfixed notion of mainstream. He and T.J. Clark discuss prejudices in art criticism and the best art of the last 50 years, which Greenberg feels has been predominantly abstract.
•  he calls America’s post-WWII “culture boom.”
• Greenberg comments on his own writing from the 1940s as well as the place of personal taste and aesthetics in art criticism.
• Greenberg comments on T.J. Clark's position that art criticism must involve some sort of argument about the basis of the critic's judgment
• Greenberg comments on T.J. Clark's position that art criticism must involve some sort of argument about the basis of the critic's judgment, which must involve history. They discuss the place of value judgments in modern criticism.

Greenberg on Pollock: An Interview by T. J. Clark

• Critic Clement Greenberg remembers Jackson Pollock in the 1940s when he was told Pollock would one day be a great painter.
• In the summer of 1947, Jackson Pollock paints his first spatter-drip piece. When he received the Guggenheim Award, Pollock explains that he will pain large, movable pictures that will function between the easel and the mural.
• The element of size was not critical to the historical placement of Pollock's paintings. More important was Pollock's departure from the contained, boxed characteristic of modern paintings.
• Pollock moved away from containment and orderliness (though Greenberg argues that there are all kinds of orderliness).
• Pollock himself rejected some of his canvasses. Was this because of the nature of his technique? Greenberg argues that the paintings simply failed not because of technique but because they simply failed to the eye.Jackson Pollock's "drip" paintings can be characterized as Apollonian rather than Dionysian. No one has successfully explained what makes a painting succeed or fail.
• Jackson Pollock did not achieve fame as much as he did notoriety. He might sell one picture a year. A double-paged spread in a magazine and a film made about him were not Pollock's ideas.
• At the end of his life, Pollock said that he didn't take enough time looking at the Impressionists. Greenberg argues that if Pollock had lived longer and stopped drinking, he would have recovered. An early death was a romantic ideal for Pollock.

An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance

• The Renaissance is marked by a renewed enthusiasm in the arts and many Italian artists contribute to its development. Giorgio Vasari writes the "Lives of the Artists."
• Giotto is one of the first artists to revive the realistic style of the Romans by using perspective found in architecture and landscape.
• Donatello's sculpture, "David," is standing in “contrapposto.” Even though the figure is standing on one leg, it appears balanced. Nudes reflect the beauty of the human form.
• In "Adoration of the Magi," Botticelli incorporates his patrons, the Medicis. "The Birth of Venus" celebrates the beauty of the human form and uses techniques learned from preceding artists.
• Da Vinci applies science and math to art. In "The Last Supper" the figures appear naturally in their surroundings. Applying "sfumato" to the "Mona Lisa," da Vinci blurs the edges of the forms.
• In the sculpture "David," Michelangelo drives for perfection, creating a powerful symbol of the Republic. The painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Florence represents man's relationship to God.

The Critics: Stories from the Inside Page

• Media artists express their negative opinions about critics.
• Criticism can also be fun for readers and viewers.
• Criticism of media arts improves the media in general.
• A "New York Times" book critic takes pride in promoting new, good books, but asserts that there are many bad books being written.
• Professional critics often find themselves acting as reporters, too.
• Criticism takes a wider view. In this segment, a critic criticizes critics while appearing to be making commentary on the film "Pearl Harbor."
• Emotional impact is part of criticism as it helps make a persuasive argument either in favor or against the art or artist.
• The best critics start with their depth and breadth of knowledge.
• Critics understand the media artists they write about and help their readers come to those same understandings. Critics understand how to apply their critical tools appropriately, such as the applying the elements of country music only to country artists and not to hip-hop.
• "American Idol" is a synthesis of a number of entertainment elements.
• Critics study their medium carefully, take notes, and work to get their reviews or criticism correct.
• How do critics choose what to write about? Book critic Maureen Corrigan and music critic Brian Mansfield discuss their processes of choosing and eliminating material to write about.
• The Internet provides a new and diverse forum for critics and their followers.
• Often associated with negativity, criticism is actually the practice of analyzing, classifying, interpreting, or even evaluating literary or other artistic works

The Colonial Encounter

• Dahome art is visually beautiful, but it is often ignored as art and treated as craft.
• the Dahomian exhibit consisted of a group of thatched structures, suggesting that there was no civilized infrastructure.
• Three figures from the 1900 Paris World Fair represent the three aspects of African people.
• The Algerian exhibit is symptomatic of a much larger transformation that took place at the end of the 19th century. This was the transformation of travel into tourism.
• Europeans justify the pornographic nature of photographs of indigenous as scientific and artistic study. In the eyes of the women, however, is a refusal to appear satisfied with their treatment.
• The French created a dichotomy between the Dahome and Algerian exhibits. Though today the former French colonies are independent, they are still linked politically and economically with the West.
• In a contemporary display of Palestinian costumes, the contemporary political context is integral to the display. The display exposes cultural erosion as well as resilient transformation in light of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

Jackson Pollock

• Michael Fried and T.J. Clark agree that Jackson Pollock is an enormously important modernist master who raises many questions with his work.
• He strongly dislikes the description of art in vulgar existentialist terms.
• Michael Fried's early modernism stemmed from a rejection of the existentialist concept of action painting. T.J. Clark is also weary of existential melodrama but as a social historian has been concerned with relating art to other human action.
• Even with a certain level of agreement T.J. Clark and Michael Fried offer accounts that pull in different direction partly because of the problem of adequately describing Jackson Pollock's work and relating defined terms to the artist's intentions.
• Michael Fried and T.J. Clark are both committed to a historical way of looking at art and realize they are redefining the terms with which they speak of Pollock's work to reach a place of agreement over his historical importance.

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 these videos help my understanding of the project, because I now know how a professional critic critics an art work.

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

I enjoy watching these films because yes they do add dept to my understanding of the art criticism. I now understand that they use a basis in which they critic works from.  I now understand the reasons in which you need to go in viewing a piece with an open mind. Try no to have a prior judgment on the artists or the work. Watching these videos helped, however I wish we were assigned them earlier in the semester prior to other art criticism assignments. 

Week 13 & 14 PROJECT # 4

I found this project to be very difficult. I had a hard time picking a theme, and then when i did. THE POWER OF CUPID i thought it was difficult to find images and works to fit the theme. Over all i enjoyed the project but i didn't think the videos helped, viewing other students worked helped me understand the project the most. I liked the fact that this project was so open, but interpreting the work was challenging. For a lot of them i looked at the description given on the website to understand the work since most are hundreds of years old. This project was interesting, however it was a lot of work and i think it would be the last project. I know art and understanding art itself it hard, but this project definitely gave me a new look on art.

week 13

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

Lowbrow

Lowbrow art is a person regarded as uncultivated and lacking in taste.

Robert Williams claims he invented the term but doesn’t care for the meaning.

Some call it Lowbrow Surrealism.

Artists and gallery curators explain why Lowbrow art appeals to the masses. Pop culture, car culture, and folk art have both had major influences in the genre. Lisa Petrruci says the art is more relatable that esoteric art.

Art covers so many different things ranging from concept art to paintings. Artist Anthony Ausgang says it is the job of critics to categorize the art. Robert Williams, the original Lowbrow artist, discusses his early career.

At a time when galleries were not willing to display Lowbrow, the Laguna Art Museum put on a show featuring Ed Roth, Von Dutch, and Robert Williams. Artists and curators discuss the impact of MAD Magazine on art culture

While conceptual ism brought thought to art it excluded audience members who were not trained in art history.

The Pop Tarts opened the well received Tart Gallery in Vancouver. They gained more recognition and acceptance after being featured in a book about female Lowbrow artists.

Curator Billy Shire is credited with promoting the Lowbrow art movement by opening the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco. Juxtapose magazine has made it possible for people worldwide to stay in tune with the Lowbrow art scene.

Twenty years ago Robert Williams couldn't get anyone to show his art work and now he is in demand all over the world. Over the last ten years Lowbrow has gained more recognition and acceptance.

Displaying Modern art

Modern art in the MOMA from 1929 onwards was displayed primarily in chronological order, representing each art movement. Art is displayed on white walls with flexible lighting.

By the 1970s, traditional ways of displaying modern art are questioned. Art came off the walls to become busy and noisy. Artists explore the political and ideological context of the museum itself.

The Tate's thematic approach to displaying art prompts controversy when three works by Richard Long are juxtaposed with Monet's "Water Lilies."

Unlike MOMA's original concept of displaying art in chronological order, visitors to the Tate are provided with striking and often abrupt transitions between the individual display rooms.

Many abstract artists tried to make paintings that were not dependent on figuration. They wanted to convey emotions, aesthetic effects, or social vision.

Bones of Contention

Native Americans' bones were collected as a scientific curiosity during the U.S. genocide against Indians. Anthropologists differ on whether or not the remain should be returned to their ancestors

Maria, a Yankton Sioux, fights for the bones of a Native American who is taken for study after a road construction crew discovers the body. Anglo bones are reburied but Native bones are studied.David Van Horn, a field archaeologist, is charged with criminal possession of Native human bone fragments. He avoids jail but loses his livelihood as a result of his prosecution. Europeans encounter, seemingly strange, Native Americans and remove them from their own land. Burial mounds are thought to be too civilized to have been built by Native American. Susan Harjo, a Cheyenne and Muscogee, leads the fight for Native people's objects of worship to be returned. The Smithsonian's inventory reveals that 18,000 Native's bones are stored there. Bronco Lebeau, a Lakota Sioux, rejects theories of evolution and migration held by the dominate U.S. The Sioux people emerged from the Black Hills and did not migrate from somewhere. Native Americans have ceremonies to discover whether the bones are their ancestors or not. Their past is conveyed through an oral tradition. Native Americans do not want the scientists' history.Scientists learn a lot about today's health problems by studying the remains of human beings from the past. Scientists can benefit future knowledge by studying the past. The holy areas are avoided by construction crews and archeologist do not excavate graves. Omaha women, die earlier due to small pox and a change in their daily life. Their bones reveal that hard work by manufacturing furs worn them down and led to a lower birthrate and life expectancy.

George Eastman

He created the first user-friendly affordable camera and was then known as the father or photography.

His house has become a visual history of photography, displaying over 14000 professional photographers.

George Eastman worked to make photography accessible to everyone; he created the first affordable, user-friendly camera and founded the Eastman Kodak Company. Eastman's "Brownie" camera revolutionized photography and the motion picture film stock he invented with Thomas Edison became the industry standard.

A 50 room colonial revival estate George Eastman began building in 1902 serves as the centerpiece for the museum that bears his name. In addition to photography-related artifacts the museum houses many of Eastman's personal possessions.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made George Eastman a lifetime member to honor his contributions to the film industry's development. Today the George Eastman House is one of the world's premiere motion pictures archives.

The George Eastman House offers a variety of means to access collections, including 140,000 online images, that celebrate the art, technology, and impact of photography and motion pictures.

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

I do no think the videos relate to the project however i no understand more fully what a curator does, but I have to read about the project and look at past students examples to help get inspiration.

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 have not done my project yet but I understand the concept and will have an easier time creating my project. These films were interesting but harder to understand because there was no text to go along with it as in past weeks. I enjoyed these videos as much as I have in the last weeks.