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. 

week 12

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.

 I chose Abstract Expressionism and pop art, Uncertainty Modernity and art, Andy Warhol and the Art of Henry Moore because these concepts were in the text and I wanted to enhance my knowledge. I am very interested in Pop art and Andy Warhol, I love the patterns, bright colors, and inspirations because the works.

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

Abstract Expressionism:

·      Abstract art is compared to figurative art in Fraz Klines painting “C&O”

·      He uses shapes to represent his emotions.

·      Color and form is introduced.

·      Frankenthalers work Mountains and Sea causes her to emerge on the art scene and then influences a generation of artists.

·      Her work is feminine and mystical

·      In 1952 De Koonig makes his name with "Woman One." By embracing a passionate and instinctive approach to painting, he becomes an instant talisman of "action painting.”

·      Andy Warhol is said to be Pop Arts son.

·      He made a path for other pop artists.

Uncertainty: Modernity and Art

·      Greek statues reflect back to man as an idealized version of himself.

·      Modern art is contemporary society’s version of the Delphic Oracles. It documents the metamorphosis of mankind. It is a tradition that occurs in the 19^th century. It is a response to modern life.

·      In the 20^th century speed and mass production come into play.

·      Modern art is to Nazi degerate and impure.

·      Hitler had annual art exhibitions displayed Nazi Art

·      Modern art takes another turn against Nazi art and becomes “Anti German”

·      Picasso’s “Guernica” is anti German

·      Modern art has many different forms. It does not to a god or higher intelligence.

·      Among the abstract expressionists are Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Abstract expressionism invites viewers to look into the void. The artists were outcasts because they could not accept the values of consumerism.

·      Andy Warhol's larger-than-life portraits of Elvis holding a gun gives an audience pause for thought. Five hundred years ago, painting was about saints and religion. Pop art suggests that things and people are thrown away because things keep changing. Pop artists wanted to be the opposite of everything that has gone before.    

Andy Warhol:

·      Andy Warhol worked as a commercial artist until 1960 when he began experimenting with advertising images. He worked until his untimely death in 1987.

·      Andy Warhol's interest in the lives of these famous women inspired several repeated images.

·      Photographs are blown up and developed onto silk screens; they are transferred to paper and canvas, using ink and paint. The techniques used for Warhol's silk screen, Ten Lizes, featuring Elizabeth Taylor was created in 1963.

·      Warhol begins to photograph his friends; soon he is filming them also, shooting about 100 films. He begins adding paint to his silk screened images.

·      Warhol produced dozens of self portraits. As an art journalist his work addresses race riots, the conquest of the moon, the cultural revolution in China, and the universal reign of the dollar.

Henry Moore:

·      He speaks and writs about his job which releases tension, some may call him a theorists. He explores human figures.

·      Moore believes people place too much emphasis on his coal mining background. His mother’s ailing back and a rock in a natural landscape near Yorkshire influenced his sculptures.

·      Moore has always been obsessed with the mother and child motif. The reclining figure is another of his themes. Moore believes that beauty is a deeper concept than perfection. Moore believes the Madonna and Child should have an austerity, nobility, and grandeur that the mother and child sculptures do not.

·      Moore used drawings to generate ideas for his sculptures. He also like drawing for its own enjoyment. His string figures represent his most abstract form of art.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

These videos relate to the text because they are an extension of the texts explanation of digital media art, pop art, and modern art. The images shown in the text were further explained in the videos, which makes it much easier to understand hearing and watching rather than just reading and not being able to appreciated the work.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I enjoy these videos because they explain the concepts from a different point of view which make it easier to understand rather then just reading the text. These add another level of information of culture and inspirations. These videos get more and more interesting as the chapters go on. The Andy Warhol video was my favorite, I love his work, the colors, the concept, the outcome, everything about it. 

week 11 Project: Alright Knox

Step 1: The Exhibition

Questions about the exhibit:

1. What is the title of the exhibit?

·      REMIX: Sol LeWitt

2. What is the theme of the exhibition?

·      Sol LeWitts theme is graphite on paper. He uses things like paper and books to present his work. He then brings it to another level placing the actual artwork on walls. In the Alright Knox he has an exhibit where millions of scribbles were placed directly on the gallery walls.

“ 10. Ideas can be works of art: they are in chain of development that may eventually find some form. All ideas need not be made physical “ – Sol LeWitt

Step 2: The Gallery

Questions about the physical space:
1. What type of lighting is used?

·      The lighting in the gallery is not bright, and there are direct spot lights on each art work.

2. What colors are used on the walls?

·      The walls are white, except for the Sol LeWitt exhibit, the walls were gray.

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

·      There are some benches placed around the gallery but know one uses them. There are stands with art placed on them. Overall the gallery is set up in long halls filled with artwork, small rooms with exhibits upstairs, mixed with open spaces in between. The gallery is very “square” nothing organic about it.

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

·      The gallery is set up in long halls and you are almost forced to go into each room as if the gallery is set up as a maze.  The gallery has very sharp corners, no organic curves.  Also the gift shop is almost hidden, I think you should have to walk thru the gift shop to exit the gallery, I’ve only been in it a couple times and I’ve been to the gallery hundreds.

Step 3: The Artwork

 Questions about the artwork:
1. How are the artworks organized?

·      I feel that the artworks are organized in a very classic way. When you walk into the gallery you are almost forced to go to the right, which is leading into the modern art, there is work from Andy Warhol and other pop artists. You can then go to the Sol LeWitt exhibit, or some may pass right by it. You then make your way to the classical works. Up stairs your make your way into individual rooms which have everything from photography to painting, sculptures, and everything in between. The gallery is set up like a maze where you are forced to make your way thru all the rooms, which is very effective.

2. How are the artrworks similar?

·      Works are similar by the rooms they are in. The pop art rare lit up way more opposed to the classical art, which is set up with an ambiance. As you travel through the gallery, you travel thru art periods as well/

3. How are the artworks different?

·      The art works are very different from each other; the gallery has things from Monet to Warhol, sculptures to classical paintings. Depending on where you are in the gallery is what you will see.

4. How are the artworks framed?

·      The art works are framed differently depending on the work. Some are paintings on canvas with no frames, and others are smaller canvas with gold elegant frames. The artworks in the gallery are framed appropriately by the style of the work. 

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

·      Each artwork is identified with a white plaque on the left or right of the work, labeled with the artists last name first name a blurb about the work, the materials used the date created and the original place the work was displayed.

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

·      I am guessing that the artworks are about 6 to 8 feet away from each other because when you step back to take in the beauty of each piece you are not distracted by the works on each side.

Step 4: Art Criticism Exercise

Select three of the artworks from the show and use the Art Criticism worksheet to desribe, analyze, bracket and interpret the work using the 5-step Art Criticism Process described.

Sol LeWitt

2 Part Composite, 1971

Serigraph, edition 59/60

This piece is done with graphite and I see a value scale and then another one replicated in random colors. This drawing may be a symbol of emotion, the value scale may be sad or negative feelings followed by bright colors that show hope or positivity.

Sol LeWitt

Lines in Color 1978

Color Serigraphs printed on Arched 88 Paper

When I look at this drawing I get a sence of joy and happiness because of the bright colors. Then when you take a closer look there is much confusion and chaos in the works. This is what Sol LeWitt may have been feeling at the time of creation. The colors are bright and beautiful. I think that these drawings can symbolize the steps to craziness because are you look at each drawing they get more and more in depth and confusing.

Sol LeWitt

Lines and Color 1975

Paper

I was drawn to this work because of the bright color. Although these colors are next to each other on the color wheel (tertiary colors) they somehow look contrasting in this work. Almost like night and day. This may be what Sol LeWitt was trying to say. This artwork is Yellow with orange dash’s and then orange with yellow dash’s. Each line is perfectly measured out. It is very precise, and tends to make you dizzy if you look at it too long.

 I like the way his work captures your eyes and hold them for a moment until you try to interpret what he means by each work.

Take pictures of the images you are interpreting. If this is not allowed, make quick sketches of the pieces.

Week 11

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I Chose these four videos because I wanted to expand my knowledge on topics that were mentioned in the text but that would now be further explained.

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

Matisse & Picasso:

·      By 1905 both Matisse and Picasso were finally recognized for their amazing art works.

·      Matisse was known to be deliberate, French, and rational.

·      Picasso was impulsive, a hard worker, and immersed himself into his work.

·      Picasso invented collage and cubism.

·      Matisse was very much inspired by Paris.

·      When he moved to NYC in 1930 he won the Carnegie Prize.

·      Then goes to Tahiti and stayed for a couple months.

·      Picasso never traveled.

·      Matisse was afraid of painting season he thought he wouldn’t have inspiration.  He made painting a job where Picasso didn’t stop until his art was finished.

·      Matisse and Picasso used each other for techniques.

·      In WWII they both lived in Paris, darkness and violence are prevalent in Matisse’s work.

·      They moved to South France where Picasso at age 70 fathers 2 kids.

Dance at the Moulin de la Galette:

·      Renoir's "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette" stands for pleasure and transports the viewer back in time to Paris.

·      "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette" depicts a sunny Sunday afternoon at one of Renoir's favorite Montmartre haunts, with its dance hall and windmills. Renoir painted two copies of the scene, which became the epitome of Impressionism.   

·      He engaged local people as models for "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette," which represented two worlds: bohemian and fashionable men and lower class women.     

·      Although you may not know Renoir was aware of the poverty and organized charity balls.

·      Renoir's "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette" was conceived and created during a time of political oppression, with Montmartre in the forefront of the troubles. The state built the Basilica of Sacré Coeur in Montmartre to atone for the crimes during the siege.    

·      Other artists, such as Federico Zandomeneghi, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, and Van Gogh, did not share Renoir's romantic vision of life at the Moulin de la Galette. Their paintings of the dance hall depict sinister, somber, and dark versions.   

·      Renoir's smaller version of "Dance at the Moulin de la Galette" has remained in private collections. In 1990, it sold for a $78.1 million at Sotheby's to Ryoei Saito, a Japanese paper tycoon. Art critics claim its commodity aspect superseded its aesthetic aspect

·      Renoir wanted to spread beauty and happiness.

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte:

·      Georges Seurat's enigmatic "La Grande Jatte" hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist is often described as unfathomable, a description that is apt for his famous painting as well.    

·      In Seurat's day, the island of la Grande Jatte was a place where prostitutes plied their trade. The riverbanks were often covered with couples making love.

·      “La Grande Jatte" portrays a great array of bourgeoisie in their stiff in the evolution of "La Grande Jatte" Seurat did not execute his pointillism technique until Ascension Day, 1884.

·      In a series of studies for the final painting, Seurat experimented with different characters, character placements, and light.    

·      The little girl in the center of "La Grande Jatte" is dressed in white, looks directly out to the viewer, and is the only subject not covered with dots. Seurat's depiction of fashion emphasizes bustles and corsets, and he paints the figures like the popular fashion plates of his day.    

Expressionism:

·      An 1892 Berlin exhibition of Munch's work caused such outrage it was closed. His uncompromising portrayal of emotion caused deep offense to the bourgeois mentality but won him acclaim. He often translated his work into other media like lithography.    

·      Munch shared his pessimistic view of sexual relationships with Swedish dramatist August Strindberg and German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. "Melancholy" and "Ashes" belong to "Frieze of Life - A Poem about Life, Love and Death."    

·      Munch never painted a picture cycle as such but most of his works can be loosely related to each other.

·      In Marc's "Tiger" there may be intimations that a terrible war is not far away.

·      Between 1913 and 1915 Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted a series of works featuring "tarts" on the streets of a busy city. They appear to be hurried and seem to turn the viewer into a voyeur

·      The "Women in the Street" series seems to contain premonitions of the approaching disaster. Kirchner sensed the coming world war and his anxiety eventually led to a nervous break down.    

·      The figures in Baselitz's "The Great Friends" appear to be standing on a wasteland perhaps as the last survivors of a battle, which would explain many things about the painting. Upon closer inspection the setting becomes more confusing.    

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The film topics were all mentioned in the reading but now could be further explained in more detail. Also from the videos you get another opinion on the topics and artists which always makes them more interesting.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I feel that the films always expand my knowledge and I always walk away learning more now then I did from the text. Watching the videos an viewing more art always helps. I enjoy these weekly.