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.