Week 11 Blog

One of my favorite art "Dada and Surrealism," were shown in this self titled video and is some of the most powerful art statements in my opinion.   I watched this video to see more works and learn more about the artists.  I learned more about Salvador Dali, and I never knew he had a fetish for crutches, and I wondered why they were so prevalent in many of his pieces.  I enjoyed the expansion on Dada's protest artists, and it was more in depth than the book.  I also like the Surrealism art that was picked for the video, and it was interesting again to get inside of a few Salvador Dali works. 


The video "Expressionism" was chosen because it's a form of art I can relate to, and I like the emotion that's tied into it.  I learned about Edward Munch and quit a few of his paintings.  "Ashes" is one that I liked and could understand more once I knew it was about Adam and Eve in modern times.  Understanding the artist intention in the painting brings the emotions in the characters depicted.  The video was more about the artists works than the meaning of Expressionism itself which was given more depth in the text

"Matisse and Picasso," was a video I chose, because I admire these artists and their works, and would like to know more about them.  I learned more about the working habits of Matisse and Picasso, as well as their personality types.  The book did not discuss this much and it was interesting to learn howMatisse was "deliberate and rational " with his thoughts and how he painted, whereas Picasso was a "worker and impulsive," absorbed in his painting.  Very interesting clip and very broad what made these artists tick.  While the book explained tiny bits of cosmetic info on them, this video opened us up to their world.

"Dance at the Moulin de la Galette," is an intricate painting, every space filled and full of activity.  The crowd is dancing and it is hard to believe they have any room to move around there are some many people.  I learned my intuition on the paintings feel is accurate.  He was trying to portray pleasure and emotion, as it was created in a time of oppression, so that is what people needed to feel.  I got a little more background on the artist and his reasoning behind this work.   The book was absent of most of this wealth of knowledge provided in the video.

My Mask

In creating this mask several principles and elements were used.  Lines in the bark show movement while the value in the color of the bark gives texture and depth.  There are many shapes and variety as I integrate technology with the organics of a tree creating a living breathing machine.   I wanted to make a helmet or mask that represented how I feel when ATV offroading in the woods.  The following pictures were used as a guide and inspiration to create an organic race mask.









I love nature, technology and their strange relationship together.  I correlated this into my mask and wanted portray an integration of the two.  This is the mask I wear when I cruising through wooded trails, as I take in the smell of gasoline, the woods and of course the mud! 
I wanted to take the basic shape of a helmet and make it more like a tree.  The organic shell on the outside of my design shows hints of a mechanical inside as an oversized performance motor.

as its parts exit the creature. 

Week 10 Video review

I chose the video Buddhism because I used to practice most of this form of living, and although I don’t fully practice it, I still abide by some of its belief structure.  What I did learn outside of what I already know is that Buddhism is least populated in India itself from where it was created.  I knew it was low, but not the lowest.  I like how this video talked much about the religion and structures like the book, but it showed more locations like Java’s ruins that were covered under ash and the infamous Body tree which was raised from a sappling.  The cinematography was great in the film, the landscapes, and the information collected was very informative and visually stunning.

Hinduism is a religion I’m not too familiar with, and I find religions of different kind similar in many ways, and very interesting.   I found out that Hinduism is about letting go, like Buddhism, but Hindus have many gods.  They believe that after death, we all arrive at the same point.   I learned they do not touch the body of the dead, and they openly and publicly burn the body, so that it may return to the earth and the spirit may go to heaven.  Like Buddhists they believe you can take on another life or be reincarnated if there are attachments or the soul is not pure enough.  I got a little more in depth and personal with the people of this culture.  Something the text just scratched the surface on; the video took me right to the heart of the Hindu culture. 

I don’t know too much about Japanese art, so I watched the “Great Wave”.  It was hard to believe the prints of this beautiful image sold for less than a few noodles.  This is the most well known Japanese art of a tragedy almost 173 years ago.  It is an image widely used from art, cartoons, and even fashion.  The original was a print made by wood blocks, each color was on a separate block forming this beautiful work of art.  I don’t remember this work in the text, and if it was there’s no way it could have given the depth and information the video did.  There was a lot of useful background information on the artist and how he created the work, and the effect it had on him.  I learned more about printmaking with blocks, and understand it more now that I saw some in the process of printing.

I think African art is cool looking and I like the natural elements, so I watched the video on it.  I learned there was a more modern culture in Zimbabwe.  It was considered a great center, and they built a huge stone fortress to protect it.  I was impressed by its greatness and impressive architecture they were able to achieve.  I always thought for the most part early African tribes were primitive in this sense living in huts, but very intricate in their art.  I like how the video took me to these different places in Africa, for a first hand witness of its great presence and history.  The book could in no way do this, or provide the more in depth and learning experience the video did. 

Left vs Right

The last time I drew my hand as subject matter was in 1995, when I was in high school.  It was definitely different this time around, one being I drew every day in those days and now I barely ever draw.  The other drawback is I inured my right hand riding my 4 wheeler, so this isn't my full potential, but it's as close as it's going to get. 

I used pencil instead of charcoal, because I have used pencil more than anything to sketch.  Drawing my nondominant hand felt like me drawing at 4 years old.  Pretty sad, but actually it looks better than I thought it would. 

If this were a successful study, I’d say the results would be first place goes to the right hand, and last place goes to the left.  I would say that with practice though, I could probably draw with my left hand.  I would probably use my left hand to paint abstract, but that's about it.

Week 9 Video Review

 

Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” was a painting with large scale and a big achievement of a painting with much movement, and that is why I chose this video.  Rembrandt captures a moment in time here, and this given moment is the troops are getting orders to start marching.  There is no stationary element in this painting, shadows are cast, and three dimensions are achieved.  I learned that if this picture was not captured at this very moment in time, the impact would not be the same.  It would have changed everything.

In the video “Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance,” I learned that the more educated, the more intricate work and the more worthy of its praise.  Leonardo first became a master of perspective, and also mastered proportions of man and animals.  I also learned if you take different parts from more than one other various real creatures, it can make an imaginary creature look real and believable. 

“La Primavera.”  I learned that egg tempura was used in this painting.  Even though it was an older medium, and oil paints were more current, it was used to give an illusion like translucence appearance.  Flesh tones are made very realistic with this paint and detail is apparent and realistic.  I chose this video because tempera is a medium I enjoy using, and I like the vibrancy of the colors with this paint.

“The Power of Art: Caravaggio,” was a video on a Roman painter named Caravaggio.  I picked this video, because I was curious to find out who this person was, and what did he do?  I learned Caravaggio never learned to draw in his life, he just learned how to paint.  Most artists studied the human body and structure.  Not Caravaggio, he eyeballed his subjects and applied them to the canvas.  He objected to the standards of artistry and their concepts, painting in the style and steps he felt right.  He replicated the lives subjects exactly and one feels like the characters in the painting could come to life at any time.   Caravaggio’s replication of flesh tones made his paintings believable and so realistic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this week's videos, as they discuss some of the same key concepts, but also shed more light on the text with more in depth discussion.  It was more descriptive and thorough on the backgrounds and history of the artists and their works. 

Week 8 Video Review

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

I selected the video on the Greeks because I find their obsession with the human form and its perfection fascinating.  I believe the body is beautiful, and we should work hard to take care of it, like we take care of our homes, cars, bills, and etc.  I am fascinated with gothic structures I think they’re beautiful and eerie at the same time.  I also think the Egyptians were an amazing culture, and they had some great ideals and culture.  Their art is elegant and mysterious.

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

In “More Human than Human,” I learned the Egyptians always drew their figures from the clearest angle, and their style was unchanged for 3000 years.  Like others and today’s depiction of figures, they’re all unrealistic, resembling exaggerate features.  They did this because their culture was of consistency and this was something their culture had been built on.
In “Cataclysm: The Black Death Visits Tuscany,” the people portray god as a very vengeful god, and the Old Testament is focused on.  The Plague is seen as punishment and churches and mosaics give homage to God and portray forgiveness for faithfulness.  The way into Heaven comes by goodwill and faithfulness, whereas those who didn’t were going to hell.

“The Measure of All Things: Greek Art and the Human Figure,” I found, like in the book the Greeks were obsessed with each other’s bodies and their perfection.  They all worked out and strived for perfection, and would analyze each other to achieve this.  The Greeks focused on realism, movement, shape, and 3 dimensional arts.  They wanted to give their art a soul, as if they were real, as if they could actually start moving. 

“Playlist: Late Gothic Art and Architecture: England, 1400-1547,” I learned Gothic Art was sophisticated and meant to out do the others, and create something more lavish and beautiful.  This gave the churches an image of power and divinity. 

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

The videos related to the text and expanded on the readings.  The Greeks love for beauty was sown in more detail and the historians account for them gave new understanding of the depth of their obsession with the human form.  I liked the additional visuals on the gothic period, and the better understanding of religion’s darker side during the Black Plague. 

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

The films definitely add more depth of the text.  It expands on the research and the different views of other people.  They are intellectually stimulating and add to the readings.

Week 7 Video Review

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
In a video I watched on Prairie Style, I learned Frank Lloyd Wright invented this concept.  I have been to two homes here in New York, and am familiar with him, but not his Prairie Style.  This concept of his was responsible for breaking the mold of the box shaped house.  He felt it did not blend well with the environment, felt rectangles and elongation of a home made it more organic and made it easier to customize to complement a landscape.  His view was that the home should complement its environment and the environment should do the same to the homes He built.

I learned that the Romans and Greeks used concrete in their structures.  I thought they were similar to Egyptian structures and made of mainly large carved stones.  Concrete is so weather resistant, strong and easily repairable.
In the last video I was amazed to learn the Romans not only invented the arch, but they were the first to use arches and column for the purpose of design.  The Coliseum is one structure that represented this.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos expanded on the definitions of architecture in the text, by giving examples and visual cues on the subject matter from the text.  The showed some of the processes talked about in the text, so that we could see things from a different perspective. 
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?
I found the films highly knowledgeable, although I did have a hard time understanding what people were saying.  Again film always adds a new depth on things, when comparing to read about them.  It always broadens my understanding of things when I see a video or something acted out. 
4. From the group of four that you had a choice: Why did you choose that film?
I chose the video, “Last Call for Planet Earth: Sustainable Development and Architecture,” because the environment is a great concern of mine, and I have been conscious of the damage we have caused over the years.  I do believe we are in a decline and have to change our uses in energy and waste management.  I think we can reverse the negative effects if we change now.  Otherwise we will see adverse effects.  When I looked through the choices of videos, this one seemed the most appealing, because I wanted to see what we plan to do to conserve, and to consume less energy by being more efficient as humans in our everyday life.  I agree that people think they are external, and the world is theirs to use up, without thinking how it will affect future generations.