Module 13 & 14: Video Review

1. The first video I learned about what low brow art is based off of many different things from tattooing to porn, and how it’s more of a culture than anything else and that it was formed to spite the snobby art culture. The second video I learned that in the Tate museum and how art is set up there. It also explained how art should be set up by movements and the past to the present. I found the third video really interesting because I knew nothing about the laws regarding archaeology or any Native American burial grounds and how upset that this must of made Native Americans feel. In the 4th video I found it interesting that it has to go through a series of people to then be placed in the gallery.

2. The first video did noy relates to my project because the theme I chose was the sacred realm and the video was about surrealism. The second video just made me keep in mind that I should maybe see how during different time periods how view changes within the population. The third video might relate to my project in looking at history around the works I chose and how it might of made people feel or be attached to cultures. I think this helps with my project in the sense that what will people think of the works will it actually fit, and I can also choose pieces I like or think tie in with my project.

3. I really liked all the films; I felt that they gave me a better understanding about different types of art and how they were formed. I felt it helped me learn more about how art galleries are set up and why.

Art Gallery Visit#2

Step 1:
1. The title of the exhibition is John Singer Sargent Watercolors
2. The theme of the exhibit is watercolor paintings created by John Singer Sargent.

Step 2:

1. There were white fluorescent lights in the exhibit room.
2. The exhibit room had white walls
3. No special objects in terms of architecture were in the room regarding the exhibit. The pillars had signs just to keep the viewers to flow in right direction to see all ninety three paintings.
4. In the gallery space the movement of the viewer is generally meant for you to look at the paintings from left to right.

Step 3:

1. The artworks are organized on the wall so that they can be viewed from left to right and that all of your attention can remain on piece of art at a time.
2. The artworks are similar due to the fact that they all have the same common theme which is watercolor.
3. The artworks are different due to the fact some of them are darker and have a great contrast. In addition, the paintings were either of people or structures.
4. The artworks were framed with gold borders.
5. The artworks were labeled and indentified with a name card being placed beneath each piece of art.
6. Each painting was about four to five feet away from each other so you can focus on each independently.

Step 4:

--Artist: John Singer Sargent
Title of work: In a Medici Villa
Media: Brooklyn Museum of Art
Date: 1906
Size:  21 3/16 x 14 3/8 in. (53.8 x 36.5 cm)
Source: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/sargent_watercolors/#!lb_uri=medici_villa.php
Description: An elegant fountain is in the painting with tall trees in the background.
Formal Analysis: The elements value and texture are present in this painting. Textures are shown through the edges of the fountain and value is shown by the light blue sky and the dark green tree.
Bracketing: This painting reminds me of Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman structures and there elegant outlook.
Interpretation: I feel the artist was trying to show the beauty of the fountain.

       -- Artist: John Singer Sargent
Title of work: White Ships
Media: Brooklyn Museum of Art
Date: 1909
Size:   14 x 19 3/8 in. (35.6 x 49.2 cm)
Source: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/sargent_watercolors/#!lb_uri=white_ships.php
Description: Two boats are at sea with the sails set up on a sunny day.
Formal Analysis: The elements color and lines are present in this painting. Colors are shown through the water and boat. Lines were shown through the poles that were connected to the boat.
Bracketing: This painting doesn’t remind me of any categories in particular but I feel like it was suppose to symbolize travel.
Interpretation: The artist wanted to imply that boats are a great way to travel and show the beauty of it.

-- Artist: John Singer Sargent
Title of work:  Santa Maria della Salute
Media: Brooklyn Museum of Art
Date: 1904
Size:   18 3/16 x 23 in. (46.2 x 58.4 cm)
Source: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/sargent_watercolors/#!lb_uri=salute.php
Description: A church that has a river in front of it allowing boats with people on it to travel.
Formal Analysis: The elements movement and balance are present in this painting. Movement is shown through the water and boat. Balance is created by the top of the painting being the church and the bottom was the river.
Bracketing: This painting symbolizes the normalcy of life and probably everyday procedures.
Interpretation: The artist wanted to show how the ordinary life of people from this time period.

Step 5:

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/sargent_watercolors/

Visiting the gallery was a nice experience. I was able to see the paintings in a setup that had a flow due to the staff of the Brooklyn Museum of Art. I noticed most of the paintings that were similar to each other were also grouped together.

Module 12: Video Review

1. I chose the  Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50’s and 60’s  because I wanted to know more information about these eras since they happen to be not too long ago.  I chose Uncertainty: Modernity and Art because I thought it was interesting how culture and ideas change because of art and different time periods and the title alone was capable of grabbing my attention.

2. One concept I learned was abstract art is usually the feeling of the tile, also that it defies the proper elements of art, it is pure expression, and is meant for the viewer to look at the title then the work and think of it as emotion or memory. I learned from the second video that art and invoke emotions and cultural changes and this works both ways, that cultural changes can change art, and its hard to predict what the change will be and when.


3. I think the videos related to the book because it talks about the major concepts, but goes into more detail and more examples of the types of art. Videos also helped show artists and art from that certain time period.

4.  I thought the films were interesting, I felt that they created a more in-depth explanation than the book did. The videos has better examples to explain the topic that the textbook to survey the information

Module 11: Video Review

1. I selected the video about Matisse because I was interested in their creative process of making paintings. I chose Dada and Surrealism because I was interested in the movements that defined modernism in the 20th century.

2. I found it interesting that Matisse believed drawing and painting were the exact same process. In addition, it was interesting that Schwitters made his art in the 1920’s but became popular in the 1950s with the Dada movement. Schwitters did not want to be associated with artists, and wanted to create a different world from the old one.


3. These movies related to the text in the sense that they showed similar work but did a more in-depth explanation and created a better understanding for the viewer. I felt like the second video did a good representation of how Dada art was represented and the art that was made up  during this movement.

4. I felt that the videos were interesting and gave a more in depth view of people and concepts in these videos. It was intriguing that they showed Matisse actually creating a painting. I thought the second movie showed a lot of good examples and techniques that related to the readings as well.

Art Making/Material Exploration Blog: Mask Making

1. The three inspiration pieces were chosen because they were all had great relevancy in my childhood. The first mask from the left is one of the Jason masks from the Friday the 13 horror movies. The second mask is from the wrestler Kane who was of the most notable wrestlers in the late 90s and early 2000s due to the mask. The last mask is from the movie The Mask which starred Jim Carrey, this one of my personal favorite movies of my childhood.

2. The Jason mask contains a lot of circles making it evident that the element which is shape is present on the mask. Emphasis of the mask being worn out and scratched gives it more of terrifying impression. The Kane mask has red and black lines alternating diagonally from the top to the bottom of the mask. The red and black contrast gives a strong impression to the eyes of the viewer. The Jim Carrey mask lines going across it from the top to the bottom and the texture allows the lines to be deeply engrained into the mask.

4. My mask contained shapes, balance and lines. The mask is perfectly symmetrical allowing there to be balance on it. The lines in the blue triangles direct the viewer’s eyes to the center of the mask. The bottom piece of the mask is a group of circle of dots that happen to make a triangle over the mouth.

5.  My finished mask didn’t come out exactly like I planned. I personally thought the mask looked better in 2D form than the 3D form. I added tissue between the mask and support paper behind it but it seemed to still lack a strong 3D presence overall.

Art Making/Material Exploration Drawings - Exploring Line

1. It was interesting using my hand as a subject matter because I began to analyze parts of my hand that I normally pay attention to..

2. I chose a pencil due to the fact that was the only tool I had at my disposal. I think the pencil would be better than charcoal because of all the miniature details on a hand.

3. It was hard using my hand as a subject matter due to the fact that I simply needed it to draw. My method was to just to stare at a finger long enough and try to memorize it as I was drawing.

4. I don’t think my drawings are successful due to the fact that they are lacking some similarities with my actual hands.

5. I wouldn't consider using my non-dominate hand unless I was probably making some type of abstract art. The hand tended to swerve a lot and made it difficult to make borders and introspective details.

Module 10: Video Review

  1 .I chose the Buddhism video because I was interested to know more about the culture and why it is so popular. I chose the second video because I was interested to know more about African Art.

2. I learned that the carvings in the stone are actually Buddha’s teachings. I learned that African Art went along with the times, in the sense that when it was a hunting and gathering society you see the cave paintings depicting that, then when it turned into an agricultural society you see that as well in the art, also when there tools became more advanced and their culture richer, so did there art. There art was used to record information as well

   3.   I feel the first video relates to the readings because it really shows how and why Buddha was such an iconic figure. It goes more in-depth with the culture and what the values are and how they are displayed through art. I feel the African art video related to the text in showing how there art started, and how it went along with their culture.

4. In my opinion I feel that the movies were really good it makes it more interesting to read and then watch a movie and find out more information, and more about the two topics. I also like that I was able to know more about who Buddha really was as a person. I thought the second  video gave me a better understand of techniques and how you could distinctly tell what kind of animals they saw in Africa, and how they lived there daily life.

Module 9: Video Review

1. I chose the video of the drawing of Michelangelo, because I was interested to know more about his life and why in our culture we  look up to him as one of the most influential artists throughout history.     I chose the movie about Velasquez because I thought it would be interesting to learn more about him.

2. The concept I learned was that his distribution of weight and his strokes are truly an art form. I liked when the woman tried to keep recreating his work but couldn't it shows that his techniques truly were creative and difficult.I learned that his paintings were massive, and that he did things in a specific way, he liked to do the placement of persons by their ranking of importance. Learned that Velasquez was a quart painter to Phillip IV and wanted to guide the eye of the beholder instead of trying to imitate nature.

3.I feel the video related to the text because it mentions a lot of things the book does, like the way Michaelangelo used draping with cloths, but that you were still able to see the figure he created underneath.

4.I feel that this film was interesting; that it goes more in-depth than the text because you find out where he learned his techniques and that he didn't even want to be associated with the man he learned him from. It was also interesting to see other people’s opinions and the break down of his works. I also felt like with the second movie having more examples of his work better understands the artist.

Module 8: Video Review

1   1. I chose the video Cairo Museum because I have always been interested in Egyptian history due to their background of historic pharaohs, Cleopatra, pyramids and their impressive boobie traps made in their tombs. I know that the Cairo Museum is most likely a great landmark in Egypt, so I wanted to see if there was more to learn about it. Especially since Cairo is the capital of Egypt I knew a lot of important artifacts had to be in the museum.

2. From the video “More Human Than Human” the key concepts that I learned about were that images dominate our lives. Even back thousands of year’s people have been obsessed with images of the human body. The Venus of Willendorf is a great example the video uses, the artist of that figures focuses their attention on the breasts and the stomach, emphasizing them, but at the same time the artist barely shows the head and arms. The video Cairo Museum I found out a lot of key concepts that I didn’t know about Egyptian history that was very interesting. I found out that there are still artifacts that people have found over 100 years ago that have not been opened. Another interesting thing I saw in the video was that the ancient Egyptian’s performed plastic surgery, even back then, because they wanted people to be comfortable in the afterlife.

3 3.The videos relate to the readings in the text because both, the videos and the text, talk about the ancient worlds. Chapter 14 focuses on the oldest art, Greek art, and ancient Egypt; this ties into the videos, Cairo Museum, and “More Human than Human”. 

4 4. The Cairo Museum intrigued me greatly due the fact that there is countless amount of artifacts that have been discovered.  There are still many artifacts that have been opened and possibly others that will never be found by archaeologist

Module 7- Video Review

1. Imperial Rome, Ostia, and Portus: Ancient Architecture and Technology
        I knew Rome  was well known for their architecture but I didn’t know that the geographic setting was very important to them. The key concept that I learned in this video was that the Servian and Aurelianic Walls were very important to the safety of the city. Not only did they use engineering advancements for their walls but with the invention of the aqueducts this added more of a water supply to the city. Another key concept I learned was the meaning of Pantheon, it means dedicated to all the gods.
 Architecture: The Science of Design
        The key concept that I learned in this video was the reinforced and pre-stressed concrete strength and use. I didn’t know that there were different types of concrete, I thought that all concrete was the same, but there are different types of concrete for different uses.  It was also interesting that reinforced and pre-stressed concrete where used to make the Olympic stadium in Montreal, Canada.  A poorly built skyscraper can make one go through motion sickness and damages to building or elevators during high winds.

2. The videos relate to the readings in the text because both the videos and the readings talk about architecture in general. The videos help give an in-depth description of architecture compared to the textbook. Both the readings and the video describe the importance of architecture and how the Ancient Romans and Ancient Greeks had a major influence on modern architecture.

3.   I thought that the films helped expose me to all different types of architecture there is in the world. The visuals from the videos help explain certain concepts that probably weren’t as clear when you were reading it from the textbook. Overall the two films held my interest and were very informative.

4. I chose the film Imperial Rome, Ostia, and Portus: Ancient Architecture and Technology because of my prior knowledge in Roman architecture and I chose Architecture: The Science of Design because science will always interest me.