Gallery visit 2

The exhibition name is Somewhere Behind, Somewhere Ahead. The theme for the exhibit was the reflection of changes in our surroundings through the eyes of the new emerging generation. The goal of the exhibit was to get high schoolers involved in the museum side of the art world. It was done to open up the concept of art curation to a younger crowd of students. 

Ambient lighting was used. Many the pieces where inside of cases. These cases had their own lighting. It was all very soft and not over powering for the eyes. The walls were either white or a very pale baby blue. A lot of windows where used to create the boxes I described before. The window boxes are cool because it forces angles of viewing. The way some of the painting were displayed inside of them was very dynamic as well. The some paintings where on opposite walls looking at one another inside the window boxes. There was also a pedestal box for one of the piece. The curved wall that was painted blue had many pinned up images. The rainbow portrait fit very well with the curve of the wall. The movement through the exhibit was very smooth. It starts at one end and ends at another or vice versa. Viewers may stay stagnant for a while because many of the pieces are close together. 

The artworks were organized relatively close to one another. Some paintings faced one another so the viewers POV was limited to certain angles. The 3-D piece on the pedestal was displayed so you could walk all around it. There were 3 larger pieces on the curved wall. None of these where framed. However many of the paintings and mixed media art works in the window boxes were framed. The types of frames varied with each art work. Some of the frames helped develop the artwork more, other frames looked like the art work was framed just to frame it, not to compliment the work. All of the images reflected the same theme. All of them were done by college students. Many of the art works had human subjects, but not all. The sculptural pieces didn’t display any people. All of the art works were labeled. The each had a white text box with the name of the art work, the mediums used, their high school, the artist’s name, and occasionally a description. 

            I enjoyed this visit a lot. I took a friend that had never been and this exhibit was a new thing for the both of us. I was honestly my favorite. Being student’s art work, I was very impressed. I also connected with the theme a lot. The different displays were intriguing and made me want to look longer. It was a small space but used very well and the movement in the area flowed well. 

ANALYZED ART WORKS 

               

PICTURE EXPERIENCE

Mod 11 videos

          I chose to watch the video on cubism because I have heard of if but don’t know a lot about it. I picked the video on expressionism for the same reason. I feel I’ve learn a lot about analyzing artwork but haven’t dove very deep into the styles or time periods.               

         While watching the video on cubism, I came to realize it is composed of the playful arrangement of shapes and planes, it uses layers and angles, and many cubist artworks try to impersonate movement. One of the examples used in the video is one I’ve seen while visiting the Albright. Giacomo Balla is the artist. He captures the movement of the dog on a leash. The layers in the feet create the movement like concept. 

                  In the expressionism video, I noticed the strong emphasis of the female figure and the variations. It reminds me of the figure from what I think was in the Velázquez video. I was a very organically shaped woman, but many people were so mesmerized by it that it was replicated into a massive version, compared to the small finger size it originally was. I knew that expressionism was a means of emotional communication but it’s not only about the emotions of the piece. The emotion is communicated as a whole and through the separate aspects like color, form, shape, shade, and more. 

       The videos bring the artworks to life. I find that I learn more about a painting. Where as in the text, I have to analyze it to understand it. I appreciate taking the time to do it, but there are many artworks in each section. The added history from the videos is enriching as well.

      The videos are much more enjoyable. Yes, I have to sit through them, but I don’t have to read them. I’m a more visual person so I prefer this way of teaching/learning. 

Mask project

The first mask I chose for inspiration because its use of movement. I searched water masks and that was the only image that seemed to have what I wanted. The curl form looks like waves and the texture with the rain drops gives the mask more dimension and gives the viewer some room for interpretation.

The second mask came up when I searched for a tissue paper mask. I wanted the tissue paper to enhance the text in my piece and I though the texture on this mask was unique. I also liked its organic form. This mask is what lead me explore other mask forms. 

The third mask with the cluster of flowers influences the texture in my mask. I liked that not only was the mask something you could wear but it had a life of itself. 

I used texture on my mask and made it more 3D but adding the crinkled tissue paper. There is contrast between the tissue paper and the painted portion. I kept the colors all cool to unify the piece. 

I think my mask is cute. I’ve done masks before and would’ve explore more items to bring it to life if I permitted myself more time. I might of used actual dried flower rather than tissue paper. I liked the idea of exploring different masks forms. That part was very experimental for me. Most of the masks I’ve made before were full face. 

 

Buddhism and Hinduism

I’ve always been interested in Buddhism and Hinduism. I wanted to learn more about them which was why I choose these two videos.

For both videos, I felt that symbolism was a prominent concept. Both cultures had art work and architecture that showed symbolism. The spiritual leader came in many forms to avoid having the image of a “God.” In Hinduism, water is a symbolism for the flow of life. This is partly what inspired my mask in this module’s art project. Both beliefs systems influenced art and especially architecture. Many of the worship structures and symbolic sculptures were amazing works of art. I find that religion and spiritual groups place a lot of indirect emphasis on the art works that are used in their religion. The symbolism is as important as the concept itself. 

Again, the videos provide more interactive histories to the art provided in the book. The element of symbolism was more prominent and I saw it more when explained in the art works. I feel the videos are a better into the topics of the text than exploring the text first. I’d like to go back and look at the arts in the text and look for symbolism in them. 

I enjoy the videos much more than reading the text book. I just don’t comprehend as much. I think they add a lot of depth for me because they reach to a new way for me to learn. 

Non-dominant vs Dominant

I liked being able to use my hand as the subject of my drawing. Being able to turn my hands and maneuver them made it easier to put marks on the paper of what I saw. It helped me develop the image more and create the shadows. 

I used pencils because that was what I had access to at the time. If I had charcoal around I would’ve preferred that. I like how charcoal can be used to create shadows. 

It was very odd using my non-dominant hand. There was a lot of lack of control. I eventually had to do a sort of continuous line drawing. This was the only way I was able to control my lines. I used the lines that didn’t conform to the shape to shade. 

You can see the lack of control in the drawing I did with my left hand (on the bottom). However, there is a unique characteristic to the lack of control. I somewhat like the image using my non-dominant hand more due to the something extra the lack of control added. The hand almost seems like it’s in a static motion. 

I would like to do more drawing with my non-dominant hand. I think I’d enjoy the challenge but would also like to build up the control using my right hand.  

Dominant on top 

Non-Dominant on bottom 

 

Module 9 travel influencing the arts

Out of the videos I choose to watch Velazquez and Albrecht Durer. I had not heard of Velazquez and though it would be interesting to expand my knowledge and learn about a new artist. I picked Durer because I had lived in the area the described in the video. The time on these videos was nice as well. 

One thing I found in common was that both of these artists developed their art and world views through travel. They were both influenced by the religions they were surrounded by. Velazquez’s balance between the image and the deeper concept to his subjects. He was able to give his paintings life because of this. He used imperfection to humanize each of the subject and used mood to tell a story. Durer mixed myth with realism in his artworks. His travels inspired the animals he created in his images. They were symbols of his experiences. He also was the “first true” land scape artists. He uses colors and contrast to show the glow of light, and set moods for the landscapes. 

The videos are much more interesting that the text for me. They bring the artwork to life. They not only give an art history, but they bring the history of the artist to life. 

I like the videos and I do feel the bring more depth. They helped me learn a few new things and brought realizations of myself. They bring more understanding on how they used the elements and principles of art. The commentary is very helpful when it describes the artworks.