Course Reflection: AED200

1^st blog post:

Hello, I’m Courtney Justus and this is my blog for AED 200. Setting up a Gmail account and then a blog was really simple and very fast. Everything was pretty self explanatory but at the same time very helpful. I’m really excited for this class to begin! It seems like there is a lot to learn, and I’m most excited to learn different techniques for interpreting art. I also want to learn about different artists and art in general. I really do enjoy taking online classes. The only negative for me is that you don’t really get peer to peer in-person contact, but they are very easy for me. I am a very self driven person so the fact that I can do most of them at my own speed with basic prompts from professors is a real plus for me.

1^st Discussion group:

All About Me: Courtney Justus

Justus, Courtney

8/25/2013

1.) Courtney Justus

2.) Interior Design

3.) It fulfilled a requirement and I was able to take the course online so it was more convenient for my schedule.

4.) I just hope to learn more about art in general (artists, mediums, and other techniques)

5.) No, I have taken a few different online classes here at Buff State.

6.) I think art is anything that is created that evokes some kind of feeling of makes you think.

7.)I would have to say Andy Warhol.

 

1.      What were you expectations for this course and where they met?

This course met and exceeded my expectation. One of the most beneficial art classes that ive taken at BSC.

2.      Now that you've been through this course, what is art? How would you define it now compared to your initial posting?

I think that art is anything around you that evokes feeling, makes you think, and presents itself as art. My original idea is not very far off of the new version but I definitely have evidence to back those statements up because of this class.

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?

The two are the same and my favorite artist is/was Andy Warhol. I think this course in general showed me a new side of Warhol and I think now I’m even more obsessed. The whole vibe of his art is carefree and no rules and I think that is just so great.

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?

Basically, I have taken online classes before so it wasn’t really anything new of different for me.

1. Which projects did you review?

a.    Warhol Is Art-Brian Schiralli

b.    Nature’s Finest-Demi Flynn

c.     Looking for Love-Jenna Lettieri

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?

Ultimately I chose Warhol Is Art, because I am a huge Warhol fan so I somewhat knew the subject matter. I was also eager to learn more and see some pieces that I have never seen before.

3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?

Already being a fan of Warhol I thought that I would not be able to be subjective and non-biased. But in a way I think it actually helped. Also, I’m not really good at giving criticism unless its 100% positive, so that was a little hard, but for the sake of the project and the critique I got over that.

4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?

Like I said before critiquing is not my forte but I tried my best.

5. Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?

I would love to! While I’m not really good at giving criticism , I’m very good at receiving it. I like listening to other people’s opinions, bouncing ideas back and forth and fixing or adding things to make something better.

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?

I would probably say a 6.5-7. While I think that I am a strong writer but my critiquing skills aren’t the best.
7. Did you enjoy working on this project?

Yes! The Part that I actually liked the best was actually looking at all the hard work that my classmates put into their work. I know that when I was working on mine that it took a really long time and a lot of hard work and when. I see their work I see the same thing.

 

 

Self Portrait

1.    Why did you select the inspiration pieces?

I really like when self portraits are more realistic and less abstract so for the majority of the three I used portraits that were actually pictures, and for the last one I used a painting that seemed really lively and vivid. I went to the MOMA gallery online.

2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?

I wanted the picture to be really simple so I just used sharpie, charcoal, and graphite pencils on Bristol board.
3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?

I can’t really draw realistic features and things like that so it was pretty difficult, and in the end I wasn’t 100% satisfied with my piece but I tried my hardest and was pretty decently surprised at what I actually accomplished.
4. How does this piece represent you?

I highlighted the features that I liked most about myself with dark sharpie swirls, and accented them by making them larger.
5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?

Value and visual texture were he parts of my piece also balance.
6. Did you enjoy working on this project?

It wasn’t my favorite, but I actually did learn more about myself and my art skills during the process of this project.
7. What do you think of your final artwork?

I really liked the piece for the sake of the piece, whether or not it looked like me was the real problem.

Art Critic Video Review

1.    key concepts: Video 1- Greenberg on Art Criticism: An Interview by T. J. Clark

This video was basically an interview that was touching on the life of an art critic and his previous projects that he had critiqued through the years and how they made an impact on art crit these days.

2.    key concepts: Video 2- The Critics: Stories from the Inside Pages

This video was a very in depth explanation of the critique business whether it be art, music, radio, tv, movie, etc. It discussed how people do it in a step by step manner and how to create a crit for special purposed and how to create a crit that will be successful.

3.    Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Criticism project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.

The 1^st video I found really confusing as I didn’t really know who the interviewer or the interviewee were and what context was taking place. But none the less it was informational but not so much for my project. The 2^nd however was really enlightening and informational and actually came to shape my art crit project.

4. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of art criticism?

I really thought that the 2^nd video was really informational with the whole idea of art crit it outlined different types of crit techniques and styles and separated the steps taken to achieve a successful critique.

Project #4: Art Exhibit Curation

Creating this art exhibit was at first very overwhelming.  I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right, but in the end it ended up working out pretty well if I do say so myself. I first watched the curator and curation videos then I pretty much just went on a scavenger hunt for images. I found art pieces in the book that I thought were interesting and then from there I entered the titles or artists into Google images and found common or completely different art works. From there I chose the most interesting and the ones that fit into my idea of found art and got more background information. I put the images into my PowerPoint with the links, I then added all the other information to finally bring it all together. The colors of the PowerPoint I kept to a minimum minimalist theme just because I wanted to play up the fonts to make them seem very mismatchy yet somehow balanced the way that found art feels to me.

Module 13&14: Video Review

Video 1:  The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art

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

Low brow was a deviation from the “norm” when it came to the art world. All misfits were welcome into the community. In low brown art what you see is what you get, there were no hidden meanings like in the case of high brow art.

2.      Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.

This video helped me very much in the creation of my exhibit. Most of the art pieces that that I chose wouldn’t be considered high brow or even your usual piece of art.

3.      What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

It was really enlightening to see a different side of art. The side full of misfits and people that don’t really fit anywhere else, because who doesnt love to see the underdog succeed

Video 2: Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach

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

2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.
3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

Video 3: Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology

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

This video dealt with the very touchy subject of archeology and the remains of Native Americans.

2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.
I don’t really find this very helpful with my project.
3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?
This video was very confusing when it came to relating to the project. It was a very informational and saddening but I still haven’t found the connection yet

Video 4: An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan

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

This video showed the inner workings of the Moma and what it takes to run a successful museum and all the people that it takes to make it work.

2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.
Yes this video more so than any was really helpful so far with the project. It really showed me that while the pieces don’t need to be so alike but somehow they need to form a cohesive piece that meshes together.
3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

This video seemed to be the host helpful when it comes to the project because it actually showed the background of what it takes to run a successful museum and all the behind the scene workings.

Module 12: Video Review

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

They both seemed to sound interesting!!! I’ve always been intrigued by Andy Warhol and the Uncertainty: Modernity and art also sounded pretty interesting.

2.       Key concepts: Andy Warhol: Images of an Image

This video introduced and added upon the ideas and ways in which Andy Warhol made his art pieces during the 60’s.

3.        Key concepts: Uncertainty: Modernity and Art

This video showed the inevitable switch from the pre modern era of overly realistic art pieces of everyday people and places to the modern era of shocking figures with hardly a sign of realisticness and uncommon thoughts and ways of seeing art.

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

The videos went into more depth. In the first video they showed he way in which Warhol used different methods to create his screen printings. And in the second it showed the switch for ultra realism to the complete opposite that the book just touched on.

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

The video helped me to really see the differences between the eras and the way in which art evolved.