Project #2 Art Gallery Visit #1- Responding To Artwork

A. Impact or impression:

1. Temple of Albers (Acrylic on canvas), Richard Anuszkiewicz, 1984:

When I first saw this painting I was so drawn in. The perfect symmetry and the color combinations were so fascinating I didn’t want to stop looking at it.

2. Serie 14 No.2 (Acrylic on Canvas), Julio Le Parc, 1970:

Like the first painting this also drew me in from the start. I really like contemporary art and the colors in it were so harmonious and the symmetry of this piece as well was very  appealing to the eye. I didn’t want to look away.

B. Feel a connection:

                1. View From the Bone Marrow Transplant, unit #1 (Chromogenic color prints), John Pfahl, 1993-2003:

                When I saw this series of paintings I began wondering what they were about, and then I read the description and felt very sullen and yet proud at the same time. Growing up I spent a majority of time for weeks at a time in the hospital room. My problems were nowhere near as bad as cancer or anything like that, but I know how sad and depressing they can be. Some of the prints were sand and gloomy and some of them were happy and I somehow felt like I understood the struggle that the author was trying to display.

                2.  Zobop (Stairs)(Vinyl tape), Jim Lambie, 2003:

 This art piece is pretty “hands on” and interactive seeing as you actually have to step on it to navigate through the Albright. I thought that was so cool and when I was walking down the stairs I felt like really connected with the piece, because unlike the others in the museum you could actually touch and feel the art. The one question I would think to ask the artist is how they felt about thousands of people stepping on their artwork?

               

C. Want to know more about:

                1. No Title (Folding table and chairs, beige) (paint, metal, and fabric), Robert Therrien, 2006:

                This piece was by far my favorite in the whole gallery. It made me feel young and small and made me question so many things. Like how on earth Therrien got the chairs and the table that big? and where on earth did he come up with the idea? The whole thing was just genius.

                2. Model for Room No.2 (Mylar on wood), Lucas Samaras, 1966:

This piece was just beautiful and they was that it was exhibited was just great but my one and only question was what room this would intended for, and what kind of house or space was it for?

 

 

Art Making/Material Exploration #2: Logo Design

1. At first I thought creating a logo was going to be really hard and complicated. But in the end its was actually pretty fun.

2. After reading all the documents and watched all the videos I started to think about things that described me or that I liked and then integrated my name in them. I started out pretty generic and simple and then everything got progressively intricate. I tried to keep all the elements and principles of designs in mind as well.

3. There is actually a lot that goes into creating the logo. Like anything artistic there are certain steps that need to be followed for the final project to come out successful.

4. When I was watching the first video the participants brought up a really good point that I had never thought about. They said that when you are considering a logo you have to be sure that it will look good not only for print on paper but also other mediums and items. I’d never really thought about that being the case but it makes complete sense.

 

Module 4: Art Materials Exploration #1-Value and The Subtractive Color Theory

1. Creating the color wheel was pretty easy to make and was quite enjoyable to make, with the mixing of the paints and such. The value scale on the other hand was a little harder for me. I had a little trouble getting a good transition between values but it came together in the end.

2. Very surprisingly I liked the acrylic paints the most. I’m not really a paint person but it was really relaxing. And the experimental part with deciding how much of a color to add was pretty fun.

3. Black was a pretty had color for me to make with the paint. I thought I could just mix all the colors and bam it would just be a solid black color, but was I wrong!!

4. It was really important with doing the value chart to make sure that you had a paper between your hand and the graphite as to not smear the work and get your hand all dirty.

Project #1: Elements and Principles Slideshow

Project #1 Reflection:

First I read Part Two in the Living with Art textbook to understand the concepts of the elements and principles of art. I then read through the list of principles and elements list hat we were given and began brainstorming certain items that were around my house or outside that would fit the certain categories. For the first element line I took a picture of a bouquet of flowers that were sitting on my dining room table. I felt that they were a good example of line because of the way the stems led up to the flowers and then the petals also formed lines jetting out of the center of the flower. For value I used a magazine that I had hanging on my wall. It was very interesting and it already was in black and white and values of grey so I thought it fit perfectly. For shapes I used a picture that I took of the Grand Island Bridge the lines that brought together the bridge form so many different shapes that if fit the category to a tee. I decided to take a picture of my lunch at work one day to portray form; everything in the photo is 3d feature.  I used a photo that I took of a Clematis plant to show space. The way that it flows to the ground and the somewhat “empty” space around it is what made me put it in this category. For color I used a photo of my bedroom wall I have numerous magazine covers I used as a sort of wallpaper and they express a lot of vivid color. And finally for the last element I used a piece of garland from the fourth of July for my texture picture.

As for the principles:

Balance: I took a picture of the organ that I have at my house the keys and other buttons give the picture a great sense of balance.

Contrast: This picture was taken in the woods it shows a contrast between the newly dead and cut down branches that are still green and the long dead branches that are brown and crumply.

Movement: a picture that I accidently slowed the shutter speed down on my camera became a really good representation of movement.

Emphasis: The yellow flower becomes the focal point because of the contrast that the green foliage behind it.

Pattern: This picture was taken inside my printer the pattern comes into effect because of the little cylindrical elements and the brush like elements that are present.

Proportion: A sunrise picture that I took at my work. The trucks show the size of the building and the electric tower by their difference in size.

Unity: And the last and final picture that I took at the beach. I think all the elements come together and just have so many texture and colors and focal points that it really portrays what unity stands for.

 

Module #3: Color Theory and Emotional Effects

1. Color is white light that reflected onto objects and then to your eyes. Without light there would be no color, and actual objects have no real color we just perceive them that way. Different colors can make you happy, sad, or scared. Certain colors can remind you of cultural events or even command you to do certain things like slow down at a yellow light.

2. I think the most interesting aspect of color is the actual color theory. The fact that white light can be refracted into the colors of the rainbow is amazing. And an added level of astonishment comes from the fact that if you take the 2 prisms you can filter the colored light back into white light.

3. Color and emotions go hand in hand but more in a twisted less implicit way. Some colors can make you afraid or confused when placed together, or even lose your appetite.

4. It was only slightly touched upon in the video but I think the hugest thing that left an impact on me was the use of certain highlights of color that were added to painting that somehow gave them a glow that added a sort of humanization to flat 2d paintings. A great example of this was the Mona Lisa she has a little “light” that graces her skin that adds depth and dimension and gives her a human like appeal.

Module Two - Blog: Video and CNN Article Review

1.       Key concepts:

a.        Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts:  http://digital.films.com/play/M27YLB

This video detailed the philosophers and history of art and the aesthetics. It showed main concepts that each philosopher agreed with and the evolution of the theories and practices of aesthetics.

b.        CARTA: Neurobiology Neurology and Art and Aesthetics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0TKYxAYGGA

This video specifically featured philosophers and scientists Changeux and Ramachandran whom dealt with the ideas of art and aesthetics. While Changeux dealt with areas of the brain that were affected by certain art and aesthetics, Ramachandran made up a set of “rules” that are engrained in us as humans when it comes to art and aesthetics and how we deal with that.

 

c.        http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/15/health/art-brain-mind/index.html?hpt=hp_c3:

The article dealt also with the brain, art, and aesthetics and how and why the brain reacts to pleasingly aesthetic art.

2. While watching the video I felt that the philosopher Immanuel Kant, of the 18^th century, who added on to and also refuted some of the ideas of Baumgarten, had the most contributions on aesthetics. He believed that aesthetics was completely subjective and didn’t follow rules, yet people can have the same likes and dislikes when it comes to beauty and aesthetics. He also said that the only thing that was ugly that couldn’t be beautified were things that were disgusting.

3. Changeux: I liked the fact that he believed that art and aesthetic pleasure derived from the beginning of time, and even the earliest cave men liked and paid attention to certain aesthetic features. He also showed parts of the brain that were excited by aesthetic pleasure. Ramachandran: Actually set up a loose set of “rules” dealing with art and aesthetics and why humans liked certain art features.

4.  Both the videos and the article had a lot to do with what and why the brain perceives when it comes to art. And with those perceptions some of the scientists are at a loss for why the brain does the things that it does when it comes to art?!

5. I thing the article and the video just opened up my mind to the fact that art is more than just a superficial at the surface idea and practice and that the brain is a really strange yet fascinating organ that does a lot more than I could even imagine.