Video Blog Week 13 and 14

 The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art


Concepts: The definition of `lowbrow is "a person regarded as uncultivated and lacking in taste". Lowbrow has many different meanings depending on the individual. Robert Williams claims he invented the term. Pop culture, car culture, and folk art had influence in the style. The time after World War II or the "Atomic Age" is an important part of lowbrow. Art covers so many different things ranging from concept art to paintings. Psychedelic rock posters and underground comicsWhile conceptual ism brought thought to art it excluded audience members who were not trained in art history. Artist Anthony Ausgang says, "Lowbrow blitzkriegs the idea that high culture requires a certain level of intelligence." Robert Williams thinks the established art world is set up to promote only certain types of art like minimalism and abstract. Lowbrow artist created there own art scene. Punk rock propelled the lowbrow art culture. Twenty years ago Robert Williams couldn't get anyone to show his art work and now he is in demand all over the world. Over the last ten years Lowbrow has gained more recognition and acceptance. are a big part of the genre.

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach

Concepts: Modern art in the MOMA from 1929 onwards was displayed primarily in chronological order, representing each art movement. Art is displayed on white walls with flexible lighting. A simple and clean set up. But by the 1970s, traditional ways of displaying modern art are questioned. Art was no longer just on walls but on the floor, moving, and making noise. The Tate Modern displays its modern art in four sections. In each section an overarching principle provides a theme for the selection and exhibition of the selections of modern art. The set up of the works make it so the viewer has to look for the parallels. Visitors to the Tate are provided with striking and often abrupt transitions between the individual display rooms. Art should be more than entertainment.

Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology

Concepts: Native Americans' bones were collected as a scientific curiosity during the U.S. genocide against Indians. Anthropologists differ on whether or not the remain should be returned to their ancestors.David Van Horn, a field archaeologist, is charged with criminal possession of Native human bone fragments. Buria Samuel Morton M.D. \concludes that the size of one's cranium is related to intelligence. Native American skulls are collected and stored in museums. l mounds are thought to be too civilized to have been built by Native American.There is a fight for Native people's objects of worship to be returned. Maria Pearson continues to represent the right to an undisturbed Indian burial ground. The holy areas are avoided by construction crews and archeologists do not excavate graves. Dennis Hastings, an Omaha, is satisfied with the reburial of his ancestors' remains. Moreover, both the tribe and scientists have gain new knowledge by having the bones analyzed prior to burial. Native Americans design the exhibits in New York's Native American Museum. Ancestors' bones continue to be brought home. Archaeology must share the responsibility for stewarding the past.

George Eastman House: Picture Perfect


Concepts:  George Eastman, the father of popular photography, created the first affordable, user-friendly camera.The photography collection at George Eastman House is a visual history of photography that represents the work of 14,000 amateur and professional photographers. George Eastman worked to make photography accessible to everyone; he created the first affordable, user-friendly camera and founded the Eastman Kodak Company. The motion picture film stock he invented with Thomas Edison became the industry standard. The George Eastman House is one of the world's premiere motion pictures archives. In 1996 the George Eastman House established the first school in North America to teach the restoration, preservation, and archiving of motion pictures. The George Eastman House offers a variety of means to access collections, including 140,000 online images, that celebrate the art, technology, and impact of photography and motion pictures.





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

All the videos had a great deal to do with exhibiting art. I felt a little off track with the video Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology. I do see now that is show a darker side to exhibiting and that things aren't always easy or right. It was a good contrast to the other videos that were more focused on exhibition. The video George Eastman House: Picture Perfect was a good example of how different exhibits can be compared to a museum like the Moma of Tate.




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


I do feel a better understanding has been formed. They were all really did relate to curation in different ways. It was a good mix of information

Video Blog Week 12

1. I selected the videos at random. I really didn’t know what to choose. I did select the Andy Warhol video because I find Andy Warhol to be an interesting person.


2. The Power of Art: Rothko

Can art change a life? the world? What can art do? Rothko committed suicide in 1970. In the 1920s, Rothko's early paintings indicate a "knotted imagination." To release his mind's interference, he dabbled in Expressionism. Rothko insists that his paintings imbue the values of contemporary society, and he denies any psychological interpretation of his art. His paintings show human tragedy. Rothko turned his art into an assault on the rich restaurant patrons whom he despised, hoping the paintings would make them sick as they dined. It’s thought that he awakened the art world to an American genius whose art transcended that of most 20th-century painters.

Uncertainty: Modernity and Art

Instead of offering an idealized or ennobled vision of humankind, modern art—an instrument of the tumultuous 20th century—communicates chaos, anxiety, and above all, uncertainty. What can we still believe in? And is Western civilization nearing its end?  With the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, Man is separated from Nature, machines rule work, and science challenges religion. One can look at modern art to discover self in a changing world. What is the underlying message of modern art? Uncertainty.  Modern art is a complete break from art of the past that was inspirational, idealized. Art is the lightning conductor for changing values. Modern Art keeps responding to modern life. In modern life, people live in doubt, and one is never sure of one's true identity. Reality is different jostling points of view colliding together. Abstract art tests out modern changes. It comes to no conclusions. Abstract art does not point to a god or higher intelligence.  In art today, one questions whether the values once expressed so nobly in Greek statues are really only illusions. People are only what consumerism tells them they are.

Hockney on Photography

The camera was not invented in the 19th century, only the chemical process was, says David Hockney. There is a void between the person behind the camera and the subject. He aims to take away the void. Hockney uses photographic images to create something pertaining more to the condition of painting. A large version of a Hockney photographic collage creates interest because of its perspective of perspective. As a child, Hockney frequented the cinema and came to see that a different world existed outside his hometown. Hockney explains perspective in ways that most people have not considered. Everything is related to everything else. Technology has changed not only the cost of reproducing photographs, but also has changed what is possible to create in size. 

Andy Warhol: Images of an Image

Andy Warhol worked as a commercial artist until 1960 when he began experimenting with advertising images. He worked until his untimely death in 1987. Worked with silk screening. Andy Warhol saw the repeated silk screen images as a way to make money. His work revolves around pop culture.

2. It gave a better in depth look at postmodern art. I felt the each section, although there were many, were very short. They did not go into much detail at all but just gave a basic over view. The videos really took some of the sections that were in the chapter further.

3.  I really enjoyed the videos on specific artists. It really gives a more in depth look at the individuals. I really liked the video on Andy Warhol. The page in the book on him was a short blurb in comparison.

Visit to Burchfield Penney

The Exhibit

1. What is the title of the exhibit? Beyond in Western New York: Alternating Currents.

2. What is the theme of the exhibition? An international contemporary art exhibition which is a unique curatorial collaboration between twelve of Western New York's museums and galleries to showcase the work of over 100 artists from the region and beyond.

The Gallery
1. What type of lighting is used?
Small ceiling lights. It was a little dim until the bigger open area.
2. What colors are used on the walls?

A plain, clean white. Almost egg shell.

3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?

Most of the gallery is just simple dry wall. A unique feature of the Burchfield Penney is the extremely high ceilings in the back of the gallery.

4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?
The pathways are broad and open. Each piece is spaced far enough apart to let you focus on one piece at a time. After viewing one piece you are pulled further into the gallery to walk over to the next piece. I found the layout of the gallery to really narrow your vision. The walls in the space did not allow for a view to far past an area. You have to maneuver around a wall and into a new room to see more.

The Artwork
1. How are the artworks organized?
Each piece is in a designated area of pieces relating to each other in a particular way. You can really see pieces of another theme until you pass through to a new room.
2. How are the artworks similar?
The style or artist may be the theme for the pieces.

3. How are the artworks different?
Sizes, frames, and dimension.
4. How are the artworks framed?
The more classic styled paintings have large wood frames.
5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?
A plaque with black text and a white background placed near each work.

6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?
Enough space for you to focus on one piece at a time and not feel rushed of over stimulated.

Artist: Kyle Butler

Title of work: Spill

Media: Pencil, Spray Paint, Wood Stain on Panel

Date: 2008

Size: ?

Description: A black and gray colored substance is being held behind a tan barrier until it has broke open and is spilling through.

Formal Analysis: This piece utilizes form. We see the bulging gray matter forming a circular shape through the rectangular barrier and can identify it in our brains that it must be a liquid spilling out.

Artist: Michael Bettz

Title of work: Border Hand

Media: Ink on Paper

Date: 2009

Size:?

Description: A hand is facing palm out. The fingers fade into a fence.

Formal Analysis: The large space around the hand creates an emphasis on the had itself. Fences are barriers and usually symbolize that. The name of the piece gives note that this fence may be a fence on a border. The most notable border fence being the Mexican border my mind immediately goes to that. Whether the hand is there to provide assistance to someone wanting to cross over this border or keep someone out is uncertain.

Artist: Carl Lee

Title of work: Last House

Media: Video

Date: 2010

Size: An Entire Room

Description: The time lapse of a demolition of a house.

Formal Analysis: This piece uses repetition. The video is projected on three different walls. The use of video always for movement to really be used in the piece. You watch the house being demolished little by little.

All pictures are my own.

What did you think of visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?

I have been to the Burchfield Penny a few times. This time was a little different in the aspect of looking beyond just the art. Everything still looked the same. The brightness of each room. The separation of the artworks.

Video Blog Week 11

1. I chose these four videos because I really don’t know very much about any of the subjects in these videos. I have never taken a class on art history and so I have never learned much about art history. I am hoping to find something interesting in these videos about art.

2. 

Matisse and Picasso

The relationship Matisse and Picasso is examined. Picasso and Matisse had broken with tradition with the establishment. The works of the two artists are compared. They studied each other's paintings to learn or to do the opposite. Matisse's high regard for Picasso's work was evident in his reaction to "Winter Landscape

The Mystical North: Spanish Art from the 19th Century to the Present

This video takes a look at modern Spain crucial to the history of modern art and the artistic and social turmoil that engulfed Spain as the 20th century loomed, dawned, and rolled forward. Goya, often referred to the father of modern art, left 80 etchings of war that reveal his dark political consciousness. Goya was deaf. . Architect Antoni Gaudi exemplified Barcelona's spirit of exuberance, represented in Park Guell 50 years after Goya’s death. The Spanish Civil War tore Spain to pieces. Picasso's "Guernica" records one of the worst atrocities of the Spanish Civil War.

Dada and Surrealism

Out of the ordinary objects not traditionally found in art galleries are now found in art galleries. The Dada movement was one founded in reaction to World War I. Surrealism is the successor to the Dada movement. Schwitters includes many objects in his art. Hannah Höch, a Dadaist, uses art to attack the society she detests. Dali, surrealist painter, probes the darkest regions of the human subconscious. In "La Fortune," individual components of the painting are true to life. Yet, other elements diverge from reality. Familiar objects appear in an unfamiliar arrangement. 

The Impact of Cubism

Influenced by the works of Cézanne, African tribal art, and the art of the Iberian peninsula, Cubism—the most influential style of the early 20th century—offered European artists unfamiliar, nonclassical ways to represent form and space. Creating interesting juxtapositions. Marcel Duchamp used an experimental approach to represent movement of a figure evolving in space and time. Representing movement as a visual phenomenon, line and color connect figures and environment to create powerful moods and settings to reveal personal values and visual complexity. 

The information in the books was very breif.These videos went into much more detailed information on each style/movement. I really enjoyed these videos, though they were a bit long, because it really was information that I hadn't been given before. I like the video on the Dada movement the best because the section in the book dedicated to the movement was so short and didn't talk about as many artists and works as the video did.

Video Blog Week 10

Islamic Art: India and the Middle East

Why: This is something I really don't know a whole lot about. I have never taken a class before that even mentioned Islamic art.

Concepts: The truest evidence of a society is its art. The Taj Mahal is one of the world’s oldest surviving mosques.

African Art

Why:African art is a really expressive and fun art. IT is more simplistic though very styled. It really interested me.

Concepts: Art is apart of daily life as well as rituals and ceremonys.Used terracotta, bronze, and gold. Elaborate carvings. African are is conceptual. Rooted in magic and religion. Everything is animated by unseen spirits. 

Buddhism

Why:I find Buddhism very interesting. I was intrigued to see what the video had to show.

Concepts: Buddhism was founded by Buddha. Images depict gentleness and serenity. Buddhism split into two groups: "hinayana" and "mahanyana". Sanchi, India is the center of Buddhist art and architecture. Buddha is depicted as animals and plants sometimes. The lotus is the sacred flower of Buddha.

Hinduism

Why: Another subject I do not know much about but I would like to know more.

Concepts: Varanasi is the oldest inhabited city in the world and most holy in the Hindu religion. Gods and goddesses function in a way similar to Christian saints. The representation of theses gods and goddesses is the base for the art and architecture.

I don't really feel like I learned about art from the videos. I feel like I more so learned about the religions. It was hard to find concepts because it didn't really seem like they pertained to art. I do see how each video is a more in depth look at each religion unlike the book but I felt they didn't focus on art enough.The video on African art was my favorite and I found it the most interesting and informative.

Masks

Artist: Chika tribe of Cameroon

Title of work: Mask made for the Chika tribe's dancing rituals

Media: The nose and eyebrows are covered in red copper plate, and there are copper wire inlays on the forehead. Carved.

Size: 43 cm. (H) X 27 cm. (W) (17.2 X 10.8 Inches)

Source of picture (URL): http://africangoodies.com/osc/images/chika1.jpg

Description- The surface of this mask is a polished, slick, surface with intricate lines carved into it.

Formal analysis- The wires and carved lines around the mask create line and draw your eye around the piece. The particular makes has a beautiful color pallet.

I really liked the color of this piece as well as the many lines it contained. 

Title of work: Mahakala mask

Media: Hardwood

Date: circa 15th. C

Size: height 11 in

Source of picture (URL): http://www.mysterydance.com/himalayanmasks/images/2.jpeg

 Description-  A large mask, it features bold characteristics and sharp pointy teeth. The eyes have no pupils. The top of the head is adorned.

Formal analysis-The large proportion of the eyes draws attention directly to them. The sharp pointy teeth create an emphasis on the aggressive nature of the piece. 

 I chose this mask for its ability to emote.

Title of work: Mask covered in copper

Media: Wood, copper

Date:

Size: Hight 13 1/2"

Source of picture (URL): http://www.remnantsofritual.com/photos/093_MskLwalu.jpg

 Description- A large mask depicting a character with small eyes, a large nose, and a pointy chin.

Formal analysis- The large scale of the nose puts emphasis on it. It also creates line in the middle of the piece. 

 I was draw to this mask just for its unique features that were unlike any others I looked at. 

My mask includes a disproportional nose for proportion. Oversize eyes for emphasis. Repeating lines that draw your eye up and down the image for repetition and line. 


I don't really know how I feel about this mask. I realized when I completed it is kinda resembled myself. I did enjoy the process of creating it.