AED200 Reflection

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

 " I don't really expect anything. I just was to see what's presented to me to learn.I haven't really taken any art classes that teach about art of artists so this is kinda new to me. "

 I enjoyed this class in the aspect of getting to see art I have never seen before and learn more about art and art styles. I didn't expect to actually create art so that went beyond my expectations.

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

"Creative action."

I still feel that art is creative action, expression, or some sort of product. 

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.

Still Edgar Degas. I have a beta fish named Edgar after him. I love his style. The colors are visually appealing to be as the figures just seem so expressive

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?

"A little nervous. I have had siblings take them in the past and have seen them drown in work. But I guess I have to have my own experiences. "

I don't think I would take another online course. It really did have quite a bit of a work load but i expected it and it was doable.

Self-Portrait

Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Self-Portrait. c.1575. Blue pen-and-wash drawing. Narodni Gallery, Prague, Chechia.. 

 http://www.abcgallery.com/A/arcimboldo/arcimboldo17.JPG

Henri Matisse. Self-Portrait in a Striped T-Shirt. 1906. Oil on canvas. Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark.

 http://www.join2day.net/abc/M/matisse/matisse31.JPG

Nathan Altman. Self-Portrait. 1926. Lead pencil on paper. 44.6 x 35.9 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

 http://www.abcgallery.com/A/altman/altman6.JPG

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?
 I liked the different and unique styles of each piece.

2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?
Color pencils. I enjoy working with color pencils. 

3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?
Finding a picture of myself that I liked enough to work off of. 

4. How does this piece represent you?
It is in my own unique style. 

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?
I used color. The photo is terrible but there are a lot of different shades and tones to the image. there are subtle purples and blues where they wouldn't be expected. 

6. Did you enjoy working on this project?

I always enjoy working with color pencils. 

7. What do you think of your final artwork?

It looks a lot better in person that it does in this photo. I lost my digital camera so I can not get a better image of it. I really think it came out great and would proudly show it off to other people.

Reflection

1. Which projects did you review?

Jenna Fanara

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?

I like a lot of the pieces she chose to use as well as the theme she choose.

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

I don't want to act like I am  the know it all on art or the theme of the curator. But I just give my opinion and how the critiqued doesn't see it.

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

I really don't enjoy it. I feel a lot of the time its not really honest or well thought through. I have read a lot of peer critiques  that made me really mad because the criticizer really had no idea what they were talking about or and background on the matter.

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

 No I would not and I really want the person I critiqued to read mine.

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

 I would rate it an 8. I feel I was through and honest. I may have done a better job if I knew a little more about the theme.

7. Did you enjoy working on this project?

  I do like it when we get to see each other works. I am just not a fan of critiquing them or reading other students critiques.

Video Blog Week 15

Greenberg on Art Criticism: An Interview by T. J. Clark 


Writing about visual art is much tougher than writing about literature or music. There are prejudices in art criticism and the best art of the last 50 years,which has been predominantly abstract. America’s post-WWII “culture boom” and abstract art, David Smith and elitism in art. Tthe place of personal taste and aesthetics in art criticism. Intuition, reasoning, and relevance have a place in art criticism. Has modern art proven itself?

 Greenberg on Pollock: An Interview by T. J. Clark

Pollock was thought to one day be a great painter. In the summer of 1947, Jackson Pollock painted his first spatter-drip piece "death of easel painting." Jackson Pollock has a disdain for easel paintings, yet his own paintings remained easel paintings until the end. At the time he painted them, Pollock knew his paintings were not murals. He knew that his paintings were transitional works from the easel to the mural. The element of size was not critical to the historical placement of Pollock's paintings. More important was Pollock's departure from the contained, boxed characteristic of modern paintings. Pulling away from containment and orderliness. Is the only demand on art is that is be good art? Pollock choose his particular way of applying paint to canvas because of the way the paint broke the plane, or how the paint "cut." The technique was a way to release the requirements of his wrist, elbow, and shoulder. Apollonian rather than Dionysian. No one has successfully explained what makes a painting succeed or fail. Artists of his day, as well as Pollock himself, felt isolated and alone in the art world and the world at large. Artists of the Pollock era want what most artists want: fame and money. In his time, Jackson Pollock did not achieve fame as much as he did notoriety At the end of his life, Pollock said that he didn't take enough time looking at the Impressionists.
 

An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance (Giorgio Vasari)

The Renaissance is marked by a renewed enthusiasm in the arts and many Italian artists contribute to its development. Giorgio Vasari writes the "Lives of the Artists." Giotto is one of the first artists to revive the realistic style of the Romans by using perspective found in architecture and landscape. tThe figure DavidIn "The Madonna and Child," Francesca experiments with contrasting light and dark to create depth. This is called chiaroscuro. The Catholic Church conveys Christianity through art. In "Adoration of the Magi," Botticelli incorporates his patrons, the Medicis. "The Birth of Venus" celebrates the beauty of the human form and uses techniques learned from preceding artists.In the sculpture "David," Michelangelo drives for perfection, creating a powerful symbol of the Republic. The painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Florence represents man's relationship to God. is standing on one leg, it appears balanced. Nudes reflect the beauty of the human form.

The Critics: Stories from the Inside Pages

Media artists express their negative opinions about critics. Critics get us to think. Lighting the way for readers. Criticism of media arts improves the media in general. They also give artists breaks they hope for. Book critics are likely the most influential in their ability to benefit new writers Critics who are successful enjoy their craft. Some critics develop their love of reading and enjoying plays and shows as very young children. A music critic, passionate about his work, wants the world to experience the same love for music that he has. Professional critics often find themselves acting as reporters. A review is an informed opinion, and criticism is more analytical. Criticism is generally delivered by someone willing to take a stand and make an argument. Superior criticism is characterized by how well it makes its argument, how it touches on the human experience, and how useful are its insights.Effective criticism requires logic, emotional support, and personal credibility of the critic.The best critics start with their depth and breadth of knowledge. Critics must break down their particular media art into components.  Using their critical thinking skills, critics then evaluate and draw conclusions, leaving the reader to agree or disagree, or to spark curiosity.Good criticism must be well constructed and well written. Critics study their medium carefully, take notes, and work to get their reviews or criticism correct. Critics work in different media genre such as books or film, but also genres within a genre such as classical music, jazz, or country western. The Internet provides a new and diverse forum for critics and their followers. The key to becoming a critic is to learn to write, to write, and then to write more. After college graduation, aspiring critics should "start at the bottom" in specific media arts to learn the ropes find are of interest, and discover the "gold standard." Often associated with negativity, criticism is actually the practice of analyzing, classifying, interpreting, or even evaluating literary or other artistic works. 

The Colonial Encounter: Views of Non-Western Art and Culture

Dahome art is visually beautiful, but it is often ignored as art and treated as craft. The image of the colonies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was not coherent or consistent. While most countries were symbolized by famous monuments of each country, the Dahomian exhibit consisted of a group of thatched structures, suggesting that there was no civilized infrastructure. Images of African people showed violent behavior toward each other, fostering the notion that they are savages who might also turn against Europeans. That is how colonialism is justified. Three figures from the 1900 Paris World Fair represent the three aspects of African people. At the 1900 world Fair Algeria was treated differently from Dahome. Algeria had a much longer history of colonization than Dahome. The country's exhibits are displayed in two palaces The Algerian exhibit is symptomatic of a much larger transformation that took place at the end of the 19th century. An even more insidious side to using indigenous people in colonial exhibits were the display of naked African men and women in caged enclosures along with exotic species of the animal kingdom.Europeans justify the pornographic nature of photographs of indigenous as scientific and artistic study. The French created a dichotomy between the Dahome and Algerian exhibits. Though today the former French colonies are independent, they are still linked politically and economically with the West. Exhibitions of material culture are displayed throughout the West. They show no connection with cultural meaning, and are evaluated through the eyes of Western viewers who believe they are seeing "art" rather than material cultural objects. ndigenous material culture on display as art in Western collections can be tied to an appreciation by descendants of the original objects.

Jackson Pollock: Michael Fried and T. J. Clark in Conversation

Jackson Pollock is an enormously important modernist master who raises many questions with his work.  He has been used as a negative point of reference for modern art. He is important in modern art but have offered conflicting reasons. Described as optical as opposed to tactical.The qualitys described as the ability of a painting to articulate the conditions of human beings at a particular moment. Opinions pull in different direction partly because of the problem of adequately describing Jackson Pollock's work and relating defined terms to the artist's intentions. What makes his work critical can't be disentangled from describing what he's done. In this way the concentration his work requires challenges the distraction endemic in the wider culture. Michael Fried and T.J. Clark are both committed to a historical way of looking at art and realize they are redefining the terms with which they speak of Pollock's work to reach a place of agreement over his historical importance.

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

 They certainly relate to the project. Each video gave a lot of good information on how art is criticized, why it is, and who does it.

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

I did find all the vidoes really useful. They all seemed to really give a lot of good information about critiquing work that I can really use. 

Art Curator Project 4

When I read the description of this project I though that this would be a fun project and really did find it to be one. I did have a bit of trouble when it came to picking a theme. Art is such a vast world the options really are endless. I settled on art from the sixties because I am intrigued by Andy Warhol, Twiggy, and Mod. I did have difficulty acquiring images, it was the most time consuming part of this project. most websites I would found were just trying to sell me a poster of the art works and not really about the pieces. I am satisfied with the outcome of my choice of the sixties. I really like all the images I chose. I could certainly see how this project really reinforced a lot of the things we did over the semester.