Hand in Hand

1. I found it quite difficult. It was hard to place my hand in a position that made it comfortable for the other one to be drawing it and for it to be in good view. I drew the top of my hand with my right hand and the inside of my hand with my left because they sat easily in those ways.

2. I chose pencil because that is what I am familiar with and I would have had to practice a lot with the charcoal beforehand to get used to it. I used charcoal once and the side of my hand just dragged it all over the paper. I would like to experiment sometime with charcoal, though, and see what I can do with it.

3. It felt wrong in a way. I am not the best artist, but I kept getting frustrated thinking of how I could draw it so much better with my right hand. I could not press down as hard and I had to go very slow and I felt as though the hand did not look as realistic because I could not differentiate the darkness of the lines. I was surprised, however, that it came out as well as it did.

4. I am not sure how ‘successful’ they are. They do show a significant difference which I am sure most would unless someone was ambidextrous.  The dominant hand drawing definitely looks more realistic and stands out more.

5. No, I would not. It did not feel good and I do not think any artwork I would create would come out the way I would want it to because of the lack of skill my left hand has.

Michelangelo and Da Vinci

1. I selected the videos “The Drawings of Michelangelo” and “Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance” because I was most familiar with those two artists. I have seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre and I someday hope to stand in the Sistine Chapel.

2. The video about Michelangelo mostly focused on how his works came to be. Shown were many “works in progress” and even some of his sketches that ended up on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. His works are all very detailed and were realistic looking. For 60 years his focus of expression was male nudes and he created images of future body builders, whether they were sketches or sculptures. The video explained many of the ideas behind his paintings and went into great depth about his religious ones such as his Jesus on the cross. The video showed that much of his work of male nudes was idealistic and he would create many versions of a pose to try to make it look just perfect. The video also revealed that some of his work resembled Ghirlandaio’s work, but he rejected any ideas of this assumption being truthful. The video about Leonardo da Vinci showed how many of his works were personal and knowledgeable, and planned out in a logical way; similar to many artists of the Renaissance. He was not only an artist, but also a mathematician and an engineer. He was keen on his abilities and inventions and would introduce himself as an engineer. He worked for the Medici family and there was some writing found that shows some homosexual tendencies he may have had. He was a perfectionist and never considered his works to be done. Geometry played a big role in his pieces of art and he often mixed art with engineering to create new inventions.  

3. The text went over many artists and explained many of those artists work, including Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. The videos were much more in depth about the two artist’s lives and journeys of being artists and dissected many of their paintings. The book spoke more of the time periods as a whole and how art developed over time. It also spoke of the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter reformation and how religion was also changing with the times; or at least what people chose to believe in. The videos just focused in very closely on small parts of the text, but did incorporate some talk of the time periods.

4. I liked the Michelangelo film. I thought it was informative on his life and kept to the point for the most part. I thought the video about Da Vinci was lacking. It was hard to follow because it moved so slowly and there were many points where only music was playing for any number of seconds. They explained some of what was in the reading in more detail, but for the reading as a whole, they did not connect as well in my mind. The videos did, however, go through many of the reasons work of the renaissance was created and how and added depth to what the work meant.

The Human Form

1. I selected the video because of its title “Greek Art and the Human Figure”. It related to the other video and I am very interested in how art and the human figure are interrelated.

2. For the required video, I felt as though it was mainly trying to explain why the human figure is represented the way it is in different works of art. Many human artwork has exaggerated features that people felt were more important than others. Often, woman statues will be connected with fertility. The Egyptians showed the body parts by which they thought were the clearest angles. Many of the artworks found were related to religion and told a lot about the past. In the video I picked, it talked a lot about humans modeled in a realistic way. The Greeks created the “perfect form” which affects the way humans think of their bodies still today. Many people strive to be as fit as shown in Greek artwork. Artwork sent messages to people. It was more than just an expression or a random inclination. It was sending a message or telling a story.

3. The videos relate to the text by explaining in detail parts that were gone over in the text. Egypt and Greece were mentioned in the text and these videos went into greater detail of their art and why and how it was made and what the meanings were behind them.

4. I liked the films. I really liked the mandatory film. I felt like it did a great job explaining why the human form was depicted the way it was and keeping the viewer interested. Visual learning is always helpful in connecting the voice over to the physical aspect of what is being discussed. 

Architecture

1. I chose Prairie Style. It was about Frank Lloyd Wright and how he changed architecture. It discussed how houses and buildings now have more open space and how it is not all the same. For example, his doors were not just in the center front of the house. He felt that placement was important. He loved the environment and wanted there to be “environmental harmony” and a nice flow from room to room. He referred to his work as organic.

I also chose Architecture as Art. It was about Frank Gehry’s buildings and designs. He expressed how he had to respond well to the time and place. If he did not fall in love with the place and the people, he could not make a building. He also explained how for him, architecture has a lot to do with feeling and his work evolves based on what he is feeling right then and there. He also did not want to overwhelm people with his work, but draw them in. He would break his work into parts to do this.

2. They both referred to the many aspects of architecture and how it is constructed, types of building styles, materials used, etc. However, I felt as though the book went much more into depth with those things and threw a lot of information out at once while the videos were mainly about the architect being discussed and their specific work. While watching Prairie Style, I felt as though I was touring many of the Frank Lloyd Wright houses.

3. I liked the films. I felt like they helped to further understanding because there was so much visual learning involved. Footage of walking through the houses to explain what the architects were describing and pictures of drafts done before the actual building occurred were interesting to see.

4. I chose the Frank Lloyd Wright film because I remember taking a tour of his house in Buffalo when I was in third grade and being fascinated by it. Also, I had some prior knowledge so it was interesting to see what I did and did not already know about his work.

I chose the other film just because it seemed interesting. I liked the title. I’m glad I picked it because it was nice how Gehry incorporated feelings and emotions into his work and explained that in depth in the video.

Sculpting and Ceramics

1. Key concepts I learned throughout the videos were mainly how to sculpt and how to make ceramics. They expressed the tools that are used to carve for sculpting, and the tools that are used to shape glass and ceramic. They showed the different materials these art forms can be created with and how when dealing with glass and ceramics, heat is a major component. The point that these pieces are fragile and incredibly delicate was stressed.

2. The videos related very closely to the text. I felt as though they went more into a visual depth of what was explained in the text such as the process of sculpting and ceramics. Many of the same things were mentioned such as materials/tools used in these processes and that heat is a major component and some of the history behind why these pieces of art are still being made today and where they originated.

3. I liked the films. I liked how the one film went through the process of sculpting and what tools to use to do so. I have had very limited experiences with this. It was also cool in the other video to see the glass and clay being formed. I am very interested in stained glass windows. I did not even know about the steel that goes between each piece to hold them together. It was nice to read about the processes of making these art forms and then be able to see them in action.

Peer Reviews

kasidysartblog.blogspot.com

mayaaed.blogspot.com

2. I did for the most part agree with the elements and principals. I was only confused about one photo and am interested to learn more about it! I liked seeing other people’s images and seeing how they understood the project. In some of those photos I saw more than one element or principal which is always cool to me. For example, in Kasidy’s blog, the image of a sunset that she chose for unity also expressed color and balance.

3. Yes, there was only one between both of the blogs that I also had. It was a painting Maya had also posted in her blog title Peinture NO. 0528(Painting NO. 0528). It was an extra photo in her blog so I am not sure as of now if we had chosen them for the same reason. I had chosen it because I wanted to learn more about it and to me just saw a bunch of different colored shapes. Paintings like that are very popular these days and I would like to know more about that.

4. Yes, a painting Maya picked called Theater Box really grasped my attention. She mentioned wondering why we cannot see the woman’s face and wondering what her expression would be. I also was wondering the same thing. There is no indication in that painting as to if the woman watching the show is enjoying it or interested in it at all. It is very interesting and I wonder why it was done that way.

5. I do find it to be valuable. It is nice, especially because this class is online, to hear from peers about their projects and see what they did and how they interpreted it. I thought it was so interesting how we all had such different ideas of what to take photos of and what paintings stood out to us at the museum.

6. I did not find the comments to be helpful per say. More or less I got to see what we had in common and what they agreed with me on.

Creating a Logo

1. I thought it was very hard. I am not the best at sketching. I saw what I wanted it to look like in my head but could not make it come out the same on the paper. It was frustrating because it took so many tries to make my final copy.

2. I first thought of what I want my future to look like and things that I love. I started writing my name with a music note making up the “F” because I love music, a candle making up the “I” because I love candlelight, and a cross making up the “T” because I want to be a minister. I also had waves coming off of the “H” because I love the beach and a smile inside of the “A” but I did not want to stick with those. Then I developed putting my name inside of a cross and putting a word going down that would melt with my name. I tries minister then simply and then withstanding. I liked the word withstanding best, however simply fit better. I created a final with withstanding but it did not come out as I hoped so I redid it. I wanted the cross to be the typical wood color and simple. I wanted it to be simple because I am not flashy. I chose to write my name in cursive because that is how I always hand write. I used the word simply because that is how we view being a follower of God in my church, simple. It is all about loving relationships and accepting everyone.

3. The most important discovery I made was that making a logo is not easy. Not only that, but it is hard to break down who you are as a person and put it into a simple logo. It is also hard to know how viewers will see the logo and what it will mean to them. I am seeing it through my eyes, but I already know myself.

4. The most important thing I learned was that there should be many different ideas so that there are some to choose from. Also, when having those ideas, you can branch off of them, combine them, etc. Also, you have to look at the logo and really think if it defines what it is supposed to and sending the right message. With this, colors and font do make an impact. The movies were insightful since I have not dealt much with logos in the past. However, I felt they were a bit lengthy for the message they were trying to send.

A Visit to the Gallery

An artwork that made an impression on me was titled Music by Thomas Eakins. It was large sized with an oil on canvas medium made in 1904. This work made a sad impression on me. The colors were all very dark, creating a solemn mood. He is looking down and seems to be in deep concentration and also somewhat sad. It makes me wonder what song he was playing. It may have meant a lot to him or made him feel something deep.

Another artwork that made an impression on me was Scrambled or Fried by Dan Colen. It was medium sized with a chewing gum and chewing gum wrappers on canvas art form in artists frame made in 2008. I was intrigued when I saw the year because many of the other works that had stood out to me were older pieces. The gum on the canvas created a 3D image. It was scattered with no particular line pattern. However, I got a ‘beauty in chaos’ type of feel. I found humor in that there was an egg found within the work. There were many other works like this one in Colen’s exhibit and the whole area smelled fruity from the gum. It was gross yet beautiful all at once. I found it very creative.

A piece I felt a connection to was New England Houses by Niles Spencer. It was medium sized with an oil on canvas art form created in 1924. I have spent a lot of time in New England because my boyfriend’s family lives there. It is such a special place to me that I love to call home. His church looks a lot like the church in the photograph which is one of my favorite places to be. Also, the colors are subtle, which makes the painting look natural and real.

Another piece I had a connection with was Elinor, Jean and Anna by George Wesley Bellows. It was large sized with an oil on canvas medium made in 1920. In the painting, the two older women and the young female are all looking in different directions than each other and they seem lost or dazed. The woman on the left seems to be demanding something of the young girl and she seems to be gazing into something that the woman on the right is as well. The colors are dark and the women practically blend into the background. The girl is contrasted with a white dress. I connected this to my life because the women on my mother’s side of the family are very withdrawn from people altogether and my sister and I decided to separate from them have relationships with people and find happiness. I am not sure what exactly the painting is saying, but that is something I got out of it.

An artwork that made me want to know more about it was La Voix des Airs (The Voice of Space) by René Magritte. It was small sized with an oil on canvas medium made in 1928. It was very mysterious to me. It looked like four balls with slits floating in the air over a mountain top. The whole picture is done with only shades of black and white. I felt by looking at it that it had much more meaning than I could find in it.

Another work that I would like to learn more about was Peinture No. 0528(Painting No. 0528) by Alberto Magnelli. It was large sized with an oil on canvas medium made in 1915. When I look at paintings such as these, al I see are a bunch of different colored shapes. Although it is appealing to look at, I wonder what the meaning behind it is if there is one. I also wonder what the artist was thinking and feeling when he was created this work.