Self Portrait

 Stephen F Condren 4/13/2010

Leanne Franson  Montreal, Quebec, Canada Feburary 15, 2011  A self-employed artist, with a home studio, working in children's illustration and cartooning.

Brian Duey 12-3-2009  12 x 18 on tinted paper

I selected these self portriats because I planned on doing a pencil self porait.  I chose the pencil medium because I have worked with it on some projects this year.  The challenges faced were not enough experience with drawing, I just had to do the best I could.  I used shape, emphasis, and color.   I was not looking forward to doing this project but it ended up being fun.  The final project was challenging I would of rather drawn something or someone else, but its done.

Reflections

My expectations for this course were to understand and appreciate art.  I have definitely learned a lot about art: Elements and Principles of Design, all that goes into old historical sculptures, different techniques of painting.  My definition of art would remain the same; Art is something that makes us think and be more thoughtful and a well rounded person. Art is all around us every day in our lives.  In my original posting I did not have a favorite artist, now my favorite artist Andy Worhol because his paintings are different and he mimics real people in some of his paintings.  I have taking online classes before and this class definitely had a lot more work involved with it.  Also I was expecting this class to be only 3 weeks or I probably would not have taken it, it consumed most of my summer and I’m glad it is done.   The class was very organized and interesting but very time consuming.  

Art Criticism Article

I reviewed all the projects because I was curious to see everyone’s ideas.  There were two that I had to choose between, they were Emily Krolewicz, “More Than Meets the Eye” and Mike Farrell, “Outside Looking In”.  I chose Mike Farrell, Outside Looking In” to critique because the pieces he chose were of landscape which I enjoyed.  It was hard to critique another student’s work and have it be two pages long, but once I started it seems to flow.  I’m no art expert so it was hard to critique the exhibit.  I would like to read the critiques about my project.  My critique article is a 10 for all the time and thought put into it.  I did enjoy this project but I think if we had known about it soon we could have worked on it and not had to do so much work in the last week.

Week 11 Video Blog

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

In 1981 they discussed the evolution of art criticism and issues surrounding modernist painting.  They discussed the relationship between art and history, the value judgment in criticism and America’s post WWII “Culture Boom”.

Greenberg on Pollack: An interview by T. J. Clark

Discussion was about Jackson Pollock, the abstract expressionist after his death.  Pollock was an outsider, with freakist techniques.  Greenberg says the painter was practical and unpretentious.  They discussed the “death of easel painting”.  Pollock was associated with Dionysian painting.  Pollock’s “drip” paintings can be characterized as Apollonian rather than Dionysian.  Pollock remained a solitary figure. 

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

1900 Paris World’s Fair lasted 8 months largest fair ever held.  Half the area was devoted to French imperialism and the rest represented other nations’ colonies.  Images of African people showed violent behavior toward each other.  The shark symbolizes Dahome’s determination to protect its shores.    The Trocadero Museum is the French monument at the heart of the colonial exhibition at the 1900 World Fair. 

These videos discuss the exhibits from the 1900 World Fair and interviews with Greenberg on art Criticism which relates to this week s lesson.  The Greenberg Interviews were confusing  but the The Colonial Encounter was interesting. 

Art Curator - Project 4

I tried to include several different types of works. The incredible beauty of many flowers has given them added importance as decorative objects. Flowers are also an almost endless source of inspiration for poetry, stories and myths. Flower symbolism has existed almost as long as flowers themselves.
Artwork can be chosen with flower symbolism in mind. In addition, some flowers are associated with particular artists. Monet is famous for his water lilies, Georgia O’Keeffe is best known for her sensuous calla lilies and Vincent Van Gogh is associated with his portraits of sunflowers. Flower, tree, landscape symbolism are among the more prominent forms of symbolism that can add healing value to art. The continuing emergence of abstract art threatened the place of flower paintings in realism. Although the prosaic gardenscapes and still-life images traditional in flower paintings were relegated to the past during this period, the versatile forms of flowers actually revealed tremendous potential for more abstract images.
Georgia O'Keeffe successfully returned the flower to prominence with her series of close-ups of calla lilies. She wanted to have the viewer really look at the fundamental form of the flower without any preconceived notions. Her sensual flowers redefined the flower as a pure, almost geometric form.
The walls would be a light blue color like the background of the PowerPoint because the flower artworks are colorful enough that the background should be plain. 

Video Review Week 10

The Lowdown of Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art

Lowbrow is art that cannot be categorized.  The definition is a person regarded as uncultivated and lacking in taste.  Lowbrow art appeals to the masses.  Comic books, pop culture, car culture and folk art have both had major influences in the genre.   Lisa Petrruci says the art is more relatable that esoteric art.  The Laguna Art Museum put on a show featuring Ed Roth, Von Dutch, and Robert Williams.  MAD magazine had impact on art culture.  These unaccepted artists created their own art scene after being shut out from museums and galleries.  Lowbrow and pop culture are in California.  Artists were able to get their work to the masses in the form of album covers and fliers.  Lowbrow has gained more recognition and acceptance over the last ten years. 

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach

Modern art was displayed primarily in chronological order representing each art movement.  By the 1970s art came off the walls to become busy and noisy.  Tate Modern displayed its modern art in four sections overarching principle provides a theme for the selection and exhibition of the selections of modern art.   Critics say the thematic presentation of art requires that viewers have no knowledge of art and art should be more than entertainment. 

Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology

Museums have collected Native Americans’ bones; Anthropologists say the remains should be returned to their ancestors.  Maria, a Yankton Sioux, fights for the bones taken for study.  Anglo bones were reburied but Native bones are studied.  David Van Horn was a field archaeologist charged with criminal possession of Native human bone fragments.  The Smithsonian’s inventory reveals that 18,000 Native’s bones are stored there.  Scientists first have to determine the bones tribal affiliation.  Scientists have learned a lot about health problems by studying the remains of human beings from the past. 

George Eastman House: Picture Perfect

George Eastman was the father of popular photography and founder of Eastman Kodak Company.  He created the first affordable, user-friendly camera.  The George Eastman House is one of the world’s premiere motion pictures archives.  George Eastman’s world revolved around his work and around philanthropy.  It offers collections of 140,000 online images that celebrate the art, technology and impact of photography and motion pictures.

The videos explored different means of artwork however I watched them after I had decided on my theme, so the only help was to learn that the George Eastman House has 140,000 online images.  The videos were interesting and helpful to understanding the art concepts used in creating our curation project. 

Video Review Week 9

I chose the Abstract Expressionism and Pop because I like Abstract paintings.  I also like Modern art so I watched the video on Modernity and Art.

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the 50s and 60s

Abstract art is compared to figurative art.  Franz Kline – C & O.  Helen Frankenthaler – Mountains and Sea.  Wilem de Kooning – Morning: The Springs.  Jasper Johns – Flag.  Andy Warhol – The Texan: Portrait of Robert Rauschenberg.  Roy Lichtenstein – Girl with Hair Ribbon.  Abstract Expressionism joined attitudes in American art and European avant-garde art.  Avant-garde – each generation, believed it was their duty to go further than the one before.

Uncertainty: Modernity and Art

The program stretches into contemporary art to ask: What can we still believe in?  Modern art is contemporary society’s version of Delphic Oracles.  Art has its own memory of itself, its own psychic strata.  Modern art underlying message is uncertainty.  Modern art is a complete break from art of the past that was inspirational, idealized.  Modern Art keeps responding to modern life.   Modern art has become an icon for moral goodness.  Abstract art asks questions, and it provides no answers.  Paul Klee is one of the original creators of the abstract look.  Pop art represents a change in thinking from the 50s to the 60s.  Pop art suggests that things and people are thrown away because things keep changing.  Art is about impulse, whim and casualness.  What is the message of art today? Answers lie within, not without.

The videos related to the chapters reading.  The videos were interesting to watch and see the detailed paintings and the people associated with these cultures and religions.