Art reflection

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

Coming into this class I knew little about art in general. My expectations were to develop a better understanding aspects of art and how to analyze art. In addition, I wanted to familiarize myself with specific artists and popular artwork. I feel this course exceeded my expectations.

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

I agree with my initial understanding of art. I believe art could be anything. Art is everywhere, on billboards, street signs, and on clothing. In addition, art is anything that draws feeling or emotional attachment to a piece. 

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?

My favorite artist in my original posting was Vincent van Gogh. I think this is because of unique style and how he uses color in his pieces. Although he is still my favorite, I have learn and enjoy the works of Claude Monet. 

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?

This was my first online course, along with three others this semester. I think online courses are too much work and would rather take a traditional course. I feel there is more interaction in a traditional course. 

Portrait

1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?

I visited the Albright Knox Art gallery to find inspiration for designing a self portrait. The three portraits that I selected were Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monkey, Jacques Louis Davis’s Portrait of Jacques-Francois Desmaisons, and the Mona Lisa (not at the gallery). I selected Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monke because I liked the theme of nature in the portrait. They monkey and the vegetation in contrast with the color scheme was quite interesting. In contrast I thought Jacques Louis Davis’s Portrait of Jacques-Francois Desmaisons was quite the opposite. The man is more formally dress sitting at his desk. Although the Mona Lisa was not at the gallery, I have always found this portrait to be quite amazing. I especially enjoy the “mystery” involved in this piece. In compilation of these pieces, I tried to emphasize such elements in my portrait.

2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?


I decided to use drawing paper and pencil as a medium for this piece.  I thought pencil would allow me to create shades and details to the portrait.

3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?


The most difficult part of the portrait was creating the nose. After trying over and over, I made three circles and erased the areas to make it look like a nose. I then shaded in some areas to add detail.

4. How does this piece represent you?


This piece makes me appear young and casual. It is not a formal or serious portrait.

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?


In regards to the elements and principles, lines, texture and shapes were the most abundant.  Lines were used to creature texture and depth to the piece. Shapes were used to create the eyes and nose.

6. Did you enjoy working on this project?


I thought this was an exciting assignment.

7. What do you think of your final artwork?

I was surprised at how well my portrait came out. I think it looks somewhat like me.

Sport Stock Review

1. Which projects did you review?


Sport Stock by Cody Torpey

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?


I selected this Exhibit because I enjoy sports and thought it would be interesting to experience such sports through art.

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


Some challenges of this assignment were analyzing each work of art and form a critique about them. I tried to overcome this by developing a feeling towards a piece that could be used to develop a critique.

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


I thought it was interesting critiquing classmates work. I think it is exciting that everyone has his or her own interests for creating a specific curator. That is what made this exciting. 

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


I think we should be able to read the critique of our projects. It would lend insight and feedback to our work. 

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


I would rank my article a 9 because I thought I put a solid effort into this assignment. In addition, I thought I did a good job analyzing and critiquing the exhibit. 

7. Did you enjoy working on this project?
 
I thought this assignment was quite valuable. It taught me how to actually critique art. This could not have been from a typical reading assignment. 

Video Reviews APRIL 22, 2011

In this blog I will review the following movies:

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

In this video, T.J. Clark interviews Clement Greenberg.  The video gives an understanding of how Greenberg views art criticism. More specifically, he reflects on his view of value judgments in criticism, and lends an insight into the connection between art and history. I thought this video was insightful and gave a different perspective on art criticism. I was especially influenced how art has change throughout Greenberg’s years.

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

 This video had a similar format to the previous video. Instead of focusing on art criticism, the Greenberg critiques Jackson Pollock. Although Greenberg expresses Pollock as an outsider, he admires him for his practical approach. I thought this video was rather interesting because he shows how one critiques other artwork. In addition, Greenberg has an insightful opinion of Pollock and his work.

An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance (Giorgio Vasari)

The next video I watched was An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance (Giorgio Vasari). In regards to the video, the video shows how the Italian Renaissance was developed through innovations of other artists. An artist would develop a technique and that technique would build upon by future artists. This video was one of my favorites because of its reference to the Italian Renaissance. More specifically, this video critiques the works of Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo. This video widened my knowledge of art from this specific era.

The Critics: Stories from the Inside Pages

After watching An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance (Giorgio Vasari) I watched The Critics: Stories from the Inside Pages. This video looks at the relationship between art criticism and society. Dr. Dwight DeWerth-Pallmeye interviews many well-known media critiques and tries to connect their responses with art criticism. After watching this video, I gained a different perspective of art criticism. This video was my favorite out of the group.

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

The next video I watched was Culture. This video looks at views on art from different parts of the world. More specifically, it takes the art from the world fair and looks at how Western people criticize such non-western art. This video does offer valuable knowledge about art criticism, I thought the video was quite dry and boring.

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

The last video that I watched was Jackson Pollock: Michael Fried and T. J. Clark in Conversation. T.J Clark debates the aesthetic views of Michael Fried by studying the works of Pollock. This video is significant to the concepts of art criticism because it shows how people can analyze work in different ways. In addition, it shows us how two people can develop different opinions about a work of art simply by critiquing it a specific way. This video offered valuable insight into the word of art criticism. 

Art Exhibit

This project took a great deal of time to put together. I first gathered the works of art that were to be included into my exhibit. I then uploaded the pictures to the exhibit and began analyzing them. The most difficult portion of this project was finding and choosing excellent works of art for the exhibit. I tried to included different aspects of nature in the exhibit. Such aspects include valleys, mountain ranges, human interaction with nature, animals, and bodies of water. I believe I did an excellent job analyzing and interpreting the art in my exhibit.