Module 13 and 14: Reflection Process

For this project, I struggled a lot in the beginning. I tried to do a bunch of different themes to see what would work and nothing did. At first I was trying to do nature paintings and artworks but it was way too difficult for me. I could not find images that I wanted in my collection and when I did, I could not find the artist or any information on the paintings. It was hard for me to pick one until I thought of pop art. I used a different type of pop art for each artwork and I am very happy with the outcome. I loved looking at all of the types of work artists considered pop. I think my pieces work well together. I used the big bubbly font for the title and author because I wanted that part to stand out. Also, I used a different color and background pattern for each slide. I know a few slides may be hard to read because of the background, but it reflects that each piece of pop art is different in its own way. I did not want each background to be the same because the types of work are not the same. Yes, they are all considered pop art, but they all are very different from each other and have unique features. I worked very hard on this project after I figured out my theme, and I am glad we had been assigned this. I mainly used one website for my images which gave me the image plus all the information I needed. It is called Artsy.net and it did wonders for me. I hope this can be added to the guides and resources for next semester's class to help them as much as it helped me.

Module 13 & 14: Video Review

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art

174 European paintings in the museum 

Book of Revelation 

The Gilman Paper Company 

Woman Seen from the Back 

Artworks in museums can be kept in storage and must be handled with care

Draping fabrics was considered art

Total immersion in water

Stained glass conservation 

The Exhibition

The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art

Lowbrow: a person regarded as uncultivated and lacking in taste. 

Surrealism

Isabel Samaras

Many definitions of Lowbrow

Pop Art was big in that culture

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

They did help because I saw artwork that related to my Art Exhibition. I couldn't get the second one to work so I'm hoping I didn't miss out on too much. The videos helped me to think deeper into this project. 

3. 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 liked the films. At some points they could be a bit dull, but other than those few parts they were enjoyable and helpful. The Lowbrow video took forever to loan and it took me twice as long to watch the 48 minute film because it had to pause and reload every 30 seconds. 

Module 12: Video Review

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I picked Uncertainty: Modernity and Art, and Andy Warhol: Images of an Image because they happen to be the two shortest videos. Besides that, Andy Warhol was the first video I saw that caught my attention. I feel like in grade school we always talked about Andy Warhol and his work. I would like to listen to this video to see what it talks about on him. 

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Uncertainty: Modernity and Art:

Modern art is a tradition from the late 19th-century, but takes off in the 20th century

Picasso was one of the first to break art traditions

Total power - Hitler - no questions, told how to view things

Modern art - against war

Modern life has a dark side

Pop Art

Disillusioned with modern society

Abstraction 

Andy Warhol: Images of an Image:

Images replicated on a canvas multiple times

Made Marilyn's face world famous

Elizabeth Taylor- Andy made a silk screen of it

2 meter wide double Liz 

Image of her as Cleopatra duplicated multiple times

Excess ink or paint can produce smears

Process on how to create a silk screen image

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The video Uncertainty: Modernity and Art has an entire chapter in the textbook dating from 1800-1945.This chapter talks about pop art, abstraction, realism, expressionism, etc... Expressionism is talked about in the video a lot more than the others. There are many images in the text to relay these art styles as there is in the film. For the video Andy Warhol: Images of an Image, it explains how he creates the images of the same picture multiple times on one canvas. There is a whole section on Andy Warhol in the text, also including his Marilyn Monroe piece and Thirty Are Better than One piece.It relates to the text by exploring art styles that he used such as pop art which was his biggest.  

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

They helped me get a better understanding of the text by giving me more visuals to look at. I definitely am a visual person, and the more examples I see the better I learn it. Using the examples I was given from the videos and text, I know understand this topic better. I liked the videos a lot. They were different, but something I kind of already knew about. Teachers teach about pop art in grade school so I knew about it. Andy Warhol had a Cambell's Soup picture that was repreated multiple times. That image always sticks in my head. And I know who Marilyn and Elizabeth are so I could make the connections to them about pop art as well. 

Module 10: Video Review

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I selected the first video, Buddhism, because I have always been fascinated in that type of religion/culture. I wrote a research paper based solely on Buddhism in high school because I thought it was just amazing. I chose the second video, African Art, because that one seemed interesting. African artwork always has something to it that interests me and I hope that it shows me all types of African art. 

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Buddhism: 

India

Meditation- causes you to see the world differently

The Middle Way

Basic message of love for Buddhism 

Deaths could be seen as golden age

Daughter of village chief, offers rice pudding on the north gate

South gate has wheel of love that was worshiped  

Built with two square posts with lions 

Carved reliefs 

Ivory carvers

The Summit 

African Art:

Humans are represented in ancient rock art

Hunting-gathering lifestyle persisted the artwork

Start of agriculture led to a great civilization along the Nile

Perceptual - based on artist observation of visual reality, European tradition

Conceptual - flows from artist's imagination, expresses interior set of ideas, most African Art

Power of symbolism is more important than resemblance of real life things 

All African Art played a role in daily life or rituals 

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

They relate to the text because it talks about religions and cultures using art to portray their work. There is a whole section on arts in India and Buddhism with art. There are many images of Buddhists and their temple. Also, for arts of Africa, there is an entire chapter based on it. African art is very important because I feel like it is something studied in a lot of courses like art, history, anthropology etc... There are many pieces shown in the text. It's all just so different on the art that was/is created here in America. I like to see how different places around the world and cultures interpret art. 

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I definitely liked the African Art video more than the Buddhism one. Although the African Art video was shorter, I felt like it was more understandable. The Buddhism video had a lot of hard terms to try and identify through the speaker's voice. I like the selection I chose for the videos. They were simple and to the point. 

Module 9: Video Review

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I typically choose the first video of each selection (in this case, The Drawings of Michelangelo) because it might be at the top for a reason. So, I picked the first and last video for my selection. I'm not sure what the second video I chose is about (Velazquez) but it seems interesting. They also are the two shortest videos of the group.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

The Drawings of Michelangelo: 

Drawings come from rough sketches to full complete works

Cross hatching

Lots of repeated strokes

More lines bring out the structure moe

His drawings had to be turned into larger scale models

Us charcoal dust to recreate images

Thoughts on the death of Christ reflected some works

Velazquez: 

He was born in 1593

Two major trips to Italy 

Tells the truth in all of his artwork

Keeps flaws in his work

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The Michelangelo video relates because there is a whole section based on him and his artwork. Both of these people were from the Renaissance era. They talk about how artists like these created their work during this time. Things such as drawings, sculptures oils on canvas etc...

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

My opinion of the films is that they were not as interesting as I thought they would be. I liked the Drawings by Michelangelo one, but it was long and dull. The Velazquez video was boring and I did not like it. I should have picked a different video but I watched it anyways. It helps add depth to the texts by talking about lines and how they created their work. 

Module 9: Exploring Lines

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing?
It was weird, but I liked it. Hands are something you look at every single day all of the time because we need them for absolutely everything. I know what my nails look like, certain marks on my hands, and the lines on my palms. I tried to draw them the best I could but it was a bit difficult considering I had to use my left hand to draw when my right hand was the subject. 

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why?

I used pencil because it is what I use all of the time so I know how lightly I can write/draw with it, and how dark. I feel like if I used charcoal I would draw too darkly all of the time and I like to keep my drawings light with dark emphasis points. Plus, everyone owns a pencil. If I wanted charcoal I would need to pay for it which is pointless when I have the option to use a pencil.

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand?

It was really weird to use my left hand (non-dominant) to draw with. I think drawing is a lot easier than writing with my left hand because its harder to mess up when drawing. Drawing allows mistakes and more freedom when writing has a set form to it.When writing, an A is an A. When drawing a picture, there can be many differences between each individual drawing it. 

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies?

I think when my left hand was the subject and I could draw with my dominant hand, it turned out much better than drawing with my left and having my right hand as the subject. The picture of the left hand has more detail and has more dark to light features. Looking at my right hand drawing, it could use more shading and it looks a bit uneven. I did my best considering I do not like drawing at all. It is not my strongest aspect, but I did my best and I think they represent my hands pretty well. I have both rings that I wear every day in my drawings because they have become a part of me and I would feel incomplete without my rings. I am happy with the way my drawings turned out.

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future?

I would not consider using my non-dominant had to make artwork in the future. I don't see the point in it unless my dominant hand was damaged for some reason. Other than that, I would always use my dominant hand in artwork and writing because it makes the work turn out a lot better. I have more control of what I'm drawing or writing. 

LH is Left Hand, drawn by dominant hand

RH is Right Hand, drawn by non-dominant hand