Art Gallery Visit #3- Self Portraits

Self portrait inspiration:

 

Self Portrait, Grimacing by Egon Schiele

Leopold Museum

Self Portrait (7) by Amrita Sher-Gil

National Gallery of Modern Art

In the Mirror- Self Portrait with Joy Hester by Albert Tucker

National Portrait Gallery

My photo:

 

Self portrait painting/drawing:

 

 

 

I selected my inspiration pieces because they were artworks that aren't your typical self portrait. The artists added a twist to it whether its color, expression or setting. I used watercolor, pencil and marker for my self portrait because I wanted to really express how creative I am through this self portrait. I really haven't drawn in a while and that was my biggest challenge. I'm a perfectionist so I would work on a painting for months if I could. This piece represents me because it portrays how I am a simple, laid back person, but with the use of color I expressed my creative side. I applied color, line and unity in my work. I enjoyed looking through many self portraits for inspiration but I don't really like my final artwork that much. I would love to fix it and perfect it over time to make something really awesome.

Reflections of AED

When this course started, I expected to expand my knowledge and get out more and explore local art galleries. These expectations were definitely met. This course allowed me to be exposed to so much art that I didn't even know was out there. I would define art as anything that went through a creative process to be made. For example, Duchamp's ready mades weren't something he created himself, but put out in the world for others to take a different perspective of them...that is art. Andy Warhol was my favorite artist in my first post and now I really cant even say who my favorite is. I definitely love Salvador Dali and any artist in the book that created strange pieces that made you think about them. Warhol and Dali are at complete different ends of the spectrum. Warhol created pop art while Dali created surreal paintings. Both artists have an interesting personality which is what attracts me to their art. 

Project #4 Process

When brainstorming ideas for this art exhibition project, I wanted to create a theme that stirred up a lot of emotion and curiosity within the viewer. This is why I went with the theme of surreal photography. Surrealism is an art that has been around for years, but technology and photography have allowed artists to create life-like images. The photos in my exhibit are all a little strange, but make you think, which is what I wanted. I took a classic art form and presented in a new, fresh way. I had to dig through online archives and blogs to find these images since the artists are all quite young and not very well known. When searching for photos, I wanted to make sure they all related to each other, but didn't outshine any of the other ones. I wanted to make sure they all complimented each other, but still expressed individuality.

Week 13 and 14: Blog Video Review

In The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art, many points are discussed about lowbrow art. Several artists are interviewed about the term lowbrow and what it means to them and what they would consider to be lowbrow art. Lowbrow art seemed to be something completely different than any other form of art. It was very wild and unusual but portrayed issues and pop culture of the time. In Tate Modern, the narrator discusses how Tate has become such a revolutionary museum. The way in which art is displayed changes the way an audience perceives it. In An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the process of developing the Moma by Philippe is the main topic. He was incredibly articulate and innovative in the ways in which he went about creating exhibits in the museum. The videos relate to the art exhibition project because they all provide different points of views on the topic of art exhibitions. Art exhibitions can be completely out of the ordinary and take a lot of thought and attention to detail to be successful and perceived well by the art world. The helps bring a lot of ideas to mind for the curation project. I think most people don't realize how much goes into creating an exhibit in an art gallery and the videos opened my eyes to how many different aspects are involved in the process.

Module 12: Video Review

Pop Art and Andy Warhol are two of my favorite things when it comes to art history, which I why I chose to watch Art Expressionism and Pop Art of the '50s and '60s and Andy Warhol: Images of an image. In the Art Expressionism film, many artists are discussed and specific artworks are introduced. The narrator of the film discusses important aspects of the artwork and why it was considered expressionism and pop art. The main idea for artists was that the artworks were intended for the viewer to think and feel. Color fields and action painting were just a few of the key terms introduced in this film. For the Andy Warhol film, the narrator discusses Warhol's use of pop culture in his screen printing. Big canvases are used and subjects are portrayed as a consumer product. Rather than being an exact portrait of the subject, screen printing gave way to a hazy portrait, eliminating contours of the face etc. These videos relate to the readings in the text because Pop Art, Expressionism and Andy Warhol are all introduced in the readings. I enjoyed watching these films especially the one about Andy Warhol since I just think he is so fascinating. The films took what was in the reading and brought the ideas and artists to life.

Module Eleven: Art Gallery Visit #2

The Exhibition

The title of this exhibition was The Likeness of Being by Philip Burke which is currently being shown at the Burchfield Penny Art Center. Philip Burke is an artist who creates portraits of publications found around the world from Rolling Stone to Vanity Fair. The portraits are colorful, warped, and part caricature. The soul of the subject is captured in each of the portraits, giving the viewer a full understanding of the subject. I think the theme of the exhibit is to express the true character of icons we see in everyday life.

The Gallery

The lighting in the gallery is very bright. There are a lot of windows which was letting in bright, natural light. The portraits are done on large canvases which are hung all along the length of the walls. Every small wall is painted with bright colors, some displaying quotes from icons that were painted. I didn't see much use of materials being used in the interior architecture besides the walls where the pictures were hung. The movement of the viewer through the gallery space is very random. Since there are so many colorful portraits it's easy to wander about and go back to a previous one to look again.

The Artwork

The artworks are organized in a very clean but expressive manner. The pieces are all very colorful so they don't need a crazy display, they speak for themselves. The artworks are similar in the sense that they are all portraits, but they differ greatly. The subject of the portrait varies as well as the vibe each portrait gives off. The artist emphasizes their personality, therefore each one is different. The artworks are not framed but hung just as canvases on the walls with a small label next to them, leaving about a foot or less in between each piece.

Art Criticism

 

Audrey Hepburn, 2003

Oil on Canvas

Unpublished

 

This painting is a colorful portrait of Audrey Hepburn. To me, she is a woman who can carry herself well and possesses a lot of poise which is expressed in her portrait. Using a variety of colors, the artist paints a side profile of Hepburn. One side of her face seems to be painted using regular flesh tones, while the other side is splashed with yellow, green, blue and red. Her neck is elongated and her facial features are emphasized. The artist uses emphasis, color and proportion in this piece. This portrait is a symbol of class and poise that many women of Hepburn' generation had. I think the artist was trying to reflect this in this piece. Audrey's features are over exaggerated to draw attention to the parts of her that make her who she is.  

 

Prince, 1993

Oil on Canvas

Rolling Stone

 

In this portrait, it is done of Prince. Compared to Audrey Hepburn's portrait, this on is a little closer. Many colors are used to emphasize his facial features and expressive eyes. The portrait has a white background rather than a color like Audrey's. The artist again uses color, proportion and emphasis. In a way balance is used as well. Prince is a musical icon who gives off a very unique aura, and this portrait completely embodies that. The artist's intention was to show the viewer a unique, personal side of the subject. Rather than a regular photograph, the portrait is expressive and somewhat cartoon like.

 

Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, 2008

Oil on Canvas

Vanity Fair- Germany

 

I love the Rolling Stones so this was one of my favorite painting in the exhibit. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger are such amazing musical icons that completely embody rock and roll. You can definitely feel that vibe from this painting and well as their laid back attitudes. Unlike most of the other portraits in the exhibit, this one has two subjects rather than one. Mick is painted in the foreground while Keith is in the background. The artist uses color, emphasis and balance in this piece of the two subjects. The artist once again emphasizes their features by making Mick's head and lips the focal point of his portrait, and emphasizing Keith's smile and ears. Both of the men have their hands in their pockets which also gives off a laid back vibe. I feel that the artist was trying to take what he thinks makes these men unique, and emphasize them in a beautiful and different way.

 

 

From This Visit

 

Looking at this exhibit from a different point of view really opened up my eyes to the importance of a display of artworks. The pieces along with lighting, props, furniture and color all are incorporated in making an exhibit complete. For this exhibit, using colored walls and quotes from some of the subjects in the portraits, the viewer was able to get the whole experience. 

Module Eleven: Video Review

The two videos I selected were Expressionism and Dada and Surrealism. I chose these two because out of the reading, those two art styles interested me the most. In Expressionism, the video goes into detail about the birth of expressionism and its emphasis on color and its relation to emotion. Expressionism was a style where feelings took over rather than observation. In Dada and Surrealism, these art movements were a result of World War I. Rather than focusing on the norm, Dada and Surrealist artists focused their attention on what could be done with the unconscious mind. These art movements were more strange and provoked thought. The videos relate to the readings in the text because they elaborate on the art movements discussed in the book, but offer more examples from artists. I enjoyed watching these films since they were of art movements that intrigued me and wanted to know more about. They added depth to my understanding of the readings because they introduced the art movements with incredible detail and showed many artists who were represented in those movements.