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.

Module Ten- Art Making/Material Exploration Blog: Mask Making

For the images I selected, I browsed through images of masks and was really drawn tot he ones that were unique. I loves the color and mosaic style of the first mask. I also liked the use of cardboard in the animal inspired masks. They come across as being a little strange, but that's why I like them. For the last mask I found for inspiration, it was a day of the dead mask. I always loved the look of day of the dead skeletons so naturally I was drawn to it. I also loved the use of flowers and leaves which was a huge inspiration for me.

For my sketches I pretty much just sketched anything that came to my mind, some elements drawn from my inspiration photos. For my final mask I incorporated color, pattern and line to make my mask. I also used the idea of the flowers on the day of the dead mask and made some navy blue fabric flowers to attach to the mask. I really enjoyed this project because I was able to take whatever inspired me to create something new. The interesting thing about masks is that you can really be inspired by anything whether it's meant to be for decoration or ritual purposes, the options are endless.

Module Ten - Blog: Video Review

For this module I chose the videos Buddhism and African Art. I chose these because they were topics in the reading that I found to be most intriguing. For the Buddhism video, the narrator elaborated more in depth the topics that were introduced in the text such as Buddha's beginnings and the basis behind the religion. The video about African art discussed the beginning of their art and why it was so different than other art forms. Both of the videos related to the readings in the text because they took topics that I knew about briefly from the reading, and went more in depth with explanation. The video of African Art discussed a lot and was very informative. The video about Buddhism did the same as well as showing art involving Buddha such as sculptures which I thought was interesting.

Module Nine - Art Making/Material Exploration Drawings

 

 

I did quick sketches using a charcoal pencil for this assignment. I've actually done some quick sketches of my hands before and it is a fun subject to use since there's so much movement in the hands and folds and shadows. It was very difficult using my non-dominant hand I almost felt like I had no control over that drawing (the bottom one). Using my dominant hand I was able to add more shading and definition and with my non-dominant hand I really wasn't able to do any of that. I think my drawings are successful studies. I drew to the best of my ability and tried my hardest when using my non-dominant hand. I probably wouldn't consider using my non-dominant hand in the future because like I said I felt like I had no control of the drawing, but it did give the drawing an interesting effect.

Module Nine- Video Reviews

I selected the two videos randomly really and because I wanted to watch two videos about things/people I know nothing about. It's more interesting to watch something new to learn more. The first video I watched was about Albrecht Dürer, an artist during the Northern Renaissance. The video follows his life and his most important paintings such as portraits. In the second video I watched it was about Velázquez who was an important artist of the Spanish Golden Age. He created many important pieces as well that paved the way for art to come in the future. The videos relate to the text because they show the lives and paintings of artists that I don't think were mentioned in the text, and if they were it was very little info. Actually seeing more pieces of a specific artist during a specific time makes it easier to understand the popular techniques and subjects used during that time.