Sunday, December 4, 2016

Module 13/14: Art Curation Project Reflection

I don't really have a "process" so much as I either have an instant idea in my head or I struggle to come up with anything. Since I rather enjoy artwork and I happen to have a host of it, in various forms, in my home, I decided to think of the things I enjoy looking at. Which art books do I enjoy the most? Which captivate my attention the best? My husband and I both love the pin-up; everything from the subject, to the postures, to the wide array of artistic styles. I had first thought of my favorite artists (Frank Frazetta, Bernie Wrightson, Tim Vigil, Olivia Beradinis) and I realized they all worked extensively with the female form, which lead me to the genre of the pin-up. I already had names in mind (we've had 4 different Gil Elvgren pin-up calendars) so knew it would make finding the works I wanted relatively simple. I browsed through my own art books and prints for inspiration, picking a couple of my works right from there. I was lucky to find the site I did; good quality images, listed by artist, with mini biographies of each artist. It really helped me delve into the different artists throughout the decades and expose me to some I had never known before; which was great because I really wanted to use all different artists. When it came to organizing what I was going to display, I decided the best way would be to aim for a semi-chronological concept. I split my artists up into two categories; Vintage and Contemporary. I used six works for each category, and then ordered the works by year to give a sense of progression and evolution of the genre. I really wanted to use works that were a little unexpected in the contemporary half; really emphasizing the change to a less traditional woman and image of her.

When it came t designing the slideshow, I went very minimalist, hoping to emphasize the beauty and worthiness of the works themselves. I don't think these are the kind of works you'd see in a high art gallery. Maybe the Albright Knox, but that is because they embrace many different forms of art, in all its stages. I really wanted to pick something off the beaten path to show that not all art worthy of attention is found in big galleries. My slideshow design is a little reminiscent of a large warehouse gallery, maybe a converted building; the floor could be gray marble, it could also be concrete. I like juxtaposing the beauty of the women's forms against the bland industrial location, I hope it makes people rethink their standards of beauty; a woman working a power saw can be just as glamorous and attractive as a woman dressing or cleaning.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Module 13/14: Video Review

1.) The Lowbrow video was interesting; I did not know much of the art I own and enjoy would fall under that category. Then again, it is kind of a catch-all term. I love pin-up art and did not really think of it as Lowbrow, I kind of categorized it on it's own as "pin-up art". I've been fascinated by album covers my whole life, especially the fantasy worlds of Roger Dean for the band Yes. I recently bought my husband an art book called "The Art of Metal"; it covers the art of the Metal music scene and has quite an extensive collection of art and artists in it for many different bands. I'm very aware of the music scene as a propellant for art careers; my husband made at least one Death Metal band's logo in the 90's.

The Modern Art Video was also interesting, though I don't like Modern Art as well as other genres. I suppose I just don't get Modern Art as well; it doesn't appeal to my senses as much as other forms. Some of it is pretty cool, and I really liked the description and explanation of the Tate and its renovations; since I'm probably never going to go see it myself, I like getting the opportunity for an inside scoop.

 The Met video had a lot in it. I liked the final exhibition because it mashed things together that normally wouldn't have been shown in the same wing much less the same room. The works and the process they go through is remarkable; the stacked stained glass restoration was ingenious! I liked getting to hear about the bureaucratic system involved in purchasing and displaying a work; glad to know there's red tape everywhere, even in the museums.

2.) The videos kind of relate to the project; the different genres of styles and the different ways they are displayed I suppose. I don't really feel like it is going to really influence my decisions in the project because there is no physical to the exhibition; the most I have to figure out is what order to list them, and which ones to pick. It loses a sense of importance when you remove it from the physical space of the gallery, there is less restriction because there are no walls.

3.) They were entertaining and showed neat things, but I don't feel like they really gave me more in the way of understanding the material. I don't feel like they expanded on my knowledge so much as gave me different information in another form.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Module 10: Video Reviews

1.) I chose the Buddhism and the Chinese Art videos because I have always been fascinated by those two cultures. Buddhism has many excellent teachings and I've always felt I should adapt them and learn them and practice them. Chinese art and culture has always been of interest to me; I think it's beautiful and shows control and structure.

2.) The Buddhism video was fascinating. I loved getting to see up close the different temples of worship and statues of the Buddha; I personally have a little Buddha figurine in my aquarium because I love the feeling and mood it gives. I had no idea there was a Buddhist temple in NY, near to upstate NY no less! I thought the gigantic statue they created there was beautiful, and the mural and other embellishments made it even more magnificent. The fact that its so big they had to make the building around it speaks to its epic proportions.

The Chinese art video was equally fascinating, though only because I enjoyed the pieces featured! There wasn't much actual information in the video, aside from specifics about each individual work. I liked getting to see the variety of pieces made by the Chinese, and their various purposes. The two part vase that rotates internally was very fascinating, along with the beautifully patterned and decorated floral teapot; those might be my two favorite pieces.

3.) The videos tie in to the different cultures and religions mentioned in the readings. It gives a different and more up close look and explanation of the cultures and religions; almost like an in-depth analysis of a particular culture or religion, in this case Buddhism and Chinese culture. The Chinese art video less so, since it only described the various pieces and their uses; however, it still helped to illustrate what we learned in the readings.

4.) I enjoyed getting to see more of the architecture and art of these cultures; watching it in a video has more impact for me than a picture in a book. The Buddhism video gave extra information I had not known or picked up from the reading, and that was very interesting and enjoyable for me. I wish the Chinese art video was more of an educational video about the techniques or the history of the culture, instead of being just a list and description of various items from the museum's collection.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Module 6: Blog Reviews

Blog #1: Amy Newton
Let me first say two things; one, I dislike reviewing other people's work, and two, I was lucky enough to have to review my sister's blog found here. She has always been a very good writer and a frequent reviewer and analyzer of various media, so reading her entries was fun for me; we generally like to snoop on each others assignments anyway.

I thought her elements matched pretty well in each of her photos. While her thematic choice was clever and convenient, I feel it kind of restricted her in some ways. Still, she was inventive and clearly inspired by the assignment so I can't knock her on that. While some of her images obviously had other elements in them (texture being almost unavoidable in any photo), I felt her photos were focused on the elements they were meant to focus on. 

Amy and I both chose Niagara as a piece that related to us, and for the same reasons. I find that funny in some ways; we went to the museum together, but we did our assignments and photos separately, yet we came up with the same piece for the same reason. Just goes to show the family traits I guess.

Since we went to the gallery together, we actually got to talk about the pieces as we were viewing them. So, I don't think I could say that she picked any that got my interest more than while we were there. Walking Soldier (1917), by Alexander Archipenko caught my attention at the museum, but for a different reason; I just think its odd looking and weird. Call me narrow-minded if you must, but I just don't see a person in it; in fact, I'm not really sure what I see in it. 

Blog #2 Amber Racette

This is why I dislike these projects; the need to be polite overrides the desire to be brutally honest. I thought her photo choices were appropriate, none were mismatched or unbelievable. However, I really felt like she didn't put any effort into the post about the project. Not that she needed to go in depth and individualize like Amy, but I wish there was something there that was interesting to read.

I'm convinced she didn't go t the Albright Knox; I've been there numerous times and have never seen those pieces ever, any of them. Not that that is a bad thing, quite the contrary; but I wish she again, put more information into her post. There aren't even titles on her blog posts, which made finding and commenting on her posts very difficult.

All of her selected images piqued my interest, because I've never seen any of them. Which is why I really want to know where she went, so I could see these beautiful works for myself.

As I said before, and will say again; I really dislike having to review peer works. Even in the discussion forums, where I try to be as uplifting and encouraging as possible, I find it frustrating to have to pull meaning out of someone else's opinion; and that's only after I figure out if they actually followed the prompt or not. Personally, I find it embarrassing and anxiety producing to have my work viewed by my peers. It isn't that I think I do poorly, it's that I don't want to have to cater to an audience; especially in my reflections, which I have tried very hard to be honest in. All of this "blogging" is nerve wracking for me as it is. I don't have a large interest in socializing to begin with, and less so on the internet, so sticking my opinion out there is just asking for trouble in my opinion. I don't feel like I get anything out of it either; I'm sure that makes me a little strange for a 26 year old nowadays, but its just not my thing.

As I said before, I don't like the idea of people even seeing my work, so reading the comments was kind of scary. At least I knew my sister was going to read mine, which made me feel better because she always has such helpful things to say. The other comments weren't awful, very nice things were said, but I didn't feel like they thought much about it. It was more "I did this too!" and that was all. But its all I ever expect from assignments like these, so I'm not really surprised.

Module 6: Video Review

1.) I though Through the Eyes of the Sculptor was a really interesting video. I had seen many things on the methods for sculpting and always thought they were interesting. However, I'd never sen anything quite like this; getting to see the sculpture through all of its stages was really nice, and hearing the sculptor's opinions and plans was really enlightening. I did not know that there were artisans, whose entire job for a piece is shaping the form out of the original slab. Granted, I was aware there were different specialties in every art form, but I was not aware how specialized it could be. I really enjoyed watching the idea become reality. From sketch, to small model, to full-scale  model, to plaster copy, to finished work; it was fascinating to see the attention to detail and effort put into keeping the form and design the same between each stage. Remarkable that from initial model to the finished work, there was very little variance or change.

The video on Ceramics and Glass was pretty dull; I already know how glass and ceramic is made,  really like the old TV show How Its Made and they did an episode on it. I did enjoy the visuals; watching glass blowers is always fascinating and seeing the giant complicated machinery is always amazing. I hadn't heard of cold press ceramics, so that was really interesting; it looks like a very convenient way to make dinner plates and I really liked watching the guy glazing them by hand, it looked really cool the way he did it. I loved how out of date it was; it was from 1993, which means its 23 years old, so its only to be expected. The projections for the future of glass was pretty funny.

2.) The first video was very relevant to the text, it basically covered all four basic methods of sculpting; modeling, assembling, carving, and casting. In the process of making his sculpture, the sculptor in the film begins by modeling a clay figure, then he casts a plaster mold, and finished by carving the statue out of marble. The only method we didn't see in the videos was assembling, unless you count the work the sculptor did for that driveway entrance; the two horses and male in the middle, had to be assembled on their pedestals when the individual figures were done. The first video also covered a variety of materials mentioned in the book; like clay, stone (specifically marble), and plaster. The second video covered chapter 12; the sections on glass and ceramics and their uses. 

3.) I think the first video was interesting, and was a nice addition to the readings. The second video seemed unnecessary, as I thought the chapter covered them very well and they are common and familiar materials for most people.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Module 5: Museum Visit #1

A.) There were many works at the museum that made an impression on me; that's the funny thing about the word 'impression', it's a very vague term and it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. I think the two pieces that had the greatest impact on me were Wall Drawing #1268: Scribbles: Staircase (AKAG), and Untitled (Mylar), pictured below.
Sol LeWitt
Wall Drawing #1268: Scribbles: Staircase (AKAG), conceived 2006; executed 2010
Graphite on three walls
Tara Donovan; Untitled (Mylar), 2007; Mylar and glue
 The first thing that struck me about the Scribbles was it's absolutely immense size and it's ridiculous effort to make! It is literally composed of nothing but scribbles of Graphite pencil on a three huge walls; it took over 5,000 man hours and over 1,700 pencil leads to complete! Standing in the stairwell was quite an experience; you're literally surrounded by a never ending sea of various shades of ever so slightly shiny black. But when you look very closely at the whiter sections, you realize it is all composed of tiny individual scribbles working together. It was a strangely moving experience for me.
Detail from Scribbles
 (Mylar), on the other hand, left a very visual impression on me; not emotional like Scribbles. The way (Mylar) reacts to the lighting makes it appear as though it is made of something alien; something otherworldly, that is showing us a reality we could have only dreamed of. It is a strange mix of shadow and shine and looking at it was surprisingly entertaining, without being dizzying.

B.) In terms of feeling 'connected' to the works, I can't say there were any that I specifically felt connected to. There were pieces that moved me; many works made me feel something, but none really 'connected' with me; except for maybe Niagara. This obvious reason this piece connects with me is it is focused on Niagara Falls, right in Buffalo's backyard. It's also concerned with the pollution in the river, something I too take very seriously.

Frank M. Moore; Niagara, 1994-95; Oil on canvas
 The other work I would say I felt connected to was Ground III; part of the Joan Linder: Operation Sunshine exhibit. The entire exhibit connected with me, again it was based in WNY and dealing with pollution; but the exhibit contained many locations I recognized personally, places near my home and workplace. One of the sketch books on display showed the bridge to Grand Island and the fuel refinery in the background; I travel past there almost daily on my way to and from work, and the refinery is owned by the company I work for, Noco. Ground III was particularly moving for me because its so simultaneously large and small at the same time. The photo below isn't very good, mostly because the piece is very large, but contains many intricate and small details that my camera just couldn't capture.

Joan Linder; Ground III, 2014; Ink on paper
 C.) There were several works that just had me asking more questions than finding answers. The first of these works was The Flying Fish, pictured below.

Marc Chagall; The Flying Fish, 1948; Oil on canvas
 There isn't much in this image that doesn't make me scratch my head. Those are clearly husband and wife in their wedding garb, but why are they standing in a bouquet of roses? Why is that house upside-down? Where did the rooster come from, and why does that flying fish have an arm holding a candelabra? I found no sense in the image, and yet it didn't seem random or unplanned; this is what piqued my curiosity.

The other work that grabbed ahold of my curiosity was Reckless; a large floor sculpture of bright colors and strange shapes. The first thing I thought looking at it was it looked like bacteria growing across the floor, or was it a garden? It was brightly colored and full of shapes, but it was flat; like someone had just painted all over the floor. It made me rethink what 'sculpture' really was; here was this sprawling floor decal sitting among three-dimensional forms, yet it seemed more full and alive than the rest of them. Certainly it was less...disconcerting than some; I did not care for that large wooden pumpkin baby thing.

Polly Apfelbaum; Reckless, 1998; Synthetic velvet and fabric dye

 

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Art Making/ Exporation #1: Value Scale and Color Wheel Assignment

1.) I really thought making the Value Scale and Color Wheel were kind of annoying projects. First of all, I can just find one online or in the textbook so what is the point of actually making one; I've blended paints before and I didn't need a Color Wheel to do it. Second of all, I can barely tell the differentiation between at least three of Values; making this thing was next to impossible for me. I'm relieved to say that I actually enjoyed myself; it really wasn't as awful as I was worried about it being. I've always loved to paint things, so actually painting the color wheel was pretty fun. The Value Scale turned out to be very difficult for me; I was expecting it to be a little challenging for me, but not like this. It kind of reinforced how quickly I really am losing some kinds of vision, and that wasn't very fun.

2.) I definitely liked working with the paints more than the pencil. First reason why is they're bold and I can see them very clearly; sometimes I can't exactly tel colors apart, but I can always see where I'm painting. Pencils, not so much; they're so controllable but there can be such little contrast that I can't tell where I'm drawing. Second reason why I like paints better is, I like brushes! Brushes are so interesting and fun for me to use; much more variety than the standard pencil! Plus, the effects that brushes can make are super pretty, and incredibly versatile. Makes it a much more interesting and fun medium to work with!

3.) The most important discovery for me was definitely the lack of contrast vision I have. It has always been a struggle for me to see slight variations of the same color; shades of blue and black have always been particularly hard for me. However, I was usually able to tell if I saw a series of them, like the Value scale; my eyes would adjust to each as having a border around them because the colors don't match on either side. This time, while trying to create my own Value Scale, I couldn't get the shades right for each square. I had to go down from black a few blocks, then come back up, darkening each block more. My eyes just were not getting what was going on. The middle section of my scale still looks like one color to me; my husband checked and assured my they looked different so I could be done with it. I was not expecting that kind of challenge, and it was kind of upsetting news.

4.) I really did not know that Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow made Red, Blue, and Green. I knew that CMY was the new print standard for high quality printers, and I knew it was widely used across the the digital world. What I didn't know was Cyan and Magenta made Blue. That blew my mind and changed the way I look at colors; seriously, it really caught me off guard. It also made making the Color Wheel make a lot more sense, since my eyes kept trying to see the blended colors I was used to; Orange, Green, and Purple (which did happened for the Magenta/Yellow blend, it dried very orange). I enjoyed the videos this module and watched them a couple of times; they were entertaining to watch and I learned something too!