Module 5 - Art Gallery visit # 1

After spending some time at the Gallery, ask yourself these
questions: 2 works for each question

A.) Which artworks make an impact or impression on me? Why?

This piece of artwork, by 'Arman', is a series of sliced violins mounted on wood. This piece had an impression on me because I have played the violin for about 20 years. It is one of the first pieces near the entrance, and I loved it right away. Although, I felt at first it was a waste of possibly good instruments, the art itself not only shows you what the structure of the inside of the instrument is, but it also makes you appreciate the hard work put into actually making them.

This sculpture by 'Erwin Wurm', made me laugh when I first saw it. The impact was definitely humor, because as a child, I remember my sister and I always got stuck in shirts, and our dad would pull them up over our head but leave them on the top of our head so it looked like we had long ears. The piece is obviously someone bending over totally stuck in this sweater going the wrong direction. A humorous look at someone's frustration.

B.) Which artworks do I feel a connection with? Why?

This artwork is a series of four, but 'Marika Mori'. They are photo paintings, that look like different things like bubbles. Since I love the ocean so much, and color, I really felt a connection with these pieces. Two of the four almost look like a view from the bottom of a body of water, looking up into the abyss towards the sunlight. The other two almost look like something you might see under a microscope. They were pretty simple, but I really enjoyed looking at them. They symbolized to me the peace and serenity I lack in my life right now.

I also felt a connection with this piece. It covers about half a wall of a huge room in the gallery. (Next to the enlarged folding chairs).  When I went up to it up close, it looks like fabric sewn together stuffed with something, mounted with wood pegs.  It looks again, like something that would be looked at under a microscope, like some sort of amoeba, or bacteria, stretching itself to multiply or travel through a liquid. It is something I would hang in my house one day. It is a very unique shape, that makes the viewer wonder why the artist would make such a thing. Obviously from looking at the description card, it is a 'Citoanima Demopylea", whether that is real or the artist made it up, there doesn't seem to be information on that other than the artwork.

C.) Which artworks would I like to know more about? Why?

I liked this piece, and thought right away that I wanted to know more about it. There is a boy in his underwear reaching down a drain. It makes you wonder what he is looking for? And it also makes you realize how gross the world can be underneath our perfect little bathrooms, etc. "An inexplicable narrative" is what the artist calls it, meaning he kind of wants you to want to know more about it, and it works.

'Garth Weiser's' piece made me want to know more about it immediately because it has the illusion when you first look at it, as if it could possibly be a really close up picture of a bigger thing. I thought it was a feather at first, probably from a peacock...I was wrong. It is a Tahitian Moon, which I still don't quite understand how that looks like a moon, but that's the beauty of art, is you don't need to understand it, just enjoy it. The challenge of this painting was what made me want to know more about it.

Logo creation - Module 5

1. Discuss what you thought about creating your logo.

Creating my logo was a good assignment I thought, because it made me think about myself as a person, and what I enjoy.  Most school assignments are pretty cut and dry, telling you exactly what to do, while this allows the student to express more personal creativity than normal. 

2. Describe the process: creative thinking skills and ideas you used in the logo creation.

The process of creating this logo was pretty simple, I made a quick list of what came to my mind first, of words showing things I like, love, or have a passion for.  After I was satisfied with the list, I started making rough sketches until I was semi-satisfied with the general idea.  I thought I made a final drawing with a blocky "M" but ended up not liking the thick fraternity looking font, and changed the "M" to the scorpio symbol. Not only am I a scorpio, but my name begins with this letter. I added a small seahorse blowing music note bubbles to show I love sealife, sunsets, and I enjoy and play music as one of my jobs.

3. What was the most important discovery you made in the creation of your logo?

The most important discovery I made while creating this logo was when I did a little research, how such simple designs represent such a huge meaning.  Most larger businesses and companies have very small, basic, unique symbols that make your eye try and figure out the bigger meaning behind it, and what the motive of the graphic designer was.

4. What is the most important information you learned from watching the videos, powerpoint, and reading material  for this project? What is your opinion of the videos?

My opinion on the videos was pretty good. It was neat to see how the man judged the graphic designers work so harshly and specifically to make sure they got the perfect design.  The websites showed several different examples of what different designs look like being used for different purposes. These would be a great resource if I was ever needing information on such a thing. All of the information including powerpoints seemed a little redundant, but was interesting because I have never done anything involving graphic/logo design before.

3 Images (in order) - Final result, blocky letter font mistake as described, and rough beginning sketches. 

I like the seahorse better from the mistake drawing, but the 'M' better in the final result. Effort is the key!

Photobucket Reflection Journal

Slideshow Link:  http://s1066.photobucket.com/albums/u403/TRAPTinaStang/Art%20Inquiry%20Project%201%20-%20Elements/?action=view&current=2385abad.pbw

Since there are no questions to answer about this project, I will just explain a little of what I did and why.
Most of my photographs were taken at Tillman nature preserve in Clarence, NY. I got lost with my mother for over 10 miles, so I had plenty of time to be picky with pictures. For the photograph 'Line', it is showing a boardwalk continuing into the woods. There are boardwalks everywhere, and I kept my eyes open for one that seemed pretty consistent in the line space down the middle, and not warped/turning like most of the others. For 'Shape' I chose my bathroom cabinets. There are different two dimensional shapes on top of eachother, showing squares and rectangles all on one large rectangle.  The image for 'Forms' is these ceramic spheres my mother found in my grandfathers garage. I thought they were originally the white ball for lawn bowling, but they are very heavy. Anything three dimensional would work obviously, but these also kind of gave the illusion of eggs, to add some flow with the rest of the nature pictures. The photo for 'Space' is obviously taken upwards from underneath a small branch with leaves off of it. Simply made to show the negative space of the sky around it is also a basis of concentration throughout the image. Now, the photo for 'Color' seems very plain, I kind of wanted to keep it that way. You can have a simple portrayal of an element like color, without going crazy and needing every color in the rainbow in the picture to display it. The screaming yellow wild flower satisfied me in that element. I had originally taken a TON of photos to show 'Texture', including tree bark, moss, pebbles, etc. I decided on the pussy willow, wild field straw piece because as I walked (very lost) through a boardwalk that went through these things, I just had to touch them, they looked so soft, and I hope the picture makes the viewer wish they could touch it also. 'Balance' is one of my favorite pictures taken on this adventure. The description on the assignment under balance said symmetrical or asymmetrical. This photo is ALMOST symmetrical, but clearly not, they way the one tree looks like its dancing away from the other in the smallest way. The image for 'Emphasis' was the first one I had planned out in my head from the day I first read the assignment. I read the definition a few times, and thought to myself about when I was mowing the lawn, "there are tons of plants in the garden that are green but we only have ONE grape tomato". I chose to have it off center so the viewer kind of has to look for a second to find it, and because there were mums to the right that would obviously ruin the photo by adding a huge splash of unwanted color. 'Movement' was a little difficult for me, my camera was not cooperating. I had pets running, flags flapping, people walking, and cars driving. I chose the rain picture because again, it flows with the nature aspect of a lot of my shots, and rain is always moving, people may not think about it as much as a moving vehicle, but gravity makes rain always a moving object we try to avoid. 'Pattern' is pretty self explanatory, a blanket my grandmother made, where I took it so the angle shows that the colors repeat, creating a pattern. The picture for 'Repetition' was easy, I work at a pizzeria at night, where you are surrounded by the same things over and over. Whether its the redundant job itself, or being caged in by mountains of the same boxes around the walls. The photograph for 'Proportion' was also taken at the restaurant, I was trying to think of things that were pretty much the same, but maybe different in size, or color, so I chose my chef knives. 'Rhythm' was by far the most difficult one for me to understand. I looked up several different definitions, asked professional photographer friends, and still didn't feel like I had a grasp on the word and meaning. A friend suggested a book shelf, and how the uneven flow of books stacked almost symbolizes the peaks and drop offs of volume on a stereo. As I was trying not to take the word too literally, I feel that picture and suggestion made me understand it a little better. The image for 'Variety' is well, literally a variety of shells. They are the same object, but very different in shape, color, etc. Hundreds of shells surround our pool from Emerald Isle, NC. And lastly is 'Unity'. As we were walking through all of the wooded trails, we came across these man made teepee's. Obviously the purpose of these being built were for some not so good reasons, judging by the beer bottles and cigarette boxes inside of them. Regardless, I thought that since it was just moving nature and not disturbing it in any way, and how all the branches come to one point at the top, which shows that they are all working together for the end result.
This assignment was actually very fun to do, other than being dead exhausted after the little trip. This has been my first photography project ever, and I really enjoyed it. I had taken SO many photographs, and some are much better than the ones I used, but they do not explain the words as well. Hopefully there will be more assignments like this, so I can try and become better at photography.

Module 3 Blog- Color, feelings, emotions.

Questions and Topics for Your Blog Posting:

1. Describe Color and it's effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.

Color is light reflected off objects. Color has three main characteristics: hue or its name (red, green, blue, etc.), value (how light or dark it is), and intensity (how bright or dull it is).  I believe that colors effects on emotions are pretty intense. For example, most restaurants are painted red inside because that color is supposed to increase your appetite. When people are sad, they are more likely to involve the color blue, anger would be red, happy might be yellow, etc. I personally tend to paint when I need to vent/relax/express a feeling. The end result always comes up at the end, reflecting the emotions I was experiencing at the time, and the only way anyone could judge that, would be by the color schemes.

2. What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?

A theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates me is secondary colors. The science behind mixing two primary colors together is amazing, and to how that was first discovered. Cool and warm colors are also interesting, with their association with fire/sunlight, and sky/water/shade.

3. In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?

The biggest impact on me in regards to color and it’s effects on emotions were these two segments:
The Scottish woman painter, June Redfern goes to Venice to see one of her favorite paintings. As she is around Venice, she tries to paint an image of an old man on his boat that is docked in the canal. She goes back to her studio and tries to paint a larger version of it, and her emotions really show when she isn’t satisfied with the colors, and throws things at it. She says later in the video, that colors are very psychological. There are many meanings and ideas, but at the end of the day, it is how you feel about them that matters.
Vincent van Gogh shows emotion through painting a small café. “It is one of the ugliest I have ever done, I have attempted to show that the café is a place where a man can ruin himself; go mad, commit a crime. I have tried to capture these terrible feelings with green and red.” “I use color to try and express myself more forcibly.” He hoped his violently contrasting colors would express his profound taste for the place.

4. In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?

Matthew Collings seeks the first glimmerings of humanist art in the Italian Renaissance in this video. What made the biggest impact on me in regards to color and it’s effects on emotions was the segment on the Mona Lisa by Leonardo DiVinci. The famous mystery of her appeal. He was just painting a woman, not a madonna or a religious icon. There is a compelling sense of individuality. She is made to look very regular, of flesh and blood, just like everyone else. The colors in that painting are very dull, and nothing eye catching. The fact that it is one of the most well known paintings in the world, it is not bright, or distorted in any way, and is still so beautiful.

Blog 2 Video responses

Questions and Topics for Your Blog Posting:
1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
2. Which philosopher's theroy on aesthetics do you feel is most important? Be sure to mention the philosphers name, era (time in history), and contribtion to the aesthetic theory in your response.
3. What do you think about Changeux and Ramachandran scientific view of aesthetics and art? What was the most interesting fact you discovered from each speakers lecture? 
4. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
5. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics in your reading?

1. Changeux was pretty hard to understand, making the french accent language barrier a priority in watching this video over actually understanding everything he was saying. I learned a lot about brain processes, emotions, and how the brain reacts while certain emotions are being expressed, aesthetic judgement for example. Ramachandran also speaks of the brain and emotions, but was much easier to understand, and made it much more easier to listen to with his sense of humor. Relating science and humanities, and how they meet in the human brain.  I found it interesting when he was speaking of the Indian sculpture, and the western people said her breasts and hips were too big, and her waist was too small. He made it clear that emphasizing what makes a woman beautiful is the purpose, it should not look realistic.

2. Immanuel Kant (1700's) says that what causes satisfaction, in the judgement of the beautiful, is pure form experienced in selfless contemplation. He published 'The critique of judgement' (1790).  Kant was one of the first philosophers to develop and integrate aesthetic theory into a unified and comprehensive philosophical system, utilizing ideas that played an integral role throughout his philosophy. 

3. I learned from Ramachandran, the eight laws of art. Grouping or "binding", Peak shift principal, Contrast, Isolating a single cue to optimally excite cortical visual areas ("attention"), Perceptual 'problem solving', Symmetry, Abhorrence of unique vantage points and suspicious coincidences, and Art as metaphor. He does not like using the term 'Art' because of the cultural connotations, he prefers the word visual aesthetics.

Changeux spoke of the brain, and evolution of the brain from our ancestors. When people think of 'Art', they do not think about how certain parts of your brain function more because of whatever emotion you're feeling while looking at a piece of art, or how our ancestors, people who painted in caves actually felt while creating such pieces.

4. The videos relate to the readings because they basically expand on what the book said. They give much more information on philosophers relating to aesthetics, and where their information and mind-set comes from. They all seem to have very different views on aesthetics, and the videos make it easier to compare them.

5. Again, Changeux was very hard to understand. I wish the videos were shorter, it is hard to sit at a desk and watch two hour long videos at a time. I think as students, we would benefit more by having shorter lecture based videos if they are available. I understand that most classes are around 50 minutes of lecturing, but these were a little dull, especially the first one. They do add depth to the readings, especially Ramachandran. His sense of humor, and high energy levels made me realize things that I may have read, but not grasped. I could listen to him lecture everyday for a class.