What I've Learned From Art!

At the beginning of this art journey, I was very nervous to what was to come. This was my first time analyzing art and looking at it in a different way. I did not know that I would be able to look at art and really appreciate the emotion and time that was put into it.

I think one of the things that really impacted me was controversy art. It made me realize that not everything is accepted in this world. That some people view art in a different way and find it offensive. The one piece that I found interesting was Maya Ying Lins, Vietnam Memorial. Something that was created to remember the lives that were taken was beautifully put together and meaning behind it. But others found it a bit mocking, that the monument was not hoisted in the air, but rather groud level for others to see. It was created so it showed a timeline of the Vietnam war with one side starting off low to show the entering of the war and the other side descending showing the exiting of war. The names were in order of when they died and not alphbetically so people took time to look at the monument. At first not too many thought of this monument as patriotic but rather offensive to have been thought of in the first place. But to me, whether the monument is hoisted in the air or on the ground, it still remembers those who have served our country. It is art because you can look at it and appreciate it and get emotional because you know the story behind it. It also shows that if there weren't controversial art, everything would be the same and not as interesting. Controversial challenges the minds of people to think outside the box and truely appreciate art.

Another intersting concept that we learned was how light and color were related. I loved looking at things around my house and watching the color change because of how the light hit it. I never really knew that how the sun hit an object can really altar the color of it and make darker or lighter. Learning about the lines in pieces of work was really intersting to me. It is interesting how important to it is to see the lines in an artwork because it can give you a better idea of it is two dimensional or three dimensional. All aspects of art are important and now that I know them, I can look at a piece of art and truely appreciate it and analyze any aspect of it.

I think the best way to end the semester was going to the Crocker Art Museum. Throughout the semester we have been learning about art and the things that go into making a piece of artwork. But it just wasn't enought, until I went to the Crocker Art Museum to look at art in person. It really is a lot different looking at in the person because you can see the texture of the paintings and finally understand what the book is trying to describe to you. Looking at art in person makes you really look at the artwork itself because you want to know every aspect of that piece. You find yourself picking what is your painting or sculpture and not because it's "pretty" but because of the meaning and the tools that were utilized to create that masterpiece. Visiting a museum was a good way to wrap up this class and really see what you have learned all semester long.

Overall this class was very interesting. It made me look at art in a different way and truely appreciate it. Everything that I learned will definitely aide me in looking at art again. I have never taken a good amount of time to really look at art and the details that were put into it. But now that I know about the tools that were used, it makes looking at art that much more fun for me. I hope to go to another museum to see different pieces and take someone with me so I am able to educated them on what I have learned this semester. I take from this class, that anything can be art. A piece has its own beauty and whether controversial or conceptual, art is art and more people should appreciate it.

Conceptual Art

Conceptual art is a piece of art that is methodically put together that has an idea or concept behind it.

I think Kara Walker’s artwork is disturbing but yet intriguing at the same time. I like how she uses silhouettes as her medium because it makes the person really look at the pictures concept and not the colors being used. The silhouettes make it easier on the eye to try to figure out the message. Many of her concepts are embracing the truth instead of showing what should be or what ought to be. My favorite piece from her probably is “Camptown Ladies”. I googled her and this is one of the pieces that stood out for me. I think this piece is trying to show the history of African-American slaves. It shows how African-American slaves were treated, almost like horses. Just like horses, African-Americans were bred to become slaves when they got older. They were trained to do what the master says and if they didn’t, they were punished. They were treated in the harshest ways, as seen in the picture, the woman being hit and getting incentive by a mere carrot to do the job. It is almost saying that African-Americans are supposed to be slaves and succumb to the white man’s requests.

I think it is conceptual art because she put a piece together that had a purpose or an idea behind. She was trying to convey a message about the realities of our world, instead of what it should be. I think her pieces are very powerful because it does make a person take a step back and really think of what she is trying to say through her artwork. Her work also gives the reality of how African-American’s were treated and that although slavery was abolished, it still happened.

Art Visit!

For my art visit I was able to go to the Crocker Art Museum on April 6, 2008.

While I was at the Crocker Art Museum, Edwin Deakin was exhibiting his artwork. I am so fortunate to have seen his pieces because they were all so beautiful! Every painting was unique in its own way. My favorite from his exhibition was Strawberry Creek, Berkley. For some reason this painting caught my eye and I could not stop looking at it. The colors he used were very cool and the entire scene just seemed so serene. It was a very tall painting but it was so interesting to look at it in person.

After visiting my first (but not my last!) art museum, it made me realize how much better it is to look at art in person then on a computer or in a book. In person you are able to see the paint better and are able to get up close and personal with every painting. You get to see the true texture of a piece instead of reading about it and having to imagine it yourself. You are able to see any imperfections of the painting but realize that those imperfections make the painting so interesting. When looking at the paintings in person you can actually see the texture of the paintings. A lot of the paintings had a textural effect called impasto. You can see every brush stroke and that every brush stroke was applied in a thick and heavy manner. It is very interesting to finally see the techniques that the artist used in person.

My favorite work out of the entire museum had to be Venus and Cupid. It was by French artist Guillaume Seignac in 1870 – 1924. The size of the painting was 27 in. x 29 in., so it was fairly medium sized. He used oil painting on a canvas to create this beautiful image of Venus and Cupid. You can tell that he used oil painting because of the different changes in light in the background. With this change of light, he achieved in making this artwork have a three dimensional effect. The colors used in this painting were cool colors, with the green and blues in the background. Contour lines are being shown in Venus and Cupid and you can see this because the contour lines give mass to the bodies. The white used for Venus’ dress and Cupids wings implies purity and innocence. There are implied lines, Venus is looking off into the distance and Cupid’s implied line is going towards Venus. The lines that Seignac used are very expressive, they are loose and free rather then analytic and precise.

This was my favorite piece because of all the elements of art that were visible in this piece. It just caught my eye out of all the pieces upstairs in the Crocker Art Museum. I like these types of paintings that come off as serene and peaceful. To me when paintings are like that, I appreciate looking at the painting a little bit longer. When I was looking at Venus and Cupid, I was trying to find all the elements that I have learned in class and applied them to this one painting. This was the only painting, besides Edwin Deakin’s “Strawberry Creek, Berkley”, that I found myself looking at for a while. When I walked away to look at other paintings, I would gravitate towards this one painting. I love how he used the implied meaning of the white in Venus’ dress and Cupids wings. White does represent purity and innocence and that definitely goes along with Venus and Cupid and who they are.

Going to the Crocker Art Museum was different then I thought, but in a very good way. I have never been to an art museum before and I am glad that Crocker was my first. The artwork in there was beautiful and I am also happy that I was able to see the exhibition artist, Edwin Deakin. I have never had a favorite painting but now I can say that I do. My first experience just makes me want to go back out there to other art museums and see other art and apply everything that I have learned in this class to the pieces. I think that is what my trip so fun, because I was able to relate the artwork. I was able to identify the elements and understand the meanings behind the paintings.

What I liked about my visit was almost everything. Being able to walk through and see such remarkable artwork was a great experience. The only thing I did not like was how rude some of the people can be. When I am really into something and I am studying it closely, I like to have peace and quiet. But at one point when I was looking at some pieces there young teenagers there being really distractive and it made it hard to concentrate. It almost ruined my experience but I tried to block them out so I could enjoy myself.

Overall this trip was truly amazing. My first trip to an art museum was fun and educational. It was fun being able to identify the contour lines and the different colors that were being used in the artwork. At one point I laughed at myself, because I was explaining to my mom everything to do with the paintings. I sounded like an art teacher trying to teach an art student what all of it meant. It was good to know that I was able to educate a family member and kind of show off everything that I had been studying this semester. So not only me got something out of it but my mom did as well. In the future, I hope to get more of my family to an art museum and show off to them everything I know about art. So at least they would not be sitting there trying really hard to figure out the elements of a painting.

Two Worlds Collide!

Keith Cottingham and Aziz & Cucher artworks largely relate to the "The Collision of Two Worlds" lecture. As they alter their photographs it does show the how many of the images today become changed to show a different meaning. Aziz & Cucher's photographs definitely show how alterations can obscure the meaning that it is trying to get across. Today people see covers of magazines and notices how almost perfect the girl looks. That is how we perceive the men and women today, that they are virtually perfect. It is like we don't really look at the person and see the natural and beautiful flaws that people have.

After reading the lecture and watching the Dove evolution, it made me really think about all the magazines I have looked. I know when I look at the men and women on those pages, that they can't be that perfect. That someone had to have altered the image to make them look like the are almost perfect. It really upsets me to know that that's how people view people today. That basically everyone is thin and gorgeous. Especially today, our society has become obsessed with looking perfect that they are trying to convey that message through photographs.

Watching the Dove evolution was very interesting. It definitely gives me a better idea to what editors do to make the woman look more desirable. This society has put its main focus on image that it is soon going to effect our younger generation. We are showing them that being skinny and perfect is what you need to strive for. What they do is falsification and not relaying the true image to the public.

When this falsification happens women become more obsessed with changing themselves to look like that woman in the magazine, so they turn to plastic surgery. That has become the biggest epidemic in our country and it shows no signs of slowing down. Not only do they turn to surgery but eating disorders will start to occur. Woman are never completely satisfied with their image and usually feel ugly so they look to surgery or an eating disorder to finally get the image that they want.

Photographs should capture memories and not be altared in any way to make someone appear completely different from what they really look like. I love seeing the flaws because its says that no one is perfect and that imperfection is actually beautiful. Because it will start with chaging body parts and then move to chaging hair and eye color because it didn't look good enough for the photo. It is like us as a society is not happy with what we have so we need to altar our bodies to finally be happy with it.

It think everyone should love their body and their image. Looking at altared pictures is not a good way to judge yourself. I think people should be more happy with what they have and not change anything about themselves. Looking at images in magazines just gives someone the wrong idea about what men and woman actually look like. Everyone has imperfections and we should embrace them rather then try to change them. If we do that, most likely there would less eating disorders and more people content with themselves.

My Favorite Painting

Edwin Deakin
Strawberry Creek, Berkley
1893
oil painting

This is my favorite painting and I was lucky enough to have seen it in real life at the Crocker Art Museum. I went to his exhibition last but this painting intrigued me the most. I just thought it was the most beautiful painting of landscape that I have seen that day.

Edwin Deakin is a self taught artist from Sheffield, England. He moved to America in 1856 where he established a name for painting Civil War Heroes in Chicago. In 1870 he moved to San Francisco and set up an art studio where he was heavily into the art scene. From 1870 until his death in 1923, he painted many landscapes (that were mostly from California), architecture and still lifes.

I like how it looks so realistic, especially when looking at it in person. I caught myself looking at this picture for a long time and just admiring its natural beauty. My favorite aspects of the painting are the trees. They are so intricately detailed and create the somberness that hovers over the creek below. I love the colors that Deakin used, there isn't too much color but I think if there were too many different colors the artwork would have lost its beautiful meaning. I love how the plants in the back become less distinct; although not dominant you still know they are there. It is just a beautiful painting of landscape that is rarely ever appreciated.

The hues that Deakin utilizes in this painting make it feel really cool with all of the blues and greens. The flowing and not precise lines show expressiveness that defines the pictures meaning. He uses oil painting to create this beautiful landscape and creates continuous scale of tones and hues from the colors blue and green. By using oil he better establishes a three dimensional effect and can tell that this painting has depth. This also creates the effect of light change, which is shown by the ray of light that is shining through the trees and onto the creek below. This is especially dominant by looking at the rocks that are closer, which make them larger in scale and the trees in the back, which make them smaller in scale. Strawberry Creek almost has the effect of trompe l'oeil because when looking at it in person, it can deceive the eye into thinking that the painting looks realistic and almost like a photograph. I think using oil painting is much easier to work with because the artist has a lot of time to work on his/her artwork. I think that is why Deakin was able to create such a beautiful, realistic piece of artwork.

I am just glad that I was lucky enough to have seen this piece of artwork at the Crocker Museum. It gave me a better understanding of what it looked like and I was able to appreciate it that much more. And I was also able to see his collection and admire all of the work he had done.

Thomas Kinkade... Artist?

Looking at Thomas Kinkade’s work is absolutely breathtaking. He really does know to create light within his pictures. Every image that he has created seems so serene and can just make someone at peace when gazing at them. The uses of color in some of his paintings make it seem cool but warm at the same times. All of his images are representational with his lines being analytic and expressive. His artwork is definitely intrigueing, and I caught myself looking at his work for at least an hour and admiring everything that he has created. Looking at his stuff really makes me realize why learning art can be so much fun.
As far as the allegations towards Kinkade, it is hard to tell what is true. If the allegations are true, I think exploiting religion is the wrong way to get people to invest in galleries that have his work. Using religion to sell art is offensive and a fraudulent way to represent something that some holds very close their lives. But many are very hard on successful people. The rich always get criticized on how they are really making their money and whether or not it is legitimate. When money becomes an issue, it becomes the center problem for everything.
After reading how Kinkade really isn’t the one who creates the actually image that is being sold in the galleries, made me think if he really is an artist. I see an artist as someone who creates their own image themselves using their emotions. When someone else tries to depict that image, it is just a mere replica of the original. It seems to me that Kinkade would rather have people think that he is the artist who painted that image in a gallery with his own emotions. When an artist truly uses his emotions to aide him in creating a piece of artwork, you can really tell when observing it. You can almost feel the same exact emotion the painter was feeling at the time. So in perspective you aren’t really feeling the emotions that Kinkade himself felt, but more the emotions of the one who painted the image that is in the gallery.
If the allegations are true about him, I do think that he is just out there to gain wealth. Obviously he saw something, religion, which connects to many people and took that route to obtain his wealth. Art should be something that one loves to do and does not care about the money. So hopefully Kinkade is not guilty and does continue to create beautiful images. I think he should be the one to actually paint the work that goes in the gallery so people can really see what Kinkade has created. Because now being an art appreciator, I want to the color, line, and emotions that the actually artist did and not a replica or the implied meaning from another artist.

Analyze That!

I chose Marilyn Schroeder's image to analyze for my blog! First off, I think its a beautiful image which goes along with the chapters we have been learning about. To me it gives off a peacefulness. The woman in the picture seems so content with herself, hence why she is naked, and taking in the view.

This image is a good example of contour lines. You can see that in the legs of the woman sitting on the chair and with the shoulder of the woman as well. The lines aren't really analytical or precise but more expressive and free. The lines seem very soft which adds to the serene atmosphere that the image gives off. There is also an implied line, of where the woman is looking and facing.

The image shows perspective where its on a two dimensional surface with a three dimensional space. It also shows a one-point linear perspective where the window is the vantage point is the window. There is some foreshortening in the image. The chair shows this effect because the size of it was adjusted to make it protruding forward and not make it look flat and two dimensional.

Chiaroscuro is an effect that is seen in this image. You can see the highlighting, which is represented by the lighter color of the skin on the woman’s neck and part of her face. Then as the light becomes less direct, like on the woman’s' back and right leg, the shade of the skin becomes darker. Then on the chair you can see the shadow the body is casting because of the light coming through the window. The image is warm because of the color schemes that are used, like browns.

Analyze This!

URL: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.monetalia.com/paintings/monet-irises-monets-garden.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.monetalia.com/paintings/monet-irises-monets-garden.aspx&h=387&w=450&sz=113&hl=en&start=29&tbnid=VJORvheMuLJrEM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMonet%26start%3D18%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

(sorry it's so long!)

Watch The Magic!

For this blog, I chose to "Watch The Magic" happen on a fountain in my back yard. The sun hit the fountain perfectly and I knew it was going to be really interesting to see what was going to happen! I went outside around 2:15 pm to take the first picture of the fountain. So seen here you can see the effects of chiaroscuro. The way the sun is hitting the fountian makes a portion of the fountain color lighter. Then as a part of the fountain rounds you can see that where the sun isn't directly hitting it gets a little darker, then you see the shadow itself. With the sun directly hitting the fountain, you can definitely see the hue of the fountain is not so intense. It is almost like red was mixed with a gray or black to make it more of a shade of the color red. The coloring of the fountain almost looks vivid to the eye. After observing the fountain, I waited for about 3 hours until I took the next photo of the fountain when the sun was getting ready to set. After taking the photo you can see the enormous difference between the two photos. As the sun set, the light was not as direct as it was. Now the value of the fountain became darker and it is not as vivid as the first photo.
It became obvious to me that the sun plays an important part in the fountains color. When it is more direct you can see the different effects it has on the color and how there is chiaroscuro. Then after taking the picture when the sun wasn't directly hitting it, the color of the fountain became a shade of the color before. Doing this definitely made me understand better the concepts between light and color. It's fascinating how light can effect color in so many ways. I never realized this until doing this assignment, and it really makes you appreciate the color around you. The thing that helped the most, is relating our words to the this assignment. It helped me better understand them and now I can apply them to everything when I am outside!

Line and Space

My surroundings have become more interesting because I begin to notice some of the key terms. When standing in my street and looking down the street, you can definitely make out linear perspective lines with the sidewalks and the trees that line the sidewalks as well. The telephone lines that are off to the side create more linear perspective lines. Which is really fun to see because it makes it seem that the focal point is the stop sign at the end of the street. You also see foreshortening a lot. Especially from my perspective, my house is kind of on a hill, so many of the objects that are down below and far away look a lot smaller then they really are.

It is a lot of fun looking around me and trying to place a key term to the objects around me. It definitely gives you a different idea when looking you are out and about. It's interesting how everyday things become a part of art that you never would have though of.

Controversial Art

The controversy that really impacted me was Maya Ying Lin’s, Vietnam Memorial. It was interesting how the people who were against it interpreted the piece in a completely different way then Lin intended. But I loved her piece because it was different then any other monument or memorials in Washington. It made me appreciate a different type of piece of art.

I think the world wouldn’t appreciate art the same way if all artists conformed to the same predetermined standards. Like Lin, she didn’t conform to a standard that memorial’s should be raised above ground level and have some relation to the American colors and the flag. I think that if people were truly determined to make artists conform to certain standards, they would make it happen. They would find powerful people to see their views and get them to set standards for artists to conform to.

If this were to happen, this world truly wouldn’t be a “world of art”. I would see art as boring and all the same. I like it when artists create images that challenge the mind and push the buttons of those who don’t see it as a good thing. The only reason people really appreciate art is because of the diversity between every artist. As much as some people don’t like these differences, they still look at the art and have some type of opinion about it. The artists are still getting a reaction out of those people, even if it is a bad one and I think that is the artist’s ultimate goal.

Every controversy in this weeks reading made me appreciate art that much more. I realized that having diversity in art is what truly makes art. The images that really push the standards is what people appreciate because that challenges them to try to understand what the artist was trying to convey. When I watched the documentary about Lin’s memorial and saw how so many reacted badly, I felt really sad and irritated. I understand that at that point America was going through a lot of tough times, but someone was trying to remember the men and women who fought for our freedom. Lin wanted people to take a few minutes in looking at the memorial and giving appreciation to those who risked their lives. I don’t think that she had to put some sort of American symbol, like the flag, with her memorial because by just looking at the names on that wall and taking it in, Lin got the reaction/emotions she was looking for. She pushed the limits and in the end created a beautiful piece that had a lot of meaning to it. I love how the “V” shape represented America going in and out of the war. The black granite gave off reflections of those who looked at it, almost saying that your life is what these names fought for. It was a monument that people were able to look straight at rather then up at. It almost mesmerized people because of the many names on their, but it also made them appreciate everyone on there. Although Lin’s piece was a controversy, I see it as a brilliant way to push the so called standards of art and challenge the people’s minds.

Week 2 Reflections

Wow, in the first two weeks of this class I have learned a lot. I am beginning to become an active looker.

So far I have learned content, which is to look deeper into the images and trying to discover the meaning(s) behind them. I think that is one of the most important skills in this class, because then you can almost relate the artists and almost read their minds. Many of the images do give me a sort of emotion and from there I can further analyze the piece.

I have also learned form. Although it is very simple to define form in art, but it also plays an important part in appreciating art. Rather than just looking at an image, you find the very details that the artists put there for you to see. It makes a person look more in depth and not just glancing over it really fast. Form and content are interrelated, especially when it comes to color. Usually the color of an image can help set the mood/tone of the entire image itself.

I have also learned how to look at images and analyze them as representational, abstract and non-representational (non-objective). When an image is representational, it resembles real things in the real world. When an image is abstract, it less resembles real things in the real world. Then when an image is non-representational, it does not attempt to represent the appearance of an object.

All of these aspects so far have helped appreciate art a lot more. I no longer just glance over an image. I try to discover the meaning(s) behind it and analyze the form of the image. For me to obtain these skills is a plus, since I have never before looked at art this way. So far I have enjoyed this class and it has opened my eyes to new lights.

Getting Critical About Art

Childe Hassam, Allies Day, May 1917, 1917
Jasper John, Three Flags, 1958.

In these works of art, they both are pictures of the American Flag. In Hassam's Allies Day the American flag is being celebrated by people and being waved around and there is more then just one flag. In Johns Three Flags, it is just of three different sizes of flags laid on top of each other.

Hassam's Allies Day depicts the flag in more active terms. The flag is being appreciated by the American people who are waving the flag in the picture. The colors red, white and blue is seen everywhere in the picture. His image provokes patriotism because the flag is being more actively used and appreciated by the people. In order for it to be patriotic, there needs to be people who are acknowledging the flag not only as just a flag but as a symbol for their country. We look at this image and analyze it as patriotic because of the usage of the flag in the image.

Unlike Johns Three Flags, that canvases are just strategically placed on top of each other to create an image of the American flag. Althought it does show patriotism because it is the American flag itself, but nother else goes along with it. Unlike Hassam's image where people are embracing the flag, in Johns' image the flags are getting smaller. Which almost is saying that America is not so big anymore as a country and diminishes the idea of America stands for.

All About Me!

Hi everyone!
My name is Jessie Manzer and I am in my 2nd year at Sierra College. My first year was spent at Sonoma State University on a soccer scholorship, but decided to make school my main focus. I am a Business Admin. major and hoping to transfer to Sac State very soon!

This is my first Art class I have taken at Sierra, so I am a little nervous but very excited for whats to come. I have never looked at art in any other way but just looking at it. I never tried to realize the meanings behind it. That's why I think this class is going to be extra challenging for me, but I am up for it!

Besides school, i love being outdoors and being active. During the winter i love to go skiing and during the summer I am usually always at the lake doing all sorts of water sports. I love being with my family and friends in my spare time. I am very excited to begin learning and appreciating Art! Good luck to everyone!