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.