Hand sketechs

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing?

-I found it very interesting to use my hand as the matter but enjoyed it also. It was a bit weird trying to draw my own body part but at the same time it was nice because it was something I was familiar with.

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why?

-I chose to use charcoal because I just feel as if it is a much better art utensil. It is much smoother to sketch with and shading is much easier. I will always choose charcoal over pencil when I know that there is shading involved because I find it to be much easier and look much better. Although you can still see the lines a little bit when shading with charcoal, I think it is much less noticeable than if I were to do it with pencil. When using pencil the lines are so much more distinct and it is harder to get the correct shades or to shade with different values.

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand?

-It felt very weird. I broke my fingers when I was younger and had to use my left hand in school and I forgot how difficult it was. I struggle just to even trace my hand and then when it came to trying to add the details and shading I thought it was going to be a disaster. Although it did not turn out terrible, it did take much longer. I had to be a lot more careful when trying to shade and it was just an awkward feeling.

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies?

-Yes I do feel as if this was a successful study. It is clear in my pictures that my right hand is my dominate hand. The drawing of the right hand is much larger than my normal hand, the shading is not as vivid, and the details are really lacking. Although the drawing of my left hand is not perfect, it is much closer to the actual size and detail and resembles it much more. After doing this study it is clear that dominate and non-dominate hands are very different and do have the possibility of changing the looks of art.

 

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future?

-I would definitely not considering using my left hand to draw in the future. It is not that I do not think that it is possible; I just find it to be much harder and much more time consuming. I am sure if I practiced it would become much easier but it took me almost double the amount of time to draw my right hand and the feeling was very hard for me to get over because it was so uncomfortable and uncommon.

Video Blog

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.

The Drawings of Michelangelo: I chose this one because I have never had the opportunity to view Michelangelo’s work from the beginning to the master and I thought it would be very interesting

Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance: I chose this one because I find da Vinci to be a very neat individual and so I knew I would enjoy this video.

The Power of Art: Caravaggio: I chose this one because Caravaggio sounded like and interesting painter and I wanted to learn more about him.

The Night Watch (Rembrandt): I chose this one because I was not interested in any of the other videos and thought this would be a fun and different one to watch.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

The Drawings of Michelangelo:

-British Museum displays over 90 drawings by Michelangelo

-Reviewed the most famous and inspiring steps that went into all of the famous art work from over 500 years ago

-View brief sketches and both full work to get the total view

-Show hesitations and changes but drawing bring us closer to the master

-Allows people to view his beginning steps of creating an art work (done in pencil and charcoal) and then comparing them to the actual painting or sculpture

-These can also be seen at the Ashmolean Museum

-Views the detail and time that had to of gone into many of Michelangelo’s pieces but specifically David, the Chapel ceiling, The last Judgment, and St. Peter’s Basilica

Leonardo da Vinci: The Mind of the Renaissance:

-How da Vinci was the mind of the renaissance

-Born at three in the morning on the 15^th of April

-Natural Son

-Leonardo demonstrated gifts right from infancy with intelligence and interest in nature

-left handed and uses mirror writing

-He Observed faces, hand gestures, and motions of the sole

-Moved from Tuscany  to Florence

- He was put in Andre Del Verrocchio painting/sculpture studio when he moved to Florence)

-He become ideal man for his teacher and master

-He based everything on first becoming a master of perspective, and then acquires knowledge on proportions of man and other animals, become good architect too, do not distain to draw from life even if you have no experience

-First to make actual landscape and conveys density and transparency

-at the age of 20 he was accepted into the painted guide

-He studied sculptor, architect, engineer, anatomy, physiology, architecture, hydrodynamics,  and aeronautics

-Audience was given the opportunity of viewing his work, his studies, and his steps

-Was not always happy but would not waste his life

-Died in Cloux

The Power of Art: Caravaggio:

-Murdered someone and there was a price on his head so he tried to paint his way out of trouble

-Painted David with head of Goliath hoping he could be spared or save himself in real life

-He was very involved with violence and focused on that

-Discuss the catholic religion and how paintings effect a church

-When he was 19 his mother died and he went to Rome to establish his talent

-Explored the artist in both very involved paintings that he did to make a point but also ones that were done before he was discovered

- Closely analyze David with the Head of Goliath painting to try and analyze why he chose the people he chose and why he put them in that order

-View The Calling of Saint Matthew, The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, The Beheading of John the Baptist, and The Death of the Virgin Mary

The Night Watch (Rembrandt):
I had trouble understanding and connecting with this video but here are a few of the main points:
- Night watch was done in 1642 and shows a group of Amsterdam civic guardsmen’s and led by captain and left tenant
-for Dutch people it is an object of honors
-There are parts missing because it has been destroyed and shouldn’t be called the night watch but over a million people come to visit it
-Seems military but then there is a little girl intertwined also
- It has become famous because it tells the story of Musketeers and how they dressed up on occasion but there were no real intentions on fights, it was all just for fun
-It came about as a group portrait to hang on the wall at meeting places
-He focused on tradition but also changes it to his own views
-The picture has been damaged by many things and people over the years
-Rembrandt focuses a lot on drama of history
-represents drama with the techniques of light, perspective, and values
-Also view and go into a little bit of detail of The Anatomy Lesson of Doctor Tulp

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
-They videos related to the book because I felt as it they almost tied everything we have learned so far all together. They gave examples of each that furthered our understanding but also added new information to teach us something new. They discuss major artist that the book uses frequently and also many of the same terms.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
- I really enjoyed all of the films. I found them to be full of extremely interesting information but at the same time I felt as if it was almost too much given at one time. That add depth to the understanding of the reading and art concepts because they tie everything we have learned so far all together and give multiple examples of each. Also, they explain everything in a different perspective so it is easy to fully understand everything.

Video Blog

1. Explain why you selected each of the three videos you choose from the selection listed above.
- With so many interesting selections it was tough to choose just three videos to watch. I read all of the descriptions and wanted to pick three videos that were closely related and would provide a little bit different information than the book.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
-More Human Than Human:
-How images dominate our life (tell us what to feel, think, do ect) and they dominate because of our ancient ancestors because they shaped our whole world
-Goes back 100, 000 years of history and unlock the deepest secrets of ancient art
-How we science was used to figure out what makes the human mind drive us to create images
-pictures of the body dominate are mind the most and yet majority of them never resemble actual human beings
-Expedition started August 7, 1908 in Vilindough and what was found was a statue of a women’s body,
-People follow the characteristics of this first statue, emphasizing certain features
-No one knows why but one man was determined to find out why and related it back to studies done on seagulls
-They believe they emphasize these features because it is what people are familiar with and relate to most often.

The Birth of the Middle Ages:
-Introduces Mid Evil Europe
-Shows surviving traces of art structures from Mid Evil Europe
-Discusses the practices that were used to create the art structures
-Traced the roots back to the fall of the civilization to show how everything started
-Traces back to the fall of civilization and the fall of Rome
-Discussed how a lot of art come from the practices of pray, work, and study

Art and the Life in the Middle Ages:
-Shows beautiful pictures of the illuminated psalm book of Sir Geoffrey Luttrell
-It contains great picture descriptions of the bible and everyday life
-Shows of the Psalter was made and decorated
-How all the paintings reveal a great amount of fashion and entertainment
-Beautiful pictures of heaven and hell which lead back to the 14^th century

-A World Inscribed:
-Stresses how writers write so that the future can learn
-Discusses the everyday lives of a few very important writers/scribers
-Discusses the great work and a few of the details of Richart and Jeanne de Montbaston
-The printing press is invented!!
-The printing press becomes moveable!!


2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
-The videos I watched did not relate back to the book in a really clear fashion. They mention a few detail that were also mentioned in the book but I felt as if the book focused more on sculpture and technique rather than people and specific pieces. They were both very informational and provided tremendous information on art from this time of life.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
-I thought the videos were great! I always like watching videos on top of the reading because it provides similar detail but also spin off onto separate topics that all are very important to this history too. Also, it added great depth to my understanding because I feel as if the information is provided in a much clearer fashion on the videos rather than the book.

Video Review - Architecture

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
Prairie Style:
The main focus for this whole video was the impact that Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture with the invention of a prairie house. Lloyd is still considered a very famous man today based off of the fact that he built the first home based off of the harmony between client and architectural texture, inorder to give it a natural feeling. A few of the main concepts that were involved in all of Wright’s designs were:

·         His style focused on making homes blend with living style instead of it being a box

·         Designed single family homes with a determination of making them describe the time and landscape that they were being built in

·         Always focused on how to re think organization of the house

·         Planned houses to follow the sun around

·         Never wanted house covered, but wanted some privacy

It was really interesting to see houses that Lloyd designed but also see ones that other architectures designed based off of his style.

Architecture, The science of design:
Architecture can be considered a science for many reasons. One example is skyscrapers. skyscrapers are very tall and save space, but can potentially be very dangerous if not built right. Skyscrapers consist of two parts, super structure and underground substructure and each part requires different foundations. There are many techniques that can be done to support a sky scraper, like driving steel piles into ground, but all must be able to support dead weight and living weight. The reason that there has to be so much science behind each skyscraper that is built is due to one main problem, wind! All of these structures must be tested to make sure they are able to stand against environmental weather because wind is 4x more violent the higher you get. Scientist must figure out how high a building can go and how much each building is going to sway with the wind. They perform many tests (wind tunnel tests) because if poorly designed, sway can cause a lot of damage.
Cement is the go to material for creating skyscrapers. It supports and is accommodates for what architects need to do. Cortland cement is most popular and has many elements that make it up. Concrete is a very complex material and there are many things to consider when using it. For example, deal conditions for concrete are underwater! Concrete is always changing and always improving and with the help of scientists, our structures are becoming much more sturdy and safe.

Classical Architecture:
-Romans and Greek had a very strong influence on early architecture and provided many techniques and ideas for architecture now. They stressed the importance of having harmony, proportion, balance, and simplicity. The provided many styles that were very famous in the past and are still famous today. The Greek styles that created such an impact were the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles. Each of these styles really focused on columns. The styles that came from Rome are Tuscan and Composite and these focused on arches and domes.

Frank Gehry:
Architecture in the beginning started off as very cold and lifeless but Frank Gehry was out to change that. The whole concept behind this video was to mainly give examples as to how architecture can be unique and different. Gehry expresses how he likes all of his work to be unique and different and doesn’t focus on harmonizing it with the rest of its surroundings, but rather harmonizing it with people. He expresses his work as you either see it or you don’t, just like a painting. Gehry has a very strong love for motion and is a strong believer that the design speaks and tells a story alone. He expresses how technology has advanced over the years and with better technology comes better ideas! He is a very famous architecture and the video shows a lot of beautiful pieces that he has created.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
- The videos related to the book because a lot of the same concepts were mentioned in many of the videos. They compared many of the same styles and discussed how architecture is really a true form of art and either you connect with it or you don’t. I like the book but I feel as if the videos do the architecture much more justice by giving different views on buildings and they expanded into a little more detail also.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?
-I really enjoyed the films. I found them each to be so drastically different but also all connected and traced back to all the details of architecture. The book did a great job of introducing and giving brief details about some of the styles used in old and present architecture but watching a video on it just gives it much more depth. I am definitely a visual learner, and the book shows tons of great examples, but seeing examples on video are much nicer because it expands the views and understandings just that much more. They added a lot of depth to my understanding of Architecture because I really never knew how much science and testing was involved in architecture or the extent that each architecture puts into different buildings. It truly is an art and is very cool to think of it in this way now.

4. From the group of four that you had a choice: Why did you choose that film?
- I was not sure which movie to choose and so I had opened them all and read the description of each of them. Although I was not familiar with a lot of the names mentioned, the description about Frank Gehry really grabbed my attention. He is a phenomenal architect and has created many outstanding and unique buildings.

Installation Project

Artist: Haley Breier

Title of work: Fall Mums

Media: Environment

Date: October 7, 2010

Step 3

A. What is installation art?
- Installation arts is something that artists use to create a three dimensional image of where their piece would fit and what it would look like. It is often very specific and gives a good perception of space or what is needed to be changed/altered.

B. What materials are used installation art?
-The materials used in installation art are the space being viewed, the pieces of art work that are being tested and type of theme (Nature, Environment, Self, Mass Media, Consumerism), and a camera so that the artist can review how the art would look.

C. Why make installation art? 

-Installation art is necessary to give an artist a “preview” of what their artwork will look like in a specific space or area.

D. Which artist/installation did I find most interesting?

-The piece that I found most interesting was Louis Bourgeois, Red Room. I caught my eye right away and has a lot of unique elements in it that make me want to know more about it.

Step 4

E. From the material reviewed, is there a inspiration piece that I feel a connection with?

-The piece that I feel connected with is Andy Goldsworthy, Reconstructed Icicles Dumfriesshire.  I felt connected with this piece because growing up in Buffalo I am very familiar with snow and ice. As soon as I saw it I related it back to the bad ice storm that happened just a few years ago that shut down just about everything because everything was iced over, including the trees. The icicle reminded me right away of that and I felt a connection of being home and in my own environment.

F. What theme do I want to explore in my installation? Refer to your textbook if you need to review Themes of Art. (chapter 3 in text) (Nature, Environment, Self, Mass Media, Consumerism, etc.)

- I am choosing to explore environment for my installation. I love the outdoors and all the elements that make up our environment, especially during the fall.  

G. What materials will I use?

 -The main materials I am going to focus on are Mums. Mums are the main type of flower in the fall and have many different colors. I bought six mums over the weekend, all different colors, and now the difficult decision is placing them. This is going to be my installation task.

H. Where will this installation be located and why?

-The installation will be on my front porch deciding on the perfect space and placement for each mum.

Step 6

-What I started with

-Final Porch Installation

-Final Front Garden Installation

-Final Installation (View of how it flows from porch to garden)

I. Describe your installation. Be sure to use the worksheet from Project #3 as your guide.

-My installation is a bit simply but can have many different options. I am starting off with six mums, all different colors. The point of my installation is to create the perfect environmental art for my front porch. Fall is full of beautiful colors and I want to find the perfect placement for all mums. I started with all six on the porch with three on hay piles. I was not a big fan of this look because it was a bit cluttered. I fooled around with the colors and combinations and decided to keep three on the porch and plant the other three in the front garden. The last thing I had to decide is what colors I was going to keep together. I chose to do red, white, and purple all in a row in the front garden. I put the purple and white one on the step alone and set the orange and yellow ones on the hay stacks. It made my whole house look beautiful and gave it that fresh fall feeling.

J. Analyze your installation. Be sure to use the worksheet from Project #3 as your guide.

-My installation was very simple but included a lot of elements and principles. The main elements and principles I chose to focus on were color and depth. Working with colors can be a bit difficult because with such a wide range of colors it is hard to make them all connect. There was a range of reds, oranges, yellows, and then purples and whites. I started off with keeping each of the ranges together but it just made the whole front look very separated and did not flow. This is when I had the idea of mixing them to keep the eyes moving from the front porch down to the front garden. I placed the white and purple one all the way to the left, the orange, yellow, and red one in the middle, and then the last white and purple ones on the left. I kept it flowing by placing the red one next to the yellow one, but on the floor instead of the step. It gave the whole garden much more depth and leads the eye down to the rest of the garden. This color combination and depth turned out the best and gave my whole house a very unified look.  

K. What are your thoughts on the planning and creation of a site specific installation?

-I am very excited to see how the installation will turn out. Our environment is a beautiful image and filled with all different elements and principles. I love mums and flowers but I always have difficulty trying to figure out where to place them. This is a perfect example of installation art because I can place them before I plant them, take a picture, and decide if I like it.

Peer Reflection

I chose to analyze Andi Andrzejewski and Amanda Bolibrzuch projects but unfortunately it was not allowing me to comment on anyone’s blogs. I have sent these individuals my comments in an email through Angel to create a conversation.
A) http://bolibral01.blogspot.com/
Project one:
I am not sure if Amanda did not participate in this project or if I could just not find it but I could not locate it. I have emailed her with my response to project two and asked about project one.
Project two:
I also chose to go to the Albright Knox art gallery but still must have missed a few pieces because I found two in your project that I did not see and found particularly interesting. These were Extruded Video Engine by Peter Sarkisian and Nana by Niki de Saint Phalle. These images are very eye catching and I would love to learn more about them. The video engine by John F Simon is really cool looking. It appears as if it could be a real sculpture almost instead of just a computer. I also found Junk to be very interesting but also a bit strange! Great job!

B) http://fundartinquir-fall2011.blogspot.com/
Project one:
I really enjoyed reading and viewing all of these great art pieces. I have never been to the Memorial Art gallery but after looking at all these great images I would love to go! I loved all of them but the few that really stuck out to me were Waterloo Bridge, Veiled Sun, Claude Monet, Fritz Trautman Galaxy and Martyr Dress #3 By Jennifer Hecker. My favorite out of all of these pieces was definitely the dress done by Jennifer Hecker. I find it to be absolutely beautiful and so unique. To have the ability to create something so beautiful and eye catching out of glass really interests me because I find pretty much anything amazing that is made out of glass, but this one really stands out. The piece done by Monet is also beautiful. Monet is also one of my favorite artists and this is actually a piece I have looked at before. The colors all blend so nicely and it truly depicts what he was seeing and expresses his emotion. Galaxy caught my eye just by how different it is. I may be a sucker for bright colors but this piece was really cool! I knew right away what it was trying to express. Excellent job and thank you for all the great images!
Project 2:
I also loved doing this project because I found it to be a lot of fun. We had a lot of similar ideas but I really loved the way you expressed texture, movement, and balance. My favorite pictures out of all of the ones you posted were definitely the texture image. It had such a variety of textures and also so much depth with the face on the outside also. I love the water and live on the water so as soon as I saw your movement picture I fell in love. You have such a talent with art and just by reading your post I can tell it is something you are really interested in. The images were all great and really depicted each principle and element very well. Great job!

1. Hyperlink the Blogs you reviewed into your BlogA) http://bolibral01.blogspot.com/
B) http://fundartinquir-fall2011.blogspot.com/

2. When looking at Project #1: (Elements and Principles), did you agree with the element or principle the artist listed with the images? Did you see other elements and principles in the images?A) I could not locate project one on Amanda’s blog so I am not sure if I missed it or just could not find it.

B) I definitely felt that all of these pictures depicted the elements and principles that Andi focused on. I chose to not scroll down all the way the first time I went through the slide show to try and see if I could figure out what each image was an example of. It was a bit more difficult than I thought but not because of the fact that these images were not good examples but because all pictures have potential to express multiple principles and elements. The few that I mixed up was the image he chose for mass. It definitely represented mass but when I first looked at it I saw balance also. Movement also threw me off for balance because I chose to do the water and bridges for balance so I connected to that, but after looking at it more closely with the waves I saw movement. I really liked the example of light with the rainbow and color with the glass.

3. When looking at Project #2: Where there any images in the Peer Blogs the same as your own? If yes, what were they? Where the reasons the image was selected the same or different as your own?A) Amanda and I both went to the Albright Knox art gallery so we had one image that was the same and that was Junk. We both found it to have an impression on us and I think that is because it is such a unique and different form of art than a lot of the others that we viewed.

B) Andi and I went to different art galleries so there were no images the same but I would definitely like to visit the art galleries that he went to.

4. Where there any images that your Peers selected that pique your interest now? If yes, what are they and what is your connection with them? What would you want to know about them?A) The one image that Amanda selected that peaked my interest was Extruded Video Engine by Peter Sarkisian. When I walked through I must have missed this room but that is not surprising because I was a bit overwhelmed by the time I left with all of the art work that I viewed. This piqued my interest because of the fact it is a video art work and it is something I have never studied before. I would like to learn the process behind how it was created.

B) The main art work that I connected to with Andi was definitely the dress. It was absolutely beautiful and I found it to be really interesting due to the fact that it is all made out of glass but you cannot tell. I connected to this image because I am a girly girl and love dresses, but also because I love glass art. I would like to learn more about the process, how long it took, and why it was created.

5. What do you think about the process of reading your peers reflection? Do you find this to be a valuable in your learning?I enjoyed viewing others blogs because it was neat to see what they focus on and what interests them. I think this is valuable in learning because it allows you to see different perspectives on things and gives multiple examples of how to represent something or express something.

6. Check your Blog and read comments posted by your Peers. Do you find their comments helpful?I have changed my blog so that others could comment but no one commented :(

Art Gallery Visit #1

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

-Claes Oldenburg – Soft Manhattan # 1, 1966
This piece really interested me because of how different it looked from different angles. From the front it kind of resembled a person but I still was not totally understanding all of the possibilities. I stood and examined it for a few minutes and still could not understand. Finally I adjusted my view and examined it from the side and saw a clear face/ person. The image I have included is the side image. It was very interesting to see how just changing the view changed the whole art.

-James Rosenquist – Nomad, 1963
This image interested me because it had so much going on. There were images from things that represented what seemed to be everyday life, including a picnic table, chair, balloon, girl dancing, grass, a bottle, hair comb, and spaghetti. This was difficult for me to put together because there was so much going on but the image as a whole was so interesting to me. It told so many different stories, but tied together each image shared a different story but made up a whole novel it seemed like.

-This last image I cannot locate the name or artist but was one of my favorite pieces. At first when I saw it I was a bit freaked out. There were four eyes and one mouth that were all living things and was talking! I had kept walking right as I saw it because at first I didn’t really know what to think. As I continued viewing all the computer art pieces on that floor I continued to think about this one. It was one of the most interesting things I have ever seen. It was so different, strange, and unique that it kept me guessing and wonder.

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

-Stuart Davis – New York Waterfront, 1938
I felt really connected to this image because as soon as I saw it I knew it was NYC. I have been to the city multiple times and I absolutely love it. There is so much to do and something new to learn every time. This image stood out to me because one of my favorite parts of the city is the waterfront. My family and I have taken boats around the city and I just find the image of the waterfront to be so beautiful.

-Wayne Thiebaud – Yo- Yo’s, 1963
I connected with this image because I grew up playing with yo- yos. All the different designs on each one in the image all reminded me of the old time yo- yos that were all so popular. Today they have ones that light up and much cooler, but I still prefer the ones shown in the image! This piece brought back a lot of memories and I really enjoyed it.

-Jean (Hons) Arp L’Etoile (Star), 1956
I know it seems a bit silly but when I saw this artwork I immediately thought of the sun and being on a beach. The day I chose to go to the art gallery was on a very rainy and cold day and I woke up dreaming about lying on the beach. As soon as I saw this it brought back my dream and made me want to be lying in the sun even more!


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

- Adolph Gottlieb – Pictograph, 1946
I would like to know more about this artwork because it was so cool to me. It caught my eye immediately but I looked and tried to analyze it for a period of time and just could not figure it out. I had read that it become part of the Martha Jackson collection and I would love to learn more about the collection, and specifically this piece.

-David Smith, Tanktotem IV, 1953
The sculptures and different steel creations really interest me. Each one is so different and unique and I would love to know more about them. I would love to find out about the creation process, length, where the idea came from, and how it was done. Very neat piece and I am sure there is a great story behind it also.

-Andy Warhol – 100 Cans, 1962
I know that this is a very famous piece of art but it is still one that I do not know much about. I remember learning about it briefly in high school but I just couldn’t seem to remember anything about it while I was standing there examining it. I know the image people are talking about when it is brought up in conversation, but cannot add anything interesting. I want to learn background and interesting information of this very famous artwork.