artappreciationthings

[artappreciationthings]

I created a collage and painting using acrylic paint, printed images, glue, and watercolor paper. I printed images I felt would appropriately convey what i wanted to say through the work, and then used splatter painting techniques to paint over them.

Here are a few pictures documenting my work on this collage/painting.

Here are two pictures of the finished work, titled Consumerism.

This work was inspired by two very different artists I learned about in this course, Barbara Kruger and Jackson Pollock. In this work, I wanted to bring attention to consumerism because it is a problem that affects our society negatively. All of the images are either advertisements or items that are representative of wealth, with the exception of the flower and frog. I chose to include the Alstroemeria flower because it symbolizes money, and the frog because frogs are traditionally symbolic of wealth as well. The overlay of splattering paint is a contrast to the collage, which includes images of items that people use to show their high financial status. The splatters of paint are messy and worthless, but much more beautiful than the expensive items pictured.

[artappreciationthings]

Virtual Sketchbook 4

There is no doubt in my mind that Jackson Pollock stumbled upon his abstract style by accident. It is obvious that he became frustrated with representational works and felt limited by the assumption that a painting must “mean something”. Pollock’s completely abstract works are meant to be an emotional experience. Emotions are not concrete images, but rather fleeting concepts which cannot be represented physically. Pollock came as close to being able to paint emotions as any human ever could. His paintings are not images, but experiences. These experiences are not meant to be viewed through any certain lens, and they are not meant to create a picture or narrative. Pollock created his paintings simply to create them, and they exist without the constraints of traditional representational work.  

Connection (Abstract Digital Artwork) 

[artappreciationthings]

Drawing of the Lottery in the Piazza delle Erbe in Turin is a gorgeous painting by Giovanni Michele Graneri. Ganeri was an Italian Painter who lived from 1708-1778. He painted Drawing of the Lottery in the Piazza delle Erbe in Turin in 1756. It is an oil painting on canvas with dimensions of 60 1/2 x 81 1/2 inches. In the foreground of the painting lies a busy marketplace, full of bustling crowds and commotion. In fact, the painting was originally named The Crowded Marketplace. Graneri eventually changed the title of this painting because viewers did not pay attention to the story the painting was attempting to tell. Behind the marketplace, with its vivid colors and tents full of fruit, vegetables, and wares for sale, there is a lottery taking place. Hopeful citizens wait from their balconies, wishing to hear their name being called, and a young child reaches into a box to draw the winner’s name. Graneri made use of implied lines to draw the viewer’s eye towards the lottery scene. The marketplace is wide and fills out the bottom of the painting. As the painting progresses further into the distance, the implied lines narrow, forming a triangle which leads the eye towards the young boy pulling the lottery winner’s name from a box.

           Looking at the marketplace/lottery scene in Graneri’s painting causes the viewer to feel as if they are inside of the painting. One can feel the heat of the Italian sun, hear the bustle of the crowd, and understand the anticipation of the lottery participants. Drawing of the Lottery in the Piazza delle Erbe in Turin tells a story of not only the people in the marketplace, but also of the marketplace itself. Graneri carefully painted the buildings and surrounding landscape as realistically as possible so that the viewer could become immersed in the work. Art is an escape from the mundane and from the everyday trials of life. This painting truly succeeds in being an escape for the viewer, it is a portal to another world. I believe that the reason Graneri painted this scene was to leave behind a record of a beautiful scene from an ordinary day in his life. He wanted to showcase beauty within chaos while also using a simple narrative to further immerse the viewer in the painting. He did this very successfully in this work.

[artappreciationthings]

Virtual Sketchbook 2

Journaling

Principles of Design: 

1.Unity and Variety- Unity is the appearance of oneness and similarity within a work of art. Variety is the opposite of unity, it is the diversity of features within an artwork. 

Botero uses both the principles of unity and variety in his painting, The Musicians. He painted all of the figures to be the same shap and size, but they vary in color.

2.Balance- balance is the way different parts of an artwork (often contrasting elements) work together to create an equilibrium. 

Flower day, painted by Diego Rivera perfectly showcases the design principle of balance. Every part of the painting seems to carry the same “weight”. 

3. Emphasis and subordination- Emphasis is used to draw focus towards a certain part of an artwork. Subordination is when an artist draws attention away from a part of an artwork. 

In Rembrandt’s painting he emphasizes the figures which are larger, in the center of the painting, and highlighted by a light source. He subordinates the smaller figures in the background highlighted by less light and color. 

4.Repetition and rhythm- Repetition is the recurrence or repeating of an element within an art work. Rhythm is the way in which repeating elements are arranged.

This mandala tapestry displays both the principles of repetition and rhythm. 

5. Scale and proportion - Scale is the relation of the size of one object to another object. Proportion is the size relation between many parts of a whole.

 Bruggen’s sculpture Spoonbridge and Cherry uses scale and proportion to its advantage. The sculpture makes two everyday objects very large compared to their regular proportions.

6. Directional forces- Directional forces are the pathways (such as lines) an artist uses to guide the viewer’s eye through their work. 

In Rembrandt’s painting, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, he uses the directional lines of the waves to draw the viewer’s eye in towards the boat. Then, he uses the directional lines of the apostle’s contrasting upward and downward gazes to bring the viewer’s eye to the center of the painting. 

Writing and Looking 

Damien Hirst, POSTERITY—THE HOLY PLACE (Fig. 4.7)

Damien Hirst’s work is perfectly symmetrical, so symmetry is one of the main ingredients in his recipe. Balance is another important ingredient. Large and small shapes perfectly balance his work. Color is yet another important ingredient in his artwork. Hirst uses both bright and subdued colors to balance out his work. 

Connecting Art to Your World 

Color affects everyone everyday, whether they know it or not. Certain colors can increase impulsiveness, feelings of attraction, or make us feel calm. Colors have personally affected me mainly through art and film. I like to look at artwork and watch films with pastel or calming color schemes. I prefer less intense colors, as colors with a lower saturation level often make me feel more calm. If I had to choose a color scheme for my life I would choose a color scheme made up of earth tones because they help me to feel grounded and relaxed, and these are feelings that i hope to maintain throughout my life. 

Art Project 

Photography

Portrait: Richard Avedon photographed Twiggy. The portrait is meant to inspire awe for the woman photographed and to portray her beauty in a simple manner. The main focus in the portrait is on her flowing hair and surprised facial expression. 

Landscape: Paul Marcellini photographed a Florida swamp. He specializes in Floridian landscape photography. 

Still life: Martin Zalba’s photograph, After the Walk shows a pair of boots which have been kicked off after he went on a walk. The purpose of this painting is to make the viewer question where the photographer went on his walk. Was he with his children, walking home from his girlfriend’s house, or did he go out walking by himself because he was lonely? The photographer does not give the viewer much insight into his life through the objects in the photograph, so the answers to these questions remain a mystery. 

[artappreciationthings]

Virtual Sketchbook 1

Part 1

5 Facts About Vik Muniz/“Woman Ironing”

1.Vik Muniz was originally a sculptor. He decided to move away from traditional sculpting to allow the viewer to more easily interpret his pieces in a way that is meaningful to them.

2. Muniz uses physical materials to create his artwork, and then takes pictures of his work. These photographs are his finished pieces. He often works with perishable materials; such as food or trash. After Muniz takes a picture of his art, the original piece is usually destroyed.

3. “Woman Ironing” is from a series of photographs called “Pictures of Garbage”. Muniz used trash from the local dump to build the portraits in this series.

4. “Woman Ironing” is a recreation of one of Picasso’s paintings from his blue period. Many of Muniz’s works are his own interpretation of another artist’s painting or drawing.

5. Vik Muniz was born in Brazil. He now travels back and forth between America and Brazil while completing his projects.

When I first looked at “Woman Ironing” by Vik Muniz I saw a hardworking woman, but nothing more. After learning about Muniz’s work and life I realized that there was a deeper meaning behind this piece of art. Muniz raised questions about reality and the meaning of the words “past”, “present”, and “future” by photographing his artwork and demolishing the original piece. He also made statements about the socio-economic culture of South America by employing catadores (trash gatherers) to help him create “Woman Ironing” and his other pieces in the series “Pictures of Garbage”. After learning that this art was made out of trash I began to think about the environment, recycling, and the value of physical possessions when I looked at “Woman Ironing”, instead of simply seeing a woman doing laundry. If you look beyond the colors and shapes in artwork you may find a hidden meaning or new idea.

Part 2

The poster pictured hangs near my bed. It was created by an artist I follow on social media using a digital painting software. The text at the bottom of the poster are lyrics from a song by The Cure, which is one of my favorite bands. I think this work is beautiful because it reminds me of a song I love, and I enjoy the pastel colors.

 Part 3

·       I am 19 years old.

·       I primarily align with a female gender identity.

·       I was born and raised in Florida and have never lived anywhere else.

·       I am European and French Canadian.

·       For fun I like to go to small shows featuring mostly local bands and musicians. I also enjoy finding new vegan and vegetarian or ethnic restaurants to eat at.

·       I am not a member of any organized group.

·       I currently work as a barista at Starbucks.

 What makes me uniquely me: I was raised in an environment where education was strongly emphasized and surrounded myself with literature and art as I grew up. I developed my own moral compass at an early age and was aware of what was happening in the world around me. This has caused me to be considerate of cultures and ideas different than my own, while still being passionate about my own beliefs. I am a part of the LGBTQ community, which is a big part of what makes me uniquely me. One of my goals in life is to help LGTBQ children have a voice. I love animals and children and I am studying to become a nurse.

 Part 4 Self Portrait