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I hadn’t come across 10 Rules for Students and Teachers before either but I do think that what they wrote about are words of wisdom for students who are struggling throughout the last weeks of the semester. I also think that it is something that all students should see before starting college. I agree with you, I found it very interesting to explore topics that I have never come across before. I also agree with you 100% about rejecting thing that we do not understand. 

Closing Week

Before this class, art was something that I appreciated in a general sense. I liked some art, I didn’t like some art, and I couldn’t always explain why either way. Some art I didn’t care for at all because I couldn’t understand what was so great about paint splatters (Jackson Pollack) or soup cans (Andy Warhol).  As people, I think we tend to reject things we do not understand. This class has equipped me with an understanding of the elements of what makes up art and what goes into art and the ability to at least try to interpret what I am seeing and experiencing. More importantly, I also now have the language to express myself so that I can better discuss and share my ideas with others. Pop art may still not be my favorite, but I have actually come to understand it and so I like it much more than I did before. I think Pop art always made me mad that i didn’t “get it”, and now that I know there’s not always something to “get” I am able to relax and enjoy the work for what it is meant to be.

Jackson Pollack, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)

I feel like I have gained an appreciation for looking at something and appreciating it for not just what it is, but also for how it came to be. I now understand that what is so spectacular about some art is how an artist managed to pull off something that on the surface seems fairly straightforward, but in reality they chose a difficult technique, like the way Andrew Wyeth could pull off precise details and texture with tempera, which is a difficult medium to work with in that way.

Andrew Wyeth, “The Virgin”

I love that I was introduced to areas of art that I didn’t know existed previously. I am actually kind of interested in sound art. I wonder if sound art could eventually have some of the same practical applications that architecture does, and if we might someday be more open to decorating our spaces with sounds as much as paintings and statues. Sound certainly influences mood. There are already apps and programs that play soft background music conducive to studying or writing.

I don’t believe I’ve ever come across “10 Rules for Students and Teachers” by John Cage and Sister Corita Kent. I feel like it is something I would love to adopt as my manifesto. It really strikes the perfect tone between placing an emphasis on hard work, yet it also leaves lots of room for creativity and learning from the mistakes we are brave enough to make.

What I really liked about Maria Abramovic’s “An Artist’s Life Manifesto” was the use of repetition, as if she is saying, “this is important. Repeat it so that you do not forget it.” It’s interesting that she included all aspects of the life of an artist, from day-to-day morality to love and even limiting possessions. I think it is interesting that she says, “An artist should not treat his work schedule as a bank employee does”. I always wondered what the daily life of being a professional working artist looked like, and if they worked like writers do or not. Obviously, Maria Abramovic only speaks for herself here, but the insight is helpful nonetheless.

Going forward, I think I will be more comfortable about attending a local art show. I’ve always wanted to do that, but I have usually talked myself out of going because I didn’t “know anything” about art and I didn’t want to be the crazy person critiquing the coat rack by accident. 

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Art Appreciation Closing Week----This class has been very interesting but it has also had a touch of hard spots. I have learned a lot about and the simple things that people appreciate about art, that I have never learned before. I also learned a lot of methods, that I previously didn’t know, of art that I never even knew existed. Through the chapters it has helped me see how people view art differently. I did like this class however; I won’t use are too much in the field that I am going into. Criminal Justice, more specifically Probation, doesn't have much to do with art. If I could I would recommend anyone who was interested in art or even going into the art industry this class. In my opinion it opens your mind and eyes to all sorts of new art and even the perspective of arts and crafts. Whereas the readings come into play, the first one that I read was “10 rules for students and teachers”. It had a lot of information that I didn’t even take into account. It also had a lot of inspiration for students. Rule number three is one that I have noticed before with a lot of teacher but I never thought it would be a rule teachers should go by. Rule eight is a good one to think of and see for this class. A lot of the time I would sit and look at the book and try to analyze what I was reading then I would try to create things to write down for the posts. Doing those two things at the same time lead to headaches and it also made writing “good” posts and within the word limit really difficult since I tend to over think things and try to span them out as much as I can. In Marina Abramovic. An artist’s life Manifesto, the words in the first point that she was speaking, to me, seemed like it should be for more than just artist. It should be for everyone in ever nature. In the other paragraphs when she repeated things more than once it was like she was trying to get a point across. Like in the second paragraph when she says “An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist: An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist : An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist. Another thing that I seemed to notice was it somewhat looked like something that you would see in the bible. And finally, I think that the last piece is the most precious out of this reading. The funeral is the last piece of art before leaving. Even if you aren’t an artist the funeral is supposed to be beautiful and the last piece of art anyone leaves behind before leaving. Overall, I think that the first reading that I read was the best one. It had more inspiration for people who were not artist or pursing art. The two photos I have shared are my favorite ones that I have come across this semester. 

[enchantingcollectorturtle-blog]

I think you did very well this week with your post! I also knew coming into Gothic Art that we would see a lot of information on cathedrals and also stained glass windows. I think that with each week that goes by we learn more than we already knew about each topic but that is a given since that should be the whole point of this class, but I do find it fascinating that these creation could be created with the little technology that was present back then. 

Week 15 - Gothic

I found this week’s reading about Gothic art to be very interesting. Before reading I did not know anything about the Gothic artstyle. I had heard of the term, Gothic, before, but just did not know what the style all entailed. The term ‘Gothic’ made me think of the word ‘goth,’ which made me think of the stereotype where everything is black and other dark colors. The Gothic style talked about in this chapter is far from that. I was surprised by how bright, airy, and open all the Gothic art was.

Right away when reading this chapter I learned that cathedrals were an important part of the Gothic art. I also learned that Gothic art originated in France. For some reason I did not expect it to be France where this style originated, but France started the Gothic style that spread to other areas of Europe after. I found it interesting that Gothic refers to the Germanic tribes who invaded Greece and Italy and destroyed Rome, but that really has no connection with what is Gothic art represents.

An important part of Gothic art is the cathedral, but before that comes the architecture that was created to be able to support such massive buildings. There were some very important elements to the Gothic architecture. Some of the more technical ones were rib vaults, piers, flying buttresses, pointed arches, and the skeleton. The rib vault was important for this style because it required less buttressing and allowed more space for windows. Piers were also important because they were what supports the vaults. Figure 13.8 on page 204 shows an example of the piers and vaults. I find that vaulting and tall ceilings so pretty and elegant. I find it amazing what was able to be constructed in these early times because they did not have the technology we have now to construct these buildings. Another element to the cathedrals were the stained glass windows. The most popular colors for the glass in the Gothic style were blue and red. I found it interesting to read a little on how stained glass is made. The stained glass window pictures are made from pieces of colored glass, which are formed by mixing metallic oxides with molten glass.

Cathedrals were the major part of the Gothic style and what this chapter mainly talked about. I learned that a cathedral is the seat of a bishop and belongs to the city or town in which it is located. I also learned that cathedrals have to be in an urban setting. “Constructing a cathedral was the largest single economic enterprise in the Gothic era.” I can see why building these cathedrals were important and created an economic boom because jobs were created for construction workers and also people came to the town to see the cathedral once it was completed. One thing I learned while reading, on page 207, was that symmetry was not a requirement in the Gothic style. The cathedrals were structurally, but not formally, symmetrical. The example that was given in the book was that if there was a tower on one side, there had to be a tower on the other, but the towers did not have to have the same style or shape. The Gothic style spread from France and one of the earliest to adopt this style was England. England’s cathedral was the Salisbury Cathedral Germany also adopted the style and their cathedral is located in Cologne.

I really enjoyed reading this week’s chapter because I learned a lot that I did not know before. I did not know that the Gothic style originated in France or that the style is a lot different than what most of us know to be the term ‘goth.’ I still find it amazing how these large structures with ceilings 120 feet and taller were able to be constructed without all the technology we have access to today.

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Art History-Week 15

For our last week in the book we went over Gothic Art. The only part in gothic art that I found appealing was the section on stained -glass windows. Growing up my mom was the secretary for a church and the only time I ever had to go to church was to help my mom with programs and I was always so amused with the pictures that were in the glass. For a bit of this week’s research, I looked up how people make stained glass windows. It seems like it is a complicated process that takes a lot of time and dedication. In the book, it says that the windows were created for back in the Early Christian and Byzantine churches and I believe that. Now you see stained glass windows barns and even some houses. All churches that I have seen or drove by do still go by this style and have stained glass windows. Cathedrals are beautiful, now it is not like they let them go until they wither away to nothing they do keep up with them and try to restore them to their natural look. The Gothic grew out of the Romanesque architectural style, when both prosperity and relative peace allowed for several centuries of cultural development and great building schemes. Architecture was the most important and original art form during the Gothic period. Even now when you look back throughout history you can see that when you look at Gothic Art that they are the ones who talk about architecture more than any of the other ones that we have looked at so far in the book this semester. In the book and all the pages that I come across when I do my extra research for this chapter it all talks about the design of cathedrals and the importance of the ribs on the ceiling. I never have been to a cathedral but form all the pictures that I have seen and all the things in the book I know that if I ever walked into one without know that it were all I would have to do is look at the ceiling and look for the ribs and “web” like structures. From other research, I found out that there were different periods for the Gothic era. Overall I like what Gothic art consists of. To me I love the architecture of things so when it comes to the designs that are used in gothic art I fall in love. Most of my out of book research were websites that a teacher would use or ones that actual museums or churches put up and I think that it is really cool that they do that for people especially if someone were taking a class like this and needed some quick information, it would be there for them. Finally I just want to say that I think the book doesn’t have as much and as great of quality of information that my outside research websites do. I think that I definitely got more into the outside research than I did reading Chapter 13 in the book.

[enchantingcollectorturtle-blog]

You covered all the parts of the reading very well. One think that I want to comment on is that when I was looking at the picture you posted at the end of your post I sat here trying to click on it for it to load, being as it looks like it is suppose to be a video. Tabaimo’s art seems to be more of a political type of art and I do agree with you it is art but it is something else that some would find disturbing in some parts. 

Week 15 - Digital Art

o   Your reflections on the reading

Our reading this week was about digital art. I really enjoyed reading this chapter because I find digital art to be very interesting. There are so many different ways to create art digitally, for example virtual reality, 3D art, etc. I love to draw and mostly use a tablet hooked up to my computer and Photoshop for art. The endless possibilities and the access to colors and brushes etc. makes digital art really fun and convenient which seems to be what appeals to many people, including me. Convenient as digital art might be, it still takes months for some artists to finish their work, especially if they’re professionals or if the art is for movies. The time it takes seems to be worth the end product though. 

Your reflections on the  videos/media

I think this week’s video on the artist Tabaimo was, again, interesting. I liked how she incorporated such deep meaning into her works. I will say though that her works reminded me a lot of the videos we watched for Week 7 (Photography and Film). Her works drive home her point but also makes me uncomfortable and a little uneasy in the meantime. I believe she intended these works to create those types of feelings into the viewer, and I can appreciate that. However, I did not even want to watch the video over again or even finish honestly because much of it was just so… strange. I wouldn’t have understood most of the meanings behind her works had she not been explaining them, so I would have just been turned off because all I understood was the feeling. Particularly the restroom piece where the woman seemingly has an abortion, but, through her nose? It is interesting, however, to see these issues from a culturally different point of view. Her work definitely makes an impact on the viewer. Now that I am thinking about that abortion scene, I’m wondering if the reason the baby came out through her nose was to show that, to the person, the abortion was nothing eventful. More like a mundane thing like blowing her nose. The thought and details she puts into her work is amazing.

Connections/comparisons

Like with other weeks, there is the main connection of digital art because that is the topic being covered. However, I think there are several connections between Tabaimo’s work and the reading. The reading explains how there are endless possibilities when it comes to digital art and how it is continually evolving. Tabaimo seems to utilize as much of her resources as possible to create her works. It really struck me how unique Tabaimo’s art is compared to many other works of digital art that I have seen. I don’t usually see too many artists that create little “movies” that are all the artwork like she does. I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but Tabaimo manages to make her works stand out from many other artists. Many people don’t understand digital art and still believe that it isn’t truly “art,” but I think anyone viewing Tabaimo’s work would not even question its validity as “art.”

Some of Tabaimo’s works even seem to be 3D, similar to 3D movies, where her art spreads out from their “box,” like with the walls in the beginning or the moths in the bathroom.

Connections to another artist’s work

I chose Rick Silva for this week’s relevant artist. I liked a lot of his works, but I was drawn to works that he and a few other artists created called SIGNALS. It focuses on “Immersive audio-visual renderings of seascape environments.”(X )The 2D works for SIGNALS are fantastic and the videos were captivating. My favorite was Signals Interstitials and Signals 4. The audio in Signals 4 combined with the video that sort of explores the ocean bottom was fun to watch. I loved how the waves and lighting changed fluidly around the square of moving colors throughout Signals Interstitials. 

Check them out for yourselves!

[enchantingcollectorturtle-blog]

Art Appreciation-----Finally, the chapter that I have been waiting for! Digital Art has always been an area of interest of mine. Before deciding that I wanted to go into Criminal Justice I looked into becoming an interior designer. I could design houses for hours! When I was taking a home education course in High School we had to design a home, one that we would want to be similar to your dream home. That is when I took an interest into design. Now when I think of digital art all I can think of are the memes that people make and post on twitter or Facebook. The reading for this week was very interesting. It is hard to believe all the stuff that you can do with dimensional planes in software. The progress pictures on page 311 give you an idea of what I am talking about when I say planes, and I don’t mean like planes that fly. I haven’t looked much into digital video. The reading talks about the movie Tron when it goes into digital video and I must say the art that was used to create that movie is not only trippy but it is also eye-catching. I couldn’t even begin to think of how long it would take to produce all the special FX and design in that movie. 3-D Art has always been my favorite. The realism of it all is what attracts my attention so much. When I got to the subheading Virtual Reality it made me think of the new devices that they have made for smartphones where you can play games as if you were right there. I think the only reason that I took such an interest in to the reading this week is because I had back knowledge and because it was something that I wanted to do with my life. The video about Tabaimo was somewhat disturbing. The part where in analogy to animals where the main character was chopping off the man’s head was…something else. The picture that I have decided to share this week is also something else. I think that in this work of art she is somewhat portraying same sex relationship. If you look in the corner it looks like there are two men kissing. Whereas the relevant artist is concerned this week I choose Joan Jonas as my relevant artist. She does work with Digital Art but he art is much different from what we saw this week with Tabaimo. Joan Jonas was born in 1936 in New York, one of the oldest Relevant Artist that we have had I think. Her art she tries to tie her drawings and art into mythic stories from various cultures, Jonas invests texts from the past with the politics of the present. That is why I took interest into her art. The second picture that I shared is one of her works of art. I think what she does with the human faces overlapping each other is very “cool”. I very much enjoyed this week’s chapter and all that came along with it.

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Art History

This week we read chapter 12. It was over Romanesque Art. At first glance I was a little confused, but then I realized that it had "Roman" in its name so I just figured it had something to do with Rome and Roman times. Well I was half right. Chapter twelve was a lot like my world civilization text. Hard to swollow. To me it was a lot to take in even though there wasn't many pages that we had to read. Like in every chapter I fall in love with the architecture that it talks about. Before I go into talking about the architecture I want to talk about the subcategory Pilgrimage Roads. I found it really interesting that the chapters we covered before like Christianity and the Early Middle Ages play a role in this chapter. I know you need old history to learn about the new but it was interesting to see it talk about Jerusalem. Okay so one thing you guys could have probably learned about me so far is I talk a lot about the architect when it comes to that part of the book. The Last Judgment really caught my eye. The detail in it is so great you would think that it would take years to make something so great. Now this is where I start to stray due to my whole non-religion belief. I do not care so much for the symbolism, I do care however for the detail and amazing the artwork looks. On the next page its the Last Judgment "weighing of souls" it looks really messed up, but it does have a lot of detail too. I might have said this before but to me detail is what really stands out to me. When I read the book the information is what stands out to me. All the art in this chapter has really turned my head. It is so beautiful and a lot of it I have never even seen before. To end for this week I just want to say that the history is interesting but I think I find the art that comes from these times are more interesting. The history following some of it blows my mind, but I see the art and I can't take my eyes off of it.

[enchantingcollectorturtle-blog]

Wow. Every week that I read your post I think to myself “how does he put so much description in his blogs?” My blogs arent nearly as descriptive as yours are! I like how you put your personal reactions in this weeks blog as well. Like I said you did a very good job with description and information. Not too shabby of a post this week! 

Week 14 - Romanesque Art

Anyone who has been following my art history blog thus far can probably already guess what my favorite part of chapter 12 is: the illuminated manuscripts. But rather than reiterate for the umpteenth time how fascinating I am by the history of written record and the evolution of what we know as books and pictures on pages, I decided to focus on a different aspect of the Romanesque period.

There always seems to be one particular image in each chapter that strikes me more than any of the others, and chapter 12 was no exception. This time, it was Last Judgement, shown on page 191. In particular, I was moved by the figure toward the middle of the piece, one of the two main “devils” (the one holding the smaller devil in a scale). There tends to be this sense of Hell, demons, and the devil delighting in the suffering they cause. We often see depictions of the devil cackling as he inflicts torment on the sinners that are sent to hell for him to punish for eternity. In this piece, however, the devil figure that I am referring to isn’t showing glee in what he is being charged to do. To me, his face shows a deep, profound sadness. I like the idea of a demon who is doing his job of weighing the sins of sinners and taking on the worst offenders because that’s what his purpose is, but not automatically enjoying the reason for his existence. I could be completely misreading the demon’s face as sadness, but that’s how I saw it, and as such it made the piece a very powerful one for me.

Of course, I couldn’t dive into this chapter without talking about the Bayeux Tapestry. The piece comes in at a staggering 230 feet long, which is impossible to fathom. Even more humbling is the fact that it was embroidered! Just drawing something that long would be impressive in its own right, but to think of the time it must have took to embroider something of that scale—and the intricate planning that had to go into even getting to the embroidery stage in the first place. I am always impressed by any form of art that requires copious amounts of pre-planning. One of the reasons I favor writing as my primary form of “art” is that it doesn’t require as much planning—and the planning it does require is often just mental brainstorming. At least, that’s how I tend to write. I’m no good at sitting down and planning—I’m better at just sitting down and winging it. It’s a skill I wish I possessed, and when I see it put to action in such a way as a 230-feet-long tapestry, all I can do is be in awe and appreciate people who have the ability to do something that I don’t think I ever could.

[enchantingcollectorturtle-blog]

I though that the face Tim created in the beginning of his video was quite creepy, yet I still added it my post this week. I like how your post was very descriptive and informative at the same time. I also think that Ethan Rose was a good choice on this weeks relevant artist. Plus I like that you added links to show what kind of pieces that he has done. Very well done!

An introduction to sound art by Robert Worby is an interesting article! It was a bit too long and drug on a little; but the information presented made me think. This man is so right; people don’t sit and think about the sound, we think about what made the sound. We as humans do not consider what type of sound it is or what pitch the sound is that is being made. I have not thought this way before. It is interesting to think that sound is not an object and you can not hold on to it. I knew this, but I never sat and thought about it like Robert has. I liked the part where they talked about cutting a hole into the tree and amplifying the sound and adjusting the speakers in the heart of the tree to make different sounds. I believe music is the most popular sound that is made; I have never thought as music as sound art. Music is art; that is why they call people who produce music; song artists.

Tim Hawkinson’s media on “Time” was interesting, but I thought the beginning was weird with that large face and all of the wires hanging off of it. It was neat to see how he was able to make the face change expressions; but I feel there could be a different way so it didn’t look so sloppy with the wires everywhere. I did enjoy listening to the sound of the dripping water, he  made is so it was in a certain beat. He wanted it so sound like something you could dance to. The pie tins worked perfect for the sound. The sound is gentle and it made me feel relaxed. This video made me really pay attention to the sounds and how different sounds can make you feel. The spin with the drill and pencil drawing was astounding, I enjoyed this piece as well. Tim Hawkinson has been unique ideas and I enjoyed watching his video. 

Ethan Rose is the Relevant artist I chose to research. Ethan has been a sound artist and composer for over ten years. Ethan works towards direct dialog and used materials, technology, and artitectures to create his pieces. Ethan has been involved in many Portalnd festivals as well as involved in an Experimental Sound studio. Ethan studied in Portland as well and the School of Art in Chicago. Ethan has a trailer called Code Blue about a middle aged nurse who devoted herself to her career and ill patients; but she gets involved with the neighbor and gives in to human needs. This trailer seemed interesting and I made sure to listen to the sounds in the background. The music and sounds where suspenseful and made you feel like something bad was going to happen but you wanted to continue to watch to see what happen in the end. 

(http://www.ethanrosemusic.com/code-blue)

This is the link to the short film that Ethan created as well as the cover photo below. 

The photo above is how Ethan is relevant to this weeks sound art. The link post above is a video that Ethan performed. The title is called Between Rooms and Voices. There are 30 ipods that are synchronized. He uses a flash choir of 30 people and the ipods tell each person what to say/sing and when along with what to do. He created transformation with voices and the acoustic spaces. This is a wonderful piece! It was an amazing idea and so beautiful. There are different tempos used and he layered them and their voices coming from the left and right. He has the voices shift creating and echoing effect. Amazing and hard work was done by Ethan to create such and amazing piece!

http://www.ethanrosemusic.com/between-rooms

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Art Appreciation---- This weeks reading was very interesting. It was also a nice lengthy essay/article that went more into sight about the making of sound, the definition, and how one defines it. In the article Robert wrote “You cannot get hold of it, you cannot touch it, you cannot feel it in your hand.” (In this he is talking about sound and noise itself), Yes this may be true but to some people they can feel it in their soul and it is what can change someone’s mood in a split second.  I know that I am one of those people and to see this and interpret it this way makes me happy. The article started to lose me when it started to talk about the composer John Cage. To me the only thing about sound that I find appealing is music. And from what the information in the article entailed it sounded like music is exactly what it was talking about.The media was quite weird, as you can see above one of the pictures that I shared for this weeks post is what we saw in Tim Hawkinson’s video. His strange yet amusing works range in size from monumental kinetic and sound-producing sculptures to almost microscopic pieces created from such unassuming materials as fingernail clippings and eggshells. Driven by ideas, materials, and an interest in transformation, Hawkinson continues to create unlikely and thought-provoking associations by transforming common materials into works of art. There is no denying that when you look at something that Tim Hawkinson has create you definitely scratch your head and think about how he possibly. This week for my Relevant Artist I chose Amenta Abioto.  Amenta Abioto is a one-woman wonder.  She writes, sings and plays all of her own music, ranging from gospel to punk.  Sometimes all at once.  We’ll introduce you to Amenta as well as to her five artistic sisters and mother, all of whom came with her to Portland from Tennessee. I have listened to some of her music and it honestly sounds like music that would be played in movies. I looked her up on Facebook and she has a page. She has a little under 1000 likes but she does say up to day on it quite frequently. Also from what i have seen she does play shows in Portland Oregon frequently. The very first picture that I embedded into this weeks post is of Amenta, I think it is of her singing at one of the shows that she has preformed at. Lastly, i know this has nothing to do with this weeks topic but I was on Facebook and I saw a video of a man who does a very unique kind of art. This man makes pictures of anything using just art. It is quite the picture to look at because even though it is in salt it has so much detail. It would take hours to finish projects as large as his. I would really recommend looking up  bashirsultani on youtube or Facebook if you get the chance. 

[enchantingcollectorturtle-blog]

I am glad that I was not the only one that was still a little confused and uninformed after I had read the article this week. I like how you told us about Vanessa Beecroft and how her art is influenced by her struggles from the past. Plus I like how you stated “ I feel if you see something you like and you can put a story behind it that you can relate to, that is art.”, I agree with you 100% with that statement. 

Week 13

Week 13

                This week’s readings covered social art.  After reading the introduction to relational aesthetics and social practice reading, I felt I was still missing a lot and unsure of what relational aesthetics was 100%.  What I think made it a little more confusing was the mixture of responses Jeriah Hildwine got from his survey.  At least now I know I’m not the only one that needs to dig deeper into this topic.   The answer that I feel fits the description the best was by Casey McGonagle which replied Do regular stuff, only its art.  I feel social art has a lot to do with last week’s performance art in which you love it or hate it.  I know for one that the last two weeks of topics that I distanced myself from thinking it was art because I felt it wasn’t enjoyable.  The best thing about art is that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure meaning it depends on the way you view the piece along with your initial thoughts if it is art or not.

                The art21 video for this week covered Tania Bruguera and her social art projects.  What I think she is doing is good for the people in bring them together.  I am not sure that what I see is art, what she is doing but it comes back the question of what is art.  I feel if you see something you like and you can put a story behind it that you can relate to, that is art.

                I picked Vanessa Beecroft for this week’s artist.  Vanessa was born April 25, 1969 in Genoa Italy and is now living in Los Angeles.  Her work is largely performance based featuring female models as living art.  A lot of her work deals with her struggles she faced with an eating disorder.

[enchantingcollectorturtle-blog]

I really like how you broke your blog down. I also like that in the beginning paragraph you explained the term Gothic. Finally I just want to say that I agree with your statement on how the churches use stained glass to tell a story. I have actually seen how church windows are made and the process is just as pretty as the end result. 

Chapter 13

Gothic cathedrals are among the greatest and most elaborate monuments of stone. The term Gothic is applied primarily to the art produced in Western Europe from about the middle of the 12th century in France to the 16th century in other parts of Europe. Gothic literally refers to the germanic tribes who invaded Greece and Italy.

There are a few main elements that stood out to me and were really very interesting. first the rib vault replaces the earlier barrel vaults of Romanesque. The rib vault requires less buttressing than the barrel vault, which experts pressure along its entire its entire length. Next is the piers. as the vaults become more complex, so did their supporters. One such support is the cluster or compound pier. These are the large columnar supports on either side of the nacre to which clusters of colonnettes are attached. Although the compound piers had been used in Romanesque buildings they became a standard Gothic feature. Thick walls performed the function of buttressing. This decreased the amount of available window space, limiting the available interior lighting. The pointed arch is the next feature the chapter talks about which is a characteristic and essential feature of gothic architecture, which can be thought of as the intersection of two arcs of nonconcentric circles.

Stained glass windows (which was my favorite part of this whole chapter) The predominant colors of Gothic stained glass tend to be blue and red, in contrast to the golds that characterize most Byzantine mosaics. Stained glass is translucent colored glass is cut to form a window design. Compositions are made from pieces of colored glass or fusing colored glass with clear glass. I love the pictures in the stained glass shown on page 202. Thinking of stained glass that i’ve seen in person like in churches for example, its all so beautiful and detailed. A lot of churches have them lined up almost to tell a story. They are really beautiful!

On page 214, West Facade, Reims Cathedral, France is pictured. I have actually been to this church myself and this picture doesn’t even do it justice. Standing in front of it is crazy to look at, you could look at it for hours and still find something new you didn’t see before. Not only is the outside beautiful but the inside is even better! The stained glass windows are simply amazing. My favorite Chapel in this chapter is pictured on 217. The transcendent quality of Gothic light is nowhere more evident than in the reliquary chapel of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. It was commissioned by King Louis IX, who ruled from 1226 to 1270 an was canonized in 1297, and epitomizes the rayonnant style. In this chapel the walls literally become glass as the stone supports diminish. There is no transept, and this allows tall, thing colonettes to rise uninterrupted from a short dimly lit first story. This is an amazingly beautiful chapel and I want to try and travel as much as I possibly can. This chapel is for sure on my list.

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Week 13 Art History

Now that Tumblr finally let me submit my blog for Art Appreciation, now we continue with week thirteen talking about the Early Middle Ages which to me sounds like an oxymoron. Anyways, this weeks reading wasn't too short but then again it wasn't so long that just the reading alone gave me a headache, which is a plus. There were a lot of terms that are thrown around when it comes to the Early Middle Ages. Some of them I actually had to look up because I was scratching my head thinking to myself “is this really a real word?” One thing that I want to talk about is the Book of Kells, not only because well my name is Kellie but also because it is somewhat like a bible. It has new testaments and Gospels in it as well. “ The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass that of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colors, enliven the manuscript's pages. Many of these minor decorative elements are imbued with Christian symbolism and so further emphasis the themes of the major illustrations.” To me this is just like a branch off of Christian beliefs. The designs in the Book of Kells is really something else. On page 173 in our reading book there is a picture of a ceiling, well actually both of the pictures on that page are from the Great Mosque and they are just so beautiful. I think that most of the architecture from this era was well thought of. I think that it is really interesting that in the section talking about Anglo-Saxon Metalwork it talks about Pagan ship burial. In which, it was a belief that boats carried the souls of the deceased to the afterlife. Under the subheading Manuscript Illumination it talks about the picture above of a lion that looks to be as it is roaring or growling. It talks about how colors and shaped accentuated the picture. I know that would be something to think about for Art Appreciation but I think the knowledge also helps in this class so we have more of an understanding of how this lion came to be. Finally, I just want to say that although this chapter and the last have talked about art I feel like the main focus is religion. I mean it may be the driving factor for this art but it talks more about the religion than it does art and that is where I start to drift off because I learn about religion at church and being as I am not Catholic it is also a turn away. The reading didn’t really surprise me and the only reaction that I had was all the pictures of the Mosque. They really took my breath away. 

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Art Appreciation----This week I want to start out with the media and relevant artist that I choose which was Harrell Fletcher.  Harrell Fletcher is an American artist living in Portland, Oregon and a key figure in the development of Social practice and relational art in the US. He was born in 1967 which actually makes him younger than my grandmother. All of the art that I have seen from Harrell Fletcher is not to show empathy or make anyone mad but to show a statement which I think Social Practice is mostly about. The bottom picture I have posted above is Harrell next to one of this works of art. To some it would just be a cutout of a typical “black” man. To him, I think this is suppose to symbolize what people have made him out to be without even getting to know him. I know he is really into relations and from this you can see hes really into shutting down racism between the races. Now the media this weeks media was heavy. You can tell that Tania has a lot of heart into her work. The top picture that I have shared this week is one of her pieces of art. To me this image is saying that women are just pieces of meat. In my head that makes me believe that she has had a wrong encounter with a man or even multiple. It is a strong piece of work and I think to the right person it could even be empowering. Tania is from Cuba and in the video she was saying that if you asked anyone from Cuba where they could go if possible they all would say the US. Just from the tone of her voice, to me, it sounded like that wasn't what she would want although everyone else would. For this weeks reading, I think I had to read the article over a couple of times. Finally after the third time I started to get a headache and decided to do some research of Social Practice of my own. Everything seemed to make more sense to me once I looked it up and some examples came up. From what I found social practice is art “that focuses on social engagement, inviting collaboration with individuals, communities, and institutions in the creation of participatory art.” and that is the definition that came up when I typed it into my search engine. I got the bases of what this kind of art was once I viewed the media that we had assigned for this week. In a way it is like photojournalism. Both are statement makers that some people view as cry's for help or someone looking for sympathy. Both of these works of art I find beautiful although some may be rough it means a lot to someone out there in the world. I know a lot of this work is stemmed from relationships with others whether it be race, ethnicity, or religion.

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Art History

The Early Christianity part of this week’s reading was a bit of a turn off for me. I use to practice until I lost my sister then all of that turned into a belief that I don’t believe in. Not to start a stir of religion, just what I believe. From what I have correlated between the reading in Chapter 10 and my own individual research Byzantine art is devoted to Christian art and revolves around the church. Typically, you would see small panel paintings done in encaustic paint - Byzantine-era artists excelled at fresco mural painting, as well as the illustration of gospel texts and other devotional manuscripts. Before Christianity could grow to be better and stronger a known artistic language of its own it was necessary that the pagan language of art, so carefully perfected by the Greeks, should disintegrate. In the Roman catacombs, a few tentative experiments in creating the new symbolism were made, but they are of little principle interest. This chapter was so in-depth about what early Christianity was. I realize that when you learn about art you should really get the back story and the whole reason it came to be. That is one of the reasons that I like Art History not only because of that but you get a little taste of the history around the world at the time too, if you haven’t noticed I am really about learning history. On page 159 in our book there is a design of a Dome, while looking at it, it made me think about where I have seen the style before. Just a little background I have never left the US so while I was thinking about it I remembered I was in a hotel type thing while I was in New Orleans and it looked exactly, if not to a T, like this design. This design is under the Justinian and Byzantine Style title heading in the book. I then remembered how I learned in a history class that later when the first settlers settled here they were very big into Christianity. Which made it all click as to why a style building like this would be smack dab in the middle of New Orleans. I know I have referenced this before in my post but although I am not big on being a believe I do think that this chapter was full of knowledge and did a good job going into depth on the Christianity and Byzantine Style. It really did grab my attention surprisingly. Finally, I want to comment on where I have seen the picture on page 161. Back when I was in High School and I took a class on older world history, this picture came up in the text when we were learning about Jerusalem. Never ever did I think I would see this image again so when I came across it in the reading my jaw dropped and it reminded me about the day in class when I had very first seen it.

[enchantingcollectorturtle-blog]

Wow. I think that you did a very nice job putting description and loads of information in your blog this week. You can really tell that you read the chapter very well and you know you stuff. 

Week 12

One of the things I’ve been enjoying about this class is the progression of slowly inventing the concept of a book. We take it for granted today because it just seems like a no-brainer: You have something to say or record, you put it in a book. But it took some time for us to arrive at that idea as a people, and to come up with a feasible way to do so. Obviously, recording events as cave paintings wasn’t going to be realistic long-term—there is only so much cave in the world. Sooner or later, we were going to have to come up with some compact, sustainable way to record stories and such. While things had already been recording on scrolls at this point, it seems like the period we are currently studying—early Christian art—is when we first arrived at what would become what we know of as the concept of a book. As we sit here and easily pound out words on our computers that potentially billions of people can see in a matter of minutes, it’s so humbling to think of how much effort and artistry it used to take to record even the slightest amount of information.

Another interesting thing about this era was the move to monotheism as a source for artistic inspiration. Gone were the days of fantastical gods that attacked creatures with lightning bolts. In fact, much Christian art doesn’t even attempt to depict God “himself” at all, instead using Jesus as his most frequent stand-in. There was some magical elements to early Christian art and the depicting of figures that weren’t just regular humans, like the Muse shown in the sarcophagus on page 155. So at least it wasn’t all grounded in boring realism even as religion tended away from the sorts of tales that we associate with Greek and Roman mythology.

For the additional research, I chose to look into the Kofun period of Japanese art. I’ve always loved Japanese culture, both modern day and in the past, particularly the feudal period and samurai and the like. I had never really dove back quite this far into Japanese history. The Kofun period comprises the first half of what is collectively known as the Yamato period, which begins with Kofun and ends with the Asuka period, which takes us all the way to about 700 A.D. But we’re just going to focus on the Kofun. A kofun is a type of burial mound, which is the centerpiece for this era of art and why the period is named as such. Keeping in the theme of religion, this period of Japanese history sees Japan still largely practicing the Shinto religion, before Buddhism was introduced to the region. 

Kofun burial mounds where made for people of the ruling class, and the most interesting thing about them is probably their shape. While many were of a basic shape—circular or square—some were shaped like keyholes (which is what the above picture is of). What’s astounding about it is that you’d only even be able to appreciate their shape when the Kofun were viewed from miles above, which basically meant that there was no way for people to see them at that time (no airplanes or satellite photos in 200 A.D.). It was assumed, of course, that the spirits of the dead would be able to see the shape when looking down at them from above, and no matter you’re view on religion or the afterlife, it’s hard to deny how neat it is that the people of that time would go through so much work to create something that would only be truly appreciated by gods and spirits. Compared to the artistic burial areas of most other cultures, where anyone can see and appreciate them, it was a nice change to have a people truly go for a tribute with the assumption that only upon death and the entrance to the spirit would could someone see the full artistry that went into creating the Kofun burial mounds. 

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I really like how you shared about your favorite piece of work from Janine. I agree with you as well that I love the meaning behind Moor. I love how the reason behind it was to show the people who anchored her in life.

Performance Art - Week 12

Yet again, this class surprised me. A week I thought was going to be a struggle for me I found really engaging and interesting. I think that from the general public viewpoint, performance art probably gets the least amount of respect out of all of the art genres. I feel like performance art is often much better understood when you know and understand the sometimes extensive backstory behind the piece. At least, while you can get a good understanding by only watching the performance by itself, I feel like when you know the depth and breadth of what has gone into the creation of the performance it opens new layers and dimensions to the message being conveyed.

Yoko Ono, Cut Piece (1965)

I’m going to go backwards this week and talk about the relevant artist I chose for this week, Yoko Ono because I had such a strong reaction to her work; In particular, her performance of Cut Piece. I was riveted watching the video, at first curious, then frightened and disgusted by the behavior of the audience participants. Yoko sat on the stage alone, a pair of scissors next to her. The audience was instructed that they would be allowed to go up to her and use the scissors to cut off a piece of her clothing that they would be allowed to keep. While it started small, with people giggling and making remarks in the background, it began to escalate. People began making cuts that were large and meant to expose Yoko Ono instead of to clip a small piece to keep. The hardest part to watch was when one particularly ambitious man began cutting away at her bra and straps until a woman yelled at him to stop and called him a creep. I feel that there are so many different ways to look at this piece and what it says about the artist, but especially about people, that I simply don’t have the space to do here. Yoko herself said, “When I do the Cut Piece, I get into a trance, and so I don’t feel too frightened.…We usually give something with a purpose…but I wanted to see what they would take….There was a long silence between one person coming up and the next person coming up. And I said it’s fantastic, beautiful music, you know? Ba-ba-ba-ba, cut! Ba-ba-ba-ba, cut! Beautiful poetry, actually.” I rather saw an aspect of objectification with a touch of public sexual violence myself, but I think they are not mutually exclusive.

In a sense, this reminds me of the article talking about Bree Newsome taking down the Confederate flag and how that can be seen as performance art as well. There is such a vast possibility to combine the personal and the political in a way that captures people’s attention. They may not all understand the statement, but they can’t avoid becoming aware. The conflict with what Bree Newsome did is that it was illegal, and it upset a lot of people and made some activists worried she had harmed the movement to have the flag removed. However, I like the way the article stated, “She performed an action movie gesture as a vicarious and thrilling experience for anyone who wanted this symbol of the Confederacy – synonymous with racism for so many people – removed, even for a brief time.” Her outrageous act helped give some people a burst of energy to keep fighting to have the flag removed.

Moor, Janine Antoni

Janine Antoni’s featured work Touch and Moor were a little less political, but nonetheless very personal. I love the idea behind Moor, that she was given scraps and pieces and materials that she turned into a rope trailing all through the gallery where she could pick up any piece and begin to recall who gave it to her and why they were an important part of her life. These are the people who anchored her to her life, and she literally made a rope that represented them. The other piece that really stood out to me was the one in which she had made a model of herself, draped it in wet rawhide, then removed the model. The visual is stunning. You see the person on all fours, submissive and animal-like, draped in the hide of a cow (often seen as very docile). When you look inside, it’s empty. It’s a little unnerving. 

Saddle, Janine Antoni