Final Blog.

1. What were you expectations for this course and where they met?


My expectations of this course was to learn about art and art history, and to create art as well. These expectations were met 100% with all of the projects and reading assignments that we have completed over the semester.






2. Now that you've been through this course, What is art? How would you define it now compared to your initial posting?


Art is a visual representation of something created by an artist who wants the viewer to interpret the meaning of it. Art is also the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects one or more of thesenses, emotions, and intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings. The definition is similar to the one i had in the beginning of the class but now there is more understanding behind the words.



3. Who was your favorite artist in your original posting and who is your favorite visual artist now? If there is a difference, why do you think so? If you have the same favorite artist, why do you think so?
I believe my favorite artist in my first posting was Leonardo Da Vinci. At the conclusion of the course, though i do still have an appreciation for his work he is no longer my favorite artist. However i don't know that i have a favorite artist, but an appreciation for art as a whole now.







4. Now that you've completed this course, how do you feel about taking an online course? Is your answer the same as it was in your first posting? How is it the same or different?



 I feel that taking an online course can be challenging at times, but also very convenient. I feel that it allows for a lot of freedom but requires you to stay on task so you don't fall behind. This view is similar to my original post and hasn't changed much. 

Self Portrait

 These are my 3 inspirational pieces.

Artist: Leonardo DaVinci

Medium: Red Chalk on Paper

Size: 13 1/8" x 8 3/8"

Date: 1512

http://arthistory.about.com/od/leonardo/ig/Art-in-The-Da-Vinci-Code/Leonardo-s-Self-Portrait.htm

Artist:  Vincent Van Gogh

Medium:  Oil on canvas

Size: 25.5" x 21.75"

Date: 1889

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/self/

Frida Kahlo
(Mexican, 1910-1954)
Self-Portrait with Monkey, 1938
Oil on masonite, 16 x 12"

http://www.mexicanwave.com/blog/2005/04/04/20050404/



1. Why did you select the inspiration pieces?

I selected the inspirational pieces that i did because they interested me. I like the artists that i chose and their self portraits inspired me to make my own, in my own way as they did theirs.


2. Why did you select the media to create your self-portrait?

I selected the media i did because i like working in pencil. I feel it gives me the most control and it is the media i am most comfortable using.

 3. What challenges did you face in creating your self-portrait and how did you overcome them?

The main challenge i had in this project was deciding how to create the self portrait. I needed to decide whether i wanted it to be realistic or abstract. I decided on a cartoony style because it was one of my favorite ways to draws.  

4. How does this piece represent you?
This piece represents me because i drew it in a very cartoony style. This is my favorite style of drawing and therefore it represents me and my style.

5. What elements and principles of art did you apply in this work?

Some of the principle and elements that i used in this work is line, perspective, and repetition. Line is seen in the background and leads the viewers eye across the piece. Perspective is used by making the people farther away smaller, and repetition can be seen in the pattern on the shirt.

6. Did you enjoy working on this project?

Yes i did enjoy working on this project. I found it very interesting and i liked creating something in my own style.


7. What do you think of your final artwork?

I think my final artwork came out good, however i wish i had a better camera to take a picture of it with. I couldn't get a good shot of it with my camera as it kept coming out blurry.

Video Review Wk 15

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

Greenberg on Art Criticism: An Interview by T. J. Clark: The main concept of this video is an interview by T.J Clark of one of Abstract Expressionisms principle artists, Clement Greenburg. In this interview they discuss the evolution of art criticism and issues surrounding modernist painting. The conversation spotlights Greenberg’s reflections on his career and its place in art theory, journalism, and philosophy of aesthetics. Greenberg also shares a number of insights on the relationship between art and history, the nature of value judgments in criticism, and what he calls America’s post-WWII “culture boom”.

Greenberg on Pollock: An Interview by T. J. Clark: The main concept of this video is an interview by T.J Clark of one of Abstract Expressionisms principle artists, Clement Greenburg. In this interview they discuss career, working method, and legacy of Jackson Pollock. This video focuses on Pollock’s work from the mid-1940s onward and highlights Greenberg’s firsthand observations of the artist in his studio. Greenburg states that Pollock was an outsider but practical and pretentious. He also reflects on a supposed transition from easel to mural painting.

An Introduction to the Italian Renaissance: Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of the Artists has been the basis of art criticism since the 16th century. This program illustrates how each master of art developed their techniques by building upon the work of their predecessors. The discussion between Master Vasari and his apprentice reveals the innovations of artists such as Giotto, Ghiberti, Donatello, Uccello, Masaccio, Della Francesca, Botticelli, Leonardo, Raffaello, and Michelangelo. Images of selected in this video illustrate the Roman influence on Renaissance art and reinforce the concepts of perspective, balance, chiaroscuro, composition, and realism.

 The Critics: Stories from the Inside Pages: This film is about the journey of Dr. Dwight DeWerth-Pallmeyer to answer the question, “How do critics serve the public and the artistic community. Pallmeyer interviews people such as Good Morning America film reviewer Joel Siegel, Time magazine film critic Richard Schickel, Nashville Scene music critic Bill Friskics-Warren, and Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan. The result is an in-depth look at criticism as an art form, the social value of a critic’s work, and the various ways that critics began their careers.

The Colonial Encounter: Views of Non-Western Art and Culture: The film is about the 1900 World’s Fair which in its time was promoted as a celebration of foreign ethnicities, but is seen now as a spectacle of Eurocentric myopia. Using photographs, film clips, and posters from the fair with commentary from renowned art historians the program lays bare the conceit. Offerings from collections and museums across the world are also featured. The result is a look at the ways in which western prejudice, ethnography, and art consumption have counteracted authentic intercultural dialog.

Jackson Pollock: Michael Fried and T. J. Clark in Conversation: This video is about a discussion between two critics, T.J. Clark and Michael Fried. Clark is concerned primarily with the sociopolitical history of art, whereas, Fried is a proponent of aesthetically based views of painting and sculpture. The video shows how the two artists try to obtain common ground. The two critics study two works of Jackson Pollack; these pieces are Lavender Mist and Autumn Rhythm.

2. Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Criticism project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.

Yes the videos do relate to the creation of my art criticism project. These videos relate because the videos cover the views of critics and show the process of how real critics critique works. By watching these videos it helped me to complete my project.

3. What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of art criticism?

The films are interesting and well made. They add depth to understanding of art criticism by showing how the process works, and how the process has evolved through history. They also elaborate on the careers or critiques and show how they do their job.

Article Reflection

1. Which projects did you review?
The projects that i reviewed are Wild Life Encounters, The Wonders of Life, and With Love.
 
2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?
 I selected Wild Life Encounters because it was the one that interested me the most, and that i thought i could write the most on.

3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them? The only challenge that i faced when writing this article was deciding on how to lay it out.Eventually I found the suggested topics to cover and i followed these examples.

4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?
I feel that by critiquing your peers work it helps them to gain insight on things that may help them in future projects. They can take your opinions and use them to create a better project in the future.
 
5. Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?
Yes. I would like to know what other people thought about my exhibit.
 
6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?
I would rate my project as a 9-10, because though i think it is a well thought out article, there is always room for improvement.
 
7. Did you enjoy working on this project?
I did enjoy working on this project, it was fun and interesting to develop a theme and find pieces that fit this theme. I also enjoyed developing an interpretation for each piece in the exhibit.
 

Project Reflection

The process of creating my art exhibition was a fun and interesting experience. I chose my theme because i felt that finding paintings and images of war would be pretty easy to do. The first thing i did in the process of creating my project was to look through the projects that were completed in past semesters. By using these i got an idea of the format i wanted to use for my power point. After this was done i used ArtStor to find images of war. Simply by typing in War Paintings into the search bar of the site. I found the best 25 images i could and i started the process of describing and interpreting each piece. Overall i think this was a fun, but tedious project that i found interesting to complete.