video review

African Art: A Legacy of Oppression

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

I chose this video because I felt that since African art/culture often used masks, watching this video would relate well to the mask project from this module.

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

• Tervuren Museum ~ world's largest collection of Central African art ~ Approximately 250,000 pieces.
• Masks = most common form of art.
• Masks worn by priests in rituals to connect to the dead.
• Huge range in types of art: fertility figures, magic totems, totems of revenge.
• Abstract ideas, symbolism, simple, dramatic, startling, exaggerated, naturalist.
• Art was meant to take figure away from reality.
• King Leopold began exploiting the natives for harvesting rubber plants; disease, deaths, whippings, severed limbs, rapes. 
• Stole artifacts & put them on display.
• Began to have an affect on Western art of the time period.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The video & the text both reinforced each other in the fact that the masks were the most prevalent form of African art.  Both have great images of some really beautiful works of art, including clothing, cups, etc...things someone might not see as art, yet the way it has been done by them makes it art. 

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I found parts of this film a bit disturbing due to the way the African people were treated. It's not like I wasn't aware of how things were back then, but seeing images of children with severed hands was unnerving to me.  Despite this, the film was interesting.  The masks were so cool & got me excited to try making my own.  Also, the film really showed how African art influenced other artists of the time. Very cool.

Buddhism

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

I chose this video because I have always had an interest in the Buddhist religion, & I hoped this video will be informative about it.

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

• Began in India, Buddha born 560 B.E.C.
• Known as "The Enlightened One."
• Nirvana ~ the total bliss of enlightenment.
• Spoke out against authority, told people to find themselves.
• Started order of monastic monks so future followers of Buddhism would have mentors for guidance/support.
• Basic message of love.
• To be "in the world, but not of it."
• Extinguish all desires for pleasure, position, possessions.
• Chanting, meditation, chimes, bells, drums all part of ceremonies.
• Reproduces wood techniques in stone.
• Lotus = Scared flower.
• 3-tiered umbrella = levels of Heaven.
• Symbolic architecture, statues, beautiful murals, detailed, vivid colors, historical/mythical scenes.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

This related to the text because it showed the spread of Buddhism to different areas of the world & gave detailed descriptions of the temples & the religion itself. 

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

This was a great film.  All the architecture was incredible, & very beautiful.  I lover learning the meanings of the different types of art, & the fact that pilgrims must always walk clockwise around the temples.

Exploring Line

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

It was kind of weird using my hands as a subject for a drawing.  They're just something I guess we take for granted having everyday, & that without, our lives would be a lot more difficult. 

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

I used a graphite pencil because I thought it would write more smoothly than charcoal, & I think I was right.  I also felt it would be easier to shade with such a smooth material.

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

I'm a lefty, but I do a lot of things with my right hand like throw, use scissors, & play guitar, so it was definitely a bit difficult, but not nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be. 

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

My left hand definitely turned out better than my right hand, which was surprising  but they both look like mummy hands to me.  My skill at drawing is apparently not up to par.  I tried shading a little bit, & adding the lines & stuff, but I don't think I quite got them perfect.  It was a lot harder to draw something I see & use everyday than I had anticipated.

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

I would definitely consider using my non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future.  In reviewing my drawings, I actually think the drawing of my left hand is a little bit better than the drawing of my right hand. Go figure! 

Module 9 video review

Albrecht Durer: Image of a Master

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

I actually chose this video because in reading the summary, it spoke of the Gothic style of art. Yet when I watched the video, it actually took place during the time period after the popularity of the Gothic style.

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

• Durer ~ 1471-1528
• Dragged German art out of the Middle Ages.
• Apprenticed with his father, a goldsmith, at the age of 15.
• Opened up the Gothic style of art during his early years to the influences of the Italian Renaissance.
• Used nee techniques like silver point & steel engraving.
• Extraordinary with portraiture.
• Enjoyed painting hands.
• Carefully observed the process of aging.
• Skilled in woodcuts.
• Was the 1st true landscape artist in Europe.
• Heavy Italian/Venetian influences in painting style.
• Searched for what was considered "perfect form" by the Greeks.    

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The video showed how during this time period of the Renaissance, even artists who were not from Italy were strongly influenced by the great strides being made in the world of art.  Techniques changed drastically during this time period, as is shown by both the text book & the video.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I liked this film. It gave me information of an artist I had previously no knowledge of, & introduced me to his unique techniques like silver point & steel engraving, both of which I found very beautiful.

Velazquez 

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

I chose this video to find out more about an artist I had hear of, but have no real knowledge of.

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

• Velazquez ~ 1599-1660.
• 1623 ~ named court painter for King Phillip the 4th of Spain.
• Painted the King & his family at many stages of their lives.
• Tried to catch figures in "real time."
• Treated historical images/myths in his paintings as though they had just happened.
• Was interested in how his ability as a painter could make these myths real.
• Some of his paintings were done over a period of many years before they were completed.
• Many of his works were based on the work of an earlier age & other artists.
• His style was built on the foundation of the Baroque period but reached beyond it.
• His works represented an "artlessness" based on nature, not arrangement.
• Painted many portraits, landscapes, & equestrian portraits.
• Also did portraits of the palace jesters, fools, & entertainers of the royal family; tried to find the humanity in their disfigurement.
• Some of his most influential paintings were done in the last 10 years of his life.  
• Thought the purpose of painting was not to imitate nature, but to guide the eye of the beholder to see what the painter's eye had discovered.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The video relates to the readings in the fact that some of Velazquez's influences came from the Baroque period, yet he was said to have taken the expectations of this time & pushed his technique a bit further than was normal for the time period.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

This film was okay.  It just seemed to me that if he was such an influential painter of his time, even considered to be a master, his paintings seemed kind of boring to me. I know it was just the time period, & that he was mainly into portraits, but his pictures were boring in my opinion.  Despite the time period I guess I just expected a little more pizzazz.   

Video Review: Module 8

More Human Than Human

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

I chose this video because it was required.

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

• World's most popular images of the human body look nothing like real human beings.
• Fertility goddesses created by nomads.
• Precious images changed over time ~ became less exaggerated.
• Egyptian art ~ obsession with order.
• Greeks ~ obsession with physical perfection became exaggeration ~ changed over time.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

• Shows how people of different cultures have been influenced by different occurances throughout time when it comes to art; how perceptions of the human body has changed throughout time.
•   Fertility goddesses = 10 cm high & were carried from place to place by nomadic people.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I found this film interesting, especially the part that talked about the Egyptian culture being obsessed with repetition, & order. Once that point was brought up, it really put the entire Egyptian culture into a different perspective for me. 

Art & Life in the Middle Ages: The Luttrel Psalter

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

I chose this video based on its description. When I read about the "babewyns" I had to see them for myself & find out if the video explains them.

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

• Psalter = Prayer book containing the words of the psalms in Latin.
• Written in calligraphy.
• Had illustrations of scenes from the bible & everyday life.
• There were monsters on almost every page.
• Took years & huge sums of money to produce. 
• Illustrations mostly done by 1 person, portraits probably of people the artist knew.
• Illustrations of famine, farming, weaving, animals, games, harvest, festivals, fantasy, bible scenes, life at the time, monsters....
• In the middle ages the people of this time had a very literal vision of Heaven & Hell; the babewyns were probably a depiction of the monstrosities of Hell.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

• Religious art.
• Depiction of fight against evil.
• Illumination of texts = Monks add pictures.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I found this film very cool.  The book itself was a work of art.  The pictures were amazing, & the calligraphy was very beautiful.

Cairo Museum

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

I selected this film because I have always had an interest in Egypt & its artifacts & artwork, & I hope to someday visit there.

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

• Opened in 1902.
• Most extensive collection of priceless relics in the world: Includes mummys, jewels, & treasures.
• Attracts visitors from all over the world.
• Over 160,000 artifacts, but only half are on display; the rest are in storage in the basement.
• Houses artifacts from 30 dynasties of Pharaohs.
• Some artifacts arrived over 100 yrs ago & still haven't been opened.
• Many need conservation.
• Conservation starts in the field at the site of discovery.
• Museum creates feeling of connection to roots for many visitors.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

• Spoke of King Tut & his treasures.
• Showed many of the same images, such at the Pyramids at Giza.
• spoke of the use of gold & semi-precious stones in Egyptian artifacts.

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

The film was more in depth that the text book, & showed many more artifacts up close & in great detail, but both had a lot of similar information.  The video showed in depth conservation techniques, & gave more information on the history of how many of the artifacts were originally discovered.  

Video Review: Architecture

Classical Architecture

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

• When nations want to express how successful/important they are, or hide failures, they build grandiose monuments which reflect their own aspirations.
• Ancient Greece & Rome are the 2 main historical influences on architecture.
• The Classical style of architecture has been used for over 2,000 years & is still used & adapted to reflect the needs of the times.
• Modern architecture is dwarfing the classical style, with its large skyscrapers, office buildings, & apartment buildings.
• The key concepts of classical architecture are proportion, harmony, balance, & the use of columns.
• Italian Renaissance architecture was a rediscovery of the architectural traditions of Ancient Rome.  
• Inspiration for this came from the Truvius, 10 books on architecture which saw the human body as a measure of all things, & therefore the basis of architectural harmony. 
• Also stated that the body's ratio  symmetries could be inscribed into both a circle & a square which made these shapes sacred.  (ex: Leonardo Da Vinci's drawing "The Truvian man.")
• Historic architecture is duplicated from place to place & applied to the surfaces of new buildings.
• New ways are still being found today to incorporate Classical architecture into buildings.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

This video related to the textbook in just about every way. It tells about the different techniques & structural systems found in architecture & actually showed a lot of the same places shown in the textbook, like the Pantheon & the Pont du Gard.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?

This video was really cool. It added to my understanding of Architecture in the fact that it gives more examples than the book did, & I feel it went into a little more depth with the descriptions.  Also, the pictures of the different styles & types of architecture from the film were beautiful & of better quality that the textbook.

4. From the group of four that you had a choice: Why did you choose that film?

I chose this film because Classical architecture has always grabbed my attention.  I loved learning about all the old Ancient Greek buildings in my Foundations of Western Civ class last semester, & this film gave me more of an architectural point of view on these buildings, to add to the historical information I already knew.  

Prairie Style

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

• Frank Lloyd Wright ~ no other architect in history has influenced as much; genius, innovator, name synonymous with American architecture. 
• His houses reflect the time, place, & landscape of which they are built.
• Prairie Style homes: built in early in FLW's career, Chicago suburbs (prairie), wide open horizontal living spaces that blend naturally into surroundings, built in bands of horizontal layering (brick, stone, windows, roof).
• Wanted his houses to "grow out of the land," not destroy it.
• Tried to create natural harmony between client & architecture, & to echo the lines of the surrounding prairie.
• Access to the main door set to create mystic, not always right in the center of the house, created a unique entering experience.  
• FLW rethought the organization of the house, opening up spaces so rooms linked 1 to the next; moved fireplace to the center of the house freeing up the entire outside for windows, which followed the sun around the house in an unrestricted vista.
• Ceiling levels brought down to accentuate horizontal aspects.
• FLW had a commitment to perfection & harmony with nature; his houses were not put on the landscape, but in it as a part of it.
• Each house is unique to its landscape & seem to grow out of the land.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

This video relates the the portion of the text that talks about the purposes of architecture.  Beyond each function, every structure has a particular character or style.  It creates a certain environment within its walls & projects a certain image to the broader environment outside.  FLW's homes do not fall into the definition of "cookie-cutter homes." Each is unique in its style & character, & its functionality is perfect for the location it is in.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?

I really liked this film.  It showed so many of FLW's beautiful homes, & gave such detailed descriptions of each, in some cases all the way down to the furniture & why it was chosen, & why it reflects FLW's design idea for the house.  I found his technique of building the houses so that they are one with the surrounding land awesome & inspiring.  I especially loved his use of windows in his homes, & the 1 house that had such amazing landscaping built right into it, with all kinds of water flowing all around it.

    

4. From the group of four that you had a choice: Why did you choose that film?

I chose this film because of the fact that right here in Buffalo we have some of FLW's architecture, so I found this video related to me as a local.  I wanted to learn more about the man that had such a big impact on architecture, not only right here, but all over America.

installation art

A. What is installation art?

Instillation art is art in which a space is presented as a work of art that can be entered, explored, experienced. & reflected upon.

B. What materials are used installation art?

Any materials can be used in installation art.  It can be anything from a picture, to a video, to something the artist created.

C. Why make installation art? 

The purpose of installation art is to create controversy & challenge people's perception of what is considered art, & to grab that audience's attention & make them part of the artwork.

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

I really likes Jem Finer's "Longflare," which was shown in the video.  It is located in the Millennium Dome in Trinity Boy Warf, inside a lighthouse. It is a piece of ever evolving music which will play constantly until the next millennium, and is shows the true essence of time over a thousand years.  The location was specifically chosen, & a lot of thought went into what kind of music that was to be played here.  Its purpose is to bring people's imagination into play, & each person gets something different out of it.  I loved this concept.  I found it to be a really interesting concept.

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

I really enjoyed Christo & Jeanne-Claude's "The Gates," which was depicted in the textbook. They set up 7,503 saffron-colored rectangular gateways along 23 miles of footpaths in a park.  It only remained in place for 16 days, but it attracted 4 million visitors from all over the world.  I found it inspirational.  The entire thing.  The way they described the unfurling of the flags, the color, the fact it drew so many people from all over the world.

B. What theme do I want to explore in my installation? 

In my installation I'm going to explore The Human Experience.

C. What materials will I use?

I will use items from my home.  Things that are important to me at this point in my life. 

D. Where will this installation be located and why?

It will be located in my house because it is partially already a permanent installation piece in my home already, with just a few changes.

  

My installation is called "Work in Progress."  I used my art materials as actual art.  I did this because I have been painting a lot more often recently, & found the creation of this piece to represent me & my feelings.  I feel that I am an unfinished "work in progress," & am still trying to figure out a lot of things in my life.  Like this painting I started, I have some idea of what my outcome in life will be, but that knowledge is never certain.  There is also a couple of blank canvas's in the top right of the 1st picture, which represent my belief that every day is like a blank canvas, like a chance to start over & start new.

video review

Through the eyes of the Sculptor

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

• Limestone~ sedimentary rock formed at the bottom of oceans/seas.
• Easiest to cut with chainsaw.
• Restoration mainly on small parts of sculpture (feet, hands, etc.), very rarely is entire piece replaced.
• Mold of old stone faces on bridge restoration to make new blocks.
• Restoration is good training for young carvers/sculptors.
• Sculptors can work with a variety of mediums including clay, bronze, limestone, & marble.
• Bridges~ attachments that keep sculpture stable to avoid breakage during shipping/transportation.  reinforces uncarved marble pieces where ever marble hangs in the air, removed after instillation, then carving is finished.
• Sculptors will have many different sculptures in different stages to keep ideas fresh.
• May do in several mediums such as clay, plaster, & then marble for the finished product.  

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The textbook's definition of carving was right on point with the description from the movie; sculptor begins with a block of material & cuts, chips, & gouges away until the form of the sculpture emerges.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics?

The film showed the process involved with sculpting step by step, giving me information I had previously not known.  I found the process of harvesting the marble historically & today interesting.

Glass & Ceramics

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

• The applications of glass are limitless.
• Made from sand.
• Not a true solid; is a vicious liquid which solidifies when cooled.
• Mixture is 60-75% sand, rest is made up of fluxes like soda, potash, limestone, or oyster shells, to improve fusion.
• In the creation of stained glass, the oldest & most commonly used technique is the lead technique.
• Old stained glass told stories or taught lessons through pictures.
• Ceramics is one of the oldest art forms.
• Clay is the most often used base & is usually crystalline rock.
•  Crystalline structure gives it it's strength.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

After watching the processes in the video I agree with the book that glass blowing is the most fascinating material.  The steps in the processes in the video definitely went in tandem with the book's description.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics?

The glass blowing process is familiar to me because I have friends that do it, but it's always so amazing to see.  I also liked seeing the different items made from each different process of glass blowing.  I have always loved stained glass, so seeing the process was really cool, & very in depth.  The technique used for the mas production of dinner plates was kind neat to see too.

  Installation Art

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

• Definition of installation art: artwork that defines/takes over a space.
• 3 dimensional artworks with things in or around them that force interaction with the artwork.
• Site-Specific Art: works on a grand scale.
• When artists use video as installation art they demand precision in how it is presented.
• Performance art grabs the audience's attention 7 makes them part of the artwork.
• Some installation art can take weeks to build.
• Its purpose is to challenge people's perception of what actually constitutes art & to create controversy.    

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The book related to the video on installation art because it stated another purpose of it; to create art without making an object that can be sold or owned.  I liked this description.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics?

I found the video interesting.  It showed that art can be defined in many different terms, & that it is the role of the artist to be a communicator of different roles & ideas.

Blog Reviews

1. Hyperlink the Blogs you reviewed into your Blog

http://brittanydouglas2.blogspot.com

http://Graz01.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?

I enjoyed seeing other student's take on the elements & principles.  It was interesting to see what they used & what was going through their minds when making their slideshows.  I agreed with their representations of each element & principle, as well as seeing other people's creativity.

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?

In Brittney's blog I found that she was also interested in learning more about one of the same pictures I had an interest in learning more about.  It was Untitled (Rage) by Glenn Lingon.  She also found it interesting that the entire thing was actually words, & was able to decipher the 1st line, which I wasn't able to do. 

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?

In Graziella's blog she used a small sculpture that I had seen during my visit to the Albright-Knox.  It was by Ken Price, & was called "Sea of Sin."  The title really does catch my attention, as it did Graziella's & has me wondering what was going through the artist's mind while naming it. 

5. What do you think about  the process of reading your peers reflection? Do you find this to be a valuable in your learning?

It was pretty cool to read other student's blogs & see their slideshows.  It gave me an alternate perspective on the projects we have done thus far, & gave me the opportunity to see other works of art the may not have grabbed my attention at the time, but did interest others.  It shows that in order to come to the same conclusion, people may take totally different routes.  That's what makes us each so unique as a species. 

6. Check your Blog and read comments posted by your Peers. Do you find their comments helpful?

So far I have no comments, but will edit this posting if & when I do get them.  I'm sure they will be helpful & insightful.

Edit: Yes the comments were helpful.  It made me happy to get someone else's point of view on something I worked so hard on, & to hear their thoughts on my work.