Thoughts on Course

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

What I expect to learn from this course is the next step to art. In other words if the average person looks at a painting or other visual creation and has no thoughts about it I expect to have an Idea or at least direction on what the artist is trying to express

I beleive that you could say that my objective was completed, I do now know how to look at a painting and analyse it.

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 many things, art is one thing, it is what you make it, but above all else it is how you express it that makes it Art.

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?

Well I didn't really have a favorite artist when i started, but now that i have been able to see all kinds of different ones I like Samual Silva. His ball point pen drawings just blow my mind. 

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?

The same, I am not a huge fan of them but with my full time job, side business and family it is necessary to do some classes online. 

Self Portrait

I Chose this self portrait of Van Gogh because it symbolizes who he was, he thought himself a true artist, and thats what he drew himself as.

I chose this of Picasso because it made me wonder if this is what he felt people saw him as, or if this is who he wanted to look like.

I chose this one because of the irony of it, Norman Rockwell drawing a self portrait of a Norman Rockwell being drawn by Normal Rockwell. not only that but there is other famous portraits as inspiration in the painting. I think it is incredible. 

This is the original picture I chose of myself, I chose it because it captures me when I was on vacation in Catilina Island, California. I was getting ready to go out spear fishing and scuba diving so it encompasses me in a very happy place. 

This is the altered picture, I chose this because I think it represents me. If you seen my curation project you understand a little bit better. I tend to be a bottomline guy, however I am very analytical at the same time. I find myself to be very balanced between logical and creative. This is why I chose to simply make this a sketch version of the original picture. It represents me as a whole but is broken down into a simple form and simple technique. I felt a little bit like I concentrated a little too much on the theme theme stated above but its all I could think of. I think it best represents me as a person. 

Art Criticism Project

1. Which projects did you review?

I reviewed a project by Kaitlin LaBarge and One by Samantha Yarko. I intended to review a third project but I really liked the one by Samatha Yarko so I chose to do that one.

2. Why did you select the Exhibit you critiqued?

When I was looking at it really connected with me and I really felt it was the one that I wanted to use. 

3. What challenges did you face in writing the critique article and how did you overcome them?

It was hard to look at the projects and really try to not hurt anyones feelings if you say something bad. I overcame the easily I really didn't have to say any thing bad about the project I chose because I really liked everything about it. 

4. How do you feel about critiquing your peers work?

I felt a little uncomfortable at first but once I started to go I became more relaxed. 

5. Would you like to read the critique your peers wrote about your Art Curation Project?

I would, I am good at taking constructive criticism, I felt good about my project and would like to know others feelings about it as well as if they felt the way I did about things. 

6. On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate your finished article and why?

I think a 7, I fulfilled most of the criteria but left some things out for the sake of formatting. 

7. Did you enjoy working on this project?

I did It is something that I would have never done normally, it was a nice change of pace. 

Week 15 Videos

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

-          Greenberg on Pollock: An Interview by T. J. Clark – this video demonstrated to me that some of the artist really do pay attention to what is being said about them, as well as them taking it very personally.

-           The Colonial Encounter: Views of Non-Western Art and Culture – this video showed just how closed minded people can be when they allow prejudice to take over their mind

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

They do but they do not in my opinion. They do because they make you think about the art in a very personal way but they don’t because they attach the art to a person and to me it makes it more subjective rather than its intention of being objective.

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

The interview was a little dry but that is to be expected with you are interviewing most people where you know little of what they are speaking about. The other video is eye opening to me making me realize that we as a society can be so oppressive and take advantage when it suits us to other cultures. We victimize other people at the expense of our own pleasure. There seems to be a common thread of arrogance in our cultures (western) that subjugates the less technologically developed cultures. 

Project 4

Creating this PowerPoint project was quite the process. It was more difficult than I anticipated it being. This mainly was due to trying to find the works that supported my common theme, which I found that I had to loosen up to make sure that it was going to work for them all. Once I did that I found it much easier to get the project started. My theme was logically creative. It was the intention of me to find works of art that that kept one thing simple and one thing complex. This proved to be a little bit difficult but I do think that it made for a very unique and progressive exhibit. Most of the art was more of a simple medium used such as only a pencil, or only a pen. I thought it was pretty neat to discover some of the artist that are out there that are truly talented that become more relatable with everyday people. So I tried to find art that was done with things that people use every day such as pens, pencils, crayons, Legos. 

Video Blog 13/14

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

The lowdown on lowbrow – this shows the underground movement in art in the 1970s. This video shows that art does not need to follow the “norms” that society sets, in fact it shows that many things can thrive when norms are not followed.

Displaying modern art – shows a similar thread that the first video shows which is that nontraditional things can thrive just as well, and things do not have to conform to the social norms.

Bones of Contention – this video was a polarizing topic that relates to things that we read about earlier in the book. This is another controversial thing about ownership of property similar to the British museum and the Greek artifacts.

An acquiring mind - this video shows the behind the scenes of someone who accepts art into a museum, it is not as easy as it would seem

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

I think they do, it shows different ways to group things together, it shows not have to have all of the same technique, but can be born from the same movement happening across the art world.

3.     What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?

I found the videos comforting, it opened my mind to different ways to create my project, not so much in techniques but more ideas and threads that run through different art works that can tie them together.

Mod 12 Videos

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

Abstract Expressionism and pop: Art of the 50s and 60s- I chose this video because I really seem to have a hard time connecting with abstract art.

Andy Warhol: Images of an Image – I chose this video because of things in an earlier piqued my interest in Andy, mainly because his art is things that I recognize.

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

Warhol was a lot more complicated the he lead on. For example in his work the Ten Lizes. It is based on the same image, but each of the image is different in each instance, additionally it is such a large painting that you are forced to move around, because of the type of paint that is used it changes depending on the light that reflects off of it.

For the abstract painting to me I learned that you just paint what you feel, and because it is a completely objective thing you could have 50 paintings of the same thing look different because the emotions are attached to a particular artist.

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

It shows a technique that is commonly used and described in the book but is shows that it is not limited to just these techniques. Andy Warhol used the unpredictability of silk screening to his advantage whereas others may think of things as mistakes he did not.  

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

          I thought the information given in the films was very informative but in the end it did not get me to                   understand abstract painting any more than I did before which may be exactly what it is which is                   whatever you make it.