Module 13 and 14 Video blog

1) From the video “The lowdown on lowbrow: west coast pop art” I learned that this form of art features a lot of nudity and is characterized by eccentric ideas and creations. This style of art has been compared to surrealism yet it seems to really just be an eccentric form of creation. From the video “Displaying Modern Art: The Tate approach” I learned that art is mainly separated in a gallery by rooms which are separated by art movements, such as pop art, realism, etc. From the video “Bones of Contention: Native American Archeology” I learned that there is a controversy over the remains of Native Americans that has been going “An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan” I learned that Philippe de Montebello was the man behind the expansion of the collections of art at the MET. The video went through the process of what goes into the acquisitions of paintings.




 2) All of these videos relate to the creation of our own art curations. They all have different aspects that can relate and help to complete our curation projects. The videos show an example of an art form, what controversy can lie in picking a theme for your curation, how to set up and display our works of art and how art is generally collected in a museum setting.


 3) I would be completely lost without a majority of the information presented by these videos. The videos for the most part were informative and interesting. I enjoyed watching them and I learned everything about curations and curators from these videos. The only one that was a little off topic was the one on Native

Module 12 Video Review

1) I selected the video “Abstract Expressionism and pop: Art of the ‘50’s and 60’s” because pop art was such an odd phase I figured it was worth learning more. I picked the video “Andy Warhol: Images of an Image” because he seemed to be such a huge part of the pop art movement and he’s an icon. So I guessed it would be good to learn all I can about him. 2) In “Abstract expressionism and pop: art of the 50’s and 60’s” I learned about the artist Kline and how he used colors to paint abstract art. This artist not alone used color to convey his points he also used action. Action meaning the technique in which Kline painted. It was very popular among abstract artists of that era as the text and video stated. From “Andy Warhol” Images of Images” some key concepts were that Warhol loved to use the silkscreen method of painting. Warhol had a theme among his works of repetition, not only in the individual pieces themselves but of his collections. For example he used Marylin Monroe in countless works and this ended up forming a collection of one woman after another. 3) “Abstract Expressionism and pop: art of the 50’s and 60’s” gave more information on different pop and abstract artists. This was good as it is always better to learn about eclectic groups rather than stay stuck on one style or artist. “Andy Warhol: Images of Images” goes into depth and actually elaborated on what the silkscreen technique really entails. Being that it was Warhols primary mode of creation I was glad to finally learn what it was. 4) I thought both videos were effective, however I was very bored while watching “Abstract Expressionism and pop: art of the 50’s and 60’s” Also slightly disturbing in that video was that they only featured one female artist. I don’t think the gorilla girls would be too excited to see that! Ha! “Any Warhol: Images of Images” helped me to further understand this artist and the way and reasons behind some of his works.

Module 11 Gallery Visit

Questions about the exhibits 1) The gallery I went to was The Burchfield Penny and the exhibits were all mainly untitled. 2) There were many themes of the exhibits within the gallery. For example one room had all black and white photographs and works of art that all had a common theme of struggle, diversity and being different. Another room I went to had the theme of furniture and plant life. Physical Space 1) There was various lighting throughout this gallery that was used. In one space the light was very bright against the paintings. In another room there was no light, only the artwork illuminated the areas. 2) The colors of the walls in this gallery were all white. 3) There was wood, metal and even tapestry used in the architecture of this gallery space. 4) As soon as you walk into the gallery there is a dip in the ceiling, which is accompanied, by a piece of tapestry, both of which make you look up. As you look up you follow with eyes and feet down and straight into another artistic space. A gallery worker that this was done intentionally by the architect to get the viewer to follow with their eyes and feet down the space. Questions about the artwork 1) The artwork was organized in a different way for each room, yet they were all similar in theme for each room. The art was hung on walls or displayed on a step to be elevated. One room may have a break with a wall, almost like a large doorway with no door that would be even too large for a door. 2) Each section of the gallery would feature similar works of art in their own spaces. Overall however all the works were not similar at all. The works in each section were the entire same theme though. 3) One section featured comic book art; another featured artwork inspired by the struggles and pain caused by slavery and oppression of the African American community. Very unrelated to one another completely. 4) Most of the paintings or oil and canvas works were framed in pretty standard wood frames. Some had no frames as I saw with the comic book artwork. Over all I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Burchfield Penny art gallery. I thought it was very annoying at first to have to visit the gallery and look at it with all of these ideas and concepts in mind, but then I found it to be helpful as I went along. It made me appreciate the art a little more, it made me think more about how the gallery was built and designed and overall I think it was a good mindset to have in viewing art and the gallery.

Module 11 Video Review

1) The first video I watched was “Expressionism.” My reason for picking this video is because the text referred to this form of art and mentions how other styles sprang from it. The second video I decided to view was “Matisse and Picasso.” The reason was because of Picasso really. I have always been taught about Picasso in various phases of my academic career and I have never fully understood him. I had hopes that this video would help me to comprehend him more fully.
 2) For the video “Expressionism” the artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner who was a part of the movement called die Brükch, painted in a way that was different than any other. Kirchner’s work was displayed in this video to characterize what this sect of expressionism embodied. The video said that this particular style was ‘less about sharp form and more about the sensations’ that the painting was trying to convey. The video “Matisse and Picasso” focused a lot on the personal lives of these two painters and how their experiences effected and inspired their art. It was very intriguing to learn that these two actually met up and even exchanged paintings. It was also eye opening to learn that these two inspired one another seeing as to the fact that their approaches to painting and drawing were complete opposite ends of the spectrum.
 3) The video “Expressionism” touches again on color and the unconventional manner in which it was used in expressionist artwork. The painting mentioned in the video “Blue Horse” is an example of color and it’s different use in expressionism. “Matisse and Picasso” mentions many points that were also featured in the textbook. The fact that Matisse’s artistic talents were suppressed as a teen was also mentioned in detail in the textbook.
 4) The video “Expressionism” was terribly dull and nearly made me fall asleep. There is not very much music throughout the video, which is likely why I found it extremely boring to watch. “Expressionism” was a highly factual video and did help to reinforce some key concepts of this art form, especially the form Die Brükch. Other than that however I was very bored with the video. Contrary to that first video I viewed “Matisse and Picasso” was very enjoyable to me. The video shows in depth the processes and thoughts of these two very important artists. I think it is important to get into th heads and learn about the lives and experiences of artists because it gets you to better understand the work they create.

Module 10 Project: Mask Making

Steps1 and 2 The first photo I chose as an inspiration for my mask was called “Mask of Agamemnon.” This work was made of gold and crafted after the face of a Greek leader. It was used as a burial mask and found in the 1800’s by an archeologist. This mask is carved and in low relief and uses form. We see that only one color is uses, gold and it was not a pigment but rather a metal that gave the mask its coloring. The form used is that of a mans face. The second mask I picked was the first mask on the link for African masks. I picked it because it uses pattern. This mask also features form, that of a hawk and rhythm with the pattern. The mask only uses two colors for the pattern which aids in the effect of rhythm. I liked this mask because it was so uniformed and no too overwhelming. The third mask I picked was a Batak mask used for a funeral dance. This mask uses high relief and is carved using form of a human face. The reason I chose this mask was because of how large and almost overbearing it was. It reminded me of a character mask, or even a cartoon character almost. Step 4 My finished mask incorporates color, pattern, texture and relief. I used a lined pattern for the two far left and right sections of the mask; we could call these the ears. Texture comes from the foil on the lips of the mask, as it is crinkled. I used various colors throughout this mask including, yellow, green, two shades of red, black and brown. The relief comes from the eye section of the mask where I have raised the cardboard to protrude out, creating a telescope feel in the mask. Step 5 I had some fun creating this mask although I initially thought it would be difficult and dull to complete. While it did present somewhat of a challenge in going from the papers of my notebook drawing to real live mask it wasn’t that bad. I do not and never will claim to be a world-class artist so I don’t love the way my mask came out. I did try however and I put all I had into it!

Module 10 Video review

1) I picked the videos “Buddhism” and “Hinduism” because I have always been a little confused on the differences between the two. The textbook somewhat clarified it for me but I was still fuzzy. So I chose these two videos in hopes that I can learn a little more and become more informed on these two religions. 2) For the video “Buddhism” I learned about the city of Bodh Gaya in India that is a city that many of the faith pay pilgrimages to. I also got to see very lovely action shots of a stupa in Sanchi India. The Carvings as the video said were likely done by wood or ivory carvers, which was interesting as they were on stone. For the video “Hinduism” I thought the most interesting thing it taught me was that sex actually isn’t taboo in that religion. Many western religions that we have learned about have never had any form or discussion on sex or an importance of sex in the religion. The temple of Khajuraho that was built in the ninth century for the god Shiva shows erotic temple carvings. The carvings are all throughout the temple, which is amazing considering how tall and large it is. 3) The video “Buddhism” gave a better visual picture of a stupa than the textbook did. It helped to reinforce the lessons from the book by essentially reinstating everything the text originally said. The video “Hinduism” also restated a lot of what the text taught me. Many of the works from the video were described in the textbook, which is always good and helpful. 4) I thoroughly enjoyed the “Buddhism” video because the narrator/host really was passionate about the art forms and architecture of the religion. Te video “Hinduism” was very well put together but I did wish it had been longer than only twenty-six minuets. It helped me to further understand the religion as well as the reasoning for some art that came as a result of that religion.