The Study of Art

I visited To Point a Naked Finger by Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader. The exhibition was about the use of facial expressions as a form of communication. The exhibition was made by two influencers in the Deaf community, Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader. It is comprised of three videos which featured them using sign language with one another. The room is the secluded room which is painted black on all four sides and often features filmography. It is a dim-lit room but the videos are bright themselves. There are black cushioned benches for the viewer use while they take in the videos. The videos are projected from the ceiling on either side. The wall that faces the viewer when they first walk in is normally the wall that projects the videos, but instead this wall was blank. The wall hidden from the viewer and those on either side are being used to project the videos. The viewer stays relatively still, looking back and forth from the middle of the room. The videos themselves c...

I chose these three images because I believe they provide a good example of the variation of masks in the African art world. In the first mask the artists uses repetition and pattern through the cut out triangles, but also through the placement of the triangles a new form of line is made; implied line. This unrealistic, representation of a face appears to be mimicking that of a frilled lizard with its shield out to scare prey and predators. There is also a strong sense of symmetry. In the second mask the artist takes a more realistic approach to a face, although it is still abstracted and exaggerated. There is exaggeration in the forehead which is emphasized by the beaded hair that is attached. There is symmetry in this mask as well, although it is less exact than the first mask. The artist uses curvilinear geometric shapes like the circle and and the curving X. As well, the lines shown follow the contours of the face, and the shapes could be representing a hairline. ...

1. I selected “African Art” because I thought it could give me more of a perspective on African Mask making. I chose “Buddhism” because I enjoy listening to information about the religion, mainly because it seems to be the least controversial and most interesting to me. 2. The video “African Art” described the culture of early Africa and its artifacts, as well as how they were used. In early African art the use of repetition and rhythm is similar to the music of the culture, with distinct patterns. The artworks were based in forms of masks, sculptures, and bronze statues. These were made to represent the divine and animals, each having a unique and individual style. They were known for their exotic exploration of representation rather than realism; much of the art is conceptually based. Statues were often meant to be the icon worshiped, rather than being a representation of the deity. As well, masks were used for dance rituals that connected the community to their deities. 3. The c...

1. I chose both “Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master” and “Velazquez”because I felt I knew the least about both artists out of the list of examples, and wanted to learn more about them. I’ve taken Art History classes where we’ve talked about Michelangelo and da Vinci, but I haven’t learned much about Velazquez and I’ve briefly learned about Durer prior to this class. 2. In “Albrecht Dürer: Image of a Master”, Durer took the art of the Middle Ages and turned it into something new, by using silverpoint, or silver on paper, then adapting to other materials. He focused on portraits, specifically  he enjoyed painting hands. He painted in a non idealized way, realistically showing wrinkles and aging. Durer turned to woodcuts, and painted landscapes of Europe through his travels. After visiting Italy, he no longer used varied sized figures in altarpieces, inspired by Venetian art at the time. All the while he was very narcissistic and vain, painting himself to be this beautiful god-like m...

1. My hands are oddly skinny and long, like piano hands, so they themselves are odd to draw; let alone trying to draw using my non dominant hand. I enjoyed it but it wasn't hard to do once I found a good technique. 2. I chose a hard charcoal pencil I had, mainly because I thought it would be more of a challenge to make the images more defined. I also don't work in charcoal often so I thought I would today. 3. It was odd and uncomfortable to hold the pencil in my left hand, it such a foreign thing to do. I decided to try semi blind contour after trying to do sketchy lines, and I found that if I kept my pencil down but looked and the paper and my hand it was easier than lifting the pencil up; I could go with guidelines then make more accurate lines after. 4. They both clearly show a hand, however I feel like I enjoy my left handed sketch better, only because it's more dynamic than my regular everyday quick sketch of a hand. 5. I guess I could consider using my non dom...

1. I chose “Beyond the Classical: Byzantine and Later Greek Art” because I felt like I previously knew more about the Byzantine Empire and the story behind it. As well I felt like it would be easier to connect the society to the artwork than if I had only chosen one of the videos about Greek work. 2. The video “Beyond the Classical: Byzantine and Later Greek Art” discussed the development of Greek art and its change over time. The beginning of Greek and especially Byzantine artwork was based around Christianity and the icons important to the religion. New forms of paintings like fresco arrived, and eventually idols were struck out of the art world in the area. Idols were thought to be a sin; and something not to be worshiped. Eventually this idea went away and the work slowly grew to mix with Roman style. The mix of European and Greek artwork followed. Although there was some propaganda, the mixture of cultures resulted in Neoclassicism. Neoclassicism, resulted in the recreation of t...

1. In the video “Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School” it explained a bit of Wright’s background, stating he grew up in a rural area, an open area. The houses at the time were all similar; they were over decorated, large buildings with height but not space. They were scalloped and often had spires and rounded porches. Wright’s architecture did not follow these rules. Wright made houses that were shorter and wider;  they had a big chimney, and no basement or attic. They were meant to seem like shelters. Inside they were open in their floor plan; every room was connected with an open doorway. His work was called “organic” meaning it worked with nature rather than ignoring nature. Although his houses were cohesive with nature, his designs were often geometric rather than organic or curvilinear. His geometric shapes were simplified versions of things found in nature. He based his work on the idea that form follows function, not necessarily that in terms of importance, but that an ...