Untitled

[alyjohnston]

Week 15

Is censorship in art/entertainment required? Why or why not?

I believe the youth should be shielded from some graphic content, however, art is subjective. What one person sees as graphic, another could see as a powerful means of displaying a message. 

Do you think ideas and concepts by artists can be dangerous? How?

Ideas and concepts can be dangerous as speaking out is not always accepted by the government or society. this can cause a dangerous situation for the artist and those who folow the same values. 

Where should the line be drawn with censorship?

There is no definite line other than the law. Murder obviously is unacceptable, but within the constructs of the law, I think anything is possible. There is always a way to convey a message or evoke emotuon without causing harm or breaking the law.

Is the perception of explicit content or violence relative to individual cultures?

What is considered explicit or violent does change from culture to culture and from era to era. What was accepted in the 1800s may not be accepted now as societies and cultures evolve and change. Perception is personaly and can change from person to person as well.

Is there a parallel to be drawn in the United States with freedom of speech and art content? In your own words, how far does that go, or how much of our right to free speech should it cover?

Words should be taken with a grain of salt I believe. I think words can be taken personally but at the end of the day, are not against the law. Therefore each individual is entitled to their own opinions and words. This also means that each person is responsible for what they say and do.

For artists who's subject matter revolves around a concept of questioning governments or other entities of power, should they be allowed to express these opinions?

In some countries, they may not be allowed to speak out legally. However, I know in the united states, artists are allowed freedom of speech and are able to express themselves as they feel within the constructs of the law. 

Where do you see censorship going from here - more or less restrictive?

I feel like society is moving towards having more freedom in censorship. Meaning people should be able to speak as they please and express themselves as they feel nessecary within the constructs of the law of course. 

[alyjohnston]

The work I chose to evaluate is titled “Ulysses and the Sirens” painted in 1891 by John William Waterhouse. This work was the second work from J.W. Waterhouse. Based off the legend from the Odyssey. The work displays the floating women or Sirens which lured the boat towards them. Waterhouse stayed true to the Greek mythological depiction of the story. Romanticism Art is classified by passion and strength shown in the works of its time. This painting follows the works in its time as passion is exhibited in the storyline. Odysseus had to cross through the sirens, in order to do so he put wax in his ears and the rowers covered their ears. This is depicted as Odysseus is tied to the post and the rowers have caps on to cover their ears. 

The sirens are women on bird bodies. This is very unusual but it shows to Waterhouse stays true to all the details in the greek mythology. This seemed to be a pattern for Waterhouse as he had other works in which depicted the Odyssey. Some of his similar works being titled “Penelope and the Suitors”, “Circle offering the cup to Ulysses”, and “The Siren”. Throughout his works, he creates complex movement and puts a lot of detail to most closely resemble mythology. 

J.W. Waterhouse creates a dark and intense mood to his works. The boat, the frightened figures of the sailors, and the bleakly rocky setting are all painted with strong realism, and the intrusion of the sirens gives the picture a sinister and terrifying effect. The blue tones of the turbulent waves are also very typical of Waterhouse's career, something to be found in many of his paintings.

Waterhouse (1849 – 1917) worked in the Pre-Raphaelite style, several decades after the breakup of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which included artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and William Holman Hunt. Waterhouse embraced the Pre-Raphaelite style even though it had gone out of fashion in the British art scene, by the time he painted this painting.

There was another painting titled “The Sirens and Ulysses”. This Painting was created by William Etty. It was painted in 1837 prior to J.w. Waterhouse’s “Ulysses and the Sirens”. They both depict the same scene. William Etty was best known for his history paintings containing nude figures. He was the first significant British painter of nudes and still life. Etty earned respect at the Royal Academy of Arts for his ability to paint realistic flesh tones. 

A third painting of the same scene emerged in 1909 titles “Ulysses and the Sirens” painted by Herbert James Draper. Although the Sirens were depicted in ancient Greek art as ugly creatures, Draper, as with most modern artists, has transferred the Sirens’ seductiveness from their song to a visible form. The artist has depicted the Sirens as beautiful mermaids who invade Ulysses’ ship. 

I chose this work because it resonated with me. During my freshman year of high school, we were required to read Homer’s The Odyssey. I recognized the name of it immediately and was able to depict what scene it was and where it fits into the story. I liked the movement and passion seen in the painting. It is very life-like and I felt it resembled the mood of the story as I remember it. 

[hannahmtrimble]

Week 11 Blog Post

        I have to say that I really like Ai Weiwei’s work. There is a lot of passion and personal moral behind his work, and I can appreciate that. Especially because I think many of the things he advocates for are needed and agreeable, so I may be quite biased. I enjoy how his ability is shown in whatever material he may use, and a lot of his works are fascinating to look at and consider their meaning. I also think that his works are to be considered as both “art” and “activism” together as one.There is no doubt that these pieces share a message that expresses Weiwei’s intention and calls for activism and change. I think he uses art as a form of activism, a way to express his beliefs and entice change in the areas he visits and the things he speaks about. This, in a way, is art- Is it not? I don’t think art is just simply what the piece is, whether it be a painting, sculpture, et cetera. I believe there is art in how it is made, how it is presented, and how it is able to fulfill its purpose. All of Ai Weiwei’s works cover all of these avenues in great detail and therefore are able to encompass the titles of both “activism” and “art”. The way that he is able to take a concept and, as the video notes, “reform it in a way that gives the work new meaning” is remarkable and brings a new perspective to my argument as well. We have seen activism in art, but not to this degree. He finds a way to make activism his art, which is why I think he is so well known.

          It is quite easy for some to shove his works into the category that claims they are not fine art. This might be because not all of his pieces require large amounts of talent and a particular mind, and some of them use quite traditional technique. I disagree with this frame of mind, because there are many more reasons to consider his works to be fine art than not so. These reasons can lie in the materials he uses, the reasons they are made vs. the way he interprets them based on personal experience, and the way he decides to express the need for change. It is complex. It is “classical, from its technical proficiency, from the forms he uses, the materials he works with … but its very modernist in its values”. These modernist values are very important, and many of his works specifically have to do with government hindering individual freedoms, and I think this is quite important and is a concept that should be listened to with open ears. Living in a first world country with a government that employs checks and balances that prides itself on ‘freedom’ can help us forget that many other countries in the world do not have these luxuries. Weiwei is trying to bring these luxuries to the people that don’t have them by bringing the awareness that many countries like us lack- improving lives for the greater good should not be considered a hindrance to people that prefer to be ignorant towards them.

[alyjohnston]

I too believe Ai Weiwei’s work is considered fine art. He takes risks and produces beautiful and talented work. He not only uses his work as a platform to raise awareness, but he stands on the frontlines and takes action to back up his beliefs. 

[alyjohnston]

I believe Ai Weiwei’s work is reformative. He doesn’t make art for the fun of it. He takes something he deeply believes in or against and sparks a conversation about it as well as brings awareness to global problems. I believe Art is something created creatively that sparks conversation and provokes emotion. Activism is taking action to raise awareness on a social issue and provoke change. Art and activism often go hand in hand. They cross paths as art can be a vessel to promote awareness. One example of Ai Weiwei’s work being both art and activism is in his demonstration of breaking the ancient pot to symbolize how ridiculous it was to destroy artifacts of a previous dynasty. This brought awareness and promoted change. I see Ai Weiwei’s work as fine art as it is appreciated solely by its intellectual content. When I think of fine art, I think more of paintings with delicate brush strokes. Looking further into the definition. Ai Weiwei’s work is in fact fine art as it evokes emotion and promotes a cause. His art is distinguished and he uses his name and reputation to enlighten people about issues they otherwise may never know about. He challenges government which is risky, but it makes his work all the more powerful. Ai Weiwei introduces concepts regarding individual freedom and motivates people to get involved in these concepts. He didn’t stop at sculptures and raising awareness. Ai Weiwei got active online on a bigger platform such as social media and spread the word. He gave people information and facts on issues he felt strongly about. But he didn’t stop there. He went on the frontline and got involved in the issues and promoted ways to change and challenge the problems he took on. His works, although simple in structure show a much deeper rooted meaning. His work called “Still Life” is an installation of over 4,000 ax heads dating back to China’s stone age. It was created to display Ai Weiwei’s complex feelings surrounding China’s handling of social history. Ai Weiwei,  although loyal to his nation, used his work to expose what he did not like or agree with regarding China’s government. Ai Weiwei took on many risque works that challenged norms in China’s culture and exposed many social issues. Ai Weiwei made a name for himself in the art world by taking risks and putting his heart and soul into his work. 

[leslymgonzalez]

In 1608 this painting was made by carraviaggo. It was painted in Malta, and had restorations in 1950′s. It is an oil painting. It had real blood dropping from the throat. This image is appealing to me because it shows and intensifies so much violence from when john the baptist was decapitated. The picture shows dark colors to show that it was a dark and intense moment. One thing that really captures my attention is when the female is holding her hands up to her head like stating “Omg God, this can not be real.” I feel like most females would have the same reaction. In the painting one thing that is within lots of detail are the muscles. I really like how Carraviago painted the muscles and ribs in great detail. I feel like the contrast in colors with in each rib and muscle shows and gives the view of how fit and strong he is.  Another thing that I really liked was how the color red stands out in the painting. In most cases red symbolized love, romance, attraction. In other cases red can demonstrate evilness, anger, and fierce. I think that in this picture the red drape does an excellent job of giving the anger feeling from the decapitator towards John the baptist. It also demonstrates  evilness since John. the baptist was being decapitated. Another thing that this image conveys to me is pain. The reason why is because John’s head is being held with great force and his hair is grabbed with a firm grip at the same time. I personally would be in lots of pain if someone had a strong grip to my hair not counting being cut and bleeding out.

[alyjohnston]

I really love this piece. I, too chose to evaluate a piece of art from Caravaggio. I believe there is a lot of emotion expressed in his art. It was brutal and risky at the time. Another interesting thing was that Caravaggio was a murderer and managed to produce the most sought after art of his time. 

[alyjohnston]

Narcissus was a painting by Caravaggio in 1599. It tells the artist’s take on the story that comes from roman-greek mythology. The story is of a preternaturally beautiful son of nymph Leirope and the river god Cephasis. Having a vein youth, the boy recognizes his reflection all too soon. He refuses the advances from beautiful women and falls in love with himself instead. He stared at himself into a river, neglecting to eat or drink, and dies. His body transforms into a beautiful yellow flower that carries on his name. The painting is very life-like taking on many realistic qualities. The reflection creates symmetry and unmatched beauty to the structure of the painting. The reflection creates contrast in light. The water is dark and flat while the boy appears shiny and his skin, silky. The element of motion is apparent as the boy leans in towards the water. The painting is rather simplistic as there is no background architecture. The dark background also gives the painting a contrast. The light-colored clothing the boy wears emphasizes this contrast. The water is very still and flat. This brings the focus towards the features of the boy instead of the water itself. The focus on the reflection as well, emphasizes the story and limits the background noise so to speak. The curved lines and contours of the body create contrast with the straight line separating the boy and the water. The boy’s gaze is fixed on the still water. His eyes are shaded and dark. This emphasizes the darkness in the story as he gazed too long and forgot to eat and drink. This gaze cost him his life. The Title very much resembles the word narcissist. Narcissist personality disorder is when people have an inflated sense of self-importance which is reflected in the background of the story. 

[craftyrockermom]

This art piece has a Northern Renaissance approach, and has three panels, all measuring over four meters in length. Bosch attempted to depict the whole human experience from life to afterlife in three related canvases. The first on the left is meant to represent Paradise; the last on the right is hell, and in the center lies The Garden of Earthly Delights. When closed, it shows a monochrome painting of the creation of the world, with God looking down on a flat landscape sealed inside a giant bubble.

The two panels I enjoyed the most were the one to the left and the center. I was not a fan of the panel to the right as it was more dark and dreary than the other two.

I believe the image on the left depicts how life all started, which was with Adam and Eve. They were the first two to be known to have started human life, and the center shows how humans live their lives. I believe the center shows war, love, life, etc. The center piece has many interesting portrayals of human life. I felt in the top of the center panel, it showed people fighting amongst each other, and this is why I believed it was showing that in life, comes a time of war. Further down, it had looked like people were engaging in sexual acts, and I believed that this was depicting not only a romantic action, but also the pleasures of life. There were also people with children in this panel, which made me feel it was representing the reproduction of children, representing life.  Lastly, the panel to the right shows the vision of afterlife. Many portray the afterlife of being a dark place of chaos. I do not agree with the last panel as I believe heaven is far from the last panel. To me, I felt it represented a hell more than anything. I felt this last panel was very chaotic and dark, and that the people did not look as comfortable or happy.

[alyjohnston]

I decided to analyze the bright and cheery panel as well. It is almost a progression going through the panels from heaven to hell. The three panels really tell a story. The far left panel shows the creation of animals and life. The panel shows the beauty and the creativity God put into making humans as well as animals. 

[alyjohnston]

The Garden of Earthly Delights is a very complex and detailed piece of work. Within each panel, there are many stories told. For this post, I have decided to analyze the left panel’s top and bottom in which a central focus is on animals. The bottom left corner of the Garden of Earthly Delights shows a dark hole in which all sorts of animals emerge from. The hole is dark and ominous, however, when they step out into the Garden, they are given light. This left panel seems to represent the creation of life. The man and woman among the animals serving as Adam and Eve. The animals emerging represent the day of creation and when God created them to populate the earth. Above the animals sit Adam and Eve in the representation of Man meeting Woman among God. It is the most peaceful of the panels. As the piece progresses it seems to get darker and more erotic. The panel including Adam and Eve may represent the calm before the storm. The animals above them seem to have just as much importance according to scale. They are rather important as well in the meaning of the art. I chose to analyze this specific part of the piece because it represents the light and goodness of the world. It is the beginning when life is fresh and untainted. I believe this panel represents the beauty God intended upon the world. The panel represents innocence as it is simple and bright compared to the other panels. Among the ominous hole in which creatures appear is a unicorn and other mythical creatures. This detail gives the panel a magical sense and highlights Gods creativity. Among the darkness depicted in the other panels, this one represents life and beauty, which is precisely why I choose to analyze it. 

[hannahmtrimble]

Blog Post Week 3

The work I have chosen to analyze would be the amazing “Ascent of the Blessed”, made by Hieronymus Bosch from about 1500 to 1504 in an arrangement of four panels, titled “Visions of the Hereafter”. This painting stands out to me for many reasons. Within the entirety of the four paneled work, this is the painting that I think has the most interpretation value; the other paintings have more of a straightforward message in their visuals and moods.

This work is also very intriguing to me because of the stark amount of contrast, movement, and unity. Initially the eye is drawn to the tunnel of light, assumed to be leading to the heavens, where we see a women accompanied by an angel to the beyond. The tunnel provides us with the contrast that this painting stands out for. Below, we see a dark environment representing a world of sin and mortality, and above we see a contrastingly light plain that expresses the diving aspect of heaven. Once we take our eyes off the light portal, we start to see the movement and rhythm of the piece. In the foreground, we see many souls in different stages of their ascent to heaven. This creates a sort of path or guideline as to where our eyes are supposed to travel, and with this outline we are told the overall story of the piece. In the words of our second reading, we can “follow the rhymes from one body to another”. However, we can only interpret this story due to the great amount of unity the work possesses. These different stages and interactions between angel and man tell us that the process to ascend to heaven may be complicated and long, but the heavenly tunnel tells us that this journey might be worth it.

Now that the painting itself has been interpreted, one must look at it’s historical context. This work encompasses many traits of a typical Northern Renaissance painting. First, the obvious religious concentration was a common trait in the Netherlands at the time. Not to mention that the painting is oil upon an oak panel which, according to the readings, was a contrast from the use of temperas in Italy. Other traits that make this a trademark Northern Renaissance work is the great attention to detail we see in each of the unique angels, the texture in the panel, and the intricate nature of the highlights and shadows. This painting is truly intriguing to me, and I can see why it is highly acclaimed for the era.

[wrightergirl]

This is a wonderful piece to choose as a northern renaissance painting. I like your comment on the paintings “stark amount of contrast, movement, and unity”. To me things that are contrasting are not often in unity because of the contrasts. However, while the Ascent of The Blessed  has many contrasting colors from the dark to the light of heaven it’s image as a whole is very uniform and has a unifying theme. Thanks for sharing this painting!

[faithpalmer01]

I find the piece you chose very interesting and beautiful. I love the contrast and intricacy the painting brings. As you said, when I look at the painting, I am drawn to the light and the angels marching to heaven. The angels are all looking towards the light while on the path to heaven, and some are raising their hands in anticipation for the lord. I agree with your explanation in that the darkness leading up to the light may represent the hardships we go through while living life and on our way to heaven. Despite our hardships, there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

[alyjohnston]

I think this piece is very majestic and beautiful. The intricacy is my favorite part of this piece. Oftentimes modern art is clean, precise, and simple. This piece was very thought out and detailed. I also love the bright contrast. The light seems to represent meaning and movement towards a new enlightening beginning. 

[alyjohnston]

The Blind Leading the Blind (1568) created by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. In regards to the principle of design, the work of art has a lot behind it. The balance in the work has the church in the background with lighter colors around it, and has clean and crisp lines associated with it; however, in the foreground, the houses are more sloppy in appearance with not so crisp lines. This could show the difference between how religion and the common people were seen during this time. Colorwise (also goes with contrast) shows the church surrounded by lighter colors indicating a safer place, the same common theme that goes with the land being of a lighter color. The darker colors which are associated with the body of water that these individuals are being led into represents a type of doom/guaranteed danger. One thing with the color is that the leader (who is in bright colors) seems to be a play on how the individual thinks that they have led the group to a more optimal spot where they think that the group will be safe and benefit from, but rather the spot is the opposite. The weight of the piece shows an attraction to the individuals and also the church. The individuals are in the foreground and are the largest which is an obvious attention grabber; however, the church is standing alone by itself, making it very noticeable to the viewer. This makes it seem like the author is trying to make these two the center of attention. The movement through the art is from the individuals to where they are going then to the church, while the rhythm is the leading of the individuals to their doom. The emphasis is on the individuals and the church as stated before. I chose this artwork because there is a lot of underlying message in the artwork that correlates to the themes of the Northern Renaissance. My initial thought of the artwork was its relation to religion. Right away I thought that the blind represented the humanistic nature of trying to rely on oneself instead of God. In a sense, it is one leading themselves blindly in life and trying to figure it out by oneself. This will always end with disappointment and doom. The leading blind person is colored lightly because it represents the thought that one has finally figured out by oneself the best life that they could have, just to fall into despair (hence the darker colors for the water). The reason that the church is around lighter colors is that it represents the safety that God provides, and shows how by leaning on God instead of oneself has a path that is clear. This ties into the Northern Renaissance characteristic of a strong sense of Christianity/spirituality that was one of the main focuses during this time.

[elizabethlambenicc]

One of my favorite pieces of art is The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. This piece is one of my favorites because I remember first seeing it in elementary school and my art teacher helping us all draw the wind and how hard it was for all of us to get the hang of it!

[alyjohnston]

This is another one of my favorite pieces. It depicts a starry night. It evokes a lot of feeling and allows for many interpretations. 

[alyjohnston]

Advances in Technology

Technology surrounds us. We utilize it daily for even the most mundane tasks. I utilize technology more than I realize. I wake up to an alarm I set on my phone. I get ready and use my ionic hairdryer. As I put on my makeup under bright vanity lights, I listen to music playing from my portable speaker. Next, I straighten my hair with the lastest straightener I bought online. I go to make my coffee in a machine where all I have to do is pour water and put coffee grinds into a filter. My morning cup of coffee is ready in about 3 minutes. I grab my car key and press a button twice as I watch the key start my car from inside my warm house. I grab my apple watch on my way out the door and see what my activity goal is for the day. I get into my warm car and begin driving to work as my phone pairs to Uconnect and plays my favorite playlist. The automatic stoplight turns red and I bring my car to a halt just before the icy intersection. My engine stalls as the automatic start-stop system conserves my gas. At the office, I log into my computer where I access emails and files. I wirelessly print out my documents to take to my job coaching for the day. I use the printer’s touch screen to type in my passcode and print out my docs. I head out to the local college and assist my clients in clocking into work on a computer. I then observe them as they use high water pressure to rinse off dishes and then put them into a large commercial dishwasher. I then go see another client in the cafeteria where I see multitudes of students with their laptops out and their eyes glued to their phones. My watch notifies me of a message from my mom as she is trying to help plan my boyfriend’s birthday dinner. I use my watch face to draw out my response. Next, I go to the local High School in which I coach the basketball cheerleaders. I open the google doc that contains the names of cheers. We run through a few cheers and then get into stunting. During stunting, I use my phone to video what the stunts look like, then send the video file to the group chat so the girls can see how well the stunt looked. I go to a local nursing home in which a client answers phones. I assist her when needed in making sure she transfers callers to the correct extension. During her downtime, I work on my online schooling. Writing papers and accessing documents as well as turning in assignments. I come home from a long day and use my phone as a remote to turn on my apple tv. From there, I watch shows and access videos on youtube. I turn on my oven and throw in a pizza. I then take a break from the screens and pull out a book to read before bed. I set my alarm and prepare for the next day. 

Technology is a very integrated part of what I do on the daily. With its help, I can further my education while working three jobs as well as interact with others in readily accessible ways. Society has changed drastically as a result of technology. Today we can track our fitness, receive messages and access documents from the palm of our hand. It has allowed us to store documents neatly as well as share them with many people at once. Technology has allowed people to express themselves and share parts of their lives with others through means of social media.

We don’t have flying cars or live on mars yet, but there are talks and blueprints in the making. We already have the invention of the self-driving car, what could be next?

[alyjohnston]

I love this piece of art because it evokes feeling, provides a story and was done with care.