NICC

[hannahschutteus-blog]

Week 15

Reading

Reading this article about sound started off interesting to me because I didn’t that it was a complicated process. As described in the reading, “particles moving, objects moving, air moving, and sometimes liquids moving” is how sound is produced. The way they are talking about sound is a totally different view than how I see it on a daily basis. It is cool to think that sound is only a memory because obviously, it doesn’t stay. I thought it was interesting to think that sound doesn’t have a sound, it’s only the things that make sound and that is how we refer to sound. The process of hearing is fascinating and it goes through this trail of things to get through the ear to get to the brain yet we don’t know it’s all happening because it is happening so quickly. I can tell that when I really listen and hear what is going on around me or if someone is talking to me that I create meaning with it. While I was reading, I learned that there are many questions to ask once we hear a sound and having answers to them help us have a better understanding of the sound. It is cool to think that listening is a form of art and is called sound art as described in the article. Sound benefits us in so many ways, better hearing, better listening, sharpens the ears and our imagination.

Video/Meida/Comparison

There are so many sounds around us that make us who we are. Sometimes we take for granted some of the sounds we hear every day because we are used to them. Because we may hear the sounds all day every day they draw a connection to us, the way we hear things, have perspectives, interpret other sounds, they affect us all around. Like Susan Philipsz was drawn to the sounds of a train which is why she lives in Berlin, people get drawn and drawn away from sounds every day. As I watched the video it brought to my attention that a lot of people get tuned into orchestra music. She uses sound testing to see how space reacts with her sounds that she is projecting. Things around you, when you make a sound, they bounce off the objects all around giving different sounds everytime. I think it is awesome how Susan is recording instruments that have been damaged in the war to still make sound and have a purpose other than just sitting around not being able to perform. She put them off into a room so people could listen to the sounds and soak in all the feelings and emotions. By projecting these sounds she is giving those who’ve died in the Holocaust a voice and it also reminds people of what happened.

I enjoy listening to nature and the surroundings that I am in. I do take for granted and don’t fully listen. Listening to this clip picturing myself in a rainforest or at a park where they have exhibits of rainforest life. I think it is a very cool and calming thing to listen to while stressed, working on homework, trying to fall asleep, or plainly wanting to be an in a better mood. To me, it is cleansing my emotions and making me breathe in and out slowly relieving all my stress and worries.

Relevant Artist

Burke Jam is many things but more importantly, he is composer, artist, and educator. He completed his MFA at the Universty of Montana. He earned received a Fulbright Grant to Iceland to research more on the sounds of the surroundings and the ways of listening. He does his work all over the place all the time. He works as the Director of Digital Facilities as well as a college instructor of the Arts at Portland State University for Music and Art. He likes to listen to settle sounds because then they go out when your mind is in tune to what is to come next and then that makes your mind listen to the whole environment. The way he makes sound is so cool by using a wooden box outline with a rectangle cutout on the inside so that way the wind blows through it making a noise.

“Kids’ Games & Activities.” Rainforest Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids.

“Burke Jam.” PICA, pica.org/artists/burke-jam/.

“An Introduction To Sound Art.” Robert Worby - Writer – Composer – Sound Artist – Broadcaster, www.robertworby.com/writing/an-introduction-to-sound-art/.

Noise, Motion. “Burke Jam - ‘Generative Music Series : 12’ - Out of the Studio S1.Ep6.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Apr. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=00xCxP-y4W0.

One Square Inch of Silence

[schoultes-blog]

I also was surprised by the article. I never thought of the process that occurs when simply hearing different sounds. My view on sounds also changed as for I never considered it art (even though it makes sense when you actually think about it.) We usually see art as a visually, and because we don’t think of artwork and sounds being together it makes it even more eyeopening and interesting! Learning from sounds and art, I think memories should never fade away or we should focus more on the present in order to enjoy the past.

[schoultes-blog]

Week 15

Reading the article was very interesting because it brings forward so many questions that I’ve never thought of. The sound is a unique topic because it’s not something that you’re able to hold physically like a photo or painting. And the most interesting part is that when “sound is gone there’s nothing left but a memory.” This makes the art of sound more enjoyable and intriguing as for we can’t look back on it (ex: a painting), we have to rely on our memories. As some of us know, memories may not always last forever, as for they tend to fade away. Also mentioned, there is no true way to put words together to describe a sound, we only try to mimic it or find a way to listen to it again. I also believe that because hearing is a physical process, we put our emotions into what we are listening to. Music, for example, if you listen to an acoustic version of a song that the artist intended on being sad then you’re more than likely going to feed into those emotions. This can be for any emotion, and while listening to any type of song without words but has an emphasis to feel a certain way, we tend to feel it also. The sound is a mental practice that we tend to question whether we know it or not. I think that sound is one of the most beautiful styles of art, but I just never realized it. I’ve always loved listening to everything around me, from the natural sounds in the woods to the river flowing up on the bank, even the people around me talking. I’ve also heavily relied on sounds, such as listening to music or poetry read out loud so you can hear the real emotion coming from the artist.

While reading the article I also listened to One Square Inch of Silence and it truly was amazing. The different natural sounds really reminded me of when I was younger and I’d go for hikes and listen to the world around me. The sounds themselves really show how much the world changes in a small timeframe. It also shows that there is always time in our lives to go out into the peace and listen to nature itself. The story behind it is also beautiful and I hope that someday soon we will realize how important the natural world around us is.

Susan Philipsz was born in Scotland and has continued her artwork in Berlin. She states that it is interesting to live in Berlin as for the history is still very new and fresh. She mentioned the train stations early on. She really likes to walk around and notice the places that have very nice acoustics as for she is studying in the physiological effects of sounds. She usually studies the history behind the places in which so goes to explore. She has the history behind the propaganda of the orchestra for the Nazis and “promoting” a happy lifestyle within the camps. She decided to understand more behind the orchestra to see how it makes others feel. I really like the way Susan works because I’ve always loved the history behind what I’m learning. And the way she thinks about the sounds is amazing. If I hear a train go by I try to block it out, but when she hears it she tries to take it in as much as she can. While doing so, she once again brings that history to the sounds she’s hearing (in this example the train she tends to ride take a route used to transport Jews during WWII.)

Picking an artist this week was very overwhelming because of the amount of artist we had to choose from. This week I picked Marcus Fischer who is an artist from Oregon. I listen to small pieces of some of his projects, and one of them I liked most was “Collected Dust.” I’m not really sure why, but I sort of liked the understand ring that changed pitches. I understand how this may be annoying to some but I thought was really interesting because its a sound most don’t like, but he found a way to make it into art.

https://acloserlisten.com/2017/09/12/sound-propositions-012-marcus-fischer/

[amberhillery-blog]

   I actually have not heard of the term relational aesthetics used before. It seems kind of self explanatory in the word itself, it is art people can relate to. I figured it had to do with some kind of movement or a stance on something but after reading An Introduction to Relational Aesthetics and Social Practice, it definitely cleared things up more. This article is actually really informative and is great for someone like me who didn’t know anything about this before. I like how it starts off by giving examples of what people said to the statement “explain “relational aesthetics/social practice,” using only common language (no artspeak), and without bringing up Thai food. Go.” I think the answers were hilarious and very relatable. I feel like most people either don’t know what it is or don’t necessarily know how to explain what it is to someone. I am not going to lie, the explanation is kind of long and a little complex in some ways but understandable. I definitely feel like a person who wasn’t an artist wouldn’t know what the depth in the topic was just because it does seem like a harder type of art to comprehend, but that’s just my opinion. (http://badatsports.com/2014/an-introduction-to-relational-aesthetics-and-social-practice/)    In the next article we had to read for this chapter, Relational Aesthetics: The Art of Sociability, I like how it said that “relational aesthetics draw from two other currents in contemporary art—conceptual art and installation art—the former, a projection of art as idea and the latter, an emphasis on art as experience.” I think this is a great perception of relational aesthetics and clearly states it. If you know what conceptual and installation art is then you have somewhat of an idea of what relational aesthetics is. Not going to lie, I didn’t know much about installation art before this class but I guess that is what taking this class is all about. I really enjoyed the piece on HIV by Gonzalez-Torres’. It is just a whole new way of thinking about the life of a person who has this disease. HIV is definitely a slow and painful death and it is hard to deal with as a victim and bystander. It is heartbreaking to see someone you love die a little bit more each day and soon they get weak enough and die from it. (https://nbmaa.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/relational-aesthetics-the-art-of-sociability/)    For my relevant artist this week I chose Haha. He is a Melbourne street artist whose “work is a reflection of popular culture. He gets his images direct from the newspaper or from photographing the subject to tell a story of the here & now.” He has been in multiple group and solo exhibitions throughout Australia. I couldn’t find out where he was born but I am guessing it was in Australia since he does a lot of work there and is really into the topics going on in the country. (http://www.theblenderstudios.com/regan-profile.html)    I have actually heard of Minerva Cuevas and know what some of her pieces are. It was a very vague learning experience but I was shocked about the topics she discussed in her artwork. I agree with Minerva when she said in the video that in the art world anything is possible. The only limit is you not pushing yourself to your full potential. I enjoy how she wants to empower people and give back to her community, she really is such an inspiration. The “Feast and Famine” piece she did is magnificent. I love how creative she was and even had them paint with chocolate. The chocolate dripping is such a powerful piece. I absolutely love it and how meaningful it is. The meaning behind it is sad but it’s just crazy to think that someone dies almost every second from starvation. (https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s8/minerva-cuevas-in-mexico-city-segment/)

[schoultes-blog]

I really like how unique of a style Haha has. It’s interesting how he uses the newspaper and photos to create his own art. It’s also important to note what you mentioned, how he uses his art for the here and now which is something I think most artists have done a good job at doing lately. Also, reading your part about Minerva Cuevas, I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed the strong and powerful messages she was using in her artwork. I like how you mentioned she really wants others to push themselves to their full potentials the way she does.

[schoultes-blog]

Week 13

When first reading the responses to Jeriah and his facebook post I was very confused. To me, everyone had different responses as to what Social Practice art is. Maybe because of that it really shows how unique the subject is, and I know if I was asked what the definition is I would have no response. The best definition of this style of art is expressed in Jeriah’s essay in which he states, “artwork can be considered ‘relational art’ if it is essentially based on social interaction.” Hearing this definition reminds me of performance art because it deals with the public. Another interesting part is there really isn’t a “single medium [that] it follows.” So basically it can be made with any type of material in any type of media. An even simpler way to explain it, looking at everyday items and viewing them as art. I think that Jeriah did a good job explaining exactly what Social Practice art is and he provided examples that were understandable and easy to comprehend.

With the second article called Relational Aesthetics: The Art of Sociability, it continued to further describe exactly what this style of art is. I think this one was a bit more difficult to understand compared to Jeriah’s article because of how they related it to the reader. Jeriah tried to include the readers by expressing that even some of his friends didn’t understand, while the second article didn’t (in my mind) try to include the reader. What I took more from this article more than the other is that this style of art tends to be more interactive. The reason why is because this type of art is everywhere and constantly around us. The artist tries to help the person feel engaged with this work as best as they can. 

This video to me was very interesting because it really helped me visualize what this type of art really is. Minerva Cuevas also has a very inspiring story, she dropped out of art school and went to her roots and interests of Mexico City. I think this is a great way to show others to fight for their dreams and interests. Cuevas talks about the importance of creating and analyzing the idea for the piece before actually creating the conceptual art. It is very interesting that she re-created the “symbol” for Del Montte in her piece. It’s just a different style with the black paint on a plain white wall seems so simple yet creative for branding. I liked the idea for the chocolate to be dripping from the ceiling because of the message behind it. It is very unique to show a message. 

For this week I picked Rirkrit Tiravanija because his works to me were very eye-opening and unique from the titles alone. The way his work is often described is trying to “bridge the division between public and private.” In a much simpler term, he uses his interaction with others “as his primary material.” A couple of example and explanations to his work include giving travelers free curry (Untitled 1992) and asking strangers to drink tea with him a replica of his house (Apartment 21 Tomorrow Can Shut Up and Go Away 2002). 

https://www.artsy.net/artist/rirkrit-tiravanija

[cjade89]

Week 12 Blog

This week we learned a about performance art. I was not sure what to expect going into the reading and media for this assignment. I learned that performance art is about body formation with other forms of art pulled in to make this particular art move. As I was continuing to reading about performance I kept thinking about plays that my school had when I was younger. It wasn’t just about the acting that was portrayed in the performance that was to come. It was the layout of props that where needed, the right cast for particular parts of the play, and wardrobe, make up, lighting (color of the lights). There is so much to put into performance and I only mentioned a few.

Learning that protesting is a form of performance art was actually very cool to learn about, your only voicing your opinion and want to be heard. And in the end you get arrested for literally expressing viewpoints. There are so many questions to ask yourself, where is freedom of speech at when this happens, what is going to be done, and why. I do not like that the general public is not able to express themselves without being punished. I mean think about the women’s protest where Madonna was expressing how she felt and had expressed one dream she’s continually had, that dream which would have brought danger to whomever was in the White House. What kind of punishment did she actually get if any because she has the privilege to be one of the best sought out people in the musical industry. Which bring me back to the performance, she indeed carried herself well and wanted to get the point across.

There are many artist that have been very involved in performance art. The things that I have noticed from every single one of these artist, is how they want to express art in a way that no one actually perceives art. They want imagination, creativity and viewpoints, they want people to open their minds to the unthinkable and to experience something that is out of their realm.

Bree Newsome, I gathered from this particular reading it was in an attempt to end racism. She did what she felt she had to do, she wasn’t able to successfully kept the confederate flag from going back up. Unfortunately there will always be racism to an extent we will never be able to eliminate that sadly. And the confederate flag isn’t even about racism, that flag represents so much more. It’s a symbol to our history, the fighting that our country went through to get us where are are today. A symbol that will forever remain in our history. The topic of racism really does grind my gears because I do not believe that everyone truly understands how far we have come. And as far as privileges that come with being a certain race, you need to obey rules in general to be able to get want you want. That is not racism that is simply logic, and if you have any moral belief in your body you will know that there are steps to take to get you what you want. Bree Newsome, should should have thought about what she was actually doing before she did it. She showed a stance which didn’t affect just the African Americans, it affected every race. We all end up feeling as if we’re being singled out because of someone’s actions, it makes us resentful and hurt, betrayed and belittled.

https://theconversation.com/bree-newsomes-superwoman-style-confederate-flag-pole-climb-was-an-artistic-statement-44050

Bree Newsome's Superwoman-style, Confederate flag pole climb was an artistic statement

Newsome's actions can be thought of as a significant piece of performance art.

The video this week was with artist Nick Cave. I learned that Cave is a performance and sculpture artist. I love that he takes ideas into an alternative light and tries not to define to mush on just on area within his work. I learned throughout this video that there is definitely a need for having help with particular projects. I like that he uses different objects to shape the way he does a piece. The suits that Cave has made are so incredible, the way they express life and a vibrant feel for expression in a different way. I love that he is so comfortable with the way he shows his artwork. I am in absolute ah with the way he literally brought diplomacy into performance art. A way that art is perceived is now at an ultimate game change with the way that Cave bring forth the way that we will be connecting to art.

I felt that the connection between the video and readings this week where more than I could have expected. I really didn’t know much about performance art. But with what I have learned this week I will be taking in a new consideration for this form. I was surprised to learn that protecting is a for of performance art. I liked that both readings help to level that aspect out in performance. Learning and reading about the different artist, I really like every single one. Being able to relate and think back a little makes me see how much I am actually able to connect to this week’s content. I have very strong viewpoints about standing up for what one believes. To be able to perform to get the point across with protesting, helps to demonstrate the art and expression of what one feels.

This week I chose Adrian Piper for my relevant artist. As I was reading about Piper, I learned that she wanted to bring race into art. To be able to show how race is just a color to show how when it is placed with something can most definitely be considered performance art. The way she performed with her art, people tended to stare and began to question. She wanted to bring a realization to accepting of race. And the way she expresses her values and beliefs so effortlessly is incredible. She is an amazing artist and I love how she is all about expression, at least that is what I took from the reading about about her.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-adrian-pipers-massive-moma-survey-will-force-face-prejudices

Adrian Piper’s Massive MoMA Survey Will Force You to Face Your Prejudices

With roots in philosophy and conceptual art, Piper’s practice is insightful and confrontational. She wants her audiences to act.

What I learned this week is all about expression. Being able to express the way you feel because of art is a performance that not many can tackle but it is manageable. I learned a lot this week and enjoyed everything, and I most certainly have a new found appreciation for performance art.

References

Art 21 [Producer]. (2016, September 16). Nick Cave in “Chicago”. Retrieved from art21.org

Butler, A. M. (2018). Performance art. Retrieved from www.theartstory.org

Gaiter, C. (2015, July 1). Bree Newsome’s Superwoman-style, Confederate Flag pole climb was and artistic statement. The Conversation. Retrieved from theconversation.com

Sargent, A. (2018, April 9). Adrian Piper’s massive MoMa survey will force you to face your prejustices. Retrieved from artsy.net

[destinynagel-blog]

I agree with everything you said about Bree Newsome. She was trying to end racism but didnt go about it the right way. I do think instead of getting arrested they could have gave her a warning and talked with her. Adrian Piper seems like a great person from what you said about her! I like how you said “race is just a color” that is very true everyone is human and everyone should be treated the same way no matter what their race is. 

[schoultes-blog]

I like that you decided to pick Adrian Piper as your relevant artist as for she talks about racism through her art, and we have already had one artist this week, Bree Newsome, who tried to stop racism through her actions. One of the most interesting parts of your blog post was how you describe Nick Caves works. I think you explained it in a perfect way, he brings his ideas into the light. Cave did an amazing job expressing emotions and feelings through his pieces in a unique way.

[schoultes-blog]

Week 12

To me, the best way to describe Performance is art that involves the body in some way. This style of art came into the spotlight around the 1960’s while painting took over again in the 1980’s. Within this short amount of time of popularity, there was a lot of history created. The reason why Performance became so popular is that artists wanted to add more to their art, they started to become bored and wanted to “rejuvenate their work” which is how this type of art is normally described. Another way that the article describes the art as the “flight from traditional media.” Another interesting part to mention Performance it that became the rise of feminism. 

While reading the second article about Bree Newsome, I thought it was very interesting. I get that she was trying to make a statement and take down a very controversial piece. But she really didn’t accomplish anything, the flag was put afterward because it is a piece of history and has been in that same spot for almost 100 years. I am glad, though, that she was understanding with the fact that she was going to be arrested. I also liked the video of a Confederate flag being unraveled slowly. Clark states that unraveling the flag is a representation of “the slow patient work of unraveling racism.” I thought that was a nice way to look at it, instead of having the thought that racism will end abruptly, she thought about it and knew it would take time and patience. 

I really started to understand Performance art and what it actually means after watching the video on Nick Cave. I like his pieces he has created. I like the suit made of twigs and the story behind it (the discarded being reused for a different purpose.) When thinking and reading about Performance art I never really thought about the sounds they make when moving around in the piece. The twig suit is really interesting, it makes a sound that reminds me of some sort of musical instrument that makes soft noises. The “Soundsuits” that he makes are a way to express from a different “body.” I also liked how he mentioned the suits act as armor or a barrier to the body. It helps outsiders to look at the piece and not think about who the person is underneath and what they look like or have done. I’m curious if Cave only goes out to the public after he has created a new piece or goes out sometimes with some of his favorite pieces. I’m also curious if they have normal routines to make specific sounds or when there are multiple suits out at the same time (as shown in the photo shoot.) 

I also think that because I’ve never known of this style of art that there are some connections that show very easily. Nicks Soundsuits makes different types of sounds just by walking around, while Bree Newsome used her voice to express to others while taking down the flag. Also, this art usually takes a lot of patience, Nick uses the time it takes to create the suits as his meditation and focus time, with others show patines through their work such as Clark. 

Also, when looking through the relevant artist pieces, I recognized Marina Abramovic from a movie called “The Artist is Present” which I saw a few years ago on Netflix. I don’t necessarily remember what was happening in the movie, but reading up on her as a person I found out that she has a wide range of art subjects that she participates in. Although, she is mostly known for her performance works because she likes to use her “body as both subject and medium.” One of her most interesting pieces to me is Rhythm 10. On Artsy they state that there were knives involved with the piece, but in the video that I saw, there were no knives, just nail polish.  

https://www.artsy.net/artist/marina-abramovic-1

[emma-ehlers-blog]

Week 11

In the reading in the “Architect’s Unique Concerns” section, there was a segment that caught my eye “The architect is an artist, but also a social servant.” This single statement tells a lot about what architectures really face when designing building plans. They have to take into consideration who will inhabit the building, what the building will be used for, and how efficient the building needs to flow. It is important that architectures make sure that all of the things they put into their buildings are up to code with all of the regulations and requirements made by the government. Architecture is my favorite kind of art because to me it actually serves a purpose. Art that hangs on a wall seems pointless to me and is just there to take up space. Architecture is everywhere and in every time period. I was able to go to Italy this summer and got to see so many different examples of neat architecture. It was truly the trip of a lifetime and I was able to take in so much of a different culture that I really didn’t want to leave. Older ruins can often be confused with “rubble” but if you look closely it still has its’ structure and intricate details on the bricks and pillars. In the reading, it was also very fascinating to see the skeleton structure of a skyscraper and the broken down thought process of how a building of that magnitude starts.  

Maya Lin is the architect that built the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and in the video, she was chosen to design and construct a new landscape for a rundown park. There was an old ice rink in the park that was in desperate need of some renovations and it was this old ice rink that caught Maya’s eye. She thought of involving the three different stages of water – liquid, gas, ice. The ice rink served as water in the form of ice, a ring of mist served as the water in the form of gas, and the circular fountain served as water in its’ liquid form. The design of the ice rink came from the image of water rippling after something has disrupted it. The terraces around the rink resemble the different levels of ripples and the rink is the center. I thought it was very well designed and was amazed at how she came up with that from basically scratch.

The relevant artist that I chose for this week was Frank Gehry and he was born in Toronto, Canada on February 28, 1929. His work reminds me of wavy and twisted tree branches and looks like it would make buildings appear to be unstable. I know that for his building to still be standing there are obviously very stable but I think could be the point. From his work, I get a vibe of things that appear to be unsteady but are actually very strong. Kind of like my life right now. I am all over the place, very busy, always changing, and kind of out of order, but under all of that I am always there for those who need me and too often put the needs of others in front of my personal needs.

[schoultes-blog]

Talking about the relevant artist and looking at the pictures to the very left, to me it seems as if it is just light reflecting off of the building. I never would have guessed it was the way the building was made to look. Also, the building reminds me of waves in an ocean and the tree twisting up through the building is also a great way to describe the building. I also like the way you describe the building to resemble your life, it is a very creative yet real way to think about this type of art.

[schoultes-blog]

Week 11

When thinking of architecture I don’t generally think of an artist or art. But the best way to describe an architect is when the person(s) plan out building a piece on the ground (such as buildings) for anybody to see. Generally, I think of big public spaces for the piece to be seen, such as Maya Lin’s piece for the Grand River where she built the skating rink and other small parts of the park. Sometimes the pieces can be very unique in the way they were built and have their own style. And these styles continued to develop throughout the years and through different cultures. In some cultures, when they build these pieces some focus only on the beauty of the building, while other cultures try to focus on practicality (proper use) of the building. Today around our country we do a bit of both. Some buildings are only built for the beauty or only the practically (proper use), or both within the same building. Over time we have also learned how to create better and safer structures because this type of art is used often. Whether those structures were buildings or parks, every day we interact with them. 

Listening to Maya Lin is very different compared to the other artists. She talks about her work and how some pieces she created. With some pieces, she considers herself an artist, while other pieces she says she is an architect. She mentioned this when talking about the Grand Rapids roller skating area and also in her studio when working with her atlases. Although she talks about being an artist and an architect separately, she doesn’t want “to practice architecture.” She also mentions the Vietnam Memorial. I myself have never thought about who created the memorial itself. She mentioned how she should have been or could have been, called an artist 5 years earlier but instead she was labeled as just building monuments. The glass pieces that she was working with, piling them up in the corner sort of confused me. This piece really wasn’t talked about but looking at it I feel it was more of a site-specific piece rather than an architecture piece. I also really like her piece “Playground” because she planned on making it out of recycled rubber for kids to play on. I think it is a good idea to show kids early on that recycling is important and we can get great use out of recycled items. Maya Lin is one of my favorite artists from the Art21 videos that we’ve seen so far. Although architecture is not my absolute favorite art style, it is very unique and Maya did a good job at making all these pieces interesting. 

For my relevant artist this week I picked Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Now I picked him because his work is very modern and can seem sort of like a luxury. His work is one of those that don’t necessarily seem like artwork, but more like everyday pieces. His style has now come to be the focal point of the architecture world. And an interesting part about Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is that he had few projects that were never finished. For example, he created the plans and blueprints for the Friedrichstrasse Office Building but the building itself was never built. 

http://miessociety.org/mies/projects/

[schoultes-blog]

Week 10

When first thinking of crafts the only thing that came to mind is simply “DIY’s (Do It Yourself)” you find online. After reading a bit, I truly realized how big of a subject crafting actually is. The main ones stated in the book are fiber, glass wood, clay, and metals. I usually think of clay being under the category of sculptures and only sculptures. And to me the wood, fiber, and glass being under the subject of crafts really made sense. I usually think of wood carvings and engraving wood as crafting, but never thought about how the people who make them are an artist.  It is also crazy to think of how long crafting has been around. After you think about all the artwork created thousands of years ago, the projects they were creating were seen necessities at the time.

When first looking at Brians piece shaped into a whale I was trying to figure out what it was created from (before he said exactly what it was made from). I could only think of piano keys but I knew that wasn’t it because of the size of the keys compared to the size of the structure. When he said that he made it out of the patio chairs I was honestly shocked. I never would have thought to create a piece from something as simple as chairs. This shows that art truly can be anything made from simple everyday objects. Also, his work studio is amazing. They barely showed it, but the room is a perfect space and very clean with a few big desks. It almost makes me surprised that he has this big of a studio on his land, I figured he would want to keep it preserved as much as he could because of his background and heritage. I really do prefer the work created by the patio chairs more than the ones my the shoes. I’m not really sure why I do, but I just find some of the pieces created by shoes disturbing. Plus I find the “Vienna” piece much more beautiful especially when looking at the shadows.

This week when picking my relevant artist I realized how quickly I judge the artwork when I take a glance at the pieces. I usually go through the list of names given to us and look up all the names to see the persons artwork. When going through I simply judge the work before looking into the pieces. I just take one quick look at the pieces then decide if I want to use them as my artist or not. When thinking about this it really bothers me. I don’t want to judge peoples work right away I want to interpret the piece, although judging peoples work happens constantly whether it is good or bad. In the future, I want to look into the artwork more. 

With this week I decided to use Magdalena Abakanowicz as my relevant artist. Her work reminds me of concentration camps because of the multiple “people” figures standing together in a cluster. They seem motionless, dark and almost depressed. The figures all have a similar form and have muted dark tones which, for some reason, reminds me of the dark times of the Holocaust. (The dark tones have sometimes been created from wood, stone, burlap, clay, and different types of metals.) The Polish artist created some of these pieces to be over 9 feet tall while others could be interpreted as children due to hight difference. She also intended a few pieces to be, “headless and armless and sexless”. ( After reading more into her I found out she has rejected in the sculpture program in the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and persuade painting for multiple years.)

https://culture.pl/en/artist/magdalena-abakanowicz

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/arts/design/magdalena-abakanowicz-sculptor-of-brooding-forms-dies-at-86.html

[hannahschutteus-blog]

Week 9

Reading

Installation art is a three-dimensional work that is designed to transform the perception of the space. I like how installation art is projected everywhere and anywhere. It is not designated to one certain area but is seen all over. Many art installations to me, are used to make a statement and to make the area they are presumed in to make it colorful and breathtaking to the viewers as they visit.

I agree with the infatuation with installation pieces that aren’t meant to freeze time but for us to intake all everything in the present and really absorb what is being presented in front of us. My favorite installation from the article was the Metropolitan by Imran Qureshi. He created the ‘How Many Rains Must Fall Before the Stains Are Washed Clean’. I found it interesting that Imran created this piece by splattering red paint on the surface and then made it stand out more by adding the white paint to outline the red splattered paint. I like how his idea of this was to mix life and death and to me, that is what I see when I look at the surface he painted on. I feel there is no wrong or right way to look at this piece as it can mean many similarities to others depending on the way its interpreted to them.

Video/Comparison

Do Ho Suh explains that he hadn’t had a good night sleep since he was in Korea. He thought about bringing Korea to him so he could sleep well at night but knew physical that couldn’t happen. So what he did, that was amazing to me is transportable fabric. He used three-dimensional art like with the installation to make his house more like his parents in Korea. His replica of the house is amazing to me and how detailed he made each wall remembering the house exactly like it was. To other people, it may just be fabric sewn together to model a house but to him, it holds a lot of memories he had even as a child remembering the times he spent in his parent’s house. His personal space art piece gives off the emotions of what he’s experienced in a city. It is so cool how he came up with the ideas to show how people feel walking down the sidewalk always bumping into people. I thought it was cool how the people were placed standing up in like a sandwich with glass on top that way people could walk across it. It gives the piece a three-dimensional look in installation. I feel all his statues and sculptures speak for themselves… breathtaking. I really liked the yearbook project because in order to see what it actually is and to get the full effect you need to stand right by it up close to see what it truly is.

Relevant Artist

Spencer Finch was born in 1962 in New Haven, Connecticut. He is an American artist and now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. His work includes watercolor, photography, glass, electronics, video, and fluorescent lights. He is best known for his crating installations using his experience of natural phenomena. He creates large-scale sculptures using natural light. With his experiences, he tries to illustrate the actual landscapes or whatever he may be replicating. He wants his viewers to see the rare material that he personally experienced. His work is super detailed and colorful to grasp the viewers’ attention to look at his work.

“Art Review: Installation Art – Five Wonders in New York.” Hamptons Art Hub, 14 Apr. 2016, hamptonsarthub.com/2013/07/12/art-review-installation-art-five-wonders-in-new-york/.

“Installation Art.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Aug. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Installation_art.

“Do Ho Suh In.” Art21, art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s2/do-ho-suh-in-stories-segment/.

“Spencer Finch - 115 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy.” Artsy - Discover, Research, and Collect the World’s Best Art Online, www.artsy.net/artist/spencer-finch.

“Spencer Finch.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Apr. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Finch.

[schoultes-blog]

While reading your blog post I realized that both of us really find Do Ho Suh’s story very interesting. It truly is amazing how he was able to remember all the details to his house, where all the walls ended and where they began. It is his story and his childhood, as you mentioned. So this really means that anybody can judge the piece, again saying it’s just fabric sewn together but really it holds memories and a good nights sleep to him.

[schoultes-blog]

Week 9

For me, the best and easiest way to describe installation is when the artwork is created for a specific space or site and usually manipulates (or interacts with) the room/area being worked with. These pieces can usually be found outside in open spaces where they are able to be seen easily. Although they may only be in the public eye for a short amount of time, as for these pieces of artwork are able to be moved or removed in short periods of time. Now I think this is interesting because the artist is able to have it on display for as long as they think is necessary. It could be within a couple weeks, months or years; making it feel even more important if it is visited. Also, these people are able to interact with the pieces, there really isn’t anything stopping a person who wants to take a photo with the piece or if they want to touch the piece. Another interesting part that I never even thought of is that installation isn’t specific to one certain object like other art mediums. (Ex. film, painting, photography.)

Do Ho Suh is a unique artist who uses many creative ideas and inspiration for those ideas, such as his house. He mentioned how his house back home in Korea was built off of a traditional building. He missed his house and the atmosphere of it that he started to create a piece that was small, compact, and transportable. This can make it easy to hang up and put up in different exhibits. Another part mentioned that I think is incredibly important is when he said: “I don’t really make any statement on that, it is really just up to the viewer.” I love how he mentioned this because art is really all about how others perceive it. This person could believe a piece represents one subject while another person could believe the opposite. This is important, it shows differences in our opinions and even helps us create conversations with others about certain viewpoints. 

With few connections, one that I noticed is that not everything is site specific. Do Ho Suh created his one piece of his family house that he could take anywhere. He didn’t make it for one specific area or space. Not every Installation pieces have to be site-specific, although it is very common. 

I decided to choose Robert Irwin because he was a familiar name from when I read the article “Art Review: Installation Art - Five Wonder in New York.” Now from the other Relevant artist listed, I didn’t think Irwin's art was as “good.” When first looking at his pieces I believed they were very simple. Not simple in the way that others are able to perfect them easily, but in a way that the concept was simple. Upon researching him, I realized that he explores different ideas with his installations. He continues to “explore the interplay between light, flora, and water.” This to me makes it seem he chooses a subject (such as the light) and focuses on that for multiple pieces, making sure he improves each and every time until he perfects the process in his own way.

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/robert-irwin-number-4-x-8ft-four-fold-lead-pipe

[brenna-boland-blog]

Week 8

Sculptures

Reading

Chapter ten describes the process and styles of sculptures. From carvings out of marble to creating sculptures using fibers, the book describes each form of sculptures through history. My favorite by far is Glass sculptures. The idea of a sculpture being so fragile almost seems powerful and ironic to me. As a sculpture when it comes to mind is strong and meant to withstand time.  My favorite glass piece is the glass window figure 11.21 on page 367. It adds beauty to the normal sculpture as the beauty of the earth is prominent.

Video

To my surprise, Kara Walker has become my favorite artist featured in this class. I was surprised at first that I liked her because she did have a team to help her. In past weeks I’ve never really respected those who used a team, as much as I do with Kara Walker. Her workspace became the inspiration for her pieces. As her workspace was an old sugar factory, sugar substances today still drip from the walls, as past work has become the building. Kara Walker is an African American woman who has taken the history of sugar, to shed light on the history of slavery. As sugar cane was often found in tropical areas, it was also often harvested by slaves. Kara Walker’s artwork is overcome with history as she created sculptures of slave children, out of the same substance they were forced to harvest. The irony is fascinating and I see Kara Walker as brilliant for even coming up with the idea. The true star of her exhibit is actually a sculpture that depicts a female slave. Inspired by the great sphinx she has created a piece that conveys beauty, strength, and pain.

Relevant Artist

Tara Donovan

The artist I have chosen this week is Tara Donovan. I have to say that I had a hard time choosing a relevant artist this week again. Unlike past weeks where I either liked or disliked all the artist. This week I was stuck in-between choosing an artist with controversy or an artist that intrigued me. I choose Tara Donovan because she is both interesting and controversial. Tara Donovan believes “Inspiration is a joke, real artists sit down and work” which actually irritates me a lot. As an artist, I believe that a single object can inspire you to create things that can truly change the world. There is no way that the most famous artist just sat down and went to work and was like “I think if I paint a woman with a half smile and call it Mona Lisa and I will be known forever”. Yes, there are instances where the artist just sat down and started painting. One was my favorite artist Margaret Keane was forced to paint for her husband to steal her work. Even though she was forced to paint she still used her pain in her work which in my opinion is an inspiration.

Despite the anger I have for her opinion, I believe that her work is actually fascinating and really good. She takes ordinary objects such as toothpicks, straws, and needles to create sculptures. In the sculpture below Tara Donovan creates what looks like a sound wave or morning fog over hills. It’s beautiful yet what surprised me is that it’s actually made of plastic cups.

Works Cited:

“Kara Walker: ‘A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby’ (SHORT).” Art21, art21.org/watch/extended-play/kara-walker-a-subtlety-or-the-marvelous-sugar-baby-short/.

“Tara Donovan: Sculpting Everyday Materials – Louisiana Channel.” Louisiana Channel, 16 Apr. 2018, channel.louisiana.dk/video/tara-donovan-sculpting-everyday-materials.

[schoultes-blog]

While reading your post, I like how you mentioned artist with teams. You mentioned how it is sort of difficult to respect an artist who has teams behind them, and I understand that. I never understood how one person can take credit for the work that others put into the pieces. Although, earlier on I also changed my mind as you did this week. I get it is difficult to create these large-scale pieces with one person alone, but if the artist is able to find people who understand the vision then everything should fall in place easily.

[schoultes-blog]

Week 8

   I will mention this later onion my post, but Kara Walker has definitely done her job properly when it comes to planning ahead of time, not the sculpture. Throughout the warehouse, there are multiple models of what the end piece is going to be. There is also plenty of research gone into the sculpture. Within the many ways of creating the models, I noticed Kara did do a few, but for me, the most notable was the clay. Sh never really showed any computer work as the book mentioned. When reading the chapter on the process of creating a sculpture, I realize that the most important part is planning. Nothing can continue on properly unless it has been planned out with good, helpful steps. Creating these sculptures, I’m honestly taken back as to how much work needed to go into these pieces just to make them so smooth, lifelike, and just perfect. The amount of time and dedication put into each piece is unreal. (Figure 10.10, Bust of a Young Girl.)

   Now, with Kara Walker, one of the first things I noticed when watching the video is that she has never done a sculpture like this before. When asked what she doesn’t want it the piece to look like, she stated: “I don’t know, I’ve never done anything like this before!” And laughed. I think this is a big part of art that everyone needs to focus on, that just because you’ve never worked with a certain medium or haven’t done this one thing, doesn’t mean that you can’t do it to the best of your abilities. With art, it is based on personal creativity and what you do with it. Another example from Kara is during the interview when she mentions how she thought she wasn’t going to like or enjoy the book “Gone With The Wind” but when she started to read it, she fell involve with it. Kara did an amazing job at researching. She had to do this because she’s never really done a sculpture before, let alone work with sugar blocks. Another smart thing that Kara did was know her limits. She knew she couldn’t execute the actual sculpting to the exact way she wanted it, so she trusted others to create her vision. While looking in the background of the video, Karas vision was plastered everywhere. There were many replicas of what the piece would turn out to be in the end. One part that I never would have thought of with the sugar is how it is still subject to change, even when Kara is finished with the piece. This could be a big deal depending on the piece, having it be almost “make or break” the work. Although the sugar isn’t contained in powder form and isn’t able to move, it is important.

   Petah Coyne is not only a sculptor but also a photographer. Uniquely, with her sculptures she uses creatively different materials, some that others may find disturbing and incredibly weird. Petah uses “trees, human hair, scrap metal, was, silk flowers, religious statuary, and taxidermy.” So Petah has experimented with many different styles of materials and created unique looking works from these. Petah wants to continue to let imagination prevail and create new pieces. To me, she creates this big, beautiful pieces that take time to interpret and create a story from. Her pieces are the definition of unique and I think that's what makes it so special.

http://www.galerielelong.com/artists/petah-coyne

[hannahrose204-blog]

Week 7

Reading Reflection

This week the reading was over chapter 8. It was about “photography and filmmaking.” I never really knew before today that filmmaking was a type of art. I love watching short films especially Disney short films. Something in the reading that really caught my eye, was how you could use your computer to digital edit an image.  Artists like “Frank Noelker who is a photographer that takes photos in zoos around the world and makes hundreds of subtle changes with his computer to create effects he envisions.” Digital imaging can be used to “delete detailed works so they can change the focus of the subject” It’s kinda like painting but without the paintbrush, paint and canvas. (The Book) Another type of editing is Continuity editing show in the picture down below. “This requires that all shots be taken in a 180-degree rule.” (The Book) This is what they use when making movies or shows when they want to show you the conversation but from angles that show their facials better.  

Media Reflection

We watched three videos this week. The first video was over an Artist called Natali Almada. Natalis work is all filmmaking. I really like how Natali took a very tragic memory from her life that she wasn’t present for and turned it around with an amazing short film that she used as her  "masters thesis as a short film” (Natalia). The second video was called “Thunder Road” by Jim Cummings. It very clear that this guy was very overwhelmed while giving the speech and full of emotion. I did get teary-eyed while watching this just listening to all his stories. I think he had a very hard time saying goodbye to his mom and he was just trying to make her proud. In the video, it mentions “ everyone morns in there own unique way.” (Thunder) Just from watching that film I already have a lot of respect for Jim Cummings. The third video is called “Belly” by Julia Pott. I personally think Julia is weird after watching that last video. I did not like it as much as the other two. I just thought it was weird and strange and the sound effects made me cringe like a lot.

Connections

The video was over filmmaking. In the book, we also learned about filmmaking and editing. The ways that they are both similar are with the filmmaking. In the book, it mentions video and how there is little or no editing that goes on. The use of video and no other sounds really bring out the real meaning of the topic. This now connects with the short film Natali Almada made with the water and just using all the natural sounds that the kids made while playing in the water. Such as screaming, laughing, slashing the water, and maybe even crying.  In the book, it also talks about using “ cloud tanks, painted backdrops, scale models, light flares, and computer-generated imagery.” All those things they use once or twice in the process of making a short film.

Relevant Artists

Wolfgang Tillman is a photographer. Tillman has expanded the horizon of work to include “diaristic photography, large-scale abstraction, and commissioned magazine work.” (Wolfgang ) A lot of the things Tillmans takes photos of are simple everyday ideas. I wouldn’t consider Tillman work something I would go to a museum to look at because to me it’s almost a little boring. I really like how Tillman can take a photo of something and it might have the different meaning to someone else. For example I really like one of his photos called “Moonrise October.” (Wolfgang) It’s just a photo of a beach with the sun already done setting. To me, it brings back all the good memories I’ve had at a beach and the sound of the waves hitting the sand. Others may just look at the photo and think its too dark and it’s just the ocean.  

Works Cited

“More Stuff.” Vimeo, vimeo.com/blog/all/page:80

“Natalia Almada In.” Art21, art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s8/natalia-almada-in-mexico-city-segment/.

“The Book”

“Thunder Road.” NoBudge.com, nobudge.com/main/thunder-road.

“Wolfgang Tillmans.” Claudio Bravo Biography – Claudio Bravo on Artnet, Pace Gallery, www.artnet.com/artists/wolfgang-tillmans/.

[schoultes-blog]

I think the area where we had the most connections was with the 3 videos. When talking about Almada and her work, you mentioned how she turned a negative of her life that she wasn’t really there for and turned it into art. This is something I believe a lot of people have troubles with, that is turning negatives into positives. I also started to feel emotional during “Thunder Road” when he was mentioning all the stories and memories. Also when reading others blog posts, I think we all had the same feelings on the “Belly” video. 

[schoultes-blog]

Week 7

   Chapter 8 covered Photography and Filmmaking, which is something I have always enjoyed and has been one of my favorite styles of art. With photography, it is interesting. Say the photo is to be taken of a person, in that photo it can be easy to capture to the personality of that person, such as in Figure 8.4. Going away from that, Edward Weston did something that I believe is very difficult for most everyone to accomplish. He was able to change his whole style completely within the realm of photography. He went from taking photos that were purposely put of focus to taking photos that were as sharp as could be and easily identifiable. This takes a lot of skill and is extremely difficult for anyone to do with any subject. Many times I have seen Headspring (figure 8.22) and not once have a considered it to be filmed. I’ve always thought of this as photography because it’s not a video. But this is interesting because he used 12 different cameras, although it is considered to be “in a motion picture film.” 

Natalia Almada    Immediately she mentioned how filming helps create and store memories. Now, this is something that I really like because with a film we have the chance to remember what we recorded when we look back at it years from now. One of her first films felt with pain. She talked about the death of her sister and how it impacted her life along with her family’s lives. This can be a big deal because a lot of people keep negative things, such as this, to themselves and away from everyone else. Natalia decided to share this part of her life. She also knew she couldn’t give the full effect, so thinking of ways to make her work better she asked her family for help. I think it is incredibly strong of her to make multiple films that are very personal. This, to me, is why she loves film so much, she is able to put her heart and soul into her work. I like how she puts her effort into her work, as she mentioned she goes from being outside in all the elements and sometimes dangerous places, she is later able to go inside and edit. While editing she is able to fully reflect on what exactly she did. I think this is an idea we all need to take as for it is important in all aspects of life. 

Jim Cummings    The part I enjoyed the most from this film was how it was all filmed in one shot with no outtakes or cuts in the film. This, to me, makes it all more investing with only one camera shot rather than multiple cutting back and forth. The other part was how the camera continues to slowly inch closer to the main actor when he becomes emotional. I think this helps the watchers feel more connected with the actor and how we were feeling guilty and sad. When thinking about this film it makes me wonder that Jim Cummings had gone through to create this piece. 

Julia Pott    When watching this video, Belly, I became very uncomfortable. It’s not because of what is shown, but the lines around them moving constantly. I personally like crisp, bold, solid lines.

   Hiroshi Sugimoto is a unique photographer. Most all of his work is in black and white and uses a large-format camera. He works hard to use this method, keeping memories forever, to the best of his abilities. He models large subjects, such as tools and auditoriums. His photography isn’t my favorite as for most of his photos are out of focus, whether completely out of focus or just a little. But like this one photo of a theater, taken near the ceiling. I like this because I feel the theater has a lot of history and details in the walls.

https://www.artsy.net/artist/hiroshi-sugimoto

[gwtwsince97-blog]

Blog 6

           Chapters 6 and 7 got me thinking back to the very first post we made for this class where we discussed what we considered art. These chapters truly reinforced the idea that anything and everything can be, or is, considered art. I had no prior knowledge to printmaking, so I thought. However, I learned that books and commercialized advertisements, like cigar labels (p. 260) are forms of prints. I was also much uniformed about all of the work that goes into graphic design and never gave thought to how the different font-types I get to choose from when I type a paper were created. I took the technology we have today for granted and never considered that printmaking existed before photocopying. When I thought about art in the past, paintings, drawings, and sculptures came to mind; I never thought to see advertisements or letters or labels as art.

           Chapter 6 taught me that prints-pictures created by transferring ink from a specific surface onto paper-have four major processes: relief, intaglio, planographic, and stencil (p. 245-247). The technique of relief uses a carved surface so that lines and areas intended to be printed are raised above areas meant to stay blank (p. 247). I particularly liked the typical form of relief, woodcutting, and examining how different types of wood made different patterns in the print, like Antonio Frasconi’s, Portrait of Woody Guthrie (figure 6.8, p. 248). Intaglio prints are the complete opposite of relief prints because the surface has grooves that are carved below the surface, which is where the ink is applied (p. 252). I was intrigued by Joseph Mallord William Turner’s Snow Storm: Steamboat off a Harbor’s Mouth because the line engravings in his print gave the image a completely different feel than the oil painting of the exact same image (figure 6.16 and 6.17). The swirls in the painting made the picture seem majestic whereas the lines in the print gave the picture an ominous tone (in addition to this one being in black and white rather than color). Planography, unlike relief and intaglio, uses a flat surface (p. 261). I was surprised to learn that this process was even used to print this book! Lastly, the process of stenciling is used to mask out areas that don’t want to be printed (p. 262).

           John Baldessari gave up painting because he liked to experiment with the color wheel, as seen in his prints. He also never understood why words and images had to be separate so he combined the two. He used humor to create a lot of his work and my favorite quote from him was, “Because I said it’s art somebody believes me.” His quote kind of reinforced my initial thoughts from our chapter reading and our first blog, that anything and everything can be considered art.

           Kara Walker is a relevant, American artist who uses “cut-paper silhouettes” to tell stories about history. Her silhouette work is mostly done in blacks, whites, and grays which is very fitting to the tones they convey: dark and ominous. The image I chose tells the story of racism in the United States. The black woman carries the white woman above her head. The black woman’s figure carrying the white woman portrays the manual labor that African-Americans endured. The white figured woman’s hair is big and her dress almost looks like she’s meant to go to a ball. The picture is so simple, but tells an entire story. It makes me feel ashamed and depressed.  

https://www.artsy.net/artist/kara-walker

[schoultes-blog]

Near the end of the second paragraph, I like how you mentioned the tone the artist was going for. You explained how the lines in the painting created a specific tone, and I think it his great to examine the artwork this closely to figure out the meaning behind each section of the artwork. I also picked Kara Walker as my relevant artist, and in the mix of all her pieces of art I missed the piece you picked. I love how you mentioned the way the white women is represented in this photo, talking about the dress and beautiful hair. She has a stance, that to me, would signify a large ego. 

[schoultes-blog]

Week 6

   During the reading, I realized that graphic design is more enjoyable than printmaking when looking at the final project. I think the reason why is because, at the end of most graphic design work, there’s bold line work to make certain parts of the piece stand out. Generally, when I think of graphic designs the first thing that comes to mind is one bold color and one or two other colors. And, yes, printmaking may have some bold line work and few bold colors, but to me, it’s just not as interesting. Now within printmaking, I really like a style that involves a stencil. The reason why is because you’re able to make multiple prints from one screen and use different colors (usually within a shade range.) Another part I found interesting from using a stencil is how they get multiple colors into one piece. I like how they have to use multiple screens to make these different colors stand out and overlap different colors. 

   One of the best parts of the video is when John mentioned that art is all about choice. You could make something, say it is art, and people would believe you because you stated and called it art. As he mentioned, you’re making choices constantly during the process of making art. “Do I choose this color or that color to go in this spot?” Art is all about choosing one thing over the other to make the piece flow if the artist chooses for it to flow. One thing that I never thought about until I watched this video is that the text pieces fall underneath the blanket of printmaking and graphic design. I never really thought about why subject it would be categorized in, but it really did surprise me. What I liked best about John Baldessari’s artwork are the pieces where it resembles a photo with bright blocks of colors in different shapes, creating one image such as a person. I like these pieces because you have to use a small part of your imagination just to put a few pieces together. For example, you could wonder, “what exactly is behind the bright blue hair? Are they bald? Do they really have short hair instead of the long hair like the coloring shows?”

   Between the reading and the video I really didn’t find any connections. To me, the book had more definitions and fewer examples. While in the video, John really just showed his prints and showed more examples of his work rather than the definitions. This was nice because I was able to make more references to Johns work from the book.

   This week when I was deciding what artist to study, it showed to be difficult. There really wasn’t one artist that I thought had amazing work and I really wanted to talk about, but out of all the artists, I decided to talk about Kara Walker. Kara Walker creates amazing work with silhouettes, mostly expressing “race, gender, and sexuality.” Now with the silhouettes, I first thought that she would place these down on a light-box and have the light show the contrast with the black material. Instead, she lays these silhouette pieces directly on the white walls of the gallery.  In some of her pieces, such as “Darkytown Rebellion”, Kara adds colorful lights on the ceiling projecting to the piece. She does this so when a person stands close enough to the piece, the lights will cast a shadow making the person feel emerged into the project. I like that she only does this for a few pieces and not every single project that she has put up into a gallery. This to me makes it seem as if those pieces need to be seen in person in order to feel the impact of the piece.

https://art21.org/artist/kara-walker/