Have Some Second-Hand Knowledge

I'm an Illustration student in college, and I need some way to motivate myself into doing assignments that aren't just paintings. This blog are just posts of things I learned in class recently. Feel free to interact, I swear I'm friendly <3 Lynn || 21 || She/Her

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

Welcome :D feel free to look around.  Class list and descriptions of the classes I’m in here. Submissions for stuff you learned in class here (any class is fine). Questions about classes and notes can be posted here. Please keep in mind I’m not a professional. That’s what this blog is about; it’s my class notes as I learn. Thanks <3

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

FIRST POST OF THE YEAR 🎉

I have to update this bling to reflect the new classes I'm taking, but for now, have a shoe I made for class ✨

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

hi! Thanks for posting these! They're really cool!!!

Aw, no problem!!! I'm really glad you like what I've been posting :DDDD thanks for taking a look!

[spelldealer]

so was no one was gonna tell me that the painting saturn devouring his son was found painted directly onto the walls of the artist’s home after he died and that it may not even be depicting the greek legend, that’s just the most common interpretation??????

[wizard0rb]

hello????

[cursed-and-haunted]

Not only was it painted on the wall of his house, it was painted on the wall of his dinning room.

Like imagine you go over to your boy's house for dinner and that's across from you while you eat. Like would you say something or just

[gayanese]

This is the painting is question by Francisco Goya. Not only was this painting found, but a series of 13 other disturbing pieces of art called his “Black Paintings”. At this point in Goya’s life he had lost his hearing (well most of it) and had moved into a villa where he became a recluse. This was directly after the Napoleonic wars. These paintings were never meant to be found. They were never commissioned and he solely made these for himself.

[breya-etherium-shaper]

This is where they think each of those paintings was placed in the house.

[autumngracy]

What in the goddamn...?

[kaylawaylaayla]

tumblr finding out about fucked up art history is so fun to watch

[pochowek]

Went on a little rant today (:

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

It’s my finals week O-O meaning you won’t get many posts from this account for about a month until the new semester starts <3 Happy holidays!!!

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

How to know the person you’re dating is an asshole

All the information I’m sharing here is from my class textbook, and these are just notes in my own voice! I found this advice useful for all of my relationships, not just those I’m dating :)

If these are familiar questions, you may want to consider some of the following information: +Why am I always attracted to jerks? +Why do I keep picking partners with the same problems? +How can I know what someone will really be like in a committed relationships? +Why am I so desperate? +How can I know so clearly what I want from a partner, and then be blind to a realistic view of what my partner actually is? +Why does my partner change so much in only three months? +I was told my ex was such a jerk, but now I wonder? +Why did I look over so many signs of problems? +Why do I always end up working harder than my partner to make my relationship work? +What am I supposed to do to keep from trusting too much? +How long does it take to really know someone? +How can I feel so loved and so betrayed by the same person? +How can I love and hate the same person? +Is this as good as it gets? These are common questions people ask when they’re unhappy in their relationships. And while this post definitely won’t cover all of that, it will cover some!

-------------------------------

We learn how to love, date, and what to look for in a partner based on others-- parents, family, friends. It’s the only real-world examples we have of what it means to be dating, and what we should cultivate in our relationships. So if you have seen a lot of negative relationships, it becomes harder to tell how to find someone who will be a good match for you. The textbook describes 5 things that can affect how someone interacts in a relationship: 1. Compatibility Potential: The balance between similarities and differences in personality, view, and interests. In other words, how well you ‘fit’ together. 2. Relationship Skills: Communication, openness, conflict management and resolution. 3. Patterns From Other Relationships: Relationship patterns from both romantic and nonromantic relations. 4. Family Patterns and Background: The quality of parental marriage and the family’s expression of affection and emotion, development of roles, and interaction patterns. 5. Character and Conscience Traits: The emotional health and maturity of conscience. These can be early signs of how someone will approach a relationship. The first two are usually the easiest, and the ones we consider most often. People will later describe failed relationships that missed the last three signs as being ”Too in love to see.” In these cases, there’s a lack of ‘heart knowledge’; the person in question will experience an overdeveloped emotion attachment that separated their misgiving thoughts from their hearts. Reasoning resorts to “Things will get better” and “I know this is a problem, but they love me, and that’s all that matters.” Society as a whole tends to view relationships and love as being a ‘matter of the heart’, or in some cases, a ‘matter of the head’. In reality, the two were meant to work together to sus out the true compatibility of relationships. It’s often perceived that love is an on-off switch. You are in love or you aren’t, and if you’re in love then you jump in head first with no thought. This is not a good way to experience love. How to identify an asshole Assholes have no gender. The only difference is the package they come in. An excerpt from the textbook: “No one earns the right to be called a jerk from merely acting like one once or twice. If we are honest, all of us act like jerks now and then. However, the most fundamental identifying feature of true jerks is their persistent resistance to ever changing their core jerk qualities. No matter how many times they have been confronted by you or others, they still persist in their hurtful pattern. If it is possible to reform a jerk, it will almost always require a major life crisis or life-transforming event. But the longer a jerk’s track record, the lower the likelihood for improvement.” (How to Avoid Falling in Love With a Jerk. John Van Epp, pg. 17) (They use the word jerk, but I prefer asshole <3) So what are some signs of a jerk? + A habit of breaking boundaries.      -This can display itself in a number of ways, one of which being the ‘player’. They’re in love with the excitement of infatuation, and enjoy the attention it brings. They often start a new relationship... while being unable to end the last, despite it being boring to them.       -Another is the ‘space invader’. What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is also mine. They are entitled to your attention, interest, money, time, and emotional support. This is, however, not a two-way street.  +Inability to see anything from someone else’s perspective.      -This shortcoming is hard to catch, as many people relate in different ways; you do have to be careful. However, for this trait over time, you are invalidated over and over again, and feel like you’re never understood no matter what you try to convey. Eventually, you realize you are completely invisible to your partner.  +Dangerous lack of emotional control.      -Everyone experiences emotional highs and lows. But in this case, it’s extreme-- either an incredibly emotionally turbulent individual, or one who is flat and unresponsive. It’s similar to a pendulum-- to far to one side, and your partner will be so unresponsive that you will feel empty and unloved. Too far to the other, and you’ll be thrust in a hurricane of turbulence. At times it will switch rapidly from one to another, leaving you unbalanced.  In the end, it’s these things repeated consistently, and without change despite intervention. Who is more vulnerable to these sorts of relationships? +People who just left a bad relationship.      -Think of it like a virus. Your immune system is compromised, and you need to give it a bit of time to heal before attempting anything again. +Good hearted people.      -Good hearted people are easy to succumb to this, because they’re more likely to give second, third, fourth-- however many chances. Gives the other partner the benefit of the doubt. They are at the greatest risk for staying in these relationships, because good-hearted people are quick to forgive, overlook problems, minimize shortcomings, and give second chances. This is not to say you shouldn’t be good-hearted. You simply have to be cautious of people who are looking to take advantage of your innate kindness, whether they do it subconsciously or purposefully.  Well how do you avoid getting caught up in love-blindness? Don’t go fast-paced. One of the most common ways to get caught up in a relationship with a ‘jerk’ is to get into something fast-paced. You run the risk of thinking you know your partner deeply, when in reality, you don’t. You know them in a more superficial sense. You’re more likely to gloss over issues that will come up later, and it can be intoxicating. Your ability to form strong, loving relationships can be used against you if you don’t intentionally pace a relationship. Emotional bonding is important to a relationship, and understanding how you personally bond can help you quite a bit when it comes to forming new ones. 

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

The Manet Scandal

I have to tell you about the hot gossip that is Manet’s Luncheon. (Warning you now, there is nude art from the 1700′s-1800′s. Please don’t come for me tumblr, I can’t censor classic art, I swear it’s tasteful.)

By the mid 1800′s, there’s all kinds of art movements breaking out everywhere and shaping art culture as we know it now in the west-- but the three we’re focusing on for this are neoclassicism, romanticism, and realism. To define those real quick: Neoclassicism: Artists who follow the ‘old ways’, hence being classical artists. Strict, stoic, very calculated and meticulous art. They regard the classic era of art, aka ancient Roman and Greek art, as the peak of creation, with restrained emotion, and a focus on the intellectual creation and interpretation of art. Neo means ‘new’, translating this to the ‘new classical’ movement. Was driven by the discovery of new art as Pompeii is excavated!

Example:  Oath of the Horatii, by Jacques-Louis David, 1784

Romanticism: Classicists look down on this movement. It loses focus on the meticulous calculation and exact proportions of art, and focuses on the emotions it inspires. Lots of romance in it’s movement, in bold, bright colors. Focuses on passion and romanticizing life, specifically that of the upper classes. Rather than just painting a scene, the artist wants you to feel it-- the water’s coolness, the wind in hair, etc. Many of these paintings gain a more loose, painterly style in order to do so.

Example: The Lady of Shalott, John William Waterhouse, 1888

Realism: This is where things start to get spicy. Realism is a brand new movement that both the classicists and the romanticists hate. It is foundational to modern art. It’s, in essence, a rebellious movement, and the base concept is you can’t paint anything you haven’t seen with your own two eyes. Can’t paint Mary, Jesus, or angels-- nothing from catholic scripture. Can’t paint roman mythology figures or those from fairytales. Many Realists begin to focus on painting those in poverty, or the lower class, which in and of itself is a major scandal. It is considered a ‘waste’ of fine art to paint everyday scenes. A waste of the artist’s time, money, talent, materials, and a waste of the viewer’s time. How dare you make me look and acknowledge the poor people? Those leading the movement were firm in the belief that classicism is old, out of date, and puts fetters on creativity-- creating the same scenes in art over and over again (They have a point, do you know how many classical paintings exist of Mary and the Christ child? TOO MANY). Romanticism was no better, as they ignore modern day issues (of the time) in order to paint mystical scenes of whimsy. They state that they’re completely forgoing the people. Realism is steeped in politics-- and many realist painters are arrested and jailed for various activities committed outside of art in rebellion. Example:  The Stone Breakers, Gustave Courbet, 1849 (caused a scandal in and of itself, as it was lower class workers depicted. Humanizing those in de-humanizing jobs. It was highly criticized because of this.)

Now. This is where Edouard Manet comes in.  Manet is a high-class born artist, who decides to take part in the realist movement-- and promptly makes an enemy of nearly every movement, including his own. The painting that causes this is  Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass).

When this painting is displayed for the first time, it starts an actual goddamn riot in the museum. There are people throwing punches out in the streets over this! It is labeled pornographic and vulgar. Realists proclaim that this painting is ruining the realist movement. They have to close the exhibit, and place the painting high enough that no one can vandalize it.  Why was it so poorly received? It’s only in part because of the naked figure of a woman. In fact, if you look back at renaissance art, most figures are nude. The reason for that is because that’s about the time people start seeing the human body as ‘God’s greatest creation’, and want to depict it in it’s full splendor. It’s also the time we started understanding the human body due to dissections. The renaissance and the artists involved in it is highly revered by classical and romantic artists alike. It is the basis for art in all it’s forms.  In fact, the luncheon is heavily inspired by two renaissance paintings! (Both have even more nude figures than the luncheon, hence why I’m not showing them, but feel free to google them for yourself.) -The Pastoral Concert by Giorgione: Depicts young men clad in what was then considered modern clothing, with nude female figures (perhaps the muses) on a picnic. -the Judgement of Paris by Raphael: In the bottom right side of this artwork, you can clearly see that Manet outright used the figure’s posing in the luncheon.  So what is the scandal all about? It comes down to context! The people in the painting are RECOGNIZABLE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. In a POPULAR, RECOGNIZABLE PARK. These are two young men, fully dressed, with an undressed woman, in a public place. She is SHAMELESSLY looking directly at the viewer, as if to say yeah I’m naked, shove it up your ass. This implies that they were doing utterly scandalous activities, where anyone could find them. In addition, Manet is a realist painter. That means he SAW this scene with his OWN TWO EYES. These recognizable figures were in this park! This socially recognized woman was naked! In the park! THE HORROR. THE ATROCITY. Manet knew damn well what he was doing, but defends his art by pointing at the renaissance art he was inspired by and calling them out along the lines of “You worship art like this, and yet mine is vulgar?” If realism was opening the door to new art subjects, Manet was kicking the door down and setting the building on fire. He was shamed for ruining his family name with this painting. It was completely jarring to the art world, and essentially changed the rules forever-- and everyone hated that. When I tell you I was thinking about this painting for 3 hours straight after class that day, I am not exaggerating. 

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

Artemisia Gentileschi

@soundbite-writes hope you don't mind if I expand on your comment, I gOT EXCITED!! YES, YOU ARE COMPLETELY RIGHT! I learned about her alongside Caravaggio! My professor pointed out she was the first female artist we'd covered, several months into the semester. The reason being that women were mostly excluded from art back in Ye Olden Days! In addition, my professor told us directly that when he was in college, female artists were excluded entirely from the coursework and textbooks-- and that was only 40 or so years ago! Gentileschi was not accepted into any schools or apprenticeships-- and so her father was actually the one to teach her! He himself was heavily inspired by Caravaggio, and passed on a lot of his stylistic choices on to his daughter. Lots of chiaroscuro, beautiful and rich colors, very gory in some pieces, dramatic and dynamic, etc., back in the baroque period. Eventually, she became the first woman to be accepted into the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (the Academy of Arts and Drawing). Most of her art featured female heroines or the female perspective, and was sometimes even more graphic than both her father's and Caravaggio's work. She was often cheated out of her payment, or under payed entirely. Here are some of her works (excluding gory and nude art, as that's probably a no for tumblr lol), the first being a self portrait.

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

Heuristic Research

I have a ton to catch up on in 2D design-- one of such assignments being heuristic research. This is a written assignment, meant to help the artist more fully understand and contemplate their creative process and the results thereof! Also my personal hell. Here are some questions to ask yourself <3 ------------------------------------------------------------ Initial Engagement: Identify with the Focus of Inquiry ------------------------------------------------------------

What is your subject? What are you exploring?

What are your materials?

What elements and principles are you using intentionally?

What are your learning objectives? ------------------------------------------------------

Immersion: Self-Dialogue, Indwelling, and Focus ------------------------------------------------------

What has been the biggest challenge for you with this project?

What has been intuitive for you?

Were you able to truly commit yourself to your work?

What are some methods that helped you focus?

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

I love long-arm Jesus

He is Gathering You. His jesus-y love extends his arms to Grab. There's no escaping.

[doctordiscord123]

I feel so very threatened help

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

Where's that Christ-like love for long arm Jesus???

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

I love long-arm Jesus

He is Gathering You. His jesus-y love extends his arms to Grab. There's no escaping.

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

So this is how notes are going today. I am an illustration major.

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

Chiaroscuro is how light is portrayed in a painting or drawing! It translates, quite literally, to ‘light-dark’ in Italian. The artist Caravaggio is an excellent example of this, whom painted the artwork above! His paintings were considered scandalous, due to the fact that he often portrayed holy themes in a very common-man sense. They weren’t elevated or aristocratic. In fact, the opposite! He portrayed saints as regular men (which WAS very scandalous, in the late 1500′s-1600′s. Imagine if you drew jesus in short-shorts and a crop top, but also the pope follows you online and he saw and DOES NOT approve. It’s that vibe.) In addition, they could often be quite gruesome in nature. He wasn’t very well liked in general, just as a person, but his art shaped the art world as it is currently. He died relatively young for an influential artist (38), after fleeing to Rome because killed a man in duel :D

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

Conflict in Relationships

This lecture is focused mostly on romantic relationships, but I’m pretty sure it can apply to any relationship. Familial, friendship– whatever situation you’re in.  This is what I learned from my half hour lecture! It’s sort of long, so I’ll probably reblog in parts :D PART ONE

Keep reading

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

PART TWO (FINAL) Includes how to address the four horsemen :D

There are solvable issues, and there are unsolvable ones too. Solvable can be something like scheduling conflicts. One person wants to take a yoga class, but someone needs to watch the kids, and the other person has soccer at that time. That’s something that can be worked out. Is there another class time? Can soccer be on weekends? etc. Perpetual are problems that can’t really be solved. A fundamental difference in lifestyle, beliefs, or personality. The same argument that comes up over and over again. All couples have these. ALL!! There was a study where happily married couples (of about two years marriage) wrote down some of the problems they’re facing. Four years later, these same couples (still happily married) went through their previous list and pointed out which problems they’re still having. About 69% (AYO) of problems accounted for in these relationships are perpetual. That does not mean that they can’t be happy relationships! 

----------------------------- Side note: But also be careful about what issues you have. Make up your mind now about what you can and can’t tolerate in a partner. Some issues are going to be impossible to overcome. Don’t let people convince you to lower your standards. The above is simply stating that people can have differences and still be happy together. It’s a fine balance. ----------------------------- These couples worked together, found the root issue of these perpetual problems, and found ways to work around them as a team. If they’re mishandled, they can lead to deep hurt and later issues. Antidotes to the four horsemen! -Criticism = “Avoid blame and soften you’re start-up.” Avoid ‘you’ statements and use ‘I’ statements instead. 

✖ “You always leave the food out! What’s wrong with you?” ✔ “I’m frustrated that the food wasn’t put away last night, and had to be thrown away. We should try to keep the kitchen clean before bed.” The recipient may not respond perfectly, but they’ll be in a better place than the previous accusatory tone.

-Defensiveness = “Address their perspective.” Validate your partner’s perspective before coming up with a counter attack. Own up to your mistakes. This diffuses the situation, and allows an open conversation. ✖ “No I didn’t say that, you’re being dramatic. You always do this.” ✔ “I understand why what I said could have come off as hurtful. My tone was harsh, especially when coupled with what I said. I meant it as ____, but was not successful. I’m sorry, I’ll do better.”

-Contempt = “Stop destructive behavior.” No name-calling. No purposeful mean-ness. Don’t be aggressively sarcastic. “Start a culture of positivity.” What are they doing well? What are things you appreciate about them? Have a 5 to 1 ratio. 5 positives for every 1 negative. It doesn’t have to be all at once. It can be two positives in one week, and that would be improvement.

✖ “They’re just a selfish bitch.” ✔ “They do ___ poorly, but they do ___ really well, and I appreciate that.”

-Stonewalling = “Take time to self-soothe and self-regulate.” Naming your emotions, acknowledging and sharing them. Breathing and grounding exercises are excellent for this. Be mindful of your current state. ✖ Silent shut down. Essentially ignoring partner, or giving short, unresponsive answers. ✔ “Hey, I’m getting really overwhelmed, and I’m starting to shut down. I need maybe 20 minutes to calm down and relax. I’m going to go in the other room, and then I’m going to come back.”

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

Conflict in Relationships

This lecture is focused mostly on romantic relationships, but I’m pretty sure it can apply to any relationship. Familial, friendship-- whatever situation you’re in.  This is what I learned from my half hour lecture! It’s sort of long, so I’ll probably reblog in parts :D PART ONE

When a conflict comes up, there’s typically a build up. It’s one thing, then two things, then three. There’s some sort of need that isn’t being met, like an open wound going untreated.  --------------------------------------------- Side note: (I learned this in therapy) people respond differently to needs coming up in relationships. This is called ‘attachment types’ (feel free to google, there’s like 5 of them). These attachment types relate to whether or not needs are being met in a relationship, and how people respond to meeting said needs. My therapist has informed me that needs don’t always need to be met. But they should be acknowledged, either by yourself or your relationship partner, in order to be processed instead of creating this build-up. Just thought it was interesting to apply here. ---------------------------------------------- Because of this build up of continual unaddressed problems, conflict arises. The parties involved can either come to a solution, or a non-solution. A solution resolves it! And our people can heal from it and move on! If it’s not resolved, then we get a sort of loop. This is just another Thing TM to add to the list of transgressions, and another conflict will arise shortly.  Sometimes solutions don’t always work out properly either. In that case, you can go back and re-work your solution. If it’s not working babe, it’s not working! Don’t beat a dead horse! Negative approach When one of the partners becomes aware of the frustration, they tend to move forward into conflict with a negative, aggressive approach. “Why did you do this? This makes me so frustrated!” The recipient, in turn, is going to be defensive. It’s not going to be interpreted as helpful, or constructive. It feels like an attack, and they won’t respond in a positive way. They are less likely to see things from your perspective, and acknowledge the issue. These are considered the ‘four horsemen’ of relationships (The beginning of the end): -Criticism -Defensiveness -Contempt -Stonewalling When you think back on failed relationships, how much of these four were present? Keep in mind, all relationships go through these sort of trails. The difference is if there’s a reoccurring pattern. --------------------------------------------- Remember, the goal here isn’t to tear the other apart. You are friends, family, partners-- whatever it may be. The goal is to help each other find a solution. You’re working together as a team, not against one another. --------------------------------------------- Criticism “Negative and global expression that gives an opinion on a person’s character and personality.” Starts with absolutes.              -“You always do this!” “You never do that!” “What’s wrong with you?” A complaint is focused on a behavior. A criticism is an attack on the actual person. Defensiveness “Defending oneself from a perceived attack.” Righteous indignation, a counter attack, whining, frustrated explanations. One form of defensiveness is retreating into the head and responding with things like “Honey, you need to calm down.”            - “But look at all the good things I do!” Pretty common in relationships. Contempt “Feeling superior to your partner.” A form of disrespect. “I am better than you.” A result of long-simmering negative thoughts about the other. Eyerolling, belligerence, cynicism, name calling, mockery.              -“oH iM sOrRy, DiD tHaT hUrT yOuR fEeLiNgS?”<<That energy, you know the type. Humor to be mean. Stonewalling “An emotional, psychological, or even physical withdrawal.” Shutting down, tuning out. A sign of feeling emotionally overwhelmed and flooded with feelings, and they withdraw as it’s the only way they can cope with the attack.            -Looking down, looking away, crossing arms, few verbal responses or cues. Sighs, looking at their watch, waiting for it to be over. “In heterosexual relationships, this most often occurs in the male; that’s what I’ve found. Not always, but it’s common. Women do it as well, it’s not one way or another. Usually happens later in a relationship as well.” -Professor PART TWO WILL BE REBLOGGED AFTER I TAKE NOTES FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE LECTURE :)

[stuff-i-learned-in-class-today]

The classes I’m currently in, and will be posting about

-Creative Writing HH             +Tag: #writing Course description: “ In this course, we will undertake the difficult work of learning to be literary writers together: reading widely, experimenting with language, taking risks, supporting each other’s work, and wading into the world of literature. Because this course is about learning how to be a practicing writer in our contemporary moment, we will examine and learn from a wide variety of texts, including texts by established and up-and-coming writers alike. This means that you can anticipate, in the texts we read together and in the work of student writers, some material that might be sensitive or controversial in nature. Some of our course texts may address issues such as race, sexuality, death, and loss, as we test the ways that literature can help us engage with the entirety of human experience.”

-Art History (Prehistoric to Renaissance)            +Tag: #ArtH2 Course description: “Covers major trends in Western art from the Paleolithic period to the Gothic era, including elements of political, religious, cultural, literary, and philosophical elements as they impacted the development of art. “

-Graphic Design I            +Tag: #Graphicdesign Course description: “Provides an understanding of basic principles needed for effective visual communication. Presents a survey of graphic design theory and practice. Introduces graphic design processes for creative problem solving, production and critique.”

-American Heritage           +Tag: #Pols Course description: “ This course studies the founding of American constitutional government. Considers the cultural, economic, legal, political, and social ramifications of the Constitution of the United States. The course is truly multidisciplinary and is organized into 3 broad sections:

Section 1: A New World - 1863Section 

2: A New Nation (1763-1840)Section 

3: Slavery, Freedom and the Crisis of the Union (1840-1877).”

-Basic Astronomy           +Tag: #Astro I’m not taking an astronomy class. Rather, I actually work at the college planetarium, and present shows once or twice a week! So I figure it’s alright for me to talk about the things I teach sometimes :)