Art History

[thejosephshea-blog]

Chapter 11

One thing that really surprised me about this chapter is how strong the influence of Islam had on the middle ages. Personally, when I think of middle ages or medieval time periods I think of the spread of Christian religion and the push back of Islam. Sure Islam didn’t make it passed the south but It still had strong ties in Spain after the Moors invaded them. However, it was pretty expected that most of the art in northern Europe it heavily based on Germanic tribes and Saxon culture.

Islam had a pretty strong influence on southern Europe in the early years of the Middle Ages. The Islam Religion does not allow idolatry, and the Koran forbids any type of representations of Allah. This means that A lot of work was done as abstract pieces of work, usually in geometric and floral patterns. I believe this is where the beginning of the abstract came from. The sculpture was another thing people couldn’t do, it was considered the work of Satan. So decoration and monumental architecture flourished in light of sculpture being forbade.

A lot of the churches there were also converted to mosques. Mosques are where Muslims go to pray all mosques to face the direction of Mecca. Which I find very interesting to me because they probably destroyed all the sculptures created so how much artwork and knowledge did we lose from that? The first Muslim ruler in Spain built a mosque in the capital and its a perfect example of Islamic art in western style. It had red and white bricks in multiple arches around the buildings, and the pilers were put in windows of each other to give the idea of woods. Spain would be unified under Christianity in 1492 which is coincidentally the same year Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

Anglo Saxons were also a huge part of the middle ages. They were expert metal workers. I absolutely love Anflo Saxon metalwork it's so nice looking and I know they have to make it with their own hands. Nowadays we have machines to get precise cuts on metal works, but not back then. Historians were able to find a piece of metalwork from remnants of a pagan ship burial- Anglo Saxons believed that you would sail to the afterlife. I love this piece of metal work the pure white background mix with the dark red garnet of the details. And the gold outlines of everything I just find this artwork very interesting.

My family is from Ireland so reading about Hiberno-Saxon was very cool. Unlike popular belief, Saint Patrick did not chase snake out of Ireland. He is the one however that introduce Christianity to Ireland. He may also be the one to take for the spread of Christianity elsewhere. This is because historians believe that Ireland missionaries traveled to many places including Scotland where they spread Christianity there.

This chapter was a very interesting read. There was quite a bit I didn’t know about the Middle Ages. Like Islam and Spain. I loved the Chapter about Ireland too, it may be because I am a little biased.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Roman art history

Roman history is a huge favorite of mine. I love to learn about the conquering the great leaders, the battles, and the governments, I just find it all so interesting. However, one thing I don’t look at a lot is the art of Ancient Rome. I feel like we all focus on things like Julius Ceasar and Commodus (even though he was a pretty bad leader) and the battles. But we can learn quite a bit from the artworks of ancient Rome.

Ancient Rome conquered a lot of lands, A LOT. It is in the top 10 for largest empires to ever have existed. Rome also formed the first republic governments. It is the same form of government lots of countries today use. Its military also had lots of tactics that today's militaries still yous. The Roman empire was a huge stepping stone for mankind.

If we are talking about Roman art. You wouldn’t think much of paintings. You would think more of the sculptures made out of marble and the architecture and sculptures the Romans have made. They were excellent stone workers they could carve stone with excellent detail and make huge colosseums out of the first known uses of concrete.

Yes, Romans were the first big empire to use concrete, of course, it is not the same concrete as today but it was concrete. The cities located in Rome were actually nicknamed the concrete cities because most of the buildings and structures were made with concrete

But after years of using concrete, they started shifting over to marble. Rome was very famous for its marble, you had white marble from Greece. You had red marble that had traces of iron in it. There was yellow marble from North Africa and there was even green marble near the tectonic plates. Soon each of their buildings would be made with and filled with marble. And their sculptures too. Their sculptures were also made of marble. It added an almost purity to it and it made them look a lot nicer.

Rome was a huge stepping stone for human history not just in its government and empire but in its art too. We are strongly inspired by Roman architecture and use it in some of our most important buildings, like the United States Capital. Roman was live on for a long time and be a huge part of history.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Greek culture

Samirah: Icarus’ wings should not have melted as the air actually gets cooler the higher you get, but the Greeks wouldn’t not have had any way of knowing that.

Magnus: Iron Man 1, the ice problem that was inevitably Obediah Stane’s downfall.

Alex: Y'all, it’s the ancient Greeks. They believed their gods lived on top of a very climbable mountain, but never bothered to check. Don’t hold them to high standards.

[esolheim-blog]

Week 8 - Chapter 7 + “The Ancient Origins of Modern Beauty”

Greek art has always been very interesting to me and I think a large majority of this interest comes from my own experience with art. Growing up, I often found myself drawing a lot of pictures of humans and different characters. Drawing people is what came easiest and I love drawing the human figure. It comes naturally to me so it is no surprise that I find Greek art very inspirational. It has actually helped me in the past when I have tried to make my drawings more symmetrical and proportional. That is one of the reasons I found this week’s chapter and podcast so intriguing. The very same reasons I chose to use Greek figures as a template for my own drawings is the exact same reason Greek art is so popular. This is because Greek art is made to be proportional and mathematically just in terms of the human body. It is the ideal form for a human body.

One of the things that always bothered me about Egyptian art was how unrealistic it looked. I never really found the Egyptian art style appealing, at least in comparison to Greek art. However, I can’t help but be fascinated at how Egyptian art was one of the earliest influences on Greek art. I had actually never known that Greek art started with basic Egyptian forms. In fact, there suddenly seem to be many connections between the Greeks and Egyptians that I am only now making. The sheer scale and brilliancy of the sculptures or monuments they both constructed seem so similar yet so unique from each other. The importance both civilizations place on art really makes them shine to me. But there is again, that one big difference that makes me favor Greek art and that is the realism of their art.

I just absolutely love the detail and precision the artists were able to implement with their human creations. It also intrigues me that the theme of beauty is suddenly reborn with the Greeks. A couple chapters ago, I mentioned the possible beauty that was sought after in the many Venus sculptures made long ago. One idea I had, was that the ideal beauty standard was actually sort of flipped when we think of beauty now. Being heavier signified a different, attractive quality in opposed to being thin and fit which actually had more of a negative quality. The idea was the being heavier and paler meant power and being thin and tan meant you were more of a poor person. I thought it was an interesting concept and it almost comes back in this chapter.

That idea sort of seems to be the opposite of what the Greeks celebrated when it came to the body. The Venus of Willendorf for instance, seemed to celebrate fertility and motherhood or maybe even some idea of beauty. A form of beauty that highlighted a very unproportional, voluptuous body shape. For the Greeks, however, that idea seems quite a bit different. The ideal body is not one that is overly exaggerated or unproportional. The podcast, “The Ancient Origins of Modern Beauty” specifically mentions how most are drawn to a symmetrical, proportional body because it is simply attractive to look at. Many people strive for perfection and seeing a statue of such rare, perfect proportion is going to be a marvel to look upon, therefore more attractive. The growth that Greek art made in terms of understanding and almost exploiting the human body and emotions is simply incredible. It is one of those things that makes me admire the Greek civilization more and more.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Ezra, You have a very interesting way of putting things. I agree with you on quite a few of your points. Like I agree with you on Egyptian art, I'm not a huge fan either it is just something I don’t find interesting. It also seems quite interesting What you said about the Venus of Willendorf, It doesn’t seem like It would be a greek artwork because Greeks do seem to lean more towards symmetry over exaggeration. I noticed that in the podcast as well when they mentioned the greeks focus more on symmetry in their artwork, and you can really see that in the paintings and architecture they created

[thejosephshea-blog]

Ancient Greece

This is one of my most favorite time periods. I love learning about Greek and Roman culture and life around that time. One big part about ancient Greece is the artwork. The artwork was huge around the time period especially sculpture and pottery. This is around the time of one of my personal favorite parts of sculpting, making the stone look soft. The way these sculptures are able to make the clothes look transparent and make the skin look as soft as a pillow. I find it really satisfying.

Now the greeks really based a lot of their artworks off of mythology and gods. There are stories, artworks, and monuments all built around this. Which is why I feel, in history class, we focus on them a lot. Because we know a lot about them. Also, so many other cultures were built of greek, like in the book the comparisons of the Greek gods and Roman gods. They were never completely destroyed or wiped from existence, so we still have writings and stories from these times that we are able to study. Unlike the Egyptians we learned about others who had almost their own language erased beside the Rosetta stone, we know the Greek language and it is still used to this day.

Another big part of Greek art is also architecture. You go to almost any downtown courthouse or just look around in Washington D.C. You will see the marble flooring and the big pillars, these are a huge part of Greek architecture. We still use these today in modern architecture usually to signify a very important or famous building. However, there are types of styles they may be confused with roman styles like domes. the Romans were tremendous builders, engineers, and architects, in their own right as well, but they most defiantly got a lot of their ideas and strengths from the greeks.

I feel as though Geeks have a very original and “curtain” art style. Like when you look at the pottery you see the Greeks painted them with very bland colors like brown yellow and black. I feel this is a very strong style in greek because that is where we get a lot of these stories from, these stories that we read to learn about their culture.

One of my favorite parts of Greek history also, theater. I am a huge theater and film buff so this is where it all started. You had Sophocles and Euripides writing these great comedies and dramas. They would have been a lot different than now, you wouldn't have a backstage or anything like that, however, you would still have some similar stuff. Like you still have actors writers and directors.

I learned quite a bit from this section, a lot about the art of ancient Greece. Ancient Greece may be my most favorite eras of the art of all time. The realism of the sculptures, the symmetry of the pottery and the architecture of Greek history. It amazes me with how little technology they had. They were able to create these giant structures and realistic sculpture with their bare hands.

[esolheim-blog]

Week 6 - Chapter 5

If there is one thing that really stuck out to me when reading about the Egyptians in Chapter 5, it was their power. Not just their power, but also how their massive sculptures and delicately designed crafts intensified that power to a very high degree. I mentioned in week 4, how I admired the Assyrians and how their artwork tried to imply that they were very ruthless and strong as a civilization. They used their art and structures to intimidate their enemies and establish a very dominant atmosphere. The cool part for me is how this trend transfers perfectly to the Egyptians.

This civilization was incredibly powerful and advanced. This fact is very much shown in the detail and enormity of their artwork. Not to mention the massive temples and pyramids they also found the time to construct. The pyramids alone still absolutely boggle anyone who tries to come up with an idea about how they came to be. Was it aliens? Was it a very tedious but slightly more logical technique using the power of water? Who knows?!

I guess what I find really intriguing about the Egyptians was how important art was to them. Yes, they used it very effectively for intimidation and religion, but they also seem to understand that art is what will make them last. The different pharaohs and leaders of this area are very aware of how to make themselves known through the ages. When Thutmose III finally gained power, one of the big things he did was destroy much of the statues and images left of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut, like most other pharaohs, made sure there were plenty of statues and temples left to preserve her memory. However, she chose to be a much more diplomatic ruler while Thutmose III wanted to be an aggressive, conquering type of ruler. So one of the ways he decided to destroy the past way of life, was to literally destroy what was keeping the past way of life in tact, Hatshepsut’s art. The great things she was known for and captured in memory through art, were the things Thutmose felt he should destroy first in order to fully realize his new way of ruling.

I believe that these early people were very aware of the impact art can have on not just the present but also the future. They knew art could be a sharp tool in keeping a way of life from ceasing to exist. Heavily preserved mummies and gold covered coffins only strengthen that thought of memory. I strongly believe the Egyptians understood how to exploit art in multiple fashions. They were very good at using it to make great monuments and statues capable of striking awe into any eye that gazed upon their creations. At the same time, they knew that in order to “stay alive” forever, meant that they had to preserve their art. At that time, art is what captured their way of life. Art was one of their strongest forms of staying alive. Art gave them power in a way that would only serve as an example to other civilizations who would also use their art just as effectively later in the future.

[thejosephshea-blog]

I totally agree with your ideas. The absolute power of the Egyptians was crazy. They had such a huge empire and it wasn’t completely defenseless either it was very strong. And also the art aspect of the Egyptians. They most definitely used art as a way of telling a story. In their case, the art was telling the story of their pharaohs and their gods. It's very interesting when you look into it because their art is so complicated you can really get almost every detail out of it. However I also see that their art is very simplistic too, the people are not drawn very complex but fairly simple.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Egyptian Art

Egyptians are without a doubt the most looked up too in the fact of art. Romans and greeks only beating them by a small margin. However, even then there is a strong possibility that Romans and Greeks got even some of their ideas from the Egyptians. I feel as though the reason that Egyptians art is looked at so much in western culture is that we gain a lot of our knowledge from them, mainly being the architecture, I feel. Obviously, I am talking about the pyramids. While the Egyptians didn’t invent the pyramids or were the only ones to create them, I feel as though the absolute size and complexity of them made architects look at them. You can see we use them today infamous modern buildings such as the Musee du Louvre. I feel as though the pyramids have a sort of simplicity to them, and I think that's why we research the Egyptian pyramids.

Of course, there is more than just the pyramids in Egyptian culture and art. One thing I found interesting the number of little meanings they put in the sculptures and drawings. Such as the pharaoh and the queen sculpture on page 58 image 5.10. They added lots of little meanings in them such as the difference of the man standing at attention and queen holding him, or the fact that he has a more polygonal crown and she has a more rounded crown, or finally that he is taller and she is shorter showing that the queen did not sit as high as the pharaoh.

There is also the history and culture you can tell just by how 2 different are sculpted. For example, if you look at the pharaoh he has very chiseled features a flat stomach and not a lot of emotion. However, if you look at the scribe sculptor on page 58 as well you will see that it is very different. The scribe does not need to look particularly good the stomach has a pot belly and the arms are flabby, you can also see that the scribe has quite a bit more emotion than the king does. This kind of shows that showing emotion as a kind was not normal and even possibly looked down upon.

One thing that amazing me and I are sure a lot of people as well as, “how they make this stuff?’ Well for one we are not really sure. Aliens, Maybe; hard work, possibly; something we have not thought about, more than likely. See most people just think of the pyramids when they think of this. However, there is a lot more you may have to think about. For example, in the New Kingdom, You had the temples built right into the side of the cliffs. Or how well those giant statues of the Pharaoh that have a lot of human likenesses, or the monoliths. It is pretty fantastic if you think about it because more than likely they had to carve and make all of that temple with bare hands and a few tools. But I feel as though the pyramids are the only ones that get any love.

[esolheim-blog]

Week 4 - Chapter 4

I find it very interesting thinking about how Ancient Eastern Groups of people first started building civilizations. This actually takes me back to when I learned about the Mesopotamians during my Sophomore year of high school. I guess what interested and still interests me the most about these civilizations, is how art, religion, architecture, and writing all influence each civilization. Almost each civilization had something significant over the other that truly made them stand out. 

For instance, whenever I think of the Babylonians, I always remember their system regarding laws and justice. This system is of course The Law Code of Hammurabi. With Hammurabi’s law code came the idea of right and wrong. Obviously, right and wrong has always been a theme in every era but now there was a legitimate code that had to be followed. It not only cemented that idea of right and wrong to protect each citizen, but it also definitively split the upper and lower classes by incorporating different punishments for each class. 

Another element of these early civilizations that I like to ponder on is the way art/architecture and religion influence each other.  For the most part, each civilization has a different religion as well as gods/goddesses. It is true that some religions or gods/goddesses resemble others from different civilizations, but what I like to observe is what differentiates each civilization. Again, I like to see what makes a civilization unique. Although it represents more of a symbol than a religion, I find the Lamassu of the Assyrian civilization quite interesting. The reason this sticks out to me is because it gives the Assyrians personality. It shows that the Assyrians put priority in establishing the king as a force to be reckoned with. It adds a feeling of dominance and power which is also reflected in some of their records which depict terror caused by the wrath of Assyrian kings. These records mention how they would make pillars out of the heads or layer the city walls with the skin of their victims and it is this that gives the Assyrians that atmosphere of cruelty. This is also resembled in some of their carved tablets. One of the most occurring animals is the lion and even more noticeable is that the lion is always portrayed as the enemy about to be conquered. It implies that no matter the might of the opposing force, the Assyrians will always dominate them with equal might and uncanny military skill.

The last little bit that I would like to mention is the importance of writing. This is the practice that truly made these civilizations memorable. Without records, it would be much harder trying to understand each civilization. Most of the facts we know today could have been no more than guesses if it wasn’t for their writing system. Just look at the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna. She was strongly depicted in many works of art but even more strongly depicted in hymns that described what made her so special. Without those hymns, more guesswork would have to be used. The vases, for instance, show she is of high importance. A lot of the vegetation and animals around her suggest that she may be a symbol of rebirth or fertility but it is still uncertain. For all anybody knows, she could have been a female ruler that put priority on protecting vegetation and certain wildlife. Things like this need that extra bit of clarification to help each civilization stand out from the others. Writing, art, and architecture are all key in understanding these ancient civilizations.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Ezra, I find it funny we both thought back to our sophomore year, I guess it helps that this was a huge section we talked about. I remember talking about The Epic of Gilgamesh, and at the time I didn't even think it was art until now. I also agree with what you said that each civilization has its own personality. Each artwork and building these people built makes them that more unique. Each of these civilizations has their own gods/ goddesses so it may be a fact in what kind of art they have, and what type of architecture.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Chapter 4

I am not a religious person, I don't really believe in anything/ anyone as a matter of fact. However, I am not blind to the fact that religion (for the longest time ) is and has been a HUGE Part of Art. From Michelangelo with the sisten chapel to Artist and pottery makers in Mesopotamia.

Art isn’t just pottery and painting however there was another form of art that was created around this area, writing.  Cuniform is the earliest known system of writing and would make way to jumpstart Eqyptian to Greek to Latin to Germanic to English. Poems, books and everything like that is also art in someone's eyes, and with the invention of written word comes the first known “book”, the Epic of Gilgamesh. It told of a story of a man named Gilgamesh who is in search of immortality after the death of his friends.

One thing that amazed me about this chapter is the difference between each of the culters arts. Some of these “empires” and cities are less than 100 miles apart yet each of there art is unique. Like the Sumerians had excellent and very well made sculptures and figurines but the Hittites made some expert wall carvings. And even the Ziggurats too, their architecture was phenomenal and we even use some of their ideas today in architecture.

These few empires were the start of something amazing. They would boost humanity in a direction of art that we may not have seen otherwise. Because if you look at a few of these artworks like the Ziggurats architecture they have a lot more meaning than what meets the eye and thankfully because the writing was also invented around this time we know the reasoning behind a few of these art pieces.

And like I said earlier no matter what you believe in religiously, you have to realize that most of these artworks were built for a specific reason, religion. And you just have to admire what these people did to try to praise and offer to whom they believed in. And these “traditions” of creating for gods or goddesses were handed down from all the way from BC and older to even now in the present day.

I feel as though, and I'm sure a lot of people feel this way, that there is a connection between religion and art. It's a huge connection, no matter what you believe in there is a connection. I feel it is because of two things, one like I said before offering, we feel good when we create something, we like what we create so who is someone we give things we like to. The highest person most people may believe in god, so we send these offerings to god in hopes that he may enjoy them too. Another reason for a connection is so that we have a way to perceive God. For a lot of religions, a god or goddess is this higher being nothing like a human or anything we have on earth. So we create pictures of these religious figures get a picture in our head of who they are and what they look like. We also create pictures of events like the creation of man. Were we there when it happened, no, but a painting helps us have an idea of what it possibly would have been like.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Week 3

Stonehenge is a collection of monoliths in a circle in the southern UK. the monoliths have been dated back to almost 3000BC, This makes it difficult to actually know the reason for building this. There are many theories from the most common such has it is a place of worship to outrageous theories like aliens. I believe it is a place of worship as I first stated or possibly a place of healing.

One reason I believe it may be a healing place is because of the findings around the stones. A lot of the skeletons buried under or near Stonehenge show signs of illness or injury. I feel as tho these sick and injured were taken here to be healed. There is also signs of purposeful chipping away at the rock. They believe people would come here to get a piece of stone to use as a possible healing talisman.

However, There is also a theory opposite of a healing place. Some believe that Stonehenge is a great burial area. This is because of the number of skeletons found around it. Some think that this is where ceremonies and “funerals” were held to bury the dead or even perform sacrifices.

Another theory is that it is a Place of worship this kind of goes hand in hand with the place of healing because long ago churches were used as a healing place for the sick and injured. People believe this because there is an altar in the middle of the henge. Or what people believe is an altar.

I like to believe in the first idea (Healing place) and the 3rd idea (Place of worship). Mostly because these are the most “realistic” options in my opinion.  In a way I believe it could be both a worship and healing place if they were used for the same thing. It could just be a divine place of worship for early people to come and pray or to heal there wounds and illnesses. But maybe we are all wrong and it was built by aliens and we are just a small part in a much bigger picture.

[esolheim-blog]

Chapter 2 + The Pleasure and Meaning of Making

I believe art serves many purposes beyond the world of crafts, sculptures, or pictures. Sure, art is often connected with fancy paintings and drawings and I personally find great interest in analyzing an art piece’s values, textures, subject matter, and content. But I believe there is much more to art than a visual pleasure. I feel that art’s most important purpose is its impact on human, social, and environmental health. Whether, you are molding an abstract object out of clay or performing a play in front of an audience, art is present and necessary. It has value that many people do not realize or understand. No matter how you look at art, it has a purpose that can be beneficial. One thing that bothers me about other peoples view on art, is that is is strictly limited to a picture. Art is something that is achieved. The process of creating, completing, and celebrating is what I consider to be art. Ellen Dissanayake is the writer of the article, The Pleasure and Meaning of Making. In her article, Dissanayake makes a point that I feel is very important for every person to know. She states that what makes us human is our ability to make. It is something that drives people to extradorinaiy discoveries and achievements. Creating something that could be considered “art” is a norm that people have and should practice. I was recently in a play that left me feeling stronger and more confident than ever because I created art. I was given the lead role which sent me on a journey of discovery. Everyday, I worked harder and harder on creating my vision of the character until I was able to present my character to an audience. It was a success and the whole experience provided me with a sense of accomplishment and maturity. I created art. There is a lot to discover about art and I believe everyone will have their own journeys and discoveries, sometimes without even knowing it.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Ezra, I totally agree with you when you say analyzing a piece is very interesting. It really is, I find it interesting what kind of meanings you can find in a piece of art. And about your “I believe there is much more to art than a visual pleasure.” This is exactly what I believe. Are can be used for more than just visual it should trigger all kinds of senses, and not only that but emotional feelings too. Overall I agree with most of your article and a lot of it I covered in my own. I believe we both have a similar understanding of what art truly is.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Week Two: Chapter 2 + The Pleasure and Meaning of Making

I think I’d like to mostly agree with Dissanayaka however, I do think some of her points are more correlation rather than causation. With her arguments about the history of art and why it connects to humans, I like to think that humans are a very connectivity based species. A lot of how we live is based on our connections, like if you look at some of the most successful tribes of early humans, they stayed alive by staying connected. So I feel like special tools and weapons and belongings people would decorate them to make them more appealing, And I feel that when they did this it made them feel more connected with the thing. You could say the same thing about pieces relating to religion, it made people feel more connected with god/gods.

I like what she said about “Makings is not only pleasurable but meaningful,” because think about it, when you make friends, food, children, objects, you feel good about it it feels good to create, so why is art any different why shouldn’t you feel good about making something creative or something unique that you like. This is a real biological standpoint on art, you do things that make you feel good, and our biology hasn’t changed all that much since the early humans, so it can be expected that they felt this too when they created art.

I think the biggest connection I personally can connect between chapter two in the book and Dissanayake's article. Is color, and it’s not so much in Dissanayake's article but ancient art. I feel when you look at old art even just the cave paintings, you see red as an angry color and aggressive evil color, fire is almost always associated with demons and devils, fire or dark. But when you look at ancient gods and healers, they were associated with the sky, calm blue, and white. So I feel that meaning and purposes in colors are not a new thing in art, and I feel it was always there.

One thing I do disagree on is that all art has some big meaning on it. I could be misinterpreting Dissanayake a bit here, But I feel as though she is trying to say that all art has some big meaning behind it, when I feel as though a lot of it is just what it means. I feel as though ancient Greek paintings didn’t have a special meaning behind it like a lot of art pieces now have. I feel as though they are just trying to tell a story. It doesn’t show that “the artist had emotions he could keep inside anymore,” or anything like that they just made a painting depicting what a certain battle or story was like. It goes back to that pleasure of creating, a lot of people may create because it feels good, not because it means anything.

Art has been a huge part of my life. I use it as an escape, I use it as the silver lining in our society. Music and movies are probably the two biggest media forms of art. I listen to music non stop I watch and analyze movies all the time. I feel like I’m not alone in this either I feel as though a lot of people use arts are a way to feel enjoyments. So when I create a song or create a “bond” or connection with a movie, I feel good. I made something and It feels good to do that. I can see where Dissanayake is coming from when she says there is pleasure in creating. I feel like a lot of people can relate to that.

[esolheim-blog]

Favorite Art Piece

This is my favorite work of art. The reason I love this piece so much is because of its use of very choppy shapes and vibrant colors. I also really like the character in the image and I believe the shapes and colors utilized just adds to the quality of the piece so much more.

[thejosephshea-blog]

Favorite art

My two Favorite Art pieces may have to be The Underwave off Kanagawa by Hokusai for the fact that most artists portray water as a smooth flowing thing but in this piece, it really staggered and rough and I like the pale colors of it as well. The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt mostly just because of the faces, I love the reactions of all the guys in the picture.