Module 15

1) My expectations for this course were to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for art, to learn about the creative process, and sources of inspiration. I believe that this course did a good job introducing me to these concepts and set a foundation of knowledge.

2) I think what I said in my initial posting still stands true for how I would define art. I've learned that art is hard to define as it comes in many forms and is open to various interpretations. I still believe that it is a form of expression.

3) My favorite artist in my initial posting was Andy Warhol. As of right now, he is still my favorite artist. I think this is due to the fact that I was able to spend a lot of time seeing his art and learning about him on my own accord which makes a deeper connection. However, I do really like the work of Charles Burchfield who I was unfamiliar with prior to this course.

4) I still love online courses just as I did prior to taking this class. I think online education is the future. It is easily accessible and inclusive of students who have other priorities in life to be able to complete coursework on their own time. 

Module 14

Self Portrait/Virtual Art Gallery Visit

Self-portraits selected from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston:

1) Self-portrait (muscle shirt), from the series Every Breath We Drew
Jess T. Dugan
2013
Photograph, inkjet print
61 x 47.9 cm

2) Self Portrait
Ellen Day Hale
1885
Oil on canvas
72.39 x 99.06 cm

3) Fantastic Inkwell (Self-Portrait as a Sphinx)
Sarah Bernhardt
1880
Bronze
31.8 x 34.9 x 31.8 cm

Image of myself:

Self-Portrait I created:

Reflection Journal Questions:
1) I selected the inspiration pieces for various reasons. For the first piece, as shown above, I liked the stance of the subject and how the body language parallels that of the image of myself. For the second piece, I enjoyed the gaze of the subject and how your eyes are drawn immediately to the face and eyes as in the image of myself. For the third piece, I thought the concept of creating a self-portrait in the form of sphinx was really interesting and creative and inspired the idea behind my self-portrait.
2) For my self-portrait, I used multimedia, Sharpie on wax paper superimposed on a print. I chose this media because I thought it represented duality with the outline of my face still visible but the creepy zombie still lurking beneath and also clearly visible through the wax paper. 
3) The challenge I faced in creating the self-portrait was finding a viable light source that could be placed underneath the photo which I used to trace onto the wax paper. I was ultimately able to rig a clear bin with my phone light underneath to create enough light to be able to trace the photo.
4) I think the piece represents how my outside appearance is often deceiving. Despite being able to capture an attractive picture of myself, at the time I felt very stressed and ugly on the inside. This also works the other way in that sometimes when I'm feeling great mentally my physical self doesn't line up. It is a constant and forever-frustrating dilemma. 
5) The main elements used in this piece are line and shape which I used to create the outline of myself. There is also the element of color from the image of the creature underneath the wax paper.
6) I enjoyed creating the self-portrait because it was a chance to be creative even though I don't consider myself an artist by any means.
7) I like the concept of my artwork much more than I actually enjoy the final product. I think with better tools and a better way to capture the final product, the outcome would have been much better.

Module 13: Project #4 Journal Reflection

I liked creating this project because it was nice to be able to find pieces that jumped out at me and that I was interested in learning more about. I wanted to see the similarities/differences in how women have been represented in art throughout various cultures, time periods, and art styles. Female beauty is a subject that I feel has been prevalent and widespread throughout art and therefore gave me a lot to work with. 

Module 13

Video Review:

1) Key Concepts
An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Monographic gallery: all works installed by a single artist
• Philippe de Montebello was the longest-serving director of The Met, for over 31 years
• It is the job of the curator to capture the audience's attention
• The flow of the gallery is an important component that is considered by the curator
• There are approximately 2 million works of art in the museum's collection
• Montebello guided the acquisition of around 84,000 works of art

LIVE Q&A with MoMA Curator Anne Umland (April 24)

• MoMA was founded in 1929 and was meant to highlight the value of modern art 
• Modern art is often debated by experts
• Curators should remain open-minded and be a "perfectionist"
• The curator and exhibition designer must work together

The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art

• "Lowbrow" is used to describe art that nobody knows how to categorize
• Atomic/Space Age: post-World War II period, the late 40s through mid-60s, heavily influenced by the American consumer culture
• It is the job of the artist to create and let someone else analyze
• Lowbrow features pop culture references which are relatable to the general population
• Robert Williams coined the term "lowbrow"
• Lowbrow is often looked down upon or not taken seriously among the art community

2) The films heavily relate to the art curation project at hand. The films discuss the process, expectations, and role of an art curator. The films highlight how important presentation and aesthetic is to a curator. The films also show just how difficult the curation process can be because not everyone views art the same. However, it is the job of the curator to be knowledgeable and able to adequately discuss the art.

3) I liked these videos because I think it was interesting to see a different role in the art community, other than an artist. It is easy to assume that artists create art and museums just put it on display but there is a lot of hard work that goes into what happens behind the scenes.

Module 12

1) Key Concepts-

Jacob Lawrence:

• viewed as one of America's most respected artists
• many art centers throughout the country designed to alleviate difficulties faced during the Great Depression
• individuals could receive free instruction in the field of their choice (music, dance, theater, painting)
• Harlem Renaissance: new attitudes, culture continued to grow
• positive effect on communities which led to increased contributions by the people
• Lawrence advocates for young people's exposure to what they like to do
• importance of black experience = American experience = human experience

Faith Ringgold: Artist & Activist:

• Ringgold born in Harlem during the Great Depression
• invented a new art form: story quilts
• a leader in the movement to open museums to works by artists of color, specifically women

Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey

• Bearden is an African-American artist best known for collage work
• used The Odyssey as a metaphor for the experience of African-Americans
• Bearden stated that he used his work to take the elements of Afro-American life in the U.S. as he sees it and place it in a universal framework
• rendered a new depiction of the "modern woman" as an intellectual, strategist, one whom fights for her family
•  Bearden insisted that art comes from other art

Fauvism - Overview - Goodbye-Art Academy:

• fauvism: French avant-garde art movement, gained recognition at the start of the 20th century
• artists used vivid colors, radical, bold brushstrokes 
• kept the drawing simple but exaggerated colors and included fewer details
• Matisse and Derain established fauvism, broke away from traditional impressionist methods

Amadeo Modigliani: 6 Minute Art History Video:

• Modigliani was an Italian-Jewish expressionist, modern artist born in Tuscany in 1884
• focused on making abstract art that had an emotional quality
• preferred to paint indoors and focused on portraits and nudes, rather than landscapes
• fascination with expressionist/abstract approaches to art as well as non-western art (African masks)

The best moments from Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda, July 2019:

• modern fashion drawing on ancient Greek culture as inspiration

'On Creativity' interview with fashion icon Norma Kamali:

• fashion has a short life
• Kamali's work influenced by pop culture
• fashion, health, beauty are all intertwined

2)In the videos, we learn about some of the artists that were influential in the movements of art as we've come to know them.

3)I really liked a lot of the films, especially the ones that contained information on the Harlem Renaissance. I also liked the tragic story of Amadeo Modigliani. It seems to be a recurring theme in art that the artists who end up being the most influential are controversial and unappreciated during their lifetimes. 

Module 11: Gallery Visit #2

Art Gallery Visit #2

Step #1
1) MoMA The Museum of Modern Art
2) https://www.moma.org/?ref=googleartproject
3) I selected this museum because I've visited it in New York when I was young and thought it would be interesting to take another tour, virtually this time.

Step #2
1) There are light fixtures on the ceiling that are pointed at the pieces creating a glowy, illuminated effect on the art.
2) The walls are muted tones of white and grey.
3) There are accent walls throughout the museum which the artwork is mounted on as well as glass cases which look to be about hip-height also containing various pieces.
4) It appears that you can walk through the museum to the open rooms containing the art.

Step #3
1) The artworks are organized by the exhibit.
2) As the name of the museum indicates, it appears that the art is similar in that it is modern and contemporary.
3) The collection of the pieces vary greatly in content, medium, and style.
4) There are various kinds of frames, some of which appear to be wood and of different colors. There are also some pieces which are not framed.
5) The artworks have white labels that are mounted on the wall with them.
6) The artworks have varying distances between them with some being very close, almost touching, and others being far apart.

Step #4
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/173340?sov_referrer=theme&theme_id=5162&effective_date=2020-04-19

Laura Owens
Untitled
Acrylic, Flashe, and oil stick on canvas
2013
137 3/8 x 119 7/8"

I see what looks to be a newspaper with abstract flowers made from paint strokes on top of it. The flowers appear to have shadows making it look as if they are floating over the newspaper. Owens uses line, shape, color, and texture. I think Owens is using the colorful flowers to create art on the newspaper which we may not normally see as beautiful.

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/284832?classifications=any&date_begin=Pre-1850&date_end=2020&locale=en&on_view=1&page=1&q=&with_images=1

Aida MulunehMorning BridePigmented inkjet print201631 1/2 × 31 1/2"
This piece is a woman with blue skin dressed in white with a veil. She is positioned against a red patterned background. The piece uses space, contrast, and pattern. I think the artist is trying to emphasize the regal essence of the subject. 

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/199052?classifications=any&date_begin=Pre-1850&date_end=2020&locale=en&on_view=1&page=1&q=&with_images=1

Michaela Eichwalk
Duns Scotus
Acrylic, oil, wax, and lacquer on artificial leather
2015
53 1/2 × 106 1/4"

This piece is composed of abstract shapes that look like they are made from different mediums and some look similar to ink blots on a yellow background. This piece uses color, shapes, and texture. I'm not sure what the artist was trying to convey with this piece other than creating art for the sake of art.

What did you think of "visiting" the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?
I don't prefer a virtual visit to the museum. I would much rather be physically present to be able to see the artwork in person and take in all of the details which don't translate in the same way over a computer screen. I think being able to see the physical space, architecture, theme, etc would have helped me to understand the museum as a whole. 

Module 11

Video Reviews: Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the '50s and '60s & Dada and Surrealism

1) I chose these films because the titles seemed like topics I'd be interested in learning about. I'm hoping to hear about Andy Warhol and Marcel Dumchamp in the videos. 

2) Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the '50s and '60s Key Concepts:

• Abstract act is meant to be thought about and felt rather than simply looked at.
• Franz Kline, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Motherwell were among a group known as action painters who were abstract expressionists in America in the late '40s and '50s.
• Actions made in the process of painting were as important as the final result.
• In abstract painting, the question of where to stop becomes important. 
• Jackson Pollock created a record of the movements and gestures used in the process of making his paintings. 
• In Helen Frankenthaler's later work, there are allusions to biblical, especially Old Testament, themes.
• Painters, printmakers, and sculptors started to use popular imagery, juggling our notions of representation and abstraction.

Dada and Surrealism Key Concepts:

• Schwitters asserted that works of art had lives of their own.
• Schwitters removes the objects he uses from the roles with which we associate them, and by giving them new roles reveal their secret identities.
• Schwitters has been called the most materialistic artist of his generation.
• For the Berlin Dadaists, as for the Italian futurists, it was important that the world of art should be combined with the world of technology.
• Before and during the first World War some artists had rebelled against symbols of the past, claiming that cars and airplanes were more beautiful than statues.

3) The videos expand on the different eras of art that have evolved over time and give a more in-depth view with examples of the artists who pioneered these movements.

4) I enjoyed the films because I like to hear more about the artists that founded and led these movements in art. It helps to understand the different styles.