My last Art 100 class posting

I may continue, but for now, this is my last posting for this class.
I can say without doubt that I enjoyed this classes text and in class lectures.
I enjoyed almost every single artist presentation, with just one or two exceptions.
I am grateful to Glenn for putting his students interests first, taking heat with the establishment to try and open minds and hearts and allow for free expression and unity. I will truly miss Glenn's movie clips, fresh ideals and ideas, and his suggestions, rather than strong opinions that condemn.

I loved the inspiration here that led me to finding art and doing art.

What is art? For me, it is anything that challenges and introduces a new way of looking at the world and at myself. Whether it is balanced, beautiful, ugly or varied...it is all good and worthy of taking at least one look, one minute of my time.
Art makes me wonder what will be around the next corner, and that makes life more worthwhile and exciting.

Thanks Glenn and my fellow, soon-to-be ex-classmates, for your hard work and effort.

Timeline Project

This may sound and look lame, but I could not think of any type of original timeline project, so I took a walk to think about it. As I was walking, I noticed a tree that was definitely growing up crooked. My image of a tree has always been straight up and down, but as I walked further, one tree after another in a one block radius were growing up crooked, or at least one stump of two was growing up crooked while the other was straight. Anyway, I took the following photos in one walk composed of maybe 15 minutes, or approx. a picture per minute.

Museum Project

I visited the Long Beach Museum of Art this past Saturday, and I did not expect to see the entire museum full of video installations. Unfortunately, I only had my camera phone video which really doesn't do all that well with video, so I can not show you the amazing things that I experienced. I sat in dark rooms and walked past walls full of video screens and enjoyed some very bizarre stuff, but some moving stuff as well. The one that most got to me was a 25 min. video (probably the longest one currently being exhibited) in a small dark room entitled "Kiyoke's Situation". Kiyoke is shown to be struggling with wanting to be an artist and dealing with the voices and faces in her mind of her overly conservative parents who are so steeped in their old fashioned culture and opinions of what 'should' Kiyoke be doing as a traditional Japanese wife and mother, and how she should live her life. A lot of emotional abuse from both parents and husband and how critical they all are of her. She is shown trying to speak her mind and just getting more and more depressed and going crazy until at the end, the viewer see's a bottle explode, and Kiyoke taking her own life. It is a very emotional video, and not for minors. Like all art, video is a very powerful art form when used in creative ways, and out of all that I had seen at the museum, Kiyoke's Situation, 1989, is by far the most moving one there. The whole museum and everything now there can be seen in one to one half hour. It was a beautiful day, and it really is a great location to take in some art and see the ocean and all the activity that goes on there on the weekend. I highly recommend you take your student I.D. and for six dollars, enjoy the scenery. Thursday nights are free.

Tues 11/29/2011 Lecture on Pattern and Variation

Pattern, Pattern, Variation, Pattern,…

I suppose this in class look at our preferences at life, music, classes, friendships and partnerships helps us students think about what we like in art as well. I think variety is the spice of life, and although I prefer pattern over variation, I would choose differently after giving it more thought…I would probably choose variation more often with classes, now that I have experienced this class. Glenn keeps it varied and throws out a lot of different things to think about. My experiences have been very varied since starting this class, being exposed to different artists and types of art. I have seen a lot of art in galleries and plan to see a museum today. Life has a lot to offer, and I appreciate the open mindedness that evolves in Glenn’s classroom. I guess I would now want more variation in my classes than I previously thought, and I don’t think I will probably experience anything like Glenn again, unless I return to one of his classes. Thank you Glenn!

New Earth Art Project

"Seaing" (Bark, Leaves and Blue sheet).

"Seaing in Dim Light"

"Seaing in the dark"



This is my Earth Art. I was out in the windy and rainy weather recently, and found an area that had some bark, leaves and stems from the trees scattered on the ground. I saw these two pieces of bark and immediately thought of whales, or some kind of sea creature, but did not plan to do an aquarium scene until I got all the stuff in the house and sat down to check out all my treasures I found on the ground.
I started with just colored paper as a background once I did decide, but then remembered I had an old blue sheet that would enable me to go bigger.
Experimenting with the phone camera in different lighting, I came up with these three different but similar photo's of the artwork I named Seaing. I haven't thought of a better name, and don't plan to, since it was seeing a sea idea in the bits of nature that signifies the name. I really enjoyed playing around with the different ways of arranging the leaves and bark on the blue sheet, and then trying different views, angles and lighting until I arrived at this angle, and these three different light backgrounds. I think the lack of resolution with my camera is a doing a disservice to the natural colors of the leaves and bark, but that is what I did before dismantling the whole thing, and I want to move on now. I hope you can get the feeling of motion when you look at this, because that is part of what I hoped the viewer would see. The time it took was consuming, I don't do this stuff very fast at all, but I enjoyed the process, have no cares about what others think about it, and feel good about this first Earth Art I personally have ever done.

11/22/2011 Lecture

11/22/2011

In response to this weeks lecture on beauty vs. sublime, realism vs. romanticism, I would have to say I like Glenn’s last comments in regards to balance. Romantic art or other pleasures that offer hope and motivation to achieve more in life is very important. I think the romantic and beauty in life are critical to making it through the sublime, mundane and ordinary everyday life stuff…But the Sublime and ordinary practical things in life are also necessary…the real stuff keeps my head out of the clouds so I can see where I am going and keeps me from falling down. There is a reason the romantic people tend to marry the down to earth types and vice versa. It’s easy for poets like Keats to recite “Beauty is all you need” or the Beatles to sing “Love is all you need”, but the real world is not giving out a lot of jobs for being romantic. So I agree with the idea of balance of both realism and romantic.
I, like most of us have seen Beauty become ugly, and Ugly become Beauty, and not just in the movies. I have been blessed to see ugly redeem itself and transform many times over with people.

I think Beauty can be all things, moral and good and lead to higher things, and I think it can be negative and drop to lower levels. In art, I have seen no unbeautiful things, if done sincerely and with effort.
Even Goya’s Saturn is beautiful in its own way.

It’s raw beauty at least.

If an art work depicts something in life I don’t like, but still has attractive colors, and is organized and thoughtful, then I personally don’t call it ugly. If an art work is both unorganized, too bland and also is not thoughtful and unattractive to many, I believe the artist can still find the beauty within it from their own perspective. That is the beautiful thing about art: It is subjective at its core. The art I like is the art that artists MUST do, whether or not critics rant or rave (Banksy the graffiti artist presented by Courtney comes to mind). Whether or not, art is beautiful or romantic or ugly and sublime, makes no bit of difference to me as long as it makes me stop and think, smile, gasp or causes me to be inspired. Those are the qualities in art that keeps me searching both within and around me for more of the same.

Chapter 14. Last text chapter blog of Living with Art: 7th edition

I hated having to end my text blogs with this chapter, as it was one of my least favorites…The Egyptian stuff pretty much bores me to sleep…the flat paintings.…but knowing a little bit of history to go along with the art always adds some caffeine to the sleeping pill. I chose to compare and contrast these two first:

14.14 Fragment of tomb of Nabamun, Thebes c. 1450 B.C.E.

and

14.19 Toreador Fresco from Palace at Knossos c. 1500 B.C.E.

I like more, not less usually in my favorite artworks, and 14.14. has a lot to offer. I like the details and the color, as well as the variety. 14.19 has much less variety and not much in the way of details or color.
I still dig its simplicity and graceful curves of the bull and acrobat, the abstract quality of the simple drawings and the way the color is used. Just the way the bull dominates and choice of shape and size compared to its meaning and importance to the culture is kind of cool.
The painting from the tomb of Nabamun is extra cool in meaning and adds a lot of extra to get this guy to eternity off right. The artist took care and time to do the details of the fish, the birds and placement of hierarchy of items painted in to this. The color of the reeds and plants / flowers to the left is repetitiously artistic and the fragment like quality makes this even more awesome. Not my favorite, just my favorite painting in this chapter.

Here again is another type of wow! and huh?:
Huh? first:



14.28 Aphrodite of Melos (AKA Venus de Milo) c. 150 B.C.E.

14.29 Laocoon Group 1st Century C.E.

I get that Aphrodite / Venus is missing arms and mirror and just staring at self beauty, so I shouldn’t judge its blasé pose doing nothing but staring. I just get bored looking at it, even though I can appreciate all those details in the robe and hair and such…The hair should be long in my opinion, and the face sculpted more perfect like it has makeup on, not so plain. Nice Body, okay, and the clothing slipping down is sexy. But not to much to hold interest.
On the other hand, I like the action and tension in the Laocoon group. Maybe its cause I’m a guy. But the rippling muscles of dad and the scared look on the sons holds interest. Not to mention mad crushing snakes.
I don’t like violence and tragedy, but this is a more interesting statue and story, so it’s worth spending time and effort on for an artist and it’s viewer.

Chapter 16. Living with Art: 7th edition

I really enjoyed Chapter 16. I learned some things about linear perspective and landscape composition. I learned more about many famous artworks that I have seen in the past, but did not appreciate until learning more about them and their details. I know a few of the classmates do not like this reading and comparing and contrasting from the text, but I really enjoy it, and will continue reading all the chapters. In this chapter, there were many artworks I would have liked to spend time on, including Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert. However, I chose to compare and contrast the following:

16.1 Donatello St. Mark 1411

16.9 Michelangelo, David 1501

I appreciate the skill it must take to carve marble with such details. Both statues are life-like and I expect them to begin moving like those actors who paint themselves white like statues and stand really still in Las Vegas Malls and them move when least expected. I think that David is more realistic in the facial features and I like the stance with the extended and bent forward left foot. The muscles in the neck and abdomen are very natural, and the way the right hand claws and bends fingers is also done so well. I really wonder if different lighting would change the appearance much, especially the shadows on both sculptures. These artists certainly knew their anatomy and the similar stances with right shoulder down, right hip out and left arm and hand forward are all signs of the similar anatomy lessons they had. I think both have their excellence in different ways: Donatello for the way he sculpted the natural and detailed draping and folds of the robe, and Michelangelo for the muscle tone and details of the nude body. I can see why they are both in the text. David is my favorite for the intense expression in the face and direction of eyes.


16.16 Giorgione The Tempest c. 1505

16.17 Titian (Giorgione?) Fete Champetre, 1511

Similiaities are in the details and the darkened faces, and tree trunks, but there are differences too in the grass and ground and sky, so I would say that the differences probably mean it was Titian who did the Fete Champetre. Both are detailed, well balanced and thoughtful. I lke the tall thin plant in front of the nude and baby in The Tempest. The greater amount of contrast in The Tempest between light and dark, is more attracting. Both use linear perspective and place landscape centrally, but The Tempest has the landscape more dominant than the people of the two. I also like the movement in the trees with The Tempest.

Hume Lake Deer

Had to share another Hume Lake photo taken by friend who was with me. The deer in the area grazed often near our cabin room at the place we were staying. Sometimes it was a group of 14 and other times there were different groups of 10 to 12, mostly female. We were amazed at how close they came up to us as we sat nearby talking quietly. This photo was so cool because of the one who looked up centrally among others who did not. It was such a great experience. Magnified and bigger, this photo made for a great screen saver on my laptop.

Chapter 18 of Living with art, 7th edition.

I would have to begin with contrasting and comparing,

18.6 Page from Quar’an 1307:

18.7 Bahram Gur and the Princess in the Black Pavillion, Bukhara 1538:

I both works are beautiful in their use of shapes within shapes, and colors. I like the spade like shapes attached to the left side of the former, and the contrasting layered colors. Such amazing details in both artworks! The former has calligraphy writing that also has complementary details. I also like the organized balance that makes up the page, all margins nicely framing the framed artwork. The Princess piece is also appealing for the same artistic balance, colors and details, however, the organized shapes connect and flow from one to another, adding more to look at and admire. I especially like the figure watching from the above window behind the curtain, and I think the artist was very smart in that choice. Both artworks are staggering in their effort at detail and colors, and without even knowing the details; I would have bought these if the price was right and hung them on my living room wall.


Also of interest in this chapter, were the sculptures:
18.14 Seated Couple. Dogon

18.15 Gwandusu, Bamana, 13th to 15th Century.

To begin, 18.14 is fun to look at the exaggerated bodies of this couple. How the legs attaches, the belly buttons etc. I find the male touches of genitals an interesting cultural statement, and the best part is the arm around her shoulder. Both have so many similarities and the differences stand out more. I think it is the kind of sculpture that I would want to do…realism exaggerated.

18.15 also has the same similar sitting position, length exaggeration, but less so, and the simple facial features. The boobs are the focal point with the hat, all very pointy. But there is continuity so that the entire piece gets admired and the way the child is carved onto the mother I think stands out more that the boobs. I can’t say I would buy this, but I think I would have stopped and admired the details, including the arm band decoration, and appreciated the work that went into sculpting this artwork, especially because it was made in the 14th century approximately.

Chapter 19, 7th edition of Living with Art

In C. 19, my 7th edition, I liked 19.30, The Descent of Amida and the twenty five Bosatsu,

where a Buddha, Amida, and his attendants coming down from heaven to welcome a soul to paradise. It's a subject I like, heaven, and the details, color, angles of lines and viewing are all done well, and balanced. I like the landscaping and think the artist catches the glory and the mystery of Raigo, the subject of the artwork.

Also favored is The Burning of Sanjo Palace, 19.29, also of the Kamakura period, late 13th century.

This Handscroll also has many details, but I like the emotionally charged action and motion. War and violence are subjects I distaste, but I like this artwork for the flames to the right, the balance of heavy and light and overall well done drawing of the details in the horses.

The other two were: 19.28 A Solitary Temple amid Clearing Peaks, hanging scroll.

It's also mysterious, like Mordor in The Hobbit books. There is motion and direction in just the details of the bridge, village up through the cool branches of tree's, past the temple and then the eye just wants to travel up the mountain. The details are to be admired and it is a place one wishes to go on an adventure.
It also speaks patience and solitude, and the higher spiritual side of me connects to Li Chengs masterpiece.

Similar in some ways is 19.23 Qui Ying, Golden Valley Garden.

Also a hanging scroll, on silk, it has a movement and direction from lower to higher, both in viewing and emotion. Apart from the other one, there is a garden of different people, who stand out in white, amidst the darker colors of folliage, and is a likeable contrast...but alike in that there is help for the eyes moving upward through the piece. Just as the group higher up feels like we are getting away from busyness and commotion to peacefulness, so the progression from nature to people to nature again with the trees taking us up to the mountains. Unlike the previous work, this one combines nature and people to stimulate emotion and identifying with it's human subjects, and how great a place this would be to commune. The details are again quite plentiful and agreeable to look at. Balanced and unique.

Hume Lake

Just sharing a couple of photos from recent trip north to Hume lake which is near the tall sequoias. It was amazing weather, and I took a walk next to the lake. I came across this bench and sat down, and was just mesmerized at the view. I don't know how long I sat there, but it took some friends to happen by to break the spell of this lake view.

I think I was trying to catch a photo of a squirrel, but instead, my camera phone took this, and I liked it enough to share. If I were going to name this, I would name it, "A child's sun" because it reminds me of how kids usually draw it.

week 12 TERMINAL 5 lecture

November 1st: Terminal 5.

Objectively, I think this documentary is highlighting a good idea that might have turned a little sour by unseen variables, but should be seen in some positive light.

Positive for the world of architecture and art in general. We the viewer received some interesting insight into an iconic personality and architect, and some lessons learned i.e.: If your planning a big event like this, get all funding in advance, and don't be the only curator in charge! The idea was inspiring to a lot of artists, well known and new on the scene, and had some big businesses salivating as well. I think the long term benefits to artists etc. made it a worthwhile adventure, and I do applaud the courage of Rachel Ward. The think I loved about this documentary was to witness other artists get inspired and working, achieving their goal and I am glad it got on tape.

Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Living with Art: 7th edition
Comparing and contrasting:
20.1 Lipundja. Djalambu. 1964

20.5 Rukupo, Meeting House, New Zealand 1842-43.

What I want to say about what is similar, which isn’t going to be much, is that these two are objects of both function and worship. I like how art started with being a part of the culture and it’s objects of common need.
Of course, the difference is one housed the living, and one housed the dead. The styles of art is different, yet it seems fitting to compare these two entries in chapter 20. I like the drawings on the coffin and the story of nature it signifies. Also cool is the fact that students like me get to see crosshatching ancient style…

Also of interest to me was 20.14 Machu Picchu, Peru, Inca. 15th - 16th century.

And 20.19 Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde, Colo. C 1200 C.E.

I think both places of housing are amazing considering the lack of tools and the precarious terrain. I think the Cliff Palace is where I would want to live, and I think it to be more asthetically pleasing to the eye. Machu though has the boulder thing going for it, and that the meaning of living and the artistical sculpting is as appealing as the functionality they contribute (i.e. a staircase). I love the art connected to living spaces, and it reveals how important art is to people of old, and why it is as important for people of today. Why then is youth education doing away with art classes? The history and the hands on should be taught and practiced.

week 11 Lecture on visual culture / visual literacy

It was hard for me to relate with the character in The Reader who is so ashamed of being illiterate, that she would take the fall, but I haven't seen the film in it's entirety, nor am I illiterate. However, feeling different from others happens to me time to time, i.e. in this class, and that feeling of being different, and desiring to be normal, like everyone else, is a very emotional thing.
The film of the students holding up signs was very powerful and impacting, and I now have more perspective on visual culture, educational literacy. I appreciate Glenns take on the truth that internet is here to stay, and change in the world with freedom of expression is a by product of the internet and technology advancement. I know that tv is addictive, I myself have had to wean myself off of it and feel the withdrawls. I am still backsliding sometimes, and I even find myself buying into some of the made up social philosophies at times (until I remind myself that real life doesn't have such extremes with sex, violence, self confidence and close friendships). I also appreciate the warnings that corporate america has a way of lawfully discouraging free expression, and that we all need to be mindful, but not base our decisions on fear.
Lastly, I like the creative commons ideal, but I am still wondering why the organization has to go to such lengths to make new copyright laws and attach themselves to as many other organizations as they can...that to me is suspicious and makes me wonder if they are using an ideal to capitalize on it. I know they are 5013C non profit, but If it isn't a living they are seeking, then is it their own ideas of what copyright should be? Isn't that very much like what the current corporate establishment wants to do? I don't know enough to make any judgements, I am just expressing myself.

Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Living with Art: 7th edition
Comparing and contrasting:

I was intrigued by realism 21.3 Coubet’s The Artists Studio etc. 1855

And Impressionism 21.4 Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass 1863.

The reason is attached to the authors explanation about revolutionary changes in art with these two artworks, and that the artists themselves felt the need to express themselves in the here and now. I love the fact that Courbet sums up his life in the painting by using relationships and people as the objects or symbols of the meaning he wanted to share.
This is the art I think any artist wants to share, their own experience and concerns, and have it relate to the viewers so the viewer thinks and feels something about their own life. Courbet is giving his testimony which is a powerful way to move listeners and viewers. I like this, and just know that I will do something like this someday with the art I will do.

Also, the courage of Manet to paint something that may not be considered the correct way to paint, so that he can paint something meaningful and important to him. I think he was intentional at painting the filmy dressed almost nude women in the background in the center and not in proper perspective, just as he was making the nude woman in front meet the gaze of the viewer in such a shocking (at the time) way. I applaude his courage and integrity to share his truth, even if it meant criticism and possibly loss of income (If memory serves, I believe this is the Manet who lost his wealth later in life and had to sign over his property to family in order to escape his debt).

I love when an artist does something unexpected, and these two examples are also good art as well. There is light and dark to direct our attention to different points, and the realism and accuracy is still there. The paintings are pleasant to look at, and evoke feelings for any viewer with the subject matter taken at face value. Their differences may be in the type of color used, the environment the people in the art are presented in, but the focus on people is what really stands out with both artworks.


With Derain, View of Collioure, 1905

And Matisse, The Joy of Life, 1905-06,

We get to see the artists express themselves, expressionism and free themselves again from the establishment and limiting ways they were painting, or their predecessors. I do love the vibrant colors of both artworks, and the joy they express. I enjoy the way the trees and grass play together in one, just as the people love and play together in the other. The short strokes of the one, I would not really want to do myself, as it looks like a lot of work. But the simplicity of it, the freedom with it, might be exactly what I should try to do to see if my drawings made more sense. The Joy of Life is cartoonish for me in some ways, but I do see the complexity of shapes and perspectives that are not so easily produced.
There are plants and grass in forefront that I think are done well for this scene, especially how the artist makes them succumb to the playful human feet that are enjoying their feel. Happiness is expressed well, for both paintings evoke a feeling of smiling and a feeling of invitation.