Blog Posting - Module 5

Burchfield Penney Art Gallery observations and conclusions;
Which artworks make an impact or impression on me? Why?

• The medium water color painting, Wild Sweet Peas in a Summer Rain, 1965 by Charles E. Burchfield seemed to make an impact on me. The watercolors within the flowers of the painting represented the season on Summer due to the greenery all throughout. Along with the beautiful sky and background imitating a rainy day based on the dull colors such as grey and black. 
  
• The oil on canvas medium painting by Thomas Le Clear, Interior with Portraits, ca. 1865 made an impression on me since it stood out from the other artwork surrounding the painting. The artwork is displayed on its own section of a wall due to the size and the painting tends to tell a story. The movement and contrast happening within the artwork causes the viewer's eyes to look at every element and piece within the work. 
  

Which artworks do I feel a connection with? Why?

• I felt a connection with Paul Wiesenfeld's Interior, 1972 medium oil on canvas painting because as soon as I laid eyes on the artwork, I was drawn in. The couch is so dominate within the painting that it creates questions to come about, wanting and yearning to know more. Seeing the couch and the various items surrounding it made me feel comfortable and relaxed, causing me to want to jump inside the painting and lay on the couch. 
  
• Another artwork that I felt a connection with involved Evelyn Rumsey Cary, The Spirit of Niagara, 1901 medium oil on canvas. I made a connection with this painting due to the colors that stood out to me. The painting encompasses what perceived to be an angel/spirit like female being and/or becoming water. Above the female, there's a rainbow with various buildings and a unique background behind her. I was drawn to the pastel and subtle colors as well as the spirit like female with her arms up and legs crossed becoming one with her circumstances. 
  

Which artworks would I like to know more about? Why? 

• One artwork that I would like to know more about included Charles Caryl Coleman, The Shores of Capri, 1890 medium oil on canvas. I would like to know more about this artwork due to several woman amongst the artwork. The woman are all scattered throughout the painting, perceiving to be what looks like a beach and/or shore that the woman are doing work on. I question why the woman are there and what are they doing exactly? 
  
• John McQueen, The Four Food Groups, 2006 large sculpture is another artwork that I would like to know more about. The artist used sticks, string, bundle ties and hot glue to make the artwork and I wonder how he came up with such an idea. What made the artist place the elements all together including strings, sticks and hot glue and then to add the words amongst the piece? Was hunger involved? The piece is so distinctive and unique that it makes people want to know and learn more regarding it. 
  

How Art Made the World Part 1: More Human Than Human video questions;

1.) Some of the most interesting facts I learned from the video involves  the limestone media Venus of Willendorf statue, which is worth 60 million dollars. Also, the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh was carved out of solid rock to cater to after life when he died. Another interesting fact includes the bronze realistic human statue of a man found within the body of water by a scuba diver came from ancient Greece. 

2.) Our modern world is dominated by images of the body that are unrealistic due to last century ancestors when archaeologists pulled the figure of a woman out of the mud around 300 hundred years old. The body was unrealistic due to her breasts and stomach being over sized, as well as her genitals being extremely pronounced. Once the Venus of Willendorf statue was found, people all over the world started to make artworks of the human body being exaggerated. Brain scientist, V.S Ramachandran began researching why people created unrealistic human bodies, relating back to the study that was once done on seagulls. Ramachandran believes the behavior of the gold chicks obtaining food from their mother based on the red stripe of the beak was similar to the behavior of the hunter gatherers at the time of when the Venus of Willendorf statue was made. The brains of the hunter gatherers were pre-programmed to exaggerate what mattered most since they lived in a harsh environment at the time and big features were desired. 

Blog Posting - Module 4

1.) When creating the value scale, I had previously made one before so I knew the steps regarding it. I thought about trying to make it perfect and I found the "Value Step Scales Using Graphite Pencil" video to be helpful. When making the color wheel, I thought about trying to accomplish it correctly and efficiently. I didn't create an actual wheel, however the way I placed the colors on the paper turned out satisfying.

2.) I enjoyed working with the color wheel the best. This was due to being able to combine paints and get a bit messy while doing it. I've always loved colors and painting, therefore having an excuse to paint became fun and interesting to me. 

3.) The most important discoveries in the creation of these studies involved the reminder of the primary colors and secondary colors. I've learned all about the primary and secondary colors all throughout high school, however it does escape the mind from time to time. Remembering the real primary colors and mixing them to make secondary colors was important to me. 

4.) The most important thing I learned from the "Value Step Scales Using Graphite Pencil" video involved the exercise of value and graphite being used to create the value scale. The most important thing I learned from "Color Theory 2: Paint/Pigment Primary Colors" video involved the showing of mixing the primary colors in order to obtain the secondary colors. I found both videos helpful and I enjoyed that they each were under 5 minutes long. 

Blog Posting - Project #1

When it came to the making of project #1, I didn't know where to start. I've never put much thought into my photos involving movement, balance, proportion, etc. Therefore, I had to make sure I put enough thought into each element and principle of design to meet the criteria. I thoroughly enjoyed getting creative with the pictures such as moving things around to make sure they line up correctly, as well as taking pictures of other people. Adding the pictures into the google animation/slideshow was new and exciting for me since I had never done it. I quickly learned how to add the photos onto the animation, however I had the most trouble uploading the slideshow onto my blog. The technical process of having to upload the slideshow onto my blog was a bit challenging since I was dealing with slow internet as well as trying to find the correct function(s) to upload the slideshow. After the slideshow presented itself onto my blog, everything else seemed to fall into place. 

Blog Posting - Module 3

From having watched the video, "Do you see what I see? The color of perception", it became clear throughout that certain colors allows each person to interpret them differently. Different experiments were done by scientists in order to determine if color changes the perception of time as well as if certain colors makes you a winner. It was shown that the color red tends to make people more confident while the color blue speeds up time, creating a sense of anxiety. 

A theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues and fascinates me involves the retinal ganglion cells in the humans eyes. In the video, lighting designer, Mark Hensman incorporated blue light in a restaurant to create a different atmosphere. Hensman didn't understand why around 10 p.m. people seemed to become more alive and awake. Scientist, Russell Foster looked into the human eye and discovered a new cell, being photosynthesis ganglion. These cells are plugged into different structures in the brain such as levels of arousal and the ability to go to sleep and wake up. Having been that the cells sending levels to your brain to wake you up are only sensitive to one form of light, being blue. Which is why the people who are within the restaurant with the blue lighting around 10 p.m. tend to perk up. Which is also why discovering this bit of information fascinates me since it makes you become more aware of light choices. 

In the video, the topic of language affecting the colors people see made the biggest impression on me. This was due to the discovery Dr. Anna Franklin found that learning language and color terms can change the way in which your brain is categorizing the visual world. Suggesting the way people process color and when individuals learn language are connected. 

Blog Posting - Module 2

1.) - During "Aesthetics: Philosophy of the arts", many philosophers were discussed that has impacted art in major ways today. I learned that Plato had a low opinion of art and poets. He believed poets often spoke about things they didn't know about. Another key concept during this video involved philosopher Leo Tolstoy advocating the expression theory of art and R.G Collingwood formulating it later.
- Some key concepts I learned during "Evolutionary Origins of Art and Aesthetics: Neurobiology, Neurology and Art and Aesthetics" was the science that applies to art. Works of art are human productions and many experience art through visual imagery. 
- When it comes to the article "What the brain draws from: Art and neuroscience", some key concepts I concluded involved Picasso implementing that art is not truth, but rather a lie. Also, artists throughout history have found ways to manipulate depths and brightness that aren't actually there. 

2.) The philosopher R.G Collington's theory on aesthetics is the most important in my opinion due to his outlook on art. Within the 20th century, the expression theory of art was adovacted by philosopher Leo Tolstoy and later formulated by R.G Collington in 1938. The expression theory states that art is the expression of emotion with emotion and expression defined in ways that are particular to theory.  

3.) With Changeux and Ramachandran's scientific view of aesthetics and art made realize that art has actual meanings based on scientific data due to the way individuals view it. 
In Changeux's lecture, the most interesting fact I took away was the topic of art being an aesthetic experience through visual imagery. The most interesting fact I took away from Ramachandran's lecture involved him stating, "The point of art is to exaggerate, distort even the image in some way to produce pleasing effects in the human brain".

4.) The videos and article relate to the readings in the text due to the videos and article each having different discussions of what art is but also each defining the aesthetics of art in some way. 

5.) In my opinion, the films and article were all informative in different ways. One of the videos touched upon the history of art, relating to different philosophers who impacted art in major ways. The other video described the scientific view of art and the article included the ways the human brain interpret art. The videos and article adds depth to understanding the topics in my reading in the texts because they have educated me on the history and science of art, which I can use to better understand the texts.

Blog Posting - Module 1

The process of creating the Gmail account and setting up the blog was an experience. I was able to acquire a Gmail account easily since I've made multiple accounts before, it was mainly the blog set-up that was the most difficult. I had to read directions and steps carefully so I wouldn't miss anything. Once I read through everything thoroughly, I was able to obtain my blog accordingly. 

Some of the things I expect to learn in this course involve the creation of art, applying art, maintaining art, the history of art, everything about art. I also expect to walk out of this course very knowledgeable about many artists and how to create art in a way that caters to me. 

Taking an online course makes me feel confident and comfortable. I've taken two online courses prior to this one, therefore, I feel like I understand the importance of deadlines and online communication. Since I do not physically meet with a professor, I have to find ways to communicate efficiently whenever I have questions, as well as pay attention to upcoming assignments and announcements. 

One thing within the Growth Mindset module I believe applies to me is repeating something that I've learned new over and over again. This is to make sure the thing that I learned sticks in my mind and I'm not confused about what I potentially just learned. 

Another thing that applies to me within the Growth Mindset module is to never give up when something is hard. If I don't understand an assignment or topic, I need to take initiative and ask questions among my peers and professor. 

One other thing that applies to me within the Growth Mindset module is the ability to work hard in order to achieve success amongst whatever career field applies to me. Success doesn't usually happen overnight and hard work does tend to pay off. Therefore I will have to work hard at what I want to accomplish.