Please respond to the discussion questions below. Each response should be 150-250 word count for a total of 500 word minimum.

PLEASE RESPOND TO EACH DISCUSSION POST WITH SUBSTANTIVE INFORMATION TO SUPPORT YOU RESPONSE. EACH RESPONSE SHOULD BE A MINIMUM OF 150-200 WORDS. PLEASE USE PROPER CITATIONS AND REFERENCES.

1Omar-Joseph Gelacio 

Week One Discussion!

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Art is a unique realm and consists of technical skill and creative imagination. So I would argue if one were to say there are no rules in making art. It is more than just making something and calling it art. The technical skill in creating a true art piece is delineated by a set of rules. A true artist applies these rules into making something and as an audience we see it and appreciate it when used in a successful manner. These rules serve an artist a purpose and separate the things that are perceived as “art” and those that are truly art. The rules are broken down into the six parts. That is an art piece, (1) creates places for some human purpose, (2) creates extraordinary versions of ordinary objects, (3) records and commemorates, (4) gives tangible form to the unknown, (5) gives tangible form to feelings and ideas, and (6) refreshes our vision and helps us see the world in new ways. Creative imagination plays an important role because coming up with an appropriate/inappropriate representation to the senses or social context can make or break a art piece.

For example, Maya Lin’s “Vietnam Veterans Memorial” successfully appeals to audiences. As you take a closer look, the memorial is forged on a grand granite wall with a pathway that leads down a slope. Because it gradually goes down a slope, audiences are able to notice the the names of the troops slowly populate/increase on the wall the farther down they walk. This can have them feel a sense of awe as they walk. Eventually, they would be greeted by hundreds of names. If you were to think about it, this is a direct reflection of the actual war. The death toll rate slowly increased as the war went on. So there is a parallel between walking down the pathway and the wall. This memorial sparks the audience's senses in a way where it makes them think and reflect on what happened, possibly to feel sympathetic. On the other hand, it creates a sense of unity amongst the audience in hopes that it would not happen again and commemorates all the fallen troops. This could have possibly been a message Lin was trying to communicate to audiences. If these things weren't considered, the memorial may not have been as powerful as she intended it to be.

 

Another example of proper usage of technical skill and creative imagination can be seen in Claude Monet’s “Fisherman’s Cottage on the Cliffs atVarengeville”. Monet pinpoints an accurate representation of a vacation. His choice of vibrant colors compliments his representation.  The ripples in the ocean and swaying of the trees (through his skill of painting) has the audience visualizing that they are actually there enjoying the view on a nice summer day. The choice of an orange cottage on top of the cliff almost gives off a warm feeling and it highlights where audience are intended to visualize themselves.

 

All in all, when coming up with a piece, it is very important that you consider the small details and nuances. This will make a piece more evoking than others and have a greater effect on audiences. Not everyone can successfully pull this off, as this differentiates artists from the ordinary.

 

Part II

 (Unity and Variety)

An example where I found this evident was in Yayoi Kusama’s “Love is Calling”, which is essentially an Infinity Mirrored Room (Pg 69, Fig 3.21). I chose this because the piece consist of a room lined with mirrors and protuberance covered in polka dots that almost intertwine each other. As an audience it provides unity (with the effect of the mirrors and patterns of how each support is structured). So it would almost look like the polka dots go on forever. Additionally, each protruding support is a different color. Specifically, vibrant colors that compliment each other. This makes it look more appealing and almost can make an audience feel like they are in a special place.

(Symmetrical and Asymmetrical) 

Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” is an example of this principle. (Pg 10, Fig. 1.10).  I chose this piece because the sun in the top right balances out with a dark cypress tree in the bottom left. This creates a successful asymmetrical balance throughout the piece. If he hadn’t done this, the piece would feel “off balance”. Additionally, the arrangement size of the stars, and emphasis (of the swirly sky) also adds a contrast of balance.

 

(Emphasis and Subordination)

An example I chose for this is Eugene Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People”(Pg 57, Fig. 3.7). The emphasis on this piece is the woman (named liberty) holding the French flag. In this piece, the flag and herself are exposed and more vibrant than anything else. This is achieved through the bright white smoke directly behind her. She is standing high and proud (on top of rubble) and is more grand than everyone else. Liberty is the center of attention. The subordination is everyone around her. The people around her are darker in color ,almost unsaturated, and seem like they are fading away from the painting. The detail on their faces are far less than hers. Also, I notice that everyone is staring at her which also forces the audience to stare at her face.

 

(Scale and Proportion)

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is a prime example of this principle (Pg. 20, Fig. 2.4). It is clearly seen her body appearance bigger than the background. Additionally if you look at her, each specific part of her facial structure is an equal ratio and creates a perfect composition. Every part of her body is the exact measurement. That is her eyes, shoulders and arms are proportionate as a real human body.

 

(Rhythm)

One example I found was Edward Weston’s “Cabbage Leaf” (Pg. 27, Fig, 2.9). This piece features what looks like a “leaf” with creases (pictured in black and white). These “creases” are repeated and are almost identical to each other. Looking closely, I noticed that between each big “crease” was a smaller one. As an audience it has a good vibe and somewhat a pleasure staring at it. It really adds interests. Another thing, that adds to the piece is the smooth lighting from the bottom to the top of the piece.

Bottom of Form

8 hours ago

Marc McGrath (INSTRUCTOR)

RE: Week One Discussion!

Class: please reply back and list several traits commonly associated with creative people. Then discuss one real person, living or dead, artist or non-artist, who demonstrated those traits you have listed. I am very interested to read your choices!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 hours ago

David Owens 

Week 1

Top of Form

Part I

Although, I understand the thought that “art is whatever the spectator thinks it is; there are no rules, no criteria…” I’m going to have to disagree.  To me, that is along the same lines as someone saying “I have freedom of speech, so I can say whatever I want to.” Wrong. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary “Art” is defined as “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects” (2019). So, if you go by the very definition of “art’, then not just anything can be a piece of art. Then, if you look up the definition of “Artist”, you will find it as “one who professes and practices an imaginative art” (Merriam-Webster. 2019). Again, if you go by the definition then not just anyone can be considered and “Artist”. In our textbook it stats “artists create places for some human purpose” (Getlein 7). If you read and understand what these 3 definitions mean then you will understand that the paper airplane that David Owens just made is not a piece of art and I am not an artist.  I’ve mentioned something that is NOT a piece of art (paper airplane).  On the flip side, an example of a piece of art would be the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  This memorial was created by an artist named Maya Lin and it serves as “a place for contemplation and remembrance” (Getlein 7). Support for the Vietnam War was divided in our country so Maya Lin was tasked to “create a memorial that honored the human sacrifice of the war while neither glorifying nor condemning the war itself” (Getlein 7). The memorial itself is different from a stereotypical memorial as it is not erect, it is more of a walkway and wall.  The wall is V-shaped and made with black granite that has the names of all 58,000 American victims of the Vietnam War. In this specific example the Vietnam Memorial is definitely a place where people can contemplate the sacrifices made and remember those who lost their lives to the Vietnam War.

 

Part II

1. Unity and Variety: Katharina Grosse’s “One Floor Up More Highly, detail. 2010” (Page 171, 7.14) has a large cement floor that has “exuberant spray-painted colors run riot over walls, windows, fiberglass sculptures…” (Getlein 171). The unity in this spray painted canvas is that the color scheme from one side to the other are almost identical, using a couple different shades of green, yellow, red with white on top of.  The variety is that it almost feels like the floor space is so large and walking from one side to the other could take a while.

2. Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Balance: Fillippino Lippi’s “Figure Studies: Standing Nude and Seated Man Reading” (Page 148, 6.6). Although it does not have to be visible, there is a center line from top to bottom that splits this drawing in two. The two men balance this drawing out pretty much evenly as the size of one man does not outweigh the other.

3. Emphasis and Subordination: In the photograph titled “Star of Bethlehem and Other Plants”, (Pg 142, 6.3) Leonardo da Vinci shows us this big, beautiful set of Star of Bethlehem flowers.  When you look at this piece of art you can tell that the point of emphasis is the star of Bethlehem flowers because the size of them is much bigger than the depictions of the other flowers and plants.  The other flower and plants are subordinates to the star of Bethlehem flowers because they are much smaller, almost like a singer having background singers or a garnish to a plate of food.

4. Scale and Proportion: Mark Grotjah Untitiled (Full Color Butterfly 772) painting (Page 144, 6.4) is an example of Scale art.  The drawing consists of an array of different colors and was created “by upending two sets of single-point perspective lines and pointing them toward each other” (Getlein 144) and is over 6 feet tall. It’s actually gives me a sort of dizzy feeling if I stare into it for too long.

Fayum’s “Young Woman with a Gold Pectoral” (Page 159, 7.1) is an example of Proportion art. The woman in this painting has dark hair and looks like its cut perfectly.  Her head and upper body are all that are shown in this painting but they are in perfect proportion to one another and look very natural together.

5. Rhythm: Mona Hatoum’s Untitled (cut-out 4) (Page 157, 6.16) is classic example of Rhythm art.  The tissue paper cutout art has cutouts of snowflakes, soldiers carrying or aiming a rifle and skeleton faces that are attached to each other.  No matter which way you were to turn the cutout the patterns would remain the same.

Reference

"Art". Merriam-Webster.com. 2019. Merriam-Webster, 2019. Web, 08 May 2019.

"Artist". Merriam-Webster.com. 2019. Merriam-Webster, 2019. Web, 08 May 2019.

Getlein, M. Living with Art. [BryteWave]. Retrieved from https://shelf.brytewave.com/#/books/9781259360640/

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