Week 13 & 14 Video Blog

For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
The Lowdown on Lowbrow: West Coast Pop Art
Lowbrow has a different meaning to every artist. The dictionary definition is a person regarded as uncultivated and lacking in taste. Artist Robert Williams says her invented this term but doesn’t care for its meaning. Some believe Lowbrow Surrealism is a more fitting term while other still embrace Lowbrow. Pop culture, car culture, and folk art have both major influences in the genre. Lisa Petrruci says the art is more relatable that esoteric art. After World War II, this was known as “Atomic Age” which was another important part of the genre. Art covers so many different things ranging from concept art to paintings. Anthony Ausang, who was an artist, says it is the job of critics to categorize the art. Robert Williams was an original Lowbrow artist. Ausang was introduced to Zap Comix. Robert Crumb inspired rock poster artists to start doing underground comics. There was a point when galleries were not willing to display Lowbrow. Artists in the 50s and 60s drew upon the tiki theme and incorporated it into their art. Conceptualism brought thought to art it excluded audience members who were not trained in art history. Williams thinks the established art world is set up to promote only certain types of art like minimalism and abstract. The unaccepted artists created their own art scene after being shut down from museums and galleries. Females became interested in Lowbrow art as well. The Internet had a great effect on this. The punk rock generation propelled Lowbrow art culture. Artists were able to get their work to the masses in the form of album covers and fliers. In Vancouver, the Pop Tarts opened the Tart Gallery. They gained more recognition and acceptance after being featured in a book about female Lowbrow artists. Juxtapose magazine has made it possibly for people worldwide to stay in tune with the Lowbrow art scene. Before Robert Williams couldn’t get anyone to show his art work and now he is in demand all over the world for his work. Lowbrow has gained more recognition and acceptance in the past ten years.

Displaying Modern Art: The Tate Approach
Modern Art in the MOMA from 1929 onwards was displayed primarily in chronological order, representing each art movement. Art is displayed on white walls with flexible lighting. By the 1970s, traditional ways of displaying modern art are question. Art came off the walls to become busy and noisy. Artists explore the political and ideological contexts of the museum itself. The Tate Modern display its modern art if four sections. Each section is an overarching principle providing a theme for the selection and exhibition of the selections of modern art. The Tate thematic approach to displaying art prompts controversy when three works by Richard Long are put together with Monet’s “Water Lilies”. Unlike MOMA’s original concept of displaying art is chronological order, visitors to the Tate are provided with striking and often abrupt transitions between the individual display rooms. Critics say that the viewers should have no knowledge of art; art should be entertainment. Many of the abstract artist’s tried to make paintings that were not dependent on figuration. They wanted to convey emotions, aesthetic effects or social vision. The Joseph Beuys room in the Tate Museum creates a church-like atmosphere. Visitors do not materially understand what they are looking at. They transition to the next room where art will consist of waste and junk.

Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology
Native American’s bones were collected as a scientific curiosity during the US genocide against the Indians. Anthropologists differ on whether or not they remain should be returned to their ancestors. Maria, a Yankton Sioux, fights for the bones of a Native American who is taken for a study after a road construction crew discovered the body. The Anglo bones are reburied by Native bones are studied. David Van Horn, who is a field archaeologist, is charged with criminal possession of Native human bone fragments. He avoided jail but loses his livelihood as a result of his prosecution. The Europeans encounter the Native Americans and remove them from their own land. Burial mounts are through to be too civilized to have been built by Native American. In the 19^th century, Samuel Morton MD studies brain size and concluded that the size of someone’s brain is related to intelligence. The Native American skulls are collected and stored in museums. Susan Harjo who is a Cheyenne and Muscogee leads the flight for Native people’s objects of worship to be returned. Dr. Barnes, a physical anthropologist, is prevented from doing her research of Native American migration because of the new law. This was called the Grave Protection and Repatriation Act. Bones with similar defects suggests shared genes and origins. Bronco Lebeau, a Lakota Sioux, rejects theories of the evolution and migration held by the dominate US. The Sioux people emerged from the Black Hills and didn’t migrate from somewhere. Repatriation requires that scientists first determine the bones tribal affiliation. Skull measurements help to identify where the bones should be returned. Conflicts of interest are rampant. The Native Americans have ceremonies to discover whether the bones are their ancestors or not. Their past is conveyed through an oral tradition. Scientist’s learned a lot about today’s health problems by studying the remains of human beings from the past. Scientists can benefit future knowledge by studying the past. Bruce Rothschild is an arthritis research. He theorizes that arthritis is a new disease that trigger may come from the Tennessee River region. Natives as well as scientists are skeptical. British researchers of DNA test bones infected with TB. They claim research benefits understanding how man changes from the ancient to the modern. Native Americans are still skeptical. Maria Pearson continues to represent the right to an undisturbed Indian burial ground. The holy areas are avoided by construction crews and archeologists do not excavate graves. Change in diet and lifestyle is related to high rates of diabetes. Omaha women, die earlier due to small pox and a change in their daily life. Their bones reveal that hard work by manufacturing furs worn them down and led to a lower birthrate and life expectancy. The Native Americans in the 20^th century are stripped of their tribal identity at the US boarding schools. Dennis Hastings, an Omaha, is satisfied with the reburial of his ancestors’ remains. Both the tribe and scientists have gain new knowledge of having the bones analyzed prior to the burial.  Native Americans design the exhibits in New York’s Native American Museum. The Ancestors’ bones continue to be brought home. Archaeology must share the responsibility for stewarding the past.

George Eastman House: Picture Perfect
George Eastman is the creator of the first affordable, user friendly camera. He became the father of popular photography. The museum established at his home celebrates the contributions he and the company he founded that have made to the advance of art, science and the phenomenon of photography. The photography collection at the George Eastman House is a visual history of photography that represents that works of 14,000 amateur and professional photographers. This collection includes all types of photographs, famous and obscure, including documentary to fine art. The technology collection at this house contains about 16,000 objects, including around 5,000 cameras. This holds the largest Daguerreotype collection outside of France. Eastman worked to make photography accessible to everyone. He creates the first affordable, user-friendly camera and founded the Eastman Kodak Company. His “Brownie” camera revolutionized photography and the motion picture film stock he invented with Thomas Edison became the industry standard. The 50 room colonial revival estate George Eastman began building in 1902 serves as the centerpiece for the museum. Along with his works there are personal possessions in this house. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made Eastman a lifetime member to honor his contributions to the film industry’s development. Today the George Eastman House is one of the world’s premiere motion picture archives. In 1996, the George Eastman House established the first school in North America to teach the restoration, preservation and archiving of motion pictures. His world revolved around his work and around philanthropy. The museum offers a variety of means to access collections which include online times, that celebrate the art, technology and impact of photography and motion pictures.


 Do the videos relate to the creation of your Art Exhibition project? If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.
The videos do relate to the creation of my Art Exhibition project. An art curator is someone who is showing the relationship between the art and the viewers, that person has to know. This is like the same thing with creating an art exhibit. The person has to know what is going to draw the viewers to that exhibit, and what is so different about this exhibit that people are willing to come to it. I believe that it definitely relates. I feel as if we are going to be acting as the art curators for this project, which will be really interesting and fun, in my opinion.


 What is your opinion of the films? Do they add depth to understanding of the art concepts you practiced while creating your curation project?
The films definitely add a lot more depth into the curation project. When I first read the project I was a little confused, now after watching the films I have a better understanding. I thought the films were very helpful, although I am a visual person, so any visual helps me so much more rather than just reading something.

Video Reviews

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.
The four videos I selected are: Andy Warhol: Images of an Image, Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the ‘50s and ‘60s, Uncertainty: Modernity and Art, and Hockney on Photography. I chose these four videos because these are the ones that caught my eye first. I always loved Andy Warhol and his work. The Movie Factory Girl was a film about him, since I saw that movie, I have always admired his work and thought so highly of him; therefore I was very interested in watching this film. Since I always admired Andy Warhol, I wanted to watch the film about Pop art because that is what he was known for. Uncertainty: Modernity and Art sounded interesting and I wanted to know more about this film and what it was about. Hockney on Photography, I chose because photography was always an interested of mine and I thought it would be interesting to hear and watch about the life and the starting up of an actually photographer.


2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
Andy Warhol: Images of an Image
Andy Warhol was a very famous artist. Many people know him based on his Marilynn Monroe work or the Campbell soup cans. He was known for doing Pop Art. This video explores the Pop Art movement and the life of Andy Warhol through a penetrating investigation of his deadpan Ten Lizes. This is a painting that exemplifies his fascination with celebrities as objects no less commodified than a simple can of soup. Warhol first started off working as a commercial artist until the 1960s. this is when he began to experiment with advertising images. He worked hard and strong until he died in 1987. Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor were fascinating to him. He was very woman inspired. August 1962, Marilynn Monroe had died. He always uses to collect pictures of celebrities out of magazines, cut, and crop and save them. His famous work of Marilynn Monroe was produced by using silk screen. The photographs are blown up and developed onto silk screens. They are then transferred to paper and canvas by ink and paint. Ten Lizes was his work that featured Elizabeth Taylor which was created in 1963. This work also used silk screen as well. Warhol became known for doing silk screen and people liked it; therefore he saw this as a way for him to make some money and he kept on doing it. After silk screening, he went into photography. He started with his friends and soon after he began to film as well. He shot about 100 films. He wanted to change up his silk screen works, so he decided to add some paint to them as well. This was the time of Warhol’s evolution. He produced dozens of self portraits. He labeled himself as an artist journalist. His work addressed race riots, the conquest of the mood, the Cultural Revolution in China and the universal reign of the dollar. Andy Warhol was an amazing artist who never let any of his viewers down. He was a dedicated hard worker who loved what he did.

Abstract Expressionism and Pop: Art of the ‘50s and ‘60s
Abstract expressionism was born form a joining of attitudes in American art and European avant-garde art. Later it was rejected for its nonfigurative and seemingly egocentric character in favor of the ultra-objective phenomenon known as Pop Art. Using Franz Kline’s painting “C&O”, abstract art is being compared to figurative art. The filled space of the canvas is distinctively different in these two styles, abstract art and figurative art. Kline initially injects his work with mood and expression but he moves towards painting colors in undefined spaces therefore it leaves the viewer to imagine. He used shapes to evoke the emotions. The use of action painting reveals a process of constant discovery and leads us into a world of color and form. Helen Frankenthaler was another artist who created “Mountains and Sea” which causes her to energy on the artistic scene and influences a generation of artists. This creates a fundamental change in the way we look at a picture from her straight vision. Her goal was to have the viewers envision and interpret a picture different than her. Her works were both feminine and mystical. The observer will receive a warming sense of fruitfulness in her work. Willem de Koonig was the artist of “Morning: The Springs”. This work expressed movement as an echo of sensations and is evocative of plant forms, light, and falling water. This is a momentary gift of light with a calligraphic quality. In 1952, he made his name with “Women One”. He embraced a passionate and instinctive approach to painting, which created action painting. Jasper John was another artist that is discussed in this film. His paintings undermine our assumptions and make up think. He makes his common subject visually seductive and to deceive our senses as a coherent system of information.

Uncertainty: Modernity and Art
Modern art was an instrument of the chaotic 20th century, which communicates chaos, anxiety and uncertainty. The video will be comparing and contrasting works of Pablo Picasso with the abstracts of Paul Klee and Piet Mondrian and the architecture of Le Corbusier. This tells how the Nazis tried to eradicate modern art’s uncertainties with some crushing certainties of their own. It also shows how modern art’s relationship with modern life changes. It started with the rise of Abstract Expressionism, and then continued with Pop Art. Greek statues were a reflection of Man as an idealized version of himself, with a spark of divinity within. Modern art was concerted contemporary society’s version of the Delphic Oracles. Art has a memory of its own. It documents the metamorphosis of mankind. The Industrial Revolution came along in the 19th century. During this time period man was separated from nature, machines ruled the work, and science was a challenge against religion. The underlying message of modern art is uncertainty. Uncertainty is a term used in subtly different ways and in numbers of different fields. This includes physics, philosophy, statistics, economics, finance, insurance, psychology, sociology, engineering, and information science. This applies to the predictions of the future events and to the physical measurements that are already made or even to the unknown. Modern art is a complete break from art of the past and was inspirational to people as well as idealized. Art is the key for changing values. The Tate Modern Exhibit gets about five million visitors in a year. It is misunderstood pieces is a sculpture made of 120 bricks laid out in a rectangle. In Tate, art moves from the margins of the social life to the center. Art is basically praised in this exhibit. The early 20th century was marked by speed and mass production. It feels shallow for many people. Life becomes fragmented. Picasso was a famous artist during this time period. He made art as an antidote to mass culture. In the early 1930’s, Nazism came into force. This was a new political force. Nazism was led by a man named Hitler. He wanted to kill all the Jewish people; therefore he came up with concentration camps. Modern art compared to Nazism is degenerated and impure. With the Nazi regime, no one will be uncertain. In modern life, people now live in doubt. Someone is never sure of one’s true identity. Reality is different, different points of views come together. Nazi Art was a big deal in this time period because of everything that was going on. Hitler stages annual exhibitions of Nazi art. It was radical. The presence clothed in the golden age. Modern art has become an icon for modal goodness. Picasso’s work, “Guernica” is anti-German. It illustrates fractured reality. Cubism fights anything recognizable or rounded. With abstract art, the surface appearance, the look of the world, is left behind. These artists present an experiment, that viewers participate in. it also asks questions and will provide no answers. It is considered to be open-minded. Paul Klee was one of the original creators of abstract art. This type of art tests out modern changes, but no conclusions come out of this. Modern materialists get happiness from the urban environment. It is to a delight in its elegance and shimmer. Piet Mondrian was a modern materialist. His straight lines, rectangles, and flat colo0rs are all in the look of the modern world. He has no living in the material world, but he lives in the immaterial world. He tests the idea that society can be perfected and experiments with searching for purity. The living spaces take on the appearance of a Mondrian painting. People live in the modular homes and have modular experiences, as well as live modular lives. Jackson Pollack and Mark Rothko were abstract expressionists. The abstract expressionists invite the viewers to look into the void. The arts were considered to be outcasts because they wouldn’t accept the values of consumerism. It is unknown what these artists are expressing; an example is they could be telling society off. Usually the artist’s realities attack society’s falseness. The future observers will see uncertain atmospheres, and artists with attitudes, fighting for meaning. Willem de Kooning’s style of art is characterized by a battered compact look. With every stroke of his brush there is a morally fraught one. Mark Rothko’s paintings are a looming void, the edge fuzzy and an incredible vibration of color. Bigness, broadness, and high energy coming at audiences can be something heroic in abstract expressionism, but the morality is relentless. In the 1960s, consumerism is the dominating value among people. People reflect themselves back to themselves through the material objects in life. In the 1950s there was a change from the belief in higher values. Pop Art came about in the 1960s. It represents a change in thinking from the 50s to the 60s. These artists look at their own disillusionment. Andy Warhol was a very famous artist for Pop Art. Pop Art suggests that things and people are thrown away because things keep changing. The Pop Artists wanted to be the opposite of everything that happened in the past. It is a way of describing civilization relating. In the

Trafalgar Square

, there is a statue of a “Modern Woman”, she was born without arms and stubs for legs. This is in the company of British heroes. It is an ironic comment on established values, the values that we no longer believe in. Art expressed aspiration ideals that were slightly unreal in the past. People recognized a better version of themselves. Today things are completely different, people wonder if there really is a better self. Art gave hope to audiences. Art mirrors what people are on the level they are already at. Art is about the impulse, whim, and casualness. Audiences are suspicious of art, it is a mass fascination. China’s economy grows at 10% per year. Chine ahs about 20 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities. China’s art has rushed to embrace Western avant gardism. A 1950s designed factory for making military weapon parts is now an art center. With China’s art, the viewer finds ironic, deadpan, slightly inexplicable human and the same icons and photos that are seen everywhere else in the world. The world is more interconnected with market forces, but everyone still seems less connected with others and with themselves. Traditional images are re-stages top express new global conditions in China. The Chinese experience a loss of identity as they respond to Westernization. People are only what consumers tell them they are. Watteau who was a painter left a message for future art audiences. A painting show the rising elite in an art gallery, one man sneers at nude figures, and a women looks into a mirror instead of at the paintings.

Hockney on Photography
This film describes the career of one of Britain’s greatest pointiest. It tells about his great skill with a camera as his facility with a brush. This man’s name was David Hockney. This film shows his journey of discovery that traces the evolution of his photographic work. He used photography in related media, such as drawing painting, fax art, and photocopying and it is explored in detail. The camera was not invented in the 19th century, just the chemical process was. Painters used the “camera obscura” to create an image to paint from. He discusses the void between the person behind the camera and the subject. He aims to take away the void. He used photographic images to create something more to the condition of painting. Hockney experiments with photgraphy7 over a five-year period in the 1980s. he claims to have made a lot of discoveries, including some about himself. He shows and explains some of his first experiments with Polaroid collages. When he created his Polaroid collages, he carefully examined each print before taking the next picture. He composed the fined product in his mind as he photographs. He uses the Polaroid to create a grid-like collage; later his collages were more free-form and not limited to a grid. He superimposed images over each other. He explains a large photographic collage that features people looking at other people who are looking at a garden. A large version of his photographic collage creates interest because of its perspective of perspective. Hockney fought against the “tyranny” of single-point perspective. The cubists wanted to see an object form all sides simultaneously, he photographs present that same multi-perspective philosophy. Cubism is an acknowledgement that it is only perceptions of reality that are pictures. The Cubist artist’s pictures were the first pictures that actually confused the viewer. When Hockney was a child, he went to the cinema often and came to the conclusion that a different world existed outside of his hometown. He asserts that the camera is not capable of showing grandeur. He plays with different ways of presenting space, which included reverse perspective. In 1985, he does a 20 pages spread for a famous and well-known magazine, Vogue. In this spread he explained the perspective in ways that most people have not considered. He paints a chair for a van Gogh foundation. This chain is similar to the original one painted by van Gogh. This perspective is one gained by walking by a chain and not by standing and looking at the chair. There is not a hierarchy of importance regarding the compositions and objects of his photographs. Everything is supposed to be related to everything else. The fax machine to Hockney represented a machine that is both considered a camera and a printer. People were able to have these in their homes as well. He painted a bouquet of flowers for a friend and he photographed the painted and stands it next to the real bouquet. The real flowers look unreal and the unreal flowers looked real. It was crazy to see that. Most people would think the opposite. The one-point perspective established in the Renaissance limits Hockney. His photography portraits in close-ups are reassembled into a final version. The Grand Canyon is one of the largest of all spaces that people can look into. The concept of edge defines space in this condition. Hockney changed from his Polaroid camera to a 35-mm and others. He has to keep his compositions in his head. He no longer had the same opportunity to examine each photo as he did before when he would examine it then take another photograph. Technology has changed drastically. The cost of reproducing the photographs have changed but what is possible to create in size has changed as well. Hockney photographed the Grand Canyon in 1980. He exhibited his unique, large montages; therefore he decided to paint the Grand Canyon. By painting something he receives the look that he truly wanted. The Grand Canyon has no focal point, it is a huge space. When looking at this, the viewer has to look in all different directions. When he painted his picture, he has to do the same exact thing, which was visual appreciation. When he created his second painting of the Grand Canyon, he used color in this one. His point in doing the Grand Canyon was for the viewer’s eye to be going in all different directions, just like viewing the actual Grand Canyon in person. When Hockney creates his collages, anything would go. He used anything and everything to create his works of art. Hockney was described as “gone hot and cold about photography all his life”; this was said by an art historian. Hockney compares a painting style of his with the art of the Chinese scroll. David Hockney decided to paint Los Angeles. When he did this he showed the city as being very vibrant. He used bright colors, stucco houses, crisp edges, azure skies, and tall palms. Theater is considered to be about illusion, perspective, dreams and beyond, and so much more. Hockney describes how and why he created the painted staging for “Tristan and Isolde”. His talents and interests are so diverse that even he doesn’t know exactly what his next project will be.


3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos relate to the reading in the text because the videos show a picture. With the text the viewer is trying to visualize what is going on and such. I feel like the videos add more depth to the text. A person or viewer is able take the information in better when seeing the films because it is giving such great detail.


4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
My opinion of the films is that they teach me so much more rather than just reading the text. I feel as if the information stays with me. The films add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts by actually being able to see what went on and the artists and their works. I am a visual learner therefore I feel the films have a greater affect on me rather than just reading the text.

Art Gallery Visit #2

STEP 1: THE EXHIBITION:

1. What is the title of the exhibit?

The title of the exhibit that I went to see was called REMIX: Sol LeWitt.

2. What is the theme of the exhibition?

The theme of REMIX: Sol LeWitt is to compliment the ongoing installation of the artists graphite wall drawing on the walls surrounding the stairwell which connects the 1962 Albright Knox building and the 1905 Albright Knox building. This consists of a range of works on paper and books by the artist which are contained in the exhibit. This provided additional context for the wall drawing and reflects the museum’s longstanding interest in collecting these works in depth by Sol LeWitt. This exhibit was organized by Curator Heather Persanti. Sol LeWitt quotes, “No ideas an be works of art; they are in a chain of development that mat eventually find some form. All ideas need not be made physical.”

STEP 2: THE GALLERY:

1. What type of lighting is used?

The type of lighting that is used are spotlights which are shining on each of the individual works.

2. What colors are used on the walls?

The colors used on the walls in the gallery were a gray to off white color.

3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?

The materials that are used in the interior architecture of the space are shelves, lighting, sculpture posts, and cases for the artworks.

4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?

The movement of the viewer through the gallery space is an organic flow, it is very spacious which leaves the viewer to be very comfortable and not so crammed in the area.

STEP 3: THE ARTWORK:

1. How are the artworks organized?

The artworks are kind of scattered all around the gallery. They do have a sculpture court which is on the upper level of the gallery. On the first floor a lot of them are scattered all over, it looks very organized though. They have some paintings on the walls, some sculptures in the middle of the floor and some pieces hanging from the ceiling. It is very interesting and the way they have it set up really catches my eye.

2. How are the artworks similar?

The artworks in the REMIX: Sol LeWitt exhibit were all very similar, they all compliment the ongoing installation of the graphite wall draws on the walls that surround the stairwell in the gallery.

3. How are the artworks different?

The artworks are different in the REMIX: Sol LeWitt exhibit because they are in different colors and developed in different ways. Some are paintings on the walls, some are books in a case, and some are actual sculptures.

4. How are the artworks framed?

The artworks are framed all a little differently. Most are hanging on the walls in frames and some are in cases, also some of the bigger pieces are either hanging from the walls or ceiling or the sculptures are on posts on the floor. Most of the artworks in the REMIX: Sol LeWitt exhibit were framed hanging on the walls, or in cases. There was one artwork that was a sculpture that was hanging on the wall.

5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?

The artworks are identified and labeled by a piece of paper next to each artwork which lists the artist’s name, title of the work, and the year.

6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?

The artworks were not that close to each other. It gave the viewer enough time to actually go through and see each individual artwork. There are some that are scattered, but it is not in a disorganized fashion, they are very organized.

STEP 4: ART CRITICISM EXCERSIZE:

Sol LeWitt

2 Part Composite

Serigraph edition 59/60

1971

There was no size listed

BE RECEPTIVE- Keep and open mind. Look for what is good. No put-downs allowed.

DESCRIPTION- Describe what you see. (Subject matter)?

In this art work, the 2 Part Composite there are two different drawings. The top one is all done on a gray scale and the bottom one was done in color. There are fifteen boxes in each of the different drawings. The bottom one has fifteen different colors. In both you can see the different line directions as well.

FORMAL ANALYSIS- (form) What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

The elements of art that are used in this artwork are form, line, shape, color, and value. These are enclosed cubes, which demonstrate form. Looking at the picture, the viewer is able to see line. Line refers to the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point. It can be two dimensional, like this artwork or it can be three dimensional. Line is clearly demonstrated in this work, the viewer is able to see the direction in which the line was going. Shape is demonstrated because these are square cubes. Color is demonstrated on the bottom one, there are various different colors. Value is demonstrated in the top one, the viewer is able to see the difference between light and dark. The principles of art that are demonstrated are harmony, variety and balance. Harmony is demonstrated because all the colors on the bottom one all go together, they do not look weird put together. Variety is displayed because of all the different colors that are used in the bottom work. Balance is when both sides are equal, which is demonstrated in this particular work. For both the bottom and the top, both sides are equal.

BRACKETING - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography)

With this particular work there was not anything that reminded me of something else. I do not see any symbols, metaphors or allegories that are in this work.

INTERPRETATION - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say?

I think that the artist was trying to show the viewers the different between artworks in color and in black and white. The black and white is like a balance scale.

Sol LeWitt

Brick Wall

Paper (fiber product)

1977

There was no size listed

BE RECEPTIVE- Keep and open mind. Look for what is good. No put-downs allowed.

DESCRIPTION- Describe what you see. (Subject matter)?

This artwork, Brick Wall, is really of a Brick Wall. It looks like there are little stone pieces that are put together to create a wall.

FORMAL ANALYSIS- (form) What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

The elements of art that are used in this artwork are texture. Texture refers to the surface quality or feel of an object. The texture in this artwork is amazing. It looks as if the viewer can really touch it. Just by looking at this, the viewer can see that it has a rough surface. The principles of art are harmony and unity. This artwork goes together are one; therefore unity is demonstrated. Harmony gives the artwork and uncomplicated look, this work does not look complicated at all; therefore harmony is displayed.

BRACKETING - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (iconography)

To me, this symbolizes how strong a brick wall really it. It seems like by creating a brick wall, the artist is trying to protect itself from someone or something because brick walls are usually used in defense.

INTERPRETATION - (content)  What do you think the artist was trying to say?

I think that the artist was trying to show how strong a brick wall is. The artist was trying to tell the viewer, in my perspective, the beauty of a brick wall. People believe that a brick wall has no beauty to it, but really from this picture a brick wall has a lot of beauty to it. It can be various different colors, textures, and so much more.

Sol LeWitt

Lines and Color

Paper (Fiber Product)

1975

There was no size listed

BE RECEPTIVE- Keep and open mind. Look for what is good. No put-downs allowed.

DESCRIPTION- Describe what you see. (Subject matter)?

This artwork is of two squares that are full of color. They are two squares that are next to each other.

FORMAL ANALYSIS- (form) What principles and elements were used and how are they used?

The elements of art that are used in this artwork are form, shape, color, and space. Form and shape are displayed by the two enclosed cubes. Color because the cubes are painted in. The colors that were used are known as hues. Space refers to the distance or area between, around, above, or within things. The space between these two enclosed cubes is very small. There really is no space that is demonstrated. The principles of art that are used in this artwork are emphasis, variety, and unity. Emphasis refers to developing points of interest to pull the viewer’s eye to the important parts of the work. The emphasis in this artwork is the red cube. The viewer’s eye is drawn directly to it. Variety is displayed because there are two different colors that are used. Unity is when there is no confusion in the artwork and in this one there is no confusion; therefore unity is displayed.

BRACKETING - Is there anything in or about this work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or allegories?  (Iconography)

There is nothing that this artwork really reminds me of, besides color blocking. There are really no symbols, metaphors or allegories that are demonstrated.

INTERPRETATION - (content) what do you think the artist was trying to say?

I think that the artist was trying to tell the viewer the importance of these two colors. The colors were used for a reason; therefore I believe that these colors were meaningful to him otherwise he would not have used them. There is a reason for everything, so there is a reason on why yellow and red were used and why they were enclosed cubes.

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.?

From visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition was very interesting. I never really looked at an exhibition that much in detail, or even a gallery. Now I feel as if the way the gallery is set up with its works and the colors and such are so meaningful to the viewers. It sets the scene and the way the viewer’s should feel. The theme of the exhibition means a lot, it sets the tone for the exhibition. It is interesting to see how all the artworks all follow the one theme and are so similar but yet so different as well. I feel as if the gallery was not so open, then I would feel too congested and it would be very uncomfortable. This gallery visit really made me look at the gallery and the exhibitions in a very different perspective.

Week 11 -- Video Reviews

1. Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.
The videos I have chosen were: Matisse and Picasso, Expressionism, The Impact of Cubism, and Dada and Surrealism. I chose these four films because they were the ones that stood out to me the most, especially in the readings. When I was reading the chapter, they seemed to catch my eye; therefore I wanted to learn more about them, so I chose these four to watch the videos on and it really made me learn a lot more in depth instead of just reading. These were very interesting films and I really enjoyed watching them.


2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
Matisse and Picasso:
This film documents the complicated relationship between two indomitable personae. Matisse was serene, self-indulgent father figure. Picasso was the eternal adolescent and fiery primitive. The video employs archival photos and film clips, stunning images of painting and sculptures, and firsthand recollections of the Picasso and Matisse circles, illuminating the intersecting creative journeys of both artists. Picasso and Matisse had been broken with tradition with the establishment. Gertrude Stein was the first to recognize Matisse’s greatness in 1905 as well as Picasso. Matisse and Picasso were two very different artists. Matisse is deliberate, rational, and very French in the way he organized his thoughts. Picasso was a worker, impulsive, and immerses himself in his painting. Picasso and Matisse had two very different styles of painting as well. Picasso invents his first collage in 1912. this was at the forefront of cubism. A Russian collector buys 20 of Matisse’s paintings and 50 of Picasso’s. Matisse used Paris for inspiration. In 1917, he found the light he wanted to paint by in Nice, France. This was considered to be an at o cutting loose and leaving everything behind. Picasso’s life has turned upside down in the 1920s in Paris. Matisse had a passion for decorative pattern and motifs, this set u a “domestic harem”. Picasso parodies his work in order to provoke Matisse. In 1930, Matisse arrived in New York. He was treated like a star by America and he received the Carnegie Prize, the Nobel of the art world. Picasso did not travel, but he worked in solitude in his studio. He worked at night when he was “as close as possible to the unconscious”. He did not use a pallet or an easel. Unlike Picasso, Matisse worked by the clock on a regular schedule. The painting season for Matisse brought anxiety and fear. He never really knew where his inspiration would come from. For Picasso’s paintings three-fourth of the content do not exist outside the paintings. His inspiration comes from life, women were key to his paintings. Like Picasso, Matisse also painted women as well. Picasso began to incorporate roundness and color in his paintings in the 1920s. One of Matisse’s habits was to paint during the day and rub out what he has done at night. Picasso painted over the day’s work until a final painting may have a dozen or more layers. Picasso used lines borrowed from Matisse and Matisse borrows subjects, color, or lines from Picasso. Picasso had fits of depression and sometimes has suicidal ideas. Matisse was calm, but anguished and unable to sleep. He used his anguish as a tool in painting. There was an exhibition in London for both of their paintings, but Matisse rarely appear in public and Picasso loves it. Matisse and Picasso move to south France in 1948. Picasso began to appear a new medium, which was ceramics. Picasso and Matisse studied each others painting to learn or to do the opposite. Matisse devotes four years of his later years to designing the Vence Chapel. He used light to introduce immensity into a small space. Picasso painted within the communist concept, “War and Peace”. In 1954, Matisse did and Picasso moves to Cannes.

Expressionism:
Expressionism emphasized color’s emotional properties while it demonstrated far less concern than the Fauves had with the formal and structural composition of color. The contemporary Neo-Expressionism has further developed this artistic approach. Edward Munch, who was an artists created imagery that broke radically with established norms of content and style. In 1894, “Ashes” was painted. This dealt with the recurrent theme of the problematic relationship between man and woman and the mysteries of the sexuality. “Ashes” was originally named “After the Fall”; it depicted modern Adam and Eve in the moments after their fall from grace. The forms are strongly simplified. He created a visual to his inner emotional experience. In 1892, a Berlin exhibition of Munich’s work caused an outrage so it closed. He translated his work into other media like lithography. He shared his pessimistic view of sexual relationships with Swedish dramatist August Strindberg and a German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. “The Scream” was another one of Munich’s works of art. He painted portraits in a comparatively representational style. “Anxiety” was the depiction of pure emotion. He never painted a picture cycle as this one, but most of his works were related to each other some how. His works represent a consistent and pessimistic view of life. These works were categorized as “The Frieze of Life”. The work called “The Tiger” showed simplification of form and color. This work was created by Franz Marc. He belonged to an association of painters in Munich who labeled themselves “The Blue Rider” group. A Russian painter, Kandinsky led this group. Kandinsky is now seen as a part of the creation of the modern art movement. Marc’s work delivered a dream world free of man. “Tiger” may be intimidations that a terrible war is not far away. Bernhard Koehler gave him a degree of financial security. Marc’s work called “Rain” shows cubism and Cezanne. The cubist influence is even stronger in “The Tiger”. It is used as a means of heightening realism and sentiment, which can be seen in “Deer in the Forest”, which was a famous work that was painted in 1912. A year after “The Tiger” was painted, the forest became a place of menace is “The Fate of Animals”. Marc tried to envisage the apocalypse to come in his last paintings; unfortunately he was killed in World War I. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner painted a series of works which freatured “tarts” on the streests of a busy city. Ludwig has a sketch of “Five Women in the Street” in a museum. His representation of Berlin is busy capital mark a high point in his career. He found an artists associated called The Bridge. This associated called on the younger artists to seek a creative way of life; they wanted the young starting out artist to oppose to traditional forces. Die Brucke pictures are dominated by views of studio life as seen in “Self Portrait with Model”. His visual language became linear and tense during the Berlin years. The “Women in the Street” series seemed to contain premonitions of the approaching disaster. Kirchner sense the coming world war and his anxiety eventually led to his nervous break down. Max Beckmann started painting; he worked with the style of German impressionist artist’s like Max Liebermann. His style eventually changed dramatically from his experience in World War I. Beckmann’s famous work of art, “Actors” contained a lot of bright colors and stiff gestures in the figures. The figures were reminiscent of puppets. It was difficult to find meaning from look at what is considered to be a play and a picture. To Beckmann, the meaning was personal. The play on the stage actually became a metaphor to his own life. Georg Baselitz was a German painter as well. He usually associated his works with images that invert or undermine tradition. He will allow intimidations of brutality and anxiety into his pictures at the same times as his subject shave a sense of glamour. “The Great Friends” was one of his famous works of art. The figures in this painting appeared to be standing on a wasteland perhaps as the last survivors of a battle, which explained many things about the painting as a whole. His figures were called “new types”, which were used in many of his paintings. These “new types” can be a reference to Germany’s past. He was always drawn to the idea of the clean sweep. In “The Great Friends”, the scenery was turned upside down. Anselm Kiefer was a German artist who was born in 1945, which was at the end of World War II. Most of his work would allude to the darkly to the war. “Operation Sea Lion” was one of his famous works. This work depicts a famous naval campaign taking place in a bath rub. His technique was brutally rough. Kiefer loved textures; they usually mixed the paint with actual pieces of wood. “Interior” was another one of Kiefers works. This was a first look like a tribute to American painter Jackson Pollock. This painting suggested the gutted remains of Leonardo Davinci’s Last Supper. If the viewer did not know the history of Herman; then if would be very hard to understand Kiefer’s work, as well as traditions about painting.

The Impact of Cubism:
This was influenced by t works of Cezanne, African trial art, and the art of the Iberian Peninsula. Cubism was the most influential styles of the early 20^th century. It was offered by European artists unfamiliar. “The Breakfast Table” by Juan Gris is discussed in this video. He reveals his independence using spiritual elements and the imagination. He first starts with the abstraction and he finishes with the real object. This creates interesting juxtapositions. “The Violin” by Juan Gris was also discussed. He expands his artist’s ambition with this painting by using the techniques of the musical composition to layer elements of sound. He decided to incorporate collage which was a tribute to the Spanish tradition. Marcel Duchamp used an experimental approach to represent movement of a figure evolving in space and time. This was demonstrated in his famous work, “Sad Young Man on a Train”. The elasticity of the figure is achieved tough small, dark and oblique angles. Robert Delaunay combines several points of view in his works. He combines the nontraditional laws of perspective, elements of time and memory to reveal the Eiffel Tower as a confused, exciting statement about life. This was demonstrated in “Champ de Mars”. He explored the inner laws of light and color. In his work “Circular Forms” he used color as the subject of the painting to guide the spectator’s perception of the picture as a whole. In “Electric Prisms” by Sonia Delaunay, spiral forms were establishing direction, focus attention and symbolize Paris electric lights. There was a collaboration of verbal and visual, which showed the poet and the artist. She made art a part of her life. She demonstrated this concept in being a fashion designer and an interior decorator. She let art inform her designs. Malevich’s work, “An Englishman in Moscow”, invited the viewers to look for meaning in the painting separate from the recognizable world. This was a style of cubism, but it was not in content. He overturns conventional logic to find the inner meaning. He searched for the mystical experiences represented in religious icons to order to find the essence of abstraction. An example of this was “White Cross”, which is the purest representation of forces, emotions and imagination. “Farewells” by Umberto Boccioni was inspired by the cinema screen to paint a fractured vision of modern city life synthesized in many moods. He represented cubism as a visual phenomenon; line and color connect figures and environments to create powerful moods and settings to reveal personal values and visual complexity.

Dada and Surrealism:
The Dada movement was a reaction to World War I. It’s successor was Surrealism, which opened new avenues for artistic creation by striving to bypass the reasoning proves and tap directly into the unconscious mind. There were many different works of art that were discussed in this video to demonstrate Dada and Surrealism. Kurt Schwitters who was a German Artist realized the unlimited possibilities of collage which was in 1918. He builds a house that fills three rooms. In his art, many objects were included. He found a magazine called “Merz”. This artist included rural objects in his art. Light dances off the objects in his art. Hannah Hoch was a Dadaist. Hoch used art to attack the society she detests. Her photomontage, “Cut With the Kitchen Knife”, in 1919 contains chaotic figures. It made a monumental political statement and attacked political figures. The energy and the confusion of the modern city are represented in her photomontage of New York. “Untitled” by George Grosz, was part of the collective, mechanical concept that mankind has become. In 1926, he paints “Pillars of Society”, which is a bitter attack on his enemies. He paints a wide social range of Berlin’s subjects. Joan Miro was a Spanish Surrealist. In 1928, “Dutch Interior I” was created. This was a parody of a Dutch 17^th century patining. He paints only the abstract structures of its composition. He bypasses traditional associations of his work. “Dutch Interior II” was made up of taut, curving lines. It was a parody of a painting by Dutch painter Jan Steen. His paintings had one experience but with two different ways of looking at the world. Salvador Dali created “The Burning Giraffe”. He was a surrealist painter who probes the darkest regions of the human subconscious. His imagination conjures p a world in which nothing made sense. He includes arid, barren landscapes in his work. “La Fortune” was created by Man Ray. The individual components of the painting are true to life. The other elements diverge form reality. The familiar objects appear in an unfamiliar arrangement. Ray was considered to be the Artist of the unexpected. He dedicates a series of works to Isidore Ducasse, who was a writer. “La Fortune” is open to many interpretations, it is left up to the viewer to look at it and put their viewpoint on it.


3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos relate to the readings in the text by adding more depth to the text. The films give the viewers more of a visual; therefore the viewers do not have to try to picture what went on during these times or any different types of art works. With the films, the viewers are able to actually see it. I feel as if it sticks to me better rather than just reading the text.


4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
I thought that the films were very interesting. They really seem to add a lot more depth to the readings. It made me understand these concepts and artists a lot better. They caught my eye in the readings and I have very happy I chose these films to watch. By actually seeing visuals, rather than trying to visualize it really helps more.

Mask Making

3 Inspiration Masks:
 

This is a female mask that is celebrating femine beauty and cultural pride. It was made by the Punu peoples, Garbon. It was created out of wood and pigment. The people were admired for their delicate beauty, the Punu people were famous for their white-face masks. This really appealed to the Western Museum collectors over a century. This mask portrays the feminine beauty: elegant coiffure, rounded forehead, highly arched eyebrows, almond shaped eyes, narrow face and a small chin. There is a sculpted line between the not and ears on the mask which represents an ornamental chain of jewelry. The mask is white which signifies beauty and spirituality. The Punu femine beauty is associated with the whiteness of the spirit world. This was worn by a dancer on six-foot tall stilts, the performer’s graceful acrobatic feats of bending and twisting are admired by all.

This mask displays value. The mask is white therefore it shows the lightness of color. It is very balanced as well. Both sides of the mask are even with features. The is emphasis as well. When a viewer looks at this mask they are drawn to the middle part where the line is featured. Line is displayed in the mask.

This mask is called Beautiful Ancestress. This was made by the Chokwe peoples and it was created out of wood and pigment. The Chokwe peoples were masked dancers that perform in villages during the initiation period. The name of this mask means “young woman”. It represents a female ancestor who died at a young age, and it is a reminder of the theme of death which is part of the initiation experience of death and rebirth. The shape of the face is of a deceased person which sunken eye sockets and a gaunt face. The “tears” that are carved under the eyes express the painful experience of loss through death. Pwo idealizes feminine values; the dancer performs gracefully and teaches good manners to the spectators. The power and the elegance of the dancer’s performance is supposed to bring fertility to the women of the village. The mask has filled teeth and decorative scarifications reproduce the appearance of the initiated young women.

This mask has texture in it. Just by looking at the mask, you are able to tell what the mask is going to feel like. Rhythm is displayed. There are alternating lights and darks in this work. Unity is shown in this mask as well. It does not appear to be confusing or disjointed.



This mask is called the Bauta. This is the most famous mask. Some of the other famous masks come from the Commedia dell’ Arte “The Plague Doctor”, which was characterized by a long beak, Harlequin easily recognized for his colorful costume, Colombine the beautiful, Pantalone the merchant fool who has found his way into the English culture. The Mattaccino was a clown of the carnival.

This mask displays value. It goes from having color to a white chin. It also has rhythm because it goes from lights to darks. Texture is also displayed. The design in the mask is some what three dimensional; therefore a person is able to see the texture of the mask.

SKETCHES:

MY MASK:

I chose to use a lot of color because when I think of a mask I think of color and Mardi Gras. The ones I found for my inspiration inspired me to create my mask based on females. I wanted my mask to look like she had makeup on; therefore I colored in her lips red and her eyes blue to make it look like she had on eyeshadow. I also create eyelashes on the mask as well. The top where it is purple and has a design on it, I just wanted it to be colorful and underneath there are black dots which are suppose to be jewels on her forhead lining. Also by making a colorful mask it has emphasis. The top part of the mask that has the design on it displays line as well. Space is shown by showing the distance around, and between things; like the distance between the eyes and the lips. Since this is a colorful mark, there is a lot of variety in it, especially with the colors. Each of the sides are balanced. For this project, I just used colored pencils. I liked my finished mask. I think that it would look really good if it was an actual mask and if it was three dimensional. I believe from looking at it now, I probably would have done a few things different with creating my mask. During the creation process, I wanted to make it very feminine. In the beginning I was very confussed on what I wanted to actually do, but in the end it all came together.

Week Ten - Video Reviews

Explain why you selected each of the FOUR videos you choose from the selection listed above.
The four videos that I chose were African Art: Legacy of Oppression, African Art, Buddhism, and Hinduism. I chose these because when I looked at the list of videos, these really stood out to me. I found them very interesting. I thought since I found the African art so interesting in our text, I wanted to know more about it and learn the deeper meaning of it; therefore I chose both of the African Art videos and it really caught my eye more and made me appreciate African art so much more rather than just reading the text. Buddhism and Hinduism I also found to be interesting as well. I learned about these two religions in the past and they have always stood out to me; therefore same as the African Art I wanted to know a deeper meaning and know more depth about these religions so I picked these movies. I feel like that there is only so much that the textbook will tell the reader about a topic, I feel that the video gives more depth and a better understanding to things.


For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
AFRICAN ART: LEGACY OF OPPRESSION
Belgium Tervuren Museum contains the world’s largest collection of Central African art, which consists of approximately 250,000 pieces. This boasts the world’s largest collection of Central African art. The extensive range of art styles is attributed to the Congo’s more than 250 different cultures. African art influences the early masters of the twentieth century. The shocking expressions and body positions leads to abstract art. African art glorifies motherhood, cheifhood and the ordinary. The African masks with contorted features frighten enemies. Half the Congo’s population was wiped out during Belgium King Leopold’s colonization and slave labor conquest.  The Belgiums bring Africana rt to Belgium, considered “curiosities of a primitive people”. The Africans were brutalized by Leopold’s army and put on display at his Tervuren Museum. Paul Solman discusses the power and the true price of this collection with art historian Ramona Austin and the journalist/author Adam Hochschild.

AFRICAN ART
In the villages of the sub-Saharan Africa where traditions are still strong, art is an integral part of their daily life. This video examines the symbolism, aesthetics, and functionality of African art through the vast region’s sculpture, masks, architecture, ornaments, clothing, and utensils. Aesthetics sense is shown in dress, hair, styles, and forms of ornamentation, rituals, and performance art. The oldest existing African art is found in drier regions. Ancient bush paintings represent animals and humans; these stylized pictures may be a wish of luck in the hunt. Egyptian and Sharan art and architecture show influence of agriculture Bronze castings of Nigeria date from the 15^th century. A royal residence in South Easter Africa shows a symbolic art and architectural styles of the 14^th century. There is such great diversity of African art. These artists repeat traditional designs, adding their own refinements. African religious beliefs are explored through rituals—a spiritual form of performance art—and funerary statuary. Supernatural powers are controlled through art objects. Masks are highly stylized and embellished. Costumers are designed to be used by fire light. Modern African Art is created for the mass market. The Prehistoric rock art is also presented, and the conceptual nature of African art is stressed.

BUDDHISM
The Buddhist fact and legend is intertwined in Bodh Gaya, India. The key to this teaching is “tanha”, which is the extinguishing of all desires and all things that feed the ego. Buddhism split into two groups: “hinayana” and “mahanyana”. During and after the Golden Age of Buddha, the Buddhist art and architecture flowered across India. Sanchi is a center of Buddhist art and architecture. In these ornate carvings of the Great Stupa, Buddha disappears into symbolism and is represented only by the Bodhi Tree. Along this is a walkway there every step is a discovery of the Buddhist art and architecture. In the central highlands of Java, lotus-shaped Borobudur stands as the largest Buddhism shine in the world. At the top, stands a monument of 432 carved Buddhas. Borobudur is uncovered in 1815. He was buried by the volcanic debris and vegetation. In Carmel, New York, the Chuang Yen Monastery is a complex of the buildings that were dedicated to Buddhism. In the walls there are Buddhist statues in the style of the Tang dynasty and the largest Buddha statue in the Western Hemisphere. A religion that began by repudiating rituals, questions, prayer and the idea of a personal god, ends up embracing all of these. In India, Buddhism and Hinduism share commonalities. Religious monuments are considered truly “Heaven on Earth”.

HINDUISM
This video lets the viewer know the insight into the practice of Hinduism through the architecture and the art of India. This video goes through Varanasi to Mamallapuram and Khajuraho. Varanasi is the holiest city in India. In this city the River Ganges is the symbol of life, death, and rebirth. On this river, a priest performs “aarti”, which is a ceremony to honor Brahma/God. Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism function in a way similar to Christian saints by providing access to Brahma/God. The Hindu architecture is lush with decorative sculptures of many of their gods. Cremation in Varanasi on the Ganges is an assurance of the direct access to heaven. In Mamallapuram, India, the Mother Ganges turns to stone. This becomes a holy and high decorated place. It is carved within boulders; the caves are highly decorated with the epic and the ordinary, the fantastic and the familiar. This is a lavish piece. It is decorated beautifully. The Shore Temple is a treasure house of Hindu art and architecture. The Kandariya Mahadev Temple, which was built in the ninth century by the Chandella rules, stands in Khajuraho, India. The panels which are lavishly decorated are covered in erotic images. The Pilgrims pay a homage to the lingam/pyhallus for it life=giving, creative forces. The Great breath is a source of all life for Indus in Brahma. Hinduism teaches that there are many ways to Brahma/God and these ways are symbolized by many gods. Hinduism carries within it a deep sense of spiritual in the ordinary and the everyday life.


How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos relate to the readings in the text by adding more depth to the text. There is only so much that a reader can get out of reading a textbook, I feel as if there is more depth and understanding with the videos. It gives the viewer a better understanding rather than just reading. I feel as if a person can retain the information better from a video because it is a visual.


What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?
I prefer to watch the films rather than to read the text. Like how I kept saying, it gives me a better understanding and more depth to a topic rather than just reading a text book. I am a visual person; therefore I feel as if visuals have more of an effect on me and makes me remember things a lot better instead of just words on a piece of paper with nothing behind it. The films make you see what really went on and give you an actual picture instead of reading a textbook and you are trying to envision something.