Post blog #8

My visit to the Chelsea galleries was magnificent. I especially enjoyed variety of of different style displayed in the galleries. We got a tiny introduction to every type of art. One visually striking work of art was the sculpture of a cup that seemed to be covered in blood and gore. The sculpture was massive. I could not believe the amount of work that seemed to be put into it. The bright glossy red screamed "LOOK THIS WAY". There was a sense of deep darkness incorporated with the piece. The entire exhibition conveyed a dark theme. The big yellow chair was very interesting too. I wonder what exactly was he trying to say with this? Is he for or against execution? Why do their prices start at 400,000? I'm still trying to figure that out. Nonetheless i was left mesmerized by the solid bold primary color in the work. I was left questioning myself about motive behind a lot of works: For instance The stack of index cards, the balls of straws, the chocolate factory. I wish i could comprehend, but it was a lot of art to digest in that short amount of time. By far my favorite exhibition was "Flowers", i was literally left dazed, confused, and with a bit of a headache. But after seeing the side view of the work i finally understood, and i kind of wanted one of the pieces of art. I was so interested that i was left behind by the class. This trip was indeed my favorite of all. I enjoyed the amount of work displayed and that we saw their prices.

Blog post #7/ Online assignment

Today's art society has taken an obvious discourse. Today the value of an artwork is shaped by the artist popularity. The price of the piece of art has absolutely nothing to do with its actual artistic quality. editor and critiques have the common goal of increasing the market of specific types of art and artists. This phenomenon surely makes many artist question their own ability. I imagine them asking themselves, Why Francis Bacon and not me? This is a very good question. Does Francis Bacon put more effort? Is his work better quality? Does it represent something of more significance? In my opinion, it doesn't. I solely believe that an artworks price should depend of amount of evident effort, the value of mediums, overall quality. I believe that during an auction, the artist's name should only be given to the buyer after the purchase has been made. This would prevent buyers from purchasing a work solely due to the artist's popularity, and make them appreciate the style and quality.

Here is a work by Ramon Peralta, a Dominican born artist and close family friend. The monochromatic oil painting was brought about by Peralta's interest in paper and the way breeze effects it. Personally I don't know if any artwork is worth more than 5k. Then again if Francis Bacon got 142.4 million for his work of art, there is no reason why this one can't in my opinion. 

Blog post

In 2012, the NYPD took over the duties of the ASPCA humane law enforcement unit. Any and every NYPD police office must respond to any animal related call.  Many NYPD officers were totally unaware of this, and some simply didn’t care. Many officers are upset that taxpayer’s dollars are being spent on the enforcement of humane (animal) laws. Some feel that they have better things to do than rescuing sick and neglected animals. My question is if the NYPD doesn’t want to do it, who will?

If I could make artwork representing my cause I would make a sculpture of a NYPD officer riding a horse. My sculpture would be located in Wall Street. I would remove the bronze bull from Wall Street and replace it with my horse. The artwork would be also made of bronze. The sculpture would have text carved into its base, stating, “Well horsey, now that the NYPD is taking over for the ASPCA we gotta go save some animals. So now we’ll just work you guys twice as hard.” The sculpture would have an NYPD officer riding a thin emaciated horse. The horse would have a tight harness around its head used to lead it in the right direction. The officer would have sharp spurs used to stab the horse in the side to speed it up.

This sculpture would directly represent the NYPD’s lack of interest in taking over for the ASPCA. My sculpture would be a slightly humorous and hypocritical artwork. This NYPD officer would be hypocritical because he would be committing animal cruelty by overworking the horse, in his battle of animal cruelty. The officer’s use of a harness and spurs shows the officer who taxpayers pay to protect animals, committing animal cruelty.

This artwork would be for the people who don’t believe in using tax dollar to effectively fight animal cruelty and inform pet owner on how to properly care for their pets. This artwork would also be for the police officers who believe they have more important things to do. This monument would have a simple message. Its message would be that the people/officers who should be in charge of fighting animal cruelty, should be people/officer who want to help animals. 

My Museum/Museum Review Essay #3

My Museum would be the most unique museum in the east coast. I would name it “Melting Pot Island Museum". The Museum would be located in the center of Roosevelt Island, Manhattan, New York. Roosevelt Island is a small island in-between Manhattan and Queens. I decided to place the museum there because it is the center of New York City, making it easy for  people from all five boroughs to attend the museum.

The museum would be a large pentagon shape with five large walls. One wall will be facing east towards Queens. Another wall would be facing southeast towards Brooklyn. The next wall would be facing southwest towards Staten Island. The next wall would be facing west towards Manhattan. The last wall would be facing north towards the Bronx. The walls would be covered with neatly spray painted graffiti by artist’s directly originating from the borough the wall faces. The wonderful graffiti art displayed at Melting Pot Island Museum would attract a hefty amount of young audience and modern artist.

The Museum would have an abundance of lights surrounding its borders that would brighten the entire Island. The museum would be nearly impossible to miss. The museum would be clearly visible from the most famous hotels in lower Manhattan and Astoria, Queens, making it a great tourist attraction. The Museum would further attract tourist because it would be clearly visible to planes landing at LaGuardia Airport. Melting Pot Island Museum would also be a tourist attraction because it will intercept the tourist’s route from JFK airport to Manhattan.

          The inside of Melting Pot Island Museum would be made of five exhibitions. Each exhibition would represent each of New York City’s boroughs. The art displayed in these exhibitions would consist of art created by artist from the borough that the exhibition represents. Melting Pot Island Museum’s mission is to provide a gallery where never before heard of artist can display their work. The museum will hold no famous artist’s work. The art would be work from very talented artist who hold no work in other Museum such as The Met, or The Guggenheim. The art would consist of painting and sculptures of ideas that directly represent New York City’s diverse population. The cost of entry for Melting Pot Island Museum would be $8 or your very own creative work of art representing the museum’s concept. Special works of art created by NYC residents will be installed into the exhibition where the artist originates, and eventually will be auctioned off to create room for more art. Sixty percent of the art auction's proceeds will go to the artist. 

Blog Post #5 Graffiti

7:00 in the morning, trying to keep my heavy eyelids wide open trying to peek through the crowd, out the J Train window, attempting to catch a tiny brief glimpse of some of Brooklyn's famous graffiti art as the train zips along. Then I ponder. Is it really art?

Yes it indeed is. According to famous philosopher Clive Bell, what makes something art is the aesthetic emotion is sparks from within us. These pieces of graffiti art each have significant forms that do just that. Its purpose it to simply do something you like. Graffiti can have many purposes. Its purpose may serve to simply raise recognition of the artists' given name, or to just thrill the artist who is committing a crime. Graffiti can also be created to provide a place for human purpose, or to give solid form to feeling and ideas. For instance, many graffiti artists create memorials for lost loved ones. This graffiti memorial would serve as a physical memory of that beloved being. Fellow loved ones can gather around and remember their lost friend or family member.

John Cotton Dana in "The Gloom of the Museum" states that art collectors "collected so that they might possess, not that they might use, and not for the pleasure and advancement of the world at large". Dana explains that the collector who previously owned the artworks now displayed in the museums, collected art just to display their wealth. They didn't find pleasure or an emotional attachment in the art. As a result of this, I do not believe that graffiti art should be in museums. Graffiti is an art done for simple recognition and personal pleasure. When graffiti is made for financial benefits, it becomes a job and not a hobby or passion. I believe that what makes graffiti unique and mesmerizing is its canvas. It’s always fun to imagine how the artist got up there, whether the art is on a train, a billboard, or roof. Once graffiti is placed in a museum we lose the thing that makes graffiti art exquisite and unique.

Museum Essay Post #2 Guggenheim Visit

                At first glance, Carrie Mae Weems' exhibition, "Three Decades of Photography and Video", appeared bland colorless and unappealing. I honestly believed that the exhibition lacked attention grabbing qualitys. As I gazed at these works of art, I slowly began to understand their purpose. As I read and pondered the writings placed next to these works of art my opinion rapidly shifted. I realized that these were simple images that provoke contemplation on ignored stereotypes. With these images, Weems challenges and exposes existing stereotypes of both gender and race.

    It the series,"Ain't Jokin", Weems confronts viewers with common stereotypes. In the series, Weems presents an image titled, "Black Man Holding Watermelon". This image simply and bluntly displays a black man standing up straight holding a watermelon. Weems also presents an image titled, "Black Woman with Chicken". This image simply shows a black woman holding a piece of fried chicken. These two images clearly shed light on the common black stereotypes that black people love watermelon and fried chicken. Although Weems displays these images in a somewhat humorous manner, these images provoke contemplation on these two offensive African-American stereotypes.

In Carrie Mae Weems' video, "Afro Chic", woman all different ages, skin tones, shapes and sizes strut down a runway showing off their exaggerated afros and fashionable clothing. What struck me about this video was its similarities in hair styles and attire with the movie "Austin Power's Goldmember". In this video, Weems directly tackles the preconceived notion that models must be thin, fair skinned, and ideally beautiful. Weems shows that these afro wearing women are not only beautiful, but they can also model. "Afro Chic", displays an image of Angela Davis and an image of Huey Newton. The significance of the first image is that Angela Davis in known for her infamous afro hairdo and for her role in the creation of the concept that "black is beautiful". The significance of the second image is that Huey Newton was a cofounder of the black panthers. These confident afro wearing women are accompanied by Marvin Gaye’s popular song, “Sanctified Lady”. These two images drawn direct parallels to the ideas that black is beautiful Weems tackle.

                This visit to the Solomon Guggenheim Museum was a lot more informative and educational, than my visit to the Metropolitan Museum. The Guggenheim displayed a controlled number of artworks with historical meaning, while the Met was a bit overwhelming with the number of artworks. Overall I enjoyed both museums. I enjoyed the different colors and varieties of styles at the Metropolitan, and I enjoyed the historical context presented at the Guggenheim.

Blog Post #4 Accidental Art

 "Thanks For the Mess, Mom!!"

I spotted this piece instantly after getting home. Most see this coffee mug and think "Who left this mess??", I see this and i see a beautiful monochromatic accidental artwork. What first struck me about this piece is the variety of brown tones. I focus the camera in an angle that clearly showed all the different brown tones in the piece. A beautiful dark brown tone is displayed in the inside of the mug and the in elk drawn in the front. The dark coffee spilled on to the paper towel displaying a much lighter tone of brown. The Coffee that spills down the side of the mug display a darker brown tone as it completely dried.  The elegant design printed on the napkin also is made up of a couple of different brown and dark red tones. Yet another element that makes this piece amazing is the coincidence that my mother worn a reddish brown lipstick adding to the variety o the brown tones displayed in the piece. Lastly that chair that the mug was place on is the darkest of all brown tones. I find it amazing that this artwork was done completely unintentional.

"Worn, Water-Spotted, Burnt Table or Exquisite Work of Art?" 

Here is a table is walk past every day in my living room. But today, I analyze the table an exquisite accidental work of monochromatic art. What strikes me about this work is the variety of brown tones. The table displays three different brown tones. First, the original color of the table is dark brown. Over time water that spills on the table soaks in and create these very light brown water-spots. On the top right had corner appears two dark brown tones. These two circles were unintentionally created when a hookah charcoal was dropped on the table. Lastly the background displays a combination of brown tones. This background consists of hardwood flooring with both dark and brown tones.

Museum Review Post #1

       During our trip to the Metropolitan Museum, many paintings in the European section captured my attention. One painting that captured my attention was "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist" by Bernard van Orley. "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist" is a representational oil painting, painted in 1514-15. In  this remarkable oil painting, Orley objectively displays the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. The graphic scene displays a man with a long sword placing the severed head on a platter and presents it to a group of people. This outstanding work of art stood out to me with its bold use of contrasting primary colors such as red and blue, and its mellow use of light and dark brown tones. Orley uses the illusion of three-dimensional space to show an active town in the background and another dramatic scene taking place in another room.

     Another painting that I was drawn towards during my visit to the Metropolitan Museum was "Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist", by Andrea Solario. "Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist" is a representational oil painting completed in 1507. The oil painting objectively displays a woman receiving the graphic severed head of Saint John the Baptist.

    I was instantly captivated by the similarities displayed in "The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist", and "Salome with the Head of saint John  the Baptist". Bernard van Orley and Andrea Solario both present their oil paintings on a wooden canvas making their work much sharper and fascinating. Another similarity is that they both convey the same event. Orley and Solario both display the severed head of Saint John the Baptist dripping blood in a graphic manner. There is also a resemblance between the two woman receiving  the head on the platter. Both artist display bold primary colors contrasting each other, such as blue and red.


    Despite the obvious similarities in these two oil paintings, they are also different in numerous ways. For instance, Solario only paints John the Baptist's head, the woman receiving it on the platter, and only the arm of the person placing the head on the platter, while Orley displays many full bodied people in the background. Also Solario used black negative space, giving subjective meaning to the oil painting. The black dark tone used as negative space represents a dark time where the graphic scene took place. Orley filled his background with many people subjectively showing both positive and negative emotion. Orley displays people weeping in another room, showing that they are disturbed and upset with the beheading. Lastly, Bernard van Orley's painting was completed 8 years before Andrea Solario's. It is apparent that Orley had a better recollection of the events that took place on that day. This has subjective meaning because Orley's painting displayed a much more precise and detailed scene than Solario's,

Blog Post #3 "Male vs Female"

"Big Man", by Ron Mueck, is a representational figurative sculpture, held in the Strange Bodies exhibition, at the Hirshborn Museum and Sculpture Garden. This exceptional resin and fiber glass sculpture, displays an enormous ogre-like naked man sitting in a corner. What first stuck me about this work of art was its lifelike appearance. I was mesmerized by the fact that the man was ironically sitting in a fetal position. Ron Mueck, in "Big Man", makes near exact reference to realistic human form, revealing the “Big Man’s” features and flaws.

John Berger, in “Ways of Seeing”, states, “Women are depicted in a quite different way from men – not because the feminine is different from the masculine – but because the ‘ideal’ spectator is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him”. Ron Mueck exemplifies Ron Berger’s concept in, “Big Man”. The sculpture visually strikes the viewer by displaying an imperfect male sculpture opposed to an idealized female sculpture. Mueck went outside the box and stunned people with his remarkable design. The usual naked sculpture or painting would be of a female looking at the viewer. Mueck displays an angry naked man who looks the least bit flattering. Mueck proves Berger’s concept stating that if a naked feminine figure was replaced with a male figure, we will be taken by surprise.

 

 

 

 

HW Blog #2

        

         In 1921, Henri Matisse created "Reclining Odalisque". This representational oil painting stood out to me with its bold use of contrasting primary colors, such as red and blue. This remarkable two dimensional oil painting used straight white lines of negative space to divide the red geometric pattern decorating the room. The artist also used lines and geometric shapes, such as rectangles and squares, to divide the hardwood and tiles making up the floor. "Reclining Odalisque" subjectively displays a woman reclining on a pillow. This painting objectively displays a seemingly wealthy young woman lying in complete relaxation and comfort. The amount of creative detail in the room's decor, lead me to believe this is a very wealthy young woman. The artist also displays the woman's wealth with the golden sculpture she is lying next to and the piece of jewelry on her ankle. Another item that represents the woman's wealth is the makeup on the table and on her face. Lastly, the woman's wealth is shown by the way she seemingly reclines without a worry or care in the world. The artist used negative space under the table with makeup and in between the geometric patterns decorating the door. The artist often used warm primary colors on its smooth canvas, making this oil painting achromatic.

WHAT IS ART?

I ask myself what is "ART"? That is about as broad as a question can get. Art is using your creativity as a way to express yourself. Although some may not know it, Art is a part of our everyday lives. Art can be anything. Art does not have to be created on a canvas or a sheet of paper to be considered Art. The pattern sewed into your socks is Art. The table which you enjoy your dinner on is Art. The building you walk out of every day is Art. There are many different forms of art, such as, pyramids, building, shoes, clothes, statues and monuments. These different forms of Art can be created for different purposes, such as to create places for human purpose, or to give a solid form to feelings and ideas. 

For example, The 9/11 memorial is a beautiful meaningful place created for human purpose. It was created in  order to commemorate those who lost their lives on that unforgettable day.

This is a wonderful piece painted by a very close family friend, Ramon Peralta. In this piece Ramon Peralta gave solid form to his feelings and ideas. This painting was inspired by paper and the way it moves. This piece was shown in the Martin Arts Gallery at Baker Center for the Art, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA.