Blog Post #8

Although I was unable to attend the class trip on Wednesday I was able to visit one of the many galleries on Tuesday. I can honestly say I am a bit bummed out I didn’t get a chance to visit the rest of the galleries but I’ll be sure to do this summer. The one exhibit I was able to to visit was Tara Donovan on W 25th. The one thing that struck me about this installation was the fact that as soon as I came across it I immediately thought about ice glaciers in Alaska except these were a bit more isolated. From afar it was as if someone had taken 12 glaciers and stuck them inside a Manhattan studio, the overall texture of them looked to be bumpy at first but when I took a closer look I noticed that the artist had actually constructed them to be rigid not bumpy. By using what looked to be like paper cuts of cardboard the artist was able to stack them up in different ways the build the “glaciers”. The monochromatic color and the way the each of the stacks and stacks of what look like paper made me think of a messy secretaries desk with stacks and stacks of paperwork. As I walked into the other room my first impression of Tara Donovan’s enormous installation “Untitled” was “Wow”. At first glance I thought “it looks like a fuzzy discombobulated teddy-bear”. I know if I would have said that out loud others in the gallery would have thought I was crazy for thinking so but the reason being was that when I was younger I had a teddy bear that resembled the same monochromatic color and what appeared to be from far away as a fuzzy soft texture. As I walked closer to it though I was stunned to find out that Tara Donovan constructed this installation with acrylic! The sheerness and shininess of the thin acrylic pieces put together made up a stunning work of art. 

Blog Post #7

Ben Weiner: Paintings of Paint

Throughout the trips I have taken through this course I’ve somehow always had the same question in the back of my head…”What makes the work of art so important and expensive?” Yes there are some painting that when one takes a look at you can tell it is one of a kind, but then their are those that look like something you yourself can create. So why that work of art? Maureen Callahan makes a point in saying that the reason why such works of art are so expensive is because of the name that goes attached to the work of art. Todays buyers only look at the artist name and not the actual work of art. Art seems to have become a game of “popularity”. Buyers only want what is popular and modern and in return popular museums like the MoMa and the Guggenheim mostly display what is “popular”. Some artist are even using their staff to produce their artwork but then end up taking the credit and millions of dollars for it, which I find completely unfair. If collectors are spending millions of dollars on these works of art shouldn’t they come directly from the artist, but in a way is it just bad karma to the millionaires who spent all these dollars on those pieces for absolutely no reason? Whatever the case is, when it comes to art I personally believe art collectors have become passive consumers, they will just follow the current trend. If you see a piece of work you like and it captivates your attention I believe it has value. Buyers should buy what they like not what others tell them they should buy. If a person is going to spend a large amount of money on something it should be spent on something that they will enjoy and something they value. 

One piece of artwork that I would love to purchase is by artist Ben Weiner's, “Painting of Paint”. I find this work of art to be different than anything I have ever seen, the vibrant colors and the realistic overall feel on the painting makes it all the more mesmerizing.

Blog Post #6

Patient Care or Dollar Bills?

What does your physician really see?

       The message behind this monument is to bring awareness to health care fraud. Some patients are victims of insurance fraud and they aren’t even aware of it. Some (not all) doctors will run test on patients which are not medically necessary just so they can go ahead and bill the insurance company and receive more money. Doctors will simplify tell the patients that the test being performed are routine exams but in reality they are not or they will tell the patient that they believe they have “something” but they first need to have the exam before the doctor can rule it out. Some of the times the doctors will just say this to get the patient to do the exam. .The doctor will simply falsify the patients diagnostic to “justify” the exam being performed when they bill the health care insurance. I have been witnessed to this being done, and I noticed that Hispanics were mostly targeted.

My monument is one of where a doctor is examining his patient with his stethoscope, listening to the patient’s heartbeat, but in reality all that the doctor see’s on his examination table is a patient with money. I would place my monument somewhere in New York City and the reason why would be because many people work in the city and many tourist go there as well. I think it would be a perfect place to have a monument because many people would pass by it and look at it everyday. This monument would be for almost everyone, I would want this monument to open peoples eyes to the reality out there. Not all physicians have your best interest at heart, I would want people to be aware and to choose their physicians with care. Not only for themselves but also for their family members. Many times I would see elderly patients coming in by themselves or with an aid to their doctors appointments and because of the conditions they were in they were unable to comprehend what was really going on. The monument would be made out of black ceramic but inside the patients chest would be a clear wall to so show the money inside lit with lights around it(of course the money would be fake). By having the money showing I believe people will be drawn to the monument because of course when people see money on the floor they stop, so that would be by mission with this monument, to make people stop and look! 

Museum Essay #3

The Museum of Music! 

A place where anyone can come and enjoy the history and culture of the different type of genres of music their are. The museum would be located in the heart of New York City where a lot of tourist come to visit and where the average New Yorker can come on a Saturday afternoon. The museum would show the different types of musical instruments. They would be displayed where the viewer can see how the instrument has evolved over the years. Through out each room a different genre of music will be displayed, with famous artist who have made that genre famous, along with some background music of the same kind. Each room would feature an up coming artist from New York in hopes that more individuals who aspire to be featured in the museum will come and visit it. Also to give the artist a chance for others to see and hear their work. The museum would feature rooms with genres like Hip Hop. The visitor would walk through the history of Hip Hop, starting with the early years featuring the famous, DJ Kool Herc, who is named to be the father of Hip Hop, to the new upcoming artist. The museum would also feature latin music genre like Salsa. The room would be lit with bright colors and wooden floors (making the visitor feel like they are standing on a salsa dance floor). The room would play salsa music and have paintings of famous Salsa artist including Hector Lavo, Celia Cruz, and Marc Anthony. The museum would also have an exhibit for the younger teen crowds as they might get bored with what their parents find interesting, a special exhibition would be opened to them for them to see their favorite artist. Once a week the museum would feature local dancers who would perform in each room. Break dancers in the hip hop room, salsa dancers in the salsa room, ballet dancers in the the classical music room, and etc. This would give young local dancers the opportunity to get discovered. Saturday nights at the museum would be reserved for karaoke, open to anyone, with almost any song available for visitors to sing along to. The museum would be transformed and visitors would feel like they were in a night lounge. Sunday afternoons would be “Movie Sundays”. An outside area right behind the museum would be open for visitors to come with along with their family and friends to lay down with blankets. A large projector would show famous musical movies, movies such as West Side Story, Annie, and Grease. Everyday outside the museum their would be a featured artist who would receive some of the donation profits the museum makes throughout the day. The artist job? To engage the tourist and people passing by the museum with their talent and getting them to stop by and visit the museum! 

Accidental Art #2

Anxiety

Orange-you-lonely?

Anxiety

Accidental art? I’m still not quite sure. This “piece of artwork” was created by none other then my sister’s dog Brooke. The two earth tone colors on the wall are broken apart by what is now chipped wood. The brush stroke lines are visible in both the white side of the wall as well as the beige wall. The chipped away paint in a mixture of what was once mint green and white walls. The texture of the wall in the photograph is bumpy and rigid. Not only has the paint been chipped away but part of the wood as well. The core of the wood is that looks pointy and one might even be afraid of touching it with the thought of getting a splinter. I named this photograph “Anxiety” because Brooke suffers from separation anxiety. This “accidental” artwork is now properly displayed on the frame of our entrance door. I can only imagine Brooke biting down on the doorframe in hopes of creating an escape route. 

Orange-you-lonely?

This photograph was taken on the corner of Madison and Forest ave as I waited for the bus. The bright colored paper immediately grabbed my attention. The single brightly colored piece of paper was neatly folded almost as if someone had placed it there on purpose. Besides the bright paper the rest of the photo is monochromatic. With the rough bumpy texture of the road and the smooth surface of the street, the orange piece of paper is left there to wait until the next gust of wind directs it somewhere else. 

Blog #5 (Graffiti)

This work of art is displayed on the corner of Wyckoff Ave and Flushing. Its vibrant colors and unique features can make almost anyone passing by it stop and stare. 

While some might see it as vandalism and illegal play, graffiti can be considered a freedom of expression. Graffiti artist use spray cans to create unique works of art. They use their spray cans as their paintbrush and anything from the outside of a train to the side wall of a building as their blank canvas. Graffiti is different from the works of art we saw in the museums because a lot of the paintings were made on a blank canvas compared to graffiti which is usually created on a larger surface, primarily walls. Graffiti artist have several different reasons for creating their work of art. They create graffiti to express themselves as individuals. I believe graffiti should be included in museums because graffiti is art. Graffiti is detailed and it is not something everyone can create. John Cotton Dana states, “Surely a function of a public art museum is the making of life more interesting joyful and wholesome”. I agree with Dana statement because if museums were to contain more works of art that local people can relate to, people would maybe visit the museums more often because they would be able to relate to the works of art displayed. The audience would be able to identify the works of art easily compared to an old european painting. 

Carrie Mae Weems exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum was a moving work of art. Her images captured her or others in different scenarios. Carrie Mae Weems image “Slow Fade To Black” was one of the pieces that caught my eye. As I walked into the room the image called for ones eye. As I stared at it, the image began to trick my eye. I caught myself blinking a couple times to refocus my eyes on the image. As I stared at the image I heard two people saying the could no longer at it because it was hurting their eyes. I, on the other hand, was unable to walk away from the image because I found it so mesmerizing. I related to these pictures because whenever I aim my camera to take a photo I first have to focus my lens on what I am shooting or else my subject will come out blurry. Looking at this photo reminded me of the times when I accidentally shot my subject too early and that would result in me having a blurry photo, Carrie Mae Weems purpose was to make her subject blurry. She did this to show how famous black performers, specifically women, would fade into the background when new talent would come out. I believe she created these works to illustrate how women can be easily forgotten and almost as if they are blurred to the back of ones memory of who they use to be. 
Another one of her works that was interesting to me was her project, “The Louisiana Project”. She managed to capture herself in the essence of what Louisiana was once known as, one of the states that held most of the slaves and plantations. During this project Carrie Mae Weems dressed herself in an old long dress, a dress that held a lot of similarities between what women would wear during the slave period. She managed to capture herself away from the camera facing her object, almost as she were a ghost visiting the places that once cost her her sanity. One of the places in which she photographs herself in front of is an old plantation house. You can se her sitting down on the grass looking directly towards the house. It is almost as if she is too tired to even stand anymore. I find it interesting that the house in the photograph resembles the house in the Academy Award winning movie, 12 Years A Slave. 

While the structure of the Guggenheim was exquisite, I found the Metropolitan Museum far more interesting. The MET was definitely much bigger then the Guggenheim and it held more art work. The MET showed different types of artworks from different periods and from different parts of the world. While the Guggenheim did have artwork from different periods, I felt that they mostly only held modern art. And one thing I did not like about the Guggenheim is that you were not able to take pictures!!!! I understand the museum wants to project the artist and make sure their work does not get copied, but like you said professor, we live in a period where we use our phones for almost everything, a simple picture can’t hurt. 

Accidental Art

Brownie's Squeaky Ball

Fortune Reflection

Both of these photos were taken in my house (Approx. 200 Wyckoff Ave Brooklyn NY). They are both 2D photographs taken with my Nikon camera. The first photo is a picture of one of my dog's toy. I found this to be an accidental piece of artwork because when I saw it, I stared at it for a while because it was just on the floor with nothing around it, almost as if it was just abandoned. Brownie (my dog) had simply left if there after he got tired of playing with it. In the photo you can see the shadow of the ball on the floor. The ball contains a pattern of yellow, white, and green bones, as well as the ball being overall red. You can also see the lines on the wooden floor as well as the two small circles between every strip of wood, which are actually small nails. Over time Brownie has squeaked and played with his red ball, the chips and cracks on the little bones can depict how much he has enjoyed his favorite toy.

The second photo was taken on my dinning room table after my sister ate a fortune cookie. You can see the photo contains mostly negative space with the main subject being the fortune cookie message and the left over crumbs of the cookie. My main idea in taking the photo was to bring the focus to the message instead of the crumbs on the table. The blue text on the small white piece of paper brings a pop of color to the photo which is mostly a variation of warm colors. You can also see the texture of the cookie crumbs, some chunks are big while the others are small like a grain of salt. When I saw the fortune message I was drawn to the reflection on the glass table. I found it interesting and intriguing, like if the message was trying to reflect on the person sitting next to my sister which happened to be me.

Blog #3

The Portrait of a Young Woman by Lorenzo di Credi is a realistic representational painting. It is a portrait of the widow of Credi’s brother. The woman in the painting has expression in her face and has details around her eyes. The puffiness around her eyes tell the story of her weeping at the lost of her husband. She is dressed in all black and in her hands she holds what looks like to be her wedding ring. You can see the sadness and somberness in her eyes along with a mournful pout across her lips. Around her head you can see tree branches and leaves framing her face. It is almost has if the painter tried to create a black halo around her face. The artist manages to convince the viewer that this women was a grieving widow. In Ways of Seeing by Jonh Berger, Berger states, “By contrast, a woman’s presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her”. I feel that this quotes expresses the essence of the painting because her presence is a depressing one. The artist portrays her depression in the way he paints her eyes, bringing them away from the viewer almost as if the woman is too pained to look at anyone in the eyes.

Blog #2

The Crucifixion

The painting was created by Pietro Lorenzetti in the 1340s. The form and style of this artwork is 2D representational painting. Some of the visual affects that Lorzenzetti used in his painting were warm colors with a bit of bright colors as well, lines including a triangle, bringing the viewers attention to the top of the painting. The concept of this painting was to portray a biblical story. Some of the objective contents seen in this painting are horses, crosses, people, and swords. Subjectively you can see the Virgin Mary being supported by people around her, in her eyes and body language you can see she is emotionally in pain due to her sons crucification. You can see the pain in Jesus' followers as they watch him suffer on the cross.  You can see the message portrayed by this painting, Christ being crucified along with the two thieves. I feel that this painting is very moving and captures the essence of how Christ died for our sins. Viewers can get a feel of what Christ went through and the pain which he and his followers felt during his crucification. 

Blog #1

Blog # 1

Art is all around us, from graffiti on a wall, to a painting by Picaso, to a drawing by a five year old. Living in New York City I can see art in every street and every corner. Art can be found on the 14th street subway station, from the bucket drummer to the group of break dancers dancing insider the subway carts. Art is anything that can capture the creativity of an individual. Photography is my form of art. I can use my camera to capture something I find unique, whether its how the sun reflects on NYC buildings or capturing a special moment between two people.

Art can be found in many different forms. Graffiti for instance, can be considered art. Graffiti artist use spray cans to express their messages and creativity. Although their are some people that consider graffiti as vandalism, others consider it art and a way of expression. Five points in Long Island City in Queens was primarily a place where graffiti artist would get the opportunity to express themselves in a colorful way. Individuals can view art is severely different ways. While someone might describing a painting as abstract and complex another person might see the same painting as simple and basic. Art is a way in which we can express what we feel inside and is a way to let our imaginations wander into the impossible.